Ryan McGraw [12:49 AM]: don’t be a smartass, Julia
Ryan McGraw [12:49 AM]: :)
Oh my God, Ryan McGraw uses emoticons.
Ryan McGraw [12:50 AM]: I just want to help. I know what Catherine and Stephanie want to see in a scorecard.
Julia Hayes [12:50 AM]: Good point
Ryan McGraw [12:50 AM]: When are you planning on working on it?
Julia Hayes [12:50 AM]: Tomorrow. I don’t like procrastinating.
Ryan McGraw [12:51 AM]: Do you want to meet on campus somewhere?
Yes. But I don’t have my car.
Julia Hayes [12:50 AM]: You’re really serious, aren’t you?
Ryan McGraw [12:50 AM]: Yes.
Julia Hayes [12:50 AM]: Ok then. Meet me at Building 7, on this side of the lake?
Building 7 was a satellite office in south Lake union of Seattle; I could easily take the bus there. Since I had just agreed to this, I instantly felt a little guilty about declining Kyle’s earlier offer of assistance to do the same thing. But then again, Kyle wasn’t Ryan.
Ryan McGraw [12:50 AM]: Good idea
Ryan McGraw [12:51 AM]: I’ll book us a conf room
Why did that sound so sexy?
Ryan McGraw [12:51 AM]: I’m sorry for not being honest with you to start.
Julia Hayes [12:51 AM]: You’re forgiven. :)
It was my turn to flirt with emoticons.
Ryan McGraw [12:51 AM]: What time?
Julia Hayes [12:51 AM]: 10 ok?
Ryan McGraw [12:51 AM]: that works
Julia Hayes [12:52 AM]: Ok. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.
Ryan McGraw [12:52 AM]: See you Julia
Julia Hayes [12:52 AM]: See you Ryan
Holy shit! I had a sort of date with Ryan tomorrow.
In retrospect, I was relieved he had opted not to call me directly with the Lync phone feature. There was something about instant messaging, text messaging, and emails that gave you a bit more courage than if you were speaking on the phone. Maybe this was because in person, your eyes, your body language, your voice could give more emotions and feelings away than you intended. You’re more vulnerable in person. Behind the hardware and software, you can present a much more controlled image.
In a way, these different technology communications vehicles were sort of like alcohol. They gave us courage to flirt, to be bolder and braver, without really showing all our cards. Maybe this was one of the reasons people found the use of these tools so addicting and why online dating was so popular.
Just after one am, I saw a little message on the bottom right corner of my screen pop up, telling me I had an email from Ryan in my inbox. A little shot of adrenaline piped through me. It was a Schedule Plus invite for tomorrow at ten in the morning, with a conference room booked in Building 7.
I hit “accept” on the invite. Before I hit “send,” I decided to edit my reply. “Thanks, Ryan. I’m looking forward to it. Julia.”
I hit “send” before I could think too much about my reply. It was either the alcohol talking or else the courage of hiding behind my computer.
After last night’s surprising turn of events, it took me a while to settle down enough to sleep. Thankfully, I didn’t seem to have a hangover from last night’s overconsumption of wine. I woke up early because I was both nervous and excited to see Ryan this morning.
It had been almost three weeks since that memorable evening at Betty’s. That awesome night was forever burned into my brain, but now I was having doubts. Maybe our amazing chemistry and connection was all in my imagination. What if it becomes awkward and uncomfortable when we see each other? Then he’ll quickly come to realize that offering me help today was a mistake. He’ll try to find a delicate way to extract himself from the situation to save me from any further embarrassment.
My intuition told me that that wasn’t going to happen and I was just letting my imagination and fears get the best of me. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but a little part of me hoped that things would continue where we had left off. I was curious if we would be able to establish the same level of comfort and chemistry we had at Betty’s.
I chose my clothes carefully. I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard or make it look like I was dressing for just another day at work. I wanted to wear something casual, but not too casual. After all, it was a Saturday morning. I needed to wear something that would enhance my best assets, too. I settled on my favorite pair of ass-flattering skinny jeans and a flowing white tank top with an empire waist which emphasized my breasts. Since I had to walk a few blocks to the bus stop, I opted for my black ballet flats—casual and sweet yet demure. I tied my hair into a ponytail to help finish off the “I didn’t try so hard” look I was after. Looking at myself in the mirror, I smiled, satisfied with the final result.