Forbidden Devotion

06.

~ Dana's POV ~

I get up to my apartment & I see my Mom sitting on the couch. Great...

"Dej Nag," My mom says my name. "There you are!"
(Dana.)

"What're you doing here, Mom?" I ask her.

"Aunt Mai and I are setting you and Es up and you guys are going on a date this Friday," she tells me.

"...What?"

"You and Es are going on a date," she repeated.
(Evan.)

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time but...why?"

"Because you two are single and young and we want you two to have fun!"

"Mom... I'm 21... I don't need you setting me up."

"Why not?"

"Well first of all, Evan is like an older brother to me and second of all, I'm going to have a lot of homework for this weekend."

"I'm letting you take a break and you don't want it?" She asks, with her hands on her hips.

"Thov txim, niam..." I say to her, biting my lip. Don't get me wrong, Evan seems like a great guy but I don't see myself with him.
(I'm sorry, Mom...)

"Well, you're going either way," she tells me. "Es is looking forward to it and I made this promise to Aunt Mai already."

I sigh. There's no way of me winning this. Might as well.

"Okay, fine."

"Zoo! Tsuag, tsuag, peb mus nrhiav khaub ncaws rau koj hnav!" She says.
(Good! Hurry, hurry, let's go find you an outfit to wear!)

She goes into my room and I follow. She looks through my closet and I set my backpack down on my chair.

"Dej Nag," she says my name.

"What?" I answer, sitting down on my bed.

"No yog dab tsi?" She asks, pulling out Bryson's hoodie from my closet. "I've never seen this."
(What is this?)

"Oh!" I said and grab it from her hand.

"Whose is that?"

"Oh, it's just a friend of mine."

"Txiv neej los poj niam?"
(Boy or girl?)

"Girl..." I lie.

"Really? A friend of yours who's a girl owns a black hoodie like that? Looks big," she says.

"Yeah, they forgot it here..."

"Okay," she says. "Let's keep looking."

I really need to return Bryson's hoodie back.

***

Friday rolls around and my Mom actually gave my number to Aunt Mai to give it to Evan so he can contact me. He was coming to pick me up at my apartment around 7pm.

My mom and I decided on a light pink off the shoulder top with light blue jeans and wedge heels. I also wore a necklace with my initial on it. It was just a small necklace. I really only wear this on occasions because I don't like wearing jewelry as much, but this is really the only jewelry I like.

It was nearly 7 and Evan texted me that he was here. I'm actually really nervous. I haven't seen Evan since middle school besides that day we saw each other at my house but other than that, it's been a long time! I don't know how he is now.