As I was stuffing my feet into my freshly polished shoes, my phone beeped.
Elise: Where are we going?
With a huge smile on my face, I hit call and waited for Elise to answer. I didn’t want to get into yet another text conversation; I didn’t have time.
When she finally picked up, she sounded frustrated and out of breath. “Hey.”
“You okay?”
“Just running around like a chicken with my head cut off.”
“Why?”
“Because I just got home and someone wants me to be ready to leave, in oh, twenty minutes. And I have no idea where we’re going!”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes!” She sounded exasperated. I found it oddly endearing. I couldn’t help but chuckle. It might’ve been an arsehole thing to do, but I couldn’t help it.
“Trust me. It’s going to be fun.”
“Fun?”
“Yep, fun.”
“And how do I dress for fun?”
Ah. Now I understood. This was a girl thing. A fashion freak-out. Having three sisters meant I’d seen this show before. I’d always found it funny, and today was no different. Elise was a stunning woman. I’d met her twice now and both times she’d stolen my breath. She could be wearing her pyjamas or mine, and she’d still look perfect.
“Jeans and runners are perfect,” I said, putting her out of her misery.
“Jeans and runners? Are you setting me up?” she questioned, but I could hear the humour in her voice.
“Would I do that?”
“Hmm. I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”
“Fair call. But no, I promise, I’m not setting you up.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay. I’ll believe you.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, I better go get ready. I’ll see you soon.”
“Yeah you will, Elise. Can’t wait.”
“Bye.”
I waited until she hung up before I pulled the phone away from my ear. There was something about this chick that had me acting like a sap. Shaking off the thought, I finished getting ready before grabbing a bottle of water and gulping it down, trying to drown the nerves. Knowing I couldn’t be late, I snagged my keys, wallet and phone and headed out.
With my rock ballad playlist down low, I navigated the streets, becoming increasingly frustrated as I hit every single red light. By the time I pulled up outside Elise’s building, I was already five minutes late. Stopping in a loading zone, I didn’t even care if I got a ticket. There were some things you shouldn’t run late for. One was a date with a pretty girl, and the other was a press conference. And I was already one from two, but there was no way I was striking out tonight. It wasn’t even an option.
Before I could even turn the car off, there was a tap on the window. Expecting it to be some arsehole telling me to move, I opened the window, ready to give as good as I got. What I was not expecting was to see the hottest woman I’d ever seen smiling at me with the world’s cheekiest grin.
