I considered the ramifications of calling it a date. Would it be that bad? I’d have to stick by her during the evening and not flirt with anyone else. I could do that. I’d have to call her, or something, after it was over, since that was the protocol. But I wouldn’t have to ask her out again, just call and thank her for coming and sign off with a noncommittal “Take care, thanks again.” And if we had a good time, then the door was open to more dates. I could handle that.

Now. If it wasn’t a date, then what else could it be? Why had I extended the invitation in the first place?

I had wanted to see her again.

Why had I wanted to see her again?

There was something there I couldn’t put my finger on.

Sean looked at me, an eyebrow cocked.

“Okay, yeah. It’s a date.”

I buttoned my jacket and pulled the sleeves taut as I walked to the mirror in my walk-in closet. Looking good, as usual. But I was still nervous. I caught myself more than once wondering what she would be wearing.

Ever since I’d resigned myself to the idea that this was a date, things in my mind had gotten worse, not better. Now I was experiencing flashbacks to my first homecoming, my first prom, my first date ever—none of them had been disasters, a fact that I was trying to pull some comfort from. And those were all before I’d been named one of People’s “Top 25 Most Beautiful People.” There was no reason why this date should not be fantastic.

It was a long, uneventful drive down to Orange County. Only a couple delays on the 405, and we made it in pretty good time, considering it was a Friday afternoon. Coming back up was going to be hell. I hoped hard the conversation came easy.

We pulled into the parking lot of her complex, and the car slid to a soft stop. I spotted the Honda a couple parking spots down; seeing it made me somehow more nervous. I took a deep breath as I walked up the stairs to her balcony, sneaking a glance into her front window to see if she was there but just getting my reflection. I rang the bell and forced myself to relax; I was terrified that my tension would be written all over my face.