I had so much fun on our date on Tuesday night that by Friday
afternoon my excitement to have another one was nearly more
than I could contain. Even my students noticed how jittery I
was. I dropped a beaker and nearly burned my eyebrows off
with the Bunsen burner because I was distracted.
The days seemed slow and sluggish, and now that it’s
almost six and I’m almost ready to head over to Adley’s place,
it seems that time is standing still. I keep checking my phone
and not even a minute or two has gone by. I’m surprised every
single time to see that it’s still only just after five.
I run my straightener over my hair for the thirtieth time
or so, careful not to burn it off. It’s past straight, sleek, and so
shiny that anyone could probably see their reflection in it. I’m
about to reach for my phone and check and see what time it is
now, when it startles me by going off.
My heart slams wildly when I see Adley’s name there
on the screen. I set the straightener down and it slides off the
counter as I reach for the phone. I let out a yelp and jump
away as it clatters and lands near my right foot.
I set it back on the counter and pull the plug. I’m done
with dangerous implements for the day. I grab my phone and
answer the call before it goes to voicemail.
“Hello?”
“Hey…” Adley sounds disappointed and my stomach,
heart, and hopes all fall simultaneously. “I’m sorry, I’m going
to have to cancel on tonight.”
“O-oh.” I gulp out the word.
“I’m really sorry. I’m not trying to ghost you. Really. I
know it probably seems like that, but my sister just called me.
She has a massive headache and Tildy is driving her nuts. She