Baby Steps

Dress Warm

Jo's POV:

I spent the next week in a stressed haze. I was spending every waking minute reviewing my material, only granting myself phone time when I got a text from Colton.

He had started sending me memes and tweets he found funny, and sometimes a good motivational quote when I wasn't responding. I wouldn't say we were exactly talking, but knowing he was supporting me through this felt nice. I felt bad I couldn't give him more of my attention, but I knew deep down he understood.

My friends had also been equally supportive, and Sam even bought me a cake to decorate the night before the test to help take my mind off things. He said we could eat it and watch shitty romcoms once the test was over, giving me something to look forward to. Emma and Nikki had bought all my favorite snacks for me, which was amazing study fuel. I had been forgetting to eat with all the stress, so these little gestures were greatly appreciated. 

I had the best friends in the world. 

The day of the test, I was a wreck. I was taking it remotely, and I must've combed through my room three times to make sure it followed all the restrictions. Twenty minutes before, I logged on, met my proctor, and it was go time.

I think I blacked out during the test, because immediately after, I couldn't remember a single thing about the past three hours. What I did know was that shit was hard. 

I turned my phone back on, and saw a bunch of missed text messages.

E: YOU'RE GONNA KILL THIS JO!!!

S: rt

S: OUR FUTURE LAWYER QUEEN

N: *smarty pants gif*

I scrolled a little further, and I was surprised to see a text from Sexy Guy from Class. Sorry, Colton. I really had to change that.

Sexy Guy from Class: best of luck Princess, ur gonna ace it

Sexy Guy from Class: lmk when you're done, I have a surprise:) 

I found myself blushing at the last two texts. I had never felt this much support before from anyone other than my family, and the idea of a guy being this encouraging was sending my heart into spirals. 

I texted my friends back to let them know I was done, and needed some quality floor time before I was ready to socialize. My brain hurt.

But I found myself struggling to reply to Colton. What was the surprise? What do I even say to that?

After calming myself back down, I met my roommates out in the living room. Sam had already brought out the cake, and all three were sitting on the couch, eagerly waiting for me. 

"SHE'S DONE!!!" Sam screeched, immediately jumping up and pulling me into a bear hug, Emma and Nikki soon joining him to make it a group up. I chuckled at their reactions. 

"Thank you guys, you're honestly the best ever," I said gratefully. I really didn't deserve them.

"Oh please, you would do the same for us," Emma chirped, drawing away from the hug and settling back onto the couch. "Anyways, I've been waiting long enough to eat this thing, care to join?"

I nodded enthusiastically, and settled on the floor next the Sam while Nikki joined Emma on the couch. Nikki flipped on "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," one of my favorite movies. This was far from a shitty romcom. 

We sat and ate as we enjoyed the movie, Sam and I reciting lines, as we had watched this together a million times. 

At the end, I found myself giddy and completely revived from the test. Emma started cleaning up the dishes, and Sam and I sat and went through our favorite scenes. Nikki had left halfway through to go to Matt's house, which we all protested. Besides, how could you leave in the middle of the "You're So Vain" scene? 

I suddenly remembered I never texted Colton back. I excused myself to my room, and started thinking of a good response. I was never great at texting.

Jo: I finished, can't wait to see this surprise:)

I hit send before I could overthink it. I cringed at myself for being such a dry texter, hoping he wouldn't read into my poor communication skills. 

He responded almost immediately:

Sexy Guy from Class: Perfect, be there in 20. Dress warm.

Dress warm? Where on Earth was he taking me

***

No more than 15 minutes later, I got another text.

Sexy Guy from Class: Here

I quickly threw my keys and wallet in a purse, rushing to finish getting ready. Colton gave me basically no time to prepare, and finding a "warm" outfit took a good chunk of my time. I had finally decided on a pair of jeans and an oversized black long-sleeve top. The straps of my white lacy bralette peaked out from the top, matching my white lace thong. I figured after the last couple times we'd seen each other, it was better to be prepared. 

I tied my sneakers and threw my black winter coat over my outfit, shoving a hat and pair of gloves in my pockets. I had no idea how warm I would need to dress, but it was currently 30 degrees outside so I figured this would work. 

I texted Colton to let him know I was coming down. I quickly popped a mint in my mouth and ran a hand through my hair, making my final touches to my appearance. I was nervous I would be dressed wrong, but I guess it was too late now.

I headed down to meet Colton. His car was pulled up in front of my building. As soon as he saw me, he jumped out and ran around the car to grab the passenger door for me. I blushed at the gesture.

"Hey stranger," I joked as I climbed in. I tried not to stare, but he looked devilishly good in his grey joggers. I was also happy to see I hadn't overdressed.

"Hey there, princess," he joked back. I could feel his eyes on me, watching me get into the car. I felt my stomach start to flutter.

He walked back around to the driver's seat, starting the car back up. I snuck a glance in his direction, admiring his chiseled jawline and perfect side profile from this angle. Lucky asshole. 

"So, where are you taking me?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. I could feel my leg bouncing in a mix of excitement and nervousness. 

Colton chuckled. "Easy there, I can't ruin the surprise just yet," he teased. "But we'll be there pretty soon, don't worry." He shot a wink in my direction, making my heart float.

Soon enough, he was pulling the car into an unmarked parking lot. I looked around, trying to figure out where we were. We had driven no more than ten minutes from my apartment, but I had never been here before.

Hesitantly, I climbed out of the car, looking around. The parking lot was completely surrounded by trees, and it didn't seem like much of anything was around.

"Where are we?" I asked.

He smiled down at me, having come to stand by my side. "You'll see, princess." 

He grabbed my hand and started leading me... into the woods?

"Are you gonna kill me?" I pestered. He chuckled at my ridiculous question.

"Just be quiet and follow me, will ya?" He joked, giving my hand a tug to pull me next to his side. I felt shivers down my spine at the proximity, the heat from his body radiating through my jacket. I felt my cheeks heating up. Apparently, I was completely unable to regulate my own body when Colton was around.

Finally, we reached a clearing in the woods, and I saw our final destination.

"We're going ice skating?"

***

A/N: Hope everyone's having a great long weekend!! I've been busier since school's started back up, but I'll try to update more frequently!! I rlly wanna get to the good stuff lol. 

Enjoy XX