Chapter 39

"I'm so sorry about the no car business..." He stated awkwardly as we waited outside for the Uber he called.

"Hey don't sweat it, I don't have a car too, I still take rides from Andrina, we are more or less the same." I reassured him, even if I tried, I could not fight off the smile that engulfed my whole being, it was not just my facial muscles that smiled, every single part of my body smiled.

My traveled from our locked hands, upwards, to his face. He looked... fidgety. He didn't look as excited as I felt, he looked.. kind of.. scared? Confusion took over the rest of my features as I pushed my glasses back up my nose with my free hand.

"Is there a problem?" I asked after clearing my throat.

He looked confused for a minute, like he didn't know what I was talking about, then he must have realized because his brows separated, as they were almost touching from his frown.

Before he could answer the Uber he called pulled up in front of us, and we got in. I turned to see everyone in my house peeping from various windows, giving me either a thumbs up and a huge smile, or a high five and a huge smile. I blushed.

The car rolled away from my driveway, and I sighted someone looking straight at us from his house, it looked like the same person I saw the other day. I was going to open my mouth and ask him who it was, but the person disappeared. No proof.

I had to get my glasses checked, or my eyes since I was beginning to see things.

"Why do you visit the elderlies?" He asked out of the blue, bringing me back to my current situation, which was huge. Going on my first ever date with my first ever crush! Excitement rushed over my body. I was cackling with excitement.

"You have just reminded that I have missed them too much." I reply, thinking about it, I have really left them for too long.

"First I went to make sure I didn't lack in any extra curricular activities for Yale standard. Now, I go because I love them, it's like having an abundance of grandma's." I tell him smiling.

"That's really sweet."

I look up at him, he was looking down at me and smiling sincerely, our faces were really close, I felt heat rush to my neck, and up to the tips of my ears. He cupped the side of my face with his free hand, we somehow reconnected our hands after entering the Uber.

His hand was warm against my skin, I felt tingling sensations where his finger tips lay on my cheeks. My heart beat spiked, it was getting pretty hard to breathe now.

"You are so beautiful.." he whispered softly, before he started to lean in slowly. I stilled because I didn't know what to do, I haven't done this before but the way my lips were tingling in anticipation, I'd say... I was just about to have my first kiss.

"We are here!" The Uber driver announced.

That statement pulled as apart like children who were doing something wrong before they were caught by their teacher.

"Oh.. ah... I didn't mean to..." The clueless driver rambled. I already felt like banging his head against the wall several times.

I heard Joseph breathe hard through his nose before paying him. He got out of the car in a split second. And I glared at the driver.

"That was my first one, and you ruined it!" I told the guy before the door sprang open. Joseph stood there smiling at me.

"At least I should open the door for you, after you, my lady." He said bowing exaggeratedly.

Laugh spilled out of my almost kissed lips as I slipped out of the car. But before that, I made sure to tell the Uber driver that he was getting just one star.

We hooked hands again, I looked around, the place wasn't familiar. I haven't come here ever. We were standing in front of a really dilapidated movie house. At least they had a snack bar.

He too looked disgusted at the place, who wouldn't? The building looked like it was on its very last breathe.

"I saw online that they showed a movie here that you would like so I bought tickets. I didn't know it would be so...trash.." he said in a rush. He looked embarrassed.

I smiled,

"It is fine, the inside might look better. Who knows?"

The inside was worse, on the right aisle, there were leaks, but there was no rain, so where was the dripping water coming from?

"Shit! The toilet water found its way here again! Yo Manny! Come check it out!" A burly man said from beside us.

"Come let's go there." Joseph said steering me away from the dripping toilet water.

We went to the front of the left aisle. It was empty, save for the burly guy and Manny, both were checking out the leak.

"I'm so sorry about this too." Joseph said rubbing his face with his free hand.

I placed my open palm on his hand.

"It's fine, we have got pop corn, the snack bar, the movie and each other." I tell him.

"Do you always see the bright side in everything?" He asked smiling at me.

I shrugged, he put his hand in the pop corn bowl and took a hand full.

"I have to taste this first, just in case." He said examining it nervously.

In one throw, everything was in his mouth, he chewed quietly for two seconds before smiling.

"This is the only thing they could not mess up, it's quite good actually." He said.

"Of course it is, I made it, now quiet, the movie is about to begin." The receptionist said from behind us.

We were startled. But before we could say anything, the movie started.

"That was definitely my type of movie." I say smiling as we walked out.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Isn't it Romantic, sounds like something you'd love instantly." He said shrugging.

"Why would they show so much a movie here when no one actually comes here?" I ask.

He shrugged.

Looking up, I find the place deserted.

"I guess everyone closed for the day already." I say.

He swallowed hard, his demeanor changing. Before I could say anything, he talked first.

"It is pretty late, look at the time. 10 o'clock already.."

I shivered as the night breeze brushed my arms.

"No signal to call an Uber, just great." He said grating his teeth.

I saw a stupid idea forming in my head, and before I could stop myself, I said it.

"Let's walk for a bit, maybe we could find signal." Stupid romance books and their ideas.

He looked like he didn't want to, but he started walking. My hand in his felt perfect. I definitely didn't want this date to end.

"What was your life like before you transferred here?" I asked as we walked slowly.

He smiled,

"It was great you know, I had friends, I played all the sports, I was going to be captain of the swimming team, but suddenly... We had to move..." He stopped talking like it was a bitter memory.

"I had a tree house once... Dad built it... It was where I went to all the time." He said out of the blue.

"I never had a tree house..." I started but something stopped me.

"Well well, what do we have here?" A voice said from the darkness. I stopped walking. I clutched Joseph's hand in fear.

"Two stupid teenagers, did they send you?"

"Nobody sent us.. we were just passing.." I say in fright.

They were about seven of them, and they were all muscly. Fear began creeping in my throat.

"Passing eh? Guess you have to pay... For passing."

I left his hand for a minute, trying to open my purse and give them something. I brought cash.

"On a second thought.. you are pretty and sexy.. so we'll be taking more than that..."

No, no, no.. they can't do that. I turned to hold Joseph. But he wasn't here, I did a complete 360, he wasn't there.

"Looks like your little boyfriend left you." One snared, while the others laughed.

"No! No! Joseph!! Joseph!!!" I screamed, not ready to believe he would leave me all by myself with this guys. But by this time, there were two opposite streams on my face already.

He would never leave me... He won't.

"JOSEPH!!!"