From that point on, Eva spent the whole day freaking out like a mad-men.

First was her outfit. She didn’t want to look like a total girly-girl, because she knew that he wasn’t really a preppy guy. But she also didn’t want to go too gothic. After an hour of throwing on different outfits, she decided on a pair of silk black shorts, a cheetah print tank top, and a pair of black gladiator sandals.

Then came the hunt for accessories.

What purse would she use? What bracelets and necklaces would she wear? Would she wear earrings?

She decided on a white Steve Madden purse, with a small white watch, no necklace, no earrings, and a pinkie ring.

Then came decision time with her hair. Would she leave it natural and curly? Or would she create beach waves? Or should she straighten it flat and then tease it?

She decided to make it wavy, but still tease it for some volume.

And then last but not least, she spent an hour looking at her in a mirror, decided how she should do her makeup. Should she do something very natural? She definitely wouldn’t do a smoky eye for a warm summer night.

She decided on going towards the more natural side.

She then gave herself a French manicure, and painted her toe-nails pink.

She spritzed herself with perfume and picked up her phone. Donna had sent her a message.

“Be at the metro for 7PM!” it said.

She glanced at the clock and realized that it was a quarter after six. She had to leave now, or she wouldn’t make it on time.

As she left her house, she felt as if she were about to pass out. Not because of the extreme summer humidity, and not because she didn’t eat anything all day. No, she felt like passing out because of how ridiculously nervous she had become.

She had never really felt nervous about meeting men, but for some reason, she really wanted to impress this guy. She only knew his first name, and nothing else. Not his age, not his style, not his interests.

This was a total surprise.

While waiting for the bus, she started biting her nails ridiculously. She was ruining her newly done French manicure, but she didn’t care. She was nervous, and biting her nails always calmed her down. And right now, she really, really needed to calm down.

She kept wondering, “What is he going to think of me? He is never going to like me. I don’t know why I already like him, but he’s really not going to like me. I’m just another random 16 year old girl. I’m nothing special, nothing new. I’m sure tons of girls like him, and I’m probably no different. So why am I even going? And even if he did think that I was cute, and even if he did like me, I doubt we would have a relationship. No, I won’t have a relationship. I won’t allow it. I won’t let myself become vulnerable to heartbreak. Hell no.”

The bus pulled up to the stop and interrupted her train of thought.

Once she got on the bus, she sat down, plugged in her music, and tried to think about anything but the boy she was about to meet.

The bus pulled up to the metro station. She got on the metro, heading for the next station, where she would be meeting him. The whole ride there, she could not stop fidgeting. Once she got to the next station, she walked up the stairs to the main area and checked her watch.

It was 7:05. Where was he?

She texted Donna, “Where the hell are you guys?”

“I’m on the bus; I’ll be there in 5.

He’s not there?

“No.”

Eva waited impatiently for the next ten minutes. She kept pacing back and forth like an idiot, and people were starting to stare at her as if she belonged in an asylum. Donna finally texted her.

“You airhead. He’s been waiting outside for you.”

Eva ran to the exit, only to find herself staring at her best friend and a very attractive man.

He had short brown hair, and big brown eyes. He was tall, at least 5”11’. He had very muscular arms, and he was wearing a shirt that showed them off. He was also wearing a pair of blue faded jeans. He had the hottest facial features she had seen in a while. The way he was looking at her, with obvious interest in his eyes, made her want to melt.
She walked right up to him, almost shaking. She was so nervous, she literally felt like she was about to hit the floor. She hardly even noticed her best friend.

And then he said, with the smoothest voice ever, “Hey, I’m Joel.”

“I’m Eva.”

As the two embraced in their first hug, Eva literally felt herself starting to melt as his strong arms held her. After a few seconds, they broke apart, staring at each other with obvious interest.

And right away, she wanted to be in his arms again.

Eva was staring at Joel with lust in her eyes. She knew how obvious it was, because she knew from experience that she was terrible at hiding her emotions.

“I almost want to smack you right now.” Announced Donna with a smile, snapping Eva out of her little daze

“Why?” She asked her

“Because he has been waiting outside for you for like 30 minutes!” She yelled

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I had no clue you’d be outside!” Eva apologized, with a cute little smile and a growing blush on her cheeks

“I’m a smoker, that’s why. Don’t worry about it.” Said Joel, with a warm smile on his face

“Well, Eva, this is Joel. Joel, this is Eva.” Said Donna, even though it was very obvious that we already knew this

Eva was already impressed with what she saw. He was cute, and he seemed to be friendly.

Nevertheless, her heartbeat was speeding up. She was very nervous. And she wasn’t nervous of one thing in particular, but she was nervous of everything. What would be a good thing to say? What it everything becomes awkward? What if he’s only trying to sleep with her?

Donna started to look annoyed. Eva wasn’t sure what to do, and clearly, neither was Joel. The moment was getting slightly awkward.

“Well, there’s a nice park near here. Shall we go?” asked Donna impatiently

“Sounds fun,” Eva said, thankful that they were moving away from the metro station

“Let’s go,” said Joel

On the way to the park, Eva felt herself become a bit more relaxed. She knew the park that she was going to; it was called Girouard, it was beautiful. It consisted of a long and wide field of grass, with a nice playground in the middle, and a little kiddie pool near the park. There were big green trees through the park, and nice little historical monuments. And on a beautiful summer night like this, with the sun setting, and pink going through the sky, she knew why Donna had suggested this park; on nights like this, Girouard Park could be a setting of a romance movie, it was so beautiful. She silently thanked Donna for choosing this location.

The walk was quiet for a little bit, before Donna asked about Jonny.

“So what happened with Jonny?” Asked Donna curiously

“Who’s Jonny?” Asked Joel

“Just a guy who’s not worth my time whatsoever.” Eva declared, already getting annoyed at the sound of his name

“I don’t get it.” Said Donna, looking clearly confused

“Look, tonight, Jonny is somebody who doesn’t exist to me. He’s no part of my life, and he means nothing to me.” Said Eva, with a hint of annoyance in her voice

“Fine, so let’s hate on all people named Jonny tonight.” Joked Donna

“And all people named Karen.” Said Joel

“And all people named Anthony.” Said Eva

And the list of names kept going. Eva was stating her ex-boyfriends and ex-flings names, and she had a feeling Joel was doing the same. Although she wanted to change the conversation, because there was no need to speak of exes right now.

“Are they your exes?” Asked Eva

“Yeah,” said Joel, clearly not wanting to explain any more

They kept walking with silence until they reached the park. They walked into the beautiful area, they walked to a huge tree and then they sat under it, in a circle. Eva looked at Donna, and then Donna looked between her and Joel. Joel smiled at Eva, and Eva smiled back.

“Guys, interact. Mingle with each other.” Joked Donna

The thing was Eva knew that although Donna said it with a joking tone to her voice, she was being pretty serious. Donna really wanted this to happen; not necessarily for Eva’s sake, but because she wanted to prove that she could play matchmaker.
Eva snickered at Donna, and Donna understood that Eva knew that she was not joking.

“So, is Eva your actual name, or is it a nickname?” Asked Joel, breaking the silence

“It’s a nickname; my full name is Evelina Ciampini.” Replied Eva

“Nice name. Joel Lavigne.” He said

She loved his name. It really sounded nicely to her ears. Eva picture herself updating her relationship status from “single” to “In a Relationship with Joel Lavigne.” She giggled at the idea.

“Guys, I see some of my friends. I’ll catch up with you guys later.” Said Donna, getting up and walking away to a larger group of people at the other end of the park

In one way, Eva wanted to scream at Donna to come back; she didn’t want to be left alone with him, she didn’t know him! Donna kept things balanced and friendly; what would happen if things got flirty? Sure, Eva was a great flirt. But was she ready to start flirting with this stranger?

In another way, Eva was relieved that Donna had left. Now, they could have a more intimate conversation, and get to know each other a bit better. And if things did get flirty, she was happy that she wouldn’t have to be flirty in front of Donna, who would only tease her about it nonstop.

“Where do you live?” Asked Eva randomly, suddenly feeling like a stalker

“In NDG.” He answered, clearly, not taking it in a creepy way

“Same. You’re with your parents?”

“Yeah, you?”

“Of course,” Replied Eva

“Do you go to school?”

“Yes, I’m at Marymount Academy. Do you?”

“No, I’m done with school.”

“Where did you go?” She asked curiously

Joel sighed. Eva had a feeling that this was something that he was not very comfortable talking about.

“Started at JL, went to Westmount, and finally ended my schooling at John G.” he said, looking down

“Cool, so you graduated from John G?”

“Yeah,” He said, clearly wanting to change this conversation

Eva was about to go into her plans for college, but she was worried that he would think of her as a loser, or a nerd. She wanted to impress him, not scare him away, or make him think that she was a loser.

“How old are you?” He asked

“I’m 16. What about you?”

“I’m 18, turning 19 in October.”

“Oh cool, my birthday is May 1st, so I’ve got a while to wait.” Eva joked

“Do you mind age differences?” he asked jokingly

“I like them.” She replied, smiling nervously

So far, other than the fact that he seemed to have very little interest in furthering his education, she was very impressed by him. He intrigued her; she wanted to keep asking him more and more. She wanted to find out more about him.

“What kind of music do you enjoy?” Asked Eva

“Metal.” He answered quickly

Metal? What was that? Eva had never heard of that genre of music before.

“I’m an American Top 40 kind of girl,” she said, and he looked slightly unimpressed

“Pop and rap?” he asked

“Yeah.” She answered

“I don’t really like that kind of music whatsoever.” He said, clearly trying not to sound offensive

“I’ve never heard of metal,” she admitted

His eyes grew wide with surprise. Great, now she definitely sounded like a total airhead. How could she not know what metal was? She thought she knew every genre of music that ever existed.

“Metal is a more… angry kind of music. But it’s meaningful, you know?” he asked, trying to make her understand

“So you mean like, ‘Oh, I hate my life. Scream.’” She said, trying to sound funny, but actually being serious

“No, that’s death metal. That’s just depressing.” He said, smiling at her

“Do you play any instruments?”

“I used to be the lead singer in a metal band.”

“No way!” she exclaimed, surprised

Eva loved men who knew how to sing. She also loved men who were somewhat musically talented. She just loved it.

“Yeah, but it never worked out.” He admit

“Why not?” Asked Eva curiously

“Let’s just say that it’s a long story, that had to do with my drummer getting busted with drugs.” He said, not going into detail

“Got it.” She said

She could already tell that his drummer had been arrested with the possession of drugs, and from there, everything went downhill.

As the night progressed, Eva and Joel spoke more and more, joking and laughing, and getting to know each other. At this point, Eva was so very obviously attracted to him. Every time he smiled at her, she felt her heartbeat speed up.

Out of nowhere, Donna came back under the tree, interrupting one of their many conversations.

“So, how are things going?” she asked teasingly

“Really great, actually,” Eva replied, smiling at Joel

“Yeah,” agreed Joel

“What time is it?” asked Donna

Eva looked at her watch, and a horrified look crossed her face. It was already 9PM, and she promised her mother that she would be home for 9:30PM. It took at least 45 minutes to get home from this park.

“When do you have to be home?” asked Joel

“9:30, and it’s already 9.” Said Eva, sounding nervous

“Let’s get going.” Said Donna, standing up

The three walked to the metro station, smiling and laughing at the conversations that they were having. Eva and Joel kept smiling and looking at each other. Eva felt so comfortable around him, and she was beyond attracted to him. Is this what love felt like, she wondered?

Once they got to the metro, Donna quickly said goodbye and ran to catch her bus. Leaving Eva and Joel alone at the metro station, Eva silently thanked her for providing them with
more alone time.

“What metro do you have to go to?” asked Joel

“Snowdon.” She replied

“Same here, what bus do you take?”

“The 51.”

“I’ll ride with you until your stop.” He said, smiling at her

“Is it out of your way?”

“Yeah, because I don’t need to take that bus. But I do enjoy your company.” He said, smiling at her again

Eva was starting to get the feeling that he was into her. The way he was looking at her and smiling at her, she had an idea. She was used to lots of men liking her, so she knew the signs to look for.

“Let’s get going.” He said, guiding her to the subway train

They boarded the train together and rode it until Snowdon. When they got to Snowdon, they walked quickly to the escalator. Once they were standing on it, he looked into her eyes and asked her, “So, do you think I’m cute?”

Eva felt her cheeks become hotter; she was blushing. Of course she found him cute! What kind of girl wouldn’t find him cute? But she was nervous to answer him, because if she said yes, then he’d know that she was into him.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that.” She answered with a smile

“Why?” he asked, giving her that smile again

Eva just looked down. She would rather tell him later.

When they got to the top of the escalator, they exited the metro station and waited for the bus quietly. Suddenly, Eva felt her phone vibrate.

“Hello?” she said, answering

“Where the hell are you?!” demanded her grandfather

“Excuse me?” she asked

“It’s already 9:30. Get home, now.” He demanded

“Okay, I love you.” She said

He didn’t answer her. He hung up.

Eva felt slightly hurt. Her grandfather was her father figure, and she worked so hard in life to get his approval. Eva had always lived with her mother, step father, grandparents, and younger brother and sister. But the person who she always wanted approval from the most was her grandfather. And when he was disappointed in her, she was disappointed in herself.

“He didn’t say I love you?” asked Joel, realizing the sad look on her face

“Yeah.” She said, trying to change the conversation

“Who was that?”

“My grandfather.”

“You live with your grandparents?” he asked curiously

“And my mom, and my stepdad, and my siblings.”

“Full house.” He joked

We got on the bus and sat down.

“How old are your brother and sister?” he asked

“My brother is 8, my sister is 5. Do you have any siblings?”

“Yeah, but it’s complicated.” He answered

Eva and Joel rode the bus quietly. When they got to her stop, he walked her off the bus and across the street, to the corner that she lived only houses away from.

“Thank you.” Eva said

“For?”

“Everything. I had a really nice time tonight,” she admit, smiling

“So did I. But seriously, do you think I’m cute?” he asked again, smiling at her

“Yes,” she answered shyly

“Would you date me?” he asked, still smiling

“Yes,”

“So do you want to date me?” he asked, looking at her more seriously

“Wait, you actually want to date me?” Asked Eva

“Yeah,” he answered, smiling again

“Then yes, I would.” She said

“Great,” Answered Joel, pulling her in for a warm hug.

Eva could not believe this was happening. She wanted to scream with joy. This very attractive and very friendly man actually wanted to date her. She felt a smile grow widely across her face, and she felt her eyes get a little damp from tears of joy. She managed to stop her eyes from flowing, but she still wanted to scream.

“So do I get a kiss?” he asked jokingly, still hugging her

“Yes,” she said, pulling away from the hug

Eva wrapped her arms around his neck, and he placed his strong hands on her waist. The two moved closer and closer to each other, until their lips were a centimeter apart. Eva gently pressed her lips to his, and then parted them.

The kiss only lasted three seconds, but it was one of the best kisses of her life. She pulled away, smiling brightly at him.

She passed him a little paper with her phone number on it.

“Call me,” she said, smiling brightly, before walking away

As she walked towards her house, she realized that she was hungry. Not for food, but for another kiss from his lips.

“Where the hell were you?!” Demanded her grandfather as Eva walked in the door

“I was out with some friends, I’m sorry. I’ll try to meet my curfew next time.” Explained Eva, becoming annoyed at how her grandfather was spoiling her great mood

“Look, I’m going to bed; maybe you should do the same.”

“Fine,”

“Oh, and Eva?” Asked her grandfather, annoyed, “Get your act together.”

Eva watched her grandfather retreat to his room without even saying goodnight. She was hurt; she really did nothing wrong.

See, her family was quite odd. Her mother, Maria, was one way one day, another way another day. One day she was all about people making their own decisions, the next day she was all about being the dictator of the family. She was 43, and according to Eva, she was still trying to find herself. Although she wasn’t a terrible mother; she enjoyed cooking, which she was great at, and she had a passion for shopping, which often benefited Eva, her Martha Stewart ways got Eva annoyed, often.

Her step father, Joe, was an odd ball, too. He was, in Eva’s eyes, a 55 year old child who never grew up. He and Eva had always respected each other for Maria. Joe was tall and lean, but Eva found him anything but handsome. He didn’t even have a great job; he worked for the laundry department of the city’s hospital. He walked around with a constant look on his face, and an attitude that matched it.

Her grandmother, Evelyn, was actually Eva’s favourite housemate. At 68 years old, she could get a little annoying with her faded memory, but all in all, she wasn’t a nag, and she knew when to just not talk to Eva. The only thing that Eva really had to hold against her grandmother was her drinking. With that being said, her grandfather started keeping that under control, so it was okay.

And her grandfather… well, Eva believed that she could write a book about her grandfather’s life story. To say the least, being an immigrant from Italy from the age of 5, he had many experienced, many of which scarred him, and turned him into a bitter 65 year old man. At the same time, he had always been Eva’s father figure, and he set a great example for her when it came to education and hard work. Although he was uneducated, he owned and ran an extremely successful furniture business. Her grandfather was like a gas station, and her family was the car; the family needed him to run normally. And Eva looked up to him, she loved him. Yet his extremely traditional ways could be aggravating.

She went to her room and changed into a comfy sweat suit to sleep in. As she sat on her bed, she picked up her iPhone and dialled Donna’s number.

“Hello?” Answered Donna

“Thank You!” Squealed Eva, and then hung up

She received a text message from Donna moments later.

“You’re welcome, bitch  “It read

Eva laughed at the cute message. At this point, she loved her best friend more than anybody in the world right now. Donna had set her up with her dream man; how happier could she be?

She lay down in her bed, but she already knew that despite her exhaustion, sleep would not come easy tonight. Ever since Joel and she kissed, she could not stop glowing and squealing as if she were a moronic child. There was absolutely no calming her down, but hey, she was just a teenage girl. It was expected.

As she finally felt herself start to fall into a deep sleep, her phone started ringing. She groaned, deciding whether or not to answer it. After thinking that it may be Joel, she answered he phone.

“Hello?” She asked in a tired voice

“Hi,”

“Joel?” She asked timidly

“Yeah,” He answered

“What’s up?”

“Not much, did I wake you up? You sound sleepy?”

“Um,” She said awkwardly, “no, not at all.”

“Sure,” He said with sarcasm. He knew she was lying.

Eva laughed. She felt to at ease talking to him, even though this was their first time speaking over the phone. Usually, she would have felt a little awkward by now, but not with Joel.

“Are you busy this weekend?” He asked suddenly

As soon as he asked that, Eva groaned, remembering that she had work at 9AM tomorrow morning, and same on Sunday. She felt like calling her boss now and giving him a piece of his mind about her stupid schedule.

“Yeah, actually, working on Saturday and Sunday.” She answered with a sad tone to her voice

“Where do you work?”

“Some stupid sketchy lingerie shop at a mall for old people.” She said with a bitter tone to her voice

Eva hated her workplace. It was this small hole-in-the-wall which specialized in bras, panties, and clothes… for old ladies. She got paid under the table, less than minimum wage. Her job was boring. She literally stood there, behind a cash register all day, and walking around with old ladies to help them find the ‘perfect bra’ for their disgusting, saggy chest. And her boss was very weird. He stared at Eva (and her body, specifically,) as if he actually had the right to stare at his 16 year old employee like that. She absolutely hated him, almost as much as she hated her job. At the same time, it was a job, which meant money. And ever since her parents cut her off for having a less than great report card last year, she needed that job, because without it, she would have absolutely no money.

“Gee, sounds fun. You good for Monday?”

“Yeah, what were you thinking of doing?”

“Well, my parents aren’t coming back from Philadelphia until Tuesday.” He said

She already knew what this was going to lead to. On Monday, he was going to try to sleep with her. She felt her heartbeat speeding up. She sounded beyond nervous at the idea, and she knew it.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to pull anything.” He promised

“Alright, can I call you tomorrow night?”

“Yeah, of course. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” She said, hanging up

She found it funny, how she usually couldn’t wait for the weekend to start, yet today; she couldn’t wait for it to end. She wanted Monday to come. She wanted to see Joel, and she wanted some alone time with him.

She plugged her phone into the charger and decided that it was time for some sleep.

Besides, she had a long weekend ahead of her.

Eva woke up on Saturday morning and nearly decided on not going into work. She was still bursting with energy after her little date with Joel last night, but the fact that it was 7AM on a Saturday really just calmed her down a lot. In fact, it annoyed her just a tad. Who in their right mind would want to spend all day Saturday and Sunday in a stupid little lingerie store?

She walked out of her room to see her mother sitting at the table. Without even acknowledging her, she went straight for the steaming coffee pot, and poured herself a mug. This morning, she was in the mood to drink it black. As she was getting the cereal from the pantry, her mother decided to start.

“You may not like me, but would saying good morning hurt so much?” Asked her mother sarcastically

Eva ignored her mother’s comment. Eva learnt that if she replied to every comment, her and her mother would eventually try to strangle each other. The two had a love-hate relationship, with a lot more hate than love.

The two of them were utter opposites. Eva was an atheist; her mother was a proud Christian. Eva went out early and didn’t come home until much later; her mother believed in spending excessive amounts of time with family. Eva was her own person; her mother didn’t appreciate that. Up until she was 12, Eva and her mother had a nice mother-daughter relationship; they did spa dates together, they went shopping together, they went for coffee. They got along beautifully, and Eva considered her mother to be one of her best friends. Eva could go to her mother for whatever support of advice she needed, and her mother would listen without judging and usually, she would offer good insight.

Although when Eva was 12, and she started high school, something else happened: she also started realizing who she truly was. Up until she was 12, Eva was a proud little catholic girl, who believed in dating within your race and nationality. She wore clothes that hid her body, she kept her face completely natural, and she spent almost every weekend with her family. But one she started high school, she realized that she wasn’t happy living like that; she was turning into her mother, and she honestly didn’t like it whatsoever.

She developed different groups of friends; some good, some bad. Her mother never approved of most. She started wearing clothes that she wanted to wear; skinny jeans, cleavage-revealing shirts, and lots of accessories. She wouldn’t leave the house without doing a smoky eye, or at least nice eyeliner and mascara. She started asking to go to parties. She started hanging out with friends on the weekends. She started to become interested in men and dating. She was changing before her mother’s eyes, and although Eva found that she was evolving beautifully, her mother was practically devastated. Maria had lost her good little girl. And because of this, their relationship changed almost as much as Eva did. Maria would no longer ask Eva how she was doing, or even care if Eva had a problem that she wanted to talk about. If anything, she kept pushing Eva away from her. Her mother started putting up ridiculous rules, like coming home immediately after school, and no calling her friends at night. And of course, Eva rebelled, because she found it beyond unfair. Why could she not be who she wanted to be?

Things got worse over the years. When Eva was 15, her mother accused her of being a drug addict who had sex with random men. The accusations were very hurtful to Eva, because they were very far from the truth; Eva was still a virgin, and planned on waiting for the right man. Also, she had experimented with marijuana on more than one occasion, but she grew to hate it, because it gave her migraines. In fact, when her mother had made this accusation, Eva had been sober for months. And of course, Eva responded in a less than polite manner, and before you knew it, World War III was happening between Eva and Maria.

So at 7AM on a Saturday morning, when her mother started with the sarcasm, Eva decided that it would be best if she bit her tongue.

She brought her coffee and cereal to the table where her mother was sitting.

“Good morning,” She finally muttered

“Good morning,” Said her mother, with a stupid fake smile

Eva was wondering when her mother was going to start asking her a million questions about what she had been doing last night, and why she was late to come home. Her mother looked as if she was deciding which question to ask first.

“So,” Her mother said, “Where were you last night?”

“I went to a park with some friends.”

“Who?”

“Donna and my new friend Joel.”

“Great, Donna. And who’s Joel?”

Eva sighed of annoyance. She didn’t need to know who Joel was. She didn’t feel comfortable saying her friend, because she hardly wanted him to be just a ‘friend.’ No, that would be a bitter disappointment to Eva.

“My boyfriend,” Said Eva, with an edge to her voice

“Excuse me?!” Demanded her mother

“You heard me.”

“Why were you late for curfew?”

“Because I was,”

“I don’t like your attitude this morning.”

“I don’t like you.” Eva said, picking up her coffee cup


She got up and left the table, only to retreat to her room. She set her mug down on her desk and went over to her closet. She picked up a pink mini skirt and a black tank top to go with it. Cute and kind of sexy.

Eva knew that snapping at her mother like that was inappropriate, but she felt that her mother had asked for it with the questions. She didn’t like the questions after she had been up for a few hours, so why would she like them first thing in the morning? Her mother should have known that.

Eva got ready for work quickly and cleaned her room. She picked up her purse, slipped on her white flip flops, and left her room. She walked right past her mother in the dining room and went right through the front door, without a goodbye.

The bus was running late that morning, so by the time she got to work, she was nearly 30 minutes late. She walked in to the little store and her boss just stared at her. Who cared if she was half an hour late? She looked good, and she knew that her boss wouldn’t say anything as long as she looked as hot as she did.

“You’re late…” He mumbled, still staring at her

“Sorry,” She said with an apologetic smile

Eva got away with so much by flashing the apologetic smile that she was so good at using. Usually though, it only worked with men. She chuckled, because quite bluntly, she had her boss whipped. That wasn’t saying much about him whatsoever. She didn’t even know her boss’ name, and he just called her E. She found it all very comical.

The day went by so slowly. She had a total of 4 customers, which was kind of pathetic. She left at 5PM on the dot, without even saying goodbye to her boss.

She left the little mall to feel the heat and the beautiful sun on her skin. She walked home, soaking up the sun and enjoying the weather.

By the time she got home, her mother was ready to pounce on her for the disrespect. She walked through the door, stared at her mother, and said, “Well hi.”

“You’re not going out, tonight or tomorrow night.” Said her mother

“Okay.” Said Eva, and went to her room

She didn’t plan on going out, anyway. If her mother had said Monday, she would have went crazy, because Monday would be the first time that she would spend alone time with Joel. She was actually looking very forward to Monday.

Sunday was a reflection of Saturday, minus the attitude. She didn’t need to get herself grounded for Monday. Yet, Eva knew that even if she got grounded for Monday, she would just find a way to sneak out.

On Sunday night, she decided to get ready for tomorrow in style. She washed her hair, blow dried it, and styled in pin-straight. She gave herself a facial, a manicure, and a pedicure. She shaved every unnecessary inch of hair on her body, because she hated being hairy. She was ready for the next day.

She went to bed on Sunday night shaking. She could hardly wait for the next day.

Despite her long beauty preparation the night before, when Eva woke up on Monday morning, the only thing she could begin to think about was looking good for her first time alone with Joel. She rubbed her eyes and sprung out of bed, full of energy. It was especially odd of her, considering it was only 7AM on a Monday, during her summer break. She bounced out of her room to her kitchen and poured herself from coffee. Despite her nerves and her concerns about how she looked, she was in a great mood.

“Good morning, mom.” She said, smiling

“Good morning,” Replied her mother

“Hey Nick, hey Emma.” She said to her siblings

They just nodded at her as they slurped their cereal.

Eva went to sit at the table. She started reading the newspaper, which is something she never did. All she really wanted to do was distract herself. She didn’t want to think about her looks.

“What are your plans for the day?” Asked her mother

Eva thought about how she should word her plans for the day. It was probably not a good idea to say that she was going to her new boyfriend’s house while his family wasn’t home. Her mother would lock her in the house if that were the case.

“Joel and I are going for a picnic at Macdonald park.” She announced, as innocently as possible.

“Sounds fun. What time will you be home at?”

“Does 6PM sound okay?”

“Fine,” Sighed her mother

Eva finished her coffee with a little smile on her face. She went to her room and made her bed in a very careless way. It almost looked as if she didn’t make it. She went to her closet and deliberated what she should wear. She wanted to wear something cute that would make him think, ‘Wow, she’s hot.’ At the same time, she didn’t want to be inappropriate, or show too much cleavage. She decided on a pretty red dress. It was just a few inches above her knees, and it was strapless, but it showed almost no cleavage. It was tight on her chest, but loose from that point. She decided to wear a pair of 2-inch beige heels, and a chocolate brown bag.

Quickly brushing her hair and putting on a lite coat of eyeliner and mascara, she realized that in just 20 minutes, she had to be at the corner of his street, where he would meet her. She didn’t want to be late, but time seemed to fly when she was planning an outfit last minute. They were supposed to meet at 10AM, and Eva didn’t want to leave a bad first impression.

She quickly walked out of her room, and without even saying a word, left the house. She walked briskly to the bus stop, and luckily, the bus was coming as she got there. She boarded the nearly empty bus and took a seat.

The bus ride was only 5 minutes, but it felt like 5 hours. She was nervous, and she just wanted to see him.

When the bus finally arrived at his street corner, she got off to see him waiting at the stop. She stepped off the bus, and once it drove away, she noticed how he was looking at her. He had lust in his eyes. He kept looking from her face and downwards, clearly liking what he saw.

“Well hi,” She said with a little giggle

“Hey,” He said, reaching his arms out to pull her closer

Once she was in his arms, he tilted his head ever so slowly towards her face, and gently kissed her. He then pulled her into a tight hug. She felt like melting; he was such an amazing kisser, with those soft, warm lips of his.

“Shall we walk?” He asked, taking her hand and leading her down the street

They walked quietly, taking what was happening, second by second. They were complete strangers just 3 days ago.

“What’s your home like?” Eva asked, to break the silence

“It’s nice; it’s a duplex. Four rooms, one of them being mine. Fairly basic decor though.” He explained

Before she knew it, they were in front of his home. He walked up the front stairs, and she followed. He unlocked and opened the door for her, and then closed it behind her.

“For the grand tour,” He said jokingly

He walked a few steps, turned to the left, and pointed.

“The living room,” He announced

He walked forward to a bed room.

“My parent’s room,”

He walked a few more steps forward.

“My room.” He declared, walking inside and pulling her gently by the hand.

Once they were in his room, she put her bag down, slipped out of her heels, and sat on the bed. He sat down next to her, and started kissing her passionately. Before she even knew it, they were making out, with her on top of him, even though they were still both clothed. Once she caught on to where this was going, she broke away from the kiss and moved off of him. He looked at her with a worried look, as if he was scared he had gone too far.

“There’s something you should know.” She said to him

“What?”

“I’m a virgin.” She announced, not able to look him in the eye

She looked down, embarrassed. All of a sudden, she felt pretty lame. She was 16 and she was still a virgin. He was probably ready to go drop her back off at her bus stop.

“That’s fine, I wasn’t planning on trying anything like that today.” He said

The thing was he looked genuinely honest. He didn’t look like he cared that he wouldn’t be getting anything more than a few passionate kisses.

“I’d imagine you’re not though?” She asked smiling

“No, I lost mine when I was 16.” He said

“I figured.”

Joel looked at her and kissed her passionately again. When he pulled away, he looked her in the eye and said, “I won’t even try to undress you today. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll do things, but I won’t pressure you until then.”

“Thank you,” she said, kissing him lightly

They smiled at each other. Eva looked at the clock hanging up in his room. It was already noon.

“Wait here, I want to show you something.” He said

He left his room quickly, giving Eva a minute to gather her thoughts. So he wasn’t a virgin, but he wasn’t going to pressure her. She had no problem with that. In fact, she was happy that she had finally found a man who was respectful of her body and of her decisions regarding her body. It was a nice change.

Joel came back into his room holding a photo album. He smiled at her and passed it to her.

“I want to show you some pictures of my childhood. It will help you get to know me a bit better.” He said, smiling

He sat down next to her and took the album back. He went to the front cover and opened it. She saw an adorable baby picture, and she figured that it was him. He had a bit of dark hair on his head, and big, brown eyes, which he still had today. He had chubby cheeks but he didn’t look like a fat baby. He was wearing a light blue jumper.

“That’s me at 3 months.” He announced, smiling at her

“You were so cute!” She squealed

“Am I still cute?” He asked jokingly

“No, now you’re just sexy.” She said flirtatiously, with a smile that matched her tone of voice

She kept flipping through cute little baby pictures of him, playing with toys and holding blankets. Half way through the album, there was a picture of him and two people who appeared to be his parents. But she realized that none of the pictures so far were taken in the same house as she was in.

“Are these your parents?” She asked

“Yes, technically. But they aren’t the people you’re going to meet.”

“Wait, what? You don’t want me to meet your family?” She asked nervously

“You will. You will meet my adoptive family. These are my biological parents, but I’ve been living with this adoptive family since I was 3 years old. I can’t even really remember my biological family.”

“So… you’re adopted?”

“Yeah.”

Eva was not expecting to hear that whatsoever. She suddenly wondered why he was adopted, but chose not to ask.

“My biological parents were cocaine addicts. Youth protection somehow became involved; I hear it was my grandmother who made the call.”

“I’m sorry.” She said, looking down

“Why?”

“That you went through that.” She explained

He looked into her eyes and kissed her gently. He was such a nice guy, so gentle and kind.

“Not your fault. No apology needed.” He said smiling

“So… have you ever done drugs?” She asked, already regretting the question

“Yes. I used to use a lot of things, pills mainly. And acid. But never cocaine, meth, or heroine. I would never follow my parent’s footsteps.”

“Oh.” She said

Eva didn’t exactly like the answer. She didn’t want to be involved with a total drug abuser. She was already starting to have second thoughts about them being together.

“But I’ve been clean for 3 years, excluding marijuana. But I’ll even stop that for you.” He said

She nodded her head and realized how happy she was that he wasn’t a total drug abuser.

As the day went by, they got to know each other better. They had a few more passionate make out sessions, and a few light hearted conversations about favourite movies, favourite books, favourite actors, and favourite singers. Before she knew it, it was 5:30, and she had to get going.

“I have to go home now and I have to be home for six.” She said

“Alright, let me walk you to your bus stop.”

He walked her to the bus stop, and as they got there, so did the bus. He gave her a long kiss.

“Call me to make plans.” He said, smiling

“Bye.” She said, waving her hand at him

She got on her bus, glowing. She couldn’t believe how nicely the day had gone.