Page 28 of Moonstruck at Midnight
“Oh, um, Thomas said he’ll stop by at eight, and we’ll walk someplace nearby.” I smiled and turned around to unlock my apartment.
“I don’t like him,” he said out of nowhere.I know. He’d only seen him once, but he’d seen enough to dislike him. I guess he liked Thomas as much as I liked Noelle.
“Oh no, I’m shocked,” I said with a dull tone, turning around to face him.
He snorted. “What?” he asked with a smile.
“You don’t like anyone. That’s what. I thought you liked me, but just by looking at your face right now … I have my doubts,” I joked. Of course, he liked me, and I liked him back. We were friends. But even though I could tell he was excited about New York, he wasn’t himself right now. He’d always been overprotective, just like Aaron, but this felt excessive, and he knew it.
“Just for the record … I do like you,” he said with a laugh. “But you’re a little rebel. Going out on dates on your first weekend here, telling your strange neighbors what apartment you live in.” He raised his brow. “I heard that.”
I puckered my lips to the side. “Sorry?” I laughed. He shook his head with a tight-lipped smile.
“We’ll be downstairs,” he said. “And don’t wear that—thing you sprayed in the car for your date tonight. It smells too nice.”Is he joking?He didn’t smile or laugh after saying that.
I looked in my bag and grabbed the body spray. “This?” I splashed his chest, holding in a laugh, waiting for his reaction. He really needed to loosen up a couple of notches.
“You’re going to get me fired!” he grumbled. I could see him trying his best not to yield a smile. He brushed his chest with his hands, but that wasn’t doing much to help remove the scent off his jacket.
“Then you better go change because my father loves that vanilla body splash. He tells me every time I wear it. You wouldn’t want to bump into him smelling like that, now would you?” I laughed again. A little lie to tease him. Not only was my father probably out of town, but I was sure he was unaware of what body splash I used. Besides, I loved perfumes so much that I had more than a few.
And I knew exactly which perfume I would wear for my date with Thomas. I was convinced Caleb was going tohatehow good it was.
“We’ll be downstairs.” He shook his head and turned around to leave.
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me!” I caught up with him and sprayed his neck.
He looked over his shoulder, rubbing his neck, and said, “Youdowant to get me fired.”
If he only knew … that’s the last thing I wanted.
I WAS ALL DRESSED UPand ready for my date with Thomas. It was 7:55 p.m. when I heard a knock on my door. It was Caleb, and he didn’t look too pleased.
“Thomas is downstairs,” he said, raising his brow. “And I still can’t take that vanilla thing off my nose. That jacket’s going straight to the cleaners.” He frowned as if it were a tragedy.
“Well, don’t worry, I’m not wearing that body spray. Just as you requested.”
“I can smell your perfume alright. It’s even worse now,” he replied, eyeing me up and down, his lips going into a tight line as I walked out of the apartment.Ha!I knew it.
I was going to lock my door, but Caleb jumped in. “I’ve got it.”
He locked my door as I sauntered to the elevator, and out of nowhere, William’s face popped up in my head—again. The image of him was stuck in my frontal lobe like double-stick tape. I uselessly tried shaking him off my head as we stepped inside the elevator and descended to the lobby.
Focus.You’re going on a date with Thomas.
“Everything okay?” Caleb asked. “You can still turn around. I’ll handle him.”
“Ha, ha. Just a bit nervous,” I lied, poking his chest. He snorted.
We stepped out of the elevator, and there he was, patiently waiting for me in the lobby, looking as handsome as he did on the day I met him.
“Hey there,” Thomas said with a smile as I approached him. I recognized the smell of his cologne. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a brown leather jacket over a white V-neck t-shirt.
What’s with all the white t-shirts? And why did they all look so good in them? I would never see a white t-shirt in the same way again.
He pulled me softly to him, and the butterflies paid a visit to my stomach. My cheek burned after the kiss he gave me.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered close to my ear as he offered his hand. “Feel like walking? I can always carry you home if your feet get swollen.”
