First Date
Never in a million years did she envision herself here, right now, getting out of her car to go whale watching. Of all the things to do, Lapis Lazuli suggested that they take advantage of the good weather, and do something they both have never done before. It was always good weather in Beach City. Rarely was it not. The bartender messaged Peridot a list of random ideas with each one being a unique activity. It was clear to the blonde that Lapis likely was an adventurist, and enjoyed new things. Peridot could not say the same thing for herself, it depended on what it was. But all the ideas Lapis listed were tame, nothing too crazy or out there. Some of them seemed actually fun, though they were “out there.”
Locking the door to her brick red sedan car, she strolled towards the boardwalk near the dock, where tied up boats lined up one by one. On the other side was a long strip of buildings, mostly higher end restaurants, bars, and cheap souvenir stores. Nothing special. Walking at a steady pace, she did not want to appear like she was desperate to get there early. Peridot had a knack for getting to places right on the dot, whether she intended to or not. This time she calculated her walking speed, and the map application on her phone estimated her arrival time a few minutes late. Still, she did not want to look ridiculous by rushing.
Feeling a trickle of nervous sweat run down the side of her head, she wiped it away. Fortunately she put an extra layer of her deodorant on in the car, though she hardly ever perspired. Must be her skin type.
There it was, the whale watching building. The name of the business on the overhanging sign said “Whale Now.” Underneath pictured a corny illustration of a pink, cartoon whale with a smile and water spout. A five year old could have drawn it. Besides the bad pun for a business name, it was a reputable business according to a quick internet search. Four and a half stars was pretty good, by most business standards.
Peridot’s eyes went from the wooden sign, to the person standing out front. It was Lapis Lazuli, who had her eyes fixed on Peridot. Was it just her, or was her date’s hair much bluer than she remembered? To her bewilderment, Lapis was not cute. She was stunning. Her hair cut seemed to be the only edgy looking thing about her. She was dressed in a lacy navy blue crop top which reached down to her mid stomach. She carried a grey sweater, which could be the same length as her dark, high-waisted shorts. The sandals she wore were black and strappy, which showed off her pastel colored pedicure.
At first glance, Peridot’s stomach churned. She might as well prepare for her funeral now, write “death by nerves” on her epitaph. Fortunately for her, the blonde did not look like a slob, or wear anything that she would have embarrassed herself in.
Lapis smiled big at her, showing off her white teeth. She had a killer smile.
“Hey it’s good to see you again. You seem to have recovered from the weekend,” she poked, referencing the night they met.
“You too,” Peridot reflected her date’s demeanor as best she could. When she stuck out an arm to shake hands, Lapis went in for a quick hug instead. Why did she have to react formally in the first place? Peridot internally regretted doing so.
But Lapis just laughed, at what? “Let’s say we both check our tickets at the counter?”
Tickets? Was she supposed to buy a ticket or reserve a spot beforehand? Why did she have to mess this up too?
“I printed off our tickets back home, and have them right here,” Lapis was not only a mind reader, but she also paid for the date. Pulling out a sheet of paper from her messenger bag, she waved it once in the air.
Oh.
After the man at the counter checked and confirmed their reservations, he directed them to go down to the end of the dock, to wait for the boat. There was already a crowd of maybe a dozen people there waiting.
Peridot tried her best at small talk. “So I assume you’re a fan of whales then?” Not a horrible question, but it reeked of obvious.
“They’re pretty cute, although I enjoy doing things around the ocean in general.”
“That makes the two of us. Fortunately, we live in Beach City,” it was probably the first time she ever said anything positive about the armpit of a city. But she was going to refrain from saying too many negative things. Today she was not going to blow it with Lapis.
“I’m honestly so excited for this. Thanks for meeting me here by the way, I know whale watching isn’t the most traditional of first dates,” she laughed to herself. Was Lapis actually nervous?
“Of course!” Peridot said more enthusiastically. “It was actually a great idea, though I wouldn’t have come up with that idea myself. I would have suggested grabbing a bite to eat, or a coffee or something. And that would have been much more boring.”
“At least it’s better than going to the movies, where you’d stare in front of a screen in silence for three hours.”
“Has that happened to you?”
“Once or twice, not the best date if I recall.”
The sound of a motor grew crecendoed, which drowned out their conversation. The whale watching boat arrived and parked by the dock along its side. It was white and embellished in the same bright pink as the whale from the logo. A short ramp was placed down for the people to walk off the vehicle. Peridot and Lapis waited until everyone had filed off, and the captain gave them the okay to walk on. As they stepped up, Peridot noticed a blonde, preppy, teenage boy, working alongside the captain and checking Lapis out. The blue haired girl was oblivious to this, but Peridot was very observant. What did she feel, jealous? No, rather she felt protective. Peridot found a spot to sit up near at the back, and let Lapis sit down closer to the water. This gesture bugged the boy she could tell, and caught his glance. He turned away faster than Peridot could. She would not let him make any moves, not on the first date.
The boat hummed beneath them, and started to take off. As it picked up speed, ocean spray misted them. Rather than annoying her, it felt refreshing on her skin. The seats were warm to the touch from the hot sun beaming down. But moving at that pace and with the breeze to help, it was at least fifteen degrees cooler. Lapis had the right idea to bring a sweater, though she just kept it across her lap.
Like glitter, the ocean water rippled under the blue sky. It divided underneath them, leaving a trail behind the boat. The wind went through Lapis’ hair gracefully, while Peridot’s hair got all over her face. Of all the times she carried a hair tie, she had to forget it at home.
Lapis laughed in good humor. “Looks like you’re having a bit of a problem there,” she dug around her bag and pulled out what Peridot forgot. “Here you go. Does your hair tie up?”
“It can now, though the pony tail looks like a little stub. Whenever I get it cut, I usually have to find some other method of keeping it from going berserk. Thanks by the way.”
At least that worked out.
“So, uh, did you grow up around here?” Typical question, but it could easily lead to other subjects.
“All my life,” Lapis stated. “I was raised in the suburbs, and then moved downtown for college. Actually now that you mention it, I’m moving in the next few days to a new place. I’m transferring to Beach City University, so it makes more sense to live closer by, to avoid the two hour commute.”
“No way, that’s where I attend college right now,” this was all too convenient for Peridot.
“Really? That’s awesome! What are you studying?”
Peridot told her all about her major, and how she moved across the country to go to school in Beach City. Leaving out the part that she was given a full ride, she focused mainly on the classes, explaining the ones she found intriguing. After her spiel, she asked Lapis about what she was studying. Lapis was a psychology major, and completed her associate degree the previous semester. She knew ever since she was a little girl she wanted to console people. Her mother had caught her once talking to herself in the mirror, asking her reflection “how do you feel” and “what do you see,” as she held crayon drawings. Peridot found this extremely adorable.
“Beach City U has a decent psychology program, which is much more than my community college offered. It will be nice to have a different change of pace, after I move near the school with my roommate.”
“Hey if you want some help moving, I only live a couple blocks away from the school,” Peridot volunteered out of the blue.
Lapis’ face shone, “That would be wonderful actually, if you have nothing going on.”
The blonde responded that she did not.
“That really would be so helpful. Anyway, you mentioned earlier that you’re from the other side of the country. How was the move? I can imagine it’s probably way different here, than back where you’re from.”
“That would be an understatement. Back at my home town, everyone is much more… out there? I don’t really know how to describe it. People here are much less outspoken… to themselves. It was easy moving over here, even though I knew no one beforehand. But like you, I was ready for a change of pace. But mind you, it was not all fun and games. My mom almost tied a leash around my neck to prevent me from going, even though it was not her decision to decide.” Besides Garnet, Peridot never talked or mentioned details about her overbearing mother, or sheltered family life.
“Well I’m glad she didn’t, because if that was the case, we wouldn’t be here on this date,” the tan girl replied sweetly. Peridot caught a glimpse of the blond haired boy look over at the word “date.” Hopefully he would quit it with the looks. “She sounds pretty strict.”
“Yeah,” Peridot massaged the back of her head. “She definitely kept me in line,” the blonde emphasized the word “definitely,” letting loose a bit of her restrained cynicism. “As a kid, I was actually a bit intimidated by her.”
“By your mom? So you probably were not too close to her then,” Lapis trailed off, seeming a bit unsure about her assumption.
Thinking about it for a second, Peridot replied, “I guess, in a way we were.”
“Were?”
Uh oh, she let it slip. Why did she have to talk about her mom now? But she could not lie to Lapis. After all she was a psychology major. Couldn’t she see through these kind of things anyway? The best thing she could do now was be honest without saying too much, and change the subject to something else. Anything else.
“Yeah, there was sort of a falling out between us. But enough about me, what about your family?”
Lapis seemed to go along, not wanting to step over a boundary. “There’s not really much to say. My dad left when I was little. Family rumor had it, he moved to a whole other country to marry some other woman. Like him, the rest of his family forgot about me and my mom. My mom… has some health issues which came up right before I started college. Though she is financially able to continue treatment at the hospital and help me with school, I make enough at my job to be fully independent. It’s just a matter of paying off those damn student loans.” Not much to say? Peridot could see Lapis trying to make light of the whole situation, and tell she was holding back. However the blonde was not one to pry, especially when she had not disclosed her own personal life.
“I can relate to that,” the blue haired girl gave her a curious glance. Were her eyes always that violet? “Having to support myself financially I mean,” she quickly added. “Though my work isn’t as glamorous as your bartending gig at a lesbian club.”
Though she was not trying to be sarcastic, Lapis laughed, clearly agreeing to whatever sarcasm that might have been in her voice. Peridot continued, “On the side, I’m a freelance programmer and usually go through contracting agencies. Although I have found work through colleagues, or at the hiring board on campus.”
“I may need to check that out, you should show me where it is sometime,” she sounded genuinely interested.
Show me where it is sometime? Was there going to be a next time?
They were interrupted by the intercom, which they had continued to talk over so far. The captain was telling the rest of the boat basic whale facts; migration patterns, anatomy and bone size, jokes about mating season, predictable information. But one of the passengers must have spotted the first whale, and when the captain announced this, a bit louder to gain everyone’s attention.
Fortunately for Peridot and Lapis, they were already at the back of the boat, closest to where the whale was sighted. All they had to do was turn around in their seat. But there was nothing. No fin, no spout, no whale in sight.
“I swear I did see one,” a voice on the other side of the boat said.
But at that moment, no more than a hundred feet away, a massive humpback whale breached from the water. It casted a long shadow which grew close to the boat, and most of its body was clearly visible. Peridot thought she could even make out a few barnacles on its skin. She had seen commercials for cameras and specials on those animal channels, where whales would breach out of the water. This however was nothing like that. It was much more tangible.
“Amazing,” whispered Lapis, clearly awestruck. Peridot definitely thought the same thing.
After that first whale revealed itself, several more humpbacks appeared, as well as a few pods of dolphins. There was even a baby bottlenose, which curiously swam closer to the boat than the rest.
“I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve never seen a baby dolphin,” Lapis stated.
“Heh, me neither!”
This random date idea Lapis suggested originally, turned out to be a load of fun. Not only that, but the whole time, they maintained conversation which became more natural over time. Peridot did not actually remember the last time she had this much fun. This turned out to be a great idea. Why did she even consider not texting Lapis back in the first place? She would have missed out on the crystal blue ocean, the comfortable breeze, witnessing something that did not happen every day, and going out with a rather attractive girl. Not only was Lapis attractive physically, but she seemed to have a great, laid back personality, which instantly clicked with Peridot. At least that’s what she perceived up to now.
Then it sunk in, as Peridot made eye contact with Lapis. Her violet eyes glowed a deep blue against the light. The blonde gulped, doing her best not to trace her eyes down to her lips. She had only known this girl for, what, a couple hours maybe and she was this attracted to her? Not yet Peridot, not yet, she told herself. You need to restrain now. Comparing her seemingly abstinent past to now, never before was she so attracted to anyone in her life. And she had no idea what the hell was going on with herself.