Chapter 10 #4
‘Sade just texted me to say she’s on route, by the way.
Let’s make our way downstairs!’ I said, also grabbing my coat.
I had everything crossed that Kofi and Sade’s date would go well, and I also couldn’t wait to hear any tea she might have afterwards too.
Kofi and I made our way down in the elevator and through the hallway to the main hospital reception point.
I had to be honest, when he put the effort in, Kofi actually scrubbed up real nice.
We waited at the reception together while he doused himself yet again with his perfume.
‘Are you nervous about tonight?’ I asked, checking my phone for the time. I’d decided to wait until they were both here before jetting back home to change for the date.
‘A little bit. We’ve spoken on FaceTime and stuff so we both know what to expect, but it’s just different in real life, isn’t it?’ Kofi replied, and I could hear his voice slightly shaking with nerves, bless him.
‘You guys are gonna be fine, don’t worry about it!
Sade’s a great girl, man. You’re gonna get on great,’ I reassured him.
At that moment, I had a short daydream of the four of us: me, Jericho, Sade and Kofi, enjoying a double date together.
It irked me how consumed I’d become with Jericho after such a short amount of time, but his company was almost too perfect to pass up on.
I enjoyed the way he made me feel; it ignited feelings in me I hadn’t had in so long while being in the dating scene. It was like a drug, and I needed more.
A few moments later, I saw Sade walk through the hospital doors.
She looked absolutely sensational, with her long hair flowing in big, bouncy waves past her shoulders.
She was wearing a pale-pink bardot cut jumper that showed off her perfectly toned shoulders, and had teamed it with a pair of black skinny jeans and a pair of hi-top Converse trainers. She looked sensational.
‘There she is!’ I exclaimed, moving towards her to give her a hug. ‘The Queen herself. You look incredible, babes!’
‘Thaaaaanks, lovely!’ Sade exclaimed, bashfully tucking her curls behind her ear and looking towards the floor. I’d never seen her appear so shy before – especially when it came to dates. They both must have caught more feelings for each other than they were letting on.
‘Let me take you to your suitor for the evening,’ I announced, as I linked arms with her and strolled towards Kofi.
Kofi’s face had changed completely. His demeanour – a moment ago a picture of calm – had broken out into a wide grin, and he was looking at Sade up and down, taking her in.
They both stared at each other a moment, before going in for an embrace. It was quite romantic, actually.
‘You look beautiful,’ said Kofi breathlessly, with the biggest, stupidest grin I’d ever seen on his face.
‘And you know it! You scrub up well too, I guess, hehe,’ replied Sade cheekily. After a moment of watching them both size each other up and get into a bit of small talk, I checked the time and realised I definitely needed to get going if I wanted to make the date on time.
‘Now. I have to run as I’ve got my own thing going on—’ I mentioned after a brief moment of allowing them to take each other in. ‘But Kofi, do you remember what I told you in the office earlier?’
Kofi broke his gaze from Sade to me, rolling his eyes. ‘Yes, madam. I heard everything and it was all noted.’
‘Iight,’ I continued, looking to Sade. ‘And Sade, babes, do you remember what I told you as well?’ Sade turned from Kofi to me, giving me a mock salute. ‘YES, MUMMY.’
‘All right, guys,’ I replied, slowly backing my way towards the exit. ‘I hope you both have a wonderful time! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and if you do, please for the love of God use protection because I’m not ready to be an aunty just yet!’
After saying my goodbyes, I raced towards the bus stop across the street from the hospital, just as my bus was arriving.
I had timed it perfectly. Seventeen minutes later, I was home, and after feeding Toby, taking a quick shower and meticulously doing my make-up, I was ready.
The ‘fuck ’em’ dress fitted a bit more snug than I would have liked, but it still got the job done.
I’d paired the dress with my red lipstick – the signature Ruby Woo by MAC – alongside a winged liner and some burgundy blush.
I looked like a fucking siren and I loved it.
I checked the OuiMeet app for any update on Jericho’s side (note to self: try and ask for his number tonight), which there was:
Hey beautiful. I’ll be seeing you soon at 7 p.m. My car will be the silver Audi outside your building. :)
I smiled to myself at the mention of ‘car’. That’s how low the bar was for me within the dating sphere at the moment, my friends; the fact that he owned his own vehicle excited me somewhat, even though he’d already mentioned it in one of our previous conversations.
I quickly typed back Looking forward to seeing you soon!
and went into the bathroom for one final checkover.
As tonight’s date was more formal, I wanted to make sure that everything was perfect.
Teeth? Brushed and flossed. Breath? Doused with mouthwash.
Make-up? Flawless, however I gave my face one final blast of setting spray just to lock everything in.
After that, I lightly spritzed on one of my top perfumes that I only ever used for dates: the Hugo Boss Elixir for Her.
It was the fragrance I’d gotten complimented on the most over the last few months, so here was hoping it would work in seducing Jericho tonight.
With ten minutes to go, I perched on the edge of my sofa like a nervous job applicant, obsessively going over possible subjects to cover during the date like a weirdo.
I normally didn’t put so much effort into trying to come across as ‘likeable’ when it came to dates – my natural effervescent personality was normally enough to carry me through most scenarios – but there was something about Jericho that – despite the setup and circumstances of our date – slightly intimidated me.
It was almost the same feeling I got from Jeff at work but where my intimidation with Jeff was laced with a lingering feeling of the ick, with Jericho it was laced with a feeling of – lust – maybe?
Desire? Whatever it was, I just knew I wanted to see more of him.
A part of me wondered whether this desire to get it right with Jericho maybe stemmed from the pressure I was getting from my parents to date and settle down soon.
As much as I would usually shrug it off, I couldn’t help but have that niggling feeling in the back of my head; the urge to please them, to live up to the image of the perfect daughter they’d always envisioned.
It was a weight I could have done without, yet one I felt duty-bound to carry.
I screened my cul-de-sac discreetly through my living-room window, channelling my inner nosy neighbour as I searched for any sign of his silver car. Jericho struck me as the type to obsess over his car – meticulous, polished, and undeniably well kept.
I saw it a few moments later.
What looked like a really fancy silver Audi TT crept slowly up the cul-de-sac, its blue headlights illuminating the empty crisp packets littered outside my flat.
The car eventually stopped right outside my building, and as the engine dimmed, I heard my phone ping loudly with the good old OuiMeet notification sound that I had come to know so well.
I quickly grabbed my coat from my coat stand and spritzed another generous helping of my Hugo Boss fragrance for good luck before grabbing my bag and heading for the door, phone and Nintendo Switch in hand. As I made my way down the stairs, I stopped to glance at the message:
Miss Cassandra, your carriage awaits. :) J x
I reached the bottom of the stairs, took one last breath and opened the door to meet him.
By the time I’d gotten downstairs, I found him outside, leaning against the front passenger door of his car, smirking at me wildly.
He looked incredible. He was wearing a pair of dark indigo slim (but NOT skinny) fit jeans with some beige Adidas Samba trainers.
On the top, he had on a beige sweater, covered by a black, waist-length peacoat.
One thing about Jericho? The boy knew how to dress.
‘We meet once again, Jerry; you look good, by the way,’ I said, trying to look at him up and down as seductively as possible as he opened the car door for me.
He chuckled as he stepped aside for me to enter the car, before slamming it shut and heading to the driver’s side.
His car smelled of oud; it was a heavy, yet rich scent, and I instantly sank into the plush, heated seat, still trying to fathom how this was my life right now.
Jericho got into the car and before starting the engine, turned to stare at me as he smiled that wolfish grin. I melted.
‘Wow. Cassie, you look sensational. Drop-dead gorgeous.’ His gaze swept over me before locking on my eyes, that damn smirk of his aimed straight at my soul. ‘And you smell incredible too – just the right amount of perfume this time.’
I raised an eyebrow, pretending not to melt under the compliment. ‘Careful, Jericho, you keep talking like that and I might actually believe you.’
He opened his mouth to say more, but then his eyes flicked down to what I was holding. ‘Wait … is that—?’
I wiggled the console in my hand, grinning like a cat with cream. ‘Yes, sir. Yes, it is. You didn’t seriously think I was going to let you get away with that little promise, did you?’
Jericho laughed, low and incredulous, as I flicked the Switch on and slid it across to him.
‘You said you could take Phantom Ganon down in ten minutes flat,’ I reminded him sweetly. ‘So I figured … why not now? That way, we can have the rest of the evening free to talk about other things.’