I mean, Juliet made my heart race on a normal day, but after I saw how she looked tonight… I was worried my heart would beat right out of my chest! If this was "casual" for her, I could only imagine how gorgeous she looked for a formal event!

She had on a cream colored dress that was sleeveless and flowed down to her knees. There was a thin piece of material attached at the top that tied around her neck, and near her chest was an open space, showing off her cleavage. Finally, she wore her hair down tonight, it looked silkier than ever, and it glowed under the moonlight.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

I nodded. I admit, I was still speechless.

"I figured we could take an Uber to the restaurant."

I nodded again, still unable to form words.

Juliet giggled and looped her arm with mine. "Let's wait in the parking lot," she said.

We walked back through campus, reaching the parking lot minutes later. Juliet tried to make conversation, but I was just a hot mess! I was overcome with nervousness and barely said a word! But thankfully, we weren't waiting too long before our Uber showed up.

We got in the car and the driver drove off. Juliet never told me what we were doing tonight or where we were going, and I was very curious. I guess I didn't realize how curious about it I was until now; I was so caught up in my nerves.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"So you can talk! I thought for a moment you lost your voice," she teased playfully.

I smiled coyly. Before I knew it, I felt my cheeks burn as well… I was blushing!

"S-Sorry I've been so quiet…"

"It's fine…I get it, you're nervous. So am I…"

"Really?"

She nodded.

"You don't seem nervous at all!" I blurted.

She laughed. "I'm nervous… It's just that I'm pretty good with pushing through it."

I wanted to know more about the experience behind her statement, but I didn't push it.

"So, where are we going?"

"Oh, right. We're going to a restaurant."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You'll see when we get there," she told me and grinned.

The drive wasn't too long, but it was long enough to make my anxiety spike again. There was so much going on in my head: what restaurant were we going to?! Was it fancy and expensive?! And also, did she expect me to show affection at all tonight?! Were we… Were we going to have our first kiss…?!

I hadn't realized how long I'd been in my own mind until the car stopped. I looked out the window and to my utter surprise we were at The Glass Dream! Of course she'd choose a place like this! To be honest, I was afraid that she would! This restaurant was upscale, and I'd never been to it before, but I heard that it was spectacular.

We got out of the car and entered the restaurant. We walked up to a podium, where a woman stood behind it.

"Hello, ladies. How are you doing this evening? Do you have a reservation?"

"Hi, we're doing great, thanks," Juliet replied. "And no we don't have a reservation."

I was super relieved she took the lead.

"Alright, that's no problem," the host said. "Will it be a table for two, then?"

Juliet smiled. "Yes, please."

The host nodded, and grabbed two menus from behind the podium before coming around to stand in front of us.

"You can follow me."

The host seated us, then placed the menus down on the table in front of us.

"Thank you so much," Juliet said.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"No problem. Your server for the night will be back to take your order in a moment. Enjoy."

The young woman walked off before we could thank her again. I had to admit, I was grateful, I really didn't feel like socializing with anyone besides Juliet.

"So tell me, what are you in the mood for?"

What was I in the mood for?!

"Anything that you're like, craving to eat?"

Oh…food! She meant…food…

"Um, well… I guess not really. Anything—" I began, but Juliet chimed in with me at the end of my sentence.

"Other than the campus food," we said at the same time.

We paused briefly before laughing together. And it was a genuine laugh on my part! Even in this room full of people, somehow Juliet was able to make me feel comfortable. She always had this way of easing my anxiety, without even trying!

"I'm thinking maybe a nice fish meal…" she started to say then stopped and her eyes lit up. "Ooh! Steak!"

I chuckled, she was so cute. After looking over the menu I lost all sense of humor…the prices! This place was more than expensive, it was a place priced for the Gods!

"J-Juliet… I can't afford this!" I stammered.

She looked up from the menu and our gazes met.

"Naomi, I asked you out on a date… Don't worry about any prices. Just order what you want, seriously. I've got it covered."

I was stunned. She had it covered…? What kind of jobs did her parents have?! She giggled.

"Yeah I know what you're thinking… But don't worry. I get an allowance from my parents. My dad is a doctor and my mom is a lawyer…"

Her tone changed at the end, like she was deflated. Maybe her parents were a sore subject… Still, I didn't like that she seemed upset.

"What is it? Is something wrong? I mean, it's really cool that your parents are in those fields," I said.

"Yeah, I guess… It's just… Because they do have such esteemed careers, I have a lot of pressure on my shoulders," she muttered, and laughed wryly.

"Juliet… You can tell me," I assured her.

She sighed.

"I'm the youngest, and the only daughter. I've always had so much pressure put on me… So many expectations of who I'm supposed to be, and who I will become," she rambled. "It's so tiring, and so much stress, on top of the stress of school itself!"

She stopped talking, and we gazed at each other. I could see tears welling up in her eyes and it pulled at my heart… But she sniffled, dabbed at her eyes with her fingers and laughed softly.

"I refuse to ruin my makeup…"

Her statement made me smile.

"So… I dumped on you, now it's your turn."

I panicked. Her and I were so much more alike than I thought. Just thinking about my own inner struggles of family pressure and personal insecurity took my anxiety to its max! But to tell her…out loud?

"Naomi?"

Hearing my name brought me back to the present. Juliet seemed to notice my change in demeanor.

"We don't have to talk about it, okay?"

I shook my head. "No… I want to tell you."

Before I could speak again, our server came.

"Hello, I'm Beth. I'll be your server for the night. Can I get you anything to drink?"