The Perfect Mistake

I trudge behind Dassah as she leads the way up to the front door of her friend’s house. I don’t know or remember whose house this is, I just know that we’re here for some sort of party or get-together. I didn’t want to go, but Dassah insisted. Apparently I need to start socializing more since I’ve been in California for several months now and haven’t made a single friend aside from her. I don’t see what the problem is; it’s not my fault that ninety-nine percent of the people I’ve met annoy me to the point where I want to punch them in the face.

“So whose place is this, again?” I ask her as I look at the home.

“A friend of mine and Zacky’s,” she answers vaguely.

“Which friend?” I wonder, not too thrilled with the ambiguous way she answered my question.

“Jimmy,” she replies, opening the door without knocking.

“Oh, okay…” I trail off, walking into the house after her.

As we make our way through the house, I quickly look around, taking in as much of my surroundings as I can. This place is huge. I knew that Zack and his friends were pretty well off, but I hadn’t realized just how well off. I wonder what it is that they do. I think Dassah’s brought it up before, but I don’t remember. Something to do with music, I think; producers, maybe?

She leads me into the kitchen and out through a sliding glass door, which opens the way to a lavish backyard. A backyard that is full of people; people I don’t know. I bite my lip as my eyes scan over the unfamiliar faces, and my heart accelerates at an almost abnormal rate. I shouldn’t have come here. This was a bad idea, I can feel it. Nothing good is going to come out of this.

“Das!” a voice shouts out. I turn my head in its direction and see a tall man bounding towards us with a huge grin on his face. Well, at least he looks friendly…

“Jimmy!” she exclaims happily as she gives him a hug.

“How are ya doing?” he asks as he breaks the hug. His gaze flickers down at me, and I feel like shrinking back inside the house. “Hi,” he beams.

“Hi,” I mumble, giving him a tiny wave.

“I’m doing just fine. And this is my friend Angel,” Dassah tells him. “Angel, this is Jimmy.”

“Nice to meet you, Angel!”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Jimmy.”

“You okay?” he asks me, cocking his head to the side.

I nod. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m just… A little nervous, that’s all.”

“Why are you nervous?”

“She just doesn’t know very many people here,” Dassah interjects.

“Well, you have no reason to be nervous,” Jimmy says, still smiling. “Everyone here is awesome. Very nice. And only a couple of them bite,” he kids, and I chuckle. “I can introduce you, if you’d like.”

“Oh… Um… Thanks for the offer, Jimmy, but I think I’m just gonna sit for a little while. If that’s okay…” I reply, my eyes briefly flickering over at the crowd of people. There are so many; I’m starting to feel dizzy just looking at them.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Do you want something to drink? I can get you anything you’d like.”

I smile at him and nod. “Yes, please, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all. What’ll it be?”

“Um, just a Coke, please.”

“Coming right up!”

I watch him as he dashes off into the house. I wonder why Dassah didn’t set me up with him; he seems like a nice guy. “He’s nice,” I comment once he’s out of earshot.

“Yeah, he’s awesome,” Dassah concurs. “One of the best people you’ll ever meet.”

“So, if he’s so great, why did you set me up with Captain Asswipe instead of him?” I query.

“Because he happens to have a girlfriend, who’s here somewhere,” she says, looking out into the sea of people.

“Of course,” I mutter. “The good ones are always taken.”

“Not always. Brian’s still available.”

I scoff. “That’s not surprising. Did you not just hear me call him Captain Asswipe?”

She chuckles. “I did, but I still think you’re wrong about him,” she says, a tiny smile on her lips. “I’m going to go find Zacky. Are you gonna be alright without me?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Go out, mingle, find your boyfriend, have fun. I’m just gonna…adjust. I’ll probably find you guys in a little while.”

“Okay.”

She goes off into the crowd, and I look for a place to sit down. There’s an empty lawn chair nearby, and I take a seat. I lean forward, resting my forearms on my legs and watch the other guests. All of them are drinking, laughing, and talking. All of them are too engrossed in their conversations to take note of me. I’m not sure if I like it or not…

“Sorry for the wait there. I had to dig through all the beer before I could find your drink,” Jimmy pipes up, startling me just a bit.

“Oh, that’s alright,” I say, taking the cold can from his hand. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. So, you’re sure you just wanna sit here? There are plenty of people I can introduce you to. My girlfriend, Missy, is super friendly; I think you’d love her.”

“It’s a sweet offer, Jimmy, but I think I’ll just sit out for a while. But I’ll be sure to meet her sometime tonight.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Later.”

Sighing, I pop open the soda can. I take a sip and lean back in my chair, resuming my people watching. I wonder if Dassah knows everyone here. Maybe she just knows Zacky’s friends and their girlfriends. I haven’t really heard her talk about very many people, but then again I’m not exactly great at remembering people’s names when I don’t have faces to associate them with.

“Hey.”

I jump in my seat and quickly turn my head to see who spoke. I find myself looking at a short, but very cute, guy with dark hair styled in a Mohawk. Quite honestly, he’s probably one of the few guys I’ve seen who can pull off the hairstyle successfully. “Hi,” I manage to say.

“You must be Dassah’s friend, right?” he asks as he pops the cap off of a beer bottle.

“Uh, yeah, that’s me. And you are?”

He smiles and steps closer to me, extending his free hand to me. “I’m Johnny.”

Johnny-- the name sounds familiar. I think I’ve heard her talk about him before, but it’s usually been accompanied by a nickname like Gnome or Short Shit. Now that I see him, I can see where the nicknames have come from. I take his hand and shake it. “Nice to meet you, Johnny, I’m Angel.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” he says, releasing my hand. “So what are you doing sitting over here by yourself?” he queries.

“Not much, just people watching,” I respond, gesturing towards the chatting group a few feet away.

“People watching, eh? Is that fun?”

I shrug. “It can be. Depends on the people and what they do.”

“You know what else can be fun?”

“Hmm?”

“Going out into the crowd and getting to know people,” he replies, a hint of a smile on his lips.

“I suppose so, but why go out to them when I can make them come to me-- the mysterious loner girl sitting by herself on the patio? I mean, I got you to come over here, right?”

He chuckles and lifts the beer bottle in his hand. “Actually, I was here to grab a drink.”

“Aw, damn!” I huff, pretending to be bummed out. “Does that mean I’m not as mysterious as I thought?”

“Don’t worry; you’re still pretty mysterious sitting here all by yourself and all. I mean, hey, I could have just come here, grabbed my beer and walked off, so you’ve got that mysterious air to ya. I did stop by and ask what you were doing by yourself, right? Still mysterious,” he tells me, sending a smile my way.

“Thanks.”

“So, you sure you’re just gonna sit here and let the masses come to you, or do you wanna come mingle with me?” he asks me before taking another sip of his drink.

I bite my lip and look down into my lap as my face begins to grow warm. “Um…” My gaze goes back to the unfamiliar crowd; again, I feel a bit woozy. “Maybe later, Johnny.”

“You sure? I won’t mind having a little company.”

“Yeah… I’m sure. Thanks, Johnny.”

“It’s not a problem. I’ll see you later, Angel.”

“Later,” I call out to him, watching as he goes back to the party.

I sigh when I lose sight of him, which is pretty quick since he’s so short compared to most of the other guests. He’s sweet, too. I bet he’s got a girlfriend; that’s probably why Dassah set me up with Brian instead of Johnny. If she didn’t set me up with Jimmy because he’s taken, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Johnny is, too. And I was just left with being set up with an asshole.

I sit up a little more, trying to see if I can spot Johnny and his possible girlfriend, when I see a familiar face. Unfortunately, it’s not a face that I want to see. Actually, it’s the face of someone Dassah had assured me wouldn’t be at this party. Wondering if I’m just imagining his face because I had just been thinking of him, I blink my eyes a few times and back to where I spotted him. But there is he, standing by the grill and chatting up a tall blonde-- Brian, the jerk who stood me up about a week ago.

Quickly, I get up to my feet. I can’t let him see me. And if I stay sitting by myself, he’ll be sure to notice. I make my way into the crowd and realize that it’s not quite as large as I had imagined. I look around, hoping to find a familiar face-- Dassah, Zacky, Jimmy, or Johnny. Anyone but Brian.

A wave of relief washes over me when I spot Johnny standing just a couple of feet away. If I can get to him, then everything will be okay. All I have to do is make it to Johnny before I’m spotted. I push my way through to him, not caring who I offend on my way there. I don’t care as long as I make it to Johnny.

“Hey, Angelica.”

The sound of his voice makes me halt. My heart kicks into overdrive, my pulse hammers in my ear, my palms begin to perspire, and my throat is now bone dry. I gulp; my saliva practically feels like it’s ripping my parched throat in half. If I know what’s good for me, I will just keep walking and ignore him.

But I never really have been known to do what’s best for me… It’s always one mistake after another in my life. This will just be another to add to the ever-growing list.

I take a deep breath and release it slowly through my nose, remaining as calm as I possibly can. I turn around to come face to face with Brian. If I had thought he was gorgeous the other night at the bar, it’s nothing compared to how incredible he looks now with the late afternoon sunlight hitting his face, giving him a sort of angelic glow. I hate him for it-- for looking so damn good. It actually makes it harder to hate him.

“Hi,” he says again, locking his brown eyes onto mine.

“Hi,” I reply, not sure what else to say.

He shoves his hands into his pockets. “So, um, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to be here,” I state matter-of-factly. “Dassah kind of forced me into going; something about working on my people skills, or rather lack thereof.”

He chuckles and licks his lips. “I would have never thought that you were lacking any people skills. You were pretty easy to talk to the other night.”

“Well then you’re one of the only people who think that.” I sigh and bite my lip. “Anyway, so, uh, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, Jimmy’s my best friend, has been since we were kids. I hang out here a lot.”

“Oh…” I think I’m going to have to kill Dassah for lying to me, because I specifically remember her saying that Brian would not be in attendance. Now I feel like she brought me here on purpose-- to give him that proper chance or whatever the hell she was going on about. “Well, I am just gonna go meet up with Johnny--”

His eyebrows arch in surprise and his eyes widen. “J--Johnny? As in Short Shit? Have you been seeing him or something?”

“I don’t know anyone named Short Shit, I know someone named Johnny-- he’s cute, he’s nice, and he doesn’t seem like someone who would stand someone up because she didn’t meet his expectations,” I add on, sending him a pointed look. He averts his gaze guiltily. “And even if I have been seeing him, it wouldn’t be any of your business-- would it?”

“I suppose it wouldn’t,” he answers with a shrug of his shoulders. “So… have you been seeing him?”

I fight back a chuckle and shake my head. “No, I haven’t,” I reply. It’s better to be honest than to try to keep some charade going. Besides, if he knows Jimmy then I think it’s safe to assume that he knows Johnny, too. “But I don’t see why that would matter to you since you’ve already seemed to select your next target.”

“My next target?”

“Oh, don’t play dumb. I saw you talking to the pretty blonde over by the grill. And frankly, I think you’ll have better luck at getting her to believe that you’re a sweet guy than you would with trying to convince me that you’re not a jackass.”

He laughs. “Wow. Um, actually, that ‘target’ over there is Jimmy’s girlfriend.”

“His girlfriend?” I query skeptically. “Do you really expect me to believe that? How stupid do you think--”

“You’re not stupid at all,” he cuts in. “And if you don’t believe me, I think you should take a look over there.” He points across the yard, and I spot Jimmy with his arms around the blonde I saw Brian with just moments ago. “Her name is Missy, and she and Jimmy have been together for about three years. I may not be the greatest guy on earth,” he returns his eyes to mine, “but I would never hit on my best friend’s girlfriend.”

I’m taken back for a moment, surprised to see that he’s telling the truth. I swallow and quickly wet my lips. “Well, at least there’s something we can agree on-- you aren’t the greatest guy on earth,” I mutter under my breath.

“What did you say?” he asks, looking puzzled. I guess he didn’t hear what I had said.

“Nothing.”

He cocks an eyebrow, but I just shake it off. He doesn’t need to know what I said-- it’s not as if his life depends on it. I sip my Coke and notice that he’s got a plastic red cup in his hand, no doubt full of beer. Someone comes by, and I move out of the way so they don’t bump into me. I look back at Brian, who much to my dismay is still standing there. What is wrong with him? Can’t he tell that I don’t want to talk to him? Oh, wait, it’s Brian we’re talking about; he can’t take a hint to save his life. I wish he would, though. I just want to go back and sit until this stupid party or whatever this is finishes.

I let out a heavy sigh. “Um, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta use the restroom,” I mumble, hoping to God that when I come back, he’ll be gone. I know it’s kind of a lame excuse, but I’m desperate to get away from the guy.

“Okay. I guess I’ll see you around, then,” he says, moving to let me through.

I begin to make my way toward the house. But before I can even make it past Brian, someone bumps into him, jostling him into me. I gasp in surprise as something cold splashes onto my chest. I drop the can of soda in my hand, and it explodes, splattering liquid all over my feet. Already, I can feel it seeping into my shoes. I do my best to take deep, even breaths to calm myself as I fight the urge to scream.

“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry!” Brian exclaims.

I shake my head. “It’s okay,” I reply, gritting my teeth in irritation.

Now, I really have to find Dassah, or maybe Jimmy so he can show me to a place where I can clean this mess up. I open my eyes and scan the crowd again for the faces of the few people I know here. Johnny, who just minutes ago had been mere feet away from me, is no longer in sight. I cannot see any sign of Jimmy around or near the grill where I had last seen him. I groan, feeling helpless. I have no choice but to find Dassah or Zacky.

I push my way through the crowd as my shoes squish. I’m desperately searching for Dassah, who is very short and damn near impossible to spot, and her boyfriend. The stench of beer wafts up my nose, and I grimace in disgust. I’ve never been a fan of the smell of beer, so to be nearly drenched in it is the last thing I want. I’ve made it probably halfway through the partygoers and still nothing. I look behind me to see that Brian has been following me. I roll my eyes and groan.

“Stop following me,” I sneer.

“I just want to make sure that you’re gonna be okay,” he says as he slips around a couple.

“I will be once I find Dassah or Zacky or Jimmy or, hell, even Johnny,” I retort. “Just leave me alone, please.”

I turn on my heel and resume the hunt for help. Brian doesn’t say anything, but I know that he’s still following me. I can hear his footsteps behind me as they hit the patio pavement. I ignore him and hurry into the house. Maybe if I’m fast enough, he’ll lose me and give up following me. I wander through the kitchen and into the next room. If I can at least find a bathroom, I’ll be able to clean up most of this mess. Well, maybe.

“Angelica, wait!” Brian calls out as I enter the living room. He grabs my shoulder.

I spin around, ready to knock his hand away from me. “What?”

“Let me just take you to my place. You can get cleaned up there and borrow some clothes while I get yours washed,” he offers.

I narrow my eyes, trying to get a read on him. I feel that he has some sort of ulterior motive, but he’s not giving any hint of it. “Why would I go to your place when I can find Dassah and get a lift home?”

“Take a look around. Do you see her anywhere?” he asks as he gestures around the room.

I look around the living room, which is practically empty aside from a couple making out on the couch, completely oblivious to what we’re saying. I purse my lips, realizing he’s right. Dassah and Zacky definitely aren’t in here… It’s as if they vanished into thin air. I sigh, turning back to him in defeat.

“Fine, but no funny business,” I warn, pointing my index finger at him.

He holds his hands up innocently. “No funny business,” he swears before leading the way to the front door.

As we walk out, I watch him to see which car he’s going to. But instead, he just keeps walking. And walking… He’s going down the sidewalk. I know that a lot of people are here, but did he really have to park all the way down the street?

“Where’s your car?”

“Oh, I didn’t drive. I walked over here,” he answers.

Of course he did…

I huff as I cross my arms underneath my bust. A light breeze picks up, and I shiver slightly. This is definitely not the best time to be covered in beer and soda. I fall into step with Brian as he continues to lead the way back to his house. We turn a corner, then another before we arrive in front of another large house. While Jimmy’s home is still bigger, Brian’s is still much larger than I’m used to. Really, what do these guys do that allows them to afford such beautiful homes?

Brian digs around in his pockets for his keys. He unlocks the door and lets me in, closing the door behind us. He steps in front of me, taking the lead again, and guides me up the steps. We walk about halfway down the hallway before he stops in front of a room. I guess this must be the bathroom.

“Bathroom’s right here. You can take a shower if you want. I probably don’t have what you usually use, but it’s better than nothing, right?”

“Right…” I trail off, peeking into the bathroom.

He nods his head and walks away from me, disappearing into another room just a couple doors down. He emerges a little while later with a bundle of clothes. He walks up to me and holds them out. “I tried to find the smallest pair of shorts I have. I think these will fit you if you tie them around your waist enough. The shirt’s gonna be a bit big, though. Sorry about that. But I think this should do until your clothes are clean.”

“Thank you,” I say as I take the clothes from him.

“You’re welcome. You can just bring your wet clothes downstairs when you’re done.”

I nod. “Okay.”

I bite my lip, wondering why he’s still being so nice to me. I haven’t exactly been the nicest person to him, yet he hasn’t been rude. It’s a little weird that I haven’t gotten on his nerves. I know if someone had acted the way I have with Brian to me, I wouldn’t be offering to wash their clothes for them after they’ve been doused with beer.

I slip into the bathroom and close the door, making sure to lock it. I turn on the tub’s tap, getting the water adjusted to the right temperature. I’m glad he said I can shower, because I know that I need one. As I peel off my wet clothes, I realize that I even have beer in my hair. How I didn’t notice this before, I’ll never know.

I step into the shower and let the warm water cascade down my body. I quickly wash and condition my hair before moving on to my body. After about ten minutes I’m done with my shower and drying myself off. I sift through the clothes that he gave me and bite my lip. I guess I’ll have to go without a bra since mine is soaked, but at least my panties are dry. There is no way I would go commando in some strange guy’s house.

I get dressed in the borrowed clothes and grab my dirty clothes off of the floor. I walk out of the bathroom and make my way downstairs, where I find Brian sitting on the couch in the living room. He turns his head at the sound of my footfalls and he smiles at me.

“Here, I’ll take those from ya so we can get them washed,” he says as he gets up.

“Thanks,” I reply, handing them over to him.

He takes them from me and walks off to the laundry room. I watch him for a moment before looking away and moving towards the couch. I sit down and curl up against the arm of the couch. Looking around, I take in the nicely decorated room. Well, nicely decorated for a room in a single man’s home. I spot a couple of pictures on the mantle and squint to see the faces. I recognize Jimmy, Johnny, and Zacky in a few of them. As for the other people, I haven’t got a clue who they are, but I would imagine that the older man with Brian in one of them is his father-- they actually look quite similar. I spot a picture of Brian with a young girl and smile. She also bears a resemblance to him-- I think she’s his little sister.

A smile pulls at the corners of my mouth. He loves his family, that does say something about him...

“Do you want anything to drink?” Brian asks, and I lift my head up to look at him.

“Oh, no, thank you.”

“Okay… You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay, well, what about a movie?”

“Um, no, that’s alright.”

“Oh, come on, it’s going to be a while before your clothes are clean. Are you sure you don’t want to watch a movie?”

I bite my lip.

His lips curl up into a smirk. “I suppose if you don’t want to watch something, we can always just chat. Get to know each other.”

“Now that I think of it, a movie sounds fantastic.”

He chuckles. “Okay.” He walks over to the entertainment unit and opens a drawer where several DVDs are stacked neatly inside. “Is there anything in particular that you want to watch?” he queries as he runs his long fingers across the cases.

“Not really.”

“Okay… How about…Rush Hour?” he asks, holding up the case to me.

“Sure, that’s fine,” I answer.

He nods and places the disc into the DVD player. He walks to the couch and sits down. I curl up even closer to the arm of the couch. I hear him chuckle again, and I look over at him. He doesn’t say anything, though. He just looks at the TV screen and navigates through the DVD menu.

“I don’t bite, you know,” he comments about ten minutes into the movie.

“I know,” I mumble, playing with the hem of the shirt I’m wearing.

I catch a smile pull at his lips and he turns his attention back to the movie.

We sit in silence until about halfway through the movie. That’s when the washer stops and he gets up to move my clothes into the dryer. I feel relieved. It means that soon I will be able to get the hell out of here and return to Jimmy’s. I never thought I would find myself thinking this, but I cannot wait until I can get back to the party.

The couch shifts under his weight when he sits back down. I move my legs out from underneath me, stretching them out in front of me for a moment before returning them back to where they were as I continue to watch the movie. I’m glad that Brian’s not trying to stir up a conversation. I’m not really in a talkative mood right now.

“Are you sure that you don’t want anything to drink?” he asks after a little while.

“I’m sure. I’m fine,” I reply, keeping my eyes glued to the screen.

“Okay…”

A chill runs down my spine, and I wrap my arms around myself, trying to keep warm. His house is cold, and it doesn’t help that my hair is still damp. Maybe I should have looked for a hairdryer while I was in the bathroom. Brian looks like the kind of guy who would have a lot of products just for his hair.

“Are you cold, Angel?”

I bite the inside of my lip. I don’t like hearing him call me that; only my friends get to call me Angel. Assholes like him can just stick to calling me Angelica. But I refrain from snapping at him. “Just a bit.”

“Do you want a blanket? I can go grab you one.”

“No, I’m gonna be just fine. But thank you for the offer.”

“Not a problem… Just let me know if you change your mind.”

I simply nod, going back to watching the movie.

When the movie ends, the dryer is still going. I draw my lips together and glance over at Brian, wondering what to do now. As long as it’s not having a deep, meaningful conversation about the date that went disastrous, then we’re good.

“So, do you want to watch another movie?”

“Sure. Whatever you want to watch is fine,” I tell him before he has a chance to ask me what I want to see.

“Pineapple Express sound good?”

“Yep. Whatever you want to watch, remember?”

“Right,” he chuckles, putting the movie in the player.

He starts to return to the couch, but stops just before sitting down. I knit my brow, trying to figure out what the hell he’s doing as he walks away from the couch. I watch him disappear towards the kitchen and shrug my shoulders. I guess he wants a drink or something. As long as he doesn’t spill it all over me, then that’s perfectly fine with me. I rest my arm on the couch and prop my head up in my hand, watching the movie’s menu play.

I hear footsteps and turn my head to see Brian walking in with a blanket tucked under his arm. Or maybe he stopped by a linen closet. He stops in front of the couch and lays it out, covering me. I stare down at the blanket for a moment and look back up at him. He sits down, but he doesn’t look my way. Instead, he’s focused on the TV, hitting the button to play the movie.

“Thanks,” I quietly tell him.

His eyes flicker towards me and he nods. “Well, you looked cold. And I figured you’re just too stubborn to agree to let me get you one.”

I can’t help but smile. “And what makes you think I’m stubborn?”

He shrugs. “Just call it a hunch, I guess.” He sighs. “Well, that and how you wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise the other night. Any girl that adamant has to be stubborn as a fucking mule,” he says with a smirk.

“I am not!”

“Whatever you say,” he says, laughing a little. His eyes rest on me and he licks his lips. “But I really am sorry about that. I know you probably think I’m full of shit, and you can think that all you fucking want, but I really am sorry.”

I look into his eyes, those dark coffee-colored eyes of his, and I feel something tug at my heart. I’m not quite sure what it is, but here is something about him right now that makes me feel like he’s being honest. Biting my lip, I start to wonder if Dassah was right. Maybe I hadn’t given him a proper chance. Maybe I had let my anger get the better of me. I guess I was just being stubborn as hell and let it get in the way of seeing the potentially good guy in front of me.

He sighs and looks back at the TV.

But I don’t bother to watch the movie. I’m too wrapped up in looking at the man sitting on the couch with me. I’m too busy taking in every one of his features; just like I did the night we met. He really is handsome. And now I can see that he does have more than just the tattooed knuckles. He’s actually got sleeves of tattoos. What are they of, though? I can’t really tell… They sort of look like monsters…

“What are your tattoos of?” I ask, my curiosity finally getting the better of me.

His head perks up. “What?”

I inch towards him and cautiously run my left index finger down his forearm. “Your tattoos, what are they of? I can’t really tell… They just sort of look like monsters or something.”

“That’s because that’s what they are.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he says, smiling a bit.

“Why did you get monsters?”

“I don’t know… I like monsters,” he replies simply.

I can’t help but laugh. “And I like puppies, but you don’t see me tattooing them all over my body.”

“Maybe you should; it would be cute,” he kids. I raise an eyebrow at him. “Eh,” he shrugs, “once you start, it’s really hard to stop.”

“I can see that,” I comment, looking at his brightly colored arms. A shiver passes through me again, and I hug the blanket a little tighter.

“You okay?”

I nod. “Yeah, I’m just a little chilly still. Your house is really cold.”

“What is it with girls and being cold all the time? I think it’s comfortable.”

“I don’t know… I guess it’s because my hair’s still sort of wet right now.”

“Do you want another blanket?”

“No. And please don’t get another one anyway. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re right. You will be.” I stiffen as he wraps an arm around me, pulling me in close to him. I would pull away, but he feels so nice, so warm. “Because if you won’t let me get you another blanket, I’ll just have to keep you warm instead.”

“You’re silly,” is all I can manage to say.

“And I don’t see you pulling away,” he murmurs.

“That’s because you’re so warm,” I reply, turning my head enough to look at him. “And you’re comfy.”

“That’s probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me.”

“It probably is,” I agree, smiling a little. “Brian?”

“Hmm?”

“You kept saying, the night of our date, that the other girl wasn’t what you expected. I realized that I never let you explain why she wasn’t. What was it?” I whisper as I stare into his eyes-- his gorgeous eyes.

“She was blonde,” he says.

I furrow my brow. “What?”

“She was blonde, the other girl. I was told that you were a brunette. And since I thought your dress was black, I didn’t think you were the girl I was looking for. Then I started to wonder if you had dyed your hair and Zack didn’t know. And then I started to wonder if maybe you had stood me up instead. Call it my male pride or whatever, but I didn’t want to be the one who was stood up. So I just assumed that the blonde was my date. And I didn’t want to go up to her and realize that she wasn’t and have that stupid blow to my ego.”

“Oh…” I guess that makes sense… I mean, didn’t I pretend to get a call or text from him just to save face in front of all those strangers at the restaurant? If anything, I should be able to understand what was running through his mind.

“Besides, she was blonde.”

“What? And what’s wrong with blonde?”

“Nothing, I guess,” he says, brushing my damp hair away from my face. “I’ve just always had a thing for brunettes.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, ‘oh’…” He licks his lips. “It was a stupid mistake. But I just… I--”

“It’s okay. I know mistakes. I know them very well,” I tell him with a dry chuckle. “Sometimes I feel like my whole life is just a series of mistakes. The guys I’ve dated, moving out here, everything. And the other night when we met, I made a huge one. I should have heard you out. I shouldn’t have been so damn stubborn. And I’m sorry.”

“So, would you be willing to give me another shot?” he asks, his rough fingertips gently grazing my neck.

“I would… But how do we know we’re not just making another mistake?”

He rests his forehead against mine. “If we’re making a mistake, I’d say it’ll be a perfect one.”

“There’s no such thing as a perfect mistake,” I laugh.

“Yeah, there is,” he says, his warm breath dancing across my cheek, “if we do this, it’ll be one. You just gotta be willing to make it. So what do you say?”

I smile and tentatively press my lips to his in a soft kiss. “Okay. I’ll do it. But if I regret this--”

“You won’t,” he breathes, capturing my lips in a deep, tender kiss.