"What does 'nice dinner casual' mean?" I asked Caroline, sipping my mocha.
"Well, it's a dinner date, so I'd go with either a nice dress or a flare skirt with a nice blouse, and flats," Caroline said. "Maybe curl your hair?"
"You know that I am awful at curling my hair," I said. "Remember that Christmas party last year?"
"Your hair was so burnt," she laughed, sipping her latte. "Thank God for my amazing haircutting skills."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
"So, maybe just keep it straight."
"What do I do if I run out of things to say… Or I spill something… Or what if I say something stupid, I mean he is literally a genius," I rambled.
"Christ, calm down!" Caroline said. "Look, if he asked you out, he clearly likes you and thinks that you're worthy of his time… And if anything gets boring, just lean forward and show off the goods a little." She winked as I nearly choked on my mocha.
"Caroline!" I whispered at her. "Shut up!"
"What?"
"You're impossible," I groaned.
"You love me," she said, kicking me gently from under the table. "But, seriously, you are going to be great and have so much fun…So don't worry about it."
"That's like telling a dog not to bark," I said.
"I know," she said. "I know."
We finished our coffee before bidding farewell to each other. Checking the time, I saw that I was right on schedule. It was 11:40, so I had just enough time to get the park.
After all, it was the fourth.
And the fourth brought Daniel.
As I approached the bench, I saw the familiar back of a man in a suit. I quickly sat next to him.
"Sarah," he said, sitting straight and rigid, per usual.
"Daniel," I said, leaning back into the bench.
"Anything unusual happen?"
I felt a pang in my stomach. Did I mention the break in routine? I didn't find anything wrong in my apartment, so I said what I always did.
"No."
"Sticking to the routine?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"Any updates?" I asked, prepared for the usual answer.
"Yes," he said gruffly. I turned shocked.
"What?" I asked. "Y-you found something?"
"Unfortunately, it's not good news. Everything should be fine. It's in your brief," he said, handing me the envelope. "Make sure you are extra careful."
"How bad?" I asked, holding the envelope as if it was a bomb.
"Not as bad as three years ago, but bad enough that we needed to update you."
"Are they-"
"You know I can't tell you that," he said.
"Don't I deserve to know?" I asked.
He didn't respond for a moment.
"I'll see you next month."
"Of course," I murmured. He began to stand but not before mumbling something.
"Off-record?" he mumbled. "They're safe." I looked at him as he stood, his face still facing forwards.
"Thank you," I said, smiling. He nodded before walking away. Despite his gruff demeanor, I was thankful for that information. It was the only thing I had heard about them in over three years. Grasping the envelope tightly, I got up and quickly made my way to my apartment, being careful to check behind me every few steps.
I got inside and locked my door. I rushed to the counter, opening the envelope. I read it quickly, finding the three key pieces of information that were most important.
Leads in located.
Investigating and attempting to locate multiple suspects.
Investigation ongoing.
They really had to black out the only pieces of information. And then the line below caught my attention. A line that hadn't been in previous reports.
Codename: BLACKBIRD escaped prison, killing three guards.
Location unknown.
Investigation ongoing.
I didn't have to be a genius to figure out what that meant.
If he had escaped, I was going to have to be extremely careful. I took the brief and immediately put it in the shredder. Checking the time, I decided to turn on the news and read a book that I had checked out at the library until it was time to get ready for my date with Spencer.
My date.
Wow, that felt weird to say.
I read for a few hours, and before I knew it, it was 6:00PM. I took a quick shower before blow drying my hair until it was straight and fluffy. I walked to my closet and thought about what Caroline had said.
I settled on a red skirt that flared slightly and hit midcalf and a white long-sleeved blouse. I put on a pair of pearl studs and a silver necklace with a small fake diamond charm. I grabbed a pair of black flats, and put on a light face of makeup. Standing in front of the mirror, I couldn't help but critique the way it looked.
"Maybe a black top would be better?" I murmured. "No, no, you look fine."
I checked the time and saw it was nearly 7:30PM, so Spencer was going to be here any minute. I grabbed a black purse, putting my wallet, phone, keys, and taser in my bag.
Never could be too safe.
A knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts. I gave myself a once over in the mirror before opening the door to see Spencer.
"Hey," I said, "You're right on time."
"I try," he confessed. "I, uh, brought these for you." He handed me a small bouquet of flowers, which I assumed were pink roses and baby's breath.
"Wow, you didn't have to," I said. "Let me just put these in a vase really quickly."
"Of course," he said. "You look great, by the way."
"Thank you," I said. I gave him a once over. "You don't look too bad yourself." He was wearing his typical sweater vest, but his normally messy hair was slightly tamed, and his clothes were freshly pressed. He looked good. I put the flowers in a vase as I turned to face him.
"Shall we?" I asked.
"We shall," he said, guiding me out the door, which I made sure I locked.
Well, there was no turning back now.