“Have you even moved since I left this morning?”

I roll my head to the side to see my cousin, Rachel, come into the room. “I got up to piss an hour ago.”

She rolls her eyes and dumps her plastic bag unceremoniously on my legs. “Thank you for that.”

I move my legs a bit so the bag falls from my legs to the couch I'm stretched out on. “What’d you buy?”

“Some vegetables. The stuff in your fridge is rotten. How long has it been in there?”

I shrug. “I dunno,” I say through a yawn. “A while I guess.”

“You’re going to get sick if you don’t eat right,” she says in her most adult voice and then pushes my feet to the side so she can sit on the couch.

“You sound like Mom. Is she telling you to get me to eat my fruits and vegetables?”

“As a matter of fact, she is. And take vitamins. I bought you some and they still sitting on the counter unopened.”

“Yeah I forgot about those.”

“One of these days you’re going to get sick from how you treat your body.”

A groan escapes me and I shove my foot into her hip. “You’re no fun when you try and be all responsible.”

“Get your disgusting feet off of me,” she replies, pushing at my feet again. “Have you even showered today?”

“As a matter of fact, I have, thank you.” I swing my feet onto the ground and sit up. Scrubbing my hands over my face, I yawn again. “What time is it?”

“Six o’clock. Are you planning on staying on this couch all night too?”

I lay my head on the back of the couch and stare up at the ceiling. “No. I’m waiting for Cassie to call me.”

“Cassie?”

“Cassandra Reyna.” Is it stupid that I feel cool just saying her name and letting Rachel in on the fact that I know her?

“Since when do you talk to Cassandra Reyna?”

I turn my head to give her a bored look like this was old news. “I went for dinner with her in New York.”

She doesn't look impressed. “Uh huh.”

“And she’s moving out here. She’s out here looking for a place to live. She called me yesterday to get Jerry Luther’s number.”

Rachel isnow focused on the game show I had previously been watching on TV. “Oh.”

“And we’re going to hang out tonight.”

“Oh.”

Would it kill her to show a little interest in this? “She’s opening a store on Rodeo Drive, you know.”

She doesn't take her eyes off the TV but a smirk settles across her face. “Just let me know when you’re done gushing over her.”

I snort and stand up. “You know, I didn’t even invite you over here.”

“Go put those vegetables in the fridge.”

Heaving a sigh, I grab the bag and go to the kitchen. It’s not like I have anything better to do.

Not that I’d admit it, but I’ve been waiting around all day for Cassie’s phone call. I know her flight didn’t get in until like four this morning and she probably crashed in her hotel before meeting with Jerry at nine and didn’t have a chance to call me. But it’s past six now and I’m getting anxious. I don’t want to seem overeager and call her since she did say she’d call me but I’m almost at that point. Seriously, all I’ve done all day is lay around and I can’t spend my night doing that. I need to get out of the house.

I’ve been sitting by my cell phone for six hours waiting for it to ring. Of course it’s as soon as I’m in the kitchen that it rings.

“Justin!” Rachel yells.

I don't pull my head from the fridge. “What?!” I yell back.

“Phone!”

I yank my head from the fridge and let out a few curses when my shoulder hit the door as I slam it shut. I jog through the house back to the den even though I know my voicemail is going to kick in before I get there.

“Missed a call,” Rachel says when I make it to the room.

I grab my phone from the hand she has stretched above her head. “You could have just picked it up.”

“True, I could have.”

I roll my eyes and flip the phone open. I smile when I seethe missed call was from Cassie and I immediately hit the call back button. Raising the phone to my ear, I begin to walk out of the room. It rings twice before her voice comes over the line.

“Hello?”

“Hey. It’s Justin.”

“Oh hi.”

“Sorry I missed your call. I was in the other room.”

“That’s fine.”

“So how are you? You’re here, right?”

“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t call you when I got in but it was so early and I wanted to sleep before going house hunting.”

I wander down the hall and into my office. “I figured. So how’d it go? Did you find any potentials?”

“Better than that. I bought a house.”

My eyebrows raise. “That was fast.”

“I know. But I needed a place by next week and I kind of fell in love with it.”

“Where is it?”

She rambles off an address that's about fifteen minutes away from me and I smile. Perfect. We weren’t going to be too far from each other. “That’s a good area of town,” I say, sinking into the leather chair behind my desk.

“It’s a really nice neighborhood. And it’s not too far away from where my store will be.”

“That’s good.” I prop up one leg on the desk and lean the chair back. “So are you there now? Or are you at your hotel?”

“I’m actually at a hardware store getting paint.”

“Wow, you really waste no time. Do you already have possession of the house?”

“Yeah I didn’t think it would go through so fast but the people were anxious to sell it, I guess.”

“Are you going to paint all by yourself?”

“I was planning on it.”

I canhear a voice in the background and then her muffled voice respond. I wait patiently for her to come back on the line.

“Sorry. I’m just going through the register.”

“You got all your paint?”

“Yeah. Now I’m just going to have to find the time to paint.”

Balancing the phone between my shoulder and ear, I crack my knuckles and then stretch out my fingers. “We could do it tonight.”

“Tonight?” she questions.

“Sure. You promised you’d hang out with me, remember?” Please let that still be the plan.

“I remember. But you want to paint?”

“Why not? Have you eaten?”

“Not since lunch.”

“I can pick up some Chinese or something and we can paint.”

“I didn’t really bring anything that I can paint in.”

“I’ll bring over a t-shirt. Come on, are you really going to pass up on free labor?”

A giggle comes over the line. “I guess that would be stupid of me. Okay well that sounds good. What time do you want to do this?”

“I can come over whenever. I’m just sitting at home right now.”

“I’ll probably be back at the house in twenty minutes. Do you know how to get there?”

“Pretty sure. Chinese food okay with you?”

“That would be great.”

“Preferences?”

“Whatever you want is fine with me.”

I drop my foot from the desk and stand up. “Well I’ll order it and then pick it up on my way over.”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye.”

I can't wipe the smile from my face as I leave the room. I had been pretty sure I would see her tonight but now that I actually knew I was, my mood was pretty high. Spending the night with her is going to be great. Even if we’re painting, which is one of my least favorite things to do. If we’re alone together, there’s not going to be any interruptions and I can actually get to know her.

“What’s a good Chinese food place?” I ask Rachel when I find her in the kitchen.

She looks up from the newspaper. “I dunno. Don’t you have any flyers around here?”

 I begin to rummage through my stack of take out menus. “Do you have any old shirts around here?”

“No. Why?”

“I’m going over to Cassie’s new house to help her paint and she needs something to wear.”

“All I have here is my concert t-shirt from the Guns N’Roses concert and there’s no way I’m giving you that to paint.”

I pull out a take out menu and open it. “I’ll find one of my own.” I spread out the menu and then lean over the counter, resting my forearms on the surface as my eyes scan over the options.

“So is this like a painting date?”

I don't look up. I already know if I did I’ll find her smirking at me. “No. I’m just helping her out.”

“Since when do you offer to help someone paint? I thought you hated the smell of wet paint.”

“I’m just trying to help her out.”

“Sounds like you’re just trying to get in her pants.”

This time I do look up at her. “What would your mom say if she knew you said those types of things?”

“Probably the same thing your mom say if she knew half the things that come out of your mouth.”

My eyes return back to the menu. “At this point, Cassie and I are friends, if that. Acquaintances. I don’t sleep around with people I don’t know.”

“So do I get to meet her?”

“Why would you get to meet her?”

“Well if you’re interested in her then you should let me meet her. I’ll give you my honest opinion about her.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. You’re too honest sometimes.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

I smirk. “I’m gonna order some food to take over to her place. Do you want me to get anything extra for you?”

“Nope. I’m leaving right away. We’re still going to the gym tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah but later in the day. I don’t know how long I’ll be out tonight.”

“Probably all night if you get your way, right?”

Sometimes it’s not even worth responding to her comments. This was one of those times. “See you later, Rach,” I call over my shoulder as I leave the kitchen, her laughter echoing behind me.

I order the food and then gpupstairs to my room to change my clothes and five minutes later I'm on my way out of my house. It was close to seven once I had picked up the food and made my way to Cassie’s house. Pulling into the driveway, I park beside her rental car.

The house wasn’t huge but it looks nice from the outside. Lights were on inside and it looks inviting. She made a good choice.

I walk up the front steps and, balancing the bag of food in one arm, I ring the doorbell. Only a few seconds passed before I hear the lock turning.

This was the first time I had seen her dressed down and it was a cute look on her. She had her hair pulled back into a high ponytail and had on a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans, her toes poking out from under the denim. There was minimal makeup on her face and she looked pretty and fresh.

“I come bearing food,” I say, holding up the bag as I step into the house.

Her face breaks into a smile. “Great. I’m so hungry. The kitchen is in the back.”

I follow behind her, smiling a bit as I watch her ponytail bounce with each step she takes. “I might have gotten too much food. I didn’t know what you’d like.”

“I love all Chinese food. I’m sure we can manage to eat it.”

We getto the kitchen and I put the bag on the counter. “So do we eat first or do I get a grand tour?”

“Mmm…quick tour and then we’ll eat,” she decides and then starts to wander out of the kitchen. Realizing this was the tour, I quickly fall into step beside her.

“The whole place seems really weird right now because it’s so empty and white in here,” she says as we walk through the bare dining room and living room. “I’m hoping once I get some paint on the walls and all my furniture moved in it’ll feel more normal.”

“Where are you living right now?”

“I have an apartment in Seattle. It’s a pretty good size but I don’t think I have enough stuff to fill the house with. I might have to go furniture shopping when I get out here for good.”

“When’s that going to be?”

“If all goes right, probably sometime next week.”

We climb the stairs to the upper level. “That’s so fast.”

“I know. Everything’s moved so fast the past couple days that it all feels like a blur. I can’t even believe I’m here right now.”

“Well I for one am glad you’re here,” I say as we reached the top of the stairs. “It’s going to be great with you living in LA.”

She turns to give me a half smile. “I hope so.”

I follow her into the large bedroom at the end of the hall. “Is this the master suite?”

“Mm hmm. Isn’t it nice?”

“Yeah, it is. It’s pretty big.”

“I know. But that’s perfect. I have a big canopy bed and a big dresser so I need a big room. My room in Seattle is kind of small and it’s so cramped.” She looks around the room and wraps her arms around her midsection. I've seen her take that position a couple times since I’ve met her. It must be a security thing.

“So yeah, that’s basically it. The outside needs some work but I’m not going to worry too much about that right now.”

I nod and was going to suggest my landscaper when her stomach growled loudly, breaking the silence of the room. She blushes a bit and I begin to laugh.

“Maybe we should eat before you die of starvation.”

She lets out a small laugh and presses her palm to her cheek. “The tour’s basically done anyways. Unless you really want to see the linen closet.”

I lead the way out of the room and downstairs. “I can use my imagination.”

Once we were in the kitchen, both of us realize at the same time that we have neither dishes nor anywhere to sit. So we end up in her dining room, on the carpeted floor, passing the boxes of Chinese food back and forth between each other. And you know, there was something about sitting in the empty room on the floor across from her and talking over take out that was perfect.

That’s one of my tests. If I can have a good time out on the town with a girl, that’s great. But if I can have just as good of a time sitting around and doing nothing, that’s even better. Dinner at Carrabba’s was amazing, but this was better. She seemed a bit more relaxed and was smiling and laughing. At one point I said something that must have been funny and she burst out laughing and a snort escaped her. She was completely embarrassed but I thought it was cute. My mom does the same thing when she really gets laughing and I’ve always thought it was great. My mom was really going to love Cassie.

I have to stop myself at that point because I'm getting way ahead of myself. I need to get through this night first before I start planning meetings between Cassie and my mom. That can definitely wait a month or two.

We talk for a good hour before she mentions painting. I had kind of been hoping she’d forget about it and just decide to hire someone to do it. I mean, really, why waste your time painting when you can get someone else to do it? But hey, I told her I’d come over and help her and I try to keep my word when possible.

Cassie is basically swimming in my t-shirt but she still manages to make it look good by tying the loose fabric in a knot on her lower back. This would be why this girl is a fashion designer. She can make anything look good.

She had got this light blue color for her living room and we go to work on painting that. After ten minutes I'm already tired to it but she seems to be having fun and we're having some good conversation so I deal with the tediousness of painting the wall.

I like to think I’m pretty good at reading people and if I’m reading Cassie right, she’s interested in me. She’s flirting a little and I’m flirting right back. I still haven’t really sat down and figured out what I’m wanting with her, but I have figured out that I have the tiniest of crushes on her and she’s pretty amazing. And really, if I want to start something up with someone, she would be a good option. Everything about her fits my criteria.

The room takes longer to paint than either of us anticipated and it's close to eleven by time we finish the first coat. I have to admit, it looks pretty good for a couple of amateurs.

“I really wasn’t sure about this color in the store,” Cassie says as she surveys the room, her hands on her hips. “But it looks really good on the walls.”

“It’s a good choice,” I agree. “Very fresh and spring like.” I go over to stand beside her. “Could always be an interior decorator if this whole fashion thing falls through.”

She bumps her hip against mine. “Don’t say that. You’ll jinx me.”

I laugh. “I don’t think you have to worry about being jinxed at this point, Miss Rodeo Drive.”

She smiles and leaves my side to go get the paint supplies. “You’re going to give me a big head if you keep saying that.”

I help her carry the brushes to the kitchen. “So have you figured out which day you’re going to have movers get your stuff down here?”

“I think I’ll try for next Friday. I’d like to put it off longer but I have to be here for the remodeling of the store and that’s scheduled for Monday.”

“You should give me a call when you have a set date and I can help you unpack and all that shit,” I say as I turn on the faucet and wash off the roller brush, the water turning blue as it swirled down the sink.

“I might just take you up on that.”

“And I can give you a good tour of the city.”

“Sounds like a plan.” She comes up beside me and reaches in the sink to wash off a brush. Her hand slides against mine and I look over at her, studying her face. I came over here tonight mostly to see if we work well together. We had a good time at Carrabba’s but I want to see if I canget to know the real girl. And I feel like after tonight I got a glimpse of it. The way she talks and the things she says reminds me of myself and I really like that.

While her eyes are cast down toward the sink, I take the opportunity to really study her profile. She’s not just pretty, she has this classic beauty about her. She almost has an Audrey Hepburn look about her. She just has the kind of face I can stare at all day and not grow bored of.

She must feel my stare because her eyes cut to me so suddenly that I can't even play it off that I wasn’t watching her.

“What? Do I have something on my face?”

I'm about to make up some excuse when a smile spreads across my face. “Actually, you do.”

Her hand immediately goes to her cheek. “What?”

I can't help but laugh a bit. “You have some blue paint on your nose.”

Her cheeks darken slightly. “I do?”

She looks completely embarrassed and the fact that she's blushing iscute. Still laughing, I reach for a paper towel and wet it. “Hold still.”

Her brandy colored eyes stare at me as I gently rub the paper towel over the tip of her nose and I can’t help but stare back at her. There is an obvious connection here and there’s no point denying it anymore. The hand holding the paper towel slowly falls to my side and we’re left looking at each other. Figuring I won’t get an opportunity as perfect as this anymore, I lean in for the kiss. It would have been perfect but right before our lips met, she pulls her head back.

Ouch. There’s an ego bruiser for you.

I jerk my head back. “I’m sorry,” I quickly say, hoping my embarrassment isn't showing. Not to sound too cocky, but it isn’t often I get rejected like this.

She bites down on her bottom lip. “It’s okay.”

“No, I shouldn’t have done that. I just misread the situation.”

She looks down to the sink and then back up at me. Her cheeks are still a bit flushed. “No, it’s just I have this thing.”

“Thing?”

“I don’t kiss anyone until I’ve known them for at least three weeks.”

That's the last thing I expect her to say and all I can do is stare at her. After a moment of silence, she looks to the side again.

“It’s stupid.”

I quickly jump in. “It’s not stupid. I just wasn’t expecting you to say that.”

“It’s just this thing…”

“It’s completely respectable.”

She manages a small smile and then turns back to the sink to continue to rinse off the brushes. I lean my hip against the counter, facing her. In my head I do some quick math.

“So the first time we met was last Saturday. So we’ve known each other for officially a week.”

A smile quickly appears on her lips but when she looks up at me, she hasa straight face. “That’s right.”

“So March third will be the date when we have known each other for exactly three weeks.”

She rests her palms on the edge of the sink and turns to look at me. “That would be correct.”

I smile and raise my eyebrows. “Just making an observation.”

She laughs softly and then goes back to the brushes. “I see.”

So we don’t kiss for two more weeks. That’s not so bad…Okay, it kind of sucks but I can deal with it. Anticipation always makes things better.

The paint brushes aresoon clean and once the water is off, she turns to me. “So I don’t want to come across completely rude, but I need to go to bed. It’s been a really long day.”

“Hey, completely understandable. You’re driving back to your hotel?”

“Yeah.”

I kind of still want to just hang out but the poor girl looks like she's about to pass out. Taking the initiative, I start towards the front door and she follows.

“Thanks so much for helping me paint.”

“It was no problem. It was great to hang out with you.”

She gives me a smile. “Yeah, it really was. And I’m definitely going to take you up on that offer to help me get settled in here next week.”

Perfect. “Just give me a call when you have the dates figured out and we’ll make it happen.”

“Great.”

We're in that slightly awkward moment at the end of a night when there's the question of what the next move should be. Deciding to take a risk, I step forward to hug her. She accepts it warmly and some relief goes through me. I don’t think I can take much more rejection tonight.

She feels really good to hug. Her body fit into mine perfectly, her head coming just up to my shoulder. I pull away after a second, but note in my head that she didn't made any move to back away. Looking at her face, I find her cheeks again flushed.

I risk my next words. “So I understand your kissing thing, but where are we on a kiss on the cheek?”

She wets her lips and smiles. “I think that would be okay.”

Returning the smile, I lean forward and brush my lips against her warm cheek softly and fleetingly. She's still as I pull back and open the door.

“I’ll talk to you later.”