The Project

"Great! But, uh, I was going to offer to drive." "Do you have a hybrid?" she asked.

"No, I guess not," he conceded.

"Then we're taking my car," she said matter-of-factly.

"Ok then." Julia could hear the amusement in his voice. Still, he must be used to her controlling nature by now. She said goodbye and put down her phone in a much better mood.

Julia dressed in jeans and a casual top and left home a few hours later. She was so used to walking that she forgot it would be much quicker by car, and arrived at Steven's apartment at least fifteen minutes earlier than she said she would be. She parked on the curb and went and knocked on the door.

There was no response. "Hello?" she called out. A moment later Steven opened the door, breathless. He was dripping wet and wore only a towel around his waist. Julia's jaw dropped. He looked totally hot. His chest was muscular and lightly tanned. She suddenly remembered him saying he went swimming three times a week. It showed, he definitely had a swimmer's body. His abs were similarly well defined and a trail of dark blond hair disappeared beneath the towel.

She stared, unable to think of anything to say. "You're a bit earlier than I expected," he said apologetically.

Julia nodded. "Um…yes. Sorry," she added. "Take your time though." She gave herself a mental slap and forced her eyes upwards towards his face. Steven looked at her oddly but invited her inside. Julia decided to sit on the couch while he finished getting ready. She noticed he looked just as good from behind.

Julia finally admitted to herself that her attraction to him hadn't been caused by the alcohol at all. She wasn't sure how long it hard been there, but it was definitely there. And she didn't know what to do about it. He obviously wasn't a one-night-stand kind of guy but she wasn't sure she could give him more than that. She didn't have a good track record with relationships.

Sasha appeared and jumped up on her lap. "Hey, sweetie," Julia said affectionately. Steven had the right idea getting a cat, she thought as she stroked Sasha. Cats were much less complicated than humans.

Steven emerged a few minutes later. "I hope you don't mind if I wear a t-shirt, since it's the weekend," he said.

Julia laughed. "Am I really such a control freak? I told you there's nothing wrong with your t-shirts, in the right situation."