Chapter 2
Chase smiled when he reached me, and it was the kind of smile that made my nerves settle just a little. I smiled back.
“Hi,” I said. “I’m glad you were able to come.”
“I’m glad you wanted to meet,” he replied. “I’ve been looking forward to this.”
We started walking toward the mall entrance, falling into an easy rhythm. “I’m also glad you’re actually the same guy from your pictures,” I teased. “Some people online… aren’t.”
He laughed. “Yeah, catfishing is stupid. I don’t get why people do that.”
“Same,” I said, and we drifted into small talk as we stepped inside.
We wandered through a few stores, not really shopping, just looking around and talking. After a while, I suggested we sit down somewhere quieter.
The food court wasn’t too crowded, so we found an empty table. As soon as we sat, that restless feeling from earlier came back — the one that said tell him now, before this gets real.
I took a breath. “There’s something I want to tell you,” I said. “And whatever you think about it… I’ll be okay.”
He looked curious, not worried. “Okay. What is it?”
I fiddled with the edge of my sleeve. “When I was seventeen, I used to lie about my age on apps like this. Nothing crazy — I just wanted to see what the dating world looked like. I don’t do that anymore. I’m eighteen now, and I want to be honest with you from the start.”
He blinked, then nodded slowly. “Thank you for telling me. And honestly? That doesn’t bother me. If you told me, you were fifteen or sixteen, that’d be different. But seventeen pretending to be older? That’s… normal teenage curiosity.”
Relief washed over me so fast I almost laughed. “I was nervous to bring it up. I didn’t want it to come out later and make things weird.”
“I get it,” he said. “People hide way bigger things. You being upfront now? That means something.”
His voice was warm and steady. Safe.
My stomach growled, breaking the moment. “Are you hungry? Because I am.”
“Same,” he said, smiling. “What do you want?”
“Subway?” I pointed across from the food court.
“Perfect.”
We walked over and ordered. When I reached for my wallet, he stepped in and paid for both of us before I could argue.
“Thank you,” I said, surprised. “That was really sweet.”
“Of course.”
We carried our food back to the table and sat down. I checked the time — almost 2 p.m. already.
As we ate, the conversation shifted into something lighter and warmer. We laughed. We shared little pieces of ourselves. And then, because the moment felt right, I said it.
“Chase… I really like you. I felt a spark today. I’d like to keep seeing you, but I don’t know where you stand.”
He reached across the table and took my hand. “I feel the same way, Lola. There’s something about you — in a good way. I want to see where this goes.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I couldn’t stop smiling. For the first time in a long time, something felt easy.
After we finished eating, I threw away my trash and asked, “Want to walk around some more?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
We wandered around the mall until the sun started dipping low. When I checked my phone, it was 4:30 p.m., and Jasmine had texted:
Everything okay?
I replied: Everything’s good.
Then I slipped my phone away.
“I should head home before it gets dark,” I told him. “I’ll text you when I get there.”
“Okay,” he said. “Be careful. And… I had a really good time today.”
“I did too.”
He pulled me into a hug — warm, gentle, lingering just long enough to make my heart flutter. Then I waved goodbye and headed toward the bus stop.
When I got home, I texted him: Just got home.
Jasmine appeared from the hallway. “So? How’d it go?”
“It was good,” I said, smiling without meaning to.
“At least you had fun,” she said. “Dad and I just cleaned the house.”
“Fun,” I joked, and we both laughed.
Later, when I was alone in my room, I replayed the day in my head — the smile, the hand‑holding, the honesty, the spark.
I hoped he wouldn’t change his mind about me.
I hoped this was the start of something real.