by Rj Waltz

Kevin felt completely out of his own body as he stood in front of her front door. His stiff collar itched like mad, but he dared not scratch it. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead in spite of the cool night air. He reached up with his free hand, his finger hovering over the doorbell button. It glowed a menacing orange color. He quickly pressed it, swallowing the lump in his throat.
Behind the door, he heard the sounds of scrambling footsteps. He rocked back and forth on his feet, trying his best not to whistle nervously. A brief moment of silence followed. Did she forget about me? he wondered to himself. Kevin didn’t get the date wrong; he made sure to check it four times while he was getting ready. He’d never forget such an important date. Perhaps he didn’t ring the doorbell loudly enough. Yeah, that had to be it, he pressed it again.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” A gruff, manly voice bellowed. Kevin tugged at his collar, wiping the sweat from his palms off on the sides of his pants. He shifted the flowers from one hand to the other. The door opened, and a behemoth of a man leered down at him.
Kevin couldn’t breathe. He looked as if he had enough strength to crumple Kevin and his car into a ball of foil with his bare hands. Adjusting his black rimmed glasses, Kevin stuck out his hand.
“Um… hi, sir,” he said, his voice tiny, “I’m, uh… I’m Kevin.” The titan of a man took his hand and shook it, his grip overwhelmingly painful. Kevin bit the tip of his tongue to keep from crying out.
“Come on in, Kevin,” he said loudly. Terrified, Kevin followed him inside. Without saying a word, he took the flowers from him and set them on the kitchen counter. Unsure of what to do, Kevin sat down on the large couch in the living room, twirling his thumbs.
“So,” the giant sat down next to him, beer in hand. “How do you know my daughter?” Crack. He popped open the beer can and slurped it down.
Kevin swallowed hard, “Uh, well, sir. Andy and I have known each other for about four months, now.” He felt her father’s intense, judging eyes on him, peering straight into his soul. ‘You’re not good enough for my daughter,’ Kevin could hear him say, ‘Now, I want you to leave this house before I go get my gun.’ Kevin shivered involuntarily.
Footsteps from the stairs caused both Kevin and the adonis to look over. Andy stood at the foot of the stairs in a gorgeous red dress with matching jewelry. Her father stood up and took Andy into his arms.
“Honey, you look incredible,” he said. Kevin could’ve sworn her father shot him a dirty look over his shoulder. He awkwardly looked away. “Now remember,” he added, “I want you coming straight home after the movie, okay?”
She smiled, “Okay, daddy. Kevin, you ready to go?”
“R-ready,” his voice creaked. Andy opened the door, and Kevin scurried outside. He walked her towards his car, opening the door for her.
“Thank you,” she smiled at him, flattered. Kevin closed the door behind her before climbing into the driver’s seat. He started up the engine. His radio blared out a loud hip hop song. Embarrassed, he quickly turned around.
“So,” Kevin asked, putting the car in gear, “I have dinner and a movie planned for tonight. Is that okay? You’re not allergic to spaghetti or anything, are you?”
She laughed, “Don’t worry so much, Kevin. We’re going to have a blast. I promise.”
“I hope so,” he muttered under his breath. She stared at him quizzically. The two of them drove in silence. He stole a few peeks at her. Sighing, she pulled her long curly hair back into a ponytail. Kevin felt his heart pounding in his chest. He focused his attention on the road, his hands occasionally slipping off of the steering wheel. Andy watched him with passing interest.
“Are you doing alright?” she asked, curious.
“Yep, Everything’s fine,” he lied, trying his best to keep the nervous terror out of his voice.
“Ah. Okay then,” she responded hesitantly. Kevin mentally kicked himself. He pulled up to the Italian restaurant, groaning. All of the parking spaces were full. Shrugging, he opened the door for her.
“Looks like I have to park somewhere else,” he groaned, “You can go in and get us a seat if you want.”
Andy shut the door, “Nah. Let’s go in together, okay?” Kevin smiled, pulling out of the restaurant’s parking lot. He circled the downtown area a few times, unable to find a place to park. Pulling over, he gripped the steering wheel hard enough to make his knuckles whiten.
“I’m really sorry,” Kevin apologized.
She blinked, “Why? It’s not your fault that there’s nowhere to park.”
“But you must be hungry, right?”
“You really don’t know much about dating, do you,” Andy laughed. She looked forwards, her eyes widening. “There!” she pointed, “There’s a spot right in front of the theater! Quick, before someone gets it!” Kevin stepped on the gas and zoomed forwards, narrowly stealing the spot from a truck backing into it. The guys inside the truck glared daggers at Kevin as he let out a sigh of relief. Andy pat him on the shoulder.
“Nice work,” she complimented him. Andy opened her door and stepped out, stretching her arms over her head. Kevin stepped out, locking the car doors. He stepped towards the theater, but stopped when something grabbed his arm. He looked over to see that Andy had wrapped her arms around his. She smiled at him. His heart thundered in his chest. Walking rigidly, he crossed the street to the theater.
A dirty homeless man approached Kevin, shoving an empty dixie cup under his nose. Kevin was terrified, but Andy seemed completely calm.