It was sunny the next afternoon. I decided to take advantage of the good weather to take my daydreaming to the porch steps. It had only been about five minutes until I noticed a dark car driving slowly down the street, approaching me. What was this?, I thought. Expensive cars like this one never came down the small street where I lived. I got up and stared at the car, waiting for it to drive past me. But instead, it stopped. Right in front of me. I knew that I then had a puzzled expression on my face. Because I was puzzled. Who was in the car? I wasn't left pondering the possibilities for long. One of the car doors opened, and Royce King the Second stepped out. My heart nearly stopped. First he sends me roses, now what? Royce began to walk towards me, wearing a big, white grin on his face. When he approached me, he changed his expression into a seductive smirk.

"Hello, Rosalie. Did you like the roses?" his voice was smooth.

I tried not to stutter. I was so stunned. It was second nature for me to have men staring at me, but not one of them has ever taken action like Royce.

"Yes, they were very beautiful, Royce.", I managed to utter clearly. "Thank you very much."

"Rosalie, do you care for dinner at my father's estate this evening?", his face was now friendly.

"Why, of course, Royce. Thank you." I was amazed. He wanted to have dinner with me! At his house!

"Excellent. I will pick you up from here at seven tonight.", his expression changing again; now he was satisfied. "Good-Bye, Rosalie. I'll see you this evening."

"Good- bye, Royce." I felt a sudden rush of confidence. I was Rosalie Lillian Hale. "I'm really looking forward to dinner.", this time I was the seductive one.

He smiled joyfully before he got back into the fancy car.

"Mother! MOTHER!!" I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I couldn't help myslef. I was so excited. I just couldn't control it. "AAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" I danced around the parlor, jumping and screaming.

"Rosalie!" Mother's frightened voice called. She was running from the kitchen. "Rose, what happened?!"

"ROYCE INVITED ME TO DINNER!" I hooted, gaily. "AT HIS HOUSE!"

Mother laughed in releif. "He did? That's great, Rose. You had better look and act proper when you go over there. The King family is very high-class. You have to impress them.", she advised.

"You're right, I should."

I ran up to my room frantically, tearing apart my closet for something nice to wear. I found the perfect thing; it was a beautiful black dress with elbow- length sleeves and lots of lace. I should wear gloves. "Mother!" I would need to borrow them.

"What is it now, Rose?" she asked, entering the room. "I need to borrow black gloves, Mother. It seems only proper."

"I think so. Girls of eighteen usually wear gloves only for special occasions, and this does seem like a special occasion." she headed into her bedroom. I stared at the dress. Should I be nervous for this dinner? No, Royce liked me. I was safe. 'Just be yourself', I told myself. I've never actually been on a date with a man that seemed 'good enough' for me. There was always something wrong with the boy. But Royce…

"Here are the gloves." Mother interrupted my thoughts. I took them from her and layed them on top of the dress.

I still had three hours until Royce picked me up. I had to kill the time.

I brushed my teeth. Wouldn't want to have bad breath. Not that I've ever had a problem with that before, but just incase.

I combed my hair. Again and again and again. It was starting to come out. Better stop doing that.

I checked the clock to see how much time was left until Royce came. Still had about 3 hours. What could I do until then? Daydreaming time. I curled my legs up on the sofa we had in the parlor and let my daydreams take me over. I started to think about the date. What would we be having for dinner? Would it just be me and him, or would the family be there? What would Royce talk about? What did he expect of me? Too many questions. No answers. I needed to think about something else. I looked at the clock again. Now I was becoming anxious. Only 4:34. I sighed. This was going to be a long wait.

2 hours and 15 minutes later

It was 6:45. Finally! Time to start getting ready for the date. I scurried up the stairs and into my bedroom. The dress and gloves layed across the bed. I put the dress on, extra cautious not to tear any of the lace in haste. I combed my hair once more, but it was really unnecessary, the comb flew right through. I looked myself in the mirror one more time. Perfect. Gloves time. I pulled on the lacy black velvet gloves. Hmm… something was missing. Aha! Purse! I took out my black purse and put $10 into it from my money-jar. Maybe a mirror would be useful, too. Now, I was ready to roll. I gracefully floated down the stairs to the window. It was 6:56. Royce would be here any minute now.

I was only sitting there for 30 seconds when the fancy black car pulled up the street. I jumped out of seat. "Yes!" I cheered. "Mother, Royce is here!" I yelled to her. I didn't wait for a response. I flung open the front door and walked towards the dark car.

Royce got out of the back seat before I got close. "Hello, Rosalie" he smiled wide.

I returned the smile. "Hello, Royce."

"Shall we be departing?", he questioned, sticking out his arm.

"We shall.", I giggled, looping my arm through his. He opened the car door for me and gestured for me to get in. I climbed in and ran my hand over the soft velvet seats. He got in and closed the door. The car started moving.

"I'm very glad to be having dinner with you, Rosalie." he said, producing a wide grin on my face. I was happy to hear that.

"You, too, Royce. I really enjoy your company." He beamed at my words.

As we made a turn onto a classy- looking residential area, a large, white mansion began to come into view. Royce noticed my awed reaction and smiled to himself. When the driver pulled into the driveway, Royce opened the door and helped me out. I stared at the huge estate. Wow, it was gorgeous.

Royce stuck out his arm again. I took it and we began walking towards the huge front door of the King's estate. A short, dark-haired woman opened the door even before Royce knocked. The maid. She smiled when she saw me. "Welcome, Mr. King."

The inside of the mansion was beautiful beyond words. The high ceilings, spiral staircases, spaceous areas. Wow.

Royce led me into a room on the left. The dining room. But we didn't sit down. He led me through another door into a wide room with a quite large two-person table. On it was a candle and a single rose. "Please, sit down Rosalie." Royce asked. I did, and he followed. "So, tell me about yourself, Rosalie."