Chapter 12- First Date

"I don't like it." I groaned, throwing down the fifth dress I've tried on since evening.

It was finally my date with Tristan, and my dad bought me eight dresses the day we went shopping. I have no clue why, but he insisted on getting me them. But no matter how beautiful each dress was, I didn't like how any of them looked on me. Maybe it was just my nerves that got the best of me, and I wanted to look good for him.

Despite the fact that I have been living with him for a whole week and we meshed well, I couldn't shake the nerves of this first date. At his house we kept things somewhat friendly, but tonight could be the start of something new.

"Cianna you look great" Emily chirped holding up a royal blue and black dress. "You looked great in all of them"

I sighed, plopping down on my bed with my hair sprawled about by my shoulders. "I'm sorry I dragged you all the way here on your Friday night to hear me complain about dresses. We aren't even supposed to be here. That psycho Mia is still out there and she knows where I live but I didn't want to get ready at Tristan's house and-"

"Cianna stop," Emily cut me off by saying. "Are you getting cold feet to go on a date with the man you've been living with for a week for your own safety, who is by the way , crazy about you already?"

"Well when you put it like that" I mumbled, fiddling with the hem of my shirt. "It's just that, I don't know. After what happened with Sheldon, it's still so soon you know? And I'm still coming to terms with what he did and what led up to his death, that alone dating the detective of his case? I don't know..Am I even ready? Will I put him in danger too?"

"Hey babe look at me" Emily sat beside me and held my hand in hers swiftly. "I know everything is a bit hard to swallow, but nobody said you were going to marry the guy. It's a first date, this is where you know whether you're ready or not. Tristan knows that too, and he knows this is all difficult for you. Take the chance okay? Just this once"

I stayed quiet for a while as I pondered on her words. Eventually, I felt my nerves easing up as I realized that she was right. "When did you get so wise?" I teased as I playfully bumped her shoulder.

She shrugged." I picked up a thing or two at college. Now let's go get you ready."

***

One blue dress and a few curling iron burns later, I was completely ready and feeling confident for my date. I knew Tristan would be here any minute to pick me up. He wasn't specific on where he was taking me, but he just told me to dress for a dinner.

He wasn't too fond of the idea of me getting ready at home, but eventually respected my wishes and agreed to pick me up at seven. Emily gave me another lecture about keeping conversation decent while at exactly 6:59 pm, my doorbell sounded through the room, indicating his arrival.

"Don't stay here too late!" I called after Emily as she ran up the stairs. I cleared my throat and wiped my sweaty palms on my dress before pulling the door open.

The minute I met his eyes, I was reminded why I even took interest in him in the first place.

All my former doubt completely dissipated as I took in his beautiful smile. I glanced over him slowly, seeing that he was dressed in a simple white button down shirt and dark jeans that hung low on his waist, with a gray jacket covering his broad shoulders. I resisted the urge to bite my lip as I met his eyes again, just as he met mine also after glancing me over.

"You look beautiful" He commented, handing me the bouquet of flowers he held in his hand. My eyes widened as I took them, realizing that I didn't see them before.

I automatically brought them to my nose, inhaling the sweet ambrosial aroma of the beautiful bunch.

"Thank you." I blushed like a ruby as I gently pecked his cheek. "And thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful"

"Not as beautiful as you." Instead of replying, I shyly hid my cheeks by letting my hair fall over my face while I placed the flowers in a nearby vase. I knew Emily was just at the top of the stairs listening in, so I knew she'd put water in it before she left.

"Shall we?" He offered his arm with a mini bow, causing me to laugh as I took it.

"We shall"

He guided me to his jeep where he had to help me up like all the other times. Even in my stilettos, I still couldn't climb up his high vehicle. If anything, they made it harder.

We sat in comfortable silence as he drove at moderate speed to wherever our destination was. Our hands were intertwined on my lap as I watched the buildings and trees rush by like the wind itself. I liked how calm and collected he was. He gave off a sense of confidence that calmed me too. I liked how mature he acted in everything; it was one of the things I admired about him tremendously.

"Wow" I breathed as we pulled up to Reagan's Hotel--five star at that. With my mouth agape, I looked between him and the building, silently asking if it was real.

"You like it?" He questioned with a small smile as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Like it? Gosh I've always wanted to come here. How did you--Emily" I concluded with a shake of my head. No wonder she knew how to dress me up. I was never going to go for this much hairspray and such a classy dress, but she knew all along.

He simply shot me a quick wink before rounding the jeep to help me out. I straightened my dress and applied a little more lipgloss, before reconnecting our hands as he led me in.

Inside was just as beautiful as outside. I was left in utter awe as I gazed at the astounding chandeliers as they hung from the ceilings. The carpets seemed like velvet as we walked, and the lights were dimmed to a perfect potency.

We sat on the far end of the room, where I could see the view of the city wonderfully. The lights permeated the city as the night drew nigh, almost like twinkling stars lighting up the sky at dusk.

Tristan's eyes never left me as I peered at everything in sight. He had an easy smile playing on his lips, as if liking the way I was reacting to everything.

"Good evening. I am Jolie, your waitress for tonight" A cute Asian woman announced as she approached us. She handed us menus and offered us the most radiant smile as she talked. "I'll be back in a while to collect your orders, but in the meanwhile, can I get you something to drink?"

"Water is fine" I smiled at her, and Tristan nodded in agreement. She shot us one last smile before heading off again. It warmed me how friendly the workers were. It was really refreshing for once.

I smiled at Tristan as I opened the menu, but the more I looked the more my heartbeat became faster. I glanced up at Tristan with worried eyes, but he looked as collected as ever. Before I came inside, all I could think about was the experience. But I never stopped to consider how expensive it was. It was five star and this fancy for a reason.

"Tristan.." I bit my lip, unsure about it all.

"Cianna, don't worry about it. Just choose whatever you'd like" He assured smoothly. I searched for any hint of uncertainty, but found none.

"But-"

"Cianna" He cut me off with a chuckle. "This is our first date. I intend for us to make the most out of it. So, choose what you like"

I bit my lip as I tried to hide my smile. This only made my stomach flutter even more at his generosity. I had my card on me, so I tucked it away in the back of my mind that I'd help with the bill.

"So how was your day?" Tristan asked after Jolie took our orders and left our glasses of water.

"It was good for the most part. After I finished work, I had a mental breakdown about our date and I--oop." I quickly threw my hand over my mouth as my eyes widened in shock of what I just said. I never wanted him to find out about that. However, he simply chuckled to himself, showcasing the cutest dimple on his left cheek.

"It's okay, I was nervous too. Who wouldn't be when it's about a woman this gorgeous and fantastic?" I didn't bother to hide my blush as I tucked away a lock of hair behind my hair.

"We've been living in the same house for a week. We talk every morning and every night. I didn't expect the nerve honestly" I admitted. All week I thought it would've been easy since we made such great friends, but dating was another thing.

"I understand" He held my hand over the table as he gazed at me intently. "We'll know where we go from here, and maybe that's why we were so nervous." I simply nodded, not knowing what to reply with.

I let my hand remain in his as he rubbed small circles on it, surprisingly sending lightning bolts through my body. I liked how comfortable he made me feel despite everything going on, and it made me wonder if I made him comfortable too.

"How about you? How was your day?" I cleared my throat as I asked, trying to break the silence.

"It was the same old. I got a new case to work on while I figured out Sheldon's case" His eyes darted to mine quickly as he mentioned Sheldon, and I quickly shot him a reassuring smile, telling him it was okay. "The new case is basically open and shut. All I have to do is present evidence"

"You seem to really love your job," I pointed out. He never seemed stressed when talking about work.

Sometimes he got flustered when he hit another dead end with Sheldon's case, but it always steered him to motivation afterwards.

He chuckled lightly as he peered through the window. "Yea I do. I did even before I became a cop. In my old division, I was barely taken seriously despite my incredible work, and so I transferred here. It's still a challenge sometimes, especially my partner, but I like the challenge. It drives me."

Jolie appeared with our food after he ended. My mouth watered as she placed the platter before me. I disconnected my hand from Tristan's as we got ready to eat, hating how it suddenly felt cold. We thanked Jolie as she bid us enjoyment, and I immediately dug in.

"I didn't know you had a partner" I continued our former conversation while I downed my first few bites.

"We don't get along well. He works alone on the case even though it's against the Captain's rules, but I don't intervene. We collect whatever evidence we can get, then bring them together to see where we're at. It's sorta a silent agreement. Even though we don't get along well, we both have the common interest of solving this case and bringing the killer to justice. It might've been more effective to work together, but I can't force the man."

I nodded in agreement as I took another bite of the mouth watering steak. A moan involuntarily escaped my lips at that, causing me to quickly gauge Tristan's reaction in embarrassment. But just like always, he simply grinned at me in amusement.

"Enjoying it I see?" He teased as he stabbed into a steak of his own.

"Yes. It has been years since I had steak like this. My dad lost his touch"

"You must've had a blast growing up huh?" He asked with his eyes twinkling in curiosity.

I slowly chewed as I let my mind go back to the days I was a child. I had a nice childhood despite my mom's betrayal. My dad assured it.

"I guess you could say that," I told him truthfully. "My mom lived on the other side of the country, but I grew up here with the best teenage years ever. I was a rebel heartbreaker " I laughed. "Maybe that wasn't something to mention on a first date huh?"

"No no please continue. I'd like to hear of your teenage experiences " He urged, but I bit my lip in uncertainty. I didn't want him to see me in a different light. I was a completely different person back then.

He picked up on my mood and smoothly suggested a way to make it better. “Okay tell you what. I'll tell you about a crazy adventure, and you tell me about one. Deal?" he offered skilfully.

I smirked at the idea before reluctantly giving in. This could be a way to learn more about each other. And so, we spiralled into a session of crazy teenage and young adult adventures, laughing, gasping and wowing as we went. It was better than I expected, and we had a great time just being with each other.

All the former fear I felt was all for nothing, because after my date with Tristan, I knew we had more than a connection.

We just simply had to make it spark.