Page 26 of The Cheerleader is Off Limits

I got over it, mostly.

Me:

Well, I’m pretty flexible. Maybe Thursday?

It’s Monday, so this gives us a few days to chat a little more and hopefully make sure that he’s not dangerous or a creep.

River:

That’s perfect. I have practice until three. Dinner?

Me:

Sounds great. Just tell me where to meet you.

Later that day, I’m putting the rest of my clothes away in the guest room's closet when my phone vibrates with a text, and I immediately have butterflies, hoping it’s River. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so excited to talk to a guy. Sure, I’ve had crushes, but this just feels different. A thought floats through my head that it can’t really be anything until I tell the truth about my age and what I’m really doing in Maryland, but I push it away before it can really fester.

River:

What kind of food do you like? Is there anything I should stay away from?

Me:

Nope, I’m not picky!

River:

I was thinking we could go to DC? Or is that too far for you? I’m not sure where exactly you are in Maryland.

DC isn’t far from here at all, relatively speaking, which makes me wonder if he lives nearby. A haunting thought creeps intomy brain that he might teach in the school district that I’ll be attending, or worse,what if he taught at my new school?

I laugh at the thought, because that would just be entirely too coincidental, and life wasn’t that ironic. I decide not to answer his question regarding proximity.

Me:

DC is perfect! I haven’t been since I’ve been back.

River:

Great. There are just much better food options in my opinion. I know you mentioned liking Italian. It’s not as good as Italy, but there’s a restaurant that’s the closest I’ve found. There’s also a Mexican restaurant I go to a lot that’s the best in my opinion, and a Thai spot.

The fact that he’d put some thought into thisand named my three favorite cuisinesexcites me even more.

Me:

Tacos!

River:

You got it.

He sends me a link with the address, and I breathe a little sigh of relief that it’ll take me about an hour to get there from here, which makes me believe he probably doesn’t live around here if he’s frequenting this restaurant. Maybe he actually lives and teaches in DC, but just said Maryland since that was the airport we were flying into.

I shake my head, trying to rid my brain of the wayward thoughts that this may all be hittingliterallyway too close to home, because this was just about having fun.

I’ll go on a date with the hot guy from the airport.

Maybe I’ll sleep with him, maybe I won’t.