Before, After & In-between

Chapter 13 - Now

I wake up with a smile and butterflies dancing in my stomach. Darrin and I seemed to skip past the friend zone and straight into the deep bare your soul zone, and as much as I wanted to murder Leah last night, this morning in my well-rested state I am realizing she did me a favor. With out her drunken intervention I would have never had the guts to tell Darrin anything and we'd be no further off then we were two weeks ago.

Still...she isn't going to get off scott- free, I'll give her a few hours to sleep off what will likely be a terrible hangover before I call her. I'll be surprised if she even remembers.

I'm giddy at the thought of seeing Darrin today, I am meeting him at the Nook after his shift this afternoon for our first official hangout...date...I don't know what to call it.

"Katy?" my dad hovers outside my door.

"Morning dad."

"How was your night, did you guys have fun?"

"It was okay," I say, trying to hide the cloud that I am floating on, "made it in before curfew."

"I noticed, but who dropped you off?"

Having this conversation with my dad is the last thing I want to do right now. How do I talk to him about boys, feelings, it's all so unbelievably awkward.

"Uh, Darrin...a guy I met at the Nook," I say unconcerned, "the one that makes those chocolate croissants Jake likes."

"Oh, that guy. So is this a thing now?" he asks uncomfortably.

"No, we're just friends."

He ponders it for a minute, as I avoid all eye contact hoping that he will drop it, " What's up for today, did you want to get a run in with me?"

I hold my breath momentarily, "I am hanging out with Darrin..."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

So awkward so awkward, neither of us knows where to look.

He nods but continues standing in my doorway.

"Was there something else?"

He shuffles around, scratches the back of his head "Ah, no, well just be safe, you know be smart."

"DAD!"

"I'm just saying," his face turns red, "I don't know isn't that something your mom would say?"

I laugh, "No she wouldn't. But you don't have to say anything, I know," now my face is red, "I should probably get ready, I'll be home for dinner though."

"If this is something, if it's going to be something, I should meet him."

"Please, I don't even know what this is. Like I said, we're just friends."

"I like to know your friends, why don't you bring him back for dinner?"

I'm mortified. This ought to scare him away, first date and meet the family all in one.

"Dad no!"

He chuckles, "What's the big deal, if he's just a 'friend.'

                                                                                             ***

When I walk into the Nook it's like walking into a place I've always known. It's warm familiar energy buzzes around me, I head over to the book wall and pull the three books I brought from home out of my bag; Bitten, The Alpha King, and Cursed, and place them on one of the shelves noticing there are not nearly enough fantasy novels here I make a mental note to bring more next time.