Nobu Malibu was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the Pacific Ocean, and the interior was all sleek wood and subtle lighting. I felt out of place for about thirty seconds until Isabella grabbed my arm and led me to our table.
"Don't look so intimidated," she said with a smile. "It's just food."
"Food that probably costs more than I used to spend on groceries in a month."
"Well, good thing you're not paying for groceries anymore."
The server, a young Asian guy with perfect hair, approached our table. "Good evening. Can I start you with something to drink?"
"I'll have a sparkling water with lime," Isabella said smoothly.
"Uh, just regular water is fine," I said, then immediately felt stupid. "I mean, tap water. Whatever's normal."
Isabella kicked me gently under the table. "He'll have a Coke," she told the server.
After he left, I shook my head. "See? I told you I'd embarrass myself."
"You didn't embarrass yourself. You were just being honest. I wish I could be like that."
"Like what?"
"Just... say what you mean without overthinking it. You don't have any filters or pretense. It's refreshing."
I looked around at the other diners - couples in expensive clothes, families who clearly had money, everyone looking comfortable in a way I definitely didn't feel.
"Isabella, can I ask you something?"
"Always."
"Why'd you pick somewhere this fancy? Like, we could've gone to In-N-Out and I would've been happy."
She was quiet for a moment, playing with her napkin. "Because I wanted to see how you'd handle it. Not because I was testing you, but because... I don't know. I wanted to share something I like with you."
"And what if I completely embarrassed myself?"
"Then I would've learned something important about who you are. But you're not embarrassing yourself. You're just... adapting."
The server returned with our drinks and handed us menus. I opened mine and immediately felt overwhelmed. Yellowtail sashimi, black cod miso, wagyu beef - half the words I couldn't even pronounce.
"Okay, I need help," I admitted.
Isabella scooted her chair closer to mine so she could see my menu, and I caught her just watching me for a second with this soft expression.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. You're just... cute when you're confused."
I felt my face get warm. "Cute?"
"Very cute. Like a puppy trying to figure out a puzzle."
"Did you just compare me to a puppy?"
"A very handsome puppy," she said with a grin.
I laughed despite myself. "That's not making it better."
"What kind of flavors do you like?" she asked, getting back to the menu. "Spicy? Sweet? Savory?"
"I like everything. I'm not picky. But I've never had Japanese food that wasn't from a place called Panda Express."
Isabella laughed, but not in a mean way. "Okay, let's start simple. Do you like fish?"
"Yeah."
"Do you trust me to order for us?"
"Yeah."
She ordered several dishes - salmon teriyaki, chicken yakitori, some kind of fried rice, and a few other things I'd never heard of. When the server left, she turned back to me.
"Tell me about your friends back home. The ones you text all the time."
I told her about Dre, Rico, and Marcus. About how we'd grown up together, made mistakes together, and were now all trying to become better men.
"So you just decided to become better people?" she asked. "Just like that?"
"Pretty much. We was tired of being screwups."
"Were," she corrected automatically.
"What?"
"You said 'was.' It's 'were.' We were tired."
I stared at her for a second, then started laughing. "Did you just grammar-check me in the middle of dinner?"
Isabella's face turned red. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. That was incredibly rude. I just... it's a habit."
"It's cool. But can I grammar-check you back?"
"Sure."
"You said 'Oh my god' and that ain't proper English either."
Isabella paused, then burst out laughing. "That's... actually a fair point."
"So we both talk wrong sometimes. Deal with it."
"Deal with it," she repeated, still giggling. "You know what? You're right. Sometimes proper grammar isn't the most important thing."
The food started arriving, and Isabella showed me how to use chopsticks, how to mix the wasabi and soy sauce, what each dish was supposed to taste like. Everything was incredible - flavors I'd never experienced, textures that were completely new.
"This is amazing," I said after trying the black cod. "How'd you know about this place?"
"My parents brought me here for my birthday last year. I've been wanting to bring someone here ever since."
"Someone?"
"Someone I... cared about. Someone I wanted to share it with."
The way she said it made me look at her differently. Not just as the smart, put-together girl from school, but as someone who was letting me see a part of her life that was important to her.
"You know what I wish?" she said suddenly.
"What?"
"I wish I could be more like you. Just say what I mean without calculating every word first. You don't second-guess yourself or worry about how things sound. You're just... honest."
"That gets me in trouble sometimes."
"But it's also why people trust you. Why I trust you." She paused, watching me try to pick up a piece of sushi with chopsticks. "You're just genuinely yourself, and that's rare."
"You're yourself too."
"No, I'm the version of myself that I think people want to see. There's a difference."
We kept talking through dinner about everything - our families, our dreams, what we wanted to do after high school. Isabella told me about her plans for journalism school, about wanting to write for major publications someday.
"What about you?" she asked. "What happens after football?"
"I don't know. I mean, I hope football can take me far, but if it doesn't... I guess I'll figure it out."
"That doesn't scare you? Not having a plan?"
"Should it?"
"I don't know. I have every year of my life planned out until I'm thirty. The idea of not knowing what comes next terrifies me."
"But what if something better comes along? What if you fall in love with something you never expected?"
Isabella was quiet, studying my face. "Like what?"
"I don't know. Like... this." I gestured between us. "A month ago, you probably never thought you'd be having dinner with some kid from the South Side of Chicago."
"A month ago, I didn't think I'd be interested in anyone from high school at all. I thought high school boys were all immature and predictable."
"And now?"
"Now I'm having dinner with someone who challenges everything I thought I knew about... a lot of things."
After dinner, we walked along the beach in front of the restaurant. The sun was setting over the Pacific, painting the sky in colors I'd never seen in Chicago. Isabella had taken off her jacket and was carrying it, walking close enough that our arms occasionally brushed.
"This is beautiful," I said, looking out at the ocean.
"It really is. I never get tired of it."
"In Chicago, the lake is pretty, but it's not like this. This feels... I don't know, bigger."
"Everything probably feels bigger when you're chasing dreams this big."
I stopped walking and looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you left everything you knew to come chase something most people only dream about. That takes courage I'm not sure I have."
"You got plenty of courage. You just use it different."
"How?"
"Like tonight. Bringing me here, showing me all this new stuff, being yourself even when I probably seem like I'm from a different planet."
Isabella smiled. "You're not from a different planet. You're just from a different world. But I like your world better than mine sometimes."
"Why?"
"Because everything in your world is real. The emotions, the relationships, the stakes - it all matters in ways my world doesn't."
We walked back toward where our Uber would pick us up, both of us moving a little slower than necessary. I didn't want the night to end, and I could tell she didn't either.
"Jakari," she said as we reached the parking area.
"Yeah?"
"I had a really good time tonight."
"Me too. Best night I've had since I got to California."
"Really?"
"Really."
She stepped closer to me, and I could smell her perfume - something light and sweet that made my heart beat faster.
"I know we're not... I mean, we're just talking right now," she said, looking up at me. "But I really like you. Like, really like you."
"I really like you too."
She stood on her toes and kissed me on the cheek, her lips soft and warm against my skin. It was quick, probably only lasted a second, but it sent electricity through my entire body.
"Good," she said, stepping back with a smile that was different from any I'd seen from her before. Less controlled, more genuine. "Because I was hoping you'd say that."
The Uber pulled up before I could respond, but as we got in the car, I could still feel where she'd kissed me. Such a simple thing, but it felt like everything had changed.
"So," she said as we drove back to campus, "what are you doing this weekend?"
"Nothing special. Why?"
"Want to study together? I could help you with that chemistry test."
"Yeah," I said, probably too quickly. "I'd like that."
As we pulled up to campus, I realized this was what Maya had been talking about when she said I needed normal teenage experiences. This feeling of liking someone and having them like you back, of looking forward to seeing them again, of everything feeling new and exciting.
"Text me tomorrow?" Isabella said as we got out of the car.
"Definitely."
I watched her walk toward her dorm, and she turned back once to wave. That kiss on the cheek was still tingling, and I couldn't stop smiling.
Back in my room, Cameron was already asleep, but I wasn't tired at all. I lay in bed replaying the entire night - the restaurant, the conversation, the walk on the beach, that kiss on the cheek that had made everything feel different.
Sometimes the best things in life were the ones you never saw coming.