The Senior, Part Two
Part Two
For a few seconds, I just stood there.
In retrospect, I’d tell myself I was playing it cool as Jade drove away. But in reality, I was mostly just stunned from such an unforgettable first kiss. Not to mention the flirty maneuvers that immediately followed.
Once her car was out of sight, I reached into the pocket where Jade’s teasing fingers had just been. Sure enough, she had left a small slip of paper inside. Thank God. It’s what I assumed she had been doing while saying ‘call me’ in that sultry whisper. If I was wrong, and Jade didn’t leave her number, I don’t know what I would have done with myself. Probably return to the same bar every single night until she showed up again.
I unfolded the scrap of notebook paper and took out my phone right away to transfer the ten digits to my Contacts. Knowing my luck, I’d somehow lose the paper on the way home. If I could manage to hold onto it until then, even after adding Jade to my phone, I definitely was going to keep it for posterity. In this day and age, it was rare for someone to give out a physical number unless it was on a business card. And, on top of that, she fucking put it into my pocket for me.
Her number looked hastily scrawled, yet pretty nonetheless. I was definitely reading too much into things, but I couldn’t help but wonder if her handwriting was indicative of her artistic style. Real, and raw, with a subtle beauty to it. Or it could just be the way she wrote, and I was still high from that fleeting moment of passion against her car. Either way, I made short work of putting her information in. Not that there was much to type. Jade; no last name.
And that was that. I walked back to the pub and then another half block the opposite direction back to my car and headed home. The entire drive, I was thinking about the last thing she said.
‘Call me.’
Not ‘text me,’ not ‘let’s meet up.’ She wanted me to call, which was about as old fashioned as giving out a written phone number. In a good way; a unique way. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to wait three days. Not only is it cliché and outplayed at this point, but the auburn haired girl seemed like the type that liked to chase new experiences. If I left her alone for a few days, she’d get bored and potentially meet someone else before I could have more of a chance with her. Now that I knew I had a shot with the amazing and wildly attractive girl, I definitely wanted to take it.
But I still had to be a little patient.
I wasn’t going to be the desperate guy that reached out too soon. Despite how well we clicked at the bar, I still found myself playing the usual ‘game’ of not wanting to seem too eager while also not appearing too aloof. So I waited until the next morning, around 10 AM. Jade never mentioned a summer job, and there was a decent chance she’d be awake by then.
For all the tossing and turning over the previous night, I still had no plan. Coffee? Or another round of drinks? My schedule was wide open until the first day of classes.
Jade picked up the phone after two rings, confident as ever. “Oh, hey. Took you long enough.”
“How did you know it was me?” I asked, “Or have you been answering that way all morning, just in case?”
“Fuck off,” she scoffed, “Hey, I’m grabbing coffee right now. Text me your address? And your coffee order. My treat.”
“Umm-” I hesitated. Shit, she was inviting herself over? Of all the ways I expected the call to go, this definitely wasn’t one of them. I hadn’t showered yet, and my place was still a bit of a mess from the move.
But that was my problem, not hers. “Umm, how about, ‘Thank you, Jade! You’re the best,’” she said. “Be quick with the coffee order; I’m getting in line. See you soon, kay?” Without waiting for a reply, she ended the call.
My instinct was to jump into action and start tidying the place. While there wasn’t much to do about the boxes, I could at least make the kitchen and the bedroom look more presentable. But I made myself sit still for a minute so I could text her first. For my order, I typed ‘Iced coffee. Surprise me?’ I’m not that picky about my coffee, and I figured letting her have some fun with it would be better than answering any follow-up questions about specifics. A second later, I added, ‘Thanks, Jade. You’re the best.’ Then I gave her my address, and got started on the small pile of dishes in the sink.
I had no idea how close my house was to whatever coffee shop Jade was at. After a quick clean of the kitchen, I went to the bathroom to splash some water on my face, slapped on some fresh deodorant, and grabbed a little mouthwash in case the toothpaste from earlier wasn’t enough. I threw on a pair of jeans and a black v-neck, then spent a minute clearing the clutter in the bedroom. She didn’t seem like the type who cared about a spotless house, but I could at least make the place look presentable.
Perfect timing, too. Not two minutes after I finished walking around the place and stashing away anything that looked too messy or out of place, the doorbell rang.
Dropping whatever I was doing by the end of my last minute tidying, I made my way to the front door and opened it right away for her.
Jade was standing on the front porch with a coffee in each hand, lips pursed in a small smile.
“Morning,” she said.