Page 6 of How We Fooled

I smile and head off to my room.

Though we didn’t set an actual time for when he’d call me, I want to wash my hair so I don’t waste any time with getting in the shower. My thick, wavy hair takes forever to wash and blow-dry. Normally, I live for dry shampoo, making it so I don’t have to wash it every day, but something tells me I should put in the effort for this guy.

After I finish my shower, I go through my routine of putting on face cream, product in my hair, and body lotion before I get dressed.

The idea of picking out the perfect outfit plagued my entire shower, and now that I’m staring at my closet, I’m in even more distress over what to wear. I want to come off as cute, but not that I’m trying too hard to look cute.

I grab some shorts and a T-shirt, put them on, then instantly take them off, thinking they aren’t right. I reach for a summer dress, but when I see it on in the mirror, I look like I’m going to Easter brunch instead of on a date, so I slip that off as well.

As I flip through my tops one at a time, frustration overwhelms me with the selection I have staring back at me. I pull out one top, then put it back, thinking it’s too business-like. I grab an old-school concert tee of Sublime, then put it back, thinking if he hates that band, it’s not a good way to start off a date.

I’m way overthinking this entire outfit, but nothing feels right, so I sit back on my bed with a huff when there’s a knock at my door. Sitting only in my bra and underwear, I reach for my robe and slide it on before I open it up.

Aunt Heidi stands there with a soft smile on her face as she asks, “Need any help getting ready?”

I open the door wide, welcoming her in, then walk back to my closet. “Yes, help me. I can’t decide what to wear.”

She walks to my closet and flips through some hangers, deciding on a white halter top. “This will look great against your darker skin tone. Not many girls are tan enough here to pull off white yet.” She lays it over her own arm, proving her point, making me laugh.

Being Latina definitely has its perks when it comes to my naturally tan skin tone. It comes from my dad’s side of the family, and my mom has always been jealous of how pale she is before summer starts, compared to me.

I take the shirt from her and hold it up to me while facing the mirror. I envision my curly, dark hair wrapping around my shoulders with this shirt and a cute pair of capri jeans, sandals, and small hoop earrings, then smile big.

I turn to her. “Yep, this is it. Thank you for helping me.”

She returns my smile. “Happy to help. I’ll be out here if you need anything else.”

I spend the next hour doing my hair and makeup. When I’m done, I look in the mirror one last time, then glance at the clock. It’s almost six, and I haven’t heard one word from Eli. I know we didn’t set a time, but nerves hit me as I realize that I might have gotten all ready for nothing.

I reach for my phone, swipe it on, and check to make sure I didn’t miss a call or text, but nope. Nothing.

All of the excitement I had getting ready starts to fade away as I sit on my bed, wondering what to do now.

Eli

When I got home, I got straight to work, fixing my bike, which led to cleaning it, which led to changing out a few other parts that looked like they needed to be replaced.

I’m tightening up my brakes when my mom walks into the garage, where I have a work area set up.

“You’ve been out here for hours. What are you working on?”

I shrug. “All of it.”

“Why am I not surprised?” She laughs with a shake of her head, knowing I can work on this kind of stuff for hours and never get bored.

She places her hand on my back, moving it from side to side in her loving way. She knows I’m not a big hugger, so this became her thing years ago.

“I was going to get dinner started. Any requests?”

My eyes pop up from what I’m doing as I remember I asked Liza out for dinner tonight.

“What time is it?” I wipe my hands, then click my phone to see it’s a little past six. “Shoot. I have a date tonight.”

“Oh, really?” she says in her knowing way. “Who’s the lucky girl?”

“Someone I met on my ride today.”

“So, she likes the outdoors then? That could be good for you.”

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