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24

EVIE

I wasn’t the kind of girl to get nervous before a date. I also wasn’t the kind of girl to go on many dates in the first place. In fact, I wasn’t the kind of girl to have romantic outings of any sort. The last time I really spent time with a guy was in the eleventh grade.

Ricky Flores – he was an exchange student from Spain with an accent that would make your panties drop. He had the most dreamy green eyes and hair as black as night. His broken English was endearing and the way that he would kiss had me begging for more; a real Enrique Iglesias type. He had a way with women, something I hadn’t quiet caught on to until my senior year. Let’s just say that he had done and said some things that would not constitute as good boyfriend material. All in all, it had made me swear off of guys and relationships.

Sitting inside the lobby of my apartment building, there’s a surge of anxiety that rushes through my veins. I had absolutely no idea what Ryder had planned for our date. All I knew was that I had to wear old clothes (specifically a white t-shirt) and things I wouldn’t mind getting ruined. It was a bit of a relief knowing that I didn’t have to put too much effort into how I dressed. As nervous as I was, there was a bit of excitement rushing through me. It had been too long since I went out with a guy. Way too long… I don’t even remember the do’s and don’ts that go along with a first date! This is going to be the biggest gong show on the damn planet.

My phone begins to vibrate indicating an incoming text from Ryder, “Be there in five.”

The familiar nervous feeling that I had been feeling only moments ago began to redevelop. My mind felt like a scrambled mess. I didn’t know how I felt. After a long conversation with Presley last night, I tried to keep everything she said in mind.

“Keep an open mind,” she advised. “He’s nothing like Ricky. It’ll be fun.”

She was right and I knew that. He was nothing like Ricky. For one, he wasn’t a teenage boy. That in itself was reason enough that this was a completely different scenario. This was going to be fun. The less time I stressed over it, the more fun I will be able to have.

God, when did I become such an over analyzer? I was never like this before. I went with the flow… didn’t put too much thought into things. It seemed like over the past few months, I had become more vigilant with everything that I did.

Ryder sends another text, telling me that he was waiting just outside. I grab my purse from the floor and swing it over my shoulder.

Outside, he stands outside of his car. He’s wearing a simple jean jacket over a plain white t-shirt and fitted black jeans covering his legs. He looked really good, I’d give him that. His lips are quirked into a welcoming smile. He leans off of his car and makes his way over towards me.

He opens his arms up, inviting me into a hug. I take him up on his offer, letting him wrap his arms around me. He smelt damn good too… like Tom Ford or something else that was incredibly expensive. I knew that Ryder’s family was well off, but he wasn’t the type of guy to rub his money in your face. I respected him for that.

“Hi,” he says softly, pulling away slowly from our embrace.

“Hi,” I reply just as quiet, smiling up at him.

He turns around to open the passenger’s side door, waiting for me to get in. He shuts it behind me and rushes over to his side, almost tripping on the front bumper as he does so. I bite my lip from laughing as he casually brushes off his pants, oblivious to the fact that I had caught him. He opens the driver’s door and slides into his seat.

“Ready?” He asks, buckling his seatbelt.

“Very… where are we going?”

He shakes his head no, smirking over at me. “Can’t tell you that… it’ll ruin the surprise,” he cheekily remarks, not giving me any clue or indication as to where he might be taking us.