Dating in the Dark (Dating Trilogy Book 1)

by Alexandria Bishop

  Is this one of those wrong number and a smoking hot guy on the other end scenarios? Because Tinley could definitely get on board with that. He’d be a Scottish Highlander with abs for days and adorably curly ginger locks, not to mention his alpha male tendencies mixed in with the biggest heart and eyes only for her. She internally swoons just imagining her knight wrapped in a tartan kilt. Okay, maybe she has been watching slightly too much Outlander, but she would throw her body through the stones a thousand times if it meant she could end up with a guy like James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser. She internally swoons just imagining it, but knowing her luck, it’s totally not, and the person on the other end would be very disappointed by her plain Jane, slightly overweight appearance, especially the extra pounds she’s carrying in her midsection thanks to the aforementioned cupcakes. She shoots off a text and the little piece of her heart still hoping for a fantasy dies a little.

  Me: I’m sorry. I think you have the wrong number.

  This is the part where her mystery suitor never replies and she can go back to her regularly scheduled programming, also known as recipe hunting for the batch of cupcakes she’s making for Tara’s baby shower. It was bad enough when she was a bridezilla and needed everything just right, but Tinley figured for something as simple as a baby shower, she’d tone it down a notch. No such luck. She’s already made fifteen different kinds of cakes, and don’t even get her started on the different fillings and frostings she’s made. This shower is turning out to be way over the top, and this is baby number two, so it’s not even like this is Tara’s first time having a baby.

  Tinley continues scrolling through Pinterest looking for ideas for flavor combinations. She creates all the recipes she actually bakes herself, but sometimes you need to go outside of your own brain to get ideas, and Pinterest is always good for that.

  Unknown: I hope I don’t have the wrong number. That would be incredibly awkward. Since we never exchanged names, did we have a date a couple of nights ago?

  Holy shit. It’s one of the guys from the speed dating thing. This could go horribly badly or so deliciously well. She pushed any thoughts of him actually reaching out to her to the back of her mind and never expected to hear from him again, which gets her thinking: is this the guy she actually wants to be talking to right now? Odds are good that this is the fourth date she had from Dating in the Dark, but it’s possible that this could still be a wrong number. She decides to play coy with him and see what kind of reaction she gets.

  Me: Possibly. I had a few dates that night…care to narrow it down for me? ;)

  Unknown: I can tell you with absolute certainty that I don’t have anger management issues, I’m not interested in any kinky orgies, and I’m definitely not an alien. I’m pretty positive on that last one, but you never know.

  She cracks up laughing as she reads through his message. It’s definitely the guy she wants to be hearing from, and even through texts, their chemistry is undeniable. Remembering where she’s at, she looks up and finds the break room atypically empty. It might look weird for her to be suddenly breaking out in laughter or smiling like an idiot while looking so intently at her phone. She thinks about her response for a moment and then shoots one off.

  Me: Ahh, so you’re Mystery Date Number Four. I was wondering if I would ever hear from you again.

  She quickly saves his number in her contacts so his messages don’t keep popping up as from “Unknown”. Part of her wants to ask him what his name is, but the other part of her is enjoying the mystery of not knowing, like it adds another layer of possibility to whatever this is that’s starting up between them.

  Mystery Date: You could have reached out to me first.

  Me: Can I be honest with you about something?

  Mystery Date: I’d rather you be honest than tell me a lie.

  She sighs heavily and puts her phone down on the table. She opens up her yogurt and contemplates her reply to him. She could be really honest and lay out all her cards, or she could chicken out again and make something up, but something inside her says to be honest. That’s the whole point of this experiment, right? There are no judgments or biases involved, so why not be completely open with him? The worst thing that could happen is he decides her specific brand of crazy is too much for him and they stop talking, and the best-case scenario is she’s finally honest with herself and her partner in a relationship and things only get better from here. She quickly types out a response and hits send before she has the chance to second-guess herself.

  Me: I chickened out and didn’t take your number. I filled out the card and asked for your number so you’d be able to get mine if you asked for it, but I didn’t actually wait to get yours.

  Mystery Date: Because?

  Me: I totally thought you brushed me off at the end of our date.

  Mystery Date: What made you think that?

  Me: I said it was nice meeting you and I hoped to see you again soon and you said, ‘It was good meeting you too.’

  Mystery Date: So?

  So? Is he serious right now? Tinley rolls her eyes at his lack of understanding. How can he not understand that what he said implied he wasn’t interested? They couldn’t see each other so she had no way of judging body language. The only thing she had going for her were the words coming out of his mouth and not once did he says that he wanted to see her again too.

  Me: So how was I supposed to know you would want to see me again?

  Mystery Date: Do you realize how ridiculous you sound right now?

  Me: So, you don’t want to see me again?

  A chuckle comes from the other side of the room and Tinley watches as Marek looks down at his phone. She hadn’t realized she wasn’t alone. It’s a good thing she opted for texting her mystery date back rather than talking to him on the phone. It’s always been one of her biggest pet peeves when people have long private conversations in a public setting. You don’t need to be telling everyone around you your business.

  Her phone lights up with another message, and she can’t help but smile.

  Mystery Date: Woman, do you think I would still be texting you right now if I didn’t want to see you again?

  Oddly enough she gets a small bought of butterflies in her stomach at his response. She’s never liked the idea of a man calling her woman, but the whole alpha male vibe it gives off kind of turns her on. Who knew?

  Me: I see your point there. Can’t blame a girl for asking. After all, we haven’t actually seen each other face to face yet.

  The time on the corner of her phone screen catches her eye. Has it been an hour already? She’s been so busy texting away and nibbling at her lunch, she didn’t realize how quickly the time was passing by, but it means they now have to end their conversation.

  Me: Sadly, our little conversation must come to a close. My lunch break is over and it’s pretty frowned upon for me to be texting at my desk.

  Mystery Date: How frowned upon?

  Me: More like I’d be fired if anyone saw me with my phone out.

  Mystery Date: Well we don’t want that. Until next time then.

  She can’t wipe the huge smile that covers her face as she locks her phone and throws away the trash from her lunch. There’s something about this guy, and she can’t wait to get to know him better. She wonders for a moment what he looks like. He has a sexy voice that tells her he has to be good-looking, but she just doesn’t know if she’s ready to see him face to face. What if when they do finally meet, he decides she doesn’t live up to whatever picture he has in his mind? That kind of rejection isn’t something she wants to go through right now.

  “What has you so happy Tinley?”

  She doesn’t turn around, just continues walking toward her desk. “Nothing at all Marek. Nothing at all.”

  Chapter 12

  Tinley hits play as Netflix interrupted her bingeing session for the second time since she sat down this evening. After work, she went straight to the grocery store and picked up a new bottle of wine and the
fixings to make a batch of cupcakes. She’s a mood eater through and through so even though she still has cupcakes at home she wanted something different. She broke the cardinal rule of baking and frosted a couple of them straight out of the oven creating an ooey gooey mess of deliciousness. Combine that with the delicious on her screen and her night has gotten much better. Although, she can’t help but wonder if it’s weird that the two guys she’s currently lusting after are drastically different in age?

  Rather than contemplate that further, she continues watching the shenanigans play out in front of her on the screen. Who knew a dark and brooding murder mystery esque Archie comics TV show could be so addicting? Definitely not Tinley. She finishes off the last bite of cupcake she has waiting on her plate and sets it aside. Picking up her phone, she decides to see what her Mystery Date is up to this evening.

  Me: Hypothetical question.

  Mystery Date: Okay, shoot.

  Me: If someone were to carry five very heavy bags of groceries from their car to their apartment. Then proceed to spend hours baking cupcakes. Does that and clicking the button to let Netflix know they haven’t gotten their life together and are still watching while eating said cupcakes, count as exercise?

  Me: Asking for a friend, of course. ;)

  Tinley pouts into her wine glass as she finishes the last drop and looks longingly at the kitchen. She’s perfectly comfortable in her spot on the couch and she’d hate to have to ruin it by getting up. She found the best combination of pillow to blanket ratio and her toes are currently nice in toasty underneath her knitted throw. Although, she does wonder if she can still call it knitted since she bought it at Target this way. It was definitely mass produced on a machine.

  Mystery Date: That depends.

  Me: On?

  Mystery Date: What kind of cupcakes are we talking about here?

  Me: Does that really make a difference?

  Mystery Date: Absolutely. The entire basis of your question relies heavily on that answer. If we’re talking homemade red velvet with an insanely good cream cheese frosting that was mixed by hand, then your friend absolutely got in a workout. But if we’re talking a box of cake mix and a tub of frosting. Then no way.

  Me: Sacrilege. I would never bring that junk into my house.

  Me: I mean. My friend. She makes everything from scratch when it comes to baking.

  Mystery Date: Right. Your friend.

  Me: Okay fine. It was me. That’s what happens when you decide to have that second glass of wine I guess.

  Mystery Date: Cupcakes and wine. Where was my invite?

  Me: I don’t think my living room could handle any more men tonight.

  Mystery Date: Sounds kinky.

  Me: If me simultaneously lusting over Cole Sprouse and Luke Perry counts as kinky, then so be it.

  Mystery Date: Um. What?

  Me: I’m currently sucked into a Riverdale binge-fest on Netflix. I’ve had to click the button twice now to let Netflix know that my life is pathetic, and I have not moved from my spot on the couch.

  She sends off that text and realizes she hasn’t even been watching the TV since she picked up her phone. The entire cast could have died right in front of her and she wouldn’t have even realized it.

  Me: I really need to stop drinking and texting. Because you know how lame I really am.

  Mystery Date: I don’t think you’re lame or pathetic. Sounds to me like you’re enjoying yourself and that’s all that really matters.

  Tinley can’t help but smile at his response. Not her fake customer service smile but a full-blown real one. It covers her entire face and her cheeks heat up in response. Part of that is due to the two glasses of wine she consumed but the rest is all for the guy she’s getting to know a little bit better.

  Me: I have zero words. That was probably the sweetest thing any guy has ever said to me.

  Mystery Date: Obviously you’ve been talking to the wrong guys then.

  “What has you grinning like an idiot?”

  The phone slips from her fingers and she jumps as Dakota comes up behind her. It doesn’t seem like she actually saw what was on her phone screen, so Tinley just waves her hand and says, “Oh it was just some video I saw on social media. I thought it was funny.”

  She walks toward the kitchen while yelling over her shoulder, “Oh, was one of the ones with that toddler girl who talks like she’s an adult?”

  Tinley racks her brain for whatever her best friend is talking about but comes up with nothing. Meanwhile, her phone vibrates underneath her, and she tries to ignore it. Dakota walks back in with a cheese string, the bottle of wine, and a glass and takes a seat on the couch. Tinley is itching to grab her cell but replies to Dakota’s question instead. “No, I don’t think I’ve watched any of those.”

  Dakota pours herself a glass and refills Tinley’s at the same time. Both of their attention gravitates toward the TV and Dakota claps her hand causing Tinley to jump on the couch yet again. “I bet it was one of those reaction videos, right?”

  Her phone vibrates again in her lap and she wants nothing more than to pick it up and read the messages that he’s sent her. All of her focus is fixated on that phone and she shakes her head realizing that Dakota asked her a question.

  “Um, what?”

  “The funny video you were talking about earlier.”

  Funny video? What funny video? She has no idea what her best friend is talking about she nods and says, “Oh sure. Something like that.”

  Dakota raises an eyebrow in question but Tinley ignores it standing up from the couch with her phone and glass of wine in her hand. “Sorry, I’m getting tired. Must be all the wine and sugar crash from the cupcakes. I’m going to head to bed.”

  “Ooookay,” Dakota says stretching out the “o,” in her response.

  Without a backward glance, Tinley hurries down the hallway toward her room to read his responses. With the door shut tightly behind her, she places her glass of wine down on her dresser and opens up her text messages.

  Mystery Date: Or people? I probably shouldn’t assume you’re only into dudes.

  Mystery Date: Shit. Did I piss you off?

  She chuckles to herself as she types out a response.

  Me: Sorry, my roommate came into the room and distracted me for a minute. I’m very much into guys. I’ve never kissed a girl before, but I don’t think I’d like it. ;)

  Me: Like that Katy Perry reference?

  Me: Shit. Maybe I should put the glass of wine down and my phone down. I’m starting to get rambly with my messages.

  Mystery Date: Don’t mind me. You’re entertaining as hell right now.

  Me: I think I’m going to cut myself off and head to bed before I say anything stupid to you.

  Mystery Date: Haha! Sweet dreams babe. I hope you feel okay in the morning.

  Even though they’ve only had the one date, Tinley melts a little at the term of endearment. She’s never had someone call her by a pet name before, then again, they still don’t actually know each other’s names. Although the added mystery does make this whole thing more fun. She dumps the remainder of her glass of wine in the sink and climbs into bed. She can’t wipe the smile off her face as she gets cozy and slips off to dreamland.

  Chapter 13

  Tinley always finds herself debating ridiculous topics when she’s taking a shower. For instance, this morning while she was putting shampoo in her hair, she wondered if people really spit in food at restaurants. She’s never personally had it happen to her as far as she knows, but she’s seen it on TV enough times to wonder if it actually happens. Of course, that led her down a tangent and she contemplated the idea that if people are willing to spit in food at restaurants, where is the line drawn and what else do they do to food? When she got to thinking about some dude jizzing in mayonnaise, she gagged and had to stop that line of thought altogether, especially since she was running conditioner through her hair at the time.

  This morning’s thought process lengthened
her shower more than usual so she had to rush to finish getting ready and out the door. It wasn’t until she pulled into the parking lot at work fifteen minutes later that she realized she was in fact early for work today. So, of course, she pulled out her cell phone and was pleasantly surprised to see a message waiting for her.

  Mystery Date: Good morning.

  Me: Good morning to you too. I had a ridiculous morning and it was nice to see your message waiting for me.