Selena reached for the cell phone in her pocket for the third time in five minutesâ
Can this bus go any faster?
âshe demanded silently as the man next to her in the rush-hour crowd glanced over irritably. It was 8:16 p.m. ... Chris' train was probably pulling into the station already.
That left her without a second to drop her stuff off, grab her keys and head back out to pick him up. As if she wasn't nervous enough alreadyâDAMN! Why was she so nervous?
Chris was a gangly, shy and awkward guyâat least, that's what she remembered about him from high school. He was two years ahead of her in school at the peak of her brief but significant crush; but being his complete opposite back thenâoutgoing and confident with a larger-than-life personalityâshe pursued her crush for about three weeks before she tired of his lack of response (well, either that, or she scared him away with her aggressionâSelena preferred to remember it as the former).
Selena and Chris had stopped speaking soon after the crush fizzled, and he barely crossed her mind in the ten years that followed. She'd almost completely forgot his existence until his name popped up on in her Facebook inbox. "
Remember me
?" it read. He still had the same disarming unforgettable smile, but a much better look to go with it. That was almost six months and dozens of friendly e-mails ago.
Chris was single, but Selena was in the "on" stage of an on-and-off long-term relationship so she tried her best to keep the flirtation to a minimum in her messages. It was clear, though, that the two had at least a friendly chemistry going. He wanted to catch up with her over dinner. She said it'd be difficult to make it back out to the town they went to high school in after a long day's work. "
No problem
," he'd said. "
I'll take the train out and meet you
." And just like that, they set a date...
DING! The signal came for Selena's stop. Shoving the phone back in her pocket and gathering her things, she excused herself and flashed a smile of understanding at the irritated man beside her before skirting around him and making a dash for the door.
Once off the bus, Selena realized her heart was pounding. She hadn't thought this meeting would be a big deal, but suddenly found she REALLY wanted to impress this man; she wanted to show him what he'd been missing out on after their short-lived almost-romance ten years ago.
As she approached her apartment fumbling for her keys, the phone rang.
"Hey!" she knew it was him.
"It's Chris. I just got here. Where should I meet you?" God, he sounded so sexy. Sexy, but friendly and unassuming. Why did he have to be so likeable?
"Chris I'm so sorry ... the commute took a little longer than usual and I'm going to be late. Do you mind waiting for me at the restaurant? It's down the block from the station."
"Yea sureâdon't rush. I know where it is. Just take your time; I'll grab a beer first."
Muttering her thanks and hanging up, Selena rushed into her house to switch her work tote for a clutch and ran to the mirrorâa quick touch up would have to do. She would have to go the restaurant in the black-and-white print curve hugging-pencil skirt and top that she wore to work that morning. Luckily her silky-straight black hair hardly ever required styling; it fell to the middle of her back in dramatic layers, framing her face perfectly. And her toned, olive complexion didn't require much makeup; she brushed on some bronzer to accentuate her cheekbones and applied a brighter lip gloss to give herself a fresher 'evening' look. Three spritzes of her citrusy Dior Addict perfume and three minutes later, she was satisfied, slipping into her black patent stilettos and running out the door to her SUV.
By the time Selena reached the restaurant, her nerves were noticeably calmer. She just wanted to have a good time with an old (and potentially new) friend, and besidesâshe had a boyfriend. She craned her neck as she stepped into the restaurantâa tasteful Mardi Gras themed bar that served amazing Cajun foodâand saw him in his seat at the restaurant bar the same instant he turned away from the large flat-screen showing a football game and spotted her. She stopped dead in her tracks.
He was even taller than he was in high schoolâtaller, tanner, and oozing as much confidence as he'd lacked in his younger years. His hair was cut short, accentuating his boyish demeanor, and he had the most beautiful armsâbig but not huge, but clearly defined to show off an athletic lifestyle. Arms that were moving toward her! and suddenly wrapping around her shoulders...
"Wow! It's so great to see you. I can't believe it!" he said.
And that's how it started.
When Selena went back to her apartment that night, she was giddy. Giddy was a feeling she hadn't felt in years. They'd laughed all night and there was no end to their conversation. The chemistry was like nothing she ever felt before, even with her boyfriend.
Crap
! her boyfriendâshe forgot to call him to say goodnight, a tradition they upheld religiously. And it was already almost 1am...
Selena got his voicemail. "Hi baby, I'm sorry to call so late. The dinner with my friend went well and we were just catching up. I'll talk to you tomorrow."