There was no answer. "Annalise!" she called again, "It's me, Kristen."
Still, there was no answer. "I'm just here to tell you that... I've got a date!" Kristen continued, "He's super nice and unbelievably good-looking. Like, wow! And he asked me out. He's picking me up in like a half hour. We're going... actually I don't know where we're going. But I'm sure it'll be amazing. Just think, my first date ever and it's with the perfect man!"
The door remained closed. Kristen wasn't sure if Annalise could even hear her, but she was determined to let her know that she cared and wanted her in her life. "Anyways, just thought I would let you know," Kristen said, "I'm going to go get ready. I miss you!"
She turned and walked away from the door. Every day she visited Annalise's apartment and gave her an update on what was happening. One time she brought her a plate of cookies- double chocolate chip, those were her favorite- and left them outside the door. They were gone the next day, so she must have been listening to her at least some of the time, right? ...Or maybe she just found them. In any case, at least she was aware that Kristen was coming by.
Once Kristen got home, she immediately began to fret over what to wear for her date. Should she wear pants or a skirt? Casual or formal? Where were they going? She wished she knew so she could dress appropriately. In any case, she knew she would have to look her best. She didn't want to him to show up at her door with her looking like a slob.
She eventually decided on a green skirt and black top. Not too formal, but just a step above casual school-wear. She looked at herself in the mirror and gave a little twirl. Her skirt fanned out beautifully around her and she decided she was satisfied.
Just as she was finishing twisting her hair up into an simple bun, there was a knock at the door. No one else was home, so she quickly stuck the last pin into her hair and rushed to the door.
There was David, holding out a bouquet of flowers, grinning with his oh-so dashing smile. "I know this is probably completely cliche," he said, "But I couldn't resist."
Kristen took the flowers from him. "Thank you! They're beautiful. No one's ever given me flowers before."
"Really?" David said, sounding surprised, "Well I'm glad I could change that."
"Let me just put these in water," Kristen said. She turned back into the house. She went into the kitchen and began searching the cupboards for a vase. She finally found one on a shelf above the refrigerator. She filled it with water and stuck the flowers into it. She set it on the counter and just stared at them, smiling, pleased.
Then she suddenly remembered... "David!"
She rushed back to the door. She opened it and found David still standing there on the porch, looking rather confused.
"I am so sorry!" she said, "I didn't mean to take so long! I should have invited you in or something."
David laughed. "It's fine. I always like being left out in the cold by women I'm about to take out."
Kristen cleared her throat and chuckled nervously. She met his eyes. "So... where exactly are we going?" she wondered.
He smiled. "Town," he answered, holding out his arm.
Kristen wrapped her arm around his. "Town?" she repeated.
"Mm-hmm," he replied, "I thought we'd walk down town and take a look at the sights to see, maybe find a good place to eat, look in shops. That sort of thing. Not too boring, is it?"
Kristen grinned at him. "No! It sounds perfect!"
"Great!" he said, "And I know the perfect place to start. There's this fantastic little sandwich shop just a few blocks down. You'll love it!"
"Ooh! I love sandwiches!" Kristen exclaimed.
"Me too!"
"They're my favorite."
"Seriously? Mine too."
"Of course, chocolate takes the cake though... Or rather, is the cake."
David smirked. "Did you really just say that?"
Kristen shrugged. "Err, well, sometimes my mouth runs away with me."
"So I've noticed," David said.
Kristen blushed a deep crimson. Why did she always have to make herself look like such a confounded idiot in front of him? David noticed her embarrassment and quickly added, "I think it's cute."
Kristen looked back at him, smiling coyly.
After walking for a short time, David pointed ahead. "Here's the sandwich shop."
Not too far in front of them sat a small shop with a blue neon sign reading, "Sadie’s Sandwiches" over the top. They began to make their way towards it.
"So how do you know this place?" Kristen wondered.
"Well, my dad's in politics," David explained, "I used to have to wait for him to get out of some big important meeting or whatever in the Town Hall just over there."
He pointed across the street. Kristen looked at it. "Isn't that where foreign diplomats and stuff meet?"
"Yep."
Kristen looked at David once more, surprised. "Is your dad a foreign diplomat?"
"Ambassador, actually," David replied, "All the way from Russia."
Kristen looked at David in a new light. "Wow. So you're like... not American?"
David smirked. "Yes. I'd say that was an accurate assertion."
"Sorry. It's just, you don't even have an accent or anything."
David shrugged. "Well, we actually lived here for the first eight years of my life. I grew up here. I guess, it took care of my accent. I liked it here so much that I came back for college." He leaned closer to her, “You actually pronounce my name “Dah-veet”, but I stopped correcting people after the first eight thousand times.”
He winked and then opened the door to the sandwich shop. "M'lady," he gestured for her to enter first.
Kristen smiled and walked in. It was small, like a fast food joint, but not brightly colored or strongly scented with disinfectant. They approached the counter. "Hello, what can I get ya?" the girl behind the counter asked.
"I'll have a regular sized turkey with everything on it, but no onions," David replied, then gestured to Kristen, "And she'll have..."
"A large roast beef with everything," Kristen immediately said, "Also could you add avocado? Oh, and bacon? Oh, and possibly some ham and turkey? ...and extra cheese?"
David looked at her, surprised. "What?" Kristen asked.
"Nothing. I just didn't expect someone so small to eat so much," he replied.
Kristen raised her eyebrows. "I told you. I love sandwiches."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Okay, wait. So this is your first date ever?" David asked, pushing away his sandwich wrapper, long since finished.
"That's what I said," Kristen replied.
"So that means you've never been kissed or anything?" he asked.
"Ah, ah. It's my turn now," Kristen said, "What is... your worst childhood experience?"
David puckered his lips, thinking for a moment. "Well, I have ten older brothers..." he began.
"You have how many?" Kristen cried, incredulous.
"Ten," David repeated, "Yeah, I know. Mom and dad went a bit crazy. Anyways, when we were growing up, four of them literally pretended that I would spontaneously burst into flames at random moments. So they would tackle me to the ground and beat me with rugs and stuff... for eight years. Horrible way to live, really."
"That's awful," Kristen said.
David shrugged. "That's what brothers do."
"Sisters aren’t much better," Kristen said, "Annalise and I were really close while we were growing up. But then suddenly she became, you know, a recluse. Now, every time I go to see her, she completely ignores me and shuts me out."
David took her hand and she felt her heart flutter. "Kristen, I think she must be completely crazy for doing that. Also, I want you to know that I would never do something like that to you."
Kristen looked up into his eyes. He smiled as he took her other hand. Her heart rate was off the charts now. "Um... i-it's your turn," she said, trying her best to keep her voice steady.
David scooted closer to her. "Okay," he said, "So, you really have never kissed anyone before?"
Kristen could barely breathe as she forced herself to shake her head in response. Her stomach was doing somersaults and her head was spinning madly. She was barely conscious of David moving towards her. What was even happening? She might actually pass out!
But then his lips were on hers and everything seemed to freeze. Time stood completely still as his lips gently moved against hers. She was floating on a cloud, lost in a wonderland. But then it was over too soon. He pulled back, leaving her completely breathless, and gave her a half smile. "Well?"
Kristen grinned, "I think I might need another test." She grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him in for another kiss.
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