This is Not a Double Date

by Grace Risata

  She returned fifteen seconds later to let me know it was a work question and she had to take the call. I never got to find out what she was going to say about Roman.

  I threw the sponge in the sink and wondered what the hell I was getting into. I have to meet more new people? Roman ‘might’ be there but nothing was definite? I don’t do well with big groups of strangers or surprises.

  Fuck. Here we go again…

  Chapter Six

  Andi – Wednesday Night

  What does one wear to an escape room when they might be seeing their newest crush and meeting strangers who are probably quite intimidating?

  Hell if I know.

  So I went with newish ankle boots, form fitting black jeans, and a deep burgundy shirt that made me feel pretty. What’s so special about it? The material was soft silk, the color accentuated my eyes, and the shoulders had a cool cut-out design that gave it more of a dressy feel and less ‘I just woke up and threw this on.’ I was going for an ‘I’m trying, but not too hard’ vibe.

  Nailed it!

  Tyler offered to pick me up at my house because it was on the way to the escape room. Did that mean we were meeting other people there? Since Cara and I both worked all day, I didn’t get an opportunity to pump her for information. Therefore, I was nervous about going into a new situation blind. I hated to be unprepared.

  Like a teenager about to go on her first date, I kept getting up and peeking out the patio door every two minutes. Let me explain that I live in a large two-story apartment building and my place is on the first floor with a direct view of the parking lot. It was nice when I was waiting for people to arrive, but shitty for privacy reasons.

  As I checked my reflection in the mirror to make sure no food was stuck in my teeth, the buzzer rang and nearly scared the crap out of me. Sure enough, I stuck my head behind the curtain and saw Tyler’s BMW idling outside.

  Once my apartment was securely locked, I walked down the hall while giving myself a pep talk to be cool, calm, and collected no matter who I might meet. Bravely opening the building’s steel entrance door that separated me from the outside world, I was ready to face my destiny.

  Instead of seeing Cara, I nearly ran right into Roman.

  Holy shit. I was not expecting that.

  “Hey, Andi,” he greeted me with an actual smile on his face, smelling like sin and looking just as delicious. The man wore trendy blue jeans and an emerald green button down shirt. Yes, I fought the urge to pull him inside and have my way with him. I prefer my partners to be willing and not dragged anywhere against their will. Sigh. Me and my damn morality.

  “Hi, Roman,” I stated calmly once my composure was regained. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”

  “Are you disappointed?” he asked.

  “Not at all. Quite the opposite in fact.” Oooh. Go Andi! Way to get your flirt on, girl!

  “Really? What makes you say that?”

  I need to come up with an answer that doesn’t make me look like a stalker.

  “Cara thought your cousin might be getting a whole group of people to do the escape room, and I was a bit nervous because I can be shy around strangers.”

  Brilliant. Why don’t I just write ‘L-O-S-E-R’ on my forehead in permanent marker?

  Instead of looking at me like I was batshit crazy, Roman shook his head vehemently.

  “There’s only the four of us tonight, Andi. In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t get along well with others.”

  “You seem fine to me.” Yes, he’s a bit rude to hot chicks that proposition him, but I didn’t have a problem with that.

  “Maybe you’re the exception to the rule,” he replied, cocking his head and giving me a once-over that caused a shiver to run up and down my spine. So intense. I wish I could read his mind.

  Tyler chose that moment to honk his horn with impatience. That dude was seriously starting to annoy me.

  With a shrug, Roman turned and began walking toward the car. Instead of going to the passenger side and sitting behind Cara, he walked over to my side and opened the door like a gentleman.

  What the fuck is this? No one warned me that ‘this is not a double date,’ so I had no clue what was going on. Did guys open doors for random chicks they weren’t banging? Was I reading too much into this? Possibly.

  Just play it cool, doofus. Deep breath. You’ve got this.

  Sliding into the seat, I was acknowledged by Tyler.

  “I want to apologize for Saturday night and to thank you for giving me another chance to prove I’m not a jackass. I’ve never been to an escape room and figured it would be a fun thing to do. Cara said you’re really smart and would love the challenge.”

  “Yeah, I’m actually looking forward to it.” I spent at least an hour googling escape rooms last night after I got off the phone with Cara. Some of them looked really challenging. My goal was to escape the room and not have anything go horribly awry.

  “Girls against guys! We’re going to dominate the competition!” my friend shouted from the front seat, clearly not understanding that we all had to work together in order to solve whatever riddles were presented to us. I should mention that she’s extremely bloodthirsty when it comes to winning and has a tendency to be a poor sport if things don’t go her way. Poor Tyler. At least Cara was on my team.

  In response, the guy turned up the radio and hit the gas pedal to rocket us toward our next adventure. It didn’t escape my notice that the song was death metal, as though he were somehow daring Cara to complain. I guess she’s not the only one who likes to come out on top.

  “You look really nice in that shirt,” Roman commented, leaning closer so I could hear him over the music. “I like the color.”

  “It’s very practical,” I replied, thinking fast.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “I learned my lesson after Saturday. This time the blood will blend in if I have any more unfortunate accidents.”

  He began to laugh and then nodded his head.

  “Don’t ever lose your sense of humor, Andi.”

  “No chance of that. It’s my best feature,” I admitted. Enjoying our flirty conversation and eager for it to continue, I figured I’d try to ask some questions and get him to open up a little. “Have you ever been to this place? I don’t know much about escape rooms.”

  “It seemed interesting from the pictures on the website. I think you’ll be impressed with the room I chose. Let’s just say that it’s very suitable to you personally.”

  What the hell? He chose the room? It suits me? I thought this was all Tyler’s idea? Strange. Roman actually seems excited about this. Me, however, not so much.

  “Can I be honest with you? I did my research last night to find out what types of puzzles we might have to solve…and they looked rather complex.” It’s true. Some rooms had weird codes you had to decipher and I was a bit worried it might be over my head. Not that I’m a dummy, but I don’t want to let the team down.

  “Are you cheating?” he asked in mock outrage. “Tsk, tsk, Andrea. I expected more from you.”

  “Andrea? Who the hell is she?” Does he have amnesia?

  “I assumed ‘Andi’ was a shortened version of your real name.”

  “While you are correct that ‘Andi’ is not my given name, I’ll be damned if I’m telling you what it is.” Taking on a note of utter seriousness, I warned, “Don’t even try to get that classified information out of Cara. She knows I have dirt on her way worse than she has on me.”

  “The plot thickens…” he murmured. “But really, don’t worry about the escape room. If we can’t figure out the answers, we’ll just punch a hole in the drywall and find a different way to escape.”

  I wish I could tell if he were joking…but it was hard to read his expression. Roman could go from playful to completely shut down in a matter of seconds.

  It didn’t take long before we got to ‘Escape Rooms of Certain Doom’ and tried to find a parking spot in the crowded lot. Why the hell wa
s this place so packed for a Wednesday night? Maybe this really is the ‘in’ thing to do at the moment.

  We all piled out of the car and I was forced to hold back a laugh when I saw Cara’s outfit. She wore brown open-toed stiletto heels paired with form-fitting white leggings topped off with a low-cut leopard print shirt that had all eyes going right to her cleavage. I had never seen her in any of those clothes before, which leads me to believe Cara borrowed heavily from the lady that owns the condo where she’s house-sitting.

  “You look hot!” I exclaimed, complimenting her.

  “Damn right she does,” Tyler growled, coming up from behind and smacking her on the ass. “My girl knows exactly how to get me all worked up. Don’t you, babe?”

  Before they could start fondling each other in the parking lot, Roman put a halt to all thoughts of carnal activity.

  “Save it for later, asshole. Right now, we’re going to escape a room.”

  “You’re so boring,” his cousin replied. “You need to get laid.”

  “You need to fuck off,” Roman warned, quickly escalating the now awkward situation.

  Tyler responded by rolling his eyes, grabbing Cara’s hand, and proceeding to the large brick building that housed the escape rooms.

  Once we entered the reception area, we were met with a crowd of people waiting for their turn. If they were all ahead of us in line…we might not even get a room at all. I think the place closed at eleven. This wasn’t going to turn out well.

  “We’re screwed,” I mumbled in defeat.

  Roman confidently marched up to the counter and told the lady he had a reservation.

  “I called ahead for Boswell, party of four, at seven-thirty.” After a side glance in my direction, he added, “The Egyptian Tomb Escape Room.”

  Holy shit! He did that for me? That’s so sweet! In that case, I have no need to worry at all. If I had to choose any theme, it would have been something involving mummies and their tombs. I’m going to ace this fucking challenge.

  While the woman began to rifle through her paperwork, I nudged Roman in the arm and shared my relief.

  “Why didn’t you tell me that earlier? I had no reason to freak out. We’ll solve the clues in record time!”

  I held my hand up for a high five like a complete spazz, but he never got the chance to smack my palm because the lady behind the desk began to groan in dismay.

  “Did you say ‘Boswell’ or ‘Baker?’ We might have a slight problem…”

  “No, we do not,” Roman insisted. “I specifically called last night and made a reservation in the name of Boswell for four people to do the Egyptian Escape room at seven-thirty. That’s exactly what I intend on happening.”

  “Yeah, well…slight change of plans,” she replied helplessly. “Boswell and Baker both start with a ‘B.’ Someone grabbed the wrong reservation and the Baker family is about five minutes into escaping the mummy’s lair. All I can do is offer you the next available room at a ten percent discount. Everything else is reserved for the rest of the night. I’d be breaking the rules as it is to squeeze you in. It’s honestly the only option you have. Take it or leave it.”

  Roman stared at her as though she were speaking Japanese and he was completely unable to process her words. Luckily, Cara still had her wits about her and was eager to show off her puzzle solving skills.

  “We’ll take the next room to open up. It’s not like it matters, really. An escape room is an escape room. No worries!”

  “Yes, it does matter!” Roman grumbled in anger. “I wanted the Egypt room for Andi. That’s the whole fucking point of coming here tonight.”

  “Chill, dude,” Tyler demanded, giving his cousin a dirty look. “I’m sure Andi doesn’t give a shit what room we go in. You’re being a total prima donna right now. You know I can’t stand high maintenance behavior. Relax.”

  I took a step back and blinked a few times. If Tyler couldn’t handle high maintenance, what the fuck was he doing with Cara? I’ve somehow entered the Twilight Zone where everyone had gone completely insane. Why is it always up to me to do damage control?

  “Everyone, just take a breath. We can do any random escape room and let fate decide for us. If the whole experience doesn’t suck, maybe we can come back another time and do the Egypt room. How’s that?”

  Everyone slowly nodded their head, and the lady promised us the next room would be ready in a few minutes after it was reset from the previous customers.

  Since there was no place to sit, Roman leaned up against the wall in some type of ‘rebel without a cause’ pose. Naturally, Tyler wrapped an arm around Cara and began to whisper in her ear. Most likely planning their sexcapades after the escape room experience came to an end. Lovely.

  “Hey,” I whispered, moving to stand next to Roman and help him hold up the wall. “It’s all good. I appreciate the trouble you went to, but it worked out for the best.”

  “It did?”

  “After I kicked ass in the Egyptian room, Cara would have complained that I cheated due to having a master’s degree in the subject. Tyler probably would have bitched too, because he seems like the type to win at all costs. The whole experience would have lasted about twenty minutes and we definitely wouldn’t have gotten our money’s worth. But now I’m on the same even footing as everyone else. When I still reign supreme, they’ll have no excuse for their stunning defeat.”

  “I appreciate your optimism, Andi. Your lack of an attitude is refreshing. Thank you.”

  “BOSWELL, PARTY OF FOUR!” called out over the loudspeaker and we went to get our room assignment.

  “You will be escaping from the Bordello of Blood. The theme of the room and all the information is printed on the card. You have exactly sixty minutes to escape the room or you’ll fail miserably…and die in a gruesome fashion. Have fun!”

  The woman handed Roman a laminated card, and another employee led us down a dark corridor filled with doors.

  “Here are the rules,” he explained in a monotone voice while swinging a set of keys on a large ring. “All the rooms are monitored by closed circuit camera. If you break or damage any part of the room, you will be held liable and charged to replace the item. All items must remain in the room. If anything is missing or stolen, you will be held liable and charged to replace the item. Remember, we’re watching you.”

  Once we arrived at room seventeen, the attendant unlocked the door and told us the clock would start the moment we stepped inside.

  “Wait,” Cara told him, holding up her hand. “Let us read the card first so we know the storyline. Then you can begin the timer.”

  She motioned for Roman to start, and he began speaking in a baritone voice so deep and hypnotizing that it took all my willpower to focus on the words instead of the man reading them.

  “Welcome to the Bordello of Blood. The year is currently nineteen twenty-four at the height of the Prohibition. You are about to enter the private bedroom of Madame Blanche Bouvier. She is the owner of the brothel and also happens to bootleg alcohol on the side. It is your mission, acting in the role of prostitutes at the whorehouse, to find the hidden key and escape in time to avoid capture. With little advance notice about a raid being conducted by the police in an effort to bring this criminal mastermind to justice, you don’t have much time to discover Madame Bouvier’s secret escape tunnel and make your way to freedom. Good luck, ladies. You’re going to need it!”

  “What the fuck?” Tyler grunted in disgust. “We’re prostitutes? I’m sure as hell not wearing a dress. Why do we have to be women?”

  Completely choosing to ignore his idiotic outburst, I turned to Cara with a huge smile.

  “Hailey would love this escape room!”

  “Oh my gosh, yes,” she replied laughing. “Your sister would be in heaven right now.”

  “Why is that?” Roman asked, clearly out of the loop.

  “My little sister Hailey is obsessed with all things prohibition and roaring twenties,” I explained. “Okay, she’s twen
ty-seven so it’s not like she’s little or anything, but I’m older than her by three years.”

  “Does she also work at the Penn Museum?” Tyler blurted randomly from out of left field. He’s definitely an odd duck.

  “No.”

  For some reason, Roman shot him a warning look and opened the Escape room door.

  “Let’s do this, people.”

  So we did.

  Chapter Seven

  Andi

  Upon entering the escape room, I was literally stunned speechless. While it’s true I had never done anything like this before, I couldn’t help but think all escape rooms weren’t as elaborate as the one I currently stood inside.

  My eyes slowly wandered over every intricate detail of my surroundings. From the vintage lighting intent on giving off an ominous vibe, to the antique radio playing roaring twenties music, to the ornate four post bed taking up an entire wall, this place was very well thought out.

  Unfortunately, one of my companions was not quite as impressed.

  “What are we supposed to do now?” Tyler asked, looking around in confusion. “I’m sure as hell not reading all those damn books!”

  He pointed in the direction of a large floor-to-ceiling bookcase that took up at least half of one wall. I honestly doubted he’d read a single book from start to finish in his entire life. The thought of having to actually crack open one of the dusty tomes must have sent the poor guy into a panic.

  “Don’t touch anything!” Cara screamed as though this was really a crime scene and she was the lead detective in charge of handling the case. “I feel like it’s best if we all separately explore the room and give it an initial inspection with our eyes only. I don’t want one of you rubes messing something up and causing us to lose the game.”

  I caught Roman staring at me, so I rolled my eyes to indicate displeasure with her bossy takeover of the whole experience.