He just stared at me for a moment, and I marveled at how very good-looking he was. He eyes lingered on my face, and then he smiled.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hello,” I replied.
He didn’t make a move to come in, and there was certain electricity that surrounded the moment. It was as though we needed to take things slow in order to savor this moment that had been two months’ worth of conversations in the making.
“You’re beautiful,” Phil said.
He said it as though he had never seen me before and hadn’t had any clue what I looked like until this moment. He said it as though it were a revelation; there was awe in his tone and admiration in his eyes. I liked to think that admiration bordered on desire, but I didn’t want to think too far ahead of myself.
“Thank you,” I replied.
“I mean… I knew you were beautiful,” Phil continued, and I could tell by his tone that he was as nervous as I was. “But I’d forgotten a little.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You’d forgotten?”
“Well, that is to say… I hadn’t forgotten, really. It’s just that it’s been a while since we last saw each other.”
“Out of sight, out of mind?”
“No, of course not—”
His nervousness put me at ease, and suddenly, I f
elt relaxed, happy, and ready to be with him. “It’s okay,” I laughed, cutting him off. “I was just teasing. Come in.”
Phil gave a sigh of relief and walked inside. “Is Brent here?”
“Thankfully, no,” I said. “He’s out for the night, so you don’t have to worry about running into him here.”
“Good,” Phil said. “I mean…”
“It’s okay,” I laughed before he could try and explain himself. “I understand.”
“Did he tell you about the other day?”
“The day he came over while we were talking?”
Phil nodded. “He was being a jerk.”
“Which is what pushed you to ask me out?” I recalled.
He laughed. “In a way.”
“Well, I suppose I have something else to be grateful to my brother about,” I said. “Take a seat.”
We sat down together on the couch and angled our bodies towards one another. Our legs touched slightly, and our hands were only inches apart. I could feel little currents of excitement jolting up and down my arms and legs, and I could feel something happening inside me that had never happened before. Phil was looking at me almost shyly, and I returned his smile.
“Feels like we just met,” he said, breaking the silence.
I nodded. “It’s still me, though,” I said. “I’m the same girl you’ve been talking to for the last couple months.”
“It’s kind of unbelievable,” he said.
“What is?”
“It’s rare to find the kind of girl who’s funny, intelligent, cool, and who also happens to be beautiful.”