- 1 -

My first date was hilarious—for all the wrong reasons. Here's what happened...

I checked myself in the mirror for the umpteenth time. I was wearing this cute pink top with picnic jeans that reached till just below my knees. It was summertime, and the day Alec and I were going to our first ever date.

I was excited—well, of course, I was. Alec was a romantic, and he insisted on choosing where we went. He wanted it to be a surprise and I had no problem with it at all.

The doorbell rang, and I skipped out of my room to open the door. As soon as I did, I was met with nervous green eyes and a beautiful dimpled smile. "Hello, Harper," He said, biting his lips ever so slightly. One of his hands held a bouquet of lilies, while the other gently grasped my own, kissing it.

I beamed, "Why, hello, Prince Charming... You look sweaty."

He immediately dropped my hands, as his eyes horrified and panicked. "H-Huh?" He yelped, and I laughed.

"Chill, Alec. I'm just kidding. You look very, very handsome." I smiled, as I looked him up and down.

He really did look very, very handsome. He was wearing a button-down white shirt, with its sleeves rolled up, and loose blue jeans. His hair was gelled into perfection and his face looked flushed in this adorably dorky way, probably embarrassed by my compliment.

"You too," He said. He was staring at me, the same way I'd been staring at him – observant, focused, attracted. My eyes snapped to his, and he blushed, "Well, no, I mean – not handsome – I meant that you look good. Uh, pretty. Really. Pretty. You do."

A nervous laugh escaped his lips while a roaring one left mine.

"Thank you," I curtsied, only because I was feeling playful and he was acting extremely cute, "Are those for me?" I pointed at the flowers.

It was like he just noticed the bouquet in his hands, despite its massive size. Blushing red, he nodded, "Ah! Yes. Here. They're lilies."

He pushed the flowers into my face and I smelled them, "Thank you. Why don't you come inside? I'll just put these in a vase and then we can go do whatever you've planned for us."

He looked like a deer stuck between headlights at the mention of coming inside my house. "O-Okay," He managed to squeak out.

"Don't worry," I called to him, already walking through the hallway into the kitchen; he was following close behind, "My parents aren't home."

He visibly relaxed, "Oh."

"But," I turned, when I reached the sink, a guilty smile on my face, "My brother is."

Alec's eyes widened, the size of saucers, at the mention of my brother. I'm pretty sure he knew him. Every guy knew my brother, Hayden Chase, the legendary quarterback of our school – at least before he graduated last year and went off to Uni.

But Alec didn't have time to respond to my statement, because a new voice echoed from behind us, "Harps, I think I just heard the doorbell rin—"

Alec and I turned, with a sudden jolt, to face my brother. Standing at the door, with one of his hands on his stomach, mid-scratch, and the other pointing at Alec, with his jaw gaping, my brother shrieked, "W-W-WH—?"

Before Hayden could grab a frying pan and beat the living daylights out of my prospective boyfriend, I intervened, standing between the two, "Woah, calm down, Gorilla. He's not some creep. He's my date."

Alec meekly nodded in confirmation, from behind me.

My brother's previous wide eyes slowly dissolved into plain bored ones, "Oh," He said, realization sinking in, "Well. Don't make out in the common rooms. And the couch is off-limits."

He walked to the fridge, the hand on his stomach resuming its scratch, when Alec swallowed, saying, "Oh, you don't need to worry. We're going out."

Hayden just grunted in response. I couldn't really blame him; he was just as interested in my dating life as I was in his. He turned to walk back up when Alec swallowed again. By this time, I had set the flowers in a purple vase on the kitchen island.

"You don't have to worry at all," Alec stared at my brother, who stared back confused, "I'll bring Chas—I mean, Harper—home before it gets too dark and I'll keep her safe. And I'll make sure she has a lot of fun."

I blinked at Alec, just like my brother. Hayden's eyes slowly shifted from my absolute cutie to me; they were wide again and he looked confused as hell. I just shook my head, hiding the bashful smile that was forming on my lips.

He turned back to Alec, nodding briefly, "Uh, yeah. Sure, man, you do that."

Alec nodded and Hayden started to leave when he stopped and turned back, "Wait, what did you say your name was?"

"He didn't say," I replied, at the same time Alec answered, "Alec Smith, sir."

Why he put a "sir" in the end, was beyond my intellect.

My brother nodded, scratching the light brown hair that we both had inherited from dad, "Thank you—" A knowing smile stretched on Hayden's face as he stared at him and then at me, "Alec."

Alec nodded, staring at his feet with his brows twisted in a grateful frown, unlike me, who was just confused. One moment, Hayden's ready to hit the guy, then the next he's saying thanks.

Boys. Insert rolling eyes.

"Take care of my little sis," Hayden was back to his smirking, playful stature, as he grinned at me, "She's the apple of my eye," He said, making kissing noises at me.

I could drown in the cheesiness of his sarcasm-filled statement.

"Of course," Alec nodded, innocently believing him, and Hayden gave him a nod. And with that, he was gone.

I stared at Alec, "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That, Alec," I shook my head, pointing at the door where my brother stood mere moments ago, "That, whatever it was. Gave me freaking goosebumps," I shuddered.

He just smiled, like he knew something I didn't, "That was just your brother acting like your brother."

I stared at the dimples of his cheek, sighing contently. This was the first time all nervousness was gone from Alec's face. I liked the confident Alec almost as much as the dorky Alec – I couldn't really choose between which side of his I liked more.

Maybe you don't need to choose, my subconscious answered. And I smiled, yeah, all I need to do is like him just as he is.

I watched him stare shyly at the vase on the table, "You never told me if you like them."

I raised an eyebrow, "Hmm?"

"You never told me if you like... you know... lilies..." He cleared his throat, straightening his back as he stared into my eyes, "Did I make the right floral selection?"

I laughed, walking towards him, "I'm good with all flowers, but I especially like white and pink ones, so yes. I love the ones you bought for me."

He stared at the white petals of the lily, and then back to me, "Do you know flower meanings?"

I shook my head, staring at his face. I just noticed there was a little scar above his right ear, hidden underneath his blonde curls. We are so close to each other, and I can already feel my heart hammering inside my chest.

The date hasn't even begun, and it's like we've been with each other for eternity.

I don't get a chance to snort at my corny thoughts, because Alec takes my hands into his own, holding them between our chests – which evidently wipes the slate of my consciousness blank. I struggle to think properly, which is stupid, considering we've already kissed. Why was I shy about some stupid hand-holding now?

Because...

Today just felt different.

It felt more than flirting.

It felt like the first step to something big.

"White lilies..." He says, and he's watching me intently, his eyes never leaving mine, "...symbolize commitment. And that's why I wanted to give them to you."

I take in a sharp breath, "Ah."

My words repeat, the first step to something big. The first step to something big. The first step to something big.

"The florist said," He bit his lip, "That in a conventional setting, you could even think of white lilies as a symbol of pure love and a promise to be together."

For the first time today (and something tells me, not the last), I blushed deep pink, "I-I see."

"Yeah," Alec nodded, just as pink as me.

"Okay."

"............." For a moment he didn't say anything, but then he took a shaky breath and nodded, "Let's go, then. Or we'll be late for the amazing day I have in store for you."

Despite the tension in the air, I grin because I'm genuinely thrilled to be spending my day with Alec Smith.

"I don't doubt it," I smile, walking towards the gate with Alec following behind.