Relapse

Chapter 24

~~September 29, 2012 [SAT] // 4:00 pm ~~

o   Carol

“I’ll be there in an hour. :) see you soon. ”

I practically threw down my phone upon reading the text message, feeling quite hysterical.

Though I had already showered earlier today, I didn’t like the idea of going out feeling only half-fresh, so I grabbed my towel and bathrobe and charged into the showers.

With thirty-five minutes until Dante’s estimated time of arrival, I stepped out of the tub and returned to my room, where I was faced with another problem that ate away at my remaining time.

What should I wear?

Hastily scanning my memory, I realized that Dante hadn’t specified a particular dress code or attire for our date. Assuming that he purposely left it unsaid, he would most likely dress in usual, not so flashy clothes. But I didn’t want to take the risk – I wanted to look better than my usual.

I decided to throw on my sea green tank top, then put on one of my light blue, short-sleeved plaid shirts over it, leaving the buttons undone. Afterward, I pulled on a fresh pair of comfortable denims, brushed my hair, and finished up by carefully placing a toque on my head, tilting it a little backwards.

When I was done dressing, I stood in front of my mirror to evaluate my choice of clothing.

Not too showy, not bland. I was all set.

Before I knew it, the doorbell was ringing. I let out a breath to calm myself as I made my way downstairs, patting my pockets for my phone and purse.

I opened the front door and came face-to-face with my date standing on the porch.

Dante gave a half-smile. “Hi. You look… absolutely pretty.”

Struggling not to blush, I chuckled a bit nervously. “Thanks.”

I swept his attire with my gaze for a quick moment. His dark hair looked slightly messier than normal, giving him a bit of that ‘bad boy’ look. He also had a little stubble over his upper lip and on his chin. He wore a leather jacket that held a faded, brown-ish color, and with it unzipped, I saw that he was wearing a dark button-down shirt that I assumed to be long-sleeved. He had left the top button undone, revealing the neckline of a dark red undershirt. His jeans looked new, as though he had never used the pair before.

God, he was handsome.

“Ready to go?” he asked casually. I could see his eyes still surreptitiously taking in my appearance.

“Ready – let me just put on my shoes.”

I grabbed my black and white sneakers from the nearby shoe rack, put them on, and tied the shoelaces properly.

“Okay, let’s go,” I stepped out the front door and locked it with my key.

Dante and I began to walk to the bus stop. When I glanced at him, I caught him still stealing little looks at my appearance. I fought back a beaming smile – was he that interested in how I looked?

I remembered what Angel told me about him – could she be right?

“Something wrong with my look?” I asked, acting as if I didn’t recognize the awed look on his face.

He shook his head, grinning sheepishly. “No, you look perfect.”

“Quit ogling,” I laughed, trying to tease him.

“All right, all right,” he replied in a tone of lighthearted submission, “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“So, where to?” I inquired on a more serious tone.