The Do Over

by A. L. Zaun

  Liam: I had a wonderful time with you. Will explain T-shirt later.

  Reacting as any sane, balanced woman would, I jumped up and down, screaming like a schoolgirl. My excitement was contagious. Before I knew it, we were all jumping up and down, screaming and clapping our hands.

  When we settled down, I began to rehearse my reply to Liam's text. After several attempts, I finally settled on what I considered a clever and acceptable response.

  Dani: Me, too. Please fill me in on the shirt.

  Okay, so it isn't that clever. It was the best I could do. I hadn't had text banter in years. I needed to get my mojo flowing. Macy tried to help, but everything she suggested was just perverted. As I stared at my phone, waiting for a response, a panic started to rise within me. I took a deep breath as I put down my phone. I sat down at the table and then rubbed my face with my hands. My friends noticed the abrupt change in my mood.

  Candace placed her hands on my shoulders. "Dani, what's the matter?"

  I took another deep breath and then slowly exhaled. "I don't know if I can do this," I admitted. "There are too many what ifs."

  "Dani, you can't think like that," Candace said, trying to console me. "Just enjoy the moment. No one says he has to be the one." She rubbed my back as she spoke gently. "Maybe he is. Maybe he isn't. Either way, it doesn't hurt to get excited and just enjoy the moment." She leaned in, hugging me.

  "I know all of that in my head, but my heart…" I paused. "My heart is another story."

  Macy shook her head in disbelief or disapproval. With Macy, I just didn't know. "No one's telling you to fall in love or marry the man."

  Candace chimed in. "Just don't give your heart away so easily."

  Macy finished the thought. "Especially when you give him that special gift between your legs."

  I smacked her and laughed. Macy had a way of lightening the mood while Candace had a way of bringing things back to perspective.

  "Here's the thing, my friends, he's not the type you have a fling with. He's the real deal," I admitted.

  "You seriously got that from making out with the guy? What does he have, like a magic tongue? Or did you do other things?" Macy asked incredulously.

  "Yes, I did, and no, it's not just his gifted tongue. It was also in the way he looked at me, held my hand, touched me, and talked to me. I can't describe it. As corny as it sounds, it was magical."

  "How did he—" Macy started to say.

  Candace raised her arm to interrupt her. "Magic? Well, it would be a shame to miss out on magic just because you were hurt in the past."

  My phone buzzed, alerting me to a new text message. Smiling like a giddy little girl, I looked at my phone.

  Liam: Hello, sunshine. Hope you slept well.

  Dani: Hey, you. How are you? Slept well. Thank you. So, are you going to tell me about the T-shirt?

  Liam: Absolutely but not over text.

  Dani: Hmm, this must be interesting. I'm intrigued.

  Liam: It's very interesting.

  Dani: Well, I don't like to be kept waiting.

  Liam: Running around. Call you in an hour.

  Dani: Talk to you then.

  I couldn't stop thinking about her even though it had only been a few hours since I'd left her at her home. Although I'd barely gotten any sleep, I woke up early to finish prepping for some drills I had coming up. I tried to focus on what I was doing, but I had Dani on the brain.

  Hoping that she was already up, I sent her a text message. It was actually my second text. I didn't want to come across as desperate, but I really wanted to hear from her. Yes, I'm desperate. Shit.

  Between the early morning and the alcohol, I was pretty sure that she would feel awful when she got up. I thought back to last night.

  When I dropped her off at home, I wanted to do more for her. She pretty much passed out while we watched the sunrise, so I carried her back to my car. She wrapped her arms around me and then buried her head in my chest.

  I tried to nudge her to wake her, but she was out of it. I didn't know if I should take her to my place or to her home. I knew where I wanted to take her, but I thought it was smarter to just take her home. The only problem was I didn't know where she lived. I tried to get some cooperation from her, but she only mumbled something as she motioned toward her purse. I looked in her purse to find her phone, lipstick, keys, and—Thank God—her license.

  Down the street from the University of Miami, her home was a small pink townhouse in the Gables. When I pulled up to her house, she was dead to the world. I got out of my car, leaving her inside for now, and went to open her front door. The style and décor seemed to suit her. At least, it fit my perception of her. I went back out to my car and then carried her inside.

  Still wearing my jacket, her dress shifted, riding up her body, as I carried her through her house. Finding her bedroom, I laid her down gently on her bed.

  After kissing her forehead, I whispered, "Baby, you really should change into something comfortable."

  While she twisted and turned to take off my jacket, her head barely making it off of the pillow, I found her T-shirt drawer. When I sat her up, her arms wrapped around me. She buried her head against my chest. Her hand came up to rest right below my heart.

  "Okay, we have to finish getting you changed," I said. "Can you do the rest?"

  She mumbled incoherently, so I carefully took off her dress. She raised her arms for me and then plopped back down on the bed. I really hoped she wouldn't be pissed off at me for taking all these liberties. Damn, what if she gets mad? I just wanted to take care of her.

  Wearing nothing but sexy panties and those shoes, with her hair fanned across her white bedding, she looked amazing. She didn't have a bra on. I guessed it would've been impossible with that dress. I liked the dress, but I didn't like when all the men at the club had gawked at her, especially that Rick douche. I'd wanted to knock him on his ass when he'd talked about her. I wasn't sure that I wanted her to ever wear that dress out in public again.

  As she was lying in bed, I pulled the T-shirt over her head and then tucked her in. More than anything else, I just wanted to climb in next to her to feel her close to me. I wanted to caress her and hold her. Damn, I wanted to love on her. I placed a chaste kiss on her lips, and then I brushed her hair off of her face.

  Caressing her face gently, I said, "Sweet dreams, baby."

  I closed the blinds and then left her to sleep. I really had to get the hell out of here before I did something stupid.

  My phone chirped, bringing me out of my thoughts.

  Chris: Dude, did you hook up with that hot chick?

  Liam: You're such a douche. Don't talk about her like that.

  Chris: Shit, you have it bad.

  Liam: Go to hell.

  Chris: Magic pussy.

  Liam: I'm going to kick your ass the next time I see you.

  I looked at my watch to see if an hour had passed. I was becoming a girl and a desperate one at that. I dialed her number. Damn, I'm nervous. As I waited for her to pick up, I paced around the room.

  I jumped when my phone rang, and Macy hovered over me as I answered. I really hated the fact that my friends didn't respect my personal space. I needed to have an intervention with them about this.

  When I answered, I tried to contain my excitement and sound calm. I didn't want him to know that I was checking the phone every so often to make sure it was turned on and had enough charge. I even set the volume on high, so I was sure to hear it.

  Macy and Candace were really annoying me, so I went into my room and locked the door to talk in private. I hadn't been on the phone with a man in so long that I was sure I sounded like a silly schoolgirl.

  "I know it's really short notice, but I was wondering if you've eaten yet. I'd really like to see you again, so maybe we could grab a bite," he said.

  Falling back on my bed, I started kicking my feet in giddy delight. I had to get it all out before I answered and made a fool of myself.

 
"You know, I haven't eaten, and I'm starving," I said, trying with all my power to sound confident and not like I was going to explode with juvenile excitement.

  For some odd reason, I suggested eating burgers. It's not that there was anything wrong with eating burgers. I wasn't a vegetarian. I just never thought that burgers and first dates go hand in hand. Then, the absolutely most insane part was when he asked me when I'd be ready, and I told him thirty minutes.

  When I opened my bedroom door, Macy and Candace practically fell on me. I was beyond thrilled and told them I had thirty minutes to get ready. That was when reality set in. Abuela Concha's potion was powerful, but it wasn't a miracle worker. I realized it would take me more than thirty minutes to shower, find a decent outfit, tame my wild locks, put on makeup, and then take a few cleansing moments to get me in the zone. What on earth was I thinking?

  Panic set in. I jumped in the shower and worked as fast as I could to detangle my hair.

  Macy called out, "Don't forget to shave your legs."

  Showering in record time, I rushed and threw things from my closet to my bed. Oh no, I have nothing to wear! Candace put together an outfit, but when I tried it on, I thought my butt looked too big. After trying on five pairs of jeans, I found a pair that made my butt look good. Then, I discovered that I hated all my tops. I had absolutely nothing in my closet. I didn't care that Candace and Macy kept pulling things out. I had nothing.

  I had less than ten minutes, and I was half-dressed. Finally, Macy pulled out a top that must have been hiding in some corner of my closet because I swore I had never seen it. I put it on and kicked them out.

  I applied some mascara and dabbed on a little lip gloss. Looking in the mirror, I was satisfied with the end result. I took a cleansing breath. I think I pulled it off, which was actually great, considering I did this in less than thirty minutes.

  As I check myself in the mirror one last time, the doorbell rang. Liam was right on time. I looked through my peephole and did the happy dance. He stood outside my door with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. His light blue polo shirt brought out the color in his eyes and showed off a set of nicely defined arms. His head was angled down, but his eyes were looking straight at the door.

  I took a deep breath and opened the door. The awkwardness lasted for about two seconds as we both smiled.

  "You look beautiful," he said with a sexy-as-sin smile.

  I melted. He took a step toward me, held both my hands, and placed a kiss on my forehead. Then, I died. He smelled good, and being this close to him was doing crazy things to my body.

  "Hungry?" he asked.

  "Worse. I'm starved. I haven't eaten all day," I answered.

  He tucked my hair behind my ear. "We can't have that. Let's go."

  Shake Shack became my new favorite place. I'd asked for burgers, so he took me to the best burger place in town. We laughed, and he listened to me go on and on about my books.

  He asked, "What were you reading during training? You looked like you were in anguish."

  I blushed as I remembered not only being busted but also the effect he had on me when our eyes first locked together. "Well," I started, "it's a love triangle, and whenever there's a triangle, there's angst. And that's where I was at—Angst Central. It was intense. I haven't been able to read lately, so I don't know what happens, and it's driving me nuts."

  I couldn't help it. I loved talking about my books. I had to laugh. When I talked about all my different books, I got excited. I didn't go into the tiny detail of my fictional boyfriend love affairs. It was our first date after all.

  He sat there, looking at me intently.

  With the way I talked about my books, most people thought I was nuts. I wondered if he'd want to see me again.

  Then, he laughed. It wasn't a loud laugh, but I couldn't tell what it meant.

  I was still a little neurotic from my attempted intervention. "Are you laughing at me?" I asked defensively.

  He smiled. "No, not at you."

  "Are you sure? Because it sounds like you're laughing at me," I accused, narrowing my eyes.

  "I promise you that I'm not laughing at you," he assured with a smile.

  I pouted. "Hmmm, I'm not convinced."

  "Now, don't get that way. Please. I just loved watching you talk about your book. You looked so happy and excited. Your face lit up, and you looked so adorable," he said in a very sincere voice with soft eyes.

  I gave him a shy smile. I liked how I felt when he looked at me and said those things.

  Wanting to change the subject, I thought about how I owed it to Macy to do a little recon work. "So, have you and Chris been friends for long?" Dangling a crinkled fry in my hand, I noticed his eyes were watching me as I put it in my mouth. This could be fun.

  "For as long as I can remember. Do you really want to talk about Chris?"

  I batted my eyelashes as I sipped on my diet soda. "Birds of a feather flock together."

  "That's not accurate. That would be more Chris and my brother, Wyatt. See, Chris and I actually started off as arch-enemies, probably like the things written in those books you love so much." His eyes sparkled as his lips curled into a delicious smile.

  "Now you have to tell me the story. Did it involve a love triangle?"

  "It was brutal. We were both madly in love with the same woman." His eyes shifted as he sat back in his seat.

  I felt a twinge of jealousy. "Go on," I encouraged. "You can't say that and then leave me hanging." I was literally on the edge of my seat, staring into his eyes.

  "We were five years old. My mom was his kindergarten teacher. Now, you have to understand that my brother, Wyatt, is a mama's boy, but I was always her little man. Imagine my horror when Chris, along with nine other little boys in the class, fell in love with her golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes." He shook his head and tightened his lips into a straight line.

  I'd never been more attracted to a man in my life. "Well, what happened?" I prompted him, waving my hands for more.

  "At the playground, Chris would hang around my mom like a lovesick puppy. It was pathetic. Even at that age, he flirted. He told her how pretty she was, and he always needed to hold her hand in line. It drove me nuts. My mom reassured me of her unconditional and undying love, but the thought of Chris giving her little gifts irked the crap out of me. He was teetering on a fine line, and then he crossed it."

  "The suspense is killing me. Tell me what happened."

  "He came up to me on the playground one day and told me that he was going to marry my mom when he got older." He laced his fingers together and stretched his arms.

  I'd never seen this side of a man, and I found it to be the most heartwarming experience.

  "So, I punched him in the face and put an end to that nonsense." He shrugged his shoulders. "We've been best friends ever since."

  I laughed. "So, you've been a jealous fool all your life."

  "I don't share." His eyes were tender, but he was making a very clear point.

  "Good. Neither do I." I shifted in my chair. "Okay, you have some explaining to do, don't you?"

  He scrunched his face and nodded.

  "Uh-oh," I said, smiling.

  He really did look tortured, but if it was possible, it was cute at the same time.

  Straightening up, he nervously said, "I'm man enough to tell you the truth."

  With that opening line, my eyes opened wide. I was at war with what I should feel—apprehension—versus what I did feel. I felt at ease.

  I had to admit that it was strange listening to this man tell me how he went through my purse, found my address, took me home, changed me, and tucked me in. I'd only known him for about twenty-four hours. Damn those Cosmos! If it had been anyone else, I would've been in an uproar about the violation of my boundaries.

  Then again, I had to give him credit. He did try to get my cooperation, but he should've tried harder. How many Cosmos did I drink? Although I had a thing with boundaries and personal space, as h
e told me what happened, I could tell from the expression on his face and the tone of his voice that he took care of me.

  "So, next time, do you want me to try harder to wake you up?" he asked with a smirk.

  I smiled at him. "What makes you think there will be a next time?"

  "Oh, I don't think there will be," he said.

  My stomach dropped.

  He winked. "I know there will be."

  Knowing I could play his little game, I felt the urge to tease him. I couldn't help myself. I asked, "So, did you cop a feel?"

  I didn't know what I wanted his answer to be. Even though I was being playful, I needed to know if he had taken advantage of me. I was all over the place. I wanted him to be different from the other men I'd dated.

  His blues eyes looked straight into mine. With all seriousness, he said, "I won't lie to you. I wanted to."

  His tone was so damn sexy and commanding that I couldn't help but hold my breath as he spoke.

  "But, no, I didn't." He leaned in closer toward me. "Let's just say that you'll remember when I do."

  I felt a heat rise within me. Hiding the blush behind my glass, I sipped my diet soda. "Confident, aren't you?" I flirted back.

  He looked to the side and then straight back at me and smiled.

  I couldn't control the smile that broke across my face. I was doomed to stroke his ego at every turn. Maybe that's not a bad thing.

  After we finished eating, he extended his hand to me and we walked out to his car. Liam was a complete gentleman at dinner. I was a little disappointed that our evening was coming to an end. I had a great time with him, and I enjoyed his company. As we approached my front door, I fumbled for my keys. I was nervous. Even though I already knew how his soft lips felt against mine from our kisses before, this actually felt like our first kiss. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I wasn't under the influence of my Cosmos. The truth was that I really wanted to kiss him.