4 Chapter 4

Time sure flies by when you have something to look forward to.

I finished as much work as I can during the weekends to make time for the exhibit with Jay this Saturday and thankfully was able to get ahead of my work and papers to grade.

Now I just have to choose clothes to wear, which is a total bummer since I have no idea how people usually dress up during exhibits and such.

It's still relatively early just past 7 am, and I won't have to be out until 10 but my brain just can't shut up.

Okay, I'm panicking!

I don't want to call Nieth and have her choose for me because I am sure she will use this occasion as blackmail material for me in the future but I have no choice since my nerves are eating me out.

I heaved a big sigh and shouted at the top of my lungs, "Nieth, come here, I need you for something!"

A couple of minutes later, Nieth came inside my room still a bit groggy from sleep, "What!? It's so early, Why are you up?"

"Good morning to you too, I just need assistance on what to wear today"

"Why? You going out?"

I rolled my eyes at her, early morning and noncaffeinated Nieth isn't really the smartest person to talk to but I need her ASAP or I'll go crazy. "Yes, I'm going to an exhibit, remember?"

"Ohhhhhh... the date," she said giggling like a schoolgirl and wiggling her pointer finger in my direction.

"It's not a date, he just invited me" I defended myself because as much as I find Jay handsome, I just really want him as a friend, nothing more.

"Well, is it just you two?"

"Yes"

"And he brought the ticket for you?"

"He did not say he brought it, but he said he doesn't have anyone to invite and just remembered me, so... yes?" I answered a little bit reluctantly.

"And does this said man have friends other than you?" she pried

"Well duh, of course, he has, what's with these questions?"

"Just humor me. And do his friends interested in art?"

"That's kind of his profession so I have to assume... yes"

She beamed after I answered, "There you go, It's a date then."

"I don't understand you?"

"Well, let's put it this way, you two just met and talked for a little while, meaning you are basically strangers, he has friends who work on the same social circle and are more adept to the art whom he can have an in-depth discussion with, so why, for the love of God, would he invite you, a boring literature professor who has no way of understanding art the way he does?"

"Hey! literature is art too!" I said taking offense to what she said, "and I can hold a conversation about anything just fine"

"Yeah sure, miss call-me-and-pretend-it's-urgent-so-I-can-ditch-my-date, yeah you almost had me fooled there."

"Hey! that was one time! And in my defense, he really is a jerk for talking to me in his fancy engineering terms just to make me feel dumb"

"Yeah whatever, let's get this over with so I can go back to sleep"

In the end, we decided to just dress semi-formally, something that I would wear at the university during a special lecture; tan slacks, a semi-fit white long-sleeved blouse (a contrast to my deep tan, according to Nieth), and black heels.

At 10 am, I am as ready as I can be, with my hair half tied with strands left untucked, natural make-up, and soft pink as a lip color, I was at the coffee shop where Jay and I decided to meet.

I was sipping my coffee and looking at my phone to check some e-mails while waiting for Jay to arrive.

I was pretty much in my own world that I did not notice him coming over to the table I am occupying, his own coffee in hand, so I was a bit startled when he called me.

"I'm sorry for startling you," he said, tone apologetic.

"No, it's okay, it's my fault I wasn't paying attention." I looked up to him only to be blinded by the light inside the coffee shop, and it took me a minute to take in his appearance.

When my eyesight cleared, I was beyond surprised to take in his form; clad in black slacks, grey button-up, and very sexy platform shoes. I was fanning internally and also panicking because-holy shit, he absolutely looks divine.

Shoving my partly indecent thoughts, I cleared my throat and just gave him a smile, still unable to form a coherent sentence.

"I'm sorry I made you wait," he said which sort of made me come back to my senses.

"Nah, it's no problem, I just arrived really early, it's a habit" I uttered a bit slowly.

I am definitely obsessed with the concept of arriving first to anything, something that a lot of people find uncomfortable ever since someone during a club meeting told me to be punctual when it was literally my first time to arrive late and with a reasonable reason nonetheless, but Jay doesn't need to know about that.

When we arrived at the venue, I was confused to find out that it is still closed. Looking around the entrance, I saw that it will be opened way later at 5 in the afternoon.

However, Jay is undeterred and continued inside, only acknowledging the guards stationed outside with a nod.

Finally, my curiosity got the best of me so tugged his shirt to get his attention, "Jay, it says that the exhibit isn't open until later this afternoon"

"Oh, don't worry about that, we have the exhibit for ourselves in the meantime"

His answer is vague that it still baffled me, "What do you mean by that"

He just shrugged and casually said, "I asked the organizers to see it first, you know, to make your first time much more memorable"

To say that I am surprised is an understatement, I am totally floored!

And my mind suddenly strayed to my conversation with Nieth earlier and came to the conclusion;

'Holy shit! This is definitely a date'

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