He was late.
Okay, so it was just one minute, but still, she had been sitting here at the train stop waiting for almost ten minutes already. True, she should have called when her train got in a little ahead of schedule, but her fingers just wouldn't dial the number. She'd gotten as far as three digits before closing the phone. So it wasn't like she could blame him exactly, but she had been waiting a while, and she wasn't sure she could take much more it. Every second, the butterflies in her stomach got bigger and rowdier. If only he'd just show up…
There he was.
Serenity's mouth dried in an instant and she scrambled for a single coherent thought in her brain. Okay, a single coherent thought that was not I take it back! Waiting is better! Go away!
Oh my gosh, now he saw her. He was walking towards her, his long strides quickly covering the distance between them. The butterflies in her stomach were now performing a frenzied and surprisingly complicated contra dance.
Serenity twirled a long auburn lock around her finger, as she took a deep breath, hoping she looked only half as nervous as she felt. "Um, hi, Duke," she managed to squeak out.
"Hello, Serenity." He flashed a dazzlingly white smile down at her. "You look amazing tonight."
A flush rose on Serenity's cheeks. She didn't feel much different than normal, just a bit dressed up in a periwinkle sundress, a pendant necklace, and a little more makeup than she normally wore. Actually, she felt incredibly awkward, all jittery and stiff at the same time. The opposite of amazing, really.
"Then again," Duke said, his smile not dimming a single Watt, "You always look amazing, Serenity."
Now Serenity's whole face turned red and she looked down at her flipflops. "Um, you look great too, Duke," she mumbled, feeling like the compliments had been way too onesided so far. And he did. But then, he always looked great. Tonight, he was wearing a tight sleeveless white shirt with an equally sleeveless red and black jacket over top, black jeans, and black sneakers. Gold armbands and his trademark dice earrings completed the ensemble.
"Thanks," he said, without embarrassment or surprise. But then he probably got compliments from girls all the time. He was really good-looking and confidence oozed out of every pore that wasn't already occupied oozing charm. Besides, she'd heard Joey venting more than once about the ways girls drooled all over Duke Devlin. He could probably go out with a different girl every day of the week if he wanted to—and go a month without repeating.
Those other girls probably didn't get so nervous they barely dared look him in the eye. They probably never had stomachs crammed full of butterflies dancing wildly, sending erratic waves of adrenaline through her blood with every flap of their wings. They were probably just as poised as he was, matching him compliment for compliment, smile for heart-stopping smile.
"Hey, is something wrong?" Duke asked, touching her shoulder gently. "You look a little down about something."
Serenity shook her head. "I'm fine," she said reflexively. She looked up into his gleaming green eyes. He could be out with any number of other girls right now. But he wasn't. He was out with her. Because he had chosen to. Because he had wanted to. She smiled. "I really am fine," she assured him. He smiled back, but she noticed his hand didn't leave her shoulder. "Um, do you want to go get something to eat now?"
"Absolutely. Do you have a preference…?" Serenity shook her head. "Great, then I'll take you to one of my favorite places. It's this little Italian trattoria, and the bread there is…well, you'll think you've died and gone to heaven."
"It sounds wonderful." Serenity was surprised by how much she meant it—and not just because she loved bread.
"Then it's a plan. We can take my car if you want to, but it's not that far away and it's a lovely evening for a walk…"
Serenity simply nodded her assent and they headed off. It didn't take more than three steps for Duke's hand to slid down her shoulder and take possession of her. It didn't take more than three steps for Serenity to decide not to take it back.
The butterflies in her stomach bowed to their partners and flew away.