the set up

by jennifer

we played email tag for a week. i was out of town. he was out of town. he wasn't at the 9:30AM mass that next sunday.

finally, monday afternoon we caught each other on chat.
after a nice little chat, i tell him that i should let him get back to work.

"it's pretty slow around here," he says.

"can you get out early?" i ask.

"nope. gotta stay til 5PM... why do you ask?"

i was not asking for any particular reason, but then it sounded like maybe i was going to say, if you get out early, maybe you and i could get together. and i was embarrassed because it was not my intention to ask him out.

not knowing what to say, i sent him an embarrassed emoticon.

"just say it," he said.

"no!," i told him. "i already told you that i don't ask guys out on dates."

"i have class tonight anyway."

"high school youth group?"

"yeah."

pause.

"afterward?" he asks.

"afterward what?" i respond, smartly.

"come on. this is hard for me, too."

"ok. afterward what?"

"do you want to get a soda?"

i laugh. "sure. where?"

from the moment he asked me, "afterward?" it took an HOUR for us to make plans. where do you want to go? i don't know, where do YOU want to go? etc. soda? dinner? drinks?

he tells me that he thinks he is going to need a drink. he tells me that his palms are sweaty as he types.

i say, "you're making me feel like i'm making you nervous!"

"it's not you," he says. "it's me."

finally i tell him, "why don't you decide? pick a place and i'll be there."

he chooses a place. we decide on a time.

i choose to wear a high necked, racer-back black shirt with jeans. i don't want to make him more nervous by wearing something too revealing. but i look good. and i feel confident. he is so clearly into me. this date is just going to be a matter of me deciding whether or not i like him.

or so i thought.