"Give me your cell phone."
I pulled it out of my purse and handed it to her. She quickly typed out a message and pressed send.
"Oh my God, what did you just do?!" I grabbed the phone out of her hands and stared down in horror. She had texted Rory:
"Hey roomie, when does the party start? I need to tell my date. Can't wait to put all that advice you gave me into action. Looking forward to a sexy evening." There was even a winky face emoticon at the end.
Before I could figure out something to type so that I could somehow rectify the situation, his response came.
"9."
"It starts at nine. What is wrong with you?" I asked and put my cell phone in my purse. Maybe he would just think I was drunk or something.
"What did he say back?"
"He said it starts at nine. Actually, he just typed the number nine."
"Really? Hmmm."
"Why? What does that mean?"
"I think maybe you're right. It kind of seems like he's jealous that you're bringing someone. No one just types a number unless they're pissed. He does speak in full sentences, right?"
"Yes. And I'm not bringing anyone, so he won't be jealous for long. This is working out really well. Actually, way better than I thought."
"I think you should bring a date. Making him jealous is a pretty good tactic."
"I already tried that with his friend."
"Yeah, but that was his friend. If it's a stranger, he might be more territorial."
"But where do I find a date?"
"I don't know, just bump into a stranger on the street and ask him. I have to go. I'll see you at nine."
***
I clutched my shopping bag and walked around downtown. I wasn't sure if Emily literally meant I should bump into someone or not. She hadn't answered my text. But I wasn't sure what else to do. So I wandered around looking for someone to run into.
And then I saw the perfect guy. He was handsome, but not as handsome as Rory. It looked like he tried hard to make himself look good. Perfectly styled hair, really white teeth, and super tan. I quickly moved to the center of the sidewalk so that I'd be in his path. When he stepped to the left to avoid me, I made a sharp turn left and half ran into, half shoved him. His briefcase fell open and documents scattered all over the sidewalk.
"What the hell?" he said under his breath.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Let me help you with those." I quickly grabbed some of the papers before they blew away.
"It's okay," he smiled. "You need to pay more attention to where you're going."
"I know, I was just thinking about what I needed to pick up for this party I'm going to. Oh! Let me make this up to you. I'm throwing this really big party tonight. Do you want to come?"
"Oh. Um. What kind of party is it?"
"It's a party for my new roommate. Like a housewarming party, but a lot crazier. There's going to be tons of people and it's going to be a blast."
"Where is it?"
"Let me write down the address." I pulled a piece of paper out of the small notebook in my purse, wrote down my address, and handed it to him.
"You're not asking me to be your date, are you?" The man suddenly looked uncomfortable.