Two weeks later-
Danny stood in front of his bathroom mirror wearing a black suit and shirt and was trying to tie a dark blue neck tie around his neck. But he was having trouble tying it right due to the fact that he so rarely got out.
And because he was excited about tonight, he'd chosen to wear a suit and tie in the hopes that he could further impress Shara on their date tonight.
He still couldn't believe that she had decided to give him a chance just because of his desperate plea. "Tell me what I have to do to get you to stay..." Although to be perfectly honest with himself, he hadn't meant to say those words aloud.
They had simply slipped out.
He'd been totally mortified after he'd said them and had hidden his face against her neck so that she wouldn't see him turn red. But things had worked out, he supposed as he tried once again to tie the neck tie properly and failed.
Shara had not only taken his extra house key, but had found several excuses since then to swing by his place and spend time getting to know him a little bit. They curled up on his couch and watched TV together. She sometimes cooked him dinner. She had even spent the night with him a time or two since they had started dating.
He made a frustrated growling sound and looked longingly at his cell phone. Wishing that he could call his sister Jazz, or his long time friend Tucker, for help.
But knew that if he did and they found out that he was going on a date, he'd soon have his parents Jack and Maddie as well as his other friend/ex-girlfriend Sam; all knocking on his door demanding to meet Shara.
It was much too soon for him to introduce her to any of them since they had only just started dating. Besides that, if he introduced her to them now she would think he was as insane as the rest of them.
And he didn't want that until he had her good and ensnared. Maybe after they were married or something.
He went totally still and stared at himself in the mirror, his eyes wide, his expression shell shocked.
Where had that thought come from? It was true that he hated being alone for long periods of time. But did he really think that he was ready to give a steady relationship a chance? Was he really ready to settle down?
He slowly dropped his hands to his sides and thought for a moment.
His own answers to his questions startled him a little bit. God yes he was ready. He was ready to have what his parents and his sister had. He was ready to settle down with a nice girl and have a family.
He blinked and looked down at himself. A small frown marring his features. How had he not noticed this until now?
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Shara finished styling her hair and then stepped back to look at herself in the mirror and blinked.
Wow. So this is what she looked like when she dressed up nice.
She blushed a little bit and looked down at herself, feeling more than a little bit nervous about the way she looked. Shara had always been a pretty girl, but she had never really payed attention to that fact.
She'd never noticed the boys in school looking at her. Had never really known why random people would walk up to her and ask her out. To put her personality into perspective; she didn't know that she was beautiful. She only saw herself as just another person.
She was a little flakey, absent minded, kind, and sweet natured. And didn't understand why people always felt the need to tell her how pretty she was. She had even grown to dislike it when people told her she was pretty.
Which was part of the reason that she had never really dated before. Well, maybe that wasn't the right way to describe what she had done when she was younger. She had tried to date a guy once for about a month.
She'd been a little bit of a book worm back then and had been entirely new to the dating scene and hadn't know what was normal for a new couple. It hadn't helped that the guy that she had been 'dating' had preassured her into sleeping with him.
And she had given in so easily that she was disgusted with herself for actually liking him. She'd gone to school the day after they had slept together and had been greeted at the door by a group of guys who had liked her.
They had told her straight out what they had wanted from her now. She had been so hurt and scared that she had dropped out of school and gotten her deploma at a night school program so that she wouldn't have to face those people.
But fate was a funny thing.
And just when she had thought she was free of them and their scorn, she had run into the guy that had ruined her reputation. She had met with that guy again.
She remembered freezing up like a deer caught in the head lights of an on coming vehicle and had been so shocked to see him again that she had never noticed when he had grabbed her. And dragged her towards his car where he'd had a few friends waiting for him and had introduced her as their 'entertainment' for the night.
She'd snapped out of it then and had turned on him hissing and spitting like an angry cat. She had lashed out out of anger, hurt and fear and had left him covered in bruises, bite marks and scratches before she had run away.
Leaving the bastard humiliated and bleeding while his friends laughed.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself and looked in the mirror again. She wasn't that person anymore. She'd taken self defense lessons along with some karate classes and kick boxing before the car wreck had happened. So she knew more or less how to take care of herself if she ever found herself in that situation again.
She merely chose not to use the knowledge unless it was absolutely necessary. And so far with Danny she had been pleasantly surprised. All he did when they were together was sit close to her and hold her hand. Then when she was leaving he would walk her to the door and kiss her breathless, then he'd turn and walk away.
It had puzzled her at first, but over the past few weeks she had come to understand how Danny's mind worked.
He didn't think of her as a toy or a means to an end. He thought of her as a lady and treated her accordingly. Choosing to take his time and get to know her and letting her get to know him as well.
It was rather old fashioned and kind of sweet of him. And god knew that she appreciated his efforts.
Which was why she had dressed up for their first date. Like Danny, she wanted to make a lasting impression on him. Like he had with her.
