Page 19 of Level Me Up

I look at her, grin and slowly nod my response. And she squeals. "Oh my god. Yay! I knew he would. Ok, tell me everything now!"

I tell her about the call and that we are going to dinner tomorrow night. Then I remember, “Oh, I need to text him my address." I do, and I shove my phone back in my purse because if I don't, I'll just stare at his reply for the rest of the day.

Dex:"Thanks. I can't wait to take you out."

~~~

It's Thursday night, and I'm freaking out. Ruby and Gia are not helping. They are both trying to help, but actually just making things worse. Ruby said that she had to come over because I was like her baby bird spreading my wings, and as a proud mamma bird she needed to be here. I pointed out that I'm not new to the dating scene, and that my last date was only a couple months ago. But she is insisting that this date with Dex is different.

This thought makes me even more nervous.

"I'm going to throw up," I moan.

"Stop it. You're fine," Gia said rolling her eyes.

"But I'm really nervous, and I'm worried I'm gonna be a spaz again, and I want to throw up."

"You can’t do that! What if he wants to kiss you tonight?" Ruby replies in a sing-song voice.

It's surprising that at that moment, my nervousness goes away, and these happy little butterflies take over as if they've been battling for space against my nerves and the thought of kissing Dex finally gives them the strength to win.

"Ah. There it is," Gia says knowingly.

"What?" I ask.

"That smile. You get this smile when you talk about him, or think about him. And that's why we believe that this guy is different.”

"Totes!" Ruby adds.

Hmmm. They had a point. I heave a huge sigh and throw myself backward onto my bed.

Gia is sitting in my comfy reading chair in the corner of my room, and Ruby is sitting legs crossed on my bed holding a pillow to her chest. "I don't know what is wrong with me. I let this guy get the better of me by just existing in a crowded conference hall. Then he's all nice and sweet when he invites us to a party. And then kisses me when I least expect it. It's like my brain and body have turned to mush when it comes to him." I turn my head slightly and look across the bed at Ruby, and she looks like she is about to burst into a fit of giggles and starts bouncing like a stereotypical girly-girl. Then I look over to Gia and hope for a better reaction, but nope, she’s staring at me with the same big grin.

I let out another groan when I realize they are no help because they want me to feel like this. Then we hear the buzzer alerting us that Dex is here and needs to be let up.

"Crap! I'm not emotionally ready for this yet!" I screech as I sit up and jump off the bed. Now Ruby is literally bouncing with excitement.

"Calm down. I'll buzz him up. Fix your hair and slap on some lip gloss. You'll be fine, plus you look beautiful." Gia says as she walks out my bedroom door.

I dash to the vanity in my room that connects to the single bathroom our apartment holds and run the brush through my hair. I hear Gia tell Dex, through the intercom, to come on up.

I'm wearing a pink summer dress with a little white knit cardigan since it's cool in the Windy City at night. I've paired the dress with white sandals with no heal, adding no extra height. I love this dress. It's by far my favorite summer outfit. Ruby hands me the gloss and says, "If you'd like, I can call him lover boy before y’all leave. It's proven to get good results." I smile at her and shake my head.

With a deep breath, I walk out of my bedroom and down the short hall with Ruby on my heels. Just as I get to the living room, there's a knock on the door announcing his arrival.

"I'll get it," I say to Gia, and she smiles, sits down on the couch and picks up herEntertainment Weeklymagazine as Ruby busies herself in the kitchen. It sounds like she is getting something to drink.

With one last deep breath, I open the door to find Dex looking exceptionally hot. I take him in slowly from head to toe. I don't hide it because I know he is doing the same. He's wearing a dark blue, button-down dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just above his elbows. He’s got on a super dark wash pair of jeans and a pair of crisp white and black Chuck Taylors. I smile at that because I love that he wears chucks instead of something dressy. They seem to fit perfectly with his personality.

I look up to his face, and I know I’m wearing the same smile he is when he says hi in a soft, but relaxed tone.

"Hi.” I pause still taking him in. “Come on in," and I step to the side to allow him in. Oh, my God, as he walks by I become aware that he smells so good. There is this faint smell of cologne, but more than that, he mostly smells clean from a hint of soap, and at that moment I just want to get up close to him and breath him in. I've never wanted to just smell someone before. I'm being weird.

"Dex, this is my roommate, Gia. And you already know Ruby," I jerk my head over toward the kitchen where Ruby stands.

Our apartment is pretty small, so right when you walk in the front door, you are standing in the living room. To the left of the living room is a small dining room that opens into a kitchen and leads down the hall to the bathroom and two bedrooms. There is a sliding door leading out to a balcony from the dining area and the galley kitchen. We are lucky enough to have a washer and dryer in the apartment, so we have this little laundry closet at the end of the kitchen where the room opens into the dining area.

There is a big opening in the wall where the sink faces the living room, so when we look over, Ruby is still standing at the sink with a big smile. "Hi Dex," she says with a wave.

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