Chapter Nine

I smooth out my skirt as I sink into the tiny chair at the little green table and attempt to finish writing out the lesson plans that need to be submitted to Sherri. Much to my surprise when I came in this morning there was a note in my mailbox saying she was going to be stopping in sometime next week and she wanted my lesson plans.

Of course I hadn't actually written out any because Justin had made it seem like she never actually did the observations she should, but that's just my luck.

At any rate I am hard at work writing out objectives and procedures when there's a knock at my door and I look up, smiling instantly when I see Justin there, two Starbucks cups in hand.

"Did you get me coffee again?" I ask. 'He's really gotta give this up.'

"Nope. It's diet Pepsi. I'll have you know the girl behind the counter looked at me like I was crazy."

I laugh lightly and take the cup from his hand when he stops next to me and holds it out. "Thank you." I lift the cup to my lips and take a drink.

"You know you really shouldn't drink that so early in the morning."

I wave a hand in the air at him and he shakes his head and takes a sip of what I assume is his usual coffee. "What are you up to this morning?" He asks, gesturing to the papers I have spread out on the children's reading table.

"Sherri wants my lesson plans, so I have to actually write them."

"Seriously?"

"Yea."

"Why are you working there? That can't be comfortable." He raises an eyebrow at me. "You should use your desk, that is why they are made."

"Justin, have you seen my desk lately?"

He scans the room and his eyes widen when he sees it. Manilla folders with worksheets, various guided reading books, and of course a semi-organized set of textbooks.

"It's buried." I add.

He laughs and steps backwards to sit on the edge of one of the desks.

"Well I won't take up too much of your time this morning then, but..." I watch him curiously as he looks towards the door quickly and then back at me, his tone lowering just a bit. "I have to tell you about this girl I just started seeing." He grins and a small smile plays at my lips.

"Oh really?"

"Yea, she's a teacher and she just moved to the area." He licks his lips and rambles off a few more things about me "...she's got this killer smile..." he adds and I can't stop my smile from growing, and he winks and leans a little closer his eyes darting to the door again. "...and I'm not gonna brag, but she's pretty hot too."

I blush and he leans back laughing.

"Justin." I hiss under my breath. Acting like this at work can really get us in trouble. But I can't resist playing along.

"She seems like quite a girl."

"She is." He nods.

"Hmm... so when do you think you're going to see her again?"

"Well I'm hoping that she'll come out with me tonight. Technically, it would be our first date."

"Oh really? Well..." I draw it out, holding him in suspense, and I can't believe how unbelievably cute he's being with this. "I really can't see how she could say no."

He beams and he opens his mouth to speak again, but a bell ringing to let us know that the students will be on their way in the building cuts him off.

"Crap." I say, turning back to my lesson plans and trying to gather them up.

"Dammit." He curses under his breath and stands up. I finally get everything together and stand up, looking at him.

"We'll talk later." I say and he nods. I really really want to kiss him right now but that's not an option.

He does take a moment to reach out and run his hand up and down my forearm with a smile before he tells me to have a good morning.

"You too." I reply and watch him walk out into the hall, instantly voicing a 'Good Morning Kyle!' after a smaller voice calls out a 'Good Morning Mr. T!'

I bite my bottom lip in a half smile as I think about this evening. I have a date!

~~~

A few hours later I'm in the middle of a class lesson on non-fiction books when I see Justin pop into my room and deposit a note onto the mountain of my desk. My eyes flicker between him and my students whose tiny hands are raised high in the air as they wait somewhat patiently to add to the brainstormed list of topics.

He grins and I smile back, returning my attention to my class as he disappears from the room.

A few minutes later I have sent them back to their seats, along with some construction paper and other things they need to put together what will become their own non-fiction books.

I walk to my desk and pick up the note my eyes scanning the words quickly.

'Callie,

Can't meet up with you after school today, I've got a hot date to get ready for. I've got to pick her up at her house around 7:15. We'll talk soon.

-Justin

I can't help but smile at his little note. And I grab a notepad of my own, keeping to the same subtle coded technique that he used. We talked last night about keeping this all a secret for now. Which is admittedly going to be very difficult.

I fold up the note and make a note to bring it down a little later and then I start weaving in between the tables, stapler in hand, ready to get these books put together.

It isn't until I get home later on that afternoon that the fact that I have a date really sinks in. I haven't been on a date in so long.

I try to waste some time, and kill some of my nerves by sticking to my normal nightly routine. Feeding Duncan and checking my mail; I even make an attempt to look over my lesson plans but that results in a total failure and I finally reach for the phone to call my old roommate Taylor.

Taylor is one of the few people I had kept in touch with since moving. Other then my family anyway. One of the first things she asked me after I started working and got settled in out here was if I'd met any 'Southern Hotties' and stupid me actually mentioned Justin.

She's been telling me to go after him for weeks; she's going to flip her shit.

"I have a date." I say as soon as I hear her 'hello' filter through the ear-piece.

"With the hot teacher?" She asks.

"Yes!"

"Oh my God, how did that happen?" She asks and while I want to go into this whole story I don't have the time right now.

"It's a long story, that I don't have time to tell right now. I am freaking out." I laugh as I say it, knowing how stupid I sound. But, she would never call me on it.

"What are you wearing?"

"I don't know."

"Where is he taking you?"

"I don't know." I groan.

"Stupid guys. He should have told you." She laughs. "They don't understand what we go through."

"I could call him and ask but I don't wanna..." She inturrupts me.

"No, let him keep his secrets. Just grab a pair of jeans and you know that tank top... well wait is it still warm out there?"

"It's alright."

"Okay that shirt from that place in Charlotte. Remember the one that she bought for you after Katy Jacobs accidentally lodged that blue slurpie across the bus and hit you when we were driving home from the senior week trip?"

I laugh at how she described the event that led up to the purchase of the shirt, instead of the actual shirt. "Yea, I know which one."

"Yea, and just don't put shoes on til he gets there. Then you can see what he's wearing. I don't know what they do or where southern boys take their girls on dates but I've heard some things. You might be running through a corn field and tipping cows."

"Tay... you know that the Carolina's are southern states too right? Did any of your boyfriends ever take you cow tipping?"

"Fuck no, but I stick to the cities. What time is he coming to get you?"

"7-ish" I reply and sit up from where I had flopped onto my back on my bed and look at my alarm clock. "And it's just after 6 now so I'm gonna get going."

"Yea girl, get yours! Call me tomorrow."

"Hasta Tay." I laugh.

"Pasta Cal."

And then I am alone again, but slightly less anxious. Honestly, I kind of enjoy the butterflies. I've never really been too afraid of new relationships, it's the endings that get me.

I really like Justin. There is so much that we have in common, professionally and personally, and I don't have to act like some one else around him, which is definitely a game I'm tired of.

I poke through the drawers of my dresser and fumble through the hangers in my closet to find the outfit Taylor had talked me into and then I head into the bathroom to touch up my makeup and play around with my hair.

I'm not really that fussy of a person, so I don't worry too much about all of that.

There's a knock at my door just as I am coming down the hall and I drop my bag on the couch and walk over to it. I breathe in and open the door to see Justin smiling at me.

He looks just the slightest bit uncertain and the expression is utterly adorable.

"Hey, come in." I say, pulling the door open and letting him walk inside.

"Hi." He steps in and looks around, and I look at him. Casually dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that fits him in just the right places. A Memphis Tigers hat that had been on his head, is now being held in both hands.

"Nice place." He says finally after surveying what he can see of it.

"It's just a one bedroom apartment. I'm only here with Duncan so it works." I say. "Thanks."

And as if he cared about hearing his name, the gray and white cat slinks out from behind the couch and weaves in between Justin's feet. Justin leans down and pats him and then looks up at me.

"Are you almost ready to go?" He asks.

"Yea, um where are we going?" I reply, grabbing a pair of shoes from the rack near the door and sitting down on my couch.

He doesn't speak and I look up to see him rolling the bill of the hat in his hands and he clears his throat.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about that." He says and he looks worried.

"What's up?"

"Do you mind if we just head back to my place" He clears his throat again and then looks right at me, almost ashamed of his proposal.

I think I know what his concern is. We already agreed on keeping this relationship a secret and that pretty much limits where we can go and what we can do on dates. Which kind of sucks but its the smarter thing to do.

"No thats cool."

He sighs at my words, relief clearly evident on his face. "I mean I know that it's kind of a lame date but..."

"It's not a big deal. We can just talk and do whatever." I grin at him and he nods.

A few minutes later I have my bag and we're walking out to his car to head back to his place. And you know I am really just fine with the idea of just hanging out with him.

We reach his truck and he opens up the door, reaching for my hand to help me get inside the massive thing before he shuts the door and jogs around the front to get in his side.

The car starts up and he turns down the radio, shifting the car into drive he pulls out of the parking space and I turn my head away from the window when I feel his fingers curl around mine.

He doesn't say anything, and isn't even looking at me when I glance from our hands to his face. But there is a soft smile on his lips as he focuses on the road ahead.

I tighten my fingers around his and relax in the seat.

Come along with me, come on and dance with me
The band played songs that we had never heard
But we danced anyway