WHEN I FOUND MY WAY back to Gladiola Girls, Morgan was still shamelessly flirting. I entered the store, and the bell above the door rung announcing my entrance. I spotted the glasses I'd tried on earlier, and picked them up before bringing them to the register.
“There you are!” Morgan said. “How was it?”
“Better than I expected.” I said, as I pulled my wallet out to pay for the sunglasses.
“Why do I feel like you're being vague? What am I missing?”
I put the sunglasses on, before turning to face her. “I met someone.”
“What? How? I want all the details!”
The man laughed beside her, and she brought her palm to her forehead.
“I'm sorry! Ronnie, this is Alex. Alex... Ronnie. Oh, I know! We should have a double date. What do you say, Alex?”
“I'm in.” He winked.
“Ronnie?”
“I uh- I guess I can talk to-”
“Perfect! It's settled then. Alex, I'll text you the details later tonight.”
“Sounds good, Sugar.” He said, leaning down to kiss Morgan's cheek. “Nice to meet you, Ronnie.”
I nodded slightly, and then he was on his way. Morgan had a pile of clothing in her arms, and as carefully as she could she brought her haul towards the register.
“I can't believe we both have dates tonight!” She gushed, as the cashier began to ring up her purchases.
“Do you ever feel bad?” I asked, moving my sunglasses to the top of my head.
“For what?”
“Leading them on? Letting them think that there's more?”
She laughed. “Honey, men have been using women for sex since the dawn of time. It's about time we take back our own sexual needs. Why is it OK for a man to offer up a one night stand, but when a woman does it she's a whore?”
“That's a valid question.”
“Your total comes to four hundred twenty six dollars, and forty seven cents.” The cashier said, effectively stopping our conversation.
I watched as Morgan pulled out the black card once again, and swiped it on the key pad. I'd never know what it was like to be able to buy things without thinking about the price. She probably didn't even look at the tags. It reminded me of an Ariana Grande song.
I helped carry her bags out to the truck, and then we climbed inside. We spent most of the day here, and since we had plans to go out tonight we decided to head back to the hotel. I made a mental note to myself not to drink tonight. Especially if Morgan wound up bringing the party back to the hotel. I know that I'm technically single now, but that didn't mean I was ready to jump into bed with anyone.
Walking back into the air conditioned hotel after being out in the heat all afternoon felt like heaven. I heard the water turn on in Morgan's bathroom, and assumed she'd already started getting ready for her date. Her pre-date ritual was drastically different than mine. While she checked to make sure everything was shaved, and plucked, the only thing I worried about was my breath smelling.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not Chewbaca or anything. I just prefer to spend less time worrying about what to wear, and more time with my actual date. I packed a few different options as far as clothing went, but most of my wardrobe was on it's way to New York. I pulled three dresses from my bag. One was the classic LBD. Every girl needed one, even me. It had thin spaghetti straps, and hit just above my knee with slits on either side.
The other two were a little more casual. The navy dress had buttons down the front, with a belt that tied at the waist. I'd worn it a few times for client meetings, but if I left more buttons undone I could easily make it work for tonight. My last choice was a floral print maxi dress. With the heat, and no idea where we'd be going tonight I was leaning more towards the LBD.
My phone pinged then, and I quickly picked it up off the bed to check the message. It was from Owen.
O: What time should I pick you up?
R: About that...
O: Don't tell me you've changed your mind?
R: No. It's just my friend was hoping to join us.
O: Three's a crowd, Ronnie.
R: She has a date too...
O: In that case, the more the merrier ;)
R: Thank you. I'm sorry.
O: No need to apologize, Unicorn.
I blushed. Did he really just call me Unicorn? Again? I smiled while reading the word across my screen, but then I went to a dark place. What happens when he meets Morgan? Will he forget all about me? Will it be a repeat from the club back in Raleigh? Or will he walk right past me like Morgan's new guy did today? Suddenly the thought of this double date was making me feel anything but excited.
O: Ronnie? He sent, when I didn't reply.
R: Send me the address, we'll meet you there.
O: 610 Commerce Street.
R: 7:00?
O: See you then.
Going with my gut, I chose the black dress. I found my favorite pair of sensible black pumps to go with it, and then I got to work on my hair. It was always a wavy mess, and since I've had it up all day there was no taming it. I used the spray bottle I'd packed, wetting it down completely before adding four different products to fight the inevitable frizz.
After thirty minutes of combing, and scrunching I was finally happy with the end result. Until Morgan came sauntering through our shared door looking like Heidi freaking Klum. Her dress was red, and form fitting with a v neck that left nothing to the imagination. She wore a pair of red strappy heels, and matching lipstick with a sparkling gloss on top. Her hair was straightened, and it looked like her eyelashes had grown an entire inch.
When I saw my own reflection beside hers in the bathroom mirror I already knew how this night was going to end.
