I’m not getting my hopes up.
I pushed the comforter off me. “You know I’m all about intention. So, if he wants to get to know me better on a romantic level, he’ll have to communicate that. Until then, I’m going to look at it like a friendship. If he wants more than that, he’ll have to do more than send me a cute ass text message that I’ve been thinking about since I got it.” I rolled over and put my face into my pillow and groaned. Rolling back onto my back, I sighed. “He’s so… I don’t even know how to describe it.”
“I like the way you talk about him,” she cooed. “Are you willing to let Cam go for this mystery man?”
“I’m going to let Cam go because it’s time. He’s in a different place in his life than I am.”
“Didn’t you say that last week?”
“I did.”
“And didn’t you let him eat you?”
“I did.”
“And didn’t you introduce him to your closest friends?”
I sat up. “That was under duress.”
She laughed. “Yeah, but still. It sounds like you and Cam aren’t as over as you claim.”
“I’ll be talking to him today.” My tone was firm and determined. “It doesn’t matter how skilled he is in the bedroom, ending it is for the best.”
“Are you going to talk to him at your place?” she wondered. “Because you could start telling him you don’t want him and end up on your back again.”
“Shut up!” I laughed. “That was one moment of weakness. He sent me a message last night, so I need to text him back anyway. Depending on my day, I’ll probably do it over the phone this time.”
“How did things go with Stone?” I asked, remembering how they seemed to vibe last night.
“Um… okay, I guess.”
“What do you mean? What happened?”
She sighed. “We talked for about fifteen minutes and then he asked if I wanted to get out of there.”
“To go back to his place?”
“No. To go to the diner up the street.”
My brows furrowed. “And when you said no, what happened?”
“He said okay and told me he’d call me this week for a date.”
“That… doesn’t sound… bad,” I replied slowly.
“It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t…right.”
I nodded. “I get that.”
“But then, I ran into Byron at the bar and he’s really funny,” she mentioned.
“He is…” I said, dragging the sentence out. I cocked my head to the side. “Kia?”
“Hm?”
My eyebrows flew up. “Kia, do you have a thing for Byron?”
“I mean, maybe. I don’t know. I’m single and he’s single. He’s cute. I’m cute. I think I’m going to just see what’s up.”
“Yes!” I exclaimed. “He’s cute and funny and he’ll be a good person for you to go on a practice date with.”
“I thought so, too!” Her squeal made me smile. “I already know him, and he doesn’t live here, so there’s no pressure.”
“Good for you! I’m sure he’d show you a good time, too. He leaves on Monday so today has to be the day.”
“Well, we kind of have a date for tonight.”
“What?” I gasped, my excitement getting the better of me. “When did this happen? I love this! Why didn’t we start with this! Tell me everything!”
“Well we were texting last night after we got home. He asked me where he should get food near his hotel and I told him a couple of places. He suggested I meet him for a late-night snack. I told him that I wasn’t going to dinner with a man who had a crush on my best friend—”
“I think he just says stuff to be funny,” I interrupted.
“Yeah, I think so, too. But I wanted to be sure before I went to meet him at one o’clock in the morning. So, I met him at the diner, and we had a really good time. When we were leaving, he asked me out on a proper date.” She paused. “We’re going to August Steakhouse tonight.”
My jaw dropped. “Okay, Byron!” I shimmied my shoulders. “He’s pulling out all the stops!”
“I know! I woke up this morning to a text message that said August Steakhouse and I did a double take.”
“I’m so excited! Are we discussing this at lunch or are we keeping it between us?”
“Between us for now. What about you? Are we talking about the doctor date?”
“Um…” I weighed my options. “No. We have a date tonight and once I figure some things out, I’ll share with the others.”
“Hm… interesting.”
“What?”
“Yesterday, you were like Dr. Lewis is a welcome addition to my roster and now that Saint is in the picture, all of a sudden you have to figure some things out.”
I shook my head. “That’s not it,” I argued.
“Mm hmm.”
“I’m single until I’m not!”
“Okay, Zo.”
“Stop that!” I laughed.
“I love your life,” Kia giggled.
After discussing what we were wearing, we got off the phone. Even though I had a night full of drinking and dancing, I had a lot of energy. Part of that was the buzz of excitement for my date.
Ninety minutes later, I was sitting at a table surrounded by my closest girlfriends. Mimosas were flowing as we discussed the weekend, our lives, our plans for the week. There was a flurry of activity as we laughed, joked, and just enjoyed each other’s company. We were in the middle of listening to Milan discuss her wedding plans when my phone vibrated. Since I already knew where she was getting her gown, I glanced at my phone.
Dr. Jordan Lewis: Good morning, beautiful. Guess who was able to score passes to the Q&A after the psychology conference.
Zola Patterson: The sexiest professor on Hamilton University’s campus?
Dr. Jordan Lewis: Yes I am and yes I did. Now are you going to let me pick you up or do you still want to meet me? I’m fine either way. I just want you to be comfortable.
Zola Patterson: I’m excited! Can’t wait for tonight. I’m not ready to share my address yet. But I don’t mind meeting you there.
Dr. Jordan Lewis: I understand. Women have a lot more safety concerns when it comes to dating. But allow me to give you gas money. If you won’t let me pick you up, I’ll at least pay for it.
I put my phone down on the table with a smile. Ever since Jordan had brought it up, I was looking forward to the conference. After my father died, I didn’t go to many psych conferences unless they focused on dating or relationships. But my newfound relationship with Jordan had reintroduced me to a part of my life that I’d locked away.
Even though I was excited, I still wasn’t sure about Jordan. We had a lot of fun and our conversations were thought-provoking. But something was stopping me from taking it to the next level. I was very attracted to him. But I hadn’t felt compelled to go back to his place.
He hadn’t earned that privilege yet.