Here Goes Nothing..

''only 15 minutes late...not bad Ty, I call this an improvement''
''oh hush, nothing wrong with being fashionably late'' he struck a pause to empower his statement, making him look absolutely ridiculous...still you couldn't help but smile at his over the top, theatrical ways.

''come here'' I pulled him in for a hug and he reluctantly did the same, he was not big in that kind of physical contact ''you've been missed''

''is that why I haven't heard from you in weeks'' he said breaking my embrace
''I know, I know..am a bad friend, but I promised I'll make it up to you...anything you want, am all yours for the day''
''I'll be sure to make you regret this promise by the end of the night''
''not expecting any less Mr. Oakley''

The weather was perfect for lunch outside, so we walked to this tiny Italian place and settled on a table outdoors. The lace was one of Taylor's many favorite spots in the city, he says it's their pasta that makes him a regular but we all knew it was the flirty waiting staff that keeps him coming. It was a few slices of pizza and a couple of complementary wine glasses and we were heading back to the apartment to get ready for the rest of the evening.

''so are you gonna tell me what you have planned?'' I yelled from inside the bathroom
''not a chance''
''then how the hell should I wear?''
''I'll take care of that''

15 minutes later I walk out of the shower to find half of my closet on the floor

''TAYLOR!! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING''
''6 month in New York and not one single decent outfit for a night out''
''if you haven't noticed, I don't have time for nights out...besides we can't all dress like we just stepped out a photo shoot''

He was deep inside the closet still hunting so I wasn't sure if he genuinely didn't hear a word I said or was he ignoring me...probably the latter!

I sat at the edge of the bed waiting patiently while more garments flow to the ground..

''maybe if you tell me where we're going hen I'll be able to help you look''
He poked his head for a minute '' nice try''

the mess was starting to get on my nerves, and I was a 100% sure I'd be the one stuck spending hours putting it all back...I decided taking matters in my own hands was the thing to do instead of waiting for my fashion guru to find something....I kneeled to the floor holding the towel in place with one hand and pulling a box from under the bed with another, stood up and disappeared back into the bathroom.

The dress I put on was a gift from my sister that I never got around to wearing, it was canary yellow made entirely from lace and it stopped right above my ankles....Matched it with an emerald green earing and a ring the same color, hair pushed to one side and just enough make up for an evening out. I checked my reflection on the mirror, took a deep breath and walked back out.

''WHOA!!''
''don't looks shocked'' I said casually
''more like stunned, who knew that beneath all THAT was an actual lady''
''thanks?''
''am being a jerk, aren't I...meant to say you look fabulous''
''shall we'' he extended his arm for me to take, being a gentleman and all

It was a 10 minute drive which was plenty to extract info of off my ''acting quite secretive'' best friend...we arrive infront f this nice looking building, the valet took the car and we were ushered inside.

''I've never been speed dating before''
''yeah?! I went to this same event last year with a bunch of friends...basically it's singles only, inside every lady is assigned a table and us guys get to rotate to a bell, each got 5 minutes of conversation before you have to change tables again, best part is...it's all for charity''
'' ok then''
'''I'll go register, be right back''

It was exactly what Taylor described, a few tables with two seats facing each other, some where even already occupied..I was starting to feel nerves, dating wasn't one of my strongest suits, let alone it being ''speed dating''.

''you're table six''
''we're really gonna do this huh!''
''relax! I promise it'll be a fun hour'' he shoved me to my table and went to take his place among the gents.

Depending on what you're doing an hour could fly by or it could seem never ending, so far the past 40 minutes were pure torture...the seat opposite mine hosted creeps, mama's boys, the classic smug rich douchbags and the occasional ''admit you want me'' types...with 10 minutes left I was more than ready to call it a night, but there was no chance of escaping as yet another future reject stood there.

''excuse me! may I?'' Did he honestly just ask for permission to sit
''please!''

He wore a simple white shirt over black pants,on his wrist was a colorful watch that didn't match the rest of the attire but still a watch non the less, I could my mom saying '' a man is not fully dressed with out a watch''...

''I don't mean to be forward'' he began talking '' ..but you are breath takingly beautiful''

A huge knot quickly formed at the bottom of my stomach remembering the only other time those words were used to describe me...I could feel the warmth creeping into my cheeks, hopefully it wasn't showing.

''to tell you the truth: this is my first time doing this''
''same here, a friend's idea of a good time''
''so how was your night so far''
''trust me, you don't want to know, but it's most certainly looking up'' that made him smile, I wonder if he picked up on my miserable attempt of flirting back ''what about you,found what you came here for?''
''getting there'' he said those two words staring right at me...am sure the red on y cheeks was showing at this point.

''alright ladies and gentlemen, this is our last bell of the evening...thank you for participating in our charity program, we hope you had a good time'' the lady announced before hitting that bell one last time...

''you want to get out of here, maybe go for a walk?'' he said leaning closer, that was the best suggestion I've heard all night.
''I'd love to''