Jack drove Lana to her work. Lana didn't show it, but she was grateful to have another moment alone with him.

"Your coworkers won't be upset that you're late on a Monday?"

"Nah. My work is pretty flexible. As long as I get things done, it doesn't matter what time I go in. I usually like to work out in the morning though, so that might throw my day off just a little." Jack smiled and glanced at Lana as he sped through the neighborhood.

Lana thought about Jack's schedule and his dinner plans. She decided to just put herself out of what would likely be the day's misery and just ask about it. "So... your dinner plans... got a hot date?"

Jack looked at Lana and grinned. "Why? Do you not want it to be a hot date?"

He is so cheeky! Lana smiled, "No, no! Of course not! You can date whoever you want! I'm just asking like a nosy friend would, that's all. Besides, I'm going on a date, so that would be very hypocritical of me to not want that, right?"

She saw Jack's smile falter slightly and quickly added, "Besides, Chloe's right, this guy could be crazy." She smiled and hoped her words would bring his smile back into place. Success!

There was a moment of silence, and Lana took a deep breath in. The air in the confined space grew hotter by the minute. Jack finally broke the tension. "To answer your question, no, it's not a date. Just something I need to take care of."

Lana stayed silent, debating whether she should press.

Jack stopped at a light and turned to Lana. "So, since you've already decided to continue our twenty questions game, it's now my turn. How come you don't currently have a boyfriend?"

Lana laughed. "Well... I guess I'm not really good at the whole dating thing. I don't normally date very often, like hardly at all, and I get a little freaked out about things."

"You seemed like a seasoned pro when we went out. And you're getting back on the wagon tonight."

Lana laughed. "Thanks, yeah, that was my first date in a long time. I don't know. I think I just get shy sometimes and don't often reciprocate gestures of affection because it freaks me out. I also tend to close up early before things go far."

Jack laughed. "You, shy? I honestly would not have guessed that at all. At Goodwill, you were not shy to speak your mind." Jack paused and then quickly steered the conversation away from the Goodwill incident, "Also, you seem like the easiest person in the world to talk to."

"Well, I guess  when I feel safe and comfortable is when I can open up."

The car went back to being silent as Jack turned into the Trader Joe's parking lot. He parked in one of the spots, and Lana could feel herself already dreading the separation.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime."

Lana began to unbuckle her seat belt when Jack spoke again. "Lana, I wa—" he started but then stopped. Lana had no idea what he was about to say but stayed glued to her seat to find out. He continued. "Lana, I had a really great time. Thanks for bearing with me as I try to fix my screw-up."

"I had a good time too. Forget about that stupid box. It's really okay. And who knows, maybe Chloe is on to something."

He looked out the windshield. "Yeah, maybe." Jack quickly turned his head back to Lana as she began to open the door. "Have a great day at work, Lana."

"Thanks, Jack, you too. I'll see you later tonight."

As soon as Lana stepped out of the car, she saw Rosie, Harry, and Jon, cheering and hollering as she walked up.

Oh God, they saw me leave Jack's car.

Lana's cheeks grew hot and she was mentally preparing herself to deny anything and everything.

"Yassss girl, someone had a good night last night!" said Jon.

"He's the guy I told you guys about," said Rosie to Harry and Jon.

Oh great, now the whole Trader Joe's knows about my date and supposed sleepover with Jack.

"Hi, guys. Is everyone minding their own business today? Or should we write out my life on the chalkboard for all of our customers to know what's going on?"

"Absolutely" and "Yes" were said in unison.

Lana rolled her eyes and continued walking into work. Even though she was going on a blind date, she felt giddy thinking about how Jack would be close by on his non-date—emphasis on the non.

***

Sorry that it's a short one! Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading and please drop a vote if you did like it. ☺️♥️