"Hello, Jared," Astra said into the phone as Jared picked up his phone.
"Hey Astra, how are you doing?" He asked. He sincerely sounded surprised. It was then that Astra realized how odd it would be. She had never called him before; he was always the one calling her. It would clearly be weird for her.
"I am good, thank you," she said. For a moment, she was short of words. She had no idea what she was going to say to him. Many things crossed her mind, but her greatest fear was the fact that he may have realized that she was playing him in a way.
"Is anything the matter? Is Nicholas bothering you again? "I thought you left his house," Jared asked, and Astra closed her eyes in frustration. She forgot that Jared called her when she was still in Nicholas' house. How was she supposed to start dating him when he knew that she had been in her ex-husband's house just a few hours ago?
"Oh no. Nothing is the matter. Did you maybe want to get dinner later in the day? "It has been a while," Astra asked. Her heart was beating rapidly then. Best case scenario, she was expecting a firm no. Worst case scenario, she was expecting him to shout at her and insult her for taking her for granted, not rating him at all. The reply she got was certainly not what she was expecting.
"Sure, why not? I will pick you up at seven. "I promise it will be worth it," he said enthusiastically. Astra was dumfounded and confused. She had no idea what to think. Did Jared really like her so much to want her even if she hadn't gotten over her ex-husband? It was thrilling to think that she was loved in such a manner.
"Thank you, I will be ready," she replied. Astra could not help the good feeling that came over her. Unease was still there, though. She liked that Jared liked her, but was that really enough? She wasn't so sure.
"Alright, bye,'' he said. She replied to him and disconnected the call, putting it back on her table. Her day was becoming more and more exciting.
"So what did he say?" Steph asked, both her hands were over her face, and her eyes shone with interest. Her ears perched for gossip. Classic Steph,
"He said yes," Astra said. She could barely believe it herself.
"Yes! I knew that he would. He likes you too much to let an opportunity like that slide. "You should give him a chance; you might grow to love him, you know," Steph said, and Astra nodded. Maybe that good feeling will grow and it will become something beautiful. Who knew?
"I am not so sure, Steph. I just asked him out on a date that I am not sure I want to go on, "Astra said," Her fears could not help but surface.
Relax Astra, don't worry yourself about if you are in love or not. You have much more important things to think about, like what are you going to wear? What will you do with your hair? There is barely time to do anything. "You should have asked him on a date tomorrow. That would have been more sensible," Steph said, and Astra rolled her eyes. Her friend was clearly not taking her seriously. She probably will not start taking her seriously any time soon.
"We need to get to your place to get you dolled up. Seven is not so far," Steph said, standing up. Astra rolled her eyes at Stephanie. She was not even sure if she wanted to go on the date at all.
"This is not my first date with Steph. I have been on plenty, I will be fine, "she said to her friend. Stephanie brushed her off and helped her to stand, paid their bills and left tips for the waiter. In the same breath, she all but pushed Astra to the car.
"Since we both drove here, we will both drive to your house. Don't try anything funny, step on it," Steph warned before helping her into the car like some invalid and going into her own car.
As Astra drove to her apartment, her mind was everywhere at the same time. She was wondering if she was making the right decision in agreeing to go on a date with Jared. It was not her brightest ideas but she truly did want to move on and badly too. It would be much easier to move on if she was with someone new. Stephanie was right about that, at least. Even if she did not end up with Jared at the end, she would be able to move on. With time, Jared will move on from her too. It will all work out for the good.
By the time she got to her apartment and parked, she had already made up her mind that she was going on a date with Jared.
"Okay, so what are you going to wear?" Stephanie asked as they walked side by side into her apartment building. Astra ignored her friend as she greeted the receptionist and the doormen and entered an elevator.
For God's sake, I will put on clothes. It will be as simple as that. It's not as though it is my wedding, "she said nonchalantly.
"Even though "You have to be at your best; you have no idea how the date will go," Stephanie said, suggestively wiggling her brows. Astra frowned at her friend. They were already on the elevator and heading to the sixth floor, where her apartment was. Astra only agreed to a date with Jared. She did not have any plans to have sex with him. It was not in her plans at all. Astra could barely imagine having sex with anyone other than Nicholas.
There was the fact that she almost had sex with Nicholas a few hours ago. If not for Jared's call, she would have fucked Nicholas and enjoyed it. Astra was not even remotely attracted to Jared. She could not even imagine kissing him, let alone having sex with him; that was not even part of the deal. It seemed too farfetched.
If Astra was being sincere to herself, she would agree that she would eventually have to have sex with Jared. With time, she thought, she would come to enjoy it. It all came with love.
"You will wear that black dress. The one you wore when we last went out, does wonders for your figure. "You will put your hair up and maybe a bit of light makeup, nothing over the top, you don't need to show that you are overly excited for the date," Steph rambled on.
"Well, I am not excited about the date if we are being honest," Stephanie said. The elevator dinged then, and Steph pushed Astra into her room. Astra thought about her first date with Nicholas as Stephanie fussed about.
Astra had been very excited. It was about seven years ago. She did not have many plans for love, but she was very flattered that such an attractive and rich man actually wanted her. Astra spent the entire day getting ready. She badly wanted him to keep on being interested in her. Astra wanted to impress him. Astra remembered what she wore. It was a nude-colored pleated dress that came all the way to her knees. Her hair was up in a simple style. She wore small pearls on her ears and on her neck. She wanted to dress as formal and delicate as she could, just to show that she actually belonged with him, with the rich people.
Their first date was at a simple restaurant, and so it seemed like she had overdressed. Later, she learnt that he only chose that restaurant in a bid to accommodate her. He did not care if she was rich as the queen or poor as a pauper. He liked just how she was. Those were some of the reasons why she fell in love with him. It seemed so perfect that it would only be unnatural if she didn't fall. Everyone said that they loved her; they all supported her. It shocked everyone who knew them when the relationship broke down. No one expected that to happen.
They had planned their dates together by this point, so she chose places she had never been before. They went to the opera, to music festivals, to museums, to the beach. They even played games. If Astra were to agree with anything, she would agree that her relationship with Nicholas was nice while it lasted.
"Come on, let's get you into your dress," Stephanie said. Astra looked at her reflection in the mirror. She could tell that she looked beautiful. Her brown hair was styled to the side in a French braid, revealing the side of her neck. Her face had been brightened with powder; her dark circles had disappeared with concealer; a bit of blush brightened her cheeks; her eye lashes had been thickened with mascara. She looked at least five years younger than her age. Astra smiled at her reflection. She liked how she looked.
Astra slipped into the little black number. The dress was as simple as they got; it was a straight black gown, had spaghetti straps, and the hem stopped just below her knee. She wore beautiful black slipper heels with them and a silver clutch. Astra thought she looked much more mature than she did on her first date with Nicholas.
"You look so pretty. "Jared would be so blown away," Stephanie said. A wave of deja vu hit her; those were the exact words Stephanie would say while getting ready to see Nicholas.
The doorbell rang and Stephanie squealed. Astra's heartbeat increased as her friend went to open the door. Unlike when it was Nicholas she was going on a date with, the heartbeat was not one of anticipation; rather, the increased heartbeat was a result of fear. It was not exactly a very good reason for your heart to be beating for someone else.
"Jared!" Astra said as she went into the living room and met Jared. He was dressed in a suit and holding a bouquet of red roses, her favorite.
"You look beautiful," Jared said, hugging her and then presenting her with flowers. Astra's heart truly melted at the gesture. She pressed her nose into the roses, inhaling their sweet fragrance.
"I will put these in water for you. "You can start going," Stephanie said, all but shooing them out of the house.
"Bye," Stephanie said enthusiastically.
"She is just a bit excited," Astra told Jared as they got down to his car. He opened the door and let her in.
"That's alright," Jared said. "I almost thought you were joking when you called this afternoon. I was prepared for any outcome when I knocked on your door. I am happy you were not joking, "Jared said as they got into the car, looking at her as though he was searching her soul. It was uncomfortable to say the least."
She wasn't exactly sure of what to say. "I am happy you came too," Astra replied.
Astra started playing with her fingers as the ride went on. He had dropped a bomb too soon, and so the air was charged. When her phone rang half way through the journey, she was grateful for the distraction.
She looked at the number and it was an unknown number. It was because of the atmosphere that she picked up the call, but what she heard on the other end kept her on her toes.
"You have what?" she asked.