Page 38 of House Rules

9

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The air buzzes around us,the lobby of the Westin Hotel full of people milling around. The sound of chatter fills the air. I follow behind Abbie, her long blond tresses falling down her back over her short black dress.

I try to focus but my mind is preoccupied. The lunch with Knox, the panty-melting kiss, our hands melded together—it swims through my head on a constant rotation as I try to figure the shit out.

We avoided each other the rest of the day and I didn't go into the office yesterday. Saturday has arrived and Abbie dragged me here, but what I wanted to do was stay in and dream about Knox.

Pathetic, I know.

"Abbie," I say as my eyes widen, taking in the sights around us, "I didn't expect so many people."

"I think this whole speed dating thing is really taking off."

I laugh. "You think?"

We follow the signs to the ballroom where the event is taking place. Two long tables are set up side by side with multiple lines formed. The doors to enter are behind the table, the ballroom filling up with people.

"Are you excited?" Abbie asks. No, I'm nervous. How will I find out if they pass the rules in only five minutes?

"Hello? Earth to Emma?" Abbie says waving her hands in front of me.

"Sorry, yes, yes I'm excited, just a tad nervous." I hold my fingers up to show her a pinch. "You're not though, are you?"

Abbie shakes her head, like I expected. "Hell no. I've done this before. It's an easy way to weed out the shit ones right from the beginning."

"What about figuring out if they pass the rules? How am I going to know in five minutes?"

"Em, you still believe in those rules?"

Abbie never understood why I believed the house rules. She's always been supportive of me; she thinks my mother has her own issues and that love shouldn't follow any rules.

I worry sometimes that I'm keeping faith in these rules for nothing. That maybe what my friends tell me has some truth to it. Love doesn't follow rules, those rules are crazy, and on and on. What if they are right? Or, what if there's some truth to what they say?

Shouldn't I have had more success if these rules were supposed to work? Instead, I face date after date with guys who do nothing for me.

We make it to the front of the line and check in. We're handed our numbers, the rules and directions, and when to start.

"Let's go!" Abbie pulls my arm and we enter the ballroom, the glow of the low lighting creating a relaxing mood.

We make it to the table we are assigned to and take our seats. I read over the rules while Abbie signals for drinks.

In the first round, the guys move from chair to chair, and the women stay seated. In the second round, it switches. In order to try to keep everyone from seeing the same person twice, they split us into two groups so when the men and women switch their turns, the groups switch out.

The lights dim and my eyes dart over to Abbie's. I lean over, whispering in her ear, "They sure did set the mood, huh?" Abbie laughs and I try to remain calm. I play with the hem of my low-cut wine colored blouse while I smooth my skirt down. My sweaty palms itch and I fidget in the seat.

Music begins to play, a loud upbeat pop song blasting through the speakers. I tap my foot to the beat as I wait, hoping to distract myself.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen!!" A loud, booming voice carries through the room and I look up to see a very handsome, very buff man at the front of the room. "Thank you all for coming out tonight! Are we ready to have some fuuuuuunnnn?"

The crowd goes wild, whistling and cheering as the hot man fist pumps into the air. "Okay, we all know how it works right? In the first round, at the sound of the buzzer, all the men will go to their starting spot. You then have five minutes to date the person in front of you. At the sound of next buzzer, you then move clockwise to the next person. This continues until all dates are complete. We will also have a small break before moving into part two of the evening. Okay, the boring stuff is out of the way, so let's go!"

No time is wasted as the first buzzer goes off, and all the men scramble to find their first assigned seat. I bounce my leg as I wait to see who is going to land in my chair. Abbie gives my hand a squeeze as our drinks arrive.

Knox, Knox, Knox...

His name repeats in my head on repeat as I picture his handsome face, the way his kisses can bring me to my knees...

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