“That sounds amazing in theory,” I replied, laughing. “But actually, taking those steps is what is hard about the whole thing. Opening myself up like that to someone I barely know seems terrifying.”
“Living the rest of your life letting your virginity dictate your decisions sounds even more terrifying,” she said, lifting her eyebrows and smirking.
We finished up with Bruno and walked him down to the drying area where he would sit and sleep under the warmth of the heaters, something Leena and I had come up with to make the drying process less strenuous on the animals. Throughout the day, we went from pup to pup, cleaning their pens after washing them and then letting them out to play once they had dried. I kept the words that Leena spoke in my mind and thought about it as I played with the kittens later that day. It was amazing how good these animals made me feel, and how I never felt pressured or stressed when I was around them. They were my sanctuary from the storm.
When we had finished up the cat play and all the animals were bathed and happy, we started cleaning up, talking about Leena’s dating schedule over the weekend. Just thinking about how much she put herself out there was exhausting to me, and I wasn’t the one going on all the dates. Personally, I was looking forward to going home, climbing into some comfy warm pajamas, wrapping myself in a fleece blanket, and watching movies all evening. I couldn’t even begin to think about planning to go out every single night over the weekend, plus for lunch on Sunday. Nope, not my style of things. As I finished wiping down the bathing tub, my phone rang, and I smiled at seeing Blaine’s number flash across the screen.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said charmingly. “What are you doing?”
“Just finishing up at work,” I said, smiling. “You?”
“The same,” he sighed. “Work never slows down. But that wasn’t why I was calling.”
“Okay, what’s up?”
“I want to take you out again,” he said bluntly. “I want to see you.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“How about dinner tomorrow night? It will be Saturday, relaxing, chill, and we can continue our conversation from before. I just don’t want to go another week without seeing you in person.”
“Tomorrow night sounds good,” I said, my heart racing. “What kind of restaurant?”
“I made reservations at Tres Leche, a fine dining place downtown,” he said. “I hope that is okay. I wanted to take you somewhere nice this time.”
“You would be surprised what I think is nice,” I said, laughing. “I’m pretty sure at this point, I would think Applebee’s was nice.”
“Then you will be blown away.” He laughed loudly. “Will five be okay?”
“That will be perfect,” I said. “Right when I normally start to get hungry. Oh, and thank you for the roses. They are stunning. My office smells so good now.”
“You are more than welcome,” he said. “I just wanted to brighten your day and give you a good start to your weekend.”
“Well, you definitely accomplished that.” I chuckled. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow at five at the restaurant then.”
“Sounds perfect,” he said. “I’ll text you later this evening when I get off work.”
“I’ll be here,” I replied, ecstatic as I hung up the phone.
I walked over and put my phone back on the table, standing and staring at the roses for several minutes. My heart was racing, and it started long before he asked me to dinner. Just the sound of Blaine’s voice sent electricity through my chest, and I hadn’t felt that way about anyone before. Going to dinner was going to be fun, but all I cared about was spending time with Blaine a
nd getting to know him better. I knew that part of guys chasing a girl was trying to impress them, but I wasn’t most girls, and I would be equally impressed by a grilled cheese sandwich at the park. Still, I was going to relax and enjoy the time I had, getting excited about trying restaurants that I would never actually go to on my own. I had heard of Tres Leche. It was one of the most expensive and well received restaurants in the city. The chef had two Michelin Stars and came to Philly from New York after getting tired of the hustle and bustle of the city. Not that Philadelphia wasn’t a city, but it was much calmer than NYC.
“Why do you look all in a daze?” Leena asked, breaking through my trance.
“Blaine just asked me out to dinner at Tres Leche tomorrow night,” I said dreamily.
“What?” she asked excitedly. “Girl that is awesome. You know what that means. We are going to go out and get you something amazing to wear!”
“You always think about shopping.” I laughed.
“If I didn’t, you would walk around in yoga pants all day,” she pointed out. “You can’t wear yoga pants to Tres Leche, and you can’t wear your prom dress from five years ago, either. Yeah, don’t act like you didn’t save that thing in the back of your closet.”
“You never know when you will need a long puffy dress,” I pointed out.
“Yes, you do, and the answer is never,” she said, laughing. “So, finish up, and let’s get out there and go shopping.”