I bent down to catch my breath after the most intense run of my life. Instead of running around the block, Joey had me circling, kneeling, and doing shit I've never done before. I don't know what is going on in his head and why he just made me actually . . . work out.
"Angel, that was nothing," Joey said confidentially, probably not even out of breath.
I gasped. "Says the guy that's incredibly in shape?"
He arched his eyebrow. "Can't believe you actually gave me a compliment without saying anything smart," he said with a smile.
I cupped my hands against my stomach, slowly breathing the morning air into my lungs. I playfully rolled my eyes at him. "I always give compliments!"
"Oh, yeah? I don't recall." He said.
"That's on you!"
He bit his lip with a smile. "Come on. Compliment me. Let's see if it hurts you as bad as you think."
I hesitated.
I tried biting down on my inner cheek to stop smiling. "Well, y-you already know you're attractive. I won't deny that I guess."
He lifted his eyes in my direction. "Just tell me you think I'm attractive. No need for the other stuff." I took a while to reply, and he impatiently said, "What are you waiting for?"
I pursed my lips, scrunching them together in playful annoyance. I'm not about to boost his ego even more. "I think—" I laughed before speaking again. "Race you to the house?"
I don't know why I even said that because I don't feel like running. I ran at almost full speed up the street while Joey trailed behind me. When I almost beat him, he grabbed onto my hand and yanked me back into his arms. My eyes landed on his chest, slowly rising to his eyes. His warm skin felt so good pressed against mine. He gently held me in his arms while studying my face. I couldn't help but rest my eyes on his perfect lips, wanting to taste them once again. My body temperature felt like it was a hundred degrees hotter.
I cleared my throat and gently pushed myself away from his chest. "Uh, how was your night?"
The tension grew awkward. "Can I have your number? Just like if we ever want to talk . . . I can just text you?" Joey asked.
I laughed at an awkward attempt to get my number. I added my number to his phone while he did the same. I'm not sure if that's a smart idea, but texts don't hurt anyone.
Joey spoke, "Can I show you something later? It's harmless, I promise."
I looked away. "I, uh, have a date tonight." I grit my teeth. Maybe if I give Chris a chance, I'll stop thinking of Joey. I know it's nothing but lust, but I can't stop it. He's slowly growing on me, and if he can sleep around, then I can go on dates. Chris seemed like a nice guy, and he's been sending me sweet text messages every time I wake up.
"Good for you." He nodded before walking away.
Okay?
~~
"So, if you happen to like this guy a lot, would you move to Florida for him?" Sam loudly asked as we hung around by the grill. Dylan and Joey wanted to grill food instead of ordering pizza for a second time.
I admitted. "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. It's the first date!"
Dylan glanced back. "Riley, you have a date?"
Sam yelled, overly excited. "Yeah, tonight. He's picking her up later on."
Cameron added, "Can't wait to talk some sense into him. I want him to know Riley is my sister."
Every time I looked over at Joey, he acted as if he weren't paying attention. He's probably talking to one of the many girls that got the luxury of seeing him completely naked. Or touched and had all of his body.
Dylan laughed. "Cam, your skinny ass isn't scaring anyone."
We all joined laughing together.
"You always talking shit, Dyl. You're skinny too," Cam defended himself.
Sam cut in after smacking Dylan on his bare chest. "Where's he taking you? I bet somewhere super nice."
I shrugged with a smile. "Apparently, it's a surprise."
Joey added, "How romantic."
I shot back. "You ever take a woman on a date, Joey? Or is that what your bedroom is for?"
Dylan and Samantha laughed hysterically, gripping their stomachs. "Fuck! That was a good one," Dylan spoke. Joey didn't think it was too funny.
Samantha slouched near Joey and put her arm around his shoulder. "You guys are going to stop picking on Joey. Dylan, you never took a girl on a date before either."
He dropped everything and stood near them, playfully yelling, "Oh, huh? I took Vanessa to the movies before. What now?" Dylan stuck up for himself.
Joey interjected. "Did you or did you not have sex with her in the theater?" It took Dylan a while to reply. "Thought so." Joey mused.
I listened to them bicker back and forth before I let everyone know I was going to start getting ready. Sam let me know she'll be on her way once she finishes her bowl of ice cream. We went shopping a few days ago, just for my date. She insisted she buys me an outfit with her dad's credit card. I didn't want to accept it, but she hit me with her sad puppy dog look that I always fall for.
When I got out of the shower, Sam sat stretched out on my bed. "I'm doing your makeup tonight!"
She had all of her products laid out on the floor in my room. I wasn't going to say no to that because she's a makeup guru. I'm usually on the hair, and she's on the makeup. I sat on the edge of the bed with my eyes closed.
"You smell good! You trying to get lucky?" Sam joked, making my face turn colors.
I laughed. I haven't had sex in a while because Kevin was so busy all the time. I'm sure why I'm so lustful towards Joey because I haven't been touched in weeks. "I don't know. I guess, whatever happens, happens."
"Can't wait to hear all about it." She pulled my head back so that I could see her smiling.
I sat back as Samantha painted on my face. She did a natural, no-makeup look, which I didn't mind. My eyes watered a few times when she kept redoing the thick line of eyeliner on my lid. I eventually took the brush myself and tried not to mess it up. My eyes were so sensitive when someone else did my liner or mascara. She painfully plucked my eyebrows, combed out my hair, and attempted to curl it—and it actually looked nice.
"He's going to have a heart attack when he sees you." She cheered for herself for the great job she did. I'm happy I didn't have to move a finger for this date. While Sam used the bathroom, I slipped on the fancy designer lace bodysuit she bought me when we went to the mall. After I buttoned it, I put on the leather skirt to match and black single-strapped heels.
I finished by spraying myself with perfume, gathering my belongings, and heading downstairs. Chris texted me and said he was about five minutes away from the house. A sudden rush of nervousness spiraled through my body as I walked downstairs.
"Look at my masterpiece!" Sam yelled as she ran down the steps.
Everyone's attention darted towards me. I'm used to eyes on me, but Joey's caught me the most. I loved his reactions to me when I was dressed up. It was priceless. His mouth dropped almost instantly, catching my gaze. I didn't want to make it obvious, so I smiled and looked at everyone. I felt like some celebrity.
"Now spin." Sam laughed, taking a picture as I did what she asked.
I pushed a piece of my hair away from my face.
"Riley, you look great," Dylan said as I smiled. I thanked him and tried my hardest to look past Joey.
My heart dropped when I heard the door. I haven't been on a date since Kevin, so yeah, I'm nervous. I ran my fingers through my hair and stood at the door before opening it. Chris stood on the concrete with a bouquet of roses. I smiled at the nice gesture before speaking.
"Wow, they're beautiful. I haven't got flowers in forever," I admitted before sticking my nose in them.
Chris dressed in a navy-blue button-up collared shirt paired with a jean jacket, dark jeans, and matching shoes. His dark brown hair was pushed to the left side of his head, with stray hairs falling near his forehead.
"I hope I'm not overdressed," I said nervously.
With a smile, he said, "You look good."
He pulled me into an awkward hug. Like he wasn't sure if we were at that point or not. I wrapped my arms around him, catching a whiff of his cologne. It wasn't as intoxicating as Joey's, but I liked it.
"So do you," I said.
Sam interrupted. "Hi, remember me?"
Chris looked toward the group. "Sam, right? Hey."
Before she could speak, Cameron cut in. "Have her back by . . ." He glanced down at his watch. "Eleven sounds decent." I eyed Chris while Cameron spoke to him brotherly. I'm not going to lie; he's definitely my type. This is probably exactly what I needed. A guy that brings me flowers and actually takes me on dates. Sam took the roses and volunteered to put them in a vase.
Dylan spoke, "Eleven works. You have three hours. Make it count."
"Isn't that a little long for a date?" Joey finally spoke. I didn't turn around to get sucked into his glare.
Chris couldn't do anything but laugh. "I'm sorry! We should go."
I stepped out of the house and took a deep breath. The walk to the car was pretty silent, but first dates are typically odd. I slid in the passenger seat of his gray Camry and buckled myself in.
"You look incredible," he said again. "I feel like I'm underdressed standing beside you."
I breathed a chuckle. "You look perfect, Chris."
We made small talk the entire time about wherever he planned to take me. I found out he's a firefighter following in his father's footsteps. He talked heavily about his father, which I thought was sweet. A lot of people don't get that luxury, but it's nice hearing it. He's from Florida and thought about moving but never did.
I smiled as we pulled into a fancy restaurant, Dolce. Chris made reservations for the cutest restaurant I've seen. It's not too overwhelming but perfect for a low-key kind of date. The waiters walked us to a beautiful coupled booth with a floral centerpiece in the middle of the table.
"Hope I did okay?" He asked, adjusting his shirt.
I sat down and smiled. "It's perfect! Have you been here before?"
He nodded. "I've been here before, yes."
I placed the napkin across my legs as the server offered us wine. We both accepted before opening our menus. Since Chris had been here before, he knew what he wanted and recommended things to me.
"So, tell me about you? Why was your friend so eager to get you out of there?" Chris asked about Sam. She was taking this rebounding thing to heart.
I half-smiled. "She's just being herself. I just got out of a pretty bad relationship, and she's done so much for me, you know?"
Chris spoke. "The guy from the house?"
I rolled my neck. "Guy from the house? What?"
"He gave me a look of death when I opened the door. Like he's trying to scare me away or something." Chris said I'm guessing about Joey.
I laughed. "Oh, Joey? No, he's my best friend's brother." I reassured him, "I'm here from Ohio for the summer."
Chris shot me a glare. "Oh. You're not from here?"
I shook my head. "No, unfortunately."
"Have you thought about moving here?"
I answered, honestly. "I haven't, but it's in the back of my mind. My mom is still in Ohio, and I can't imagine leaving her." We talked about our parents for a great bit of time before the waiter came back to take our orders. I went with the shrimp Alfredo while Chris did a seafood sampler or something.
I pressed my lips against the wine glass as Chris spoke. "Well, I'm happy you got out of that relationship."
I smiled. "What's your history with relationships?"
"I just got divorced a few months ago. I shouldn't have gotten married when I was nineteen, but you live and learn, right?" He said as I agreed. I wouldn't have guessed someone recently divorced dating already, but people are different.
I picked up my phone, listening to the chime go off.
Joey: You're fucking gorgeous, Riley.
I swallowed and put my phone back on the table. I forced myself not to blush at his text while I'm on a date. He knows where I am, and I have no clue why he thought it was okay to text me. That's rude.
The server placed our meals on the table as we both dug in. I knew I would finish this entire place—which is incredibly small, by the way.
Joey: I know you saw my message.
I ended up turning my phone off to stop Joey from texting me. Chris caught onto it and spoke up. "Someone's popular. Who is it?" Okay, privacy?
I lied. "No, it's Sam. She's very curious."
"I hope you tell her all good things." He said, finishing his drunk.
I bit down on my lip. "You don't have to worry."
I hated myself for thinking of Joey while I'm on a date. This was probably how he could catch the attention of any woman he wanted. He lingered in my mind, wanting to know how he tastes or feels.