Fall into my Heart (The Subzero Series, #1) (4 page)

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I
woke up the next morning and immediately started to panic. I couldn’t believe I
agreed to go tonight. For a split second I considered calling Jocalyn back and
faking an illness, but she was so excited when I called her last night. There’s
no turning back now, I’m just gonna have to buck up and go. Besides, I know if
I call her and bum her out, I’m just going to end up feeling bad and calling
her for a third time to say I’ll go. So I might as well save myself the
headache and show up. It can’t be that bad right? I glanced towards my closet
and decided that this called for a new outfit.

I
took a quick shower, made the decision to let my hair air dry because, if I am
being completely honest with you, I was too lazy to bother with blow drying,
and pulled on a pair of jeans, a long sleeve white shirt and a gray t-shirt. I swung
by the kitchen on my way to the living room to pour myself a glass of orange
juice and grab a banana muffin. Grabbing my laptop and plopping down onto the
sofa, I pulled up the internet and looked at a couple of local clothing stores
while I ate my muffin.

I
wasn’t really sure what kind of a look I was going for tonight. The only thing
I knew was that I didn’t want to look like I purposely went out to buy a new
outfit, even though that was exactly what I was doing. After I was done eating
and online window shopping, I went into the bathroom to check my hair. It was
dry enough, but looked absolutely frightening. I guess that is the price you
pay when you forgo the blow dryer. This definitely called for a hat. I pulled
on a gray knit cap and added a matching long scarf just to show that I could
slightly accessorize. I grabbed my purse and after giving myself a final smile
in the mirror, I walked out the door and down the street to that cute little
store I found the other night.

Excitement
coursed through my veins as soon as I walked into the store. Shopping has
always been one of my most favorite things to do. I got the same feelings when
I saw a clearance sign as I did the first time I let Mikey Beaumont get to
second base when I was in twelfth grade. Okay, so maybe it was third base and
it wasn’t the exact same feeling but it’s still an exciting moment nonetheless.
I made a lap around the store, grabbing things as I went along and then made my
way to the fitting room.

The
first thing I tried on was a pink dress with brown swirls on it.  It looked
great, but it wasn’t really right for tonight. I took off that dress and pulled
on a black wrap dress. Most women look chic and sexy in those dresses right?
Not me, I just looked ridiculous and frumpy. The tie part doesn’t look quite
right and the dress hangs weird and wonky. It’s supposed to hang flat but it
doesn’t. Part of the material is poofing out over the tie. It looks nothing
like it does on the mannequin outside the dressing room.

I
decided then that a dress was not what I was looking for so I moved onto to
skirts. I pulled on a really cute tan corduroy skirt but it just didn’t seem
right. I grabbed a jean skirt and immediately loved the way it looked on me. It
came to about mid-thigh, which I debated for a moment over whether or not it
was too chilly out for this skirt. Then I figured I was going to be indoors not
outdoors so sexy skirt it is!

The
first top I pulled on was a slightly fitted brown cable knit sweater. I loved
the way it looked with the skirt and knew right away this was what I wanted. It
was casual but cute and didn’t look like I was trying too hard. I kept telling
myself that I was getting this outfit and only this outfit, but as soon as I
left the dressing room, I found myself looking at pursues, shoes and belts. I
didn’t even know why I was looking at belts; I haven’t worn a belt since I was
eight. As a matter of fact, I hated belts with a fiery passion.

I
did find a great pair of brown knee high boots and a long scarf that was
different shades of pinks and browns to complete my outfit. I felt that a new
outfit wasn’t quite enough though and decided I needed to do something about my
hair. I dropped my bags off at my condo and looked up nearby salons. I called
one and the girl told me they had a cancellation and could fit me in at 1:30.

At
1:40 I found myself at 55 North Salon sitting in Ginger’s chair. Ginger was
really stylish, with this amazing cropped hairstyle that I couldn’t even dream
of pulling off. She was really nice, but very upfront and to the point.

“Okay
so tell me what you were thinking and I’ll tell you if I think you can pull it
off. Just know your hair is on the short side so I can’t give you a long
flowing mane unless you want extensions.” She said.

“I’m
actually not really sure what I want.” I told Ginger an extremely short version
of whole Jack story and how I was going to see his band tonight, but that he
didn’t know.

“Okay
so we need hair that rocks. We can do that but I need you to trust me. Do you
trust me?” She lifted up a pair of scissors and opened and closed them a few
times.

I
gulped and nodded, but I was afraid of what I was going to look like. I was
starting to think that maybe this part was a bad idea.

“Do
you mind if I put some color in?” Ginger asked.

All
the sudden I heard myself say “I don’t care what you do as long as it looks
good.” Did I really just say that? I just gave a complete stranger total
control over my hair! Ginger smiled dangerously and I could feel myself start
to panic just a little bit as I envisioned myself with a bright blue Mohawk to
match Tyler’s.

An
hour and a half later, I looked into the mirror and couldn’t believe my
reflection. I absolutely loved it! Ginger put in some blonde hi-lights and red
lo-lights, some razor cut layers with the ends flipped out.

“Oh
my god Ginger! This looks great! You are a genius!” I exclaimed.

“Yes
I know.” She said sounding somewhat bored.

Don’t
even ask me how much I spent on my hair. I won’t tell you. As a matter of fact
I am in such shock over the amount I just spent getting my hair done that I
just may take it to the grave. I will admit, though, that on my way home I
couldn’t help but steal a glance at myself every time I passed a store window.
I’m not normally a vain person, but my hair has never looked this good before. It’s
always just been so.....so brown.

I
was starting to really look forward to tonight, although by the time I got
home, the butterflies began to reappear in my stomach. I tried to eat something
but my nonexistent appetite paired with my nerves made it hard to even nibble
on a couple of crackers.

I
glanced at the clock and sighed. I still had about forty five minutes until I
needed to start getting ready. Just as I was thinking of a good way to kill
some time until then, I happened to glance down and notice how raggedy my nails
looked. I went into the bathroom to grab some shimmery nude nail polish and a
nail file.

I
popped a DVD into my DVD player and hopped up onto my bed. I began filing my
nails into squared edges as nicely as I could. After I applied two coats of the
nude polish on each nail, I sat back to let them air dry while I tried to relax
as best as I could. I didn’t even know why I was so nervous. I haven’t been out
on a first date with anyone in a few years, since I had my first date with
Connor. This wasn’t a date though. It was a client asking his new publicist to
check out his show or even a neighbor asking a neighbor.  Okay so maybe it
could be because I think he is hot stuff and maybe I am hoping he’ll think the
same thing about me.

At
about 5:15, I could barely contain myself anymore, so I decided it was time to
start getting ready. I went back into my bathroom to wash my face and brush my
teeth again, rising with mouthwash twice. Just in case I end up engaging in any
close talking tonight, I wanted to make sure my breath was extra minty.

I
pulled out my makeup bag and applied my foundation and loose powder, making
sure I wasn’t leaving any visible makeup lines. I stared at my eye shadow for a
few minutes before deciding to go with a pale khaki as a base and a shimmery
bronze in my lids. Instead of using blush, I brushed on a little bit of bronzer
to give my skin a little bit of a glow. I always feel like I go overboard with
blush. I certainly didn’t want to go out looking like I belong on a street
corner or in a bad eighties movie, so I figured it was just best to stay away
from the blush altogether. I added some taupe black eyeliner, a few swipes of
black mascara and a little bit of shimmery nude lip gloss to finish my look.

I
gave myself a few sprays of my favorite perfume and starting slathering my arms
in legs with the matching lotion. The smell of vanilla, orchids and jasmine
filled the room. Now that the beauty side of things was complete, it was time
to get dressed!

I
went in my bedroom and pulled out my new clothes, checking them over carefully
to make sure I removed every tag and sticker. I stepped into the skirt and
carefully put on my sweater, making sure I didn’t mess up my hair. I pulled on
my boots, wrapped my scarf around my neck and went to check myself out in the
mirror. Pleased with the reflection staring back at me, I grabbed my cell phone
and my purse and headed off towards the subway.

It
took about half an hour to get to Weaver Street, where the bar was, by subway. As
soon as I got off, I saw Jocalyn. She wouldn’t have been hard to find though,
she was the only person in the station who looked like they were about to burst
into tiny pieces.

“Oh.....my.....god!
I’m so, so , SO glad you called! I’m so excited; we are going to have so much
fun!” Jocalyn said in one breath.

I wonder if I could call ahead and have a drink
waiting for me when we arrive?

It
was a pretty short walk from the station to Stoaked. We went straight up to the
bar as soon as we walked in.

“Well
hello there gorgeous! What can I get for you?” The bartender said to Jocalyn.

“Hey
Dex! Vodka and cranberry juice please.” Jocalyn said grinning from ear to ear.

“Sure
thing and for your friend?”

“Apple
martini.” I said.

“Coming
right up.”

The
bartender grabbed two glasses and flipped them over in his hand before setting
them down on the bar. Then he began grabbing different bottles, flipping them
up in the air and behind his back as he poured our drinks. I wish I could learn
to do something like that. I could picture myself flipping bottles of alcohol
around as I made people drinks at my parent’s annual New Year’s Eve party,
while everyone stood around watching me, clearly impressed with my skills. In
reality, I’m afraid, I would end up with lots of broken bottles, wasted alcohol
and a very ticked off father.

The
bartender slid our glasses across the bar and flashed a wink at Jocalyn. She
started to giggle as we turned to walk away.

“Okay,
so what was that all about?” I asked her as we sat down at an empty table.

“Oh
it’s nothing really. That’s Dexter; we’ve gone out a couple of times. It’s no
big deal.” She shook her head and waived her hand in the air.

“Do
you like him?” I asked her.

“I
don’t know. Maybe.”  She said, her cheeks flushing light pink.

I
took a sip of my martini, studying her face over the rim of my glass. She
started blushing like crazy.

“You
do! You so like him!” I exclaimed.

“Okay
I do! I totally like him! You might find this hard to believe, but I start
talking nonstop when I am around him.” She said with a serious look.

“Somehow
I can see that.” I said with a laugh.

We
ordered another round of drinks just as the band took the stage.

“Good
evening everybody, we’re called Subzero.” Noah said as the crowd started
cheering.

The
band started playing and people started dancing, or I guess technically they
were jumping up and down. A couple of guys were really getting into the music
by playing the air guitar and drumming the air with their invisible sticks.

“Let’s
go up closer.” Jocalyn said.

Drinks
in hand, we made our way closer to the stage weaving in between the sea of
people that were thumping around to the beat of the music.

I
couldn’t stop staring at Jack. It was crazy the way he was able to make a gray
t-shirt and khaki cords look hot. Khaki cords.....I was starting to wonder if he
owned any jeans. I couldn’t help but notice the adorable way he kept biting his
lower lip as he played. I wonder if I were to kiss him if he would bite my
lower lip the same way.
Whoa! Where in the heck did that come from?
 I
couldn’t help it though. He was just so.....yummy. So yummy, in fact, that the
image of him biting my lower lip slipped into my mind for a second time.  

I
glanced over at Jocalyn who was bopping up and down as she sang along with the
band. She was fun to watch. She was awkwardly uncoordinated in her dancing but
she didn’t care. Actually, I thought as I scanned the dance floor, she kind of
fits in. I’d say about eighty percent of the people here are banging into each
other.....of course that could just be from the alcohol.

I
turned back towards the stage and ended up locking eyes with Jack. My heart began
pounding in my chest as he stared at me with those gorgeous blue eyes. He flashed
me a smile and all of the sudden I felt like I was a love-struck teenager
again.

I
smiled back and just so I wouldn’t look completely out of place, I started
bopping up and down with Jocalyn. I knew the chances of me falling on my butt
were pretty good, but I honestly didn’t think it would surprise the few people
here that knew me. Plus, I figured since he already saw me, it was best to let
him see me having fun rather than me look like a complete bore standing off to
the side.