(The picture featured in this chapter is the inspo for Alexa's outfit. Just imagine it with a black shirt instead of a striped shirt.)

I'm having the best dream ever when I'm woken by a loud sound only to realize that it's my stupid phone. I groan out loud and sluggishly roll over in bed to grab my phone off my nightstand. When I finally peel my eyes open I see that I have a new text from Nate and immediately perk up. I guess my phone isn't so stupid after all. Not when it has texts from my new boyfriend. Holy shit! I have a boyfriend! How did that happen?!

Yesterday, when I woke up I was single as I'd ever been and then come night time, Nate asked me to be his girlfriend. I, of course, said yes, and now here I am with a boyfriend. My very first boyfriend. It's crazy how things change in the blink of an eye. I'm honestly still in shock and can hardly believe Nate's my boyfriend now. Why he set his sights on me is beyond me? But I'm glad he saw something in me that no one else has. Not even me. Hopefully, I can see it one day too.

I unlock my phone to read his message.

Morning beautiful.

I smile at the sweet message and roll onto my stomach and prop myself up on my elbows so I can text him back.

Morning handsome.

How are you?

Great! And you?

I text back with a big dorky smile on my face.

I'm good but I could definitely be better.

How so?

If you were here with me.

I knew you would say something like that.

Are you saying I'm unoriginal?

More like predictable.

Guess I have to up my game then. No one wants to be predictable.

I was kidding.

Where are you texting me from anyway?

My bed.

Want to know what I'm wearing?

"Hopefully grey sweatpants," I say out loud and bite my lip.

Sure. Enlighten me.

Guess you don't want to know then.

He teases me and I groan.

Nate! Tell me!

Grey sweatpants.

Thank my lucky stars! I just hope he doesn't send a picture. I don't think my heart could handle that this early in the morning.

Nothing else.

He adds, making my jaw drop.

Not even boxers?

I ask him, letting curiosity get the best of me.

NOPE. ;)

He texts back and I don't even know what to respond to that.

Cat got your tongue?

He teases me and I can't help but laugh and shake my head at his dumb text.

Something like that.

I can't believe you sleep commando.

Not all the time.

Sometimes it's just nice to sleep without constricting boxers.

I mean you must understand. Don't women hate bras?

I don't mind them tbh.

So you've never...

Slept without a bra?

I finish for him and seconds later his response pops up on my screen.

Yeah...

No. Never.

You should try it sometime.

I bet it feels nice.

Comfy.

I mean, that's how I feel sleeping without boxers on.

I'll pass. I would feel self-conscious sleeping without a bra on.

You have your own room, don't you? No one can see you when you go to bed.

I know but I just wouldn't feel comfortable doing it.

It's your loss.

It feels amazing to go commando.

Can we stop talking about your near naked state already?

I'm wearing sweatpants, so I'm not technically naked.

Ugh. Don't remind me. I don't need to be imagining him laying on his back in nothing but his grey sweatpants with his sheets pulled up just below his waist. Nope, totally not imagining that.

Stop it, Alexa! Get your head out of the gutter woman.

I shake off all visual thoughts of Nate and focus on my screen when I see another text from Nate come in.

If women can sleep without bras, I can sleep without boxers on occasion. It's not like anyone can see me anyway.

I think about a response but there's really only one thing I want to ask him right now. I start to type it out but I delete it. No, I shouldn't go there. It would be wrong to ask him. Wouldn't it?

Penny for your thoughts.

Fuck it. I'll ask him anyway.

What if I was there with you? Right now...

Are you asking if I would be wearing boxers?

I don't even know what I'm asking.

I respond, feeling frustrated.

Forget it.

I'm such an idiot.

Or are you wondering, what I would do to you if you were here by my side laying with me in bed?

He asks me and I feel my pulse race and my mouth go dry. It's like he read my mind. But how do I respond to that? Do I admit that's exactly what I was wondering or do I pretend my thoughts aren't spiraling down the gutter?

Sorry, I need to learn to keep my mouth shut. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable.

He apologizes, taking my silence as a bad thing.

No!

Not at all!

If I'm being totally honest, that is exactly what I was wondering.

I respond, feeling my face get hot at my admission.

Well, if you were here with me, I would be a gentleman and have my boxers on.

He texts me, wanting to lighten up the mood and I can't help but snort at his words. He's such a dork.

I wouldn't expect anything less from you.

I text back with a smile.

And I'd have you wrapped up in my arms.

Keep going.

And I would kiss you until my lips fell off.

Okay, maybe not to that extent because I want to be able to kiss you every single day but you get the point. ;)

I wish I was kissing you right now.

Soon.

That one word was enough to make my heart race.

Soon isn't soon enough.

"Patience you must have."

Did you seriously just quote Yoda?

Maybe. :P

You're such a dork.

You know you love me.

Sorry, I shouldn't have said that.

He quickly amends.

It's just so easy to talk to you. Sometimes, I just say things without thinking. I don't actually expect you to love me yet or really any time soon, but with time, I will make you fall for me.

Can a heart clench? Because I'm pretty sure my heart just clenched and skipped a beat all at the same time.

Your heart will be mine, Alexa.

Well, there goes my heart. There's no way I'm going to be able to not fall for him when he says things like that, but I'm going to try damn hard to stay strong through it all. It's all I can do at this point.

You sound so cocky.

I tease him.

I'm not cocky. I just know what I want and you are what I want. You and only you.

I gulp, knowing full well that there is a double entendre to his words.

I want you too but we need to take things slow.

I remind him.

I know and I can wait but it doesn't mean I want you any less.

NATE!

Stop!

We literally just started dating yesterday.

I know. Believe me, I know. I'll wait as long as it takes. It won't be easy, but I'll do it. For you.

I just want to take things slow. At least for now.

Otherwise, I may spontaneously combust over here but I obviously don't tell him that or the fact that he makes me feel things no one ever has.

Of course! I'd do anything for you.

He reassures me and I can't help but smile.

What are your plans for today?

He asks out of the blue.

Plans? What are those? I've never heard of any such thing. JK I have no plans tbh.

I respond playfully, wanting to lighten up the mood again.

How about you and I go out today?

He asks me and I feel my heart stop for a quick beat.

Like a date, date?

Yes, a date, date. lol A real date. Just you and me. What do you say?

Yeah, that sounds great.

I respond, not wanting to sound too crazy excited when I'm practically screaming on the inside.

What time works for you?

Anytime. I just need to take a shower and get ready and then I'm all set.

Are you up for spending the whole day with me?

Yes!

I respond, feeling giddy.

Then get ready and text me when you're done.

Will do. ;)

I respond before hopping out of bed.

I quickly grab some undergarments and make my way into the bathroom where I do my morning routine and take the fastest shower of my life. Once I'm done I put on my undergarments and make my way to my closet and that's when it hits me, I have no idea where we're going; much less what type of outfit I should wear. I contemplate choosing an outfit but decide against it because I know there's a chance I could choose an outfit that could possibly be overdressed or severely underdressed for whatever he has in mind, so I decide that texting Nate is my best option.

Casual or formal?

I text him, wondering what his response will be.

Bring multiple outfits, but for now casual will do. ;)

He responds, leaving me curious but I don't question him and just do as he says.

I get all dressed and quickly apply makeup to my face and go for a semi-natural look that will fit any outfit and fill a bag with outfits and shoes that I have picked out carefully. Hopefully, they will do for whatever Nate has in mind.

Ready!

I text Nate and grab my stuff before heading out into the living room where Mia is hanging out on the couch watching some movie. As soon as I enter the room she gives me a curious look and pauses what she's watching.

"And where are you going?" she inquires.

"On a date."

"With who?"

"Nate," I tell her and can't help but smile big when I say his name.

"Are you two officially official?"

"Yup, since last night," I inform her with a grin and she quickly sits up.

"I'm so happy for you! Where are you two going for your first date?" she asks excitedly.

"I have no idea. He just told me to bring multiple outfits."

"Ooh! A surprise. I like that. Are you excited?"

"Heck yeah!" I tell her giddily.

"Well let me know how it goes and don't leave out any details."

"I'll think about it," I tell her with a wink and plop down on the couch as my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out to see that I have a new text from Nate.

Be right over.

I lock my phone and look up at Mia to see that she is grinning from ear to ear.

"What did he say?" Mia asks curiously.

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Oh, come on. Tell me!"

"No. I'm not telling you anything," I respond just as the bell rings. "That's for me," I inform her with a grin and get up and open the door. When I do, my eyes connect with Nate instantly and I nearly lose all ability to breathe. "Fuck me," I mutter under my breath, not believing the Adonis standing before me is my boyfriend. How the hell did I get so lucky?

I take him in from head to toe and start at his jet black hair that is slicked back, making him look like a sexy greaser. His denim button-up shirt is rolled up at the sleeves, showing off his big muscular arms. The very same arms that lifted me in the air the night of his party. Just thinking about that night and how he held me in his arms so protectively makes my stomach flutter. What I wouldn't give for a repeat of that night. I push back the memory and continue my perusal of his body and appreciate that his legs are clad in black jeans. They fit him so good, they look like they were made for him.

I quickly avert my gaze to his feet, avoiding his middle section completely. I'm sure he'll notice but after the conversation we had earlier about him not wearing boxers, I do not want to look just in case he decided to go commando. I doubt he'd do that but you never know. I'd rather play it safe and not see anything. At all. It's not my business what he wears or doesn't wear.

I take in his shoes and see that he's wearing classic black and white chucks and smile at his choice of footwear because I chose to wear the same exact shoes. The crazy thing is that I also chose to wear denim for our date. Except I'm not wearing jeans or a denim shirt. I'm wearing this cute overall denim dress over a black three quarter sleeve shirt, but instead of it ending in shorts, it has a cute pleated skirt that falls two inches above my knee. And did I mention it has pockets?! I have my phone inside one of them and absolutely love the convenience of pockets in a dress. Dresses should really start coming with pockets. They're super useful. Anyways, I digress. Underneath my dress, I'm wearing my black Spanx. Those are always a must when I wear dresses. I can't go without them. Otherwise, my legs will chafe.

My outfit is all very casual but I love it even more now that I realize Nate and I are matching in every way. Anyone who sees us will probably think we planned this all out but this was definitely not planned. We just apparently like black, denim and Chucks a lot and I'm not mad. I think it's actually rather cute that we match for our first date.

I look at him longer than necessary and nearly sigh on the spot. He's so dreamy, I could stare at him all day. Can you blame me though? Nate looks like the sexiest bad boy of all. He's just asking to be looked at and looking I am.

It's official. I'm drunk on Nate.

I hear him clear his throat and immediately snap out of my daze.

"Umm...hi," I greet him, feeling suddenly nervous.

"What did you say? Before that? When you opened the door?" Nate asks me amused and I feel heat rise to my cheeks. Shit! He heard what I said.

"Nothing," I lie embarrassed.

"I'm pretty sure you said something."

"You must have heard wrong."

"No, I'm pretty sure you said something."

"Nope," I say with a shake of my head.

"Say it!"

"I didn't say anything."

"Yes, you did. I heard you."

"Fine," I say, placing my hand on my hip. "What did I say, according to you?"

"Fuck me," he says so smugly I just want to wipe the grin right off his face.

"I did not!" I lie, feeling my face burn in embarrassment.

"Sure. Whatever you say," he says amused and I huff.

"I didn't say that," I persist but I don't know who I'm trying to convince. He obviously heard me. There's no way to lie my way out of this one.

"Just admit it," he tells me and I really see no way out of this.

"Fine!" I say frustrated. "I said it but don't let this get to your head," I tell him and he chuckles. Bastard.

"I think you look gorgeous too," Nate tells me before leaning in and kissing me on the forehead.

"I didn't say that." I said something much worse. At least he was being chivalrous. Me, I just word vomited the moment I saw him.

"Semantics," he says amused. "This is for you," he tells me, handing me a single red rose that I hadn't even noticed he had been holding since I was so focused on him.

"T-thanks," I mutter shyly. "It's beautiful."

"No more beautiful than you," he tells me, making me blush.

"Stop, you're going to make my face burn up more than it already has," I tell him and cover my cheeks.

"Don't cover them. I love seeing how my words affect you." He pulls my hands away from my cheeks and I look down and away from him but he refuses to let me hide my face and lifts my chin and forces me to look at him. "Don't ever hide from me," he tells me and I blush a deeper shade of red. He kisses each of my cheeks and then kisses me on the lips but he doesn't let his lips linger on mine for long and pulls away quickly. Too quickly for my liking if I'm being totally honest and then I remember why when I hear a throat clear behind us.

"Just get a room already and let me watch my movie in peace," Mia comments from behind me and of course Nate chuckles.

"Are you ready to go?" Nate asks me and I nod.

"I've never been more ready in my life," I respond and grab my stuff.

"I'll take that," he says and takes my bag of clothes from me.

"I am perfectly capable of carrying that."

"I know but I refuse to let you, so deal with it," he tells me with a grin. "Now let's go."

"Have fun you two!" Mia tells us and we both give her our thanks before walking over to Nate's car.

Nate opens the door for me like the chivalrous guy he is and I give him my thanks as I get in. He closes the door behind me and I, of course, watch him as he makes his way around the front of the car. Once he's inside I quickly look away, hoping I don't get caught ogling him.

"You should take a picture. It'll last longer," Nate comments as he puts my bag in the backseat and buckles up.

"I would have but I didn't see anything worth taking a picture of," I retort making him chuckle.

"Liar. I could feel you staring at my backside. I hope you enjoyed the view."

"Not really. It was pretty flat and boring."

"Are you saying I have no ass?" he asks mock offended and I can't help but laugh.

"What?! No! I never said that."

"So are you saying I have a great ass?"

"No! Stop putting words in my mouth."

"Then what are you trying to say?"

"Nothing. Now stop asking dumb questions," I tell him playfully and he goes quiet. I rest my hand on his arm and he turns to look at me with a serious look on his face and I can't help but feel bad. "For what it matters, you have a great butt," I tell him and he instantly perks up.

"I knew you looked," he says with a grin from ear to ear and I smack him on the arm playfully.

"You just wanted me to compliment your butt."

"No, I just wanted you to lighten up," he tells me with a boyish smile. "I could tell you were really nervous when I picked you up. You still are but you don't need to be."

"How do you do it?" I blurt out and immediately wish I could take it back.

"Do what?" he asks genuinely curious.