He pauses and says, “Dude, Teagan, it’s your birthday tomorrow.”
“Holy crap it is!” Teagan exclaims. “With everything going on lately, I totally forgot!”
“Are we not going out anymore?” Isaac asks. “I thought we were doing dinner and then going dancing.”
“We are, we are,” Teagan laughs. “I just totally spaced. I will call Victoria. She probably has everything set up.”
“I believe that she does,” Isaac assures her. “So, I think it’s you, Emily, Victoria, me and Michael, unless there are more people that you want to invite.” The tone in Isaac’s voice is hesitant.
As her eyes drift up to Trent, Teagan smiles. “Can you hold on a second Isaac?”
“Sure.”
She presses mute and says, “Will you come out for my birthday tomorrow?”
“You want me to go out to the bar with a bunch of college kids?” Trent laughs.
“I may need your protection,” Teagan murmurs, batting her eyelashes.
“Protection from what?” Trent inquires, crossing his arms.
“The big bad things that go bump in the night,” Teagan answers.
He smiles, “I am saving you from the boogie man?”
“Yes,” Teagan replies. “And I am a little nervous because someone is obviously angry with me. Why else would they spray paint ‘bitch’ on three of my walls?”
Trent nods his head, “True, and yes, I would like to go out for your birthday.”
“Sweet!” She unmutes the phone. “We will have one more person going out.”
“May I ask who?” Isaac retorts, with slight irritation in his voice.
“Trent,” Teagan states. “He is my own super hero. He completely fixed my apartment. I don’t have to do anything. Isn’t that awesome!?”
“Sure is,” Isaac sighs, his voice trailing off. “I was planning to help, but I guess that isn’t needed now.”
Shaking her head in exasperation, Teagan says, “The offer is appreciated.”
“That’s good to know.”
“I have to go now, and yes, I will be asleep at midnight, but the thought was sweet.”
“I’m going to try and give you an awesome birthday!” Isaac cheers.
“Thanks,” Teagan says. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, okay?”
“Yup, have a good night.”
“You too.” With that Teagan hangs up. She looks at Trent. “You better wear something nice tomorrow because we are dressing up.”
A smile spreads across Trent’s face. “I can handle that….I think.”
“You looked pretty dapper the first day we really met,” Teagan smiles. “I say, go for that.”
“I have to wear that every day,” Trent groans. “But if I must.”
“Just dress sexy. I have to show you off.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Am I your date?”
Frowning, Teagan says, “I guess not.”
“But you want to show me off?” Trent laughs.
“Come on, you are my really hot friend,” Teagan whines playfully. “And it’s my birthday!”
“Fine, I promise the girls will drool.”
“Thank you!” Teagan exclaims, throwing her hands up.
“But, if I am going to be dressed to impress and am sort of your date, you’d better be, too,” Trent demands.
Teagan smirks, “You will drool.”
“I don’t know,” Trent exhales. “I saw you in only my dress shirt, plus there was that whole hot tub incident. It’s going to be hard to top that.”
Quickly covering her face, Teagan mumbles, “Can we please forget that happened?”
“It’s fine,” Trent replies, pulling down her hands. “You’re gorgeous, and nothing happened. There’s no need to be ashamed.”
“Well, I was a bit tipsy,” Teagan starts. “So, I do have some excuse.”
“I’m happy that you felt comfortable enough to do that around me,” Trent says gently. “I like to watch out for you.”
“See, that’s why you have to come tomorrow. It’s my birthday. I will probably be consuming many shots, lots of mischief. I may need your help.”
Chuckling, Trent says, “Well, I will carry you home if need be.”
“I will give you my house keys at the beginning of the night,” Teagan states. “So, I don’t lose them. I always drop things out of my purse.”
“I am not carrying your purse. I have my limits,” Trent strongly declares.
“All I need it for is my cell phone and money,” Teagan snorts. “My dress doesn’t have pockets.”
“You don’t need money. I will buy your drinks for the evening,” Trent says. “And I will hold onto your cell phone, so that you one, don’t lose it and two, don’t break it.”
Teagan grins and claps her hands. “Thank you!”
“All right, but I still won’t help you if you puke,” Trent scoffs as he puts his hands out. “That’s my limit.”
“No worries,” Teagan replies. “This is going to be awesome!”
“Well, I should get going so you can get to bed on time. You want to be energized for you birthday.”
“I do,” Teagan sighs. “Thank you for everything.”
Trent shrugs. “Happy to help.”
“This is more than helping,” Teagan says. “I will repay you somehow.” She steps up to him and wraps her arms around his waist. She lays her head on his chest and whispers, “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” he murmurs back, hugging her back, resting his chin on her head.
Teagan lifts her head up and looks into his eyes. Going on her tiptoes, she gently kisses him on cheek. When she pulls away, Trent turns his head towards her. Their lips and noses graze each other. They both stop dead and stare at each other. Teagan can feel his breath hot on her lips, and it makes everything in her tighten in anticipation. Then it hits her; she’s not ready, and they’re just friends. She lowers herself down and steps away from him. “Thank you again.”
Exhaling, Trent runs his fingers through his hair. “Umm, I should get going.”
“Yeah.”
“All right then,” he turns on his heel with a jerk and walks to the door.
She follows him and fidgets with her fingers. “I will call you tomorrow when I know what’s going on.”
“Sounds good,” Trent mumbles, not meeting her eyes. Finally, he looks up. Teagan’s breath gets caught in her throat because for a split second there is heat in Trent’s eyes again. Teagan can’t even speak under the stare. Finally, Trent says, “Lock the doors behind me, and if anything happens and it freaks you out, call me. It doesn’t matter what time it is.”
“Okay,” Teagan replies softly.
“I want you safe.”
“I think I am now,” Teagan states. “All thanks to you.”
“I will see you tomorrow.”
“Okay, good night,” Teagan whispers.
Trent nods, “Night.” He turns and walks away. As Teagan watches him, a yearning starts to build inside of her to call him back. Shaking her head, she quickly squelches the thought and shuts the door with a click of the lock.
Chapter 7
“Are you sure that he is coming to get you?” Victoria asks.
Teagan looks down at her phone, “Yeah, in fifteen minutes, so I need to finish getting ready.”
“Our reservations are at seven. Don’t be late!” Victoria exclaims.
“I won’t. Gotta go.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.” Teagan presses end on her screen and goes back to doing her make up. She takes out the black liquid eyeliner and carefully applies it. When she is finished, she looks in the mirror. A smile spreads across her face. Her eyes are dark, making her eye color pop. Her lips are blood red, looking great against her skin, and her hair is in soft curls framing her face. “Perfect.”
Turning, Teagan goes into her room to put her shoes on. She slides on each high heel and then takes the ribbon and wraps it up around her leg. She stan
ds up and looks into the floor length mirror. Her dress is black, low cut, and hugs her curves perfectly. It is short, only coming down to the middle of her thighs.
Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. Teagan takes a deep breath in and then walks out into the living room. She hesitates for a second and then opens the door. When she sees Trent her jaw drops. He is standing there in a tight black t-shirt that shows off every muscle. His long legs are in pin striped dress pants, and every inch of him makes Teagan’s chest clench. Trent stares at her intensely. She whispers, “Hey.”
“Happy birthday,” he starts. “You look…..absolutely….stunning.”
Teagan looks down and says, “Thanks.”
“Are you ready?” Trent asks, still not peeling his eyes from her.
“Yeah, I just have to grab my cell phone and lipstick.”
“And where are you putting your lipstick tonight?” Trent inquires with humor in his tone.
She pauses, “Oh yeah, I wasn’t going to take a purse.” Teagan frowns. “I guess I will have to leave it.”
“Oh geez, give it to me,” Trent groans. “I will put it in my pocket.”
“Are you sure?” Teagan asks. “You are already carrying my cell phone.”
“A lipstick is small enough,” Trent replies. “Just nothing else.”
She leaps over and kisses him on the cheek. When she pulls away, she giggles, “Oops.” Teagan quickly rubs the lipstick off of his face. “That’s not your color.”
Trent laughs and rubs his cheek where her fingers just were. “No, I don’t think it is.”
“Let me grab everything, and I will be all set. You can come in.”
“All right.” He steps in and looks around. “I think your apartment turned out nicely.”
“It’s spectacular,” Teagan spins around, still unable to believe how it looks. “I would give you another kiss, but I don’t want to be overly affectionate. Don’t want to give the wrong impression.”
“That’s good,” Trent mumbles.
Teagan walks over and grabs her stuff off the counter. She brings it over to Trent and hands it to him. “Thank you for this….for holding on to my stuff and for coming out.”
“You’re welcome,” Trent replies. “It has been a long time since I have been out.”
“Really? Don’t you have friends you go out with?” Teagan asks.
“My life is not conducive to social pleasures,” Trent sighs.
“Does work take up that much of your time?”
He is quiet for a moment and then says, “I have family responsibilities that take a lot of time. I’m also getting past that point of going out to bars, especially since this is such a college town.”
“Do you not want to come out tonight?” Teagan blurts. “You don’t have to.”
“Oh no!” Trent exclaims. “That is not what I meant.”
“Good.” Teagan smiles. “I want us to go out and be normal friends.”
“That sounds good to me, too,” Trent states. “We should get going if we are going to be there on time. I like to be punctual.”
“That’s funny because so do I,” Teagan laughs. “I hate being late.”
Smiling, Trent notes, “Well, that is something we have in common.”
“Just that?” Teagan says. “I think there are probably more things.”
“We will have to wait and see.” Trent looks toward the door, and they walk out.
Teagan turns around to lock it. “Is there a spare set to these locks?”
“Yes.”
She turns around. “And where are they?”
“I have them at the office,” Trent replies.
Trying really hard not to smile, Teagan says, “Two things, what if I don’t want you to have the spare set, and should I be worried that you can get into my place whenever you want?”
“You can ask for them whenever you want if you don’t want me to have them, and I would never enter your house unannounced unless it was an emergency.”
“Well, I am going to let you keep them because Victoria lost my last set.”
“Sounds good. They are in my desk in my office, and I keep it locked. Well come on beautiful, let’s go.” Trent extends his hand towards her. Teagan looks at it for a second and then takes it. Without any hesitation, Trent locks their fingers together and leads her down the steps.
When they get outside, Teagan stops dead in her tracks. “What’s that for?”
Trent turns and looks at the limo. “It’s your birthday, and if we are drinking, I don’t want anyone to drive.”
“That’s fantastic!” Teagan yells. “Victoria is going to flip!”
“We’ll take it wherever you want after dinner,” Trent states. “But we really should get going.”
“Thank you,” Teagan giggles. “I want to give you a kiss on the cheek, but I’ll try and hold myself back.”
He chuckles, “Okay.” She thinks he says something else under his breath, but she doesn’t question him. There is no need to make this night awkward.
When they get into the limo, Teagan tries to pull her skirt down as much as possible. Trent looks at her out of the corner of his eye and she blushes. “I bought this dress specifically for tonight. I didn’t realize how much it rides up when I sit down.”
“It’s okay,” Trent says. “I will tell you if it gets too high.” He pauses. “On second thought, maybe I won’t.”
“Ha, ha.” Teagan sarcastically pushes him on the shoulder. Trent grins at her, and she rolls her eyes.
It doesn’t take them long to get to the restaurant. Trent gets out first and then helps Teagan. When they get inside, they find everyone waiting in the entryway.
“Happy Birthday!” Victoria yells. She comes bounding over in her hip-hugging jeans and flimsy white tank top and hugs Teagan tightly. “I am so excited!”
Laughing, Teagan says, “Me too.” She lets go and introduces everyone. “Trent, this is Michael and Isaac. You’ve already met Emily, so guys, this is Trent.”
Michael sticks out his hand and Trent shakes it. “It’s great to meet you.”
Isaac stands there eyeing up Trent. “Hey,” Isaac finally says, sticking his hand out.
Out of the corner of her eye, Teagan sees Trent smirk. “Hi.” He shakes Isaac’s hand. When Trent steps back, he puts his hand around Teagan’s waist. “Is the table ready?”
“Yeah, we were just waiting for you,” Emily says, looking down at Trent’s hand. “Let’s go eat.” She turns and walks to the hostess stand.
The table is round, so Teagan steps up to one seat. Trent grabs it and pulls it out for her. “Thank you.” Teagan smiles and bats her eyelashes.
“My pleasure,” Trent murmurs back. She sits down, and he takes the chair next to her.
Victoria cuts in front of Isaac, who was about to sit down next to Teagan. She smiles at him. “I get the chair by the birthday girl, best friend rules.” He nods and takes another seat. Victoria turns to Teagan, and Teagan mouths “thank you.”
Teagan’s phone whistles. She looks at Trent, but then sees her cell phone already sitting on the table in front of her. She picks it up and opens the text. It’s from Trent, so she furrows her eyebrows and looks at him. Trent gestures to her phone. Teagan looks down and reads it. This Isaac is the one that likes you?
Yes, she texts back.
But you don’t like him back? Teagan looks at Trent and shakes her head. He nods his head and types something on his phone. Have you told him?
He has never said anything, but makes it really obvious. It would be rude to tell him that for no reason.
Want my help?
Raising an eyebrow, Teagan texts, How?
Just leave it up to me.
She shrugs her shoulders and texts, Okay, just don’t be an ass.
I would never. After Teagan reads the text, she feels Trent squeeze her knee. She smirks at him and rolls her eyes.
The waitress comes up next to them and asks, “How is everyone this evening???
?
“Wonderful!” Victoria cheers. “It’s Teagan’s birthday!”
Teagan glares at her friend and whispers, “Thanks.”
“Can I start you off with drinks?”
“Of course,” Victoria chimes. “I want a margarita.”
The waitress looks at Isaac, “What would you like?”
“Samuel Adams,” Isaac replies.
“The same for me,” Mike adds.
Emily smiles, “I would like a diet coke. I am the designated driver.”
Trent interrupts, “We don’t need one. I have arranged for transportation for us all.”
“You did?” Emily replies, a smile spreads across her face. “Well then, I would like a gin and tonic.”
The waitress looks at Trent. He smirks and says, “I would like jack and coke.” He turns to Teagan. “What do you want, my dear?”
Teagan pauses to think about it. “Long Island Iced Tea, please,” she finally responds.
“I will get those in right away,” the waitress states, as she turns to walk away.
“Way to start off the night,” Trent laughs.
“You may have to carry me to bed again,” Teagan giggles back.
“Again?” Victoria interjects slyly. “What a strong guy; that’s sexy.”
Shaking her head, Teagan says, “It’s not even like that. He carried me to the spare bedroom, and nothing happened.”
“It’s none of our business if it had,” Michael says, eyeing Victoria. He looks back at Teagan and Trent. “So, are you guys dating?”
“No,” Teagan hears herself say rather quickly. “Friends.”
Isaac smiles. “Well, it’s nice that you could come out, Trent.”
“Well, I’m her date tonight,” Trent asserts. “Couldn’t have this beautiful woman go out by herself.”
“We are with her,” Isaac interjects, his face a little hard.
Teagan’s heart jumps as Trent traces his fingers gently down her neck. “It’s not the same.”
“So, should we get appetizers?” Emily asks.
“Totally,” Mike answers. “I want mozzarella sticks.”
“Bruschetta for me,” Teagan declares. “It’s wonderful here.”
“I can go for that,” Trent adds. “What about calamari?”