The Last First Date

Everyone Noticed

Chapter Seven

Everyone Notices

By the beginning of the following month, everyone had noticed.

Everyone except Amara and Daniel.

Or perhaps they had noticed too.

They just refused to admit it.

It started with little things.

Daniel always knew what Amara wanted to order.

Amara always saved him a seat.

Daniel checked whether she got home safely.

Amara remembered important meetings in his schedule.

They finished each other's sentences.

They laughed at jokes nobody else understood.

Tolu noticed first.

Then Michael.

Then practically everyone who spent more than ten minutes around them.

One Friday evening, the four of them met for dinner.

Tolu, Amara, Daniel, and Michael.

They sat around a table in a small restaurant.

Michael watched Daniel hand Amara a glass of water before she asked.

He looked at Tolu.

Tolu looked at him.

They both smiled.

Amara noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing," Tolu said.

"You two keep looking at us."

Michael shrugged.

"We're not."

"You are."

Daniel laughed.

"Leave them."

Tolu smiled.

"See? He always defends you."

Amara looked at Daniel.

"Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Defend me."

Daniel shrugged.

"Because you're usually right."

Michael laughed.

"That's not helping."

Everyone laughed except Amara, who suddenly became aware of how natural everything felt.

She looked at Daniel.

He was smiling.

Something inside her softened.

Later that night, Tolu and Amara stood outside the restaurant.

"You like him."

Amara sighed.

"Not this again."

"I'm serious."

"I know."

"You like him."

Amara looked away.

"He makes me happy."

Tolu smiled.

"That's good."

"But..."

"There it is."

Amara sighed.

"I'm scared."

"Of him?"

"No."

"Of getting hurt?"

Amara nodded.

Tolu took her hand.

"You don't have to rush."

"I know."

"You don't have to decide today."

"I know."

"But don't lie to yourself either."

Amara looked at her.

"I don't know what I feel."

Tolu smiled.

"I think you do."

Across the parking lot, Michael was having a similar conversation with Daniel.

"You like her."

Daniel laughed.

"You and Tolu planned this?"

"No."

"Because you sound like her."

Michael crossed his arms.

"Daniel."

Daniel sighed.

"Yes."

Michael smiled.

"Finally."

"I didn't say I was going to do anything about it."

"Why?"

"Because she's scared."

Michael nodded.

"And you're not?"

Daniel looked toward Amara.

"I'm scared too."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I'm going to let her decide what she's ready for."

Michael smiled.

"That's probably the smartest thing you've said."

Daniel laughed.

"Thank you."

When everyone was ready to leave, Daniel walked Amara to her car.

They stood beside it.

Neither seemed ready to say goodbye.

"Goodnight," Amara said.

"Goodnight."

She opened her car door.

Then stopped.

"Daniel?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For dinner?"

"For everything."

He smiled.

"You don't have to thank me."

"I know."

She got into the car.

Daniel stepped back.

Amara started the engine.

Before driving away, she lowered the window.

"Text me when you get home."

Daniel smiled.

"Okay."

She drove away.

Michael watched from behind him.

"You know you're in trouble, right?"

Daniel smiled.

"Probably."

Tolu walked over.

"She told him to text when he gets home."

Michael nodded.

"I heard."

Tolu smiled.

"They're hopeless."

Daniel laughed.

"You're both standing right there."

"Exactly," Tolu said. "So you should listen."

Daniel shook his head.

He watched Amara's car disappear into the distance.

He knew something had changed.

They had started with a wrong table.

Then coffee.

Then friendship.

Then rules.

Now there were feelings neither of them wanted to name.

And Daniel had a feeling that sooner or later, the rules they had created to protect themselves would be the very things that made everything more complicated.

For now, though, he was willing to wait.

Because Amara mattered.

And sometimes, when someone matters enough, patience becomes its own kind of courage.