Chapter 3: The Knock
Right in the middle of Aerosmith's Crying, Chloe heard a knock at the door. She ran into the bathroom and washed the chocolate and pizza sauce off her face then dashed to the peephole to see who it was. She could just feel all the blood leave her head when she saw her former boss on the other side of the door. She opened the door just a crack and stuck her head out.
"Hello, Chloe. Mind if I come in?"
"I'd rather you didn't. Boxes everywhere. It's kinda a mess." It wasn't a lie; there really were boxes everywhere: empty tissue boxes.
"I understand. First of all, thanks for cleaning up the lab. It made my life sooooooooooo much easier. Besides, you know where all the stuff goes anyway. Second, did you happen to see my MIT sweatshirt anywhere?"
"No, sir. I didn't." O.K. That was a lie. "You might want to see if the station has a lost and found."
"Oh well. Anyway, I also wanted to see if I could take you out to dinner tonight. After a great assistant you were, I figure it's the least I could do."
"Sure. Sounds great." That one took her by surprise.
"Awesome! The reservations are for eight o' clock, so I'll be back around seven. That gives you an hour and a half to get ready. Will that be enough time?"
"Should be."
"Excellent. Then I will see you at seven."
As soon as Chloe closed and locked the door, she went into total panic mode. After she crammed all the leftover pizza and other junk food into the fridge and stuffed all the trash into the coat closet, she jumped into the bathroom and took a shower that would make even the most fanatic environmentalist beam with pride. Then came the most daunting task of the entire day: deciding what to wear.
She thought about wearing a simple khaki skirt and a sweater over an ordinary blouse. She didn't want to give the impression that she was hoping to turn this outing into a (gasp) date. Then again, he did say that he had made reservations, meaning that they were probably going somewhere rather nice. On the other hand, she knew people to make reservations at Mickey's Pizza Galaxy. She decided to go ahead and call Jay.
"Where exactly are we going?"
"Can't tell you, Sweetheart. It's a surprise."
"But I need to know how I should dress."
"You women worry way too much about that sort of thing. You looked gorgeous when I saw you about an hour ago. But if you must know, we are going somewhere rather formal."
"Who's going to be there?"
"Just the two of us, Darling."
"All right."
So with that, Chloe pulls out her favorite fifties-style black dress, the matching shoes and purse then she whips on some make-up and messes with her hair before shoving in some contacts. Suddenly, she hears another knock at the door. She looks at the clock and realizes that it's fifteen after.
"Hello." She squeaks out as she lets the love of her life in the door. He hands her a dozen roses in a vase, which she sets on the coffee table.
"Omigod!" he exclaims.
"What's the matter?"
"You look absolutely stunning. Especially your eyes."
"Thank you, I think. I just hope that you don't think I'm trying to turn tonight into a date because I'm not."
"There is no way that you can turn it into a date."
"O.K." Chloe felt her heart sink past her ankle strap and into the two-inch heel of her shoe.
Jay lifts her chin and kisses her gently on the lips. "It already is a date, Baby." He whispered.