AN: I'm glad you guys are enjoying this so far!

Chapter 3

"I'm really glad you said yes to dinner."

I shrugged. "It's free sushi. Who am I to say no?" The waitress approached us with our drinks, and stood poised to take our orders. I ordered my normal crunchy shrimp tempura roll and unagi, but Jared ordered just about one of everything. The waitress and I exchanged startled looks before turning to gape at Jared. "Won't all that make you sick?" I asked cautiously.

Jared snorted. "Nah! I can eat whatever I want and not get sick."

The waitress stared at him blankly for a few minutes, but at last she shrugged and walked off. "Are you sure?" I asked again.

"Trust me, Kim, I'm not gonna get sick," he reassured. A small grin spread across his face. "And even if I did, are you offering to nurse me back to health?"

I rolled my eyes. "No. If you get sick from being a pig, it's your own fault."

"So if I got a cold..." Jared arched an eyebrow at me expectantly.

I sucked my teeth. "Don't push your luck, Tawa."

"You mean I haven't pushed it yet?" He teased.

I took a long sip of my Sprite, choosing not to answer. Jared merely grinned widely.

"I think you like me," he stated, beaming.

"What makes you say that?"

"You're here, on a date with me, and unless I'm mistaken, your dimples are standing out, which means you think I'm amusing."

"You sure it's not just for the free food and that it's annoyance, not amusement?"

"Your dimples don't stand out when you're annoyed. They're really cute."

I could feel my ears turning pink, so I ducked my head, letting my hair cover them. "When did you become so flirtatious?"

"When I decided I wanted you to be my girlfriend."

I choked on my Sprite. Jared's eyes widened, and he hurried around to sit next to me, patting my back gently. "Jesus Christ, Jared! Why would you say that?"

Jared returned to his seat, eyes wide and hurt. "What? You don't want to be my girlfriend?"

"We barely know each other."

"And that's why we're out on a date. I want to get to know you and I want you to get to know me."

Luckily, the waitress arrived with my food and a huge wooden boat with Jared's smorgasbord. Seriously, he better not get sick in front of me. I hate seeing people throw up. I separated my chopsticks and began rubbing them together to get rid of the splinters. Jared began shoveling sushi in his mouth. I'm pretty sure he was swallowing them whole. I gaped at him briefly before my stomach gave a loud growl. Shrugging, I began nibbling on my own meal. It was delicious, per usual, and for a good while the only sounds were us enjoying our meal.

I only had five pieces of sushi, and Jared still managed to finish before me. He looked so adorably satisfied, I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling at him. He took a gulp of his Mountain Dew. "How was yours?"

"It was great. Yours?"

"Delicious."

"And you don't feel sick?"

Jared shook his head. "I could eat more, honestly."

"Please don't give our waitress a heart attack. She's gonna freak as soon as she notices that you finished everything you ordered."

"Wanna get a dessert? We could go to Cold Stone. Maybe split a sundae?" Jared's lower lip stuck out slightly as he pouted. Lord Jesus, just take me now, because I can't say no to him any more. He could ask me to fuck him on this table, and I would probably do it.

I managed a nonchalant shrug. "That sounds fine."

"Plus, it'll get the fish taste out of our mouths. I have every intention of kissing you good night, and I don't want it ruined because my breath smells like raw fish," Jared continued, eyes glinting.

"Did you seriously just tell me you plan on kissing me tonight?"

"What's wrong with that? This way you aren't surprised."

"Can I get you anything else?"

Jared's eyes didn't leave mine as he responded, "Just the check please."

I dropped my gaze to the table, fiddling with the soy sauce. Jared settled the bill, and we left. He draped a heavy, really hot arm over my shoulder. I looked up, startled. "Are you always this warm?"

"Yeah, I run hot," he said casually, leading me to his car and opening the door for me. "So, Cold Stone?"

"Sure."

When we got to Cold Stone, I ordered my usual. "Can I get a love it size, half dark chocolate, half mint with hot fudge and Andes?"

"Can I get the same thing, but in a got to have it waffle bowl?"

I looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "You don't mean that's your normal order?"

"Actually, yeah. I like chocolate and mint," Jared shrugged and pulled out his wallet. We took our ice cream to a nearby table.

"I thought I was one of the only ones. My mom says it tastes like toothpaste and chocolate."

Jared grinned. "That's why my toothpaste is cinnamon."

"Spearmint. That way I can fully enjoy my ice cream." I sucked on my spoon in contentment.

"So, when's our next date?"

"I don't know. You haven't asked me on another one yet."

Jared contemplated his ice cream for a second. "This is true. So, would you like to go to the movies with me tomorrow?"

"Two nights in a row? Kinda monopolizing my time, aren't you?"

"Only if you want me to. If not, maybe we could get together next week?"

"Tomorrow's fine." What's the point in prolonging the inevitable? My crush was finally returning the affection, who am I to turn down a good thing? "What movie?"

Jared shrugged. "You can pick."

"What if I pick some kind of sappy romance?"

"You don't seem the type. You seem like more of a comedy girl." He shrugged. "I don't care either way. It's just another step in getting to know you."

"You're right; I prefer comedies."

"Okay then. So, we'll go see a comedy." Jared popped a huge spoonful of ice cream in his mouth in satisfaction.

"Sure." I scraped the sides of my cup, getting the last bits of ice cream and letting it melt on my tongue so the flavor would last. Damn, whoever invented mint ice cream deserved serious props.

"Are you finished?"

I nodded. And maybe I wasn't playing fair, but I deliberately ran my tongue over my bottom lip slowly. It was so worth it, watching Jared's eyes zoom in on my lips and his ears turn pink. "Are you?"

Jared didn't respond. His gaze was firmly fixed on my lips. I cleared my throat and tried again.

"Are you finished, Jared?"

"What? Oh yeah, I'm done."

"Ready to go? I have to get home soon."

Jared looked like someone had just kicked his puppy. "Oh, okay."

"You're seeing me tomorrow," I reminded him.

"I know." Jared and I left Cold Stone and got into his car. We rode in silence for the most part, just listening to the radio. He actually walked me to the front door, which was very surprising.

"Thanks for dinner."

"You're welcome." Jared grabbed my chin gently and lowered his lips to mine. And that's about when my brain completely shut down. All I could think was, fuckin finally. Then he was running his tongue across my lower lip softly and my knees buckled. Without breaking our kiss, Jared pulled me into his arms, supporting my weight completely. When he pulled away, it took me more than a few seconds to start breathing normally. He grinned. "Good night, Kim."

"Good night, Jared," I managed out, turning to let myself in the house. Once I shut the front door, I leaned against it heavily, touching my fingers to my lips gently. "Holy fuck."