"If you're not going to answer it, I will," Briana hisses.

I move away from her slightly and answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kate, it's Jason."

"I know," I say, smiling to myself.

"How are you?"

"Still alive, don't worry," I say, glancing over at Briana, who's scowling at me.

"Well, that's good to hear. I wouldn't want her murdering you before I get to take you out again."

Heat irrupts on my cheeks.

"You didn't wait long, did you?" I mock.

"I can never wait with you, Kate."

He's silent for a moment.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" he asks.

I look to Briana, who is sitting there with a cynical look on her face.

"Absolutely nothing, why?"

"Let me take you out. For real this time."

"I wouldn't say last time wasn't real, Jase," I laugh.

"You're right. That was the most real I've been in a long time."

"Me too," I smile to myself.

"And I have to admit; it will be nice to be with you without your sister watching my every move."

I sit up straight.

"What did she say to you?"

"You know she interrogates everyone, right?"

"I-" I say, glancing at Briana, "one second."

I pull the phone away from my ear and cover up the speaker.

"You interrogated Jason?" I whisper-yell at Briana.

"Seriously, you're mad about that?" she argues.

"Jesus," I scoff as I stand from the couch and go into another room.

"Sorry about that," I say into the speaker.

"It's fine."

"What exactly did she say to you?"

"Well, after you told me that she knew about, you know, she began dropping hints until I took the hint."

"And?"

"Well, she – wait, is that important to you?"

"Well, I do like to know when my sister bashes me behind my back."

"She didn't bash you, Kate. If anything, she was looking out for you."

"Wait; what?"

"Kate?"

"What?"

"We're getting away from the point; will you have dinner with me tomorrow?"

"Sorry, yes, of course, I will."

Butterflies irrupted within my stomach at the words. I was going out with Jason again.

"I'll pick you up at seven," he says confidently.

"Okay. Oh, my address is 2734-"

"I know, Kate," he interrupts.

"Wait. How?"

"We both know the answer to that."

"That little bitch!"

Jason's laugh echoes through the receiver.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kate. Have a good night."

"You too," I say before the call goes dead.

I make my way back into the living room and plop down on the couch beside Briana. She stares at me, impatiently waiting for me to share the details of my conversation with Jason.

"What?" I say when she doesn't stop staring.

"Are you not going to tell me what he said?"

"No, I'm not."

"Come on, Kate."

"No, Bri! I can't believe you said those things to him after I specifically told you not to."

"Jesus, Kate. I was only performing my sisterly duties."

"By telling him where I live?"

"Okay, that was taken out of context."

"And what context was that, specifically?"

"Well, I may or may not have told him to take you out or show up at your house for a good time."

"Briana!" I yelled. "Who do you think I am?"

"Well, in the short time I was out, you managed to kiss and fuck Jason. I have no idea what you're capable of anymore."

"That doesn't mean you can meddle in my life!"

"Ugh!" she groans.

"Thankfully, it didn't scare him off. He's taking me to dinner tomorrow night."

"Is he now?"

"Don't! You're not allowed to meddle this time. I'm doing this on my own."

"Fine, Kate. But don't come to me to hash it out after he drops you back here for the night."

"Are you so sure that I'm not going to stay out all night?"

"Well, yeah. You have to come back and take care of me."

"I don't know," I tease, "you've made it evident that you don't want any help."

"Kate, come on."

"If you have an accident on my floor, I'll be pissed. And before you ask, yes, you'll be the one cleaning it up."

"God, Kate, I'm not that hopeless."

"If you say so."

"Kaaateee!" Briana yells from downstairs.

I'm in the middle of applying my makeup for my date with Jason. I'm determined to look better than the last time we were together. I hadn't slept or washed off my tearstained makeup; I was a mess. I have to redeem myself.

Since I got home from work, I've been grooming myself. I have shaved everything. I'm in dire need of a wax but don't have the time before tonight, so shaving will have to do. I'm not expecting the night to lead anywhere else other than dinner, but I chose to prepare anyway.

"KAAATEEEEE!" Briana yells, again.

"What!" I say, appearing the top of the stairs in my housecoat.

"I'm starving. Can you get me something from the fridge?"

"Seriously? You know I'm getting ready for my date!"

"You're trying to starve me to death, aren't you?"

"I'm doing nothing of the sort. Have an apple from the counter that should tide you over until your takeout gets here."

"Ugh!" she says as I make my way back to my bedroom.

I finish touching up my makeup before trying to tackle my hair. Currently, it's all over the place. I've already decided to curl it into loose curls, which is how I usually wear it. I want to resemble my everyday self as much as possible; I want Jason to see who I've turned into over the years.

With my hair complete, I slip on the little black dress that I had put on the bed. It's tight but flattering. The high neckline stretches across my chest, leaving my shoulders uncovered. The body of the dress molds perfectly against my curves, allowing a small amount of exposure with the mesh cut-outs on either side of my torso.

I eye myself in the mirror, turning in either direction, checking out each angle. I finish the look with some soft pink matte lipstick and a pair of matching pink high heels. After clasping my small diamond pendant around my neck, I look in the mirror again.

"Perfect," I say aloud to myself.

I quickly mist myself with some perfume, grab my clutch, and head downstairs. I find Briana on the couch staring at the television, paying no attention to me whatsoever. The clicking of my heels against the wood floor is what grabs her attention.

"Yes, Kate! That's what I'm talking about," she exclaims, muting the television.

"It's not too sexy, right?" I ask, slowly turning around for her approval.

"No, Kate. I mean, you look hot as hell, but it's not too sexy. It's classy, if anything; classy with a hint of sexy."

"Thank god. I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard."

"Kate, you know you've never had to try hard with Jason; he loves you for who you are."

I'm silent for a moment.

Love?

"You're right. I should calm down. It's not as if he hasn't seen me at my absolute worst. I mean, he fucked me while you were in a coma for heaven's sake; I was a complete wreck."

"He's always been able to see past your imperfections," she chuffs.

I look at her quizzically, trying hard to understand what she meant by that, but I choose not to overthink it.

As I'm opening my mouth to speak, the doorbell chimes. I glance at the clock on the wall, noting that it's only 6:45, so it's more than likely delivery man with Briana's takeout.

I grab my wallet and head towards the door, heels clicking loudly beneath me.

"How much is it?" I ask, pulling my credit card from my wallet before glancing up to take note of who's at the door.

"You look absolutely ravishing," Jason's voice coos.

I focus my eyes on him and immediately begin melting on the inside. He's dressed in a charcoal suit and a freshly pressed white dress shirt. I'm too hung up in his handsomeness that I forget to speak.

"Hi," I say breathlessly, flashing a small smile.

Jason stands there, grinning.

God, he's so handsome.

"Come in," I tell him, stepping out of the way of the entrance.

Jason enters the house, taking in his surroundings.

"It's a nice place you have here."

"Thanks, but I can't take all the credit. Briana helped me redecorate after, you know."

It always pains me to mention my divorce, even more-so to Jason. I'm still very much embarrassed by it, though I know a large percentage of marriages end in divorce.

"Well, it looks nice; I like it."

I flash him another smile.

"Are you ready?" He asks, glancing down my body taking in my appearance again.

"Yes! Let me grab my bag."

For Jason's benefit, I put more of a swing in my step as I grab my clutch from the kitchen island. I turn around slowly, gently brushing a bundle of curls behind my ear as I take in his appearance again.

"Have fun, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Briana chuckles as I'm making my way back towards Jason.

I lean into her ear on my way by the couch.

"We both know what you would do," I say jokingly.

Briana hums in amusement as I walk away from her and join Jason in the foyer.

"Oh, and Bri," I start as we're heading out the door, "please be nice to the delivery guy."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get out of here, you rascals," she groans, waving us off.