Dassi’s mind flashed to the last time he’d angrily told her he didn’t get her jokes

[10:09 PM] Ari Steiner: Hi, sorry to bother you so late. Change of plans for our date tomorrow, my mother had to switch at the last minute. So we’ll meet my parents on the next date, if that’s okay with you.

[10:09 PM] Ari Steiner: For tomorrow we’re going to go on a hike instead, would recommend sneakers!

Dassi read the texts again, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Ever since their argument, she’d been feeling a little awkward, like they had this thing between them that was over, but not gone, and so she really appreciated these kinds of texts. Ari was clearly going way out of his comfort zone to make sure she wasn’t unprepared, and that said a lot! Especially since they didn’t really text outside of scheduling dates. She texted him back, “Sure, thanks for letting me know!” and jumped off her bed to borrow some cute activewear from Chayala.

The next afternoon, Dassi deliberately scheduled her last half-hour of work to be quiet, so she would have time to change out of her standard business-casual/chic and into Chayala’s heather-gray Alo top and a flared skirt. She slid her feet into her favorite lemon-yellow sneakers, wove her dark hair into a braid, and freshened up her face, jokes about how much makeup it took to achieve the makeup-free look running through her head the whole time.

She stowed her work clothes under her desk and zipped up her favorite knee-length puffer, then went downstairs at the “here!” text, flashing Ari a smile as she slid into the passenger seat and they drove off.

A few minutes later they were merging into traffic, and Dassi wondered how she’d ever been worried about dating Ari. He asked about her day, remembering the stressful client she’d mentioned last time by name, and was genuinely interested in her responses. She wasn’t paying much attention to the route they were taking, but she looked up with a start when they stopped outside a midsize brick house in a regular frum neighborhood not too far from her own.

“So, you aren’t nervous to meet my parents, are you?” he asked. “One of the things that stuck out the most with you is your confidence, so I feel like you totally have this in the bag.”

She blinked at him, confused.

“Your parents? You mean when we meet them next time?” she asked. Why was he asking her this today?