One Deep Breath

Chapter Eleven

That night, Jolie stood in front of her mirror, deciding whether or not she was pleased with her outfit. She had to admit the dress fit her exceptionally well, and Ash was right about it complementing her cleavage. She had pulled her hair back in to a low loose bun, which showed off the ruby earrings nicely. A few loose tendrils framed her face, which was made up with smoky eyes and contoured cheekbones.

Rachel had gone out to dinner with the other girls, so Jolie had the place to herself to get ready, something she was grateful for.

Satisfied with her appearance, she pulled her long black jacket out of her closet just a few minutes shy of seven, and got herself all bundled up and ready to head downstairs as soon as she heard from Jesse.

Her anxiety from earlier had calmed over the past hour or two, getting ready and listening to music always seemed to distract her enough from getting too worked up. Even though a part of her still felt nervous, it felt different than her usual anxiety; she felt giddy and excited to see Jesse again.

At 7:02 her phone buzzed, Jesse letting her know he was outside. Grabbing her clutch, she hit the lights as she made her way out the door.

Downstairs Jolie took a deep breath before pushing her way through the doors. Jesse's Audi was parked right in front of the doors. As soon as she was outside, Jesse's door opened and he stood up to come greet her.

By the time she was closing in on the car he was around to the passenger side to greet her, greeting her with a smile and a nod.

"Hey, you," he breathed, his face betraying his otherwise calm façade. His eyes danced with excitement, matching hers.

"Hi," she mumbled softly, her body immediately aware of his close presence, adrenaline coursing through her.

They garnered a few looks from other students making their way in and out of her dorm; between their attire and his car they didn't exactly fit in with what a typical Friday night at the Sumner campus held.

Neither Jolie nor Jesse noticed, each too busy taking each other in.

He helped her in the car before quickly returning to the drivers seat. Once inside he paused, glancing over.

"You ready?"

Jolie nodded and smiled nervously back at him. She had never been on a real date with anyone other than Landon and, so far, she liked how different this felt.

He asked her about her week, and she filled the air with chatter about her internship and her classes. When she asked about his he talked about finalizing a few contracts and assembling contractors.

The car ride flew by with their small talk, and she found herself wanting to ask more and more about him. She found herself thinking how she could have sat in the car with him all night and have been perfectly content.

Just as she completed that thought they slowed down and turn into the overhang of one of the hotel's downtown. The valet helped her out of the car, and Jesse was quickly at her side escorting her into the main lobby.

Jesse led her past the check in desk to the grand staircase.

"The ballroom is up here, c'mon."

At the top of the stairs Jolie saw just what a large event this was. There were registration tickets with lines of people, set up in front of three entrances into the ballroom itself, which she assumed held easily over 500 people already.