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“Hey Leia, what’s going on?” I ask, walking towards the locker room.
“I thought I would call and check on you, make sure you are not backing out on me,” she chuckles.
“Well, if you're giving me an out…” I start to say.
“Absolutely not,” she quickly interrupts and responds.
“Yeah, I didn’t think I would get that lucky. I hope you have plenty of nurses ready to participate next month,” I say, dryly.
“Don’t worry about that. I have you covered.”
“Is the venue ready, or do you need some help?” I ask, pulling my bag out of the locker.
“The venue is finally ready. We finished the last little touches a few minutes ago, and I am on my way to meet up with Noah and Mike for dinner,” she says.
“Mike?”
“Yeah, he flew in this afternoon. I am so excited to see him,” she says, her voice conveying her excitement.
“That’s great, I know you miss him when he’s not here,” I say, trying to stave off my beating heart.
“Hey, do you want to come have dinner with us?”
“I’m going to have to pass tonight. I’m currently at the gym, then I need to do some grocery shopping, but I’ll see you tomorrow night at the Christmas party,” I tell her.
“I understand I did wait until the last minute, and really, it was because I wasn’t sure if Mike was going to make it home. I’m sorry I interrupted your workout,” she says apologetically.
“It’s okay. Enjoy dinner with Noah and Mike, and I will see you tomorrow night,” I tell her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ri,” she responds before hanging up.
I take a deep breath to bring my heart rate down before I get in the shower. I need to forget about Mike, his lips, and the way he made me feel. Maybe I’ll get lucky and not see him at the Christmas party.
I shower quickly, then head to the grocery store, ready to get back home before I accidentally run into anyone I don’t want to see right now.
* * *
The next night, I’m standing in my room, taking in my appearance as I look in the full-length mirror. I’m currently wearing a dark emerald green, knee length dress, black six-inch heels, my hair is down with waves of curls in it. My makeup is lightly done, and jewelry is minimal.
It’s not often that I dress up like this, so it takes me a moment to realize that I am looking at myself and not someone else.
I’m used to my hair either in a ponytail for work, or up in a messy bun while I am at home or out with the girls. I hardly ever wear makeup, and my clothes consist of yoga pants and either a t-shirt or sweater when I’m not working, other than that, I can be found wearing my firefighter uniform.
For the fiftieth time tonight, I wonder if Mike will be at this event. I can’t see why he would want to go, and I don’t know why I’m so nervous if he does. I’m sure he didn’t mean for that kiss to mean anything. I need to get Mike off my mind and remember I am there to support Leia.
My phone pings with an incoming text, and I see my Uber is here. I opted not to drive in case I have more than two drinks. It’s always better to be safe, than make a mistake later that I can’t take back. I see enough of that in my job.
I grab the gifts by the door and make my way out to the car.
“Do you need any help ma’am?” He asks.
“No, I’ve got them, thanks,” I respond with a smile on my face, and he nods, holding the back door open for me.
When we get to the venue, I get out of the Uber. “Thank you so much,” I tell him.
“Here, let me give you my direct number. You can call me directly when you are ready to be picked up, and I’ll make sure you get home safely.”
“Thank you, that is very sweet of you,” I tell him, grabbing his card, while holding gifts to be donated.
