It's All About Love

As Corey walked through the familiar hallways of the United Center, memories came flooding back of the last time he went on a real date with a girl. Just thinking about it made his stomach knot. It had been almost an entire year, but he perfectly remembered how it felt to have his life shattered into a thousand pieces. He remembered how it felt to be broken, and he didn’t think he could feel that again. He tried his best to push away all of his thoughts and all of his nerves as he got closer to Katie.

Katie waited for Corey near the door in the back of the building, where he had told her to meet him. As she waited, she played with the hem of her black dress and rocked back and forth on the heels of her favorite tan wedges. When she heard footsteps coming closer, she smiled at Corey. He looked sick. She thought he might throw up.

“Are you feeling alright?” Her voice was full of concern.

He wiped a little bit of sweat from his forehead, swallowed hard and said, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little warm I guess.” He took a second to look at her. “You look beautiful.” He tried to calm himself down, but his nerves were getting the best of him.

“Thank you.” She paused for a moment, just looking at him. She could tell something was wrong. “Corey, are you sure you’re okay? We can go out another time if you’re sick.” She stepped closer and put the back of her hand to his forehead. He laughed.

“I’m not sick. I promise.” She dropped her hand and nodded. “I’m just… you make me really nervous.” He whispered. She giggled a little. “Hey! Don’t laugh at me! I’m kind of a mess, this isn’t funny!” Now they were both laughing.

When they stopped, he lead her out to his car and they drove to the restaurant. Corey decided to take her to his favorite diner in Chicago. They were both overdressed but neither of them seemed to care.

“I’m really sorry about earlier.” He said after they ordered dinner.

“Sorry? Why? You were nervous, you didn’t attack me or anything. You don’t have anything to be sorry about.” She joked, trying to ease some of the tension that had grown between the two.

“I know, but I probably ruined our date because I couldn’t keep my emotions in check.” She could tell that he genuinely felt bad.

“No. You didn’t! Listen, I know usually boys like to plan first dates or whatever, but since I’m from here, and you’re not, do you want to go see my favorite thing about Chicago?” She asked cheerfully. He didn’t answer. “C’mon, I’m trying to save the date that you think you ruined!” He laughed. He loved that she could make him laugh.

“Absolutely.”

He paid the check, and they walked outside. He headed towards the car, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the sidewalk. “We’re walking?”

“Yes, it’s close. I promise.” She looked down at their connected hands and noticed that he wasn’t making an effort to let go, so she didn’t either. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Corey’s curiosity couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

“Where are we going?”

“An office building.” She smiled at him.

He stopped in his tracks and pulled her hand, forcing her to stop also. “Wait a sec! So you’re favorite thing about Chicago is an office building?!” She nodded.

“Come on, you’ll see. It’s just up there.” She pulled on his hand again, he followed. She led them inside of the Chicago Board of Trade building. Corey couldn’t help but let the confusion show on his face. She let go of his hand and reached inside her purse as they headed towards the elevator. She pulled out a key card and swiped it to call for the elevator.

“Um. How do you have that key?” Corey asked nervously.

“Oh! My dad works here and I used to help him out when I was in high school and college so I still have my card. Don’t worry, I didn’t steal it or anything. This is perfectly legal.” She assured him as they stepped into the elevator. She pressed the button for the highest floor. The doors opened and she led them to another door. It was a staircase. They climbed up until reaching another door. She opened it, using the key card one more time, and revealed the rooftop. She placed the card back in her purse and smiled at him. He was reluctant to follow as she stepped onto the roof. She held out her hand to him.

“Trust me,” she said, “Let me show you why my favorite thing about this city is this office building.”

Trust. That was what had led him down the road to heartbreak a year ago. Now, here he was, on a roof, with a girl he barely knows who’s asking for his trust. It took all his courage to place his hand in hers and follow her farther onto the roof. She stopped about 10 feet from the edge and turned towards him.

“So is this when you try to push me off the roof, orrr…” he asked, trying to cover up his minor panic attack. She laughed.

“No. This is when I tell you to turn around and you see why I love it here.” She nodded as if to encourage him to turn. He did. He understood why she loved it. She watched his face relax and smiled. “Pretty nice, huh?

“This is amazing.” He was mesmerized. She turned her focus from Corey to the amazing view of the city she loved. Neither of them said anything for quite some time. They stood there, holding hands still, glaring out at the lights below them, each lost in their own thoughts.

Corey was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Katie shivering next to him. “Hey, are you cold?” She nodded. “You want to go home?”

“If you’re ready.” She said through her teeth. He pulled her close, rubbed her arms up and down a few times, took her hand again and they made their way out of the building, and back to Corey’s car.

As he drove, Corey thought of how good it felt to have fun with a girl again. He was proud of himself for finally putting himself out there again. Mostly, he was thankful that Sharpy had noticed him watching Katie dance and stopped her in the hallway. He made a mental note to text Sharp and say thanks.

Katie watched Corey as he drove through the streets of Chicago. She had always been able to understand people very well, so naturally she noticed that his mind was running at 100 miles an hour. She wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but she decided not to. He finally noticed her staring at him.

“What?” He asked as they pulled into the UC parking lot.

“Nothing, just wanted to tell you that I had a really good time with you tonight.”

“I did too. I’m really glad Sharpy bugged you yesterday.” He laughed.

“I’m glad he did too. And I’m happy you weren’t sick because we actually had a good date.” He pulled up next to her car. She started to get out, but he grabbed her arm gently before she could leave. She looked at him, waiting for him to say what was on his mind.

“Thank you for tonight. Can I call you again?” He regretted asking.

“I hope you do.” She leaned over and lightly touched her lips to his stubbly cheek, and he let go of her arm. She got out of his car and shut the door.

He rolled down the window as he watched her step into her own car and yelled, “Will you let me know when you get home? Just so I know you’re okay.”

She nodded and said, “Goodnight, Corey. I’ll text you in a bit, when I get home.” He said goodnight and pulled away after making sure she was okay. He never liked the idea of girls being in the city alone at night.