***** # INTELLECTUAL_ROMANCE ***** ***************”************************************* Chapter 19 Saturday night seemed to take its sweet time but when it finally arrived I found myself hoping that I had longer to get ready. After having already tried on half of my large closet, none of the outfits seemed right so I did what I usually would when I had a problem that couldn’t be fixed on my own. I went to talk to my mother. She was in the back yard trimming her tulips in a wide brim hat and Ray Bans to shield her eyes from the bright setting sun. The sleeveless blouse and shorts she wore also allowed her skin to soak in all the rays, leaving her with a bronze tint. “Which one should I wear?” I asked her, she looked up at me and pushed the glasses off then rose to her feet and studied the contrasting outfits. In my hands I held up a light blue skater dress that wasn’t too formal and a white top with a waistcoat that I would pair with black skinny jeans. “What’s the occasion?” she asked me although I could see from her face that she was looking more towards the dress already. What did a girl wear to a Planetarium that also doubled as a date? I hadn’t told her yet as I wasn’t sure what she’d think but now seemed the right time, running my fingers through my freshly washed blonde hair I finally filled her in, “I have a date tonight.” “Oh, well I think that Austin will prefer the dress.” she told me, her assumption was valid, after all I’d been speaking to Austin quite a bit recently, just not about what she thought. “I’m not going out with Austin, I already told you.” She looked at me in confusion, “Who is it then? I didn’t know that you liked anyone.” That made me feel kind of bad for keeping it from her, it had just seemed like something too special for me to drop it into conversation and we’d both been too busy for a girl’s night by ourselves. “It’s with Sam, I’ve liked him for a while now and I asked him out.” I told her, thinking about the dress. I was going to a Planetarium, was a dress really appropriate? I was also going out with Sam and I’m sure he’d prefer me in jeans. “Elle why didn’t you tell me about this earlier? I honestly thought that you would get back together with Austin.” she sounded genuinely confused. A little part of me was disappointed that she wasn’t as excited for me as she would have been if it was Austin I was going on a date with. “I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure that he liked me back and I was never in a relationship with Austin, it was just a game to him. I don’t want to go back to that again.” I explained, already deciding on ditching the dress. “But Elle honey he’s your tutor, what does he know about how to treat a girl like you? Can he afford to take you to the places that Austin can?” Deep down I’d known that she wouldn’t understand, that was possibly why I hadn’t said anything. Not wanting to get annoyed before my date I explained my thoughts and intentions. “Mom I want to go out with a nice guy for once, not because he’s rich or insanely good looking. Sam is the sweetest and most honest guy I’ve ever met, for some reason he likes me too despite the fact that he thinks I’m a stuck up rich girl with hairspray where her brain should be.” Her worried frown deepened, “Elle where is all of this coming from? You aren’t stupid plus it’s not stuck up to like being treated to nice things.” I was always treated with nice things and it had become so normal to buy whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. There was no fun or surprises in being taken to expensive restaurants on dates all the time anymore and I looked forward to the change. “We’ll talk later if you want to but I need to go and get ready now.” I responded calmly, kissing her soft powdery smelling cheek before heading back inside to my room. Once I was in the jeans, top and waistcoat I then matched the outfit with simple black ballet slippers, leaving my blonde hair to flow down my back. For the first time in too long I hadn’t done anything to it at all, no hair serums or curling irons because I figured that he preferred the natural look. I still wore makeup although it was simplistic, spritzing myself with a light, floral body mist and then heading out. I got to the Planetarium just in time and parked beside his car, a simple silver Volvo then got out to meet him. First dates were almost always awkward, from my experience the boy would always try too hard to impress me, so much so that it became cringe worthy, however I knew that it wouldn’t be like that with Sam. He looked chill and casual in a simple blue shirt that had the top two buttons open in a v shape which allowed me see the smoothness of his chest and blue jeans that fitted him nicely. I was willing to bet that he hadn’t spent even a third of the time I had getting ready and yet he still looked amazing. “I was hoping that you’d wear your glasses tonight.” I smiled once I reached him, tucking my keys into my shoulder bag to stand right in front of him, looking up to meet his blue eyes. He gave me a perplexed look, a smile then replacing it once his eyes laid on me and I hoped that he liked what he was seeing “You like them? I assumed that girls like you weren’t keen on glasses.” “On you they look cute, it’s changed my previously shallow opinion on guys with glasses.” I joked, feeling at ease already, I just hoped that it would stay this way. He lifted an eyebrow at me, his smile growing as if I amused him, “Cute? I’m not sure whether I like being described as cute or not.” My smile widened and we began making a move towards the entrance of the Planetarium, we walked side by side then he paid for me despite my insistence that I could pay. He really was a gentleman, Austin wouldn’t have put up much of a fight despite how rich he was. We walked into the dome, falling into the queue of other people also trying to find their way to their seats and as I looked up, it was as if I was actually looking up at the real sky only it was so much clearer. I felt Sam’s body brush against mine as he leaned closer, my excitement increased as did my heart rate, “That’s a replica of the Orion, see those three bright stars? That’s the belt of the Orion.” his voice was in my ear, making me tingle all over. I looked at where he was pointing then my head turned slightly so I could look at him, it seemed that he was watching me too rather than the constellation. Neither of us shifted and I was hoping that he’d make a move only I kind of suspected that he might not do so just yet. I felt his warm hand slide down my bare arm until he took my hand in his which made me smile, I loved the fact that mine was so much smaller than his because it made me feel fragile and feminine. This just felt right. “It looks beautiful, what about those three other stars?” I asked him whilst using my free hand to point, genuinely curious to know the answer as it all looked so serene and endless. Once the queue died down he led me to the back where it was quieter, we took our seats and I listened to him explain, “That is the Orion Nebula, one of the biggest nebulae and all the colors you’re seeing are from the radiation.” Gazing up at it as his soft voice wrapped around me I saw the purple-red color as the constellation swirled around in the ‘sky’. This wasn’t something that I would normally look out for at night but now I was curious as to how it would look through a telescope or even if I could photograph it somehow. “How do you know so much about space?” I asked, knowing the answer, I just wanted him to tell me all about his interests and open up more to me as I had with him. It was obvious that our personalities were completely different, he was much more reserved whereas I was a complete open book. Opposites attracted though, didn’t they? His face became illuminated as the projector moved, simulating the way that the stars would interact with the planets around them. “I read, probably too much but it fascinates me. What’s still confusing though is why you chose this place for a date Princess.” He queried and this time he looked at me, I couldn’t see the color of his eyes in the darkness but as the flecks of light passed over us it was easy to spot how light they were. The pet name was now more affectionate than mocking, his hand squeezing mine lightly. I tucked my legs underneath me on the seat so I was facing him which wasn’t something that I could have done with a dress. I thought about my answer carefully, just like he did so I didn’t sound as dumb as I usually felt around him, “I knew that you’d like it and I wanted to know more about you, I figured if we came here then I’d get to see a part of your world since you’ve already seen a lot of mine.” That seemed like a logical answer, he seemed to approve of it and the smirk on his face made my heart race with anticipation for nothing in particular, I was just so happy to be here. The fact that he was making me wait wasn’t something I was used to and it only made me all the more conscious of him. I noticed the way his lean body was slightly too long for the seat, I could see the leanness of his chest through the shirt he wore, the hand that lay on his leg made me more aware of his long fingers. “That’s interesting; you’re definitely not the girl that I thought you were. Either that or you’re a better actress than I’d thought too.” He mulled over, the last bit he said suggested that he’d become slightly unsure of himself. I frowned at him, trying to figure out how the mood had changed from light and playful to heavy and suspicious. “Why would I be acting? Do you really think that I asked you out as a joke or something?” His head shook as he studied my face, “I hope you don’t get mad but I honestly have no idea why you’d be interested in me.” after he said that, it made me realize how defensive I’d become. Looking up at the sky I saw a wave of blue light pass across the screen, then I spotted the planets orbiting the bright sun. “I’m not mad; I just don’t know why everyone seems so surprised that I don’t want to be just the girl that hangs off a guy’s arm. You are so smart and ambitious which is something that I wish that I was Sam, you’re honest too and that’s what I like the most.” We sat at a distance away from other people so we weren’t disturbing them, it stung when he let go of my hand and I figured that this would be the end of our date. Disappointment overrode my other emotions and wondered why I’d had my hopes so high that this would work out despite everyone’s own doubts about this date. “Being smart isn’t what you think it is Ellie, being smart isn’t just about getting the grades. You are intelligent but you just don’t realize it because in your world looks are more important. I don’t see how I would fit into all of that.” I sighed in frustration at how disastrous this was turning out, not in the way that I’d planned at all and my hand went up to smooth my hair back just for something to do with them so I wouldn’t feel as awkward as I did. “You make it sound like you’d be intruding which isn’t true at all. Why aren’t I allowed to just like you without is being such a huge deal?” He didn’t answer for a good two or so minutes, when he did it gave me hope that we could salvage the date. It felt amazing to hear him say that he didn’t think I was dumb, he’d said it before but tonight it seemed more sincere. ”That’s just how I feel, you strike me as the kind of girl that wants all the extravagant dates and presents which I can’t really give you.” Taking another moment to compose himself he finished, “My studies are important to me right now so I don’t know what else you want from me that I can give you Ellie.” “All I want is to be with you, nothing else matters to me Sam. No gifts or fancy dates.” I admitted honestly, peering at him in the darkness with my own question, “I don’t know why you’d want to be with me though, so why did you say yes?” I saw his brows rise as the lights passed his face and he adjusted in his seat to face me properly, “Isn’t it obvious?” It wasn’t. If he was only interested in my looks then he wouldn’t have had such an instant dislike to me so I was curious to find out what had changed his opinion. It couldn’t have been my knowledge of anything other than fashion, photography or expensive things. “Sam you judged me the moment you and I first spoke, what made you change your mind about me?” “Unfortunately I couldn’t help but believe all the stories about you. Then I got to know who you really are and I was wrong, you’re nothing like I imagined and which I love.” He told me with a smile appearing on his lips which became more inviting by the second, “I apologise for that.” Hearing him say those sweet things was amazing after all the insecurity I’d felt over his feelings and I couldn’t keep away any longer, taking him completely by surprise in a bold move I leant forward to kiss him and shut my eyes. To begin with he froze, clearly stunned by what was happening, it took him only a few seconds to get himself together then he was kissing me back. I smiled as I felt his lips caress and move perfectly over mine, the kiss was over too soon but it was enough to satisfy me. ”That was perfect.” I said, knowing that the smile on my face wouldn’t be vanishing anytime soon. Our faces were still close together so I couldn’t see his smile although I could almost sense its presence. ”There’s no such thing as perfect Princess.” he said lightly, the tension from earlier completely erased. Glad that I hadn’t worn very sticky lipgloss, I lifted a shoulder and basked in the happiness bubbling inside my body, I’d had many great kisses in my life but something about this one was special. There was still a lot to learn about Sam but one thing was evident, he was a damn good kisser. ”To me that was as close to it as you can get.” I heard him chuckle in the darkness, feeling his body shake as our shoulders brushed then his hand came up to my face using the little light in the room to find it. “Well then, I hear that practice makes perfect. As a scientist I think I should test out that theory.” he teased just before he resumed kissing me under the bright stars and making me feel as if I’d been swept up into clouds on a magical carpet ride that I prayed wouldn’t end just yet. maternity wedding guest dresses

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