34. Date Night
Dillon
The table was set, a playlist had been chosen and dinner was on the stove â Dillon Holden fancied himself quite the mood setter. He had thought about it for a while but when Jack had started nagging him about asking Libra out he'd finally done so. They had been walking back from class yesterday and she'd been awfully quiet, as she had a lot lately, but he had taken a deep breath and decided to ask her. Surprisingly enough she said a simple 'yes' and blushed all the way to her door â so they were going on a date.
The evening at the restaurant had been one thing, back then they had still hidden their feelings for each other, but now that they were out in the open it truly felt like a first date. Dillon had never cooked for anyone before, let alone a girl, so he'd spent the day on Youtube to learn how to make a mean pasta dish. After he'd settled on a recipe he had set the table with the only two matching plates he had and the wine glasses Jack had brought with him â then it was on to pick a playlist and he was done.
Now everything looked pretty great if he could say so himself. The apartment was dimmed lit and the heavy smell of marinara sauce filled the whole apartment. Dillon downed his wine and winced as he swallowed, he'd rather have a beer or something stronger but he didn't have any of that. Jack had told him to stick to wine for tonight because it fitted well with the meal and it showed he had a thought behind each thing.
I'm heading down to yours now.
He read the text Libra had sent only seconds ago and walked toward the door to open it, she should be here any second now. As he anticipated a knock on the door made reality abruptly known to him and he took a deep breath and put his hand on the doorknob. Tonight could be a defining night for the two of them. He had thought a lot about what he wanted out of this thing with Libra and the thought of walking hand in hand with her made him smile. He knew he wanted something with her, something more than friendship, the word girlfriend had found its way into his head.
"I hope I'm not too early, I just couldn't wait to see what you had planned. Jack hinted it would be something special." Libra said when she stepped into the apartment.
Dillon couldn't focus on being angry with Jack for spoiling the surprise of the surprise; he was too busy looking at Libra with a half open mouth. She was wearing a black tight dress with matching heels. Her hair was slightly curly and her brown eyes matched with the burgundy lipstick she was wearing. Everything about her was a perfect mix of sinful and innocence â something that turned Dillon on to no end.
"You look absolutely gorgeous." He finally said when they'd stopped in the living room. He watched spin around to meet his gaze and she blushed instantly.
He wished they could skip the formalities and get right down to business; kissing. He had no idea how he could possibly keep away during an entire meal but Libra was worth the wait. He could see how she was inspecting the table he'd set up and when she turned around to face him with a wide smile he knew that this was indeed a good idea. He made a mental note to thank Jack for the suggestion and poured them each a glass of wine.
"I don't know how great dinner is but I've tasted it and it's at least edible." He chuckled when he pulled out her chair.
"I can't believe you went through all this trouble," she said with a low voice and looked up at him with shiny eyes, "nobody's ever done this for me before; so, thank you for making this a very special night for me."
Dillon should be the one to thank her! There were so many things he wished to lay out on the table but if he did he could risk losing her. As long as he could have her like this, in a place they shared happiness with each other, he would be happy. But the fear that lived inside him always reminded him that there was an expiration date on their relationship.
With dinner served on their plates and an impulsive toast performed by Dillon they tucked in to their plates and Libra let out a soft sound, indicating she liked the meal. Momentarily he allowed himself to relax knowing that it was going well so far, but he couldn't help but wonder how long it would last.
"How have you been lately? You've been kind of distant in your mood lately; is school going alright?" Dillon asked as he sipped on his wine while still wishing it was beer.
Libra looked down for a second and then met his eyes briefly. Something was going on with her but he wasn't sure it had anything to do with him or if she was just nervous around him now. This had come to a surprise for both of them and perhaps Libra needed more adjustment to the idea of them being together, or at least dating. Dillon on the other hand felt far too comfortable around her and the idea of having Libra as his girlfriend. Now that she had found her way into his life he couldn't see her ever leaving it and desperately hoped she never would â which is a feeling he'd never dream of connecting together with Libra Jones.
"It's just a lot in classes right now. I always thought I'd prepared for college but sometimes it's more stressful than I'd planned for." Libra shoots him a nervous smile and puts the glass of wine to her lips and sips it slowly.
Dillon smiles and leans back in his chair. He would never admit it but there was something pleasing about seeing Libra freak out about college just like everyone else. Her grades were the top of the entire North Haven's graduation year and she'd always seemed so calm whenever it came to school project and assignments â but even grade A students freak out it seemed.
"Don't worry about that; you're a great student. I remember back in North Haven, when I'd gotten another F on an English assignment, I was sent to our principal's office and he told me to: 'ask for advice from Miss Libra Jones' since you were at the top of our graduation year." He chuckled but quickly recalled how angry he'd been.
Angry enough to do something stupid later.
"He actually said that to you?" Libra said and looked more shocked than pleasantly surprised. He sure thought that would cheer her up a little bit.
"Yes he did! But there was no secret you were the best student in our year and he wanted to show you off. Now I can see why." Dillon winked which caused Libra to blush yet again â something that made his heart flutter every time.
A silence fell over the room and he knew she was going to bring up something uncomfortable. In her eyes she looked at him differently than what she had when she'd entered the door earlier. It was like she was looking right at the old Dillon Holden; the guy that had tormented her for her entire high school experience. But Dillon wasn't that guy anymore; Libra had liberated him from that guy and he was on to becoming the guy he should've always been. Maybe then he could've been this happy even in high school.
"I know what you're thinking," Dillon said, "You're thinking about the Dillon you used to know. The guy who would yell names after you, intimidate your friends and cause food fights in the cafeteria â but I'm not him anymore. I'm the Dillon who wants to spend time with his new friends, get good grades and cooks amazing date night dinners." He made her chuckle at the last part which allowed him to relax slightly.
"What's happening between us is a lot to take in, Dillon. I mean; before college we didn't know each other at all. We went to the same school but we were anything but friends back then. It's hard to realize that not only have we become friends but we're...more than that." Her final words made him shiver.
She wants me too.
Unable to contain his happiness he stood from his chair and reach for her hand to get her on her feet. They had tasted the food and that was enough for him to continuing the evening for them. Libra got to her feet with her brows frowned and questioning his next move, but when he smiled she knew instantly what he wanted.
Without protesting Dillon leaned in and Libra accepted the kiss very willingly. Suddenly his tongue had asked for entry to her mouth and they were stumbling over to the couch with breaths panting and hands exploring. As shy as Libra seemed he could tell that something wanted to be liberated inside of her and bits of it had started to find its way out. Her hands found their way underneath her shirt and caressed his hard chest and sooner found his back. Dillon hesitated doing the same to her; he didn't want the kiss to end and feared it would if he came on too strong.
Once Libra's head hit the pillow on the couch Dillon knew they had gone too far. She might want this but he could tell she was nowhere near ready for this. Her legs wanted to make room for his body but they were so tense it just made him feel uncomfortable. He wanted her but not like this, not the way old Dillon used to do it â he wanted Libra to want this just as much as he did and she just wasn't there yet. Without saying a word he pulled back and pulled them both up to a seating position.
"Did I do something wrong?" Libra said with a shaky voice while she touched her lips briefly with her left index finger, almost in disbelief that they had gone that far.
"It's not you," he said and cupped her face warmly; "I really want to do this with you, more than you'd know, but you're not ready yet and that's okay. I don't want to rush you into anything; when you're ready we can approach this again." He said with his softest voice and kissed her forehead.
Libra was quiet when he embraced her but eventually she relaxed, "I guess you know that I'm a virgin now," she mumbled.
Dillon put his finger under her chin to tilt her head up toward his. Her eyes were full of tears that had not yet dropped and he didn't understand why. Everything about her was so beautiful and refreshing that he couldn't fathom how she could feel embarrassed about any of it. If she'd only known how many mistakes he's made when it came to sex; but she had not made any yet and she shouldn't until she's ready to accept whatever decision she makes. Dillon never did that, he lost his virginity to not be the only virgin in his clique. The pressure he felt that night still haunted him.
"Being a virgin isn't something to be ashamed of Libra and to hell with whoever made you feel that way. You're not living for anyone but yourself." He said sternly and hoped it wasn't Beverly or any of the other girls from their old high school that had enlisted this embarrassment in her.
"That's easy for you to say; you've probably hadâ"
"Yeah I have," Dillon stated, "but have you ever thought that maybe I regret losing it the way I did? If I could've been brave and held out until I was really ready than I could've avoided a lot of mistakes I made after that."
Libra looked at him and smiled shyly. She mumbled that he was right and Dillon couldn't help but to steal another kiss from her. While the kiss deepened quicker than expected somewhere in the distance a phone was ringing and from the ringtone he could tell it was Libra's. He nudged her and broke the kiss, to both their dismay.
With a loud grunt she stumbled over to her bag and fished out her phone. Dillon tried to read her expression and froze when he saw the way she looked; nervously gripping her phone and biting her lips in the same manner.
"What's wrong?" He asked and got to his feet, but before he reached her the phone was back in her bag.
"Nothing; I just got some bad news about a grade that's all." Libra went back to the sofa and shot him a smile. "Jack also said something about dessert?" She looked hopeful.
Dillon chuckled and shook his head while walking toward the kitchen to get the Ben & Jerry's ice cream he'd bought as dessert. He wanted to forget about the feeling in his stomach but something inside him told him that Libra Jones was currently keeping a secret from him.
And he desperately wanted to know what it was.