First Date Jitters

It had been about a week or so since the incident with Kenny and the octopus. Needless to say, Katjaa had gotten into much trouble with her boss, and was stuck with doing so much paperwork that her hands were covered in paper cuts, and it felt as if they would fall off. It upset her that she hadn't gotten an ounce of hands on experience since that day. Though it was worth it. She had to keep telling herself that it was worth it. Besides, she had managed to save an octopus' life and meet a nice guy!

Speaking of which, she and Kenny had exchanged phone calls throughout the week and Kenny had been back to the clinic more times than she could count, for one reason or another. Honestly, it seemed like the man would do just about whatever he could to see her. Though Katjaa found it to be quite flattering, she couldn't help but fear that he would get in some kind of trouble eventually for showing up so frequently.

But, this time when he showed up, it would be for no other reason then to pick Katjaa up for their date. Just the thought of it left Katjaa feeling rather giddy.

"Why are you so happy today Miss. De Clercq?"

Katjaa looked up from her seat at her desk. It was Brianna.

"Oh, no reason really," she replied dismissively.

"Oh really?" The secretary rose a curious eyebrow.

"Yes," Katjaa replied again. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason really," Brianna waved it off. "You just seemed to be in a better mood than usual, that's all... Just figured there'd be a reason for that." She shrugged.

"Oh... I guess I didn't notice..." And Katjaa left it at that.

A small silence fell between the two.

Finally, Brianna cleared her throat and spoke.

"Well, Dr. Schmidt has already gone home, and you should be packing up yourself."

"Oh, that's right!" Katjaa hastily began gathering up her things.

She hadn't told Brianna that she was happier than usual because she'd be going out on her first date with Kenny tonight. She didn't deem it necessary.

Grabbing her bag, which was rather large in size, she excused herself to the bathroom for the moment.

Due to her date tonight, she knew that she wouldn't have time to go home and change. Kenny was supposed to swing by the clinic and pick her up. So, keeping that in mind that morning she had shoved a change of clothes into her bag.

After entering the bathroom, she quickly changed out of her scrubs and into the outfit she had packed. It wasn't anything too fancy, just a pretty floral blouse, a nice pair of blue jeans and a much more comfortable pair of sneakers... You'd be surprised at just how big this bag was!

"Well, I guess this is as good as I'll ever look..." Katjaa murmured to herself as she fixed her bangs for what was probably the tenth time in two minutes. Though only seconds later, she heard Brianna calling to her from the other side of the door.

"Miss. De Clercq! There's someone here to see you!"

Katjaa immediately knew that it was Kenny.

"I'll be out in just a moment!"

Katjaa checked herself over one last time, and finally, after fixing her bangs a final time, she finally decided that she looked presentable.

Upon stepping out of the bathroom, and slinging her bag over her shoulder, she could already feel the butterflies beginning to form in her stomach.

This would be the first date she'd have been on in a while and she felt quite nervous!

So, when she finally stepped into the waiting room, she hoped that she didn't look like a nervous wreck.

As soon as Kenny laid eyes on her, a wide grin found its way onto his lips. His cheeks were just as flushed as Katjaa's, showing that he was just as nervous, if not more.

She looked absolutely stunning, and he suddenly felt very under-dressed. He was wearing one of his nicer button up shirts, but regular worn blue jeans and his beat up tennis shoes.

"Wow, you look beautiful..." He blurted out, only making them both blush even more.

"O-oh, thank you," Katjaa smiled softly. "You don't look too bad yourself."

Meanwhile, Brianna stood behind them by her desk, with a bemused smile on her face.

"Shall we go now?" Kenny finally asked after clearing his throat.

"Where are we going?" Katjaa quirked an eyebrow.

"There's a little family owned restaurant not too far away from here, and let me tell you," he rose his eyebrows at her while grinning; putting emphasis on his next words. "Best. Tilapia. Ever."

Katjaa gave a gentle chuckle. "It sounds nice..."

By now the two were already on their way out the door, but not before hearing Brianna calling after them.

"Have fun you two!"

Katjaa could only feel herself blushing more, but turned back for a moment to wave good bye to the secretary in unison with Kenny.

After the two made their way across the parking lot, Kenny rushed over to the passenger side, and opened the door for Katjaa to step up, into the truck. She thanked him and smiled. He closed the door for her, and then hurried over to the driver's side, jumping inside.

He turned the key and flipped on the headlights before placing the truck into gear. He contorted his body to look behind him as he backed out the parking space.

"You know," Katjaa spoke up after a moment. "I don't think I've ever actually had tilapia before..."

Kenny glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye, a grin on his lips. "Well, trust me, you'll love it!"

He changed gears and flipped the wheel wildly to set the car straight again. The left blinker filled the vehicle with a quiet ticking noise. He looked the entire road over before speeding out into the surface streets.

–

Not before long Kenny pulled into a new parking lot and set his truck back into park and turned off the ignition. He hopped out the driver's side and jogged his way over to the passenger's side to open the door for her and helped her down from his truck.

He knew Katjaa was plenty capable of stepping out of his old clunker truck, but he knew plenty of people who had fell or tripped in or out of his truck in the past. … Sure, they were typically drunk, but it was a case of better safe than sorry here.

The restaurant was close by and Kenny kept his pace to walk right beside her and soon noticed how nice she smelt. Thankfully Katjaa couldn't read minds, or Kenny's thoughts—which at the moment were that it was the 'I wanna smell your hair' she smelt so good kinda thoughts—might've creeped her out a bit, and leading to embarrassment from the Cajun. He realized how off track his thoughts went and quickly let the ideas drop and opened the door to the restaurant for Katjaa.

The place was decently sized and only somewhat popular that night with every third table holding a few people. The lighting was dim, with colorful lights against plain, dark walls.

The hostess was there as soon as they stepped in to host them at a booth in the main dining room.

Upon being seated, Katjaa gazed around the room. It had a nice feel about it. It was nice, but not super fancy—it was perfect. The Belgian woman smiled over at the Floridian before letting her eyes wander around the building once more. "This place seems perfect."

Kenny grinned at hearing her opinion of the place. "Glad to hear it!"

Upon having the menus placed in front of them, the waitress left them to decide—only after asking what they wanted to drink—and the two began to skim over the menu. Though, ultimately, the both decided on the tilapia.

Only a few short minutes after the two decided on the tilapia, the waitress swung back by the table to collect their menus and take their order, handing them the beverages they had ordered in the process.

Suddenly, Kenny felt naked without the menu to hide behind. He took a sip of his soda, and then swirled the the straw around in the glass nervously.

"So... Uh... How long have ya been a vet?"

The question suddenly reminded Katjaa that Kenny actually thought that she was an actual veterinarian. This brought a blush to her cheeks, and she found herself fidgeting with her napkin.

"Well... Actually... When you came in that day, the vet had gone out for lunch... I'm actually... Just an intern," she still refused to meet his gaze. "I'm still going to school to be a vet, but I'm almost finished."

Kenny had stayed quiet for a minute, letting her words sink in. Finally, he chuckled, and she looked up at him.

"Ya know, that's actually pretty cool that you're working so hard to become a vet," he grinned some more, and added, "And that must've meant that you really wanted to meet me when I came in with that octopus."

He was only teasing of course, and Katjaa knew this. She laughed a bit, and replied, "Oh yes... Well, you know, I really just couldn't help myself." Another laugh, and she spoke again. "But what about you? How long have you been a fisherman?"

"Well, I'm actually a rookie." Kenny admitted, abashed. "Fishin' is a family thing, though. I helped my dad out on his boat on for as long as I could remember. I just grew up and it was all I knew. But it's real different when it's just you out there. Six months ago my dad got a big stroke that I don't think he still hasn't gotten over. I took his boat and continued on, as my own man." He shrugged and smirked, "It's enough to pay the bills, but ain't that good. Lotsa rookie mistakes."

Katjaa frowned a bit at hearing him inform her that his father a stroke, and even more so that he thought that the man still hadn't gotten over it. "Oh... I'm sorry to hear that..." She paused for a moment.

"But... Don't you have any siblings to go out there with you?" she inquired, before adding on, "It must get lonely out there by yourself..."

Suddenly she wondered if Kenny had any siblings at all. She had a younger sister—by five years to be exact—but she was up in Tennessee with their parents. While they had once all lived in Florida together, her parents managed to find more work up in Tennessee, and while Katjaa was twenty, and therefore old enough to live on her own, Ketsia wasn't. Katjaa had decided to stay down in Florida, and, as she looked across the table at Kenny, she was glad she did.

"Well, actually no," Kenny responded to her question, breaking her out of her thoughts. "No siblings. My parents thought I was enough of a handful, so they were done after me." He laughed, making Katjaa crack a tiny smile.

"I bet," she laughed lightly. "I think I'd be just as content with a dog."

"You never want kids?"

"Well... I guess I didn't really give it much thought. Eventually... One day... Maybe..." She pondered the thought. She was too young to be thinking about having kids right now. "I wouldn't want to have any, anytime soon though..."

"Yeah," Kenny chuckled. "Same here."

–

Finally dinner arrived and the two eat, talking about nothing in particular as they did. The two talked about their families, careers, and how good the food was.

"I wish I could cook the tilapia like they did here, ya know?" Kenny spoke up after a while. "I mean, I'm not too handy in the kitchen, but I can grill. Usually tuna... Ya ever had grilled tuna?"

Katjaa shook her head lightly. "No, I don't think I ever have... But I wonder if I could cook some tilapia... I bet I could probably make it like they do here..."

At this, Kenny chuckled. "You think you can cook tilapia like they do here? I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to go home. I'm keeping you." He laughed at his own joke, but soon found himself feeling nervous again.

Katjaa could feel her cheeks flushing. "Well, I could try at least... And what's this I hear? My, my... Only our first date and you're already asking me to move in with you?" she chuckled a bit, signifying that she was only joking, and smiled over at him.

Her joke had only made Kenny's cheeks begin to turn red, and he laughed as well, albeit a bit awkwardly. Finally, he cleared his throat and offered, "Well, if you ever want to get together again, yer welcome to come to my place and have a little potluck? You cook yer tilipia and I grill up some tuna? Share 'em?"

This date hadn't ended yet and he already had the gall to ask for another. Though, Katjaa didn't mind.

"Sure," she answered finally, smiling gently at the thought. "I'd really like that, Kenny."

"R-really?" Kenny had asked, unable to mask his surprise.

"Of course," Katjaa replied, still smiling. "It'd be nice."

Inwardly, the man did another victory dance just as he had a week prior to this. "That's great!"

–

It wasn't long before the two had finished their meal, and Kenny hurriedly reached for the bill, when it arrived, to pay (ignoring Katjaa's protests), and at least allowing her to leave the tip.

The overly cheerful waitress took his card and the bill, only to return a few short minutes later, thanking the two and telling them to have a nice night.

They thanked her, and then exited the restaurant, heading back over to Kenny's truck.

Once again, he helped her inside, then went over to get in on the driver's side.

The ride back to the vet's office was a quiet one. The two held idle conversation, but in the back of both of their minds (more so Kenny's than Katjaa's) they kept thinking about just what might happen when Kenny went to drop her off at her car. It was a no brainer how dates usually ended... With a kiss.

But, it was only the first date, so Kenny began to wonder if he even should... It was probably a bad idea. Maybe he shouldn't do it... Or at least attempt to.

–

The date had been quite nice, but per usual, all good things must come to an end. And the end was drawing nearer. Kenny and Katjaa could both see the clinic coming into view, and finally, the Floridan pulled back into the parking lot and parked his truck, turning the ignition off.

He once again helped Katjaa out of the truck, and walked to the only car left on the lot—her's.

Upon approaching the vehicle, Katjaa paused a moment, digging around in her pocket to find her keys. Even after she did, she just stood there for a moment. Turning to look at Kenny, she smiled.

"I just wanted to say thanks for a wonderful evening."

Kenny returned the smile. "Really I should thank you for turnin' it into one." He scuffed the ground with his shoe. "I had a great time."

"Me too." She still hadn't moved to get in her car, and a small, slightly awkward silence fell between the two.

Kenny inhaled deeply, holding his breath. Well, it was now or never, he decided. So, exhaling a bit shakily, he moved in towards her. He was about to settle on giving her a peck on the cheek, but changed his mind at the last second, moving to place a kiss on her lips.

When their lips met, instead of pulling away like Kenny would fear she would do, Katjaa returned the light kiss, leaning towards Kenny a bit, deepening the kiss ever-so-slightly.

It only lasted a few seconds, but it almost seemed to leave the two breathless.

Wider smiles appeared on both of their faces now, and despite some of the embarrassing, and awkward moments the two had shared on their date, it seemed to have ended well.

"Thanks again, again for a wonderful night," Katjaa said, barely above a whisper as she removed herself from Kenny's embrace, and stepping back to get in her car. "Good night, Kenny."

"You too," Kenny replied. "Good night, Katjaa. Sleep well."

After saying their parting words, Katjaa got into her car, started it up, and drove out of the parking lot.

Kenny had already started heading back over to his truck, and before getting in, he did another quick victory dance. The date had been a success, and he'd managed to get a kiss! He wasn't sure how much luckier he could've been!

He was suddenly very eager to set up their next date. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but he found that he really did like being around Katjaa. She was sweet, and so calm-natured. He couldn't help but think of how lucky he was to have met her. And that's when he mentally thanked that octopus for bringing the two of them together.