She checked her phone—6:45. That meant Oliver would be there in 15 minutes. No…this was Oliver. He'd be there in about 7 and a half. He was always early.
She looked through her jewelry, searching for just the right necklace to go with the blue dress she'd selected tonight. She added the necklace with a citrine stone to her neck. The length was perfect, just long enough so she could see both this necklace and the necklace from her parents that she never removed. She put on a bracelet that perfectly complemented the necklace.
She took one last glance in the mirror. Her hair had behaved perfectly. She'd loved the way it turned out, with two loose braid circling the equally loose bun. It took a couple of tries to get it right. The YouTube tutorial had seemed easy enough, but it was a little trickier when you attempted the braid with your own hands using a series of mirrors set up so she could see every angle. Doing her hair had given her something to focus on when she just couldn't shake these darned butterflies.
The doorbell rang. Her stomach flip-flopped, and her heartrate quadrupled. She took another deep breath, let it out slowly, and headed toward the door.
