"Do you have shoes that'll work?" Emily asked.
"Yes." I had bought a pair of six inch heels for my one year anniversary with my most recent ex. They were still in the box because he had broken up with me before we went out to dinner to celebrate. I'm so bad at dating.
"Okay, you better check out before you change your mind then." Emily knew me so well. We had been roommates all four years in college and had also lived together when we first moved to the city. She met her future husband the first day she started her new job, and they got married a year later. Maybe that was my problem. I needed a job where I had to go into the office every day. Just the thought of doing that made me shudder. I couldn't write in an office. It was too stifling.
I brought the dress to the checkout counter and looked it over. I was already having reservations. It was too short. And too slutty. I turned to Emily. "Maybe I should try on..."
"You're getting it." She looked around for a salesgirl and waved her arm in the air. "We're ready to checkout!"
The woman walked over and took the dress out of my hands. "That will be forty dollars."
I reluctantly handed her my credit card. "When are you coming over tonight?" I asked Emily.
"When does the party start? I'm so excited to finally get to meet Rory."
Hmmm. "I actually don't know. When do parties usually start?"
"Just ask Rory. Stop being weird."
I grabbed the bag from the salesgirl, and Emily and I walked toward the exit. "I feel like if I was cooler I'd just know."
"Give me your cell phone."
I pulled it out of my purse and handed it to her. She quickly typed out a message and pressed send.
"Oh my God, what did you just do?!" I grabbed the phone out of her hands and stared down in horror. She had texted Rory:
"Hey roomie, when does the party start? I need to tell my date. Can't wait to put all that advice you gave me into action. Looking forward to a sexy evening." There was even a winky face emoticon at the end.
Before I could figure out something to type so that I could somehow rectify the situation, his response came.
"9."
"It starts at nine. What is wrong with you?" I asked and put my cell phone in my purse. Maybe he would just think I was drunk or something.
"What did he say back?"
"He said it starts at nine. Actually, he just typed the number nine."
"Really? Hmmm."
"Why? What does that mean?"
"I think maybe you're right. It kind of seems like he's jealous that you're bringing someone. No one just types a number unless they're pissed. He does speak in full sentences, right?"
"Yes. And I'm not bringing anyone, so he won't be jealous for long. This is working out really well. Actually, way better than I thought."
"I think you should bring a date. Making him jealous is a pretty good tactic."
"I already tried that with his friend."
"Yeah, but that was his friend. If it's a stranger, he might be more territorial."
"But where do I find a date?"
"I don't know, just bump into a stranger on the street and ask him. I have to go. I'll see you at nine."
***
I clutched my shopping bag and walked around downtown. I wasn't sure if Emily literally meant I should bump into someone or not. She hadn't answered my text. But I wasn't sure what else to do. So I wandered around looking for someone to run into.
And then I saw the perfect guy. He was handsome, but not as handsome as Rory. It looked like he tried hard to make himself look good. Perfectly styled hair, really white teeth, and super tan. I quickly moved to the center of the sidewalk so that I'd be in his path. When he stepped to the left to avoid me, I made a sharp turn left and half ran into, half shoved him. His briefcase fell open and documents scattered all over the sidewalk.
"What the hell?" he said under his breath.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Let me help you with those." I quickly grabbed some of the papers before they blew away.
"It's okay," he smiled. "You need to pay more attention to where you're going."
"I know, I was just thinking about what I needed to pick up for this party I'm going to. Oh! Let me make this up to you. I'm throwing this really big party tonight. Do you want to come?"
"Oh. Um. What kind of party is it?"
"It's a party for my new roommate. Like a housewarming party, but a lot crazier. There's going to be tons of people and it's going to be a blast."
"Where is it?"
"Let me write down the address." I pulled a piece of paper out of the small notebook in my purse, wrote down my address, and handed it to him.
"You're not asking me to be your date, are you?" The man suddenly looked uncomfortable.
Why do all strangers think I'm un-dateable? "No, I actually have a date," I lied. "I just thought you'd have fun."
"Oh good, because I'm..."
"It's fine. Just come if you can. I'm really sorry about running into you." I quickly walked away.
Chapter 14
"Hey, Rory?" I knocked on his bedroom door. I had just put on my new dress and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask him to zip it up for me. If I moved my arms just so, I could probably do it myself, but I was trying to be as flirtatious as possible. That's what he had instructed. And I was going to follow all of his advice.
"Hey, Keira," he said as he opened the door. He lowered his eyebrows slightly when he saw my outfit.
I walked into his bedroom without asking permission. The feel of his eyes on me was making me blush. "Could you zip up my dress for me? I can't quite reach the zipper."
"Um, yeah, sure." He put one hand on my waist and slowly pulled the zipper up my back, letting his fingers trace my skin before the zipper did. He moved my hair to one side and then fastened the clip at the top of the dress. His hands lingered for a moment and then he pulled back.
I turned around to look at him. He was looking at my breasts. Yes!
He shook his head and looked up at my face. "I see that you took my advice."
"Yeah, what do you think?"
I spun around once to let him see all the angles. This dress didn't leave much to the imagination, but I hoped that he'd want to see what was underneath.
"It looks good on you."
"Is it sexy enough?"
"Um, yeah it looks good on you," he repeated. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and looked back toward his door.
He wanted me to go. But all I wanted was for him to think I was sexy. I sat down on the edge of his bed, leaned back slightly, and crossed my legs. "So who's coming tonight?"
He put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor. "Just a few of my friends." A knock sounded on the door. "I'm going to go get that. Close the door behind you, okay?"
I sighed and got off the bed. I was trying to be sexy but all I had succeeded at was making him uncomfortable. I walked out of his bedroom and closed the door.
"Damn, Keira, you look amazing."