Nine
Evan went through the plan again. It had to go perfectly. Thirty days was forever, but when you wanted to make something happen, and it took two weeks to get your first attempt, it was almost no time at all. He let out a breath.
If he didn't make it all the way tonight, then it wasn't the end of the world. He'd have more attempts. But if he botched the date, if it was anything less than perfection on a plate, then there was a better than nothing chance that he wasn't going to be able to get a second shot.
He let out a breath and eased the car out of the parking lot, and made the last half-mile to the library. The lot was no more full than it ever was, and he pulled into the first non-handicapped spot. It was empty. He turned the ignition off and looked down at the clock on the dash as it turned off.
There was five minutes before they closed. How long it was going to be until Dana got out, he wasn't sure of. But it was going to be fine. He repeated it a few more times to himself, as if it was suddenly going to make him feel better to know. He had to figure out something, sooner or later. He simply had to.
He texted that he was outside, and she couldn't miss him. Then he sat on the hood and watched the sky turn black. There were stars out, but he couldn't see them well. Just one or two, at first, the very brightest. As he looked, they came out more and more. It reminded him, in a sickly sort of way, of looking at Dana. The more that he looked into her, the more that he saw worth looking at.
"Hey," she said. "See you got the good spot."
"We riding together, or separate?"
"Separate. Follow me to the apartment, and then I'll just grab a quick shower and a change of clothes. What kind of thing should I wear?"
Evan made a show of looking her over, like he had to think very hard. "I don't know. What's the skimpiest–"
He looked up and laughed. She rolled her eyes, which he took to mean that she liked it regardless of what she meant by it. "I'm serious."
"Wear what you want. You want to wear what you've got on, we can just go straight there."
"I'd rather change."
"Then lead the way," Evan said. He gestured to the empty lot. "I'll follow you, like you said. Hell, I followed you this far, right?"
"Don't remind me," Dana told him. She was smiling.
He followed her. Stepped out of the car. She invited him into the apartment. He didn't take it as an invitation, though she might have meant it as one. Sometimes you ought to be clear about what you want in life. Evan always knew better than to try to be coy when it came to the opposite sex.
He settled onto her couch and waited. He heard the sound of her shower come on. He tried not to think too hard about it. It had been longer than he'd realized since the last time that he'd been able to busy himself with the fairer sex. The idea that he was going to walk around full-mast wasn't something that he was looking forward to. It would be the polar opposite of a perfect date, unless she was so endeared to it that she jumped on him right then and there.
"One more minute," she called out. He shivered gently and sucked a breath in. He heard the doorknob turn and stood up. She still had her hair up in a towel, but she was dressed otherwise.
He couldn't help noticing how deep the neck of her shirt dipped. Couldn't help noticing that when she moved just right she showed off a tight midriff that would have been appealing on any woman. He could help how he reacted to it, and if it wasn't what he usually did, that didn't mean he struggled to keep himself reserved about it.
"You look good," he said.
"Yeah? You think so?"
"Good enough to eat." He allowed himself one indulgence, stepping past the boundaries of what anyone would call 'personal space.' She didn't push him away. He looked down at her.
Dana had never been a woman who struck him as just like all the others. Oh, sure. She was a type. Nobody is wholly original. But he could read her face like a book in that moment. If he wanted her, there was a good chance that he'd have her, if he tried something right there. But it wasn't a sure thing.
"Don't eat me, Mr. Park."
"No," he said. "Not yet."
He stepped back. She seemed almost disappointed that he hadn't tried something. So she was looking forward to it. Maybe she was looking forward to it as much as he was. But he had a plan, and it was going to be perfect. Just as long as he made sure to keep to it, and made sure that he was in control of himself as long as he could.
His skin itched. He stepped towards the door.
"Where are you taking me?"
He turned and made a half-apologetic expression. "I was thinking we could go to my place. I can cook a mean steak."
"I could be a vegetarian," she said.
"You could," Evan offered. "In which case I cook a mean risotto. But there's one other thing: Monday night you had a beef stew, at that diner. So I'm guessing you're just fine with beef."
Her mouth pulled into a tight line. He wasn't sure if she had conceived the question as a test, or if she'd conceived it as a way to fuck with him. After all, he guessed that he was as much a whale to a woman like her, who tried to prove she was smarter than everyone else, as a girl like her was to him.
Something that doesn't come along every day. And he was proving to be every bit the opponent that she hoped he was, he knew. He just hoped that he could keep up his track record long enough to keep her interested.
"Anything else?"
"Movies. I've got a few on offer."
"You've got everything figured out."
"And my roommate's staying with a friend. Not that I'm expecting anything."
"No, of course not," she said. But he could see the cogs working in her head. The cogs that were adding up the situation. She was already deciding whether or not she was going to sleep with him. From the expression on her face, he was starting to relax about making sure that the steaks came out absolutely perfect.