She had added waves to her hair, done an impressive eyeliner wing, and dressed in her nicest dress and pair of black dotted tights with her white boots and she still didn’t feel like it was good enough. She placed her hands behind her head and breathed in deeply, trying to calm her nerves.

She hadn’t been on a date in a minute, and the fact that it was with Liam made her even more nervous. She had been shocked when he came out and told her that he liked her, and she had felt incredibly happy that they were on the same page. However, she told herself to not dive into this like usual. She wanted to take things slow to make sure it was right.

A simple date wouldn’t hurt anything. She could get a feel for the territory and see if they could make a relationship work, which she dearly hoped they could. Hanging on the arm of her sweet and cute roommate seemed like a dream, but she had to get over herself so that she could even get out the door tonight.

Ying Sheng fluffed her hair a little before nodding, figuring she looked good enough. She reached out and grabbed her phone, sending a text to Liam to let him know that she was ready to go. She then waited nervously by her door, collecting herself as much as she could so that she wasn’t a bundle of nerves tonight. She wanted to have fun and let loose after a long week, and she had the perfect date to do that with.

A knock then sounded on her door, prompting Ying Sheng to draw in a deep breath before pulling open her bedroom door. Her eyes traced over Liamas he stood in the hallway with a short sleeve, black button down on and grey jeans. His hair was fixed back, and she could even detect the slightest scent of cologne coming from him.

”Wow, you look… incredible,” Liam murmured, looking starstruck as he gazed at her.

Ying Sheng felt heat tease at her face as she smiled at him. He looked great in his joggers and T-shirts, but he also looked really amazing now.

”You clean up very nicely,” she told him before flashing him a playful wink. It helped her to play around a little because it calmed her own nerves. If she could get them laughing, she wasn’t worrying about saying something wrong or being too nervous.

Liam chuckled and extended his arm out for her to take.

”Shall we? I have quite the night planned,” he replied.

Ying Sheng was excited to see what he had in mind. He had refused to spill any secrets during the entire week, so she knew that he was really dedicated to this date. It already seemed like more effort than any other guy had put in for her.

”Rollerblading and pizza?” Ying Sheng pitched another guess. It was probably her twentieth one, and she hadn’t gotten it right yet.

Liam smirked and shook his head at her as he led her out of the hallway and toward the front door of their apartment.

”Even if you guess right, I’m not telling you. You’ll just have to wait and see,”Liam told her sternly before leading her outside. He locked the door behind them and then brought her out to his black sedan in the nearby parking lot. He reached out to open the passenger door for her, a sweet smile adorning his face.

”What a gentleman,” Ying Sheng giggled as she lowered herself into the passenger seat. Once he shut the door behind her, she watched him jog over to his side, a light laugh sounding from her. They hadn’t even reached their destination yet, and she was already having a good time with him. Then again, she hadn’t expected anything different.

Liam shut the door behind him and then handed her his phone.

”You get to pick the music,” he told her before starting his car, the engine rumbling to life.

Ying Sheng flashed him a grateful look before putting an indie rock playlist on shuffle, figuring there would be a few songs on there that they liked. As much as she loved music, she really just wanted to focus on him tonight.

”Thank you for taking me out,” she told him, being serious for a moment. She could play around all she wanted, but it really made her happy that he asked her out. It was like he was whisking her away, taking her on a small adventure for the night away from her troubles.

Liam glanced over at her with a small grin.

”Thanks for agreeing to go out with me,” he chuckled as he pulled out of his parking spot and started heading down the street away from the large apartment complex.

Ying Sheng wished he didn’t doubt himself so much. There was so much good to him that he didn’t even realize. She was determined to make him realize that about himself, and tonight was a perfect night to do that.

”How could I say no when you look like that?” She replied as she playfully rubbed his arm. She could tell that he was a little nervous, and she wanted to encourage him to loosen up and relax.

”Wow, you’re so smooth,” Liam mused as he turned down another street, the streetlights flashing past them as darkness surrounded them.

Ying Sheng drew her hand away from him with a laugh, glad to hear him joking around. She turned back forward, studying the scene as he brought them to an area of town that she didn’t recognize. She narrowed her eyes in confusion, trying to figure out where he was taking her. She did notice that the buildings were becoming less prominent, and the area had a little more nature to it than other areas.

”Are you taking me to the woods to kill me?”