LOVE BROUGHT US BACK

Evening Out

2018

CLARA

“Am I the only one who vividly remembers you saying ‘I wouldn't want to be caught up in the whole dating the popular guy thing?” Chloe teased, walking round my room like she is trying to understand me

.

It is 4:30 in the evening and from the way Chloe is dressed up she obviously have somewhere to be but no she rushed here as soon as she heard I would be meeting Robins tonight

“Ok, what part of ‘This is not a date’ don't you understand?” I questioned, defensively as I applied my lipgloss I have no time to argue with Chloe, I barely have 30 minutes till he shows up and I haven't even decided what dress I would wear

“The part where you have not decided on the dress you want to wear for almost an hour now”

“Look, we just want to have a friendly discussion. That's all”

“Sure Angie sure” she said sarcastically

“If it's really a friendly discussion, you wouldn't put so much effort in what you are wearing” Chloe pointed out, making me to actually question my choice of clothing

“Am I doing too much?” I finally asked my best friend

“Well it depends. Did he mention a venue”

“No.. he just said he'll pick me up by 5”

“Oh honey come here” Chloe said tapping the bed for me to sit next to her

“Look I know you haven't been on a date in awhile” Chloe cautiously stated, immediately earning a pointed look from me.

“Sorry, I mean you haven't been on a friendly meeting in a while and you really want to look your best”

Chloe said and she is right, I haven't had a male figure in my life apart from my dad in forever and part of me wants this but more of me is scared and I just want this to be good

“Yes, you want to look good, but you can't risk giving him the impression that you care too much," She said standing up. She gives the best advice when It comes to things like this so I have no choice but to listen

So," she continued, "you need to strike a balance between alluring and nonchalant." With a discerning eye, she selected a short, purple dress from my closet, pairing it with a fashionable pair of high-end sneakers which goes with the flay dress.

“So, casual hot or desperate hot, which would you go with?” she asked, pointing to my previous outfit; a tight, and a bit revealing long gown with heels.

“Ok that was definitely an over dress”

I said and we were both laughing. I took the dress from her and put it on.

Rounded up my light make up and came out from the closet

Chloe's eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Oh my God, girl, you look incredible! And ooh, a little cleavage action going on," she added with a playful wink, eyeing the subtle glimpse of my bosom.

"Shut up, Chloe," I playfully retorted, pretending to be unamused by her teasing.

"By the way, where are you off to, all dolled up like that?" I inquired

"I'm heading over to Cole's place," She responded, excited.

"He said he has a surprise for me, and I'm really..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the gate bell's sudden ring interrupted our conversation, causing both of us to pause momentarily.

Within a moment, we found ourselves standing in front of Robins, his striking presence commanding our full attention.

"Hi," I greeted him warmly, as Chloe emerged from behind me.

"Oh, umm, Robins, this is my best friend, Chloe. Chloe, this is—"

"Robins Tyla, yeah, I know, nice to meet you" Chloe interjected

“Same” Robins replied

"Have fun, guys," she added, giving me a wink before walking away.

Robins Tyla's car was everything I expected. It has this new car leather feel.

It had Robin's scent all over it.

Every single thing in this car was black I can already guess it's his favorite color.

It was cool and warm. I'm already loving the atmosphere here and him driving?

I found myself captivated by his effortless finesse. I had never considered driving a car to be a particularly attractive skill, but Robins made it look undeniably hot.

I couldn't help staring

"Your eyes are boring holes in me," Robins teased, snapping me out of my thoughts. I blushed, realizing I have actually been staring at him for quite some time.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I denied, feigning ignorance as a faint smile graced his lips.

"You look amazing,by the way," he added, as my cheeks warmed with a flush.

"Thanks," I responded shyly,

"Also, nice house," he remarked, momentarily shifting the focus of our conversation.

"Oh, thanks," I said, allowing myself a small smile.

"It's my dad's. He inherited it from my grandparents. Passing down things is kind of a..." Double Axe Mob thing, I wanted to say thankful that I had managed to hold my tongue at the last second.

"Family tradition," I said instead

"That's admirable," He said with genuine appreciation.

"So, where are we headed?" I asked .

"You'll see." He replied with a smirk

"In the meantime, why don't we enjoy some music?" Robins suggested, turning on the car stereo.

As the opening notes filled the air, my eyes widened in surprise.

"Shut up! You love *NSYNC?" I asked, scarcely able to believe his taste in music.

"I wouldn't want to admit this on any other day, but I've always been a fan of old-school boy bands," he confessed, making me laugh out loud cause I definitely didn't expect that

"It's strange to admit, but I'm a fan as well," I admitted, now we were both laughing, and there was something truly mesmerizing about the way his laughter sounded, almost melodic.

"I guess we'll just keep each other's secrets," I said, he smiled, just as "Bye Bye Bye" began to play.

"This is definitely a jam," I said, singing along without hesitation. To my surprise, Robins joined in, his voice harmonizing with mine.

Lost in the music and the moment, I didn't notice our arrival at the venue until the car came to a stop.

"I think that's enough boy band nostalgia for a day," Robins chuckled, turning off the engine. He exited the car, swiftly making his way to my door and opening it with a charming smile.

"What a gentleman," I said with a grin, taking his offered hand as he led me towards the entrance of the restaurant.

The moment we approached, I knew there was nothing casual about this.

‘The Raíz restaurant’ From the look alone, it was already screaming rich and expensive, obviously a 5 star restaurant. But the inside confirmed everything. Classy people all around, dressed to their best.

I stared at them secretly cursing my best friend for giving me this casual look.

I should have gone for the desperate and hot outfit instead.