Chapter Nine

~edited~

Four hours later, we were walking out of the mall. Nathan actually asked me to be his date tomorrow. And of course, I agreed. I was excited even for today's date.

It would be my exact first. Nathan was lucky to score a girl like me. He'd be my first everything. First boyfriend, first kiss and I'd even lose my virginity to him!

That was if we would last. It was obviously too early to tell.

Nathan and I said goodbye to the others and walked to his TT. It wasn't the first time I saw it because he once picked me up with it.

We put our things in the backseat and sat on the front. "Ha! We managed to not get chased out of a store," I joked, folding my arms.

"Yeah. I guess we did," he laughed, revving the engine of his car. I managed to buy a royal blue, silk, off-shoulder ballgown. It was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen.

And it was huge.

I got some heels too. Hopefully, I'd manage to turn heads tomorrow. With Blue Eyes, of course.

"Are you excited for our date?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

I instantly nodded. "Yes, very. It's my first date. Like as in, I have never ever been on a date before."

"Really?! A girl as beautiful as you? I guess I'm a lucky guy," he said incredulously.

I laughed. "You definitely are. I'm lucky as well."

"What's so special about me?" He asked.

"That's for me to know, Blue Eyes," I said with a smile.

"Seriously? You're not going to tell me?" He inquired, his voice rising a little. I nodded in response. He pouted, making me laugh at him.

I had never seen his childish side before.

"Anyway, we're almost near your house," he told me. He continued driving in silence while I looked outside the window the rest of the way.

I was saving my voice for tonight, pretty sure we'd be talking about a lot. Soon, we reached home. As he parked in front of the gate, I reached behind me and took hold of my new clothes.

I took them and then pecked Nathan on the cheek. "I'll see you in approximately an hour and forty minutes," I whispered in his ear and then leaned back.

I got out of the car and closed the door. Getting in my home, I went straight to my room first. Dad was back, which meant Seth was too.

I heard the news playing on the TV as I passed the living room. Once I was in my bedroom, I placed my bags in the closet and looked for a dress. I ended up taking a black high-low dress and black heels.

That was my least sophisticated outfit. I didn't want to go all out just yet since it was still the first date. Placing them neatly on the bed, I walked to the living room.

I had no choice but to tell my old man. I was not sure how he would take it though because he was one of those fathers that were super overprotective.

I stood by the entrance of the living room and saw him watching the local news. It was all he watched, every time and day, if not a soccer match.

I cleared my throat to get his attention and started speaking,"Dad, I am uh...going out tonight."

He shot me a puzzled look, his focus no longer on the flat screen TV. "Since when do you go out? At night, Vanessa? Who are you even going with?"

"Well, I uh...am going with a friend. He–She is picking me up at seven," I said, almost slipping. He didn't seem to notice.

"Is this friend of yours a boy?" He interrogated, arching an eyebrow.

I shook my head a little too quickly.

"It's definitely a boy," he mumbled to himself, snorting. I was about to try to disagree when he spoke again in a fatherly tone,"You are not going."

I gasped. "What do you mean I'm not going?!" I thought I was going to lose my cool. I had enough of this guy.

"I mean, you're not going. You are not going to go out with a boy, Vanessa. I will never allow that. Soon, I might even find out you're pregnant," he said, raising his voice and I ignored his last statement.

"Well, I am sorry, dad, but you can't tell me who I cannot and can hang out with. I am very much old now. I am twenty one years old! I should be allowed to do I want and I am going!" I started yelling, flailing my arms around dramatically.

"Listen here, young lady. Firstly, you do not speak to your father like that. Secondly, you seem to forget whose house this is. As long as you live under my roof and eat my food, you are not going to do as you please," he spat out, seething.

I crossed my arms over my chest, tapping my foot on the tiled floor. "For your information, mom buys the food here."

He disregarded what I said and continued,"If you want to do whatever you want, move out of this house. You said it yourself, you are old now. So what are you still doing here?"

I huffed. "Are you kicking me out?" Tears suddenly fell from my eyes because of the immense anger.

"I'm just saying, Vanessa," he said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Wow," I dragged the word out, raising my eyebrows. "Well, fine dad. If it's what you want, then I'm going to leave. For now, I'm off to my date." I then walked away, glad I had the last word.

I slammed the door shut behind me and went straight to the bathroom for my make up. Of course, I had to first try and calm myself down.

That was what I did for the next few minutes. Soon enough, the tears stopped and I wiped them from my cheeks. I'd be okay, for now but I was afraid my whole mood had been ruined.

Up to the point of me not wanting to even go to the date anymore. The frown stayed glued to my face as I got myself ready. I had a feeling Nathan would ask about this and then I would have to tell him.

I thought I was going to cry because there was still a part of me that was angry. Angry at the fact that my dad kicked me out of the house.

What's worse was that Seth was eight years older than me and he hadn't been kicked out. It was totally unfair but my dad didn't care.

Him and I never really had the closet relationship because he never treated me like his child. Funny, since the last born child is supposed to be pampered and shown the most love. In my case, it was the opposite. It was a pity my mother only came home on weekends. I missed her.

I was going to have to find myself an apartment near my university and also find a part-time job. I was going to need the money. My life savings could help too.

Hopefully by Friday, I'd move out of this place. The place I called my home. I had lived there for my whole life. I guess it was time for me to leave already. Not that I was complaining, really.

When I was back in my room, I put on my dress, followed by my shoes. I walked to my full-length mirror and took one of my straight black wigs; it ending right near my waist. My natural hair was in cornrows.

I hadn't been feeling like combing it, lately. So, the wig was the perfect alternative way of running away from thirty minutes of combing my unruly afro.

I smiled at the way I looked, satisfied. It was...good for a first date, you could say.

I took my purse and put in my phone, lip gloss, cash and the key of the smaller gate. My whole wallet didn't fit. I checked the time and saw that it was 18:55.

Perfect timing.

I walked out of my room and softly closed the door. The sound of my heels hitting the floor filled the house. I stood in the doorway of the living room again and my dad was still there.

"I'm leaving on Friday, by the way," I informed him and continued on my way. I walked through the kitchen to the front door. I opened the door and just when I was about to walk out, Seth's voice interrupted my action.

"Have a great time tonight, little sis. I heard your conversation with dad, earlier and I'm sorry," he apologized. I spun around to look at him and gave him a blank stare.

"Look, Seth, Dad is the one who is supposed to apologize. But you know what, I don't want his apology. I don't need it, for that matter. I'll see you later," I said monotonously and turned around again.

"Have a good time. He must be a very special guy," he told me.

I nodded, my back facing him. "He is. And thanks, I'll try to have a good time."

I walked out of the house and closed the door behind me. I strolled to the small gate and opened it with its key. I got out and closed it, locking it.

I stood there, waiting for Nate. Fortunately, it wasn't cold so I had no problem.

Minutes later, he arrived and parked his car across the road. It was back to the black Mercedes. I saw him get out of the car and start walking towards me.

As he came, I couldn't help but check him out. He looked really handsome in that black tux of his. He was even wearing a bowtie.

I had never seen him that formal. It just brought an uncontrollable smile to my face. One I was expecting to not even show tonight. But seeing him uplifted my mood a bit.

He stood in front of me as I looked into his blue eyes. Ones that I was pretty sure I would never get tired of looking at.

"Wow," he breathed as his gaze trailed up and down my body. I couldn't help but blush. "You look beautiful, Princess," he commented, wearing a charming smile.

"Thank you. You're not too bad yourself," I complimented him back, winking.

He chuckled. "Thanks. Now, let's go. Time is not on our side," he said and held out his hand.

I placed mine in his, and he lead me to his car. He opened the back seat door for me and I entered. He strutted to the door on my right and got inside.

That's when I noticed we had a driver!

I was awestruck, to say the least but didn't say anything. "Hello, Miss Peerce."

Wait, I recognized that voice.

"Danny?" I questioned with excitement laced in my tone. I just hadn't seen him in a long time. "The one and only," he said smugly.

I shrieked, "I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been?" Nathan scoffed beside me. I scooted closer to him and laid my head on his shoulder.

He sighed at the gesture and wrapped his arm around me. "Aren't you excited to see him?" He asked, sarcastically.

Danny and I laughed at him. "Face it, cuz. She likes me more than you," Danny joked. Nathan's face portrayed hurt, panic and jealousy.

"Is that true, Princess?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

I shook my head vigorously and kissed his cheek. "No, it's not true," I answered with a pout. He let out a sigh of relief at that.

"Aww! Way to ruin my plan, Vee," Danny whined. Nathan and I ignored him.

"Why were you so gloomy when I came to get you?" Blue Eyes inquired, angling his head so he could look down at me.

I mentally groaned. I had hoped he wouldn't ask.

My mood dropped again and I sighed,"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Of course I want to know. I want to know what's gotten my princess upset," he responded.

My heart flipped at what he called me. It always did.

"It's my dad. He first said that I wasn't allowed to go out with you. We fought and then in the end, he ended up kicking me out of the house," I cut the story short, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Why did he kick you out?" Nathan asked with a frown present on his face. "Well, I told him that I'm old enough to do whatever I want. He said as long as I live in his house, I could never do as I please," I replied.

"Wow. Your father is so unfair!" Danny commented from the front seat, banging his hand on the steering.

"This is a private conversation, Danny!" Nathan yelled at him.

Danny chuckled. "Oops! Sorry. You may continue."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at his behavior. Nathan then turned to look at my eyes.

"I am so sorry, Princess. It's true what Danny said. He is a total douche. Kicking his own daughter out of her home just because she didn't obey him. I mean, seriously you are twenty one!" He exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up.

"That's exactly what I told him!" I shouted, mirroring his expression.

He sighed. "I'll help you find a place to stay, Princess. Whatever you need, I'm here. I want you to always know that. Whatever is bothering you, share it with me."

I gave him a weak smile. "Thank you, Nate. I really need the support right now. I am trying so hard not to cry because I don't want to ruin my make up," I said through my own shaky laugh.

He lifted me up with ease and placed me on his lap, earning a loud yelp from me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

He was hugging me.

He was showing me how much he cared. Showing me he was here. Whenever I needed someone, he was here. Comfort, love, support and many more, I'd find in him.

That was what I told myself at that moment.

I buried my face in his neck as he didn't remove his arms. We heard Danny fake sniffle. "You two are so cute! I have shipped you a long time ago. Seriously, cuz, what took you so long?" He exclaimed, crying dramatically.

Nathan glared at him. "Quiet, Dan," he ordered. I saw Danny shrug. "Fine, then."

I could only watch the exchange. Those two were really two peas in a pod. Yes, they may had argued and bickered a lot but I knew that their love for each other was strong.

Even though their pride would never allow them to admit to that.

"Okay, we are finally here! Have an amazing evening, lovebirds. You shall call me when you need to be picked up," Danny told us.

I smiled at him. "We will." Then we got out. Nathan closed the door and we waved at our chauffeur for the night as he drove off.

Something dawned to me. "He owed you a favour, didn't he?" I asked Nathan, already knowing the answer. We walked towards the entrance of the fancy looking restaurant.

"Yep," he answered with a smug grin.

I snorted,"Knew it!" He opened the door for me and I walked inside first. First thing I saw, was how gold it looked inside.

It screamed rich people.

I looked around and saw intimidating people sitting at their tables. Nathan got in after me and placed his hand on the small of my back.

We walked together to the girl with a notebook, standing by the reception. She looked to be quite young for working here. Probably at 17 or 16.

I remember those days...

"Hello. Table for two?" She greeted us respectfully and I almost felt like I was the queen of Cliftonburg. "I have a reservation, actually," Nathan told her.

She smiled politely and opened her notebook. "Name, sir?" she asked. "Grove," he replied. She nodded and started walking in front of us.

"Follow me." We followed behind her as she led us passed lots of tables, with each of them throwing daggers at Nate and I.

I was not fazed by that.

We walked up a series of stairs and in no time, we were on the top floor. Which was also the second. She opened the double doors we approached and held the doors for us.

"Thank you," I thanked her as we walked inside. She beamed at my words. I could only guess not many people had manners around here.

"It's a pleasure, ma'am. I will get you a waiter right away," she informed us and skipped away. I finally had the opportunity to look around.

It was beautiful. A single table was in the middle of the room with roses covering it and also the floor around it. Two red chairs were placed on opposite sides of the table.

Through the windows you could see almost the whole town, since the restaurant was a little bit on a higher altitude than the rest of the city.

"Wow," I found myself whispering. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Nathan breathed as he led me to the table. "Yeah, it is," I responded while sitting down.

He walked to his chair and sat down. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble for a first date, Blue Eyes. It must've been expensive," I commented.

"It was but it doesn't matter. I'd spend a fortune for you any day," he whispered. I started feeling butterflies in my stomach at what he said and found myself blushing.

"Okay, but still, we could've just watched a movie at your house or even went to an ordinary restaurant. Like McDonalds or something, or even Wimpy," I said, shrugging.

He smiled genuinely. "This is one of the things I like about you, Princess." I cocked an eyebrow in question.

"You don't care about expensive things. You're not materialistic and you would just be okay with me taking you to a park for a date. With no food," he answered my silent question.

I chuckled at that. "True. All that matters is us spending time together, that's all. It doesn't matter where."

We looked into each others eyes and a smile grew on Nathan's face. I tried to fight off my own smile but I ended up smiling like he did.

He laid his hand on the table and placed mine on his. Again, our gaze lifted to each others eyes.

He rubbed circles on my hand with his thumb. The amount of tingles and sparks I felt was large. And I liked the feeling.

I just liked the feeling of being with him. It felt...comforting.

The doors opened, interrupting our special moment. The second I saw the way the waitress's uniform was short and tight, I started having a bad feeling.

She catwalked towards our table, her eyes focused on Nathan. My date. I scowled at once. "Hello. I'll be your waitress for the day, Jessica. What would you like to order?" She slurred, leaning more towards Nathan.

My glare was fixated on her. I was disappointed she didn't feel all the daggers I was throwing towards her whole body.

Nathan was looking at me. I could see him from the corner of my eye and he was amused. Amused that I was jealous.

"Princess, mind if I order for the both of us?" He asked making my eyes look back at him. I smiled sweetly at him. "No I don't mind at all, babe," I replied.

He looked surprised at the nickname but didn't say anything. "I'll just order your famous pasta. And a bottle of non-alcoholic wine," he ordered.

She wrote the stuff on her small notepad and purposely tucked it in her large fake boobs. Nathan seemed bored of her now.

She turned around, not before winking at Nathan and walked away. I scoffed at her retreating back. "Cheap little pig," I mumbled to myself.

Nathan burst out laughing, even throwing his head back. "Jealous, princess?" He asked through his loud laugh. I smiled a little, finding the situation funny too.

"No, I'm not. I was just trying to mark my territory. She didn't seem to notice," I said.

"Don't be jealous, Princess. She could never be you," Nathan reassured me but it didn't help at all.

"Exactly! She is better. Did you see her? She was hot and I'm not. She was beautiful and I'm not. Most of all, she is white. I could never be her. I'm pretty sure she would be more than enough for you. Not me," I whispered.

Okay, the tears were coming again. I was such a sensitive person. Well, it did run in the family, and I hated it. I cried at the littlest of things. It was kind of embarrassing.

"Come here," Nathan said and motioned for me to come to him. I stood up from my seat, my legs becoming a little bit shaky.

I wobbled to Nathan and he pulled me down to his lap. I curled myself and snuggled closer to him. I was trying so hard not to cry. But the thought of Nathan with another girl is just...