"Sounds like a plan, Stan," I said, giving her a wave as I headed to my bathroom to get ready.
After the excitement of the night before, the morning and afternoon dragged along in a lackluster kind of way. Krista spent the majority of the day trying to catch up on her writing, while Mark worked all afternoon poring over papers students from his summer class had turned in. I spent the day holed up in my room on my MacBook, pulling up places I would like to visit. I memorized details from the pictures that would help me in my travels. After the fiasco in Rome, I decided it was imperative that I never land inside a building again. I now understood why Emrys had taken me to the alley in Shanghai. I'm sure it was considered rude to land on your friend's lap.
At five o'clock, I finally closed up my laptop and dressed for my first-ever double date. I was a little apprehensive that my friends and Emrys wouldn't hit it off, but I figured it couldn't be any worse than Haniel's reaction to him.
"Don't you look nice," Krista proclaimed when I entered the living room.
"You mean you like this better than my normal tanks?" I asked, pointing at the delicate white blouse with black stitching I had found at the back of my closet. I'd paired it with a pair of black jeans and a less-scuffed-up pair of black boots. My hair hung down my back like a curtain of black that shined in the light from the multiple brushings I had given it. Eyeliner lined my eyes, making them appear more exotic and bigger. A touch of clear lip gloss from a tube I found buried at the bottom of a drawer in my bathroom coated my lips, making them glisten in the light.
"Just a bit," she teased.
"Don't get used to it. I miss my tanks already," I threatened.
The doorbell rang before she could reply.
"Saved by the bell," she called after me.
"Hey," I said, opening the door to reveal Lynn, Robert, and Emrys who looked as handsome as he had the night before. "Did you all drive together?" I teased, swinging the door open so they could enter.
"No, your stud here appeared when we were pulling in," Lynn joked, walking by me.
"Stud," Emrys said, smirking at me. "I think that loosely translates to 'hot,'" he added, linking his fingers through mine.
"Either that or she thinks you're a horse's ass and she just got confused," I teased as everyone else laughed.
"What movie are you guys planning on seeing?" Mark asked, sliding an arm around Krista's shoulders and pulling her snug against him.
"Well, I'd still like to see the zombie one I was supposed to see last month," I hedged, knowing Lynn's aversion to zombies.
"No way," she said, shaking her head to emphasize her point.
"Fine, what do you want to see?" I pouted.
"I don't think your zombie movie is even out anymore," Robert said, pulling up the movie app on his phone. "We can see the new Spiderman movie, it just came out today," he said hopefully, looking at us like a puppy begging for a treat.
"I'm game," I answered, looking at Emrys for approval. He looked bemused at our conversation.
"I'm good for anything," he answered, linking his fingers through mine.
"Spiderman is good with me. That new guy they got is smoking," Lynn teased, smiling mischievously at Robert just before he swept her up in his arms and planted a sound kiss on her upturned lips.
"Are they always like that?" Emrys whispered in my ear.
"I know, sickening, right?" I answered, though I really didn't feel that way. The bond between Guides and Protectors was the strongest ever created, and the love they shared could literally light up a room.
"Do you really think so?" he asked quietly, looking like he was in on my secret.
I shook my head.
"I didn't think so."
"Well, goody for you," I said so my tough girl image wouldn't be completely lost in all my mush.
"Ready?" Lynn asked, finally untangling herself from Robert's embrace.
"Unless you two need a room real quick," I scolded.
"Aw, you want to play sucky face too," she said, making a fish face in front of me that I'm sure was supposed to be a kissy face.