BLOOD

TWO

After heading back to the party, I found Hayley dancing on top of a table with an empty bottle of vodka in her hand. Evan offered to take us home, but I declined—knowing how flirty Hayley could get when smashed.

Our apartment building was just a block away from the main university. Once we reached our unit, I dropped Hayley on the sofa and headed to my bedroom. I didn’t get much sleep that night. Well, how could I? When Evan’s face was all I could think of. The bit of alcohol in my system didn’t help. It never does.

Soon, sunlight started to stream through my window. With the strength of a fully-rested person, I shot out of bed and took a shower. Then, I headed to the kitchen and started to make breakfast. Hayley was still right where I left her. She must have drunk herself into a stupor that not even the clanking of the metal pans could rouse her. 

Breakfast was just toasted bread and scrambled eggs. I thought about making a smoothie, but the only thing we had on hand was a bunch of overripe bananas. Besides, I wasn’t hungry.

After cleaning up, I headed back to my room to choose the perfect outfit to wear during my date with Evan. Date. Was it really a date? I was still unsure. From what I can remember, all he did was ask me if I wanted to get a cup of coffee. I said, “Yes.” That’s it.

So, why was I feeling so nervous?

“Oh my god! You have a date?”

Hayley was finally awake.

“How did you… When did you get up?” I said, trying my best to sound calm.

Hayley shook her head as she entered my room. She sat on my bed and gave me a knowing grin.

“For starters, you’re up pretty early,” Hayley said.

“It’s 12 o’clock,” I snapped.

“—And you’ve been pacing your room, with your closet open… in your underwear.”

I didn’t even realize that I was still in my underwear.

“So,” Hayley continued, “…who’s the guy?”

I dropped myself on my bed. “Some guy I met last night. His name’s Evan.”

“Oooh… he sounds hot. Is he?”

“You have no idea.”

Hayley shrieked and started to playfully hit me with one of my pillows. Still laughing, I grabbed the pillow and hit her back, starting a pillow fight.

“What are you planning to wear?” Hayley said after we finally got over our fit of giggles. I shrugged. She sighed, then hopped over to my closet.

Like a pro, Hayley took out two sets of outfits --- a white sundress with a pink cardigan, and an orange tank-top with a pair of skintight jeans.

“Pick one,” she ordered, as she tossed the outfits to my bed.

“Which one doesn’t scream ‘I’m a w***e’”? I asked. Hayley rolled her eyes and pointed at the sundress.

“It also says, ‘I’m pretending to be a virgin, though I’m not’”.

 “Get out of here!” I said, as I rolled out of bed.

Hayley offered to help me fix my hair once I got dressed. Although her antics often irritated me, there’s no denying that she was also a wonderful friend. She was sweet and thoughtful, although albeit crazy sometimes. She was also a very talented painter.

I was done prepping up around 2 o’clock, and by 3, I was heading out the door.

“Remember,” Hayley said as she watched me leave, “No s*x on the first date.”

“Gotcha.”

The Grind House Café was just a 10-minute walk from the apartment. By the time I arrived, Evan was already seated on a table by the window. He was busy reading a book and didn’t seem to notice when I stopped by in front of him. His hair was swept gently to the side, and he was dressed in a grey casual shirt.

“Hi,” I finally said after mustering up the courage to speak.

Evan looked up. He put his book down and smiled. “Hello, Jane.”

“Wait long?” I said as I took a seat across him.

He shook his head. “I just got here. Order?”

“Yes please, an iced Americano for me.”

Evan nodded his head and stood up. I watched as he headed towards the counter. He smelled nice—peppermint with a dash of vanilla—not too overpowering. Clean. Fresh. I wondered how it would feel to have his arms wrapped around me. Suddenly, my heart started to beat furiously. My chest tightened, perhaps out of embarrassment from having such intrusive thoughts. To shake the feeling off, I tore my eyes away from him and focused my attention to the people in the café instead.

Being the closest café to the university, I wasn’t surprised to see familiar faces. A lot of them were from the party—the guy with the pointed teeth, the girl who was in love with Shakespeare, and the creepy dude in the combat boots. Maybe this was a popular hangout for student artists, too.

When Evan returned, I was feeling normal again. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, a kind of awkward silence followed.

Shit! I didn’t expect us to run out of things to say so quickly. What just happened? I should say something. But what? I don’t want to sound dumb… or weird. Or both.

“You know what’s funny?” I said in an attempt to break the silence. “I don’t normally wear dresses.”

“Really?”

Dumb. If Hayley were here, she would be slapping her forehead in frustration.

“Yeah,” I continued. “In fact, Hayley chose this outfit for me.”

Evan took a sip from his cup before answering, “Your roommate? Hayley Browne?”

“Yup.” His answer surprised me a bit. I wasn’t aware that Hayley and Evan had the chance to change some information last night. Or that she was even conscious enough to even have a conversation. But then again, it was Hayley. Being both talented and pretty, her reputation preceded her. “She has a better fashion sense than me.”

“I see,” Evan said, before turning to face the window. I watched his reflection on the window pane. He had a thoughtful look on his face. What could it be? I wondered.

Silence again.

At a loss, I decided to just finish my remaining drink.

“Jane?”

There was a hint of ruefulness in his tone. The change in his hear beat unnerved me. Why was he feeling nervous all of a sudden?

“Yes?” I started to feel nervous as well. Could it be? Was he about to tell me that he liked me?

Evan was careful in uttering his next words. “I wasn’t very honest with you.”