The Game Changer The Final Score - By L.M. Trio Page 0,65
nice guy who’s in a band and goes to our school. Mya and he hit it off and have been seeing each other exclusively ever since. Mya even toned down the troubled girl look and seems much happier. Maybe my good mood has been rubbing off on her. Dan and Mya offer to give me a ride, which helps me immensely.
We make a quick stop at The Blue Martini. Mya and Dan wait for me in the car while I run in. Cheryl is there to greet me. I phoned her ahead of time to tell her I was stopping in and she already has a box stocked up for me. I peek inside and start to laugh.
“What is all of this?”
“You said you needed a few things, you want to make it perfect.”
Cheryl packed a bottle of wine, a loaf of bread and the flavored spread that we serve with it at The Blue. Everyone loves the spread we serve with our bread. I can sometimes eat a whole loaf while I’m working. There are plenty of votive candles and a linen table cloth.
“This is perfect. Thank you so much.” I give her a hug.
“Wait. I’m not done.” She throws in another bottle of wine, an extra loaf of bread and a chocolate mousse pie for dessert.
I laugh, trying to stop her. Cheryl pulls out a metal ice bucket from under the counter. “Have the wine chilling on the table.” She places the ice bucket in the box. I give her another hug while one of the prep cooks carries my box to the car.
My heart is racing as we pull in front of the condo. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here. Dan carries the box to the front door, while I retrieve the key from the back porch. We spent many nights on this porch enjoying the bay breeze, listening to the water, and watching the dolphins swim by. I walk back around to the front of the house and thank Mya and Dan for giving me a ride.
I slowly open the door, placing my things in the foyer. Everything is how I remember it. Nothing is new, nothing has changed. I grab my bag and unconsciously hold my breath as I walk, taking it all in. My paintings still cover their walls. I cautiously make my way to Luke’s room. Again, everything is familiar. I sit down on his bed, remembering when I used to visit and stay here with him. We had so much fun together.
Finally, I snap out of my day dreams and remember that I don’t have much time, I better get moving. I prepare dinner first. Once I have that simmering, I set the table and place a votive in the center. I chill the wine, place the extra votives throughout the house and in the bedroom, and dim the lights. After giving the condo a once over and being satisfied with the way everything looks, I jump in the shower. I carefully blow out my hair, apply a touch of make-up and put on the new sapphire colored, open back, lacey, fitted dress that I purchased at a boutique on 7 Ave.
I text Luke a little after five to see how far along he is. He replies that he just jumped in a cab and is heading home. I light the candles, and once again glance around the room, admiring the romantic setting. Then, my anxiety kicks in. What if he isn’t happy that I let myself into his condo? What if this was way too much? I pour myself a glass of wine to relax and sit out on the patio to watch the sun set. After a couple of minutes, I dismiss the crazy thoughts and laugh to myself. I know Luke. He’s going to love that I’m here.
As I walk through the sliding glass doors to refill my glass, the front door opens and my heart flutters. Our eyes meet and he gives me a confused smile, then stops. He stands still in the doorway, taking in the ambience of the room. He seems puzzled.
“What are you doing?” I ask as he stands like a statue in the doorway, his bags still slung over his shoulders.
“I’m waiting for everyone to jump out and say, surprise,” he says as he hesitantly closes the door behind him. His eyes never leave mine.
“Oh, I’m sorry. That was the one thing I forgot to do,” I say sarcastically as I