Electric Impulse

chapter 21 | morning after, points

"Not so sure about that one, Penelope."

Phoenix takes the carafe of coffee from the tray and pours everyone a cup.

Mia grabs a plate and sets it in front of me. "Here's what I ordered for you. It's a Mediterranean omelet with feta cheese, spinach and diced tomatoes. Hash browns and toast on the side."

"Smells delish. Not sure how much I can hold down, but I'll try."

Mia sips her coffee. "Last night was a boatload of fun." She cuts into her Belgian waffle. "Hmm. Compliments to the kitchen!"

"So, last night, you remember the Wicked Trip, right?" Phoenix asks me.

"I remember. You told me they had good Bloody Marys?"

"Well . . . ."

"After the drinking game, you went in on the Bloody Marys. I know that's your drink and all, but you went into overkill. Phoenix, Penelope and I tried to slow you down, but there was no stopping you once you had your first one."

"Are you serious? I got out of control like that?"

"And you never do that. You're usually so uptight when we go out. You always make yourself the designated watcher over everyone else. Not last night." Mia shakes her head.

"Or that other night!" Penelope laughs at her inside joke.

Mia laughs, but cuts it short. "Last night was lit!"

"Yeah, you were lit and you stayed on the dance floor! There was a circle of people surrounding you, watching you dance, chica."

I look at Phoenix, "Is this true?"

Riz and JC nod.

Phoenix agrees, "You danced you ass off."

"And Penelope won the bar dancing contest against like twenty other girls," Mia brags.

Penelope shows off her little trophy. "We put it down last night."

I lean over to Phoenix and whisper, "And how was last night?" I squint, bracing for the impact.

He shakes his head. "You know I'm better than that. I won't touch you till you ask me to. Might just make you beg." He laughs. "But seriously, you're safe with me." His debonair smile melts my heart.

Is that why you felt comfortable enough to get so sloshed last night?

We finish brunch and check out of the Vintage Brew. Phoenix gets his driver, Leon, to take us back to our vehicles.

"We gotta do this again, sometime. Here, give me your phone." I pass him my phone. He saves his number in my contacts. "This is the last time I give you my number. This is my personal cell, not my business line. Call me."

I smile at his tenacity. This time, I will.

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Ten Weeks Ago

Wednesday Morning

I shift through my makeup bag looking for rose-tinted lip gloss. Since it's a daytime date, I'm keeping the makeup to a minimum. Phoenix went so far as to tell me I might want to dress down and wear comfortable clothes and tennis shoes. I wonder why? I can't fathom a date where I'd have to dress down, but I'm rolling with it. I'm curious as to what he has planned. It's strange that he should ask about deal breakers.

What did he mean by asking what won't I do on a first date?

The list you gave him was pretty short. Better pack pepper spray. You never know!

It should be fine.

The doorbell rings. I open the door and there's Phoenix, standing there with a huge, gregarious smile, and a clear bag in his hand.

"Hey! What's that?"

"When I saw them, I immediately thought of you. Don't ask why." Phoenix carries the clear bag filled with water inside. In it are two of the most adorable, black, bubble-eyed goldfish I've ever seen.

I grab the bag to get a closer look. "These are for me? They are so cute but I don't have a tank."

"Don't worry. Got you covered." He leaves, then returns with a box.

The image on the fish tank box makes me think of the art of feng shui. The tank looks very Zen-like. From the rectangular glass that sits atop a smaller, black rectangular pedestal to the black square lid that opens for feeding, the design is minimal but elegant.

"Wow! That's for me too?"

"So, you like it?" he asks squinting as if he's unsure.

"Um, Yes! I can't believe you went through all this trouble. Can we set it up? Cause I have no idea how to do any of this on my own."

It takes over an hour, but we put the fish tank together and set it up with black gravel, Asian-inspired underwater trinkets and plants. After filling it with water, we plop the black bubble-eyed goldfish into their new home.

The man's already putting points on my board.

"That's an original start to a first date."

"When I saw them, I couldn't turn away."

"So, you got a thing for pets?"

"I like animals." He nods with a faint smile.

"That's cool." I follow him out the door. "Where are we going?" I ask as I lock the front door. "I followed your instructions. As you can see, I'm a plain Jane, just as you requested." We walk to the Range Rover parked at the curb.

Phoenix opens the door of the truck for me. "You'll see. Sit back and enjoy the ride." He closes my door and walks to the driver's side.

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A/N: Hey Lovers! This is the end of chapter 21. Phoenix and Aria are having their first date! What do you think of him telling her to dress down? What kind of date requires not dressing up?

I'm dedicating this chapter to idreamofme I just met her today, but I can't ignore her. She's an avid reader and has been reading chapter after chapter of this book all in one sitting! Her mind works fast, ya'll. Had to give her chapter. Thanks