Even though Cayden was the one who offered to hang out, I was still worried about coming off too strong and being unable to take things slow. We still had so much to learn about each other, so many different things that we might not be compatible with later on. But even then, all I could think about was how she was kind to me through everything, even when I was just a stranger to her. I knew she had a good heart and maybe that was a good enough reason to like her, never mind if we had the same exact taste in music or if we knew anything about each other's lives. It was still so early on.

I tried to find an outfit that was the perfect balance between casual and sexy, just enough where Cayden would probably know what I was hoping would happen but not so much that if she wanted tonight to remain appropriate, she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. I kept my underwear sexy, pulling on a pastel yellow lacy bralette and matching panties. I pulled on dark grey leggings and a mauve long-sleeve shirt that came up to my collarbone while the back of it was in a twisted knot, showing off the skin of my upper back. I pulled on some white Nike socks and dark grey Yeezy slides that managed to match my leggings before heading into the bathroom attached to my room. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, allowing my dark wavy strands to cascade down past my shoulders. I ended up deciding to not put on makeup before spraying myself in my soft vanilla perfume.

"You look hot!" Jade said when I came downstairs. She was pouring shots while Jaci grabbed more chasers. "Where are you going? Oh my god, wait. Are you going to see Griffin?"

"I—" I pushed my hair behind my ear. "Yeah is the outfit okay?"

"Okay? It's perfect," Jaci chimed in.

I laughed, "Yeah okay,"

"She's right you look hot." Jade smiled. "And you're seeing him again so soon—I mean you guys are even going out even on the weekends! But I guess when the sex is so good and you let him give you a hickey then I can't blame you,"

"It was an accident!"

"Doesn't matter, you still got one. And don't think I've forgotten about you not giving J-bug and me details behind the hickey either. You've barely given us anything to go off of and we need details—god this ban on hookups to focus on myself is going to kill me." Jaci groaned as she rubbed her temples which earned an amused laugh from Jade.

"Maybe you should just hook up with someone so you stop thinking about it," I suggested.

"Vina, I swear to god do not tempt me," Jaci threw her shot back and recovered quickly, "But seriously. Some details, please. Anything. I'm just so curious. This is the first person you've hooked up with since Sebastian, right? How was it?" Jaci asked.

I could tell by her tone that she was serious and genuinely wanted to check-in. Part of it was for gossip, but mostly that was all code for how are you holding up.

"It was good. He—" I checked myself on the pronoun to make sure I wouldn't slip up, "Was really... good. It was hot. He actually, like, got me off,"

"What the fuck? Are you serious?" Jade gasped. "Who is this man? Where has he been and where can I find one?"

I bit back a smile. "He just gets me... and there was actual foreplay, which Sebastian never believed in, I guess," I recalled the last time Sebastian and I had sex, which stopped after the first year of dating, but J&J don't know that.

"No wonder you're going to see him tonight. I would've moved in if a man managed to make me orgasm even once the entire time we were seeing each other." Jade looked at me. "So is this like a rebound thing, or do you actually like him?"

The million-dollar question. "I really don't know. I think we're just seeing how it goes for now,"

"Well, seems like it's going well. Are you guys going out again?" Jaci asked as she poured herself and Jade another round of shots.

"Not really I think we're going to chill at his place,"

Jade paused, "On a Saturday night? In New York?" she asked hesitantly which earned a confused nod from me, "Damn doesn't seem casual to me," she said and I slightly agreed with her knowing that I was thinking the same thing just moments earlier, but it still doesn't mean that it's that big of a deal. Or maybe it does and I don't want to risk getting my hopes up or getting too comfortable with the idea of Cayden and me being more than casual.

"It doesn't define anything just because we're staying in," I pointed out which caused Jaci to give me a be for real look.

"Whatever you say, Vina," Jaci shook her head lightly with a knowing smile, "Have fun on your date, I'll just be withering away here, sexless and uninteresting while I go to a club and watch J-bug get down on all the guys,"

"So dramatic," I laughed.

Jade chuckled, "Right?"

"Easy for you guys to say since you both are the ones who will have sex again tonight, especially Vina, who will get to have another orgasm," Jaci pointed out before throwing another shot back.

Jade nods, "Now that I can agree on—you're a lucky girl,"

"We'll see how lucky I can be,"

"Yeah keep playing coy. Go off, I'll see you whenever you get home, maybe with another hickey or three," Jaci waves me off jokingly.

I waved and left, walking outside where my Uber should be arriving any minute. The drive to Cayden's condo wasn't totally familiar to me, but I was sure I could easily navigate it on my own if I drove myself. I was hoping that, maybe, I'd reach the point where the drive was second nature. I knew I wouldn't mind if that was the case.

Nervous for some reason, I knocked on her familiar condo door. My body tingled with excitement and nervousness and the thrill of knowing I was seeing Cayden again. It was the equivalent of our first major, intentional one-on-one hangout and I didn't know what that meant for us. What if we had nothing to talk about? What if all of this effort and secrecy were for nothing? I mean it's slightly scary to invest yourself even slightly with someone when you don't know the outcome of any of it. I mean what if I regret going all in with her?

Everything just feels so confusing and new, but I kept reminding myself that it was normal to feel this way when starting something new with someone. I've been with Sebastian technically since my freshman year of college and even when we were friends, I didn't branch out to meet other women. I knew doing that would diminish the possibility of bringing him home again, so I just stayed in my own bubble with him. Now it's like all of this feels so confusing and hard to navigate. I'm so used to knowing everything and not having to actually have my feelings involved because I obviously didn't like Sebastian in that way, but Cayden is clearly different.

I pushed the thoughts out of my mind as Cayden opened the door to her condo. Her dark hair was down messily flipped over into a side part while she wore a tight black short-sleeve shirt with matching black sweats and socks covering her feet. Her short-sleeve shirt displayed the tattoos covering her arms all the way down to her fingers, which were just inside—I need to get it together.

Her dark eyes traced my body just so, making me feel warm all over, "Come in," she said.