Everything I did was wrong.

“No! Don’t even think about it!” Frannie cried.

“What about this?” I asked.

Frannie grabbed the black shirt from me and threw it on the bed behind me.

“Not gonna happen, sister!”

I sighed and held my up hands. “I give up!”

She put her hands on my shoulders and shook me playfully. “I won’t allow you to wear all black on your first date!”

“I brought jeans, though!”

I’d driven to Baltimore early so I could stop by Frannie and James’ condo to let her dress me before my date. Actually, she kind of threatened to take me down if I didn’t. She knew me too well, because without her tough love, I probably would have ended up in my fall back of all black.

Frannie held up my jeans. “Jeans are fine, but you have fantastic legs. What about a dress?”

“Frannie, you’re like a foot taller than me! Your dresses will probably be ankle-length on me!”

She giggled. “Oh ye of little faith.” She started pushing through her closet and throwing dresses at me. “I’m not even going to bother with trying to get you in sequins.”

“You know me so well,” I laughed. I held up the dresses she’d thrown at me, each smaller and brighter than the next. “Do these dresses actually cover all your parts?”

She threw one more option at me and closed the closet door. “You know my legs are my favorite part, so I like to show them off. And James appreciates it when I do.”

“I’m pretty sure James would appreciate you in a trash bag.”

“He would, as long as my legs were showing!” She held up one of the dresses. “Ready to try one or two on?”

I sighed. “I don’t think I’m in the mood for a dress tonight. I want to dance and jump around without worrying about my ass hanging out in front of my date.”

Frannie nudged my calf with her toe. “Hey, that might get you a second date!”

I threw a dress at her. “Too funny.”

“You’re sure no dress?”

“No dress.”

We went through a few rounds of trying on different tops and finally agreed on a red tank with spaghetti straps that criss crossed over the open back.

Frannie worked her magic on my hair, giving my poker-straight locks a little bit of a beachy wave.

I sat on her toilet seat while she curled the last few pieces of my hair.

“What do you know about this Alex guy?” she asked.

“Not much, really. I’ve met him twice, I think. Joe’s known him since college and I trust him not to steer me wrong.”

“Do you remember finding him attractive when you met him those two times?” she asked.

“Well, objectively I can say I think he’s an attractive man. I wasn’t in a place to be attracted to him when I saw him those times, though.”

She ran her fingers through my hair, separating the curls. “Mmhmm. And how’s Charlie?”

“Charlie’s fine. He might be there tonight.”

“What? Why?”

Frannie put one hand on her hip and waved the curling iron around wildly with the other.

“Joe invited him, and I kind of said it would be okay.”

“So, you told the guy you’re totally crushing on—even if you won’t admit it—to crash your date?”

I nodded meekly. “But he stood me up for our run this morning, so he probably won’t come to the show tonight.”

Frannie put the curling iron down, thankfully, and sprayed my hair with hairspray.

“You better call me and tell me what happens!”

“You should come,” I said.

“I’d love to, but James actually took a Saturday off from the bar, so once you’re gone, I plan to drag him away from his computer and have my way with him all night. Maybe we’ll take a break and go out to dinner or something, but I’m not in the mood to spend hours listening to music when I could be home making beautiful music in bed with my man.”

Seeing Frannie and James in love was magic. They’d had so many obstacles to get over, but once they’d figured it out, they fit perfectly. Their version of wildly in love was different than Rachel and Joe’s, but I was no less envious of them. Their love story was absolutely in my top ten favorites of all time. I titled it “The Leap of Faith.”

“Frannie, I love you. And I don’t blame you one bit,” I said.

She pointed at me. “But you’re going to call me, right?”

I laughed. “Of course!”

She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a tight hug. “You look beautiful and are a lovely, kind, wonderful person who deserves the best. Whatever happens tonight, remember that, okay, E?”

Her words made my eyes burn and nose tingle. “Don’t make me cry!”

She pushed me away gently and we walked to the door together. “Have fun tonight. Be wild and do all the things I would do.”

I blew her a kiss. “You have fun tonight too. And thanks for being such a kick-ass friend.”

When I walked up to the venue, Alex was pacing near the entrance.

I touched his arm lightly. “Hey.”

He broke into a wide grin, instantly calming the butterfly dance party in my stomach. I hadn’t been on a date in years, so I’d been nervous, but Alex’s warm smile and openly happy expression were all I needed to feel at ease.

“Hey, Eliza. I’m glad you could make it.”

We hugged briefly, but long enough for me to sniff him. He smelled like spicy soap, a scent I did not find unpleasant at all.

“Did I pass the sniff test?” he asked.

I laughed, and I knew my cheeks were red. “You did! Good job!” I held up my hand and he high-fived me.

“Rachel and Joe are already inside. You ready?”

I linked my arm with his and nodded.

Lucky was more mellow than the times I’d been there to see a show in the past. On the darkened stage, there was an upright piano and three chairs evenly spaced with a drum kit in the shadows. I hadn’t even asked who was playing tonight, but the set-up had me excited to find out.

Rachel and Joe were easy to find near the bar. After we all hugged and kissed and ordered drinks, we huddled together near the stage.

Alex stayed close to me, periodically brushing my shoulder or my elbow with his fingertips, which I found I didn’t mind at all. He was much taller than me, well over six feet, with a lean, muscular frame. His brown hair was shaggy and messy and even though the stylist in me wanted to give it a good trim, I found myself feeling the first buzz of attraction toward him.

“So, you’re a musician?” he asked.

“I don’t know if I’d go that far. I play piano,” I said.

“Don’t be modest!” Rachel said. “Eliza’s playing at our wedding. You’ll get to see her do her thing.”

Alex smiled. “I look forward to it.”

“What about you? Play any instruments?” I asked.

He chuckled. “I don’t have a musical bone in my body. I love music and going to live shows, but I’ve never played an instrument and my voice is pretty much a horror show.”

“I’ve met people who said they weren’t really into music. Those people I will never understand.”

“No, me neither,” Alex agreed.

Without meaning to, I found myself comparing Alex to Charlie. One of my favorite parts of my relationship with Charlie was our musical bond. I loved that we could get lost together when we played.

But Charlie wasn’t my date, so that didn’t matter.

Alex was here. Being a musician wasn’t a prerequisite. And Alex was lovely.

“Do you know who the band is tonight?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, they’re called Four Chairs.”

I snorted. “Creative.”

He laughed lightly. “I saw them a couple years ago with my ex-girlfriend. They’re kind of…”

I raised a brow. “What?”

“Uh, chick music.” He had enough self-awareness to cringe at his own words.

“Oh,” was all I said.

Oh boy.

I told myself not to write him off because of one slightly sexist comment.

Rachel smiled at someone behind me. “Hey!” she called.

I turned around to see Charlie walking slowly toward us, hands tucked in his worn jeans pockets like always, his focus on Rachel and Joe.

After he greeted them, he finally turned toward us, although he didn’t meet my eyes.

“What’s up, man? I’m Charlie.” He and Alex shook hands, and then Alex rested his hand on the small of my back, pulling me slightly closer to him.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Alex, and this is Eliza.”

Charlie finally met my eyes, and I could see the eyeroll he was barely holding back.

“Actually, Charlie and I are good friends,” I told Alex. “We’re training for a marathon together.”

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t realize. That’s cool, the more the merrier, as they say,” Alex said, giving Charlie another friendly smile.

Charlie gave me an indecipherable look, then turned to talk to Rachel and Joe, effectively shutting Alex and me out of the conversation.

Alex kept his hand on my back, rubbing his thumb slowly over the bare skin there, and I couldn’t quite decide if I liked it or not. I also couldn’t quite decide what Charlie’s deal was. There was a definite weirdness between us that I really wished wasn’t there.

“So, you’re a runner?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, but this will be my first marathon. I’m getting nervous. Do you run?”

He shook his head. “Nah, not my thing.”

“Oh, well, it’s definitely my thing.”

“Cool, cool,” he said.

I was at a loss for what to say next. Thankfully, the band took the stage then, giving us both a break. I was immediately entranced when I saw the pianist take her seat, followed by a harpist, cellist, and violinist. I had a feeling this “chick music” was going to be for me.

An ethereal-looking black woman wearing a diaphanous white dress took the stage, and without preamble, the band started playing while she stood with her eyes closed, her hands clasped in front of her. And when she sang, I almost felt like I was dreaming. Her voice was angelic and sweet, but powerful and moving.

Rachel moved next to me. “Good, right?”

“Amazing,” I said dreamily.

I closed my eyes and swayed to the music, forgetting Alex, forgetting Charlie, just absorbing the beautiful sounds surrounding me.

“Do you want another beer?” Alex asked.

“I’m good,” I said without looking at him.

When he went to the bar, I felt Charlie take his place. I finally opened my eyes and turned toward him.

“Hi, Charlie.”

“You look different,” he said.

I smoothed my hands down my sides. “This is my date look.”

“Ah, so I wouldn’t have seen it.” He tilted his head toward the bar. “But that guy has.”

Ignoring his comment, I asked, “Did you take care of what you needed to this morning?”

“Yep.”

“Do you like this band?”

“Who wouldn’t?” he asked.

“Crazy people. No more talking.”

I didn’t know how long the concert went on, I just knew when I finally opened my eyes, I felt like I’d been in a dream for a hundred years. Charlie had stayed next to me the entire time, his arm pressed against mine, and Alex was on the other side of me, mostly talking away to Joe and Rachel.

When we all walked outside, I gave Alex a brief hug and thanked him for coming out with us.

“Should we do this again? Maybe somewhere we can actually talk?” he asked.

I tucked my hair behind my ear and nodded. “We should. Definitely call me.”

He leaned down and kissed the corner of my lips. “I definitely will.”

I knew my cheeks were pink. Not because I was head over heels for Alex, but because I could feel Charlie watching the entire exchange. And maybe because it had been entirely too long since a man had put his mouth that close to mine.

“Can I catch a ride?” Charlie asked softly.

“You didn’t drive?” I asked.

“No, I Uber’d here. But I can Uber home too…”

“Don’t be silly. Of course I’ll drive you home.”

Once we’d said goodnight to Rachel and Joe, we walked a few blocks to where my car was parked. We were both quiet, but I could almost hear Charlie’s mind working.

“Did you do your run today?” I asked.

“Yeah, I went to the community center this afternoon to run on the treadmill. I have to say, it’s a lot more fun running with you.”

I smiled. “It was quiet this morning.”

“You only like me for my conversation,” he said.

I held my hands up and laughed. “You got me. It’s true. I’m using you for how easy you are to talk to.” I pointed to my car. “There I am.”

“Nice. Parallel parking?”

“Yeah!”

He walked the length of my car, nodding. “Impressive. I learned parallel parking for my driving test and forgot how to do it two-point-one seconds later.”

When we got in the dark car, Charlie sighed, and asked, “You like that guy?”

I turned to him. “He was okay, nice. I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.”

“I don’t think he’s for you,” he said.

I let out a shocked laugh. “How can you say that? You barely said two words to him!”

“Maybe. But neither did you,” he replied.

I shrugged and started driving. “It was loud.”

“Not that loud.”

“Why does it matter to you, Charlie?”

“I want the best for you, Eliza. Only the best.”

“That’s very sweet. I want that for you too. But I’m ready to start dating, and Alex is a nice guy, even if he isn’t my forever guy. Maybe he’ll be good practice, or maybe once I get to know him, I’ll really like him.”

He exhaled slowly. “Okay.”

We rode quietly for a while, and I found myself once again comparing Alex to Charlie. There was no contest who I clearly had more in common with and more chemistry with, but Alex was the one who was actually interested in me.

Charlie was my friend. Who I liked. Like, like liked. But I knew he didn’t feel the same.

“What came up this morning?” I asked.

“Oh. Uh, my ex-wife texted really late last night that she needed help moving out of the place she was living in with some guy,” he said quietly.

“I didn’t realize you were still in contact with your ex,” I said.

“Yeah, she lives pretty close by, so I see her every once in a while. We’re much better friends. She’s a little...I guess unsettled is the right word.”

I pulled into my parking spot behind my building.

“I have to admit, I was kind of worried I did something wrong last night,” I said.

Charlie looked startled. “Why would you think that? I was the one who made things weird.”

We met at the back of my car and started walking around the building.

“Did I not try to kiss you...again?” I asked.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a beat. “No, you didn’t.”

I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “We were both drunk. Any weirdness can be blamed on that, okay?”

He wove his fingers between mine and held my hand securely in his. “Okay, Eliza.”

We stopped in front of my steps, still holding hands.

“You’re not going to stand me up in the morning, are you?”

Charlie reached out and brushed my bangs from my eyes, giving me goosebumps. “I’ll be there,” he said softly.

I let go of his hand and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He pulled me close, his arms around my waist, and I sighed against his shoulder.

“I’m glad you’re in my life.”

He leaned his cheek on the side of my head. “Me too. You have no idea.”

I pulled away and smiled at him. “See you in the morning.”

“It’s going to be painful, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Maybe, but we’ll have fun,” I said.

“We always do. Goodnight, Eliza.” He brushed his fingers over my jaw ever so gently, then pushed me toward my stairs.

He watched me climb the stairs and unlock my door. Turning, I waved to him one last time before gently shutting the door behind me.