We walked to his car in silence. I snagged glances at Tony who seemed to have a sad look on his face.

Great, now he’s gonna give me the pity trip. I thought to myself as he unlocked the door, allowing me to sit into the passenger seat. Tony walked around and climbed in. He looked at me briefly before starting up his car. I was silent because I didn’t know what else to say other that I’m sorry. I was sorry that he had to witness any of that.

“Where do you want to go?” He asked softly.

I shrugged. “I really don’t care.”

For the first ten minutes we were just driving aimlessly with The Kooks playing softly in the background. I stared out of the window, watching as the night blurred with the sights of houses, old building, and the occasional bunch of trees. I hated that Tony saw my sister like that, but what I hated even more was that I barely recognized her. The Veronica I used to know wasn’t temperamental; that was my role in the family. Veronica was the beauty, Jason was the fun guy, and I was the dark cloud.

“What are you thinking about?” Tony asked, ripping me from my thoughts.

“She’s not always like that, you know.” I said softly. “She’s usually very nice and sweet.”

Tony nodded but remained quiet. I felt my chest shake and it was only now that I realized my breathing was shaky and stumbling out of my mouth with hesitancy.

“I just—I don’t know how it happened, or why.” I said again.

“What happened?” Tony asked quietly. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” He quickly added.

I sighed. I wanted to talk about it, but I wasn’t sure if my body or brain would allow me to. “Maybe some other time.” I offered lightly.

Tony nodded, offering me a soft smile before pulling into a Dairy Queen. I looked at the place with skepticism then back at Tony, waiting for him to explain why we were here.

“I have an older sister from my step-father’s first marriage. She’s eight years older than me, but she always treated me like her little brother. We’re really close.” He started to explain. I smiled as he continued. “Well, whenever she was upset about anything she’d tell me that ice cream and sweet treats would make her feel better.”

The first thing that popped into my head was that I wouldn’t have guessed that Tony had a step-father. He seemed like the kind of guy that came from a family that wasn’t broken. But I guess appearances aren’t everything.

“You brought me here to make me feel better?” I asked with a sincere smile on my face.

Tony breathed out slowly. I guess he wasn’t sure if I was happy about this. “Yeah, sorry. It’s just that you seemed upset and this was all I could think of at the time an—and I didn’t even consider if you liked ice cream—“ Tony began rambling but I cut him off.

“This was a really sweet idea.” I assured him. “Unfortunately, I left my wallet at home so I think I can hold off from ice cream.”

Tony waved me off. “What kind of first date would this be if I didn’t pay?” He remarked.

My eyes widened because I was trying to avoid cute moments like this. Tony; however, was making things too damn difficult. He was being sweet and thoughtful. I was hoping that he’d turn into a jerk so I could easily dodge any form of affection I had for him.

I laughed to cover up my blush and awe struck features. “This is not a first date.”

“One day Verity Abraham, you will not be able to resist my charm.” He teased.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, when that day comes I’ll make sure to check if hell froze over.”

I followed him into Dairy Queen, which felt similar to a freaking freezer. Rubbing my arms, Tony noticed this and shrugged out of his jacket and offered it to me. I shook my head no in a hasty fashion.

“You’re cold.” He pointed out before saying “So just take it.”

I was hesitant because I feared that it would look tight on me. Other girls wouldn’t have a problem with this because they’re all tiny and the perfect size to wear men’s clothes. However, I wasn’t so lucky. Taking his jacket, I slowly tugged it on my arms. I thanked whoever in heaven made it possible for this jacket to fit me nicely. It did feel a little snug, but it wasn’t embarrassingly tight.

“Thanks.” I mumbled as we stood in line.

“What are you going to get?” Tony asked me.

I shrugged. “Hot fudge sundae, I guess.”

Tony smiled. “So lame.” He teased.

“Well what are you getting?” I challenged.

He scoffed. “The blizzard.”

“And you call me lame.” I muttered, earning a laugh from him.

We approached the counter and I could see the blonde girl—whose nametag read Stacy—eyes widen at the sight of Tony. I looked at her with curiosity since I never felt like that when I saw Tony. I won’t deny that he’s cute, but to actually turn awe struck was something I never felt.

“Welcome to Dairy Queen, what can I do for you tonight?” She asked brightly. Her voice was a mixture of playful flirting and seductive, which made me choke on a stifled laugh.

Tony spoke up for the both of us. “Yeah, we’ll take a hot fudge sundae.” He teased before saying “And a blizzard.”

I rolled my eyes and remained quiet. The girl smiled while punching in our total. Tony paid just like he promised.

“You’re treating your sister out for some ice cream?” The girl asked hopefully.

I almost gagged. First of all, Tony and I look nothing alike. He hails from an exotic Spanish background, while I have traces of my German and Russian heritage in my features. Second of all, I don’t look any younger than Tony—which, I’m assuming that’s what she’s guessing; that I’m Tony’s younger sister. And third of all, we look nothing alike!

“No, she’s my date.” Tony said proudly.

“I’m not his date.” I countered.

In return, Tony just winked at me which made me groan in frustration. The girl stared back at us with confusion. She wasn’t sure if we were serious or joking.

“Your order will be up shortly.” She said to us as I turned on my heels and walked towards an empty booth.

Tony sat across of me as I just stared out the window. I was happy to be here with him, and grateful that he got my mind off of Veronica even if it was just for a few hours.

“Your sister will be fine.” Tony said.

“How do you know that?” I asked softly.

“Because I know you.” He smiled.

“You hardly know me.” I countered.

Tony smiled. “I know that you go your own path, despite what others think—it’s what makes you so fearsome and fun at the same time. I know that you won’t go down without a fight, no matter the topic or situation. And I know for a fact that it would probably take some serious Jedi mind tricks to change your mind.”

I stared at Tony with the sensation of my cheeks heating up. A part of me wanted to pull him in for a hug, but my logical mind wanted to brush off his compliment. It was hard to think straight when there were conflicting emotions rioting within me.

“Thanks.” I managed to say without my voice squeaking.

---

Tony walked me up to my porch; the light was still on, but there wasn’t any movement coming from inside. It was past eleven and I knew that my father and mother were most likely to be in bed.

“Tonight was surprisingly pleasant.” I commented to Tony as we reached the top step.

“Not bad for our first date, huh?” He asked with a toothy grin on his face.

I stared at Tony with an involuntary smirk on my face. “It wasn’t a date.”

A flicker in Tony’s eyes made me grow nervous. The air felt still and I was suddenly aware of how hot the night had felt. Shrugging out of Tony’s jacket I held it between the small space between the both of us.

“Thanks.” I said abruptly, popping whatever romantic gesture Tony might have tried.

“No problem.” Tony said after a few startled seconds.

I was about to turn around and walk into my house, but Tony caught my arm. My eyes darted everywhere but at his because I didn’t want to know; I wanted to be oblivious about what Tony may have felt for me—whether it’s some kind of affection or not, I just didn’t want to know. However, Tony wasn’t saying anything or moving at all. He was waiting for me to look at him. With nothing else to do or say, I finally looked into Tony’s eyes. It was the first time I noticed how warm they were or the fact that they resembled melted milk chocolate. His eyes kept glancing from my eyes to my lips, making me become overly nervous with each second—which, by the way, felt like eternities passing through us.

“I—I need to go in.” I sputtered out.

Tony held my gaze and I instantly felt my skin heat up where he was holding me. Shit! I thought to myself. What if he tries to kiss me? What if I mess up, or worse, what if I suck at kissing! My mind was working overtime as Tony slowly leaned into me. I was holding my breath the entire time, and then suddenly our moment was over. My brother opened the door to find me with a terrified, deer-caught-in-the-headlights look while Tony was in mid-lean. I wasn’t sure if I was happy that Jason cut our moment short or not, but either way I felt jumpy.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I said rapidly before pushing past Jason and rushing up the stairs to my bedroom.

I flopped into my bed, praying that slumber would take over but knowing that the amount of unruly butterflies will make it impossible.

Notes

What is this cuteness?!

Your comments made my morning so much more bearable than usual. Thanks guys <3