I really need to get some wheels I thought as I answered the door.
She stood in front of me and I imagined my jaw hitting the floor.
She was drop dead gorgeous.
Lee's hair cascaded over her shoulders and her figure was flattered by the dress she wore. The hall light caught her eyes and sparkled, her beaming smile catching me with an effortless joy.
She had a casual elegance about her and I felt like a slob.
I had put on my best clothes and next to her they were just rags.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"What?" I said, my voice cracking. "Oh, yeah sure. Come on in."
As soon as she stepped inside I felt my heart leap into my throat.
The place was a disaster area.
I was in the process of moving into my new place. Juliet had a small studio apartment in the back of her school that she said I could fix up and live in. She said it would help us both out. She'd get rent and security and I would be able to use the dance space any time I wanted.
"This place is...charming," she said in a drool tone. "I bet you pay the big bucks to live in a palace like this."
"I needed a place to live when I first got into town. This was the cheapest."
I reached for my coat, it snagged on the chair and when I pulled it free the chair skidded across the floor.
"Oh, God."
Lee just stood there and smiled.
I didn't get any smoother as the evening went on.
I spilled soup on my shirt, knocked over a water glass and in general acted like a clown the whole evening.
I guess she liked the circus.
At the end of our date we went to Mocha Daze for a cup of coffee. Thank god Hugo wasn't in.
I brought back the cups of hot coffee, praying that I wouldn't spill them down her top.
God answered my prayers. The cups made it safely to the table.
"So, Mike?"
"Yes?"
"You always this nervous around women?"
"Only when I was in junior high."
Lee flashed me her smile and then took a sip of coffee. "I like it."
She made me smile-- again.
