Page 18 of Level Me Up

Chapter Twelve

Morgan

It’s Wednesday, and I haven't heard from Dex. After the confidence boost from Gia, I was feeling pretty good about things. I was sure Dex was going to call, but as the days have gone by, and I haven’t heard from him, I’ve started to rethink my plan. Monday, I was still high from the boost. Tuesday, I was starting to worry. Today, I'm thinking I misread all the signals in California.

Maybe, if I don't hear from him tomorrow, I will give him the weekend. Then, on Monday, I'll just send him a text and say hi. That way, I don't have to actually talk to him. And if he isn't interested, I won't have to hear it in his voice.

No, that's stupid. I'm lame. I'm going to stick to my plan. If I don't, Gia will give me another "kick in the pants" as she calls it.

I get back from my lunch, sit down at my desk to start working on a new idea for a social media promotion whenThe Hunger Gameswhistle alerts me of an incoming text. I dig my phone out of my purse to see that I have a text.

Dex:Hi Morgan! Are you busy?

Me:Nope, not busy.

I sit there looking at my phone waiting for his reply when my cell rings, and his handsome face pops up on my screen. In the split second, it takes me to register that he is actually calling me, pure nervousness shoots through me. It feels like I have hundreds of tiny little butterflies fluttering around in my belly. He's calling me! And I'm just staring at the phone.

With a quick breath, I answer, "Hello?"

The deep voice that makes all those little butterflies do flips says, "Hey Morgan, sorry it took me a couple of days to call."

"Oh, it's ok." Play it cool, Morgan. Play it cool.

"Honestly, I wanted to call you first thing Monday, but Link and Simon said I had to wait like three days or something before I called you. I don't know why I listen to them, ever." He chuckles.

I laugh in response.

"So, I was hoping that you still wanted to hang out. I'd really like to take you to dinner. Are you free tomorrow night?"

The smile that was already on my face grows because now the little butterflies are going crazy. I'm going to get to see him again. Crap, what am I going to wear? Then I remember that I haven't answered him yet.

"Yes!"

"Yes, you want to hang out—or yes, you are free tomorrow night?" he chuckles.

"To both. Yes, I'd love to hang out with you, and yes, tomorrow night for dinner would be nice."

"Great. Well, awesome. Really great," he says, and I can tell his smile is probably just as big as my own.

I laugh. "Should I meet you somewhere?"

"No, I'll pick you up at 7:00 p.m., but you’ll need to text me your address."

"Ok."

"Perfect, I'll see you tomorrow night, then."

I giggle—like, a school-girl giggle, then I say, "Ok, I'll see you," and we say goodbye and hang up.

I sit there for a minute with a big grin on my face when Ruby walks by and stops at my desk.

"Morgan, I love that look on you. You look like you just won the lottery and found out Justin Timberlake is going to give us a private concert."

I shake myself out of it, just in time to realize that she honestly thinks winning a private concert with JT is worth more than winning the actual lottery.

"Umm, no, but that'd be great," I reply. "Actually..."

"Dex just called you, didn't he?" she interrupts me mid-sentence.

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