“I'm not taking long; I'm just getting ready.”
“Why are you bothering to get beautiful? It's not like you are interested in Jet or anything, right?”
“Hey, I'm already beautiful, and no, I'm not interested in Jet, but I still want to look nice.”
“You look more than nice; you look hot.”
I snorted. “Well, thanks, but I'm not trying to get attention from Jet. Don't worry.”
“Uh-huh. Well hurry up, so you can have a drink with me before the guys get here.”
“Okay, I'm almost done with my hair. Give me a second.”
I finished curling my hair and went out to the living room, where Brenda was relaxing on the couch.
“Finally! You do look gorgeous, Natalie. Jet is going to lose it when he sees you.” She got up and poured me a glass of wine while I went over and sat on the couch.
“Well, thanks. You look great, too. Your date is going to be thrilled.”
“Oh God, I hope so. He's so cute, and so smart. I just can't believe that he's interested in me.”
“Brenda, why wouldn't he be? You are a great catch, so don't sell yourself short.”
She passed me the glass of wine, and I took a small sip. I definitely didn't want to be buzzed before we even got going; that was a recipe for disaster. I wished that Brenda hadn't opened up the bottle of wine, but I could understand why she felt nervous. Dating was a nightmare, and you never knew how a first date was gonna end, or whether you would get a second one.
I took another sip of wine and realized that I had not texted Jet, so I did that quickly, and let him know that he could head over at any time. I assumed Brenda took care of her own date.
“What time is Dan getting here?”
“Probably any time now.”
“Oh, I forgot perfume.” I almost flew out of my seat, and hurried to my bedroom to grab some perfume. I had a favorite Ed Hardy perfume. I only had one, and I never strayed from it. I spritzed a bit on my neck, and again on my wrists, rubbing them together. I hurried back to the living room, as I wanted to finish my wine before Jet arrived.
“I thought you weren't trying to get pretty for Jet.”
“I'm not.”
“Perfume; you ran like the house was on fire.”
I laughed loudly. “Let's not get out of hand. I just wanted to make sure I was ready before they got here.” I downed the rest of my wine just as a knock sounded on the door. I got up and answered it, to find both Dan and Jet at the door. They must have arrived at the same time.
“Hi guys.”
They came in, and Brenda stood up from the couch and headed over to see her date. Dan kissed her on the cheek, and I thought it was just about the cutest thing I had ever seen. Jet was watching the couple as well, and I could tell that he wished that we had that same type of relationship. When he turned to me, I could see it written all over his face. He smiled at me but there was something behind that smile.
“Are you guys ready to go?”
“Yes, we are. However, you guys might as well have a seat and a beer, because I have to call a cab. I'm not sure how long it will take for it to get here.”
“Natalie, you look amazing.”
Jet’s comment caught me off guard, and it took me a moment to thank him for the compliment. The guys sat down on the couch, and I retrieved two beers from the fridge. Making my way into the living room, I handed the boys their beers, and sat back down on the couch. Brenda and Dan talked easily between each other and I was starting to think they would be a really good match.
I turned to Jet. “So, how is your back?”
“Much better. In fact, I saw my doctor, and he said just what you said?that I probably just had a tight muscle. Your massage definitely worked wonders, so maybe I should keep you around as my regular masseuse.”
“You could go to my mother, and book her in after every fight.”