"Thanks," Nick said, as she placed the hot plates down in front of us.
"Yum.. looks good," Nick said, digging in.
"You must be pretty hungry, especially after that concert," I said, not eating quite as quickly as he was.
"Oh yeah, they always get you to move, and then you get so tired! But, that's life," he said, looking up.
"Reminds me of basketball," I said, thinking.
"You play basketball?" he asked.
"Yeah, is that so hard to believe?" I asked.
"No way, you've got the legs to prove it. How long have you been playing?" he said, he's words spilling out like butter.
"The past five years, since I played modified in 7th grade," I said.
"Ahh.... maybe we'll have to play a game one time," he grinned, winking.
"Oh yeah? We'll see," I said, "Bring it on."
"Fine, but I'll go easy on you," he replied.
"That's really nice..... but I don't really need you to go easy," I said.
"Fine, if you want me to jump all over you, that's fine."
"Fine, but I'm not gonna be wearing this outfit playing!" I said, laughing.
"Aw.. too bad," Nick said. We started eating again, leaving the next few minutes silent. To break the silence, I brought up a conversation I knew would get Nick going. "So, how's your brother and sisters?" I asked.
"They're so awesome! Aaron is really starting to feel the vibe of singing. You know he's a singer right?" I gushed.
"Of course, following the footsteps of his older brother," I commented.
"Yeah, I guess, and BJ is starting to get interested in modeling," he went on, "And Angel and Leslie, well, they don't really have quite as big a goal as us set yet, but they will. I think Leslie wants to be some kinda actress, and Angel will probably be something along those lines."
"Oh cool, so we could soon be seeing all the Carter names in spotlights?" I asked, grinning.
"I don't know, we'll have to see," he said, "I bet we'll see your name soon, though."
"What makes you so sure?" I asked, "So I said I liked to sing, the steps after that aren't that easy, you should know that!"
"Yeah, but with the voice you've got, it's like an angel singing. Not quite as high, but it's beautiful, and it makes you want to listen to every word you say," Nick complimented.
"Thanks," I said quietly. "You're welcome, but I only state the truth," he said, holding my chin up,
"And you've got a beautiful face to go along with the voice. The critics will love you. Just give it a try, okay?"
"Sure, I'll try," I replied. We finished off our dinner, and I asked to be excused for the bathroom. I walked straight to the mirror, once I stepped in, and reapplied my lip gloss. I twirled my hair around my finger, trying to keep some of the bouncy curls in. After a minute or two of standing there, I patted my hair and walked back out. People always said I had gorgeous hair, but I never really understood why. And, standing in front of the mirror for a while, always made me lose some confidence in myself. I felt conceited standing there, admiring myself. Many girls didn't have a problem with it, but I did. "Ready to go?" he asked, as I got back.
"Did you pay the bill?" I reminded.
"Yes, mom," he teased. "How much was it?
"I'll pay for half," I said, taking out my wallet.
"Don't worry about it, took care of it, I treated you," he said, pushing the wallet away.
"No, no, really, I showed you this place, and I don't feel comfortable having you pay the whole thing."
"Don't worry, just put away," he whispered. I was lost in his voice, and I did as he told me to.
"Ready?" he asked, helping me slip on my jacket.
"Yup, let's go."
"Where to?" he asked, walking towards the driver's side.
"I guess.... home," I said, sadly. I hadn't meant for this night to go as quickly as it had.
"Okay," he said, sadly. I assumed he had the same thoughts as me. He drove out of the parking spot, and we drove in silence, both thinking about the wonderful night we'd both had.
