Thursday night was busy.

Kade was still not a fan of my plans, but he grudgingly accepted that he couldn't do much to change them. He'd actually helped me put a nice outfit together in between our dinner preparations. I wasn't going to eat with him but I'd promised to help, so that was what I was doing—chopping vegetables right up until I had to change into my dinner outfit.

Zander's parents had never liked me too much, so I knew they'd be eyeing me closely. Part of me wanted to dye my hair a vibrant pink just because, but I couldn't do that to Zander.

By the time 6:30 rolled around, I was ready and waiting.

“Any last-minute advice?” I jokingly asked Kade while he told Conner to set the table.

He shot me a glance. “Yeah, don't step on the cat behind you.”

I turned around to find Sauron sitting on the floor behind me. “Hey, where have you been hiding?”

Kade shrugged. “He comes and goes.”

Cautiously, I petted the tomcat, and to my delight, he let me. “Wouldn't it be fun if Zanders' parents were allergic to cat hair and I got some on them?”

“You really don't like those people, do you?” Kade asked, taking my joke a bit too seriously.

“No, I don't,” I admitted. I'd never liked Zander’s parents. They'd always been way too strict and uppity. Thank God their son was different.

Kade looked like something troubled him, though.

“What?” I asked.

“Just, you're already thinking about how to make things difficult for them. What if they treat you the same way? I don't want you to get in trouble. Well, not any more trouble.”

“Don't worry. I'll be fine.”

“Okay,” Kade said, but he didn't look convinced.

Ignoring him, I went to the front door when I heard a car outside. “That must be my date!”

“You're going on a date?” Conner asked in passing.

“Uh, no, that was... just a figure of speech.” After what I'd told Conner, I really didn't need him to think that Zander and I were dating now. Opening the front door, I slipped out before anyone could ask any more questions.

Considering what Zander had said at the bookstore, I expected him to be driving some beat-up old thing, but nothing could have been farther from the truth. Zander showed up in a shiny red Jaguar. My eyes went comically huge staring at it. Just a lowly bookseller, my ass!

Zander parked the car, got out and opened the passenger side for me with a wide grin. He even offered a short bow, which made me laugh more than anything. “Cut the charade. We're not at your parents' place yet.”

Zander only gave me a smile. “Doesn't mean I can't treat you right.” With that, he got back into the car. I climbed in as well, shutting the door.

“I wasn't expecting you to drive something so expensive,” I said, playing with the reclining options of my seat. The leather was so comfy, I loved it! I didn't have a car in LA and the piece of shit I'd rented at the airport couldn't even come close to comparing to this beast.

“What did you expect me to drive?”

“I don't know.” I shrugged. “Something old. Never thought you'd care enough to buy something this nice.”

“This isn't just nice,” he informed me. “You're sitting in a Jaguar. This is not a nice car. It's a miracle of engineering. This baby is powered by a 296-hp 2.0-liter turbo four cylinder.”

I knew it was rude, but for nearly a full minute I stared at Zander, mouth slightly open. “Who are you and what have you done to the book nerd I became friends with?” I asked eventually.

Zander snorted. “You don't have to be so dramatic.”

“I'm not being dramatic. I'm just surprised. How come I never knew you were into cars?”

He gave me a half shrug while he started the engine and put us back on the road. “I only started taking an interest after I actually got my license.”

So of course I didn't know. I didn't really know him when he was sixteen. Suddenly I realized just how many years I was missing. Wondering, I stared at the dark street ahead. I never expected Zander to be exactly the way he was when he was twelve, no, but still, I simply assumed I knew everything important about him.

But I was wrong.

“Why are you smiling?” Zander asked.

“I don't know,” I lied. In reality, I did know. I was excited to find out new things about my friend. I wanted to know what else there was. I wanted to know everything.

Was this what Zander felt like when he discovered a book he hadn't read yet?

It was a good feeling. I liked it.

Maybe a little too much?

I shoved the thought aside. “Put some music on,” I told Zander.

“No need, we're nearly there anyway.”

“Too bad, I wanted to know what kind of music you listen to.”

“Oh?” Zander glanced at me.

“Well, if I'm supposed to be your date, I should know that sort of thing, right? I mean, we got the kissing down, but what about everything else?”

Zander made a right turn onto a different road before responding. “I like movie scores. The soundtrack from Interstellar was fantastic.”

“So instrumental stuff, huh?” And now I knew what kind of movies he liked too! When I got back home, I had to see whether I could stream that movie on Netflix or something. And no, I was not getting obsessed or anything. I was only taking an interest in my friend's life. Reconnecting!

“What sort of music do you listen to?” Zander asked.

“Oh, you know... everything. If it's loud, if you can dance to it, I'm there.”

“Figures,” Zander said, a small smile playing on his lips. I'd just realized how much there was that I didn't know about Zander, but he still seemed to assume he knew everything about me, or that he could predict anything, at least. So, naturally, I decided to throw him for a loop.

“Did I ever tell you that I love propagating cacti?”

“You what?”

“Cacti. I think they're great. I have seven in my room in LA.” Pretty much because they were the only plants I could grow that didn't die, but whatever. Zander didn't have to know that. “It's fun, really. You break off a branch and stick it in the soil, and then occasionally water it. After some time, it grows roots and is its own functioning plant! I'm building my own plant army in my room. Moving toward world domination one pot at a time.”

Zander looked momentarily confused. I beamed.

“I started growing them during my vegan phase.”

“You had a vegan phase?”

“Oh, I was hardcore.”

“Really?” The surprise was evident on Zander's face. I laughed.

You don't know everything about me.

But I wanted him to.