Free The Follower by Jason Starr

guess you’re right.”
    “You
guess?
I mean, it’s not like he can’t get in touch with you. You know, I think you’re giving him way too much credit. Maybe he didn’t date-rape you, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a total dick.”
    “Whatever,” Katie said, changing the subject. “I guess I’ll talk to him later.”
    At Sephora, Amanda sampled bronzers and eyeshadows, and Katie looked for a new mascara. Katie was trying to relax and have a good time, but she couldn’t get Andy and last night out of her head. She was convinced that he had just wanted to have sex with her and now was blowing her off like the typical guy. He probably wouldn’t call her tomorrow, or the next day, and then finally she’d have to call him. Then he’d blow her off again, with some other excuse, and she’d never hear from him again.
    Katie didn’t buy anything, but Amanda spent about a hundred dollars. When they left, Amanda said, “Hey, you want to go to Urban Outfitters?” and Katie said, “Yeah, if you want to.”
    As they walked downtown, Amanda could tell something was bothering Katie and said, “You have to just forget about that loser.”
    “It’s not that,” Katie lied. “I’m just feeling kind of out of it, that’s all.”
    The rest of the afternoon, Katie couldn’t stop thinking about how Andy had used her for sex and was dumping her and what an idiot she was. She hoped she never had to see his stupid, lying face again.

SEVEN
     
    Peter’s goal was to make the perfect second impression. He knew he’d already made the perfect first impression, but the second impression was even more important. When someone meets someone for the second time, they either confirm the positive impression that they already have of the person, or realize that their first impression was wrong and they form a new impression. In some ways, the second impression is even more crucial than the first. If you make a bad first impression, you have a chance to redeem yourself, but if you make a bad second impression, you’re screwed.
    Since Peter was going to meet Katie at the health club at the end of his shift, he knew he couldn’t get too dressed up or it would look weird, like he was trying too hard to impress. Still, this would be the first time he’d spent any serious time with her, and he didn’t want to look like a slob, either. He put on several outfits and decided to go with jeans, a black T-shirt, and a thin black leather jacket. He’d seen Katie wear a black leather jacket before, and he knew that this would create an instant, subconscious connection with her.
    He took a cab uptown and arrived at the health club at Ninety-second Street. All morning he couldn’t stop thinking about Katie and he knew exactly what would happen. She’d show up at two o’clock, looking beautiful, and he would tell her how great it was to see her. She would be shy, blushing, and then he’d say, “I thought maybe we could grab some lunch.” He’d keep it casual like that, not wanting to seem likehe was trying too hard to upgrade the date from coffee to lunch. She’d say, “Yeah, that sounds great,” and they’d go to a nearby Japanese restaurant. He would’ve loved to take her to someplace fancier, but once again it was all about perception, playing his cards right. He didn’t want to seem like he was going overboard to win her over; he wanted to keep things cool, relaxed. At the restaurant, they’d hit it off, laughing, having a blast, then, at the appropriate time, they’d hold hands. It would be a beautiful moment, one they’d remember forever, and he’d savor it, gazing into her eyes longingly, but not
too
longingly, just longingly enough. After lunch, they’d take a walk in the park, holding hands, and then they’d have their first kiss on the platform overlooking the duck pond near Belvedere Castle. Then he’d walk her home, to her apartment building, and they’d kiss and tell each other what a perfect day they’d had