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About an hour before sunset, I dressed for the date, sticking to what had become my standard formal attire during the Contention—dark dress pants and a white dress shirt unbuttoned at the neck with the sleeves rolled up—and then made my way to Jessica’s room.
I knocked then let myself in. “Hello? Are you decent?”
“I’m in my room,” she called out. “Just finishing my hair. And yes, I’m dressed.”
“Damn,” I said, walking to her room and leaning against the door frame, watching as she curled her dark blonde hair. “Guess I arrived a little too late.”
She rolled her eyes, as usual, but I saw the hint of a smile tug at her mouth. “You look nice.”
“Thanks. So do you.” She was wearing a form-fitting royal blue dress with thin straps that hugged her curves and stopped just below the knee. “What’s the plan for tonight? Or are you leaving it up to me again?”
She glanced over at me before looking back to the mirror. “I’ve got something planned… I always will, you just need to ask.”
“You didn’t last time.”
“Actually, I had a backup plan,” she admitted. “I just wanted to make you sweat.”
I pushed off the door frame and walked over to sit on the end of her bed, arching a brow. “Do you always get pleasure from giving me a hard time?”
She grinned. “Maybe. Seriously, though. I’ve got it taken care of, but if you’d like to help me plan the details, you’re more than welcome to.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” I let out a soft chuckle. “At least then I’ll have an idea of what to expect.”
“Okay,” she said, setting down the curling wand she was using, and fluffing her hair before she turned to me. “So tonight I’ve set up dinner in the garden, at the gazebo where we had dinner all those weeks ago, only for you and Reagan this time.”
“That was pretty romantic,” I teased, laughing, though I secretly wished we’d have dinner together again instead of Reagan. “What else? Like the same setup? String lights and flowers and all that?”
“That’s what I’d planned, but would you prefer something else?” She disappeared into her bathroom, reappeared with a bag of makeup, and went back to the mirror to apply light color to her eyes and cheeks.
“How about candle light? It’s more romantic and intimate. I know how much you liked it.”
Jessica paused with a mascara wand halfway to her face, her eyes widening. I couldn’t help but push her a little more.
“Maybe we could recreate that whole setup. Pillows scattered around, tiny candles flickering, and flower petals on the ground. It was the perfect romantic atmosphere on the roof where we kissed.”
She cleared her throat, keeping her eyes focused on herself as she applied the mascara. “Right. That was definitely… romantic.”
I didn’t say anything, hoping she was thinking about where that night had led and wanting me as much as I wanted her right now.
She finished applying her makeup, then turned to me. “I’ve already arranged for your favorite food to be served tonight unless you’d prefer something else.”
I cocked my head, narrowing my eyes at her. “You know my favorite food?”
Jess laughed. “Well, you always have two plates of it when they serve it in the dining hall. Beef Wellington, right?”
She was right. Interesting, though, that she’d made that observation. “Yeah, that’s it.” I watched her closely, looking for any hint that she was as affected by me as I was by her, because she was acting almost like she wasn’t bothered by the fact that she was arranging a romantic date for me and another woman. “What about some soft music playing in the background? That would definitely set the mood.”
She arched a brow. “Better watch out, Garrett, or people might start calling you a romantic.”
I stood and closed the distance, grinning as I grabbed her around the waist and spun her, dipping her backward. “I can be romantic.”
She squealed and clung to me, laughing as she said, “Stop that. You can’t be romantic with me.”
Honestly, I’d never been much of a romantic before, but I wanted to be with Jessica.
“Go finish getting ready,” she said, flicking my collar when I straightened her on her feet once more. “A tie would be a nice addition. I’ll have the changes made for the date before it begins.”
I made a face. “Ties are entirely unnecessary.”
