Jake took her to her apartment, then got out of the car to open the door for her. It was a gentlemanly move, one that didn’t really surprise her. She took his hand, and he pulled her into himself playfully.
“Careful there,” he muttered.
She was stopped short, silent and dazed by his beauty.
Jake’s perfectly formed features were silhouetted by the cascade of the moonlight, touching his jaw gently like a whisper of wind. She looked at him like he was something out of a dream, something she was imagining rather than something standing there, real, in front of her.
Someone whose eyes dazzled with desire for her.
“I hope you have a good night,” he said, grinning.
Casey was more than tempted to reach up and pull him in for a kiss. But that would likely lead to one thing after the other, and the only available area to have sex would be her apartment. And she had roommates; a sure-fire way of dampening the sparks of romance.
Jake slowly let go of her hands, then her hips. She couldn’t help but bite her lip as she walked away, holding the clutch in her hands like it was the one thing keeping her balanced.
“I hope you do too,” she said, turning back to him briefly.
He nodded at her and watched as she walked through the apartment building’s entrance. She didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until she got in the elevator, clasping her chest and grinning ear to ear.
They decided over text that they would attend the monster truck rally the next weekend. Casey could barely focus on her work, her books, her friends, and customers throughout the entire week. Her tummy was a mess of sparkly excitement and oily dread. She wondered if he would judge her for her interest. If she would merely be a laughingstock to him and a story to tell to the next woman he dated.
She tried not to let her thoughts descend into anything toxic, instead narrowing them into the excitement portion that kept her awake at night. She fantasized about his mouth, his body, and the way he looked at her when she wasn’t looking at him. She had felt it a few times; it was feeling the sharp burns of the sun.
When it finally came down to their date, Casey was feeling enthralled and happy. It was ironic that she had gone shopping with Gerri, trying to look like the glamorous woman she assumed Jake wanted her to be. But being able to put on her ripped, low-rise jeans and a sleeveless crop top on a date was refreshing, though she was somewhat still self-conscious about his reaction.
Jake’s car pulled up to her apartment precisely on time. When he got out, she thought for a moment that she had spotted the wrong limo.
But it was Jake, without a doubt. His tall stature and thick muscles showed off through the neon green and black jersey he wore, as well as the jeans he sported. She had to stand back for a moment and take it all in; he was the exact opposite of the person she had been on two dates with already.
“Wow,” she said.
Jake was grinning as he walked up to her, kissed her hand, then brought out two baseball caps from behind his back.
“Good evening, my lady,” he whispered.
She giggled as she placed the hat on, as did he. His appearance made her feel comforted, knowing that her own casual look wasn’t going to be criticized or scoffed at.
“You look incredible,” she said.
They sat next to each other in the limo, pressed against each other’s hips and draped in each other's arms like they had been together for ages. Casey forgot the original tickets she had bought with Layla and followed Jake as she was led up past the ticket booth and through the curtained-off performers’ area.
Casey’s heart pounded in her chest as she spotted the drivers who she recognized from all of the pay-per-view shows she had watched as a kid. Jake held her hand the entire way through the backstage area and introduced her to every person she had long admired.
“My God, Jake!” she said, squealing after meeting the driver ofGreen Monster. She threw herself into his arms, and he caught her easily. She buried her face into his chest, having lost the self-consciousness that had plagued her entire week.
Jake spun her around as they both laughed together. It was a joyous, romantic moment that made her feel like she was floating.
“I thought you might like that,” Jake said, placing her on the ground.
Casey planted her feet, hearing the groans and rumbles of various monster trucks gearing up beyond her, blending seamlessly with the cheer of the crowd. When she looked up at him, her knees went weak, and there was really only one thing left to say.
“Jake,” she said, heart slamming.
He hadn’t stopped smiling since they arrived. He tipped her chin up to him and raised his eyebrows with concern.
“Yes?”
The words flew out like the skipping of stones across the water.