I Don't Want to Fall in Love... With You...

[16] What do They Mean by "Netflix & Chill"?

After not seeing Elijah for four or five days, I kept myself preoccupied with texting Toby. Turns out, once you put aside the stuttering and the googly eyes, I was able to have a real conversation with him. Every so often, he'd spurt a random fact or two, but they were few and far between. He could be sweet when he wanted to.

Finally, after multiple exchanges promising a movie and snacks, he fulfilled it. He sent texts without the use of Emojis, which let me know he was serious, and he asked me to come to his to watch Harry Potter.

Geeky things were Emily's territory, so I had no idea what I was going to experience. Truth be told, I wasn't too fond of films that were outside of dramas. My taste in flicks and books were the same, I preferred older stuff to what's hot.

I was Skyping said best friend, telling her my plans, as she counted tales of what she calculated to come out of tonight. She was supposed to be helping me pick out what to wear, but she was too busy living in dreamland.

"What are you wanting to happen? A heavy make-out session? Upstairs fondling or maybe," She edged closer toward the camera, so much so that I could see her nostril hair. "The full Monty?"

I guffawed, taking out a lime tee, that she flicked off.

"No! We're..." I paused, mind-reeling, but I thought better against what I was originally going to detail. "He's aware that this is just a friendly meet-up, so there will be no fondling of any kind."

She blew out her mouth. "You're boring."

"Hey, you haven't had much experience yourself, why am I getting goaded?"

"Because, girl, one of us needs some excitement in our lives. We're just losers if we don't."

I put down the top I'd just picked, facing her squarely. Her big bug eyes were staring at the floor, where her legs dangled off from the edge of her bed. I was glad her hair was in braids, as this way she couldn't hide from me.

"Hey," I kept my voice soft, and she raised her head till those glassy eyes held my own. "We're not losers. So, what if we don't go out on a million dates? We've got the rest of our lives for that."

She sighed, but I could see the threat of a smile on her rosy lips.

"Yeah, I guess so," She pulled her head back up, eyes going wide for a second. "Oh! That top, wear that. Toby will go wild."

I examined the piece of clothing I had unconsciously grabbed. It was an old thing, something I'd perhaps only donned twice in my life. It wasn't like there was anything wrong with it, but I quickly recognized why I wasn't fond of it.

It was a halter; black velvet with the lightest sprinkle of glitter massaged throughout. Nothing too flashy, but it showed more cleavage than I was comfortable with.

"No way! Remember this is a friendly hang-out, I don't want to send mixed signals."

"Dear, you're already doing that by looking the way you do." She rolled her eyes.

Sticking my tongue out at her, I realized the time and we bid adieu. When I hung up, I immediately got to brushing my hair, which I knew would be a losing game, but I didn't surrender until the only time I had left was enough to change clothes.

As I admired myself in my fox jumper and black jeans, for some reason, my eyes kept betraying me and landing on the halter neck.

Putting it on would give Toby the wrong idea, I mused, I couldn't do that to him.