4| Let’s Ride

I had officially become a hermit.

Last week was a mess of me planning my article, stressing about dating, and feeling as though I was the one on the "outs." Since Lydia and Ellie were in charge of finding men to participate, they weren't at their desks much. Even Rory, Hayden, and Cole didn't really spend a lot of time with me as they were helping to read through the questionnaires.

It kind of felt like the 5 of them all had this inside joke now, and occasionally they would shoot looks my way or try to smother laughter at some of the answers. So, by the time the weekend rolled around, nobody wanted to drink with me for fear they'd let the secrets slip.

Thus, ironically, I had become even more antisocial than I was before, even though this whole experiment was aimed at increasing my social capacity.

I was laying on by side, buried under my duvet while I stared at the clock on my nightstand. I watched the minutes, knowing that in just 2 minutes my alarm was going to go off, and I would be heading to work.

It was Monday, and therefore my first "date." My stomach was in knots to the point that I actually felt physically ill. I even debated calling in sick but I knew that would not fly with Dakota. I hadn't seen his stupid handsome face since our chat on Monday, but Ellie and Lydia had been feeding him updates about the progress on this experiment. After all, I knew nothing about the "bachelors," so how could I fill him in?

Finally, my alarm went off, pulling me from my thoughts. I begrudgingly rolled out of bed, shivering as my body adjusted to the air-conditioned room without my thick blanket.

I ran myself through the shower, and used my blow drier to dry my hair. I had natural soft waves, but I then used my curling wand to fix up the top layer. I put on my foundation, mascara, eyebrows, and chapstick before heading to my closet. I wasn't sure what to wear now. This was me going to work, but this was also my first date with someone. I decided to wear one of my longer, professional black dresses. It was fitted, but it was definitely appropriate for work. I paired it with some black strappy heels and made my way to the kitchen.

Once there, I grabbed a mug from the cabinet, preparing to brew my usual cup of coffee. However, I immediately changed my mind and put it back. With the way my stomach felt right now and the jitters I was already feeling, I didn't think adding caffeine would be a good choice.

I was just gathering up my work bag when I heard a knock at my door.

I froze. That was strange- nobody ever knocked on my door before work. Feeling a little uneasy because I lived alone, I grabbed the bat that I kept leaning near the door. It was just there for precaution. I grabbed the knob, slowly opening the door while leaving the chain in place at the top.

I let out a breath when I realized it was just Cole. He looked handsome today. I really liked his grey slacks and navy button up shirt. "Morning Ky... can I come in?"

I realized I had just been staring at him in confusion but quickly snapped out of it. "Oh... yeah of course. One sec."

I shut the door, undoing the chain so that I could open it further. He strolled inside confidently, watching me set my bat back in place.

"What's with the bat?" He asked, attempting to conceal a smile.

"Well, I live alone Cole. Can't be too careful. What are you doing here anyway?"

He beamed, "I'm gonna drive you to work today! I know today is your first date and I know how you get. I didn't want you psyching yourself out and calling in sick."

I chuckled, "I did think about it." I grabbed my coat off the back of my dining room chair, slipping it on and picking up my bag. "Thanks for coming," I said.

"Of course," he responded. "You ready?"

I took a breath, "No... but let's go."

Cole and I chatted the whole way to the office. I was really thankful for the company because he was right; had he not picked me up, I would have worked myself up to a panic attack by now. Instead, I was only mildly nervous about the date.

"Just remember," Cole said as we entered the building, "it's only 5 minutes max."

He gave me a nudge on the shoulder before entering the elevator. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, so I stood, waiting in the lobby.

"Morning Ky!" Ellie's voice rang out to me.

"Good morning," I greeted. "So... what am I supposed to do?"

She smiled at me, "I'm glad you asked. First, I'm going to blindfold you. Then, I'm gonna get bachelor 1 and he's gonna get in the elevator. You go in right after and off you go! You guys will be stopping at least 10 times on your way up, but there's signs on each floor by elevator 3 that say not to use it- it's reserved for an experiment. So nobody should be crashing your date."

I nodded, it seemed simple enough but that didn't stop me from feeling nervous.

"Once you get to floor 50," Kyla continued, "he will exit down the stairwell and you're supposed to debrief with Mr. Kramer."

My stomach flipped. The thought of having to disclose how the date went to Dakota almost made me more nervous than the date itself.

"Breathe Kyla. It's gonna be great," she encouraged.

"Alright. Let's just do it. Blindfold me."

Ellie moved behind me, placing a thick black blindfold over my eyes. I was hoping that I would be able to see just a little bit, but no. It was completely dark. I also felt stupid standing in the middle of my office building with a blindfold on; I was sure at least half the office had no idea what was going on.

Ellie then guided me to stand facing the elevator while she went to go get "bachelor 1." I could feel my heart pounding in my chest while I waited.

I heard some shuffling and the elevator doors ping open. "Okay, go ahead!" Ellie cheered, "see ya at your desk!"

I nodded, stepping forward slowly. It was really hard knowing if I was heading in the right direction. I reached my hands out awkwardly, making sure that I was headed into the elevator when the toes of my right foot clipped the wall.

I was sent tripping forcefully into the tiny elevator space.