Finally there was something constant in my life. Normalcy had vanished when this weekend began. Sitting down the smile couldn’t have been removed from my face. After seeing Carter I didn’t think it was possible to feel like this night could turn into something different.

            “Adam,” my smile was heard in my voice—“You’ve making me feel a little underdressed.” Adam was wearing dress pants, a blue shirt with a blazer folded neatly on the back of his chair.

            A cool breeze blew my hair across my face while I tried to untangle the threads from my dangling earrings. With my comment Adam loosened his tie and undoing the top button of his shirt.     

            “You look amazing, Eden,” He stumbled over his words which made a boyish smile crawl across his face.

            “I was just trying to make a better impression then I gave you at the bar.” His smile was childish was perfect and contagious.

          “I thought it was impressionable. You know vomiting in the boy’s bathroom is officially a good pick up line.” Both of us laughed as if nothing was strange about this situation. The fact that Carter was sitting down stairs waiting for me to come back was barely a thought.

            “Some wine on the house,” The waiter said while delivering a red bottle and two wine glasses. He opened the bottle filling them both up half way. Both Adam and I said thank you before he walked away. Quick enough that neither of us were able to explain that I was underage.

            Both Adam and I stared at the glasses not sure if we should drink them or not. Looking across the room I noticed that Jordan was also up here with me. I watched as she took her own sip of her own glass raising it up to my interested glance.

            “Have you ever had wine before? You’re looking at it as if it might bite you,” he asked.

            “Well that tequila bit me pretty hard last night,” I laughed.

            “My parents have a large wine collection. They are the type of people that like to go off for weeks at a time and drink away my college savings but usually it doesn’t bite as hard.” That boyish smile never faltered.

            “So you’ll let me know if this actually tastes good?” I held up the glass smelling the harsh, tart smell. Quickly after sipping it I found out it tasted worse than it smelt.

            “It is an acquired taste. One that tastes better when you have food but I really wanted to see the face you’d make when you tried it.” He laughed drawing some attention towards the both of us.

            “You can just appreciate the fine dining for the both of us.” The first time we spoke I was drinking hard liquor and now I couldn’t even impress him and handle sophisticated red wine. He must have already thought I was immature but know he knew for sure.  

            “Well we could do vodka or tequila if you want but I wouldn’t want to have to carry you out of here after.” He obvious hadn’t forgotten my forthcomings. Most of that night was a strange blue but some things stuck.

            “I don’t think that I’ll be doing any of that anytime soon,” I laughed while the waiter returned to take my order.

            I had taken so much time speaking to Adam and enjoying our time together that I forgot that Carter was waiting downstairs for me—“Could you excuse me for just a moment.” I got up quickly giving him the most charming smile I could muster under the pressure.

            “I’ll be right back.” My hand touched his shoulder softly before I walked away.

            It took a minute of standing there to find the table I had been sitting at. As soon as my eyes caught sight of him it took my breath away a second time. Carter was looking at him phone, either getting text messages from “me” or looking at the time. Sitting down I could see another drink next to my plate. He smiled at me but there was caution.  

            “I thought you had climbed out the window in the bathroom or ran off,” he laughed at the thought although that wouldn’t have been my most dramatic exit. Breaking in and out of bathrooms seemed to become my speciality.

            “There bathrooms actually don’t have any windows so you don’t have to worry. There was just a long line of girls that rather talked in the stalls rather than actually go.” The lie seemed believable.

            I never thought I was such a good liar until now.

            “Eden, Look.” Carter leaned in—“I didn’t mean to scare you away. I just needed to explain this to you.” He started but the waitress had a habit of butting into our conversations.

            “Thanks,” he said politely after she took our menus—“and can you make sure that there aren’t any nuts or anything in either of them.” He hadn’t had time to finish his last sentence but he never started it again.

            “What were you going to say?” Carter pulling on the buttons around his elbows avoiding answering my question. He was nervous and I could tell. I counted him clear his throat until he was finally able to cough up what he was about to say.

            “You need to understand that I’ve been under the impression that you’ve been texting me since Friday. In those text messages we’ve already said our “I’m sorry’s” and “I forgive you’s” and showing up here and seeing that someone was just messing with me is pretty horrible. I can here with expectations which are obviously not going to be met. I was here under the impression—“ I cut him off short.

             “And you thought a text message was going to solve everything that happened? How did it go? Did you tell me that you were sorry that you ruined my life? Did you say that you were sorry for not speaking to me for a year? This isn’t something a text message is going to fix,” Rising from the booth I felt angry with Carter, so angry that I left him sitting there.

            Carter was looking for forgiveness but that was something I wasn’t able to offer him at the moment. He didn’t know the aftermath that occurred when he publically spat the word ‘virgin’ and me, that was because he never stuck around long enough to find out. In my rant I ended up at the other table with Adam who greeted me with a smile.

            “Are you okay? You look upset?” He questioned in between the bites of something he had ordered—“I didn’t mean to start without you,” He smiled using a napkin to tab his face off.

            He was perfect.

            “There was just a real bitch in the washroom giving me attitude. You should be glad you didn’t have to pull me off her,” I joked not telling a lie remembering the waitress I met there. For a couple minutes both of us sat in silence slowly eating our food with casual glances and smiles.

            “Eden.” I recognized Jordan’s voice as it approached me. Her hair was flying all over the place as she ran through the tables, grabbing my arm and pulling me upright—“Sorry handsome but I need to borrow your arm candy but I’ll promise I’ll return her,” She told Adam who didn’t have time to respond before I was tugged away.

            “Carter is getting his coat. You need to keep him here. Make nice and Go!” She pushed me towards the door where Carter was heading. He was standing talking to a man about to pass him his suit jacket.

            “Carter.” The word barely came out but he was ignoring me anyways. Reaching for him I grabbed his hand pulling him away from the doors. He let out a sigh before turning around. He didn’t speak; all he wore was a defeated look.

            “I didn’t mean to blow up at you like that. Come back and talk to me.” My hand rested on his forearm—“Come back and talk to me please,” I repeated.

            Finally we returned to our seats.

            “I didn’t mean to say those things. Well I did but remember I haven’t had this conversation with you yet. You haven’t said any kind words as much as you think you have. It’s going to be difficult. You sentenced me to social rejection and for what? Over your ego?” I tried to keep my voice down as much as I could.

            I calmed myself down by putting some foot into my mouth giving both of us time to digest and think—“I realize I’m wrong and I am sorry. My ego did get in the way but it’s not there anymore.” Carter’s hand extended across the table touching mine which jerked backwards.

            “Carter, I’m going to be forward with you. I don’t like you that way anymore and I am willing to forgive you. We could be friends but that's it.” He nodded as a response.

            “You see...” Someone dropping plates across the floor interrupted my train of thought. They shattered across the ground catching my attention. As she bend over to pick up the pieces Adam appeared behind her.

            “Shit,” I muttered.

            There was little time for reaction. Instantly I ducked down under the table. Fixing the table cloth I perched under the table trying not to be seen—“Eden, what’s going on?” Carter lifted up the cloth laughing at me under the table.

            “Just give me a minute to find a reasonable explanation.” I swatted at his hands fixing the cloth once again. Under here it was dark. At least it was a classy place and I didn’t see clops of gum stuck to the underside of the table. My heels were killing my feet as I knelt down barely hitting my head off the table.

            “You’re avoiding someone?” If it wasn’t obvious he hit the nail on top of the head.

            “Hey,” Adam spoke when he approached the table. The whole time I questioned if he had seen me sitting here with him.

            Adam swung into the booth his legs forcing me to move closer to Carter. I grabbed onto his leg to stop me from falling. I felt him nearly jump out of his seat. Squishing his leg I told him to play it cool. My heels were causing me to be unstable rocking back and forth.

            “So what are you doing here?” Carter asked Adam, his voice high pitched.

            “I’m on a date with a fantastic girl but one of her friends took her away for a while. I’m hoping that her friend wasn’t her get out of jail free card. What about you? Hot date?” He must have noticed the second plate.

            “Maybe my date is your date’s friend because my date has to be here somewhere,” He snickered.

            “We should just double date that way they can’t leave,” Adam suggested while I dug my nails into Carters leg.

            I couldn’t help but feel frustrated about being stuck under a table on my first date with Adam. Carter in response to my nails kept fighting his leg almost causing me to fall. I shoved him hard but he wouldn’t stop. Without thinking too much about it my hand pinched his upper thigh—“Jesus Christ,” He grunted his knees hitting the top of the table while I covered my mouth holding in laughter.

            Using my hand I scratched the back of my neck, than across to my chest. The thought of a spider web being under here was my first thought until I could feel the bumps. Oh dear God Instantly my nails scratched at my arms and exposed legs. I was getting hives.

            Rule number twelve of eating out; don’t piss of your waitress.