"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." – Ephesians 4:29

Maya felt tears spring into her eyes as she closed the car door. Though every cell in her body wanted to look back and see Jake, she didn't dare turn around. Instead, she kept her attention focused on her parents, trying desperately not to let her tears show.

Mr. Mallory pulled away from the curb and headed out of the parking lot, leaving Jake behind them. Just before they turned onto the busy street, Maya couldn't contain her emotions any longer. She jumped to her knees and swiveled around, gripping the headrest of the backseat while staring out the window. Sure enough, she could barely make out Jake's figure slumped against the tree at the front of the parking lot.

Poor Jake! She chewed on her bottom lip worriedly. Her fingers automatically flew to her phone, but she resisted the urge to call him. Now was definitely not the time. Her parents were still chattering away excitedly, ignorant of the fact that their daughter had just been ripped away from one of the most important conversations of her life.

It had been partly Maya's fault, of course. She knew it had been rude to leave Jake hanging like that, but she'd been so shocked upon hearing his apology that running seemed to be the only plausible escape at the time. Now, she wished she could go back. Jake had poured his heart out to her, and she had left without acknowledging his honesty. Maya shamefully sank lower in her seat, watching the buildings and trees race by out the window. She squinted through her thin veil of tears before quickly blinking them away. If only I had stayed just a few minutes longer! If only I had told Jake how much his apology meant to me.

Mrs. Mallory's voice pulled Maya out of her reverie. "I hope you're just as excited as we are, honey!" she exclaimed. "You are, aren't you?"

Her mother's expectant look caused Maya to force a smile and nod along. "Of course," she said in the happiest tone she could muster.

Mr. Mallory beamed at her through the rearview mirror. "I'm glad you're on board," he said. "There's nothing I would like more than to stay home with my beautiful wife and daughter."

Maya's eyes widened. So this was what all the hype was about—her father had officially made the decision to stay home, and her mother had fully accepted it. They were probably on their way to celebrate the news right now.

"Where are we going again?" Maya asked curiously.

Mrs. Mallory rattled off the name of a fancy restaurant, and Maya sighed deeply. Eating was the last thing she wanted to do right now. Her fingers lightly traced the screen of her phone, but once again, she fought the urge to call Jake. Her parents needed her full attention right now. The way Mrs. Mallory was holding her husband's hand as he drove showed just how excited they were to be starting this new chapter in their lives—a chapter that included Maya.

This time, she gave her father a true smile and said, "I love you, Dad."

He took his eyes off the road for a brief second to meet her gaze. "I love you too, sweetie," he said.

Just as the first signs of sunset made their presence in the sky, Koa pulled his dad's pickup into the driveway of Nikki's house. He sat inside the vehicle for a few moments to collect himself. He glanced down at his phone, double-checked the address, and then glanced back up at the numbers hanging on the front porch of the house.

After confirming that this was indeed Nikki's home, Koa turned the key and hopped out of the truck. He strode across the porch and waited for a few tense seconds in front of the door before knocking. Moments later, it opened to reveal his stunning date. Nikki's hair, except for two strands that were braided and pulled back in a small crown, had been let down and curled just beneath her shoulders. Her outfit was classy and dark and seemed to make her black hair seem lighter.

Koa soaked all of this in within a matter of seconds, and then his manners took over. "You look great," he said, smiling and reaching out a hand.

Nikki took his hand and stepped down onto the porch. After calling goodbye to her parents over her shoulder, she closed the front door and turned towards the driveway.

"How far away is Benji's house?" she asked curiously. She and Koa were heading to his place because Benji had offered to drive everyone to Tomato Street, a popular restaurant near the coast.

"About ten minutes, give or take a few," Koa replied. Upon reaching the pickup, he held open the passenger door and let Nikki slide inside. As soon as she was settled in, he walked back over to the driver's side and took a seat.

Sure enough, the ride to Benji's house took about ten minutes, allowing Koa and Nikki to chat for a good while. From there, they climbed into Benji's car, and then the ride to the Tomato Street took a bit longer. The foursome had fun talking about school, hobbies, and music tastes until they reached the restaurant.

After waiting fifteen minutes in the lobby to be seated, a waitress finally ushered them to their table. Nikki and Koa sat on one side while Benji and Hannah sat on the other.

"I'm so glad you guys were able to come," Hannah said after they had finished browsing their menus. "I mean, I'm disappointed that Maya couldn't make it, but at you and Koa are just as fun!"

Nikki smiled and nodded. "I wish Maya would have introduced you to me sooner."

"Yes!" Hannah laughed. "I was just thinking the same thing!"

Koa grinned and stared once more at Nikki's beautiful, dark curls. He was glad she was getting along so well with his friends. For his first official date, it was actually going quite well.

After ordering their food, they talked for a few minutes more. Koa realized he should have connected with Benji much sooner—the guy was hilarious and smart. He made a mental note to hang out with Benji at school more often, and maybe even go on another double date with Hannah and Nikki.

If Nikki wants another date, of course, Koa thought, eyeing her hopefully. She caught his gaze out of the corner of her eye and smiled.

Moments later, their food arrived—steaming garlic rolls, plates piled high with spaghetti, and large bowls of minestrone soup and salad. They were quickly absorbed with eating and gushing over how delicious the Italian food was.

At one point during their meal, the conversation turned back towards Maya and Jake, and Hannah politely questioned whether Koa or Nikki knew if something was going on between them. "I notice they haven't been acting like a couple at school," she said thoughtfully. "I would hate to hear that they broke up, but it sure looks like that's what's happened."

Koa winced and scooted back in his seat. "Unfortunately you're right," he said. "They had an argument over something and they haven't talked to each other since."

Benji shook his head. "They were the most popular couple in school."

"No wonder Maya said she couldn't make it," Hannah sighed. "I wish she would have told me the reason."

"She hasn't told anyone," Koa said, before wondering if he should have held his tongue. But then Nikki turned the tide of the conversation and they moved on to another subject, sparing him any further talk about Maya and Jake.

For about an hour, the group conversed on a variety of topics before Hannah let out a series of long, gaping yawns. Of course, this set off a chain reaction, causing the rest to begin yawning as well. They laughed it off and decided to head home since it was growing rather late.

After the guys split the cost of the meal, they headed back to Benji's car. A short drive later, they arrived at Benji's house, and the couples bid goodbye to each other. Once Koa and Nikki were seated in the pickup, they both let out a collective sigh.

"What was that for?" Koa asked curiously, noticing Nikki's sudden relaxed posture.

"Oh, I don't know," she chuckled. "I was just stressed out about tonight for some reason."

"Did you have fun?"

"Of course!" she said hastily.

Koa waited for her to elaborate, but when she didn't, he decided to take a different route. "You know, I was stressed out about tonight too," he said.

She gazed at him doubtfully. "You seemed fine."

"Well, good." He grinned. "But I was freaking out on the inside. This is my first date, after all."

Nikki's face blossomed into a smile. "Are you glad you came?"

"Actually, I am. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would."

If it was even possible, her smile widened. She leaned forward and stared at Koa expectantly. "I don't know if this is too sudden, but would you—I mean—if you want to—we can maybe do this again?" She paused. "Without Hannah and Benji?"

Koa tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Shoot. This wasn't the conversation he wanted to have right now. He hadn't been expecting another date for at least a few weeks—if Nikki even wanted to go on another date. Obviously, she did, but he found it a little odd that she was the one to ask him. Wasn't it always the guy's responsibility to ask the girl out, not vice versa?

Noticing his hesitation, Nikki settled back in her seat. "If you don't want to, that's fine," she said awkwardly. "I get it."

"Get what?" Koa asked.

She turned away from him to look out the window. "That you'd rather stay friends."

Oh. Koa's lips parted as he realized what she was saying. "Nikki, listen," he said, pulling over to stop at the curb. He turned to face her. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but there's something important I have to tell you."

His conversation with Blaine came back to him. "Okay, so you obviously know that my faith means a lot to me," he began.

She nodded, but confusion was written across her eyes.

"I know that in today's world teenagers are pressured to be in dating relationships. It's a priority for many people. But in my case, I've never accepted that pressure. I've never been interested in dating unless it was in order to find a girl to marry."

Nikki sighed, obviously resigning herself to the rejection that she thought was coming.

"But then I met you," Koa said, giving her a crooked smile, "and you changed all that. I never thought I would truly, genuinely like a girl enough to consider dating her, but here you are."

She cocked her head to one side. "Really?"

"Really," he chuckled. "I think you're great, Nikki. You're intelligent and beautiful and you always bring out the best in me when we're together."

"Thanks," she said shyly. "Even though that was a little cheesy."

He laughed. "Sorry. What I meant to say was: I really like you, and I've given a lot of thought about dating you. But..."

Her face fell.

"...I hold my faith in Christ as my highest priority, and I truly believe that I shouldn't date unless I'm looking for someone to marry."

"You—you don't think you could marry me?" Nikki asked. "I mean, it's much too early for that, obviously, but..."

"It's not just that, Nikki," he said gently. "If we did end up marrying one day, our different worldviews would eventually drive us apart. We think about God in completely different ways, and God means everything to me. It would cause too much conflict—I've seen it in other relationships before."

She gave him a look that said she didn't understand, but Koa was anticipating that. He turned to face forward and made ready to pull away from the curb, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Koa," Nikki said quietly. "I don't quite understand why God means so much to you, but I respect your faith. I see it in the way you live your life—you're dedicated. You have a passion for him, just like you told me at Scottie's last week. But does this really mean that you won't date me, even if you want to?"

Koa nodded, even though he desperately wanted to go back on his word and ask her out right then and there. He knew, even though Nikki was a sincere, honest, wonderful person, that dating her would only set himself up for failure in the end.

"Then I guess there's nothing I can do," she said sadly. "I guess we'll just have to stick with being friends." She withdrew her hand from his arm. "We can still be friends, right?"

"Of course," he said quickly.

She pursed her lips and nodded. "Okay."

Koa exhaled a long sigh. Though that tricky conversation was over, the anxiety in his stomach still hadn't gone away. He felt just as confused as ever. When he reached Nikki's house moments later, he swallowed his sadness and walked her to the door.

"Well, thanks again for coming," she said softly.

"Of course." He kept his arms stiffly at his sides, but his whole body screamed to do something more. He couldn't just let Nikki walk away like this. He had let her down, hard, and he wasn't about to leave her without some hope.

"Nikki," he said, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her. She relaxed in his embrace and rested her head against his shoulder. "Please don't be mad at me," he said quietly. "I don't want our relationship to end on a bad note. Let's hang out and talk some more—maybe at Scottie's, maybe at the beach again."

"Just not as a couple," she said quietly.

He heaved a sigh. "Well...yeah."

She nodded into his shoulder. "That's okay."