Jenny got off work on Friday, dressed casually in a fall worthy sweater, jeans, and ankle boots.  Besides singing, being at work with books was a happy place when she couldn’t be with Justin.  She was excited to get to his dorm room and hear the song, expecting a lowkey night in.

She got back to her dorm room, waiting for Justin to come knocking.  She wondered what the song would be like.  She remembered the song he’d written for her, that they’d danced to together at the frat party when he made things official.  As much as she liked the gesture, she felt a song like that wouldn’t be appropriate for something like a class final.  It had to be something innovative, yet classy, heartfelt to show their passion for music.  For Justin it would be the poetry of the lyrics and the flow of the song, for Jenny it would be the notes and how the music was arranged, the meaning and tone being conveyed.  In discussions they’d had, Justin was starting to lean more into the songwriting side of things, though singing on the tracks as well, as far as demos or anything.  

She wondered if they would collaborate on other songs in the future, or let this be a stand alone piece.  She hoped it would be meaningful to one or both of them, conveying something people could connect with.  

Maddie came in, looking at Jenny.  “You wearing that tonight?”

“Why, what’s wrong with it?  It’s just another Friday night.”

“Honey, just trust me.  Wear your black sleeveless sweater dress, your gold belt, your black ankle boots and your black jacket.”

“What do you know?” Jenny asked suspiciously. 

“Nothing,” Maddie squeaked. 

“Maddelyn Grace…”

“Just trust me.  Please tell me you were already planning on wearing sexy underwear…”

“Ok seriously, what’s going on?”

“Justin played the song for me.  You’re gonna love it.  I can’t wait to hear you on it.”

“Why am I getting dressed up?”

“Cuz when Justin picks you up later, you’re gonna take one look at him and want to change.”

“All you’re doing is making me more nervous…”

“Just relax,” Maddie replied. “I’ll help you get ready.”

Jenny got changed, Maddie helping with hair and makeup. Nothing over the top, but definitely more than just a casual look. 

Jenny got nervous butterflies in her stomach when she heard Justin knock on the door. She opened it carefully, her eyes widening as she saw him. He wore a black dress shirt, black dress pants and shoes with a light gray tie.  He had a bouquet of red roses for her, himself looking a bit nervous.

Justin looked down at Jenny, the soft smile on his face broadening. “You look beautiful.”  He handed her the bouquet while leaning in for a soft kiss. 

“Have fun,” Maddie said, waving them off from her desk.

“So, do I want to know where we’re going, all dressed up?  Your parents’ place again?”

“No, I wanted to take you on a proper date.  Somewhere where the staff don’t know me.  My parents don’t actually like when I bring girls to the restaurant, though I’m sure you’d be different.”

“Why?  How?”

“Once they find out my family owns the restaurant, let’s just say they run up the bill, that’s a lot of money my parents have to put back in.”

“I’m afraid to ask…”

“One time a girl had a bunch of friends for her birthday instead of just the two of us.  Over a grand with all the alcohol and food, and some chairs that got broken due to all the drinking.”

“Yeah, I’m definitely not like that.”

They walked, the evening air cool and crisp, Jenny glad she had her jacket for as the night wore on.  They walked a few blocks down from the school, to a brick building with a neon sign.  “Papa Joe’s”.

“Justin, I’ve never been here.  Is it true they have Italian mob connections?”

“Why, are you part of a rival family?” he laughed.

“No…” she giggled in reply.

“Then you’re fine.  They say that probably to create an air of mystery.  Our place just requires word of mouth on how good the food is, no urban legends of backdoor meetings and stuff.  It’s good food.  I’m a little biased in that some of ours is better, but again, nicer place that doesn’t know me.”

Justin opened the door for her, Jenny feeling like she was transported back to the 1960s. The plush leather upholstery on the chairs and booths, the somewhat dark lighting. It felt romantic and a bit retro. 

They were seated at a table by the window, looking out at the large park across the street. “They’re starting to get things ready for Christmas In The Park.  It’ll be Thanksgiving and Christmas before we know it,” Jenny said. 

“Oh, any word from Tim on basketball tryouts?”

“He made second string JV, he’s pretty excited. Called me today after school once the list went up.  Figured we’ll compare schedules and see how many of his games we can go to and vice versa.”

“Tell him I’m proud of him, we can go over more on the weekends to practice.”

“Maybe while I’m at work? You could drop me off and then pick me up.”

“You don’t wanna watch me practice?”

“Is it practicing if you’re going against a 15 year old?” Jenny laughed. 

“No, I suppose not. Well, except for him. Though at 15 I knew everything I’m teaching him.”

“Cuz you’d already been on that track, playing on teams, working with coaches. He got none of that beyond PE.  I just hope he sticks to it beyond this cheerleader.”

Justin shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the mention of a cheerleader.  Jenny knew this was the time to ask.

“You ok? You got weird when he asked you about cheerleaders…”

“Not here, please,” he said quietly, his eyes pleading. 

She nodded, taken back a bit by his reaction.  They ordered food, continued good conversation, another successful date to the casual observer.  But both of them were nervous inside, Jenny curious what the song sounded like, Justin with what he planned on telling her.

“So, you wanna walk around a bit, or go straight to my room?” Justin asked, flinching at his choice of words. “That sounded bad…”

“What did you have in mind? As far as the walk…” Jenny clarified.

“The art museum closes in half an hour, it’s just a block away. If we can get in, look at that one painting, try that kiss again…”

“Doesn’t hurt to try,” Jenny smiled. He took her hand as they walked to the museum.

Justin was able to get them in on the promise to look at one painting and be done before closing. They made their way to the exhibit, standing in front of the last painting they looked at.

Justin held her in his arms, looking down at her.  “I was stupid for pushing you away that night. I liked you so much, I wanted to tell you, but I was so afraid.  Afraid I’d mess up, that I’d go too far…”

“Let’s continue where we left off, give you a chance to make things right,” Jenny smiled softly. 

He cupped her cheek, closing the small gap between them as his lips brushed hers. He deepened the kiss, their arms holding each other in place. 

They heard a voice, someone clearing their throat, alerting them that it was time to leave.  They both blushed lightly at being caught, walking hand in hand out of the museum and towards the dorms.

They arrived at his door, Justin a bundle of nerves.  “You ok?” Jenny wondered.

“Just nervous about how you’re gonna react to the song.  It’s really personal, so if you don’t like it, well, it’s gonna hurt.”

“Justin, if it's anything like the last time I heard a song of yours, I’ll love it,” she tried to assure him.

 He sat her on the bed while he sat at his desk.  “I was just gonna play the track on my computer, but now I think I want to play it live.  A very different version because it won’t have the other instrumentation and things, but hopefully it still conveys the same meaning.”

He picked up his guitar, beginning to strum.  It was slow and beautiful, she was liking it already.

“You sing the first verse.”

So, many times

I thought I held it in my hands

But just like grains of sand

Love slipped through my fingers

So many nights

I asked the Lord above

Please make me lucky enough

To find a love  that lingers

Something keeps tellin' me

That you could be my answered prayer

You must be Heaven sent, I swear...

'Cause...

Jenny continued to listen to the song, Justin singing something more than she expected from him, not even sure what she expected.  He couldn’t decide whether to look at her or not, feeling nervous every time he did, but also wanting to smile.  As he finished the song, he put the guitar down in its case, looking at Jenny.

“It’s beautiful, Justin.  I don’t know what I was expecting, but this blew me away.  How long have you been working on this?”

“Since we met.  This song is about you, us.”  Justin sighed.  “We need to talk about some things before we continue with this song.  I met my high school sweetheart when we were 15, she was a cheerleader, I was on the basketball team.  Things were great, we ended up being Homecoming and prom King and Queen our senior year.  We were both going to go here for school, I was so excited about what was ahead for us.  She went away for the summer, but we still talked on the phone when we could.  We were both 18, and I bought a ring to propose when she came back before starting school.”

“Why do I feel like I know where this is going…”

“I get to her door to see her after months of being apart, and she tells me she met someone else.  We’d been waiting til we were married to have sex, cuz we were so young at that point, and she goes away for 2 months and undoes everything we spent 3 years together building.  She slept with him the whole summer.  Once I got to college, I fooled around with anyone I was interested in, just to fill that void, but I still couldn’t bring myself to have sex, because I didn’t love them.  I left once things got too emotional, once they got feelings for me beyond the physical stuff.  Then you came along.”

“Justin, I’m so sorry.”

“Jenny, I wrote this song to tell you…”  he couldn’t say the words, afraid it was too soon, that she’d hurt him just like before.  “I’m glad you stopped seeing that other guy.  As much as I understand it NOW, part of me was really insecure about it, because, well, you know.  But now I have you to myself.  Shit, I didn’t mean it like that.  Ugh, why is this so difficult?” he grunted in frustration.

He took her hands in his, looking not only into her eyes, but into her very soul.  Somehow he wasn’t afraid anymore, seeing the look on her face, as if she wanted to say the exact same thing.  “Jenny, I love you.  I haven’t been in love with someone in the last 3 years, but with you, it just came so easily.”

“I love you too, Justin.  Marie made me feel like if I said it to you, you’d walk away, like you did from her.  Now I understand why.  I love you so much, and this song… it’s perfect.  It describes how we both feel about each other, and I think it will be the perfect song for our final, but also for our relationship.  I slept with David, the other guy, but none of that meant anything close to what we have without sex.  David was in love with someone else, I hoped having sex with him would get him to love me, but it didn’t.  The other guy, well that was meant to be a one time thing, then it didn’t, but he could never give me anything like what you have given me.  Love, acceptance, a future together.  I love you too…”

He pressed his lips to hers, still sitting across from her in the chair.  Something changed in Justin at that moment, he was no longer scared.  With her, he knew he truly could handle anything that came his way.  He gently pushed her down onto the bed, laying beside her as they kissed.  He slowly pulled back, looking into her eyes.

“I want to make love to you, Jenny.  Tonight.  Let tonight be that perfect first time.”