Chapter 14

Ella

I found myself staring at my straightener and my curling iron once again, trying to decide which one I should use for my date. It had been so long since I had been on a date that I couldn’t help overthinking everything.

He had already seen me with curly hair at the party, so maybe I should go with straight hair. But then again, curls seemed more formal and showed I had put plenty of effort into our date. I didn’t want to look lazy, did I?

I grabbed my phone and quickly texted Jo.

Hey. Date Night. What hair?

I set it down and looked over my outfit one more time. I was wearing a purple knee-length dress that was pretty enough to make it look like I was trying but not so fancy I would be overdressed for wherever we went. I had on gray, woolen leggings underneath as well as a small, gray bolero to match. I looked pretty damn adorable, if I did say so myself.

My phone buzzed, and I snatched it back up.

Straight but flippy. Girl, rock it out!

I didn’t know what I would do without her. All this girly stuff was still so foreign to me. I knew I could watch a tutorial online, but they couldn’t hold my attention, and they never made much sense to me anyway. Now, my best friend, she made sense to me.

I finished my hair and made sure I had everything I needed in my purse in case the date went bad. Not that I thought it would, but it was always smart to be safe.

A knock sounded at my door, and I checked my phone. Drayer was five minutes earlier than he said he would be. That was nice.

I hated people who were chronically late to everything, so punctuality was definitely to be admired.

“Hello,” I said, opening the door after checking through the peephole that it was him.

“Hey there,” he answered, leaning forward to place a single kiss on my cheek. “You look amazing.”

“Why, thank you. You clean up pretty well yourself.”

I wasn’t lying about that either. He looked quite crisp in a pair of new, fitted jeans and a forest green sweater over top, his moppish hair brushed back into a more groomed style. He looked like he had just walked off a runway, and I was totally digging it.

He offered his arm and led me down to the streets. Naturally, we flirted the entire time, and it was all lighthearted and everything I hoped it would be. He was as charming as ever, and it made me feel at ease.

“Are you sure you’re warm enough there?” he asked, eyeing me up and down.

“Drayer, I’m wearing a coat, a bolero, a dress, and woolen leggings. I assure you, everything except my face is nice and toasty.”

“But your face is the best part of your outsides!”

“Considering you’ve seen me naked, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should because, trust me, I loved the rest of you too.”

“Careful with those compliments. You keep stroking my ego, and I might have to keep you around.”

“Oh, heaven forbid. I couldn’t imagine a more terrible fate.”

“Good, then the threat is doing its job.”

He tilted his head back and laughed loudly, causing several people on the subway to look at us, but I didn’t care. I was having fun in the winter for once, so they could sue me.

The date turned out to be dinner and drinks at a local pub. It wasn’t a total dive, and I actually found the place both homey and comfortable. It was convenient because I was craving red meat like nobody’s business.

But of course, he had to drop a bomb right after we got our appetizer of boneless wings and mozzarella sticks. “So, what are your plans for Christmas?”

Ugh. Why did I have to do anything for Christmas? Why couldn’t it be like any other day?

“Nothing,” I said, pulling back slightly. It always came to this, didn’t it?

I supposed I could tell him why I didn’t like the holiday or why I never spoke of family, but I didn’t feel like disclosing that part of my life with someone I didn’t really know. Funny how I could share my body with someone but then still have trouble opening myself up to him.

“Really? Nothing?” I could tell he was trying to moderate his tone and pick his words very carefully, which grated on my nerves. “Is that purposeful or just kinda happened?”

“It’s complicated.”

He said nothing for several seconds, and I could tell I was quickly torpedoing everything. It wasn’t like I meant to, but I couldn’t really help my natural reaction to the holiday.

“Is something wrong?” he asked after what felt like an eon had passed. “I feel like you’ve suddenly put up this wall in between us, and everything was going so well.”

“Like I said, my ex gave me some trust issues. This is just the way I am.”

“I know, I know. I only want you to give me a real chance. I promise I’m not like him.”

I sighed. I didn’t want to have to deal with this with a practical stranger. Sliding him a couple of dollar bills I had in my wallet, I got up and walked away. At least he had the common sense to not follow, and I ended up on the street alone.

I made my way to the subway and whipped out my phone as I did. Quickly texting one of my coworkers, I asked them if they could take my shift tomorrow and I could work their Sunday. Hopefully, they would answer yes, so I wouldn’t have to see Drayer or face the stupid situation I had gotten myself into.

Right now, I just wanted to sleep.