Marie’s grin holds a sparkle. “No, this isjustthe perfect amount of too much to give Heath a heart attack.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks at the mention of his name.
“We don’t want that,” I speak lowly.
“We definitely want that,” Marie protests. “He better forgets how to speak when he sees you.”
I roll my eyes. “That won’t happen. Heath is the most confident guy ever.”
She hums in dismissal. “That was before he met you and fell in love.”
Drawing in a deep breath, I settle a hand over my stomach to calm down the butterflies that are fluttering around in excitement.
“You okay?” she asks.
I nod.
“C’mon, sit down.” Marie clears her bed — by that I mean she dumps all the clothes on the chair and it becomes a huge pile — and makes me sit down. “You look nervous.”
“I am,” I croak out. “I can hardly breathe.”
Grabbing my hand, she gives me a squeeze. “You’ll be fine. He’ll take care of you. Have fun today.”
“I don’t even know where he’s taking me.”
She presses her lips together as if trying to not say anything.
I playfully nudge her. “Give me a hint, at least.”
Marie shakes her head. “No, I made him a promise. I take my promises very seriously.”
“But you can nod as I make some guesses, right?”
That makes her pause. “That isn’t fair.”
“What isn’t fair is, I have no idea where we’re going. It’s 9 in the morning and nothing is open at this hour.”
“Well…” Marie clears her throat. “Nope. I can’t tell you. Just trust him, okay. You’re going to love it.”
Trust him. I can do that. So easily.I nod absentmindedly.
My mind starts spiraling as it finally sinks in.
I’m going on a date with Heath Travon.
The guy I’m hopelessly in love with.
No matter what happens today, I know I’ll be okay because I’ll be with him.
Just thinking about Heath washes me over in a wave of calmness. Like the stunning blue in his eyes, I transport onto the shore of a peaceful, beautiful ocean where the water kisses my feet and I stand tall. I’m not afraid of the waves taking me away with them or the storm drowning me. I’m afraid of no one or nothing. And that braveness doesn’t feel foreign. It feels like it was always there, buried deep inside me, but he helped me dig it out.
“Now let’s talk about something very important.” Marie reaches over and pulls something out of her nightstand. “Keep this.”
She offers me a small packet and my eyes widen.
It’s a condom.
“Marie!” I stand up, and throw it back at her.
