As quick as lightning, he came back toward me and cupped my jaw in his hand before bending forward and putting a feather-light kiss on my still swollen lips. “I’m leaving because if I don’t, there’s a very good chance we’d end up testing out just how soundproof these walls are,” Luke explained, keeping a respectful distance between us.
“Oh,” I repeated this time for a completely different reason.
“I will pick you up tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Leaving me with a wink, Luke disappeared out the door while I sat there trying to wrap my head around what had just happened. Thankfully, I wasn’t left alone with my thoughts for too long before one of my patients needed me.
Twenty-four hours was a long time when you were holding your breath. At least that’s what it felt like. When I’d asked Luke to come to the basketball with me, I hadn’t really thought it through. I’d told him I had tickets, but I didn’t. I knew if worse came to worst, I could always call Mason and beg for a couple, but I stubbornly wanted to do this on my own. Once I’d managed to snap out of my lusty Luke fog, I jumped online and paid probably way too much for tickets in the nosebleeds, but I knew Luke wouldn’t care.
The panic attack hit me while I was standing in my bedroom wearing nothing more than my underwear. I had twenty minutes before Luke arrived and I was still basically naked. How was this my life? I was dating again, if that’s what we were even doing. I was supposed to be married. I was supposed to be living out my happily ever after but instead I was back at the beginning, starting again. And this time, everything felt different.
I couldn’t remember the butterflies ever feeling like pterodactyls in my stomach when I’d been dating Todd. Back then, everything just happened. Neither of us put much thought or effort into our dates. We usually just met at a bar, had some food then went back to my place, never his for the night. I’m pretty sure the night of our first official date I hadn’t even bothered to shave my legs let alone make sure my lady scaping was on point, but here I was going out with Luke and I’d spent half an hour on my hair, shaved and plucked everywhere.
Just when I was tossing up whether to cancel or to grab the half-full bottle of wine from the fridge and chug it down, my phone beeped. I knocked over the bottle of moisturizer in my hurry to grab it.
Luke:Looking forward to seeing you
Somehow, he knew what I needed to hear at the moment I needed it the most.
Finding my feet, I ran cold water over my wrists and focused on my breathing. I had this. It was just a basketball game. If everything went to shit, if I made a complete fool of myself, I could just blend into the crowd and make my escape.
Flicking off the faucet, I took a deep breath, lifted my eyes, and looked at the woman staring back at me in the mirror. “You’ve got this,” I told myself, grabbing the mascara and swiping on another coat making my lashes look long and lush.
Satisfied I looked fabulous, I went back into the bedroom and finished getting dressed. After a fight with my skinny leg jeans, which looked awesome but were a complete bitch to get on and off, I found my shirt and shrugged it on making sure I got the buttons lined up before pulling my jersey over the top.
I looked hot.
I was feeling hot.
I had this.
After snapping a quick selfie in the mirror, I sent it to Hannah who replied instantly with two thumbs up.
Knowing the clock was ticking, I moved my ass and finished getting ready so by the time there was a knock at the door, I was tucking my phone in my back pocket and grabbing the keys.
Opening the door, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“What the hell are you wearing?” I asked in lieu of saying hello like a normal person would.
“What?” Luke asked, tugging at his Lakers jersey.
“You can’t wear that!” I told him, looking down at my own jersey.
Without knowing, we were going for opposing teams. I wasn’t sure I could be caught in public with a Lakers supporter.
“What makes you think I want to be seen with you in that … that top?” Luke replied, pointing at my chest.
“At least I’m going for the home team.”
Luke didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed my hand and unexpectedly spun me under his arm like we were dancing in the middle of the ballroom floor rather than standing awkwardly in my doorway.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking what number you have on your back.”
“And?”
