Birthday Girl Ch. 04

"Have fun you two," Kelly said with a smile "and behave yourselves." She teased with a stern look, wagging a finger.

Melissa rolled her eyes and took my arm, and together we walked to my car. I still couldn't believe this beautiful creature was with me of her own free will. I opened the door for her and she smiled as she got in, flashing me that dimple in the process. Her dress rode up to mid-thigh and I tried not to stare. Her legs were nicely toned, looked she was a runner.

I backed out of the driveway and we made our way to the restaurant on the edge of the city. I was nervous but it wasn't debilitating, I could manage coherent sentences, so it was good.

*************************************

The restaurant I had opted for was a small outdoor type with the tables set in the open, far enough from each other to offer privacy but not so far that you felt you were dining in the jungle. It was at the edge of the woods and had a very nice ambience with low lighting and the tables illuminated only with candles. There was no moon and stars were twinkling high overhead making the atmosphere even more private and intimate.

"Wow, nice place, I haven't been here before," Melissa said looking around as we were shown to our table.

"Yeah, they opened just a while back, they're not very well known yet," I said.

I would have held out her chair for her but the waiter was already on it, giving her an appreciative look while he was at it. I had a sudden desire to punch him in the face. He brought us our menus and I was terrified. Reading through the dishes I realized I couldn't even pronounce half of them, leave alone knowing what they were. The moment of my demise had arrived. She would laugh at me and realize I was a simpleton who probably belonged in a farm, drinking milk straight from the cow's udder.

"You ready to order?" she asked bringing me back from my farm.

"Uhmmmm..." I looked at her sheepishly.

"What's wrong?" she asked putting down her menu.

"This will sound stupid but, this stuff might as well be written in Greek," I said pointing at the menu, "I have absolutely no clue what is written or what to order, im totally out of my element here," I laid it all on the table, pun not intended.

That small smile that I was starting to adore was playing on her lips again. "Want me to order for the both of us?"

I nodded, still sheepish. Great, next the food will be so complicated she'll have to feed me as well. She rattled off something to the waiter, who probably thought I was brought up by the isolated tribes in the Amazon, then turned back to me as he rushed off.

"You're not used to this are you?" she asked.

"No," I replied figuring there was no point in lying, "This is actually the first dinner I've gone on, with a girl I mean."

Her eyes widened at that, "No way, but then that means," something clicked in her head, "that kiss..."

"Yup, first one."

Her fingers went to her lips as she looked at me with wonder, "You're kidding me,"

"Wish I was,"

"But... you're twenty seven, how..." She shook her head disbelievingly.

Aaaaaaaaaaand the prize for the biggest loser goes to... I pictured a big red neon arrow blinking and pointing right down at me. Jackpot.

"I was, sorry, I am a really shy person. I find it very difficult to speak to anyone, not just girls and I guess between that and school and work and all the other stuff going on, dating just didn't work out. I tried, I mean it's not like I didn't notice girls or anything but it never led anywhere, it was always a dead end."

"That's so rare..." She said slowly.

"Yeah, don't I know it. Look if you want to run or something, I promise not to chase you." I tried joking.

"You mean your one chance at getting laid and you're going to let me go without a fight?" she asked, eyes wide.

We both laughed, the tension broken.

"Well now, I didn't know you were that easy, a dinner is all it takes?"

"I said 'chance' at getting laid, and you're not going to get anywhere with that attitude."

"Tease."

She was about to respond when we were interrupted by the waiter bringing the food. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. All that fancy naming and shit and what do we get? Lasagna. Couldn't they just write lasagna on the bloody menu? I wondered what they called French fries here. Spud sticks lightly bubbled in the liquid excretion of the palm fruit and sprinkled with a dusting of an infusion of sodium and chloride. And the waiter had the audacity to look at me like I'm weird. Idiot.

"Seems you need to have a PhD in food to order lasagna around here," I said to Melissa after the waiter departed.

She almost choked on her bite. "It's not lasagna," she said after a gulp of water, still laughing.

"It isn't?" I asked looking at the crap on my plate, astonished.

"Okay it is basically lasagna, but they've added..." I didn't get a word she said after that.

"So it's Fancy lasagna." I stated after she finished listing the numerous ingredients.

She just shook her head, "You're not gonna let it go, are you?"

"I'm just saying they're being pretentious. Even if you make a pig wear a hat, it's still a pig."

That started a long debate. She refused to back down until I finally decided to let it go, though it was fun watching her defend her point, she looked cute even while arguing.

"Fine, it's not lasagna."

She smiled triumphantly, apparently proud of her achievement.

My fork clattered onto the plate as I almost shot out of the chair. Something had brushed up against my leg. I looked at Melissa to see if she had felt anything but she had her head down and was concentrating on her food. I picked up my fork and almost dropped it again as I felt it again. Something was lightly brushing against my shin. Did this place have cats?

Melissa had an innocent look as she calmly ate, pretending to be oblivious to what was going on. The corner of her lip was twitching.

"Melly," I started. Her eyes shot up to look at me with her face still looking down. Even her foot stopped moving.

"Sa." I quickly added. "I was going to say Melly-sa." She looked back down again and her foot resumed its teasing. It was almost up to my knee now. I was squirming in my seat now looking around to see if anyone else had noticed my odd behavior.

I cleared my throat, "Melissa, quit it." I whispered to her.

"Whatever do you mean?" It had reached above my knee now.

"Seriously, you need to stop."

"Stop what?"

"What you're doing!" I said through gritted teeth, jabbing at the table with one finger.

Her foot retreated as she laughed to herself, "You're too much fun to tease."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know I'm irresistible, you don't need to make excuses." I said cockily.

"Is that now?"

"You can deny it all you want, but I know you want some of this," I said pretending to lick a finger and placing it on my chest, making a sizzling sound.

She laughed and threw a napkin at me, "Shut up, you."

We were soon done with the food and the plates were taken away, leaving us with our glasses of wine. I hadn't had more than one glass as I was driving and she'd only had one as well. The bill arrived and I paid although she insisted we split it.

"You men and your egos" she complained.

"We do like our egos" I agreed.

"I'll pay... you shouldn't lift that... you can't drive," she said in a high pitched voice, waving her arms around.

"I don't know about the paying and the lifting, but I totally agree with the driving part." I didn't mean it but it was time for a little payback for the footsy games.

"You sexist pig!"

"What? I'm just saying the truth."

"I can drive anything you can better than you, even that tin can you brought me here in." she said indignantly.

Tin can? Oh no she didn't.

"My dear Melly, my car is a manual, not an Auto. It got a little stick with a ball on top you have to use to change gears, you don't just put it in D and forget about it." I told her as if I was explaining to a little child.

She was throwing daggers at me with her eyes.

"Gimme the keys,"

"Say what now?"

"The keys, Sebastian Loeb."

"You're serious?"

She just held out her hand.

"You know what a clutch is, right?"

She beckoned impatiently.

I slowly put the keys in her palm, still doubtful.

"Have you ever driven a Turbo? It's this thing that whistles and makes the car go faster a little while after you've pressed the gas," I explained to her as we walked to the car. I had a bad feeling about this but she had a determined look on her face.

We got in and she started the car after putting it in neutral. That calmed me some-what. I strapped myself in as she engaged reverse and slowly backed out. What do you know, she could drive a manual. She shifted to first and smoothly pulled out of the parking lot without a single jerk or bog. I was impressed. My Celica had a heavy clutch and I was sure it wasn't easy operating it in heels. I still wasn't going to back down though.

"Not bad," I said, "for a girl."

Bad idea. I should really tape my mouth shut.

She downshifted to second, revved to seven thousand and dumped the clutch. The tires squealed as the car lurched forward, all three hundred and five horses going berserk under the hood. I grabbed the edges of the bucket seats trying to look for another seat belt to strap on. She looked focused and in control when I chanced a look at her, both hands on the wheel as she concentrated on the road. I couldn't help thinking she looked sexy as hell.

"Melissa, slow down, no one is chasing us."

She backed off at hundred miles per hour and slowed down to a more comfortable fifty before turning to me smiling

"Whatcha' think now?"

"You're crazy."

"Told ya I could drive this thing better than you," she shifted to fifth and coasted along on the deserted road. It was a long narrow stretch lined with trees on either side and it was completely dark except for the headlights illuminating the tarmac ahead.

"Where did you learn how to drive a stick?" I asked shifting lower in my seat putting my hands on the headrest behind me.

"My ex," she said simply, not explaining any further.

I was debating whether to ask her more. I knew I shouldn't, but I still felt a pang of jealousy upon hearing about her ex. I wasn't naïve enough to think she'd never had a boyfriend before but that didn't mean I had to like it. Sue me, I don't like sharing.

I was staring at the yellow lines disappearing under the car, contemplating the best course of action when suddenly a deer bounded onto the middle of the road and stopped almost a hundred feet away, standing across the road and looking at the car.

I shot up to attention immediately and grabbed the dashboard. The car showed no signs of slowing down and we were getting closer to the deer at a frightening pace. I looked at Melissa to see her in shock, staring with wide eyes at the deer.

"Melissa brake!" I shouted, knocking the gear lever into neutral position and reaching for the hand-brake.

She snapped out of it and slammed the brakes, the momentum throwing us forward, held back only by our seatbelts. I yanked the handbrake up and the tires screamed in protest as the tail started swinging out to the right. I grabbed the wheel but before I could counter-steer we were already too late.

I heard a sickening crunch as the car rammed into the deer, the right corner hitting it head-on. I could feel the metal frame give way and hear the glass of the right headlight as it shattered. The deer got scooped up onto the hood, but that's the last thing I saw as the air-bags deployed.

We were both slammed back into our seats by the expanding balloons of gas. Shit, were these things supposed to save you or decapitate you? They hurt like a bitch. I felt the car finally stop and heard something slide off the car and drop to the road, the car rocking once before becoming to rest. Still disorientated, I reached out beside me to check if Melissa was ok. I found her upper arm and squeezed.

As the air-bags went slack I coughed and sputtered and shook my head before turning to Melissa. She was also coughing and her hands were covering her face. I was wondering why she looked blurry before I realized my glasses had broken and fallen off. Thank god I hadn't worn contacts. Giving her a once over I decided she was unhurt, switched on the hazards, and got out of the car to walk over to her side and pull her out.

The deer was already getting to its feet and on seeing me, it jumped up and leaped away into the trees on the opposite side of the road, apparently totally unhurt as well. Tough deer, I needed to start eating my veggies too. I opened the driver's side door and leaned down. Melissa still had a look of shock on her face. Her fists were clenched tight and she was breathing rapidly.

"Melissa," I called out softly and touched her arm.

There was no response. She was staring blankly ahead, her breathing rising. She was in shock.

"Melissa, come here," I reached in and released her seat belt and gently took her by the arms and guided her out of the car. She just followed with a distressed look on her face.

I stood her against the side of the car and rubbed her arms, trying to get her to look at me.

"Hey, are you ok? Melissa?" I shifted so my face was in her line of vision. "Hey, you alright?"

"I hit someone." She stated, tensing up.

"It was just a deer Mel, it's ok," I tried to ease her concern.

"I... I froze." She said and looked down.

"Hey, it happens," I put a finger under her chin and lifted it so I was looking into her eyes, "It happens Melissa, even I've been there, it's a natural response."

"But, but it could have been a person, and... and someone might have died tonight because of me," she said as she put her face in her hands and turned away from me, "Oh God, I'm so stupid," she mumbled into her hands.

I turned her towards me and hugged her, knowing words wouldn't calm her right now. I put my arms around her and held her against me gently as she wrapped her hands around my waist and buried her face in my shoulder. She was shivering but I knew it wasn't because of the weather. I held her like that for five minutes, rubbing her back and kissing the top of her head as she calmed down, her breathing returning to normal. Finally she pulled away gently, looking down.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be ridiculous. It could have happened to anyone, deer don't exactly use zebra crossings now do they?"

That got a small laugh out of her before her eyes bulged again and her hands went to her mouth, "Your car!"

We went to the front to assess the damage. It was just as I thought. The right side was smashed in, the headlight in pieces, the hood dented in and the windscreen had cracked where the deer hit. Thankfully the engine was still running and it looked like the car could still move.

"I'm so sorry!" I heard beside me. Melissa was close to tears again as she took in the wreck.

"It's ok, trust me, the car is fixable. We are unhurt, that's the important part," I told her putting an arm around her shoulder.

She still dint look convinced and kept biting her nails nervously.

"C'mon, let's get out of here before it decides to break down completely. I haven't seen a single car on this road since we stopped and I don't wanna wait for one if we get stranded."

I guided her to the passenger side and got her in before getting in myself. Maneuvering the air-bag out of the way, I shifted to first and released the clutch, praying the car would move. It was a good thing we still had one headlight working otherwise it would have been impossible to navigate in the pitch black of the night, with a spider-web for a windscreen.

There were a many groans and creaks and quite a few noises that definitely should not be there but thankfully the car moved. An occasional hiss would sound and the car was wobbly and kept veering to one side so I drove slowly and carefully. Melissa found my broken glasses, another reason to upset her again. I put my free hand on hers and she squeezed back, glad for the reassurance.

It took us an hour to get back at the slow speed we were travelling, each of us saying only a handful of words on the way back. I kept holding her hand the entire way and I knew she was grateful for the simple touch. We pulled into her driveway and I left the engine running.

She looked over at me and gasped, "Oh my God, you're bleeding!"

"What? Where?" I searched my face, trying to look in the rearview mirror.

"Just above your left eye, I must have missed it in the dark."

It was a small cut where my glasses must have dug into my skin when the air-bag exploded.

"It's just a scratch, don't worry," I said dismissing it.

"No! You're coming in and I'll have a look at it."

"Melissa, if I switch off the engine it might not turn again. Don't worry about it, I'll be fine, you go and relax, I'll call you tomorrow ok?"

"No. If your car dies I'll drop you home. Let's go in." She was adamant.

I knew she thought the crash was her fault and she was feeling guilty and wanted to do something to make it up, no matter how small.

"Fine," I relented, turning the key to switch off the car, "let's go."

She fussed over me, turning my face this way and that to see if I was hurt anywhere else as we waited for her sister to open the door. I let her have her way as I was enjoying the attention. A pretty girl was willingly fussing over me, who was I to deny.

Kelly opened the door and the smile dropped from her face as she took in the scene.

"What happened?" she asked, worried.

"Car crash," Melissa said as she dragged me into the living room.

I sat on the couch as she went off to look for the First-aid kit.

"How? Where? Are you hurt?" Kelly fired off questions following us.

"Speed Racer here hit a camel." I told her as Melissa came back.

She glared at me, "It's not funny."

"Too early?"

"We hit a deer," she told her sister as she pressed the alcohol soaked cotton-wool a little harder than necessary into the wound. I winced.

Melissa recited the whole story clinically, as if she were giving a statement to the police.

"Lissy, you know better than that, how could you do something like reckless like that?" Kelly started.

I could see Melissa's lips tighten and a look of anger flash across her face. I guess this is what it meant to be the youngest in the family, everyone treated you like an irresponsible kid.

"Kelly, it wasn't her fault, the deer came out of nowhere, there is nothing anyone could have done, we just wouldn't have stopped in time." I defended her.

"That's ok, but speeding like that-"

"She wasn't speeding." I cut her off, "We were under the limit and there was no reckless driving involved. It was a freak accident Kelly, it could have happened to anyone, it's like blaming someone for being shot at point blank range."

It seemed like she wanted to say something else but kept quiet. "Are you sure you're both Ok?" she asked still concerned.

We both nodded.

"Are radiologists allowed to pretend to be doctors?" I asked Kelly.

Melissa was putting on the band-aid and once again put more force than necessary. I needed to time my jibes better, she might rip off the band-aid off next time.

"I guess I better go and check if my tin can will turn over," I said getting up.

Melissa got up with me, "I'll go with you, in case your tin can doesn't start and you need to be dropped."

At least she was joking again.

"Thanks for bringing her back safe Brian," Kelly said as she came over and gave me a brief hug, "and take care and drive safe. No more surprise accidents, ok?"