An Instant Attraction

Chapter 16

My buzzing phone startles me from my daydream. I've been mindlessly floating around the apartment all morning. I look at the screen and see a new text message from Kristin. I swipe and read, *How was the ride home?

Unsure how to respond, I simply send back a smiley face emoji. 😊

She seems to understand because she sends back her own message with a thumbs-up emoji. 👍

My phone buzzes again and I laugh when I see Kristin's name appear on the screen again. This time I read *I'm really busy getting stuff set up for the party. If I give you the address do you think you could borrow my mom's car later to drive to the party?

I'm not really thrilled about trying to find my way to Luke's, but I know it's close to campus, so if she gives me directions, I can probably handle it. I send back a quick reply *Sure, no problem. I'll talk to your mom about using the car.

After hitting send, I go into the bathroom in need of a shower. I take my time washing my hair and body enjoying the warm water. When it begins to cool, I turn it off and pull back the curtain. Grabbing a large towel, I wrap it around my body and step out onto the mat. I dry myself and smooth a layer of lotion over my damp skin.

Back in the bedroom I decide to look through the closet for something to wear tonight. As I'm pushing hangers around, I hear my phone buzz again. I grab it off my bed and see a message from Dex, *Good morning beautiful. Can I pick you up for the party later?

I smile as I think about showing up at the party together. I write back, *Sure, what time?

He replies, *I'll pick you up around 5:30. We can stop and grab some food first.

*Sounds good. See you at 5:30, I type back to him unable to keep another smile from creeping across my face.

I need to share this with someone. I open Instagram and find a picture of Dex to copy to my phone. I open my messages and type a quick note to Kat, attaching the picture, *this is my date tonight 😊

Her reply is almost instantaneous. I'm not surprised due to her phone addiction. *Whoa! He's hot...didn't take you long 😉

I laugh and go back to looking in my closet. I decide I'm not really ready to get dressed yet, so I slip on a pair of shorts and tank for now and sit down on my bed. I find myself scrolling through more pictures of Dex and the hockey team. I decide to make a little use of my time and finally set my phone aside. I grab some of my school stuff and plop back down on my bed. I spread out my books and papers and open my laptop. Classes start on Monday but mine are all hybrid courses, so the professors have made the syllabi available through the online student classroom. I take a look at them in order to familiarize myself with due dates and big assignments or projects that I'll have to focus on this semester. In previous years I've always taken four or five classes a semester, so I'm hoping I won't feel too overwhelmed with the three classes I decided to take. I'm planning to up my course load again next semester, after I've had a little time to adjust.

Time has gone by faster than I realized and I need to get ready now. After cleaning up the mess on my bed I go into the bathroom. I pull out my make-up bag, taking out my eyeliner, eye shadow, and mascara. I take a few minutes to apply my make-up, then I run a brush through my hair, deciding to leave it down. Back in my bedroom I pull open my drawers and decide to wear a cute set of underwear, just in case. I slip on a black, lace covered bra and matching black lace hipster panties. The set is simple, but still sexy. I pull on my signature skinny jeans and decide on a slightly cropped black sleeveless top. I grab a gray and white plaid flannel button-up shirt from the closet, just in case I get chilly later, since it is September in Boston. Finally, I slip into a pair of black heeled booties and I add a quick coat of peachy lip gloss. Just as I grab my purse and head into the living room there's a knock on the door. Talk about perfect timing.

I open the door and the vision of Dex takes my breath away. He's dressed in a pair of dark wash jeans and a pale blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. His dark brown hair is pushed back slightly by a pair of wayfarers sitting on his head. His dark eyes are wide as he takes in my appearance as well. A smile lights up his entire face, "You look absolutely stunning," he says.

"Thank you, you look pretty good yourself," I smile back.

We decide to grab some burgers before going to the party. As we sit at the restaurant, I take a few fries and dip them in ketchup before taking a bite of my burger. It may not be the healthiest meal, but it is delicious. "So, you're never going to believe this, but I actually grew up a Bruins fan," I tell him.

"No way! You're from California, there's no way that's true," he laughs.

"Seriously. My dad grew up here along with my Uncle Jack, Kristin's dad. He didn't move to California until he was in his twenties and he's still a faithful Boston fan. It's in his blood, so I grew up watching the Bruins play. We even came to a couple games during family vacation trips," I tell him.

"That's crazy, but I can totally understand. Boston fans are loyal, so I can see someone staying a fan even after moving across the country. Your dad must be really proud that you came to BU and back to the city he grew up in," he says.

"He is," I squeak out. Apparently talking about my family is making me miss them a little more than I realized.

He definitely senses something in my tone, "Hey, are you okay?" he asks.

I shake my head yes. "I guess talking about my family just hit me in a weird way. Really, I'm okay."

We continue to chat while we finish our burgers. When we're done, we stand and make our way back to his Range Rover. I give him a small kiss on the cheek and thank him. He looks at me intensely, "So are you sure you really want to go to this party?" he asks. From the look he's giving me, I determine it is because he would rather be doing something else with me. I almost comply, but I know Kristin would never forgive me.

"Since Kristin has been texting me all day, we should at least stop by," I flash him a smile.

"Okay," he says sounding disappointed and slightly defeated.

As he starts to drive, I place my hand on his knee, "We don't have to stay for too long." I feel excitement run through me, as I think of all the possibilities that tonight can bring and I listen to Ed Sheeran's voice coming through the speakers.