Night air normally has a calming effect on me. But this morning is what calms me now. After blinking for hours at my walls, I suddenly feel relaxed. The sky outside is blue and open. It pulls me outside for a walk. The cold feels good as I breathe in and out slowly. My crunching footsteps are like music, only spurring me onward. As I turn a corner, ending my circular journey back to my apartment, I see a familiar figure.
"Hey beautiful... How you feelin'?" He hugs me and I breathe in deep, relaxing into the hug. He smells good. I can smell a scent through his thick coat.
"Are you wearing cologne?"
"Maybe." He smiles secretively. He's up to something. "Why don't you go back to your place and get even more pretty? Do your nails, exfoliate, whatever else that girls do to beautify. Ok?"
"Ok... but why am I getting pretty?" Kyle just smiles. "Ok, Mr. Mysterious. But what clothes am I wearing? Formal?" He breaks our embrace, only our fingers touching.
"Wear whatever you want. Surprise me..." He smiles again. Before I can say anything in response, he walks away. I have no choice but to head for home. Once there, I'm excited. I hope we have fun tonight, wherever we go. I frown as I look at my clothes. Jeans, jeans and more jeans. All I've got are t-shirts and sweaters. Some are cute, but for good reason I want to wear a dress or skirt. The way Kyle was smiling at me makes me think he's going home to change as well. Jasmine. I let her borrow my only black dress back in September.
I rush out into the hallway and down to her door. She never goes anywhere, although my heart quickens at the idea of her absence. I knock, hearing loud music from within. She doesn't answer. I pound my fist against the wooden frame and yell her name. The music decreases in volume.
"Who is it?" She asks behind the closed door.
"Angela. I need something. Open up." She does, revealing her sweaty body wrapped in a man's button-up shirt. A very large shirt, actually. Her hair is tangled and messy. My eyebrow arches. Her face is not amused.
"What do you need? I'm kinda busy." When I try to peek around her, she moves the door. Ok, a secret tonight, a story tomorrow.
"My dress. The black one." She immediately closes the door on me. I hear a voice through her door, low and husky. I can't hear the words, but the intent is obvious. I hear Jasmine moan and so does he. I knock on the door again. The door opens, Jasmine's hand holding my black dress on its hanger, as perfect as when I gave it to her.
"Thank.." The door slams. "...you." I rush back to my room, hanging the dress on my closet door. First, I shower. The steam is warm in my nostrils. I expand my chest and breathe in the humid air. Once I'm out and dry, I use the lotion Jasmine bought me months ago for my birthday. I open it and smell the heady rose scent. I lotion my whole body, grabbing my nail file next. I sit, my hair wrapped in a towel, trimming my nails. I hate nail polish, but I love polished nails. I buff my nails and admire their shiny surfaces. I unwrap my hair and wring some curling gel into its wetness. I decide to pull my hair back into a bun, leaving some curls at the bottom to cling to my shoulders and back.
I come out of the bathroom, eyeing my dress. It's long. I'll have to wear heels. My only pair. I zip myself into it, making sure the neckline isn't off center. The low drop in the front reveals my collarbone and the first centimeters of my cleavage, not that I have that much. I'm sure that's why Jasmine wanted to borrow the dress. She's got more than enough. The delicate lace along the spaghetti straps is feminine. The bodice is almost a corset, hugging my waist and emphasizing my hips. The fabric hangs heavily from my hips. I look at myself in the mirror, amazed at what I see. I look beautiful. I slip on my heels, making the dress hang perfectly, just touching the ground. I pick out some sparkling earrings and a matching necklace. I realize I have no makeup on. With this dress and these heels, I can't go out without at least a little makeup. I brush on mascara, dab my eyelids with some shimmer and swipe lip gloss on my lips. I've never gotten so dressed up before. I wonder what Kyle will say. He's only ever seen me in baggy jeans and wool sweaters.
A knock on the door. My stomach drops. I walk over to my door, taking a very deep breath before I open it. Kyle stands in front of me, a single red Gerber daisy in his hand. He looks amazing. A pressed button-up shirt under a trim jacket. His hair is ragged, but gelled. The scent I smelled earlier is stronger. But his face is in shock, cheeks flushed. He's staring at me, his mouth open. I can't smile, even if it is funny. I just stand there, motionless like him. It takes a moment before his eyes attach to mine. He smiles, relaxing a bit. His eyes then trace my outline again. He holds out a hand for me.
"You look... You're..." I smile at his loss for words. I blush too, not having experienced this before. He hears me giggle and grabs my hand. "You're beautiful. Amazing. Sexy. Gorgeous." He brings my hand up to his lips and kisses the back of it. Something inside me quivers. He's pulling me out the door, but I have no coat.
"Wait... I need a coat. My wallet." He's still pulling me, but I wrench my hand free and lunge back into my apartment. He doesn't come in, but waits for me outside the door. I grab my long, black pea coat and stuff my ID and some cash into its pockets. Back at the door, Kyle smiles again once I've locked up.
"Well, you certainly surprised me." I grin. He walks me, holding my hand, down to the parking lot. We use his car, Kyle turning the heat up when he starts the car. The freshness lifting the scent of the air. We drive. To my surprise, we park in the lot of the university's science building. I'm confused. What are we doing here? I start to open my door, but Kyle stops me.
"Allow me." I sit waiting for him to open the door for me, waiting for something real to happen. This is surreal, having Kyle act this way. He cares for me in other ways, sure. But this is the typical over-the-top romance that I'm completely not used to. I'm not even sure how to act around him, if I should act any different than usual. He guides me towards the building, questions growing in my head. I don't have the heart to say them out loud. The doors are open and we slip inside, the rooms dark. Whatever comes next, I have no idea what it might be. I'm almost afraid and I squeeze Kyle's hand. He looks back to calm me, but my stomach tightens and I can't smile back at him. The lights come on suddenly. I'm already frightened by the situation, so I jump. Kyle stops walking and looks at me.
"It's ok. I set this all up earlier. Everything's fine." My fear turns into trembling curiosity. We turn a corner and the only door before us is open, showing darkness behind it.
"Where are we?" I clutch his one hand with both of mine, walking more closely to him. His scent relaxes me and my fear slips away.
"You'll see," Kyle replies, smiling and enjoying how my shoulders bump against his. We enter the darkened room. I try to decipher the contents, but fail to see anything of note besides something very large in the middle. It's a very large room, I can tell the ceiling is high. The science building... a high ceiling... a huge, round something...? I'm more confused than ever, when Kyle leans away from me to switch something on. I hear the click of a button, the whirring of some machine and then the room lights up. It doesn't light up completely, rather the ceiling lights up. With stars. The planetarium. My eyes widen and my jaw drops open slightly. It's incredible, the ceiling seems non-existent. My hand loosens its grip on Kyle's, but Kyle tightens his fingers around mine. An awed smile brightens my face. I look over at Kyle, who's looking at me with a discernable face. I smile.
"What?" I whisper, as if the stars would fade away if I shouted. He shakes his head, grinning back at me. An invisible tension starts to grow within my stomach. He tugs on my hand, leading me to the far side of the round room. Now that the stars are out, I can see a little bit more of the room, which isn't as big as I thought it was. We stop, a blanket laid out with food staring back at me. I kneel down before Kyle can say anything to the contrary and inspect our dinner. Peanut butter and jelly, ham sandwiches and some fruit. I giggle.
"Where are the juice boxes?" Kyle arches an eyebrow at me. He reaches into a bag standing nearby, pulling out a bottle of champagne. My eyes grow big, as he pulls out two flutes as well. I giggle louder now, making myself comfortable on the blanket. Kyle hands me a ham sandwich.
"Your entree, madam." I smile slyly at him, reaching out delicately. Whatever agenda Kyle has tonight, I'll just play along. If I sometimes need my space, then I'll let Kyle have time.
"Why, thank you, kind sir." When I bite into it I moan, overcompensating for its deliciousness. Kyle just laughs. I laugh too, trying not to choke. We sit there for a while, not speaking. When our sandwiches are done, Kyle brings out the fruit and feeds me grapes. I try not to laugh at the situation, seeing as Kyle finds it more sexy than funny. I can't help myself however, and I let out a few loud seconds of laughter.
"Can you concentrate? I'm trying to seduce you." His words, not in a sexy voice at all, make me laugh even harder. I gaze up at the ceiling, the stars moving around like slow satellites. I focus on one and my laughter stops. I realize his part in this moment. He did set this up for us and he looks awfully handsome in his blazer. I control my giggles and look back at him.
"Sorry. I'll let you seduce me now." My voice hums and Kyle doesn't laugh at it. Instead, he holds a grape up to my mouth. I take the grape, letting my lips softly touch his fingers. His smile smoulders, as do his eyes. I continue the moment by picking up a grape and holding it in front of his mouth. His lips are suddenly very sensual, as he licks and kisses my fingers before eating the grape. We just stare at each other, our mutual desire making me blush. At least I know how he feels about that. The rest of the night was full of kisses, champagne and giggles. It was by far the best night I've had with Kyle. We stretch out together, looking up at the stars on the ceiling, whispering to each other.
When Kyle dropped me back off at my place, I expected him to come in. If not to sleep, then to talk or something else. When he walked me up to the door, he simply kissed the back of my hand. My face drooped a bit, but Kyle moved in for a real kiss. He was playing the gentleman tonight and I the lady. But we couldn't fool ourselves and that kiss was fire to me. I know he wanted to come in, and I wanted him to come in too. But he broke our passionate kiss and sighed deeply.
"I'm gonna go home." Another deep breath. "Tonight was special, and you still look so incredible." My eyes brighten. The whole night was filled with compliments for me and Kyle wouldn't allow me to brush them off, as if they were nothing.
"Let's leave tonight as it is. The world was different tonight. It'll catch up tomorrow." I smile, understanding. He takes my wrinkled smile as my agreement and backs away from my door. I watch Kyle walk down the hall towards the elevator. Before entering the elevator, he looks back at me, a devilish smile on his face. I blush and grin back at him, realizing how he must see me. A shy, blushing lady in a beautiful black dress, grinning at her beau because of the wonderfully romantic evening he lavished on her. Well, maybe that's just how I see myself right now. I walk back to my bed, sighing and smiling. I feel so full of smiles and giggles, I could burst. I undress, wash my makeup off and relax into my pajamas. As I fall asleep, the image of Kyle's devilish smile is all I can think about.