More Issues Than Vogue | ✔️

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The only person that had ever taken me out on a date was Matt.

That fact alone explains one hundred percent of the reason why it's taken me four hours to get ready for tonight.

Whenever I'd go out with Matt, whether it be to the mall or to dinner, he never cared what I wore, what makeup I chose, or what I looked like at all, quite frankly. After years of repeating casual wear, I had made a uniform out of jeans, a blouse, and whatever shoes I happened to be closest too at the time. It was a routine of comfort and never style.

But every nerve and cell in my body was telling me that Nate Chester was going to have a higher expectation than that. He wasn't a jeans and sneakers type of guy - he practically lived in Dolce and Gabbana. I knew he wanted a girl in a nice dress with classy shoes.

The girl he met at the club.

Granted, I was still in my comfortable stage back then. By now, I had traded in my Mary Jane's and invested in a very expensive pair of Jimmy Choo's. Meanwhile, my wardrobe had drastically changed from high necklines and flowy cuts to cleavage revealing hip-hugging pieces. I had to admit - I kind of loved it. I embraced it. I always thought I felt and appeared a bit boring when I was with Matt. Because I never had to try, I never did. As long as Matt was okay with it, what did I care? But I wasn't going to be that same wallflower anymore. 

Nope, New York City has turned Haley Monroe into a woman and it felt absolutely fabulous.

I stared at my reflection: sultry curls past my shoulders, cherry red lipstick, cutout black dress, and a pair of slick patent nude heels. No longer was I just a new temporary intern at Forward magazine, I am THE intern at Forward magazine. The one that wrote articles readers were buzzing about. I was tempted to call Madison and tell her all about it, but I couldn't get hands to reach for the phone.

I wanted to keep this to myself. A little secret I could hold sacred forever in my heart.

As promised, Nate had a car waiting for me exactly at nine o'clock outside the apartment complex. I half expected him to be in the backseat when the driver opened the door, but when his figure wasn't sitting there, it only made me more anxious to see him.

I'll admit, I had a strong attraction to Nate. He definitely knew how to sweep a girl off her feet and keep her on her toes. If there weren't various obstacles standing in the way of us becoming what we could be, there was no doubt Nate and I would be more than just co-workers. But something was always holding me back, something refraining me from being completely comfortable with him. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thankful for all these roadblocks. It was terrifying thinking about being anything more with him. 

I barely knew Nate.

"We're here," The driver announced as the car slowly comes to a halt.

I hadn't even been paying attention to our surroundings the entire car ride since I was wrapped up in my thoughts. I grabbed my clutch and stepped out the door once he opened it for me.

"Thanks for the ride," I tipped him.

The ground was bumpy once I felt it underneath me. It was a bit chilly and it smelled of sea salt. When I looked around, I realized we were on a dock at the edge of an island. I could faintly see the cityscapes that outlined the Manhattan from here. But for some reason, the water itself was deserted. There weren't any boats from what I could see.

"You made it."

I turned around to find Nate looking...

God.