The next night, I was getting ready to go out for drinks with girlfriends that I hadn’t seen in a few weeks. Taylor, Kendra, Jenny and I always gabbed about anything and everything, and they were always great to vent to about any of my problems. I hadn’t stopped thinking about Dave since he left our apartment, or about his face, his smile, his body, those boxer-briefs...

I heard a knock at the door. “Can you get that? I’m changing,” Miranda called from her room. Before I headed to the door, I stole a glance at myself in my tan bandage dress. Even though I could barely breathe and it took three weeks of yogalates to squeeze into the dress, I looked pretty good. I hoped there would be some good looking men at that club to get my mind off of Dave.

I opened the door, and my heart nearly leaped out of my throat when I saw who was standing in my doorway. Dave was wearing a white v-neck under a black blazer and had on a pair of loafers and cream khakis. He looked unbelievably handsome, and I couldn’t even muster a hello. His eyes briefly flickered over my body, and I felt my face turn red. “Hi Leslie. You look...wow,” he said, his eyebrows raising slightly and a smile forming on his lips.

“Hey, thanks,” I replied, stepping aside and welcoming him in. Miranda hadn’t told me she was going on a second date with him. Miranda had only reached the second date stage with two men since she had started living with me. One was Brad, the wealthy son of her mother’s best friend, whom she had been bribed into going on a second date with. The second was Adam, a huge pothead who had tickets to a UFC match and was holding out on giving her the name of his dealer. I was shocked to see him in my apartment, sitting on the couch where we had been in a spirited virtual battle only a day ago. I sat down in the armchair perpendicular to him, crossing my legs awkwardly as he eyed me.

He licked his lips and glanced around the apartment. “Where are you headed tonight?” he asked, leaning on the arm of the couch and resting his chin in his hand.
“Just out for drinks with friends,” I replied, nodding and looking around the room awkwardly. “I’m just waiting for my cab to come pick me up.”
Dave’s adorable little nose wrinkled. “Cab? Why don’t I give you a ride?”
I shook my head violently, slightly embarrassed at how embellished my head shake had been. “No, no, it’s fine. I don’t want to interfere with your, um, date,” I replied, grabbing the ends of my long hair, playing with them. I was still unable to believe the words that were coming out of my mouth.
He leaned forward, resting his arms into his knees, staring into my eyes. “Leslie, you’re not interfering. It would be my pleasure to take you. Please?” he asked, his eyebrows raising again.

Dammit. He had me, and I couldn’t say no to a face like that. Oh Leslie, what are you getting yourself into? “Okay, I’ll call the cab company,” I finally answered. He smiled triumphantly, leaning back into the couch. As I got up, Miranda emerged from her room, looking stunning as ever. She was wearing a black bandage dress similar to mine, only her body was tighter, her legs looked way longer in the black pumps she was wearing, and her smoky eyes were unbelievably gripping. She rounded the corner of the hallway, smiling at Dave and yanking him up to his feet. As I called the cab company, Dave leaned in and they shared a short yet lingering kiss that emitted heat I could feel from the other side of the room. I turned and looked down at the tile, trying to hold back tears. Dave was too perfect, and there he was, kissing my roommate, who was head over heels for him like she’d never been for anyone before. My heart ached; he hadn’t escaped my mind for even a moment, but I couldn’t be thinking that way about the man my roommate was dating. I’d just have to find a way to get over him.

* * *

I sat in the backseat of Dave’s SUV as we drove downtown through the city. Miranda was in the passenger seat, applying lipstick in the overhead mirror. As we went over a bump, she smeared lipstick over her face, and Dave burst into laughter. That laugh....I quickly stopped my thoughts and forced my smile down, looking out the window.

“So, Leslie, are you single?” Dave asked. I choked on my own saliva. Why did he care if I was single?
“Um, yeah, I am,” I answered, shifting in my seat. He glanced at me through the rear view mirror, and even through the darkness I could see his bright blue eyes.
“That girl has been single for over a year now. That girl couldn’t find a man if he stared her right in the face,” Miranda said, furiously rubbing her lipstick-stained cheek. My cheeks seared as Dave looked back at me in the rear-view mirror again, his smile widening.
“Randa!!” I whined, glad the darkness was hiding my bright purple face.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ve been single for a while now, too. A girl like you won’t be single for long," Dave muttered, almost inaudibly. The way he was looking at me in the rear view made me nervous, especially since his gaze was on me, and not on the road. I didn’t know what to think of Dave. Miranda was still rubbing at her cheek, uninterested in the conversation. I didn’t know how to respond to him. All I could muster was, “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Do you need me to pick you up after drinks with your friends?”
“You’d better, that girl’s probably gonna get so wasted she spends all her cab money. She’s done it so many times I’ve lost count," Miranda rambled, almost yelling.

I took every inch of my being not to slap her upside the head. If she was trying to make me sound like a complete loser, she was doing a good job. It was true, though. One time I drunkenly walked in a pair of 4-inch heels 24 blocks in the middle of the night. You'd think I would have learned. But before I could refuse, Dave had answered.

“I can’t imagine you drunk. That’ll be a sight to see. Just give me a call and I’ll be there.”
He handed me his phone to put my number in. My hands trembled as I punched the numbers in. I couldn’t imagine what I’d do around him drunk. I imagined drunkenly throwing myself at him, and I couldn’t bear the image. My libido always skyrocketed under the influence, and around a guy like Dave, I’d have no barriers. I knew I had to limit my alcohol intake tonight. But who was I kidding. I knew I’d be drunk, and I just had to hope for the best when Dave and Miranda came to pick me up later.