That Night

Chapter Eighteen

I awoke that morning to the sound of my phone buzzing. It was Saturday, so there was no reason why my alarm should be going off, especially that early. But when the vibrating ceased after just a few seconds, I realized it couldn't be my alarm.

Groaning, I rolled over and felt around my nightstand, trying to find my phone without opening my eyes. Holding the phone in front of my face, I pried my eyes open, only to be assaulted by the bright glowing screen. Blinking rapidly, I managed to keep them open long enough to see that the alert had come from my calendar, telling me there was an important event today.

For the life of me, I couldn't think of what could be so imperative that I had set an obnoxious alert to wake me up for it on a Saturday. I unlocked my phone to find out, though doubting that it was really more urgent than going back to sleep.

Once the calendar loaded, the notice popped up on the screen with several exclamation points emphasizing its importance.

Juliet's 18th birthday!!!!

That message was more effective in waking me than any alarm could be.

Dropping my phone, I sprang out of bed and rushed around frantically. After a record-breaking short shower, I got dressed. Admittedly, it took a while to find something to wear. I wanted to look nice, but not like I was trying too hard. In the end, I opted for a light blue button-up and black pants. My hair was a mess, but I couldn't get it to stay flat, so I gave up.

"Good enough," I muttered to the mirror before grabbing my wallet and thumping down the stairs.

"What are you doing up so early?" Mom asked when I burst into the kitchen.

"It's Juliet's birthday," I replied, lunging for the coffee pot.

"Slow down, Dash," she chuckled as I nearly spilled coffee all over myself. "When are you meeting her?"

"I don't know," I said in between gulps of scorching hot coffee. There was no time to let it cool down.

"Alright, well, where are you going?" she asked next, crossing her arms.

I stopped, eyes wide in panic. "Oh, God, I don't know. Where do I take her?"

Mom laughed, putting her hands on my shoulders. "Honey, does she know you're coming?"

I shook my head. "No, I just remembered it was her birthday. But I have to do something special."

Mom smiled and said, "I think I have an idea." But she stopped to straighten the collar of my shirt and fix my hair. She then typed something into her phone and wrote down an address on a slip of paper.

"This is perfect," I said, throwing my arms around her. "Thank you."

Laughing, she patted my back then pulled away.

"You're a good guy, Dash," she said, smiling warmly. "And I'm sure she's going to love it."

I beamed at her, feeling a wave of confidence. Juliet needed to love it.

"Wish me luck," I breathed, heading for the door.

"You don't need luck," Mom replied. "Not with those good looks."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Quit it."

"Alright, go get her," she said, and I knew she meant it in more ways than one.

With that, I left the house and got into my car. I followed my memory to Juliet's street, constantly reminding myself not to speed out of excitement.

When I saw her little blue house, my heart began racing, as if it finally caught up to my brain running a mile a minute. I suddenly realized how idiotic this was. Showing up at her house unannounced just expecting to sweep her off her feet, all with her wholehearted consent? Yeah, right.