Stepping Out : Young Adult Romance Books (A New Adult Romance Story "Swanson Sisters Series" : Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

moment. “Maybe we can do it again,” he said.
    “Maybe we can.”
    “How about tonight? I can pick you up at six.”
    Alicia ’s dilemma; and it became crystal clear in that moment, was that making any decision led to a new path in her life. If she said yes, the path could go one way. If she said no, the path could go the other way. If she declined to say yes or no, that was a choice too.
    She opened her mouth but did not speak. She felt frozen in time.
    “Are you all right?” Howard asked. He looked concerned and actually he did wonder if she was having a seizure of some sort. She was completely immobile, staring at him with her mouth half open.
    She nodded her head, a barely perceptible nod.
    “Great,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at six. Now all I need is your address.” He had her address, at least the one she had listed in the student records. But he was not willing to let her know that he had put any effort into knowing anything about her that she did not provide willingly.
    “I meant, I’m all right.”
    “What?”
    “You asked if I was all right and I nodded, yes, because I am all right.”
    “But I can still pick you up at six, right?”
    She didn’t say anything and he said, “Are you afraid to say yes? Is there someone else? Is there something wrong with me? Is my hair messy? Do I have food on my face?”
    She dropped her gaze and mumbled. “I have trouble making decisions.”
    “No kidding.”
    She shrugged as if to say, that’s just the way I am.
    “I don’t think it is a good idea for me to make this decision for you, but I can tell you that most decisions don’t have to be written in stone.” He paused. “How about this? We’ll go to dinner together and you can leave anytime you want. Even before they bring the water and the menus. It does not have to be a lifetime commitment.”
    Alicia was about to blurt out, “But it might be a lifetime commitment.” She didn’t. He would mistake her meaning. He would think she meant that having dinner with him would set off a chain reaction that would lead to them being together for the rest of their lives.
    What she meant was that allowing herself to be swept into accepting intrusions in her life could become a new way of being and she would run out of time to do the things she needed to do.
    “Oh come on, be daring. Besides I have things to tell you about my plan for after graduation.”
    She gave him her address and he wrote it down.

Chapter 7
    Howard pulled up in front of the house precisely at six just as Alicia was emerging from the front door. He got out of his car and walked toward her and gave her a hug. Then just as casually as he gave her the hug he guided her to the car and opened the passenger door for her.
    “So where would you like to go for dinner?” He asked.
    “Haven’t you figured out yet,” she said, “I really hate making decisions.” Alicia surprised herself by making a joke at her own expense.
    “I thought it was just the big decisions that were difficult for you. Big decisions like whether or not to go out to dinner with me.”
    “Well I kind of felt that I had to. It just seems simple courtesy after you told me you had new post-graduation plans.” Their tone was light and the comments were meant to be mildly jocular.
    Not so jocularly, Howard said, “ You really do have a hard time to make decisions, don’t you?”
    “Apparently so. I had never even thought about it until very recently. I was thinking about it this afternoon after we talked. I think I managed to avoid decisions for most of my entire life. I only study things that come naturally to me. I don’t live much of a social life. My life just doesn’t call for too many decisions.”
    “All right then. You don’t need to making decisions this evening either. Unless you strenuously object, I suggest we go back to the same place we were Sunday.”
    Alicia began to laugh.
    “What’s so funny?”
    “I was just about to say, but that’s going