The Mouse and The Wolf - Chapter 74: Chapter 74

Somehow, with some unbelievable luck, I managed to ask Thisalee out on a date, and even more miraculously, she said yes. I still couldn't believe it even when I was getting ready for that date a few days later.
We agreed to meet at the library at seven, but I was there long before that, wearing my best clothes – the ones without holes or weird stains that couldn't be washed away – and checking for the hundredth time I had my wallet and my phone with me.
When Thisalee arrived around ten minutes later, I couldn't believe my eyes. She walked up to me and gave me a flirty smile. My brain froze. My whole body froze. She really came! What did I do to deserve this chance?
"I take that as a compliment," she said after a short moment.
"W-What?"
"You, staring at me," she said, smiling.
I had to admit she looked hot. Hotter than hot. She had a tight, knee-length black skirt and a black-and-gold shirt with long sleeves and pretty generous cleavage. Her dark hair was flowing through the wind, shining in the light, and her sparkling green eyes were watching me carefully.
"Are we going or what?" she asked, and I realized I was still staring at her.
"Y-Yes, of course," I muttered, making her squint her eyes at me.
"Where's that cockiness of yours now?" she asked.
"I'll find it. If I'm lucky..." I told her and started making my way toward the road.
"I hope so," she said as she followed me.
Since the restaurant I chose was close by, and the weather was nice, we decided to walk. For some reason, being next to her made me feel more courageous than I actually was. And it was so easy to talk to her! It was like I had known her for a while now. I hoped she felt the same way. Even though our topic was just about school stuff, it was probably the best conversation I'd ever had. We hated the same teachers and liked the same classes, and I learned a bit more about her.
"I'm really only studying because I didn't know what else to do with my life," she admitted when we reached the restaurant.
"So, you haven't decided what you want to be when you grow up?" I asked as a joke. She laughed shortly, but I could tell we had reached the point where she refused to tell me more about herself.
"I like this restaurant," she said without answering me.
"It's the only decent restaurant in town," I said, opening the door for her. "What's your major?"
She looked at me shortly from the corner of her eye before stepping through the doorway. "It was psychology, but I switched to engineering."
"That's quite a change," I noted while following her.
She shrugged without looking at me. "I figured engineering would be more useful."
"For what?"
"To build a time machine," she smirked at me.
"Uh-huh," I chuckled.
I enjoyed our date to the fullest. Part of me was sure that she was just using me for a free meal, but even if that was the case, I still enjoyed her company. I hoped she felt the same way. We ate, we drank, and we talked for a long time. She even told me a little more about herself. She lived with her father just outside the city. She'd won a few kickboxing competitions. Her best friend's name was Aurora. It wasn't much, but I was glad she was slowly opening up to me.
We left the restaurant a lot later than I had even imagined, and I was surprised when Thisalee suggested we'd walk the long way back to campus. I didn't mind, on the contrary! I followed her happily as we walked slowly around the town, continuing our chat.
"So... Can I ask... what made you say yes to me?"
Thisalee stopped and tilted her head, studying me with her green eyes. "For reasons," she said and smiled.
"I knew it! You just wanted a free meal," I gasped, joking of course.
"No," she laughed and continued walking. "I just had the feeling I should say yes."
"Well I'm glad you followed your instincts," I said.
She looked at me over her shoulder but didn't reply to me. "Is it true that you've been watching me for a while now?"
For a moment, I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. "Uhmm... yes?" I admitted timidly.
"Why?" she asked, stopping all of a sudden.
"Because you're the most beautiful girl I have ever seen," I said truthfully, but she let out an amused snort.
"Me? I'm like the most average girl there is," she said, looking at me like I had lost my mind.
"What? You're gorgeous! I'm the most average guy there is, and I'm still amazed you wanted to go out with someone like me," I told her.
"Trust me – you are far from average," she said, her eyes trailing up and down on my body. "I was shocked when I found out you're still single."
"So, you've been asking around about me?" I said, and she bit her lips together.
"Maybe..." she then muttered, turning around so I couldn't see her small smile.
I walked around her, hesitantly placing my hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me, and I felt like I entered a happy little bubble when our eyes met.
"I'd like to go out with you again," I told her, and she nodded.
"That'd be nice," she said with a bright smile.
I didn't want the date to end, but it was getting really late, and she looked a bit tired. I walked her back to her place, where I received a kiss on the cheek and a promise to see me on Friday. After agreeing to meet at the same place we did today, I left, feeling nice little butterflies in my stomach.
When I got to my own room, Ezra and Ryder were there, playing cards.
"Soooo? How was it?" Ezra asked with a smile, which grew wider at the sight of me. "I take the date went well?"
Before I could reply, Ryder started laughing and shaking his head.
"What?" I frowned at him.
"You had a date with Thisalee Braham..." he chuckled.
I felt something ugly inside my stomach when I realized I didn't know Thisalee's last name, but Ryder did.
"Why is that so funny?" I asked.
"No, don't get me wrong! That's great!" Ryder hurried to say, but the amusement didn't vanish. "It's just that... she's quite a girl. Like, out of all the girls out there, you chose her."
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, getting frustrated with him.
"You got balls, that's all I'm saying," he said, smirking. "But with her, you better hold on to them or you'll lose them."
"She's nothing like that," I said and snorted, then sat down on my bed. "She's a sweetheart."
That made Ryder laugh even harder. "That's not the girl I know."
"How do you know her?" Ezra asked.
"She's a family friend," Ryder said. "And I've seen her crush some serious balls over the years."
"Well she wasn't eager to crush mine," I noted. "Although I can believe she's capable of doing that," I added with a smile.
"How did you get her to go out with you anyway?" Ryder asked. "As far as I was aware, she was with Pretty Boy."
"She wasn't. I heard them fight about it. Apparently, the guy has been telling people they were dating behind Thisalee's back. She wasn't happy when she found out about it."
"Thought so," Ryder said with a nod. "So? How did you ask her out without losing your head?"
"I just asked. And she said yes," I explained shortly, and smiled when I thought about her. "She said she had the feeling she should say yes."
"Uh-huh," Ryder uttered slowly, studying me with his gaze. "Did she happen to be more specific?"
"No. Why?"
He just shrugged. "Just wondering," he said, but for some reason, I had the feeling he knew something I didn't.
"Wondering what?" I asked.
"I just didn't think you were her type, that's all," he said, smirking.
"Well, to be honest, neither did I," I said and chuckled. "But we are going out again on Friday."
"Good luck," he said, getting up from the floor. "I know her better than you do, so take my advice: hold on to something because you're in for one hell of a ride."
He left the room before I could ask him what he meant by that.
"I didn't know Ryder knew Thisalee," Ezra said slowly.
"Is it just me, or does he know something about her we don't?" I asked him.
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Ezra said.
"I guess I'll find out sooner or later," I muttered, looking at the closed door.