Jace: You should reward me for my niceness with a date.
Me: I’m not going on a date with you.
Jace: I thought you were ignoring me. What took you so long to respond?
Me: I’m out with a friend.
Jace: A friend? Or you’re out on a date?
Me: That’s none of your business.
Jace: Ohhh. So it is a date.
Jace: Very interesting. Where’d he take you?
Me: You have to stop texting me.
Jace: Tell me about your date and I’ll leave you alone.
Me: No.
Jace: Okay, how about this. If you admit that we have INSANE chemistry, and that you’re into me as much as I’m into you, I’ll leave you alone. I just want to know that what I’m feeling isn’t one-sided.
Me: If you keep bothering me, I’ll be forced to report you to the University’s disciplinary board.
Kyle returned from the bathroom, and I quickly put my phone away. But it didn’t buzz for the rest of the date.
I must have finally gotten through to Jace.
Speaking of getting through things, I somehow managed to smile and fake-laugh my way through the rest of my date. Kyle made a halfhearted attempt to kiss me outside the restaurant, but I quickly turned it into a platonic hug and told him to have a nice night.
That’s what frustrated me the most about this situation: Jace was absolutely right. We had this incredible chemistry that I had never felt with anyone else before. It was made even more glaring after my dud of a date with Kyle.
That kind of chemistry wasrare.
While driving home, I imagined what a date with Jace would have been like. Would he take me somewhere nice, like Margaret’s? Or a dive bar with loud music and a better atmosphere? I wondered if he danced. Most men didn’t, but somehow I could imagine Jace taking my hand and leading me out onto the dance floor with a cocky smile.
Wrapping an arm around my waist while swaying to the music.
Soft touches and lingering squeezes.
And then, after a few drinks, pulling me closer and grinding against me.
I changed into comfortable clothes and settled onto the couch with a glass of wine. Which turned into two.
By the third glass, I pulled out my phone and started typing before I could second-guess myself.
Me: I just finished the penultimate episode. Holy shit, what a roller coaster. I don’t know how they’re going to top it in the finale.
Jace: Penultimate. There’s a professorial word.
Jace: Wait, you’re watching TV? I guess the date didn’t go well.
Me: It went fine. But he was kind of boring.
Jace: So it WAS a date. I’m glad you’re exploring your options. What made it boring?
Me: He was a myrmecologist, for one thing.
