"You're on, Lace. Set the date and I'm there." His voice is playful, yet sexy and I feel hot suddenly. "Well, I'll have to clear my busy schedule," I say, thinking of when we could go out. "And this is just a night out. Just two friends hanging out. Not a date." I quickly say. "Just friends," he agrees. "It'll be our not-date date." I roll my eyes because that's the exact opposite of what I just said. "How about next Friday?" "That'll work." I quickly write down the date and write Dylan's name next to it. I see some paperwork from Dr. Harrison and I make a note to call and schedule my August appointment. Maybe I can make it before the bachelorette party to mentally prepare. My mind drifts to Casey and what she said about wanting me and Dylan back together. What made her think that? And what made her tell me? "Friday it is," I tell him, ignoring those thoughts. "Well, I'll let you go. I know you must be busy," his tone is teasing. I roll my eyes, but a smile slips onto my face. "Yeah, you're lucky I could fit your call into my schedule." "It's because you have a soft spot for me, I already know." I can practically see the smirk on his face. "Maybe," I admit. Things feel like a slippery slope now. The more we talk, the more I feel myself sliding towards him. He's quiet before speaking again. "I'll talk to you soon. Get some rest, Lace." We hang up and I walk to my room. I throw myself on my bed and suddenly I feel like this non-date is a bad idea. I shouldn't think about it too much. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. ~ Business is slow at the discount store on Wednesday so Bee, Cora, and I roam the clothing section. We fix shirts on the hangers, or put something back in its place. I just finished explaining the situation with Dylan and how we're going on a non-date. Bee grins like a mad person. "You're not tied down or in a relationship. Just have fun. Hook up with him then hook up with your electrician. It's a win-win." Bee is much better at this than I am. She has no problem talking to more than one guy at once and sometimes I envy her. Cora shakes her head, however. "Bad idea. What if it complicates things for the wedding? And Ben seems to really like you." I haven't even heard from Ben since he met Casey last week. I texted him and he never responded. I don't know what his deal is. "Ben might be ghosting me, but I'm not sure yet," I say. "All the more reason to have fun," Bee nods. "Or maybe you should take a step back and think over your feelings," Cora suggests, earning an eye-roll from Bee. "Hear me out. Your ex came back into your life and now your feelings are all kinds of messed up. Do you like him now, or are you relying on your past feelings?" She has a point. I keep wanting to see the old Dylan, but is he really the same? The next day goes by a little faster and Casey calls me after I get out of work. "Lauren and my cousin Ivy are going to Greenwell next week to pick up and try on their bridesmaid dresses. It's up to you if you want to go with them," she explains. I probably should so we can all catch up. I haven't seen or talked to Lauren since high school and I've only met Ivy a couple of times. "Yeah, I'll go." "Oh good. We got the cake ordered already and the bridal shower is set for the twenty-seventh. Levi got the tuxes picked out so the boys are trying them on today. Dylan already sorted out the hotel situation for the rehearsal and wedding day," she says, letting out a long sigh. "Everything is coming together." She sounds on edge, like she's really stressing. The wedding planning is probably catching up to her. "Are you feeling okay?" I ask her. "I just want to get this over with so I can stop stressing," she says. "Yeah, but then you'll have school to stress over." "I'd rather stress over school than wedding plans," she laughs. "I just want to be Mrs. Casey Harrington already." Casey isn't going to be Casey Taylor anymore and a sadness settles in my chest. My best friend is growing up. "Anyway," she says. "Are you and Ben doing anything this weekend?" Dylan pops in my mind instead and ultimately I decide not to tell her about our non-date. "Not sure yet," I say simply. We finish talking and hang up as I'm getting to my apartment. What's going to happen once the wedding is over? Is everything going back to how it was, or will things change? ~ Friday morning I wake up extra early and something drives me to start deep cleaning the apartment. I sweep, dust, wipe, mop, and everything in-between. When I finish it's going on four o'clock. There's a nervous pit in my stomach as I think of what I'm going to wear tonight. I don't want to look super fancy, but too casual either. I practically tear apart my closet to find something that will work. Everything I try on is either trying too hard or not trying hard enough. Calling Casey is out of the question because I don't want her to know I'm going out with Dylan tonight. Maybe Cora can help. I FaceTime her and she picks up quickly. "What's up?" she asks, shoving what looks like popcorn into her mouth. "I have no idea what to wear tonight," I say, throwing a shirt into my closet. It feels useless at this point. She laughs a little. "You're overthinking it. Just wear something you feel good in." "That's the problem. I don't feel good in anything." She taps her chin. "Well, what do you think you'll be most comfortable in?" "Honestly, some jeans," I say, staring at my clothes. I am overthinking it. Besides, my outfit shouldn't even matter, right? It's a non-date. "I think I know what to wear." I pick through my clothes and I find my favorite skinny jeans. They hug me in the right places. After more sifting I find my snakeskin tank top that always fit a little tight. When I put both the jeans and the top on I suddenly feel powerful. I think it's the snakeskin. I show Cora. "What do you think?"