TWENTY-EIGHT

TWENTY-EIGHT

I hurried out the bakery, instant regret filling me up to my throat as I hastily walked it back to Palmer's house. My hands were still visibly shaking, my heart still pounding loudly in my ears. I still felt that bizarre burning type feeling swimming around my stomach, and every time I tried sucking in a fresh breath of air, I would find the route of my air pipes jagged.

My head was spinning, blaring sounds of alarms so I knew what I agreed to was a huge mistake. I shouldn't have said yes. I shouldn't have even considered it but damn, in that moment, I found my mouth rebelling against my true intentions.

I contemplated turning back around and cancelling on it. But my feet were pounding hard on the ground as I carried in walking to Palmer's place, already thinking of what to wear.

Shit.

Where would we go?

I made it to Palmer's and found that she wasn't home yet. I let myself in with the spare key and quickly stumbled up the stairs.

I had over two hours to revise for my exams and then I would have approximately two hours more to get ready. Plenty of time. I would be able to get ready under that time and have time to spare.

So I got to work, pretending for two hours that I didn't have a date with the devil himself.

****

I heard them come in quarter to six. I dropped my pen on my open textbook, put my headphones down and walked down the hallway.

I caught them just as Nolan was putting Palmer's jacket off her. "Thanks for returning her from your day long adventure." I said from the top of the stairs, instantly grabbing their attention as they both turned their heads up.

Palmer sent me a soft smile, her eyes tired but beaming of content regardless. Nolan, however, let the ends of his lips curl into a smirk. "What can I say? Love me some old lady."

Palmer flicked her head back to Nolan, her mouth slightly ajar with disbelief. "I could be your big sister." She counter-reacted.

Nolan shook his head. "You could be my-"

I interjected quickly since I noticed Palmer getting ready to hand it to Nolan and I knew that it wouldn't be good for both of them.

"Palmer I need your help on something real quick."

Palmer didn't look my way, her eyes fixated on the man standing behind her. "Ori honey, give me a minute."

"I got a date with Link in two hours and I'm shitting myself." I blurted out.

Both of them snapped their heads quickly my way than I've even seen them do so before. Nolan looked at me with complete surprise etched on his face and Palmer had a mixture of surprise and shock. She blinked a few times, letting her head wrap around the idea of her nephew taking me out on a date.

"That is splendid." She said after a pause.

Lies. It was clear as daylight the lie she just cooked up. It wasn't splendid. It was a crisis.

"When did you guys get on that stage?" Nolan asked me slowly. I was unsure myself how we even got close to being on any stage, let alone that particular stage.

I shrugged in answer, deeming nothing else worthy to do.

"It happened all too quickly," I told them, descending down the stairs with my hand on the stair rail firmly. "He asked me and I said yes."

Palmer reached for my hands as soon as I got to the bottom of the stairs and she carefully steered me into the direction of the kitchen. I allowed her warm hands to pull me along until she got by the dining table in the middle of the kitchen. "Tell me all about it." She said as she softly pushed me to sit down on the chair.

"He's going to be here soon and I don't know what to wear." I told her. Nolan walked in behind us and snickered at my worry. I glared up at his snickering face.

"If you don't know what to wear, I can give you some ideas."

"Oh really?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Yeah, and it involves minimal clothing," he said. "I'm sure it'll be up your alley," he added.

I made a grab for the closest object in my reach and made a move to throw the mug at him. He quickly cowarded away, stumbling frantically out the kitchen. "I was only joking." he yelled from wherever he ran to.

I turned back to Palmer, all the nerves I had cooking up and put aside finally coming to the surface. Everything was going to do down badly. I was certain of the unfortunate events that would most possibly occur and I had the trickling feeling that it would be the worst thing ever. Yet regardless, I sat by the dining table, my mind putting together an outfit so I looked somewhat appealing to his dark eyes.

Why was I trying to impress him?

"I think you should take a breather for a second," Palmer placed her hands over mine, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "He'll do right by you since I raised him well enough.

"You didn't raise him." I scoffed out the remake without thinking.

Palmer nodded her head. "I did. His parents were always busy doing stuff and my dear sister knew her son only allowed me to take care of him."

The new information that came to light didn't surprise me much since the love both Palmer and Link shared was deep.

"Are you going to be okay?" Palmer asked out the blue.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked. Of course I wasn't going to be okay.

"I know how he can get," Palmer voiced. "And especially when he sees you, he tends to put up more of a front than usual."

I frowned. It never came across to me that he was holding back from me more than any one else he crossed paths with. He wasn't entirely receptive to Thomas and Ryan, often ignoring the clear question direct to him.

"He acts the same in front of everyone."

Palmer shook her head in disagreement. "More so to you than the others."

"But why would he do that?"

She pulled her shoulders close to  her neck. "Who knows?" She said. "But for me, it's clear he has a little something something for you going on."

"A little something something?" I repeated her words.

"You think I haven't noticed?" Palmer questioned. "He acts like he's this really tough guy when in all honestly he just wants to connect with you."

I took a moment to process Palmer's words. A part of me wanted to believe that all this hot and cold persona Link had directed on me was a front to cover his inability to instantly connect with people. But the most sane and logic part of me knew that he wasn't acting hot and cold and putting a front up for the reason none other than I was the one who caused him and his family distress.

Of course, I couldn't point that out to Palmer. I slowly pulled my hands back, the thought of hurting Palmer's niece crossing my mind and I didn't feel like I deserved to even be in her presence, let alone her comforting me.

"I think I'll get ready for the data." I told her slowly.

Palmer smiled at me softly, not taking anything bad from my sudden retreat. "You do that, Dear."

I smiled at her one final time and ducked out the kitchen, passing a frowning Nolan by the front hallway.

"You really think it's a great idea that you're going on this date?" He asked as I came to stand opposite him. I had to crane my head backwards since we were close in proximity so I could look him straight in the face and answer him truthfully.

"I know it's a freaking terrible idea but it's too late now to cancel." I answered Nolan.

He didn't say anything to that. He half expected me to lie and say it was a great idea so he could press on for me to admit the truth. But I did the job for him and all he could do was stare at me with questionable eyes.

I suddenly found myself in no mood to further discuss this situation so I clicked my tongue inside my mouth and started to walk away from Nolan.

Remembering something far less grooming that happened today, I turned my head over my shoulder and called out for Nolan who was making his way to the kitchen. "Hey Nolan."

He turned at the sound of his name, catching my eyes with his own. His hair swung over his shoulder, creating a wavy curtain of his luscious hair around the base of his back and his neck. "Yeah?"

I grinned at him. "Congrats to being Mr Boss now." I shot him an exaggerated wink.

Nolan just shook his head at me and turned back to walk inside the kitchen.

****

My fingers trembled across my phone, my thumbs jamming on the screen as I conjured up another text, similar to the one I composed earlier. I contemplated whether to text Link to ask what the occasion would be but feared his reply would just be robotic and embarrassing to me. I didn't want him to think I was trying very hard for this date but then again I didn't want to look stupid and dress up with everything fancy when we just would go to the movies and some quick take out shop.

I was completely in the blind when it came to this male. He was nothing like the other boys and nothing like the typical boys so he would not pull out the usual date stuff.

So I decided to not text him at all and just dress with a skirt and a blouse and threw on a flowey blazer that both looked dressed up yet casual. My make up looked casual but it was clear to everyone I put in the extra effort into looking good.

I got a text from him an hour ago, which simply stated the time he'd be there to pick me up which would be at eight.

Now it was ten past eight and I wondered, sitting on a bed filled with clothes and make up and accessories, that whether I should fire him a quick text and ask where he was.

Palmer had gone up to bed an hour after the conversation down by the kitchen and Nolan and left soon after that.

I threw my phone onto the bed and decided to wait. He might of been held up by something so I took in a deep breath and waited for him to text me back.

****

I glanced at my watch again, this time already out my bedroom and sitting by the stairs, directly in front of the front door.

It was quarter past nine.

An hour long wait.

I looked at my phone incase I got a text from him but I had no new messages.

His parents must have told him to fix things or something...

I slowly put off my jacket, letting it hang over the stairs rail. I wanted to take off my shoes but then it would make everything real and make me realise something I didn't want to realise.

One hour after the other, until it was nearly eleven in the night. For two hours I waited and even a fool would have realised thirty minutes in or more that I was set up maliciously.

I put off my shoes, letting them sit at the bottom of the stairs and finally allowed myself to listen to the voice that had been nagging at me ever since eight.

He is not coming.

****

> guys literally, I'm half asleep writing this so I didn't edit I just posted it and though to get with it in the morning or something.

> hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, and yes I knew a while ago that he'd ask her out but he wouldn't show up so I just asked for date ideas out of curiosity lol add me on snapchat! I'm all for chatting to you lot :) sc: naja_x3 (y'all can see how ugly this stupid Link Dane writer is lol)