Chapter 2: Mr. Book Store
MR. BOOK STORE
CHAPTER 2
MCKINLEY P.O.V
"You're going on a date with a guy?" Court asked placing the bag of food down on my kitchen table. "A random guy that you met in a book store?"
"Yes." I said looking at her. "He bought me a book. How many guys have bought you a book?" I questioned and she shrugged giving a little laugh.
"But you don't like guys." She said trying to defend her argument on why I shouldn't go on the date with Luke.
"But this guy is different. He bought me a book." I said and she laughed.
"So what if he bought you a book? I bet he's still going to hurt you one way or another." She said and I rolled my eyes. "He could leave and you never know."
"He can leave if he wants but I'm not going to hold it against him because he might leave." I said and she nodded her head at me as she pulled the food out of the bag. "I figured I would give it a shot. I'm not saying we're going to be dating for years and be head over heels in love with each other." I said as I put some rice on my plate. "I'm just saying that he seems like a fun guy." We had been texting back and forth a little and I didn't really find out much about him, not that I really asked him.
"How does he seem like a fun guy? What does he even do?"
"He's a music producer." I answered, that was one of the only things that I found out about him.
"A music producer?" She questioned and I nodded my head. "You want to date a music producer?"
"I never said I wanted to date him and why does it matter what he does for a living? If he makes me happy why does it matter?"
"How does he make you happy?"
"Whenever he texts me I get super excited." I answered smiling at her. "Just let me live." I said sipping on my wine.
"Whatever, Kinley." She answered. We both ate in silence before moving to the living room to watch a movie. "When is this date?" She questioned.
"Tomorrow night." Tomorrow was Saturday and I would be able to sleep in and not worry about work, instead I could stress over this date with Luke.
"What are you going to wear?" I shrugged, I was never really sure what to wear. I wasn't good with picking out stuff to wear on a date. "Lets go look." She said, both of us standing up and heading into my room to look in the closet. "Where's that red dress that you wore to the Christmas Party last year?" She questioned. "Which by the way, is next week." She said and I nodded.
"It should be hung up in there."
"I think you look amazing in red." She said as she pulled it out of the closet. "You need black shoes and black tights."
"Are you sure with the tights?"
"Yes, it's December, it get's cold in New York you know." I rolled my eyes laughing.
"I've lived here for years, I know how the weather works."
"Is he going to take you around Time Square to look at all the pretty lights?" I shrugged. He didn't tell me what he had planned and I wasn't going to ask. I figured he would have told me if he wanted to know.
"I can ask him after we have dinner." I shrugged. "But I'm not going to force him."
"Did he tell you where he was taking you?"
"No. He wants it to be a surprise." Which stresses me out.
"That scares me. Please text me when you know the location so if something happens I can send cops your way." I laughed a little although the thought crossed my mind that he was a killer who just wanted to rape me and kill me before dumping my body somewhere. It happens all the time in New York.
"You're stressing me out." I said and she nodded.
"I'm sorry, I was just saying." She said. "I didn't mean to stress you out." She smirked at me and I knew that she was thinking something bad.
"What?"
"Do you have any pictures of him? Is he cute?"
"He's very cute. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. He even has a lip ring." I answered.
"Do you have a picture of him?" I pulled up his Facebook and pulled up his most recent picture but of course that wasn't enough for her and she scrolled through all of his pictures. "He's a momma's boy." She giggled.
"How do you know?" I questioned. She always said stuff but she was often wrong.
"Look, he posts so many pictures of him and his mom." She said showing me a few pictures.
"Okay, so?"
"I wasn't saying it was bad." She said as she handed my phone back, both of us laying on my bed. "You've never wanted to date anyone, how come all of a sudden you change your mind?" I shrugged. I had said for years that I didn't want to date anyone that I never wanted to get married. I never told anyone the reason's why but I knew I didn't want it.
"I don't know. I guess he seemed really sweet when he bought that book and no one has ever done that for me before and he seems like a real guy, like he actually cares. He said it made him upset that I put the book back." I answered. I wanted to get to know Luke and not like what he does for a living I wanted to know if he was afraid of the dark or birds or planes. I wanted to know everything there is to know about his family. I want to know about his loves for dogs or cats or both. I want to know everything.
"I find it strange but I'm going to support you. But if he hurts you, I will kick him in the balls." I laughed a little because I knew that it was true.
"You don't need to kick him in the balls. And I'm sure if it all works out you'll be meeting him soon." I smiled at her.
"Sure I will. Anyway, I gotta head home to the man and dog before they burn my house down." She laughed. She had been engaged for nearly a year and she was finally making plans on the date for the wedding. "Text me tomorrow when you know where you're going!" She shouted before letting herself out and I sighed before rolling over to look at the dress that she hung up on my closet door.
"It is pretty." I said standing up, looking at it closer. I sighed as I pulled the black heels out of the bottom of my closet. I hope he likes it.
I went to bed that night filled with anxiety and stress about that date. I didn't know how it was going go or if he was actually being a genuine guy or if he was using me and that scared the shit out of me. He had sent me a good night text around ten after I had been tossing and turning for nearly an hour. It kind of helped me rest.
When I woke up the next morning I could see the bags under my eyes from my restless sleep that I had gotten but I got in the shower to hopefully wake myself up a little. I could hear the cat meowing outside of the bathroom door and realized that I didn't feed her this morning. I washed my hair and body before getting out and wrapping myself in a towel going to feed the cat.
I walked back into my bedroom, pulling out my laptop and trying to write a chapter to my book but all that was coming to mind was the man who bought me a book in the book store.
When it was time to get ready, I did my hair and makeup before stepping into the dress and leaving the heels off until I knew he was here because they would hurt my feet. I looked at the clock as the minutes slowly ticked by before there was a knock on my door. I let out a breath before opening the front door.
"Hi, come on in. I just have to get my shoes and coat." I smiled at him standing to the side. The cat came right up to him and he leaned down to pet it.
"What's its name?"
"It doesn't have one. I never named it." I answered as I walked down the hall to grab my shoes, coat, purse and phone.
"How are you. McKinley?" He questioned.
"I'm good, how are you?" I asked and he smiled.
"I'm good, are you ready?" I nodded as he opened the door and walked out before me so I could lock the door. "How was your day?"
"Good, I just wrote for most of it." I answered.
"You look beautiful." I smiled, blushing.
"Thank you. I like your leather jacket." I commented as I wore my own leather jacket.
"Oh, thanks." He laughed a little when he noticed that I was wearing one too. He opened all of the doors for me each time with a smile.
"So, where are we going?" I questioned.
"A place." He answered.
"Okay yes I know that part but my friend wants to know where so if I go missing she knows where I was last seen and with who. In case you're a murderer or something." I said which made him laugh.
"I'm not going to murder you."
"I know that, but she doesn't know that." I said.
"It's called Ricks. It's a little place. I figured we should go somewhere quiet and small to get to know each other." Even better for me because I hated all sorts of crowds.
"I don't really like crowds." I commented to him.
"Oh that's good, this place is small and not a lot of people know about it." He answered and I nodded. "You look nervous, what's wrong?"
"I'm in a car with a very attractive young man and I know nothing about him." I answered him looking at him as he drove, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on his thigh.
"That's what this date is for, we're going to learn stuff about each other." He answered.
"Well I figured that." I answered. He pulled up to the little pizza place. "I freaking love pizza." I said hoping out of the car. Although it was a pizza place, it was quite fancy. Everyone was dressed in button down shirts with fancy shoes or dresses.
"I called, Luke Hemmings."
"Table for two, in the back." He nodded, the waitress showing us to our table. Luke pulled my chair out for me before pushing it in for me.
"Thank you." I smiled at him. He sat down across from me. A bottle of wine was brought over to us, the waiter pouring us each a glass, before leaving.
"I ordered a cheese pizza, I hope that's okay." He asked.
"Of course! Did you get fries with it?"
"No, do you want me to?"
"Could you?" I asked and he nodded, motioning for the waiter to come over, he ordered the fries and he turned to me. "Thank you. Who eat's pizza without fries?"
"Me, but I guess you don't." He laughed.
"I don't." I joined in with his laughter.
"How come you were a little on the fence about going on a date with me?" He asked which made me rethink everything.
"It's a long story." I answered and he looked down at his watch.
"We have plenty of time." He smiled at me. "Now tell me, why?"
"My father." It was a simple answer with a very complicated explanation. "I guess it started when I was fifteen. I was diagnosed with depression and acute anxiety. And then he started drinking again, and I blamed myself even though I knew it wasn't my fault, I just blamed myself."
"How could you blame yourself? You didn't hand him the beer."
"I know, I just figured that it was my fault."
"But there has to be something more." He answered. There was a ton of things that lead up to the point where I left home.
"Yeah, but the reasons are stupid." I shook my head.
"McKinley, just tell me." He said reaching his hand across the table and placing it on top of mine.
"I remember when I was like sixteen my parents went away and left me and my brother's at home. I went with my Uncle to pick them up from the airport and it was the first time I had left my house in a while. I was finally showing some affection. And when we got home, the house was a mess and he yelled at me although two other people lived in the house and that's when I knew that I never wanted to get married or settle down. That's when I stopped talking to my dad." I told him.
"So, your dad is the reason as to why you don't want to get married or settle down?"
"He's the reason." I nodded as our pizza was brought over to us and the fries not long after. "I had always wanted to get married and have kids up until he started treating me like that and I didn't want to marry someone like my father."
"Not all guys are like your dad you know."
"No, I know that. I just didn't want to take a chance." He nodded his head.
"Do you see your family?" He questioned.
"Not really." I shrugged. I wasn't interested in seeing them. "They live in Boston. I had also said that I would never live in New York yet here I am." I said laughing a little.
"So your mind could change at any time." He said smirking at me.
"Are you trying to change my mind about something Mr. Book Store?" I questioned laughing a little.
"Maybe." He answered.
"We'll have to see." We ate dinner before I asked if we could walk around and look at the lights. His hand never left mine as we did. He often smiled down at me. "It's freezing." He wrapped his arms around me as we stopped to look at a tree that was lite up with different lights.
"Want to head back to the car?" He asked and I nodded. He turned the heat on full blast as he drove back to my apartment.
"Would you like to come in for a few?" I asked.
"Sure." And none other than Sam met us in the lobby of the building.
"Hey Kinley." He said walking over and I sighed, holding onto Luke's arm.
"Hi Sam, this is Luke. Luke this is Sam." I said. They shook hands.
"What did you go on a date?" He asked and I nodded. "What?" He questioned. "You'll go out with him but not me?"
"Sam, please. Stop." I said. Sam was older than both of us. Me and Luke both being 22 and Sam being 25.
"I can't believe this."
"I like him more than you Sam." I answered and he scoffed.
"Why because he has a nicer face than mine?"
"That's not the reason. He only asked me once, you ask me everyday." Luke stood there not really sure what to do before I rolled my eyes and pulling him over to the elevator. "I'm sorry, he's always asking me out and stuff, it's rather annoying."
"Why did it seem like he wanted to punch me in the face?" He laughed a little, holding onto my hand.
"He probably did." I answered. "Now do you understand why I didn't want to date anyone?"
"Yeah, I think so."
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