Boyfriend by Christmas

Chapter 7

I dial Niyata's number and put my phone on speaker, resting it on my vanity. I hold another shirt option up to myself and sigh, tossing it aside.

"I have nothing to wear," I say when Niyata picks up. "Absolutely nothing."

She laughs. "You have a full closet of clothing," she says. "Just pick something."

I roll my eyes. "Easy for you to say. You look good in literally everything you put on. I, on the other hand, look like a sack of potatoes. And not a cute sack. The kind that gets boiled and mashed because they're too ugly to become French fries."

"You're losing it, Cass."

"I know. I just want tonight to go well..."

"Why so much pressure, sweet pea? You've already got two prospects. If Thompson is a dud it's no big deal."

I pick up the phone and flop down on my bed. "Because it's Thompson," I tell her. "Plus, I really need this to go well. I want at least one guy to like me."

"Did something happen after I left Spoiler Alert?"

I sigh. "No."

"Liar," she says. "What happened?"

I bite my lip. "I was just talking to Garrett about dates and stuff, and he made a comment about how we'd never find out what kind of date he'd plan for me or whatever."

"I thought you didn't like Garrett."

"I never said that," I tell her. "I just said he didn't belong on the list."

"But why?"

"Because he's Garrett!"

"So? That sounds like a reason to put him on the list, not keep him off of it."

The clock on my wall says it's a little after five so I only have an hour to finish getting ready before Thompson picks me up. I should be spending it with my closet, not on the phone. "Garrett is too... I don't know. He's real, I guess. And I didn't even think about him like that until today."

"Lists can be changed!"

"No," I say firmly. "He made it clear he didn't even want to be on the list anyway. I need to focus on Thompson. Tonight has to be perfect."

"I say this because I love you, sweet pea. You're setting yourself up for failure."

"What?"

"You have this idea in your head of what perfect looks like. It doesn't happen like that. Sometimes the opposite of perfect is even better than your idea of perfect."

I sit up. "No, you're wrong."

"I'm right."

"No, I mean, I know that my perfect exists. Or at least in theory. I just need someone to put it into practice. And that person might be Thompson. If I can find something to wear."

Niyata laughs. "The green off the shoulder top that you say you hate but you actually love. Jeans. Gold necklace Magenta gave you for Christmas last year. Flats. He's not much taller than you, you don't want to be towering over him."

I look on the floor where the shirt Niyata wants me to wear is tossed to the side. I lift it to my chest and sigh. "You're right. I do love this shirt."

"Good. Put it on, straighten those wild curls into submission, and get ready for the best night of your life."

"Thanks, babe. I couldn't do this without you."