Catching Feelings

Chapter 20

It was fifteen minutes to ten and Raven was just leaving her house. She got into her Challenger and took off down the street. By the time she made it to the Brooklyn Bridge, she was regretting her decision. Raven was all dressed up in her white off the shoulder dress and strappy heels. She felt a little self conscious about her outfit, she didn't want him to think she was dressing up for him, because she wasn't. Tiana was having an all white birthday party at Element which she's attending. As she sat in the traffic jam on the bridge, she thought about calling Drake and cancelling. She didn't like the idea of being alone with him in his place, because she doesn't trust herself when around him. It's like she's standing outside her body watching someone else take over. The traffic started to move and she soon found herself entering Manhattan. It would be a waste to turn back now, besides if things got too crazy she would just use the party as an excuse to get out of there.

Raven entered his building and made her way over to the concierge desk. Before she could tell the man at the desk her name, he smiled and told her that Drake was expecting her and she could go right up. Raven nodded and walked over to the elevator. She stepped on the awaiting lift and pressed the button to take her up to his floor. While alone on the elevator, she quickly reached in her clutch and pulled out her compact mirror to do a hair and makeup check. She ran her fingers through her once wavy locks that were now straightened, and patted down her bangs to make sure there were no stray hairs sticking up. She smiled big doing a teeth check making sure none of her red lipstick got on her pearly whites. While in the middle of her check, she stopped and stared at herself in the mirror deep in thought. 'What the hell am I doing?' she thought to herself. Here she was stressing over her appearance for someone else's man. She snapped the mirror shut and shook her head. The elevator went ding and she stepped off.

During the walk down the hall to Drake's condo, Raven was mentally planning out what she was going to say to him. She was going to draw the line and demand that he come correct or keep it moving, because she truly didn't have time for the drama. She stopped at his door, and balled her fist up to knock on it, but the door flung open before she had the chance to.

When Drake got the call from the front desk that Raven was on her way up, he was actually surprised. From the way she was acting earlier he just knew she was going to back out. When he opened the door, his jaw nearly hit the floor. This was the first time he'd ever seen her all dressed up, and she looked damn good. After getting a good look at her, Drake moved to the side and allowed Raven to enter.

"Hey, I'm glad you came." He said as he closed the door behind her. The sweet smell of her perfume lingered in the air when she past him. Drake wanted to hug her hello, but he wasn't sure if that would be a good idea since he promised himself that he would behave. She gave a small smile, which he could tell was forced. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Drake led her into the living room and they both sat down on the sofa. He noticed that when she sat down, she shifted her body to leave some space between them. He nodded his head getting the message loud and clear. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked in an attempt to break the ice.

"Yeah, I'll have whatever you're having." Raven replied. Those were here first words spoken since she got there.

"You sure about that?" he asked with a smirk.

Raven smiled, a real smile this time feeling a little at ease. "Yes I'm sure." She said back to him. Drake flashed his dimples and went to go get the drinks.

When he returned, he had two glasses of white wine in his hand. He'd picked up the bottle just for the occasion, but that was his secret. Drake passed her the drink, and sat down with his. They both took sips from their glass before jumping into the reason for this little meeting. Drake shamelessly stared at Raven as she took another drink. When she lowered the glass, she caught the thoughtful expression on his face. "You look really, really nice tonight."  He said.