I laughed. Olivia was a former beauty queen and knew even more about makeup and clothes than I did.
We walked out of the building together, saying bye as we both headed to our own cars. She was going over to Wilder's for the night, and I was meeting Rush at his apartment.
When I pulled up to Rush’s apartment building, he was already waiting for me outside.
He opened my car door for me and helped me out, pulling me to him. “You look absolutely gorgeous.”
I smiled, feeling giddy. “You always say that.”
“That’s because it’s true.” Leaning in, he gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry I couldn’t pick you up on our first date.”
“That’s okay.” And it was. I had agreed to the secret dating plan, which meant I'd agreed to all the not so great things that came with it.
He took my hand in his and we walked over to his car. “I know, but it still makes me feel bad.”
"Don't. I'm just happy that we at least get to be together, even if it isn't exactly how we want it."
"Yeah, me too."
He opened the car door for me and I got in, buckling my seatbelt while I waited for him to join me on the other side.
Rush wore jeans with a white t-shirt and a charcoal jacket, his hair styled, and his face freshly shaven.
He was so good looking.
We started driving and Rush reached his hand over, resting it on my leg. It was a simple gesture, but I loved it.
"So, it's about an hour to our destination," he said. "I hope that's okay."
"Sounds good to me."
We drove in comfortable silence for a few minutes before he asked, "Have you heard from your dad again?"
Ugh. I had. He'd called again this morning, but I'd silenced his call.
I looked out my window. "Yeah, he tried again this morning."
"Not ready yet?" he asked gently.
"No." I turned to look at him now. "And I don’t know how to get ready. I don't know if I'll ever be ready. I mean, how does a person get ready to talk to their father who practically abandoned them and now wants to reconcile like what he did was no big deal?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "But I do know that you'll figure it out." He squeezed my leg. "You're stronger than you think, Scarlet."
I let out a sigh. "When I see his name on my phone screen, I don't feel strong," I admitted.
"You probably just need more time," he said. "And that's okay. That doesn’t mean you're weak. What he did was awful. No one expects you to get over it with just an invite to spend Christmas with him, and I'm hoping your dad doesn't expect that either. I think he's trying to make the first step, but if you're not ready then he needs to respect that."
"Yeah," I said, my voice quiet as I returned to looking out the window.
"Hey." He took my hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put a damper on our night. I was just curious how you were doing."
I squeezed his hand this time, looking back at his profile as he drove. "No, it's fine. I appreciate you checking up on me. It's sweet."
He kept his eyes on the road and said, "Well, I'm here if you ever want to talk about it."
"I know."
And somehow, I did know that. We'd only technically been together for a week, but it was like we'd always been together. Being with him was effortless. It was comfortable but exciting, relaxing but nerve-wracking, fun but a little dangerous. He was exactly what I'd been wanting when I'd been with Mick.
