The Ride Home After a First Date

It should've been a peaceful ride home. After all, Jenna Freeman had just been on a perfect date with Ian Duvall, the guy she'd had a crush on since she first transferred to Stuyvesant High. She had him in her algebra class, but she'd later end up spending much more time with him on the football field. Ian was a running back on the football team while Jenna had been persuaded by her mother to try out for the cheer squad. By some miracle (in Jenna's mind), she made the team and got to cheer Ian on through a number of games. With his long black hair and ruggedly handsome features, Jenna couldn't help but fall for him.

It was through algebra, though, that Jenna and Ian truly interacted for the first time. Ian was in desperate need of help getting his grade up to remain eligible to play, and after consulting with their teacher, he suggested Jenna as a study buddy/tutor. As nervous as she was to be spending such intimate time with Ian, Jenna managed to swallow the butterflies and guide Ian from a D to a B-. Over that period, Jenna and Ian began spending time together outside of their math sessions and learning they had quite a bit in common. They both loved pineapple on pizza, they were both obsessed with true crime podcasts, and they agreed that history teacher Mr. Fritz was probably a serial killer in another life. However, even as their tutoring arrangement turned into a genuine friendship, Jenna couldn't help but feel scared whenever she was with Ian. She always worried that she'd do or say something that would scare him away from her.

And now, as she sat in his car on the way home from their first date, she feared she was about to do just such a thing.

It was Thursday when Ian asked Jenna out. The question took Jenna by surprise, but she managed to keep herself composed and say yes without having a stroke right there in the school hallway. The date was set for Saturday night at the new Mexican restaurant that had just opened up that month. Jenna wore the best stuff she could find in her closet, coming together with a passable "casual-but-not-too-casual" outfit. Not that Ian minded much, having dressed for the date in a plain red T-shirt and tight blue jeans that gave Jenna a lot to ogle as they walked into the restaurant.

The date was fun, with Jenna and Ian sharing a bowl of nacho chips before chowing down on a plateful of tacos. Jenna laughed as Ian detailed a recent football team prank involving a D cup bra and raw cookie dough and the two made snarky remarks as the latest episode of American Idol came on one of the restaurant TVs. Jenna halfway left herself unwind, but a small part of her still kept on alert, ready to backtrack if anything she said weirded out Ian. By the time the teens left the restaurant, it was fifteen minutes until closing and Jenna felt like she'd explode if she had another bite of anything. As Ian started up the car, she thought she might just fall asleep on the way home. Maybe he'll just carry me up to my bedroom when he gets to my house, Jenna drowsily half-pondered, half-wished for.

But now, as another interminable red light turned green, Jenna was wide awake and terrified she was about to ruin her first date with Ian in the eleventh hour. The butterflies in her stomach were replaced with an unmistakable pressure. You just had to be born with a weakness for tacos, Jenna, didn't ya? Now look where it's gotten you! Jenna's bitter thoughts to herself offered little distraction from the tough task at hand: keep a content smile plastered on her face as she struggled to keep the gas bubbling up inside her contained. At least the radio was on and Daughtry (Ian's favorite band) was playing, sparing Jenna from having to keep any small talk going. But as the red light turned green, the Mustang beside them suddenly revved its engine as it sped down the road.

And the sudden startle was all it took for Jenna to involuntarily release all that pressure in one loud burst.

As Ian drove forward past the traffic light, silence fell over the car, broken only by the wind blowing in through the open windows. Jenna squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to open them and see Ian's reaction. She was expecting to hear some exclamation of disgust or scornful laughter in response to her mortifying slip.

What she didn't expect in response was a soft chuckle followed by another loud gaseous rupture.

"Finally! I thought you were gonna make me be the first one to do it." Ian exclaimed as he leaned back in his seat, finally at ease again. Jenna was so surprised by his unexpected reaction that she couldn't help but laugh despite herself.

"How did you know?"

"I've got a dad with a rather unhealthy fascination with refried beans. So I know what it looks like when someone needs to fart." Ian explained, a halfcocked smile never leaving his face. "I just wanted to see if I could hold out longer than you."

Another giggle passed Jenna's lips. "Well, congrats, you win."

"And I'm pretty damn proud of it too. I mean, I was holding that in since before we left the parking lot!"

The rest of the drive saw Jenna and Ian back to the carefree conversation they were having at the restaurant, starting with their most embarrassing bodily-function-related moments and ending with them coming up with ideas for a senior prank to play on Mr. Fritz. But Jenna felt more relaxed than she had been earlier. Before, she'd been walking on eggshells with Ian, fearful that a bad joke or an awkward movement would doom their first date. But now, after a seemingly awkward moment made her see that those eggshells were just in her head, Jenna's worries were gone with the wind.

Pulling up outside Jenna's house, Jenna turned to face Ian to say goodbye. "I had fun tonight, Ian."

"Me too, Jenna. We definitely need to do this again." Ian replied, his dark brown eyes and warm smile mesmerizing Jenna. A new kind of tension came into the air as Jenna noticed something different in Ian's gaze. And after such an interesting evening, Jenna was ready to stop playing it careful and make a bold move.

This is it. The moment you've been fantasizing about. Just...go for it.

In a swift movement, Jenna leaned forward and kissed Ian. Within a second, Jenna knew her instincts were right. She could feel the lips beneath hers reciprocating the kiss and Ian's hands found their way to Jenna's sides. Jenna took her own hands to the back of Ian's head, running her fingers through the long dark locks that had been the centerpiece of her dreams for weeks. Once their lips parted company, the pair sat and stared at each other, both equally astonished at what had transpired.

"Um...well, I better go before my mom thinks I'm trying to get pregnant out here." Jenna broke the silence with an admittedly lame trying-to-lighten-the-mood joke. Ian gave a mild chuckle as Jenna opened her door and stepped out onto the curb.

"Jenna?"

"Yeah?" Jenna turned back and leaned down to look at Ian through the window. What Ian said both sent her heart fluttering and sent her mouth twisting into an amused grin as she silently agreed with her new boyfriend's sentiment.

"Next time, let's go to a different restaurant."