Chapter 7

It's almost seven and Gill's almost here. He's agreed to have dinner here and I'm nervous. I've never been on a date before. Kathy curled my hair and let me borrow some of her formal clothes. I'm wearing a light blue dress that shows off my shoulders and my cleavage.

"Do you have anything that isn't so revealing?" I ask a little insecure.

"You don't want to look prude. Besides, he's not getting anything so why not flaunt it while you got it?" She pulls back a lock of my hair as she curls it. I pull the dress up trying to hide as much of my boobs as possible but the dress it too tight and won't budge.

A knock on my door startles me and Kathy burns the back of my neck with the curling iron. "Dammit Akari." I press my hand against my neck and the skin is hot. "I'll go get a cold rag, don't move!" She opens the door and Chase walks in looking confused as Kathy bursts out of the room.

"Wow, you look beautiful," he says while his eyes hover over my breasts.

"Yeah, too bad my face is up here," I say and he looks up at me with an apologetic smile on his face.

"Can I ask you something?" He sits on the edge of the bed and I attempt to but the dress doesn't allow me to sit down, mostly just hovering.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you like Gill?" He fidgets with his thumbs like he's nervous.

"No, why?"

"Just wondering. Don't worry about it. I should get back into the kitchen," he stands up and leaves the room without saying anything else. I don't have time to think about it as Kathy runs into the room and presses the rag to my neck and ushers me out of the room and into the dining hall. Gill is standing at the doorway in a fancy suit and a small box in his hand. I feel myself blushing as I take in his handsome features.

His hair is combed to the side and his blue eyes are sparkling. His face is round, almost like a baby's. He notices me and smiles. "You look beautiful, Akari. I'm lucky to be the one to spend a night with you," he holds my hand and kisses it, but this time his lips linger a little longer.

"Thank you," I say as he leads me to a table and pulls out a chair. I try to sit down, forcing the dress to stretch allowing me to sit firmly on the chair. Gill takes his seat across from me and Kathy lights a small candle in the middle of the table. "I hope you enjoy your meal," she says and Chase brings out two plates with small steaks and a baked potato on the side. The smell makes my mouth water and I don't hesitate to start eating.

Gill starts talking about his father and how he's the next in line to become the mayor of Harmonica Town. I drown him out as I dig into my steak and potato. The meal was over too quickly and Chase brings us out vanilla ice cream with warm chocolate cake. He gives me a bigger piece and I smile as I taste the sweet sensation of chocolate as it dances around in my mouth. Gill gives me a weird look.

"What?" I ask while stuffing my face with cake.

"You made a funny noise. It's cute," he takes a bite of his cake and smiles. "This is really good."

"Isn't it?" I take another bite, finishing off the cake and lean back in the chair. "Dinner was amazing," I say to no one in particular.

"It was, but I know what will make tonight even more amazing," Gill stands up from his chair and grabs my hand. He helps me out of the chair and escorts me out of the bar. He holds my hand as we walk down the cement road in front of the shops and leads me up a hill towards a church. He stops next to a bench and makes a hand motion for me to sit down first. He sits down beside me and I notice what he was referring to. The sun is slowly making its way towards the ocean for its night of slumber and the view is breathtaking.

He continues to hold my hand and I feel him place something inside it. I look to find the small box he was holding and he tells me to open it. Inside is a silver necklace with a blue gem in the middle. "It's so beautiful! Is this for me?" I ask amazing. The blue stone is my birthstone, aquamarine, and I can't believe he knows.

"I did a bit of research and found out your birthstone. I asked the jeweler to make this necklace for you last night. Try it on." He helps me hook the necklace and it rests just barely above my breasts. Now it gives an excuse for people to look at my chest.

"Thank you so much, Gill," I say and lean in to kiss his cheek. He smiles and tightens his grip on my hand and I smile in return. "I had fun tonight."

"Me too. There's plenty more where that came from if you'd be my girlfriend," he looks at me with his light blue eyes and I feel guilt in my stomach. He really was a nice guy but I didn't have any feelings of attraction towards him other than for his looks.

"I'm sorry, Gill, but I'm not ready to commit yet. I've been here barely two weeks. I need to get situated here first before I can make any big decisions. Please understand." Kathy's words echo through my head. Please promise me you won't be alone with him. I don't want you to find out the hard way.

Gill looks a little upset but he recovers quickly. "I understand, I'll be waiting for you to be ready," he says and walks me back to the bar. "I had a good time tonight, thank you for spending it with me," he says and kisses my hand before heading back towards the other side of town. I touch the necklace and smile. I feel almost guilty taking jewelry from someone I don't plan on dating for now.

I open the door to the bar and Kathy greets me with a lecture. "Didn't I tell you not to go off alone with him! Did he do anything to you?" She looks me over and I stand there confused.

"No, we just watched the sunset. He gave me this though," I point out the necklace and Kathy's eyes grow wide. "Wow that's beautiful!"

"He asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend also," I add and her face grows blank.

"You didn't say yes, did you?"

"No, I told him I wasn't ready to commit to a relationship."

"Good, don't commit to him at all. Period. I don't want you around him unless Chase, my dad, or I am there. Understand?"

"I don't understand what's so bad about him?" I say. I really don't.

"Just, don't please," she looks at me and I give her my word. She walks away and I decide to go lay down in my room.