I smiled. "Let's go grab some dinner then. I saw some fancy looking restaurants in the parking lot-my treat."
"A pretty girl wants to treat me to dinner?" he asked, shaking his head again. Someone pinch me. "Sure. You pick the place."
Once we were eating appetizers, I was ready to pick his brain about why he was so surprised that I'd want to spend time with him. Looking at him, I'd think that he have a line of girls waiting to hang out with him. "What sport do you play?" I asked, looking at his letterman's jacket.
"I play football and I manage the girls' track team."
"The girls' track team? That must be fun; I'll bet you're popular with the girls. They probably join the team just so they can be near you."
He looked surprised. "No one has much of an interest in me. There were some rumors spread around school about me, and well…I'm not exactly popular. Can we just leave it at that?" he asked with a pained expression.
That moment was the first time that I'd ever felt any kind of compassion for a mortal. "No problem. We can talk about something else." I was still curious, so I tried to spark a thought so that he wouldn't have to talk about it. "I really don't see why anyone would have a problem with you."
"Thanks." I hope she never hears about the rumors. I'm not gay and never have been.
So that was it. I had thought that humans were more progressive about that these days. Apparently not in Delphic Cove.
Tanner looked at me, smiling. "So tell me about yourself. I'm sure you have guys lined up around the block."
I panicked, but kept a straight face. What could I tell him? That I was vampire and I was dating one of the world's most feared vampires? I'd already scared off three guys by bringing up vampires. "There's not much to tell," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"You must have something to tell," he said. "You aren't like most girls."
"I'm not?"
"There's definitely something different about you, but I can't pin down what that is."
"Well, I guess that makes two of us. I feel the same way about you."
We just looked at each other in silence for a few moments and were saved by the meals being set in front of us. I was feeling a little shy, which was something that I wasn't used to. Even among vampires, I was bold and enchanting.
"Are you one of the top players on your team?" I asked, finally breaking the silence which was strangely comfortable. Especially considering that I was eating with a human.