Chapter 11
Saturday was interesting for Sarah. She had never been on a date before, so her nerves were going insane. Standing in front of her closet, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, raking a hand through her hair. She checked her phone and saw that Conrad would be there in less than a half hour and she had no idea how to act or what to wear. She finally decided on wearing skinny jeans, a blue long-sleeved shirt, and black sandals. She pulled the sides of her hair back and clipped them together.
She sighed as a soft knock was heard and the door opened slightly. "Can I come in?"
She turned and smiled when she saw Sheila standing there. Sarah nodded and sat on her bed.
"You look cute."
"Thanks. I have no idea where he is taking me, so I hope I am dressed okay." She blushed.
"Well I am sure you will be fine and have fun."
Sarah was about to speak again when the doorbell rang. Butterflies immediately filled her stomach and she followed Sheila down the stairs. When the door was opened, Conrad smiled and stepped inside.
"Hello Mrs. Kowalski. I'm Conrad Austin." he shook her hand.
"Hello Conrad. It really is nice of you to ask Sarah to get lunch." Sheila smiled at him and Sarah stepped forward.
"Hey Conrad." She smiled.
The minute he saw her he grinned. "Hi. Are you ready to go?"
She nodded and turned to Sheila. "I will be back later. I have my phone."
Sheila hugged her. "Have fun. Don't get caught by your brothers." She whispered into her ear.
Sarah took a deep breath. "Trust me…we won't."
Then she turned back to Conrad, and followed him to his car. They drove for a few minutes before Sarah got confused. "Where are going?"
He smirked. "Well I wasn't exactly sure what kind of food you liked or what you wanted, so I decided to do something different."
"Which is…"
He didn't answer, but pulled up to a park. Then, smirk still planted on his face, he turned into the backseat and grabbed a basket.
"A picnic?" she smiled. "Is this where you take all your first dates?"
He chuckled. "No. Actually this is my favorite spot…but I haven't brought anyone here yet."
She didn't respond to that, but felt very touched that he chose to bring her there. She stepped out of the car and carefully followed him to the spot he had chosen. It was beautiful. It was set back away from the crowds of people playing sports with their families and friends, and there was a small fountain. He pulled out a blanket and laid it down, then sat and watched as she followed suit.
"I wasn't sure exactly what you liked, but I know you eat a sandwich every day, so…" he opened the basket and pulled out two bags. "I made a whole bunch of sandwiches, different kinds, so you can choose your favorite."
She stared at him. There had to be at least twenty different kinds of sandwiches in front of her. "You made all of these?"
He nodded. "I wasn't sure what kind you liked, so I wanted to be sure you had choices." he reached into the basket again and pulled out another small bag. "My mom made cinnamon cookies for us, too. I told her it wasn't necessary but she insisted…"
Sarah smiled and took the bag. However, she sighed. "I appreciate the gesture, but I think it would be best if we kept these in the bag."
"You don't like cookies?" he grinned.
She chuckled and shook her head. "I do. But I am extremely allergic to cinnamon. And I am sure that you don't want to take me to the hospital and deal with a million threatening questions from my brothers."
His smile matched hers and he nodded. "Good to know." Once she had chosen her sandwich, and he did too, he sighed.
She cleared her throat after swallowing a bite of her sandwich. "So what's your family like?"
He chuckled. "Well we are nothing special. I have a younger sister, Madison…she's twelve. My mom is a doctor. My dad…passed away a few years ago." he looked down.
"I'm so sorry." She knew what it felt like to grow up without a parent.
He sighed. "It was hard, but we manage. I just wish he was around to see some of my football games, you know?"
She nodded. "That has to be hard."
"I just feel like…something's missing. I love playing football. I play because my dad loved football. I am doing it for him. I just feel like there is a void where someone should be cheering."
She bit her lip. "Would you feel better if I came to a game and cheered you on?"
He looked up at her, sadness and hope in his eyes. "Really?"
She shrugged. "I don't know much about football, but I will come." She paused. "But don't tell anyone in my family what I said about not knowing about football. They are avid Bears fans, and I would probably get the lesson of a lifetime." She laughed.
They sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the sound of the fountain, and the kids shouting in the distance.
"So I wanted to ask you a question…"
She stared at him. "Okay…" She smiled.
"I am just not sure that it is appropriate for our first date." he confessed, suddenly looking nervous.
She bit her lip. "Well what is it?"
"Well…Homecoming is in two weeks. And I was kind of hoping you would go with me, but if you are already planning on going with Dustin, I understand."
She felt her heart beat faster and she laughed. "No. I am not going with Dustin. I'm not even sure he is going, to be honest." She paused. "But yes…I will go with you."
His smile grew bigger and his face beamed happiness and relief. "I was hoping you'd say that."
She nodded. "However, you are going to have to at least meet my…parents. Probably my siblings, too, but I know for a fact my…dad will want to meet you."
"Can I ask you a personal question?" he hesitated and continued when she nodded. "Why did you hesitate when you talked about your parents?"
She sighed. "The reason I just started at school, and why I have my apparently awesome accent, is because I was adopted a few weeks ago. I am from North Carolina. I have no problem calling my new siblings my brothers and sister, but parents…I am just not comfortable with that yet."
He nodded. "Wow. Rough family life before Chicago?"
She cocked an eyebrow. "Now that you will not find out until I get to know you better."
He grinned. "So you plan on getting to know me better?"
She nodded. "Definitely."
"So just how many brothers do you have?"
She grinned. "Three. I also have a sister."
He nodded. "Big family."
She laughed. "It gets better. All four of them are cops. Two on patrol, one in IA, and one in SWAT."
He stared at her. "You're kidding."
She shook her head. "Far from it. Want to hear something even funnier?"
He nodded. "Sure."
"My dad is a cop too."
His face paled slightly. "Maybe I should have asked this before I asked you out."
She smiled. "You rethinking your decision yet?"
"Never. Nothing could keep me from going to that dance with you, and so far this has been a better lunch date than any that I have gone on."
She chuckled and looked down, a few of her bangs falling in front of her face. Hesitantly, Conrad reached up and tucked it behind her ear. She looked up at him and the feeling of her heart racing happened again. He was slowly leaning towards her when suddenly-
"Sarah?"
She quickly turned and groaned. "Shit."
"Don't tell me that is your brother." Conrad said quickly, slight fear behind his voice.
She stood. "Hi…Brody."
He looked between the both of them. "What are you doing here?"
She sighed. "This is Conrad. I was kind of on a date…Sheila said I could."
"I am guessing your brothers don't know?" he smirked slightly.
She shook her head. "Definitely not. And I would like to keep it that way."
He sighed. "I was just walking and saw you. But I can't keep lying to Richie…"
"Fine. Whatever. I get it. You are partners and you lied to him last time and shit hit the fan. Can you give us a head start?" She said quickly and he nodded.
"You kids have a good day." he smirked and turned, walking away.
Sarah bit her lip and turned back to Conrad. "So…if we want to continue this date, we need to leave the park."
He grinned. "Brother's partner?"
She nodded. "And he probably won't be too happy. I have only been here a few weeks but my brothers seem protective. It's weird."
"Brothers tend to act that way." he winked.
"It is just weird for me. I didn't have any siblings and now I do. Protective ones. It's different." She said quickly as they packed and walked to the car. "I am sorry our picnic ended so abruptly."
He chuckled. "Unplanned, but not horrible. I could give you the driving tour of Chicago if you want? Your siblings have probably shown you around, but it would give us an excuse to spend some more time together."
She smiled. "I would love that."
So here is the next chapter! I hope you guys like it. I promise there will be more sibling fluff in the next chapter. Enjoy!
