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I take my phone from my pocket and hand it to her so that she can enter her information into my contacts. When she hands it back to me, I press the call button. Somewhere in her apartment, her phone begins to ring. As her head turns towards the sound, I reach forward and take her hand in mine.
“I’ll pick you up at seven,” I tell her, lifting her hand to my mouth to kiss her knuckles. Her breath catches when I nip at her skin.
“Okay,” she breathes, her cheeks darkening in color until they’re nearly crimson.
As I take the elevator down to the ground floor of her apartment building, my body vibrates with need. I’ll finally be able to make good on my personal promise to make her mine. After tonight, everyone will know who Birdie belongs to.
Me.
Chapter Three
Birdie
The feeling of Ethan’s lips on my skin is seared into my mind.
In the moments after he leaves, I can’t get myself to move. I’m too shocked to do anything but stand there like an idiot.
I scold myself for my reaction. It was just a kiss, and not even a real one at that! Why am I so starstruck by something so simple? I mean, yeah, it was my first kiss of any kind, but that doesn’t mean I need to lose my head about it.
He’d been so intense, I was sure he was going to kiss me for real. I can’t lie and say I didn’t want it, because I did. When he backed me up against the wall, the anticipation was almost strong enough to make my knees buckle.
Those blue eyes of his could bring a girl to her knees. They almost did.
And now I have a date with him.
I rush to my bedroom, a spring in my step as I rush to my closet to dig around for a dress. The date might be a few hours away but I want to use the time I have wisely. I can’t let a man like him think I’m just some experienced little girl, even though that’s not far from the truth. This will be my first date ever, but I’m determined to make this big, intimidating man see that I’m worth it.
It feels surreal for a man like Ethan to be interested in a woman like me. I try not to question it as I lay out a few dresses on my bedspread. Do I want to show a little skin, or should I go for something a bit more comfortable?
I bite my lip. I’ve never done this before, and it shows.
Do I text him where we’re going and hope that his answer will help me make a decision? Do I just pick something and hope for the best? What do I want him to think of me, and what outfit will help me achieve that?
Thoughts swarm in my mind and I sink to the floor, feeling overwhelmed. Baxter’s chirpy meow breaks me out of my thoughts as he pads into the room.
“What do you think, baby?” I ask him. He says nothing, opting to answer my question by crawling into my lap and settling with a tiny chuff. I sigh and smile at him as I begin to scratch his chin. “I don’t think leggings are date attire, but I appreciate your input.”
With a pang, I realize I miss my mother. It’s not the first time I’ve missed her since I moved here three years ago, but it’s one of the stronger moments. She’d know exactly which way to steer me with an outfit—she’s always been a woman of excellent taste. Half the clothes I moved here with are from her, and they’re all vintage designer that she thrifted or they’re pieces she bought herself when she was younger and handed down to me. Her taste is completely timeless.
I’m half-tempted to call her, but we haven’t talked on the phone in ages. It’s not safe, and we both know it. Sending secure emails is hard enough, never mind making a phone call that can’t be traced. We might be able to be reunited someday, but until that happens, we have to be careful.
As if sensing my mood change, Baxter butts his head into my fingers with a gurgling growl.
“Okay, fine,” I smirk at him. “I’ll scratch behind your ears now.”
Because Mama’s not here, I have to think about what she’d recommend. Probably something a little understated. She likes to let a person’s natural looks shine through, and her mantra was always “less is more.”
While I’ve never quite loved fashion like she does, I’ve still been instilled with her philosophies around it. It’s helped me pick out good outfits for my livestreams and it guides my clothing purchases even though I don’t go out much. Is there something I have that would fit her vision?
I think about the outfits laid out behind me on my bed, and then look to my closet.
Do I still have that dark green dress?
I lift Baxter from my lap and put him on the floor before getting to my feet to rifle through my closet again. There’s really pretty dress my mom gave me in a deep, dark green. She said it made my eyes pop and that it looked far better on me than it ever did her. My mom’s gorgeous, so I don’t really believe her, but I could use that memory as a confidence boost. I need that now more than ever.
When I finally find it, I smile.
It’s perfect. Exactly what I need for tonight.
