“This is just casual. I’m not building anything serious with someone I barely know.”
Sam looked at me like he’d invented skepticism and I was insulting his intelligence. “Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”
We both knew I was lying.
I spent the afternoon cleaning my apartment in a way I hadn’t bothered with in months. Vacuumed, did dishes, put away the laundry that had been living on my couch for a week. Not because Archie would necessarily come inside, but because I wanted the option without being embarrassed.
Then I stood in front of my closet for twenty minutes trying to decide what to wear.
The dress I’d bought for the first canceled dinner still had tags on it. Floral print, fitted but not tight, the kind of thing thatsaid I made an effort without trying too hard. I paired it with sandals that were comfortable enough to walk in but still looked nice.
Hair up or down? I tried both and settled on up—a loose bun that looked effortless even though it took three attempts to get right.
Makeup was its own crisis. Too much looked like I was trying too hard. Too little looked like I wasn’t trying at all. I settled on something in between—enough to feel confident, not enough to feel like I was wearing a mask.
By five thirty I was ready and pacing my apartment, checking my phone every two minutes like time would move faster if I watched it.
My phone rang at five forty-five. I grabbed it without looking at the screen.
“Please tell me you’re not calling to cancel on me,” I said.
“Cancel what?” Sarah sounded confused.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the screen. Sarah’s name stared back at me. “Oh. Sorry. I thought you were someone else.”
“Someone who might cancel on you? This sounds interesting.” Her voice shifted to that tone she used when she was about to extract information. “Gianna Pearson, do you have a date?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s not a no. Who is he? How did you meet? Is he cute?”
“His name is Archie. We met three years ago and reconnected recently. And yes, he’s very cute.”
“Three years ago? You’ve been holding out on me.”
“It wasn’t intentional. We lost touch and then ran into each other at school a couple weeks ago.” I adjusted my dress in the mirror for the hundredth time. “It’s been… unexpected.”
“Unexpected in a good way or unexpected in a ‘I need Sarah to talk me off a ledge’ way?”
“Good way. I think. Ask me again tomorrow when I’m not actively spiraling.”
I heard Lily say something in the background and Sarah laughed. “Lily wants to know if he’s bringing you flowers. She’s been watching too many romantic comedies with me.”
“I don’t know. Maybe?”
“He better be bringing you flowers. If he doesn’t, I’m going to have a problem with him.”
“I feel anxious,” I said. “What if I’m building this up in my head and it’s just dinner and I’m being ridiculous?”
“Then it’s just dinner with someone you like and that’s not ridiculous at all.” Sarah’s voice was gentle. “You’re allowed to be excited about someone, Gianna. You’re allowed to want this.”
“Thanks, Sarah.”
“Anytime. Now go have fun and text me tomorrow with all the details. Lily and I want a full report.”
“I will.”
“And Gianna? You look beautiful. I can tell even over the phone.”
