by Emma Vikes
I was still smiling and waving at the camera when Vanessa finally put it down to end the video. “I’ve been working with you for a while and yet, the voice you use still puts me on edge.”
Rolling my eyes, I accepted the makeup remover she handed me. My makeup looked like crap because I did it without using a mirror which was the whole concept for the video. It had been a while since I’d done a makeup video on YouTube. I’d been continuously alternating between cooking and DIYs recently and thought it would be nice to go back to what kickstarted my career.
“When are you going to hire a video editor and videographer?” she asked again as she went through the clips we had on the camera. I ran my channel on my own for a while. Vanessa started helping when she became available to and I decided to hire her. She was everything rolled into one.
“I don’t think I’ll ever consider it,” I said, throwing the makeup removing wipes in the trashbin and heading into the kitchen for a glass of water. I could hear Vanessa following behind me. “You know I like doing things on my own.”
Vanessa sat on the counter.
I glanced at the clock. It was around 2 PM and Faith wouldn’t finish school until 3:30, so we had time for a chat. “Yes, and I love that about you but you’ve finally opened yourself up for dating voluntarily. You can’t expect to date someone and continue with how you do things, Kate.”
I couldn’t help but sigh. Aside from the fact that I didn’t want to be left heartbroken again, this had been the reason why I’d avoided dating. I looked at my best friend pointedly. “You’re making me reconsider the agreement I made with everyone.”
Vanessa’s small eyes widened and she knew it was time to back away from the conversation and topic, so she was quick to change it, “Anyway, Mila already sent me the first guy she and Andrew agreed for you to go out with. You’re meeting at The Dapper Lobster at six and I’ll be here to take care of Faith.”
I made a face. I wasn’t a fan of The Dapper Lobster but I told them I wasn’t going to make any excuses. So to drop the topic, I simply nodded and we began to chat about other things.
At around 3 PM, Vanessa came with me to pick Faith up from school.
Vanessa promised me she would keep Faith busy while I got ready for the ‘date.’
I didn’t want to dress up for a guy I didn’t know and hadn’t even met. She was adamant I make a good impression though, so I didn’t have a choice. I showered, shaved, and applied makeup even if I wanted to keep it minimal and bare for a natural look.
A midnight blue dress sat on my bed when I came out of the bathroom. I made a face, not wanting to look all that flashy for a blind date. Still, I promised not to complain or else I wouldn’t hear the end of it from all of them, especially Ryan.
Putting on the dress and doing my hair, I stared at myself in front of the full-length mirror. I couldn’t help but admire how the dress made my eyes look even more striking. Spinning slowly, I let out a small sigh.
God, it’d been so long since I’d dressed up for a date.
Vanessa and Faith cheered when I came downstairs all dolled up for the date. I wasn’t sure what Vanessa told my daughter but she didn’t seem to mind that I was heading out for the night. “Ness, you can heat the dinner I made in the microwave. It’s on the second shelf of the fridge. Faith’s bedtime is at—”
My best friend placed her hands on my shoulders. “Dinner’s in the fridge. I’ll heat it for Faith and I. We’ve finished her homework already and she already had her snacks. She can have 2 hours maximum screen time on her iPad and that’s it then she’s supposed to go to sleep at nine sharp.”
“I also have to drink warm milk before I go to bed and if anything happens, she’ll call you and Uncle Drew,” Faith added with a toothy grin. “I think Aunt Nessa and I got everything in check, Mom. Don’t worry.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. I rarely ‒ if not ever ‒ leave Faith in someone else’s care, but there had been a bunch of times when she’d been left with Vanessa. She loved spending time alone with her because she got to watch Korean dramas with my best friend. The fact that Vanessa had a fun and childish personality made Faith love her even more.
“If anything happens and you can’t call me or my parents, call Ryan. I wrote his number on the fridge.”
When I said this, Vanessa looked surprised. “That’s not something I thought I’d ever hear you say. What happened with hating the guy with every fiber of your being?”
. Good thing she said this when Faith scurried off because a new episode of Pokemon just started.
“I told you that we’ve smoothened things out between us when he came here last time to talk. I guess we’ve both grown out of always wanting to argue with each other over petty things.”
Vanessa smirked. “Hmm and that means you trust him enough for us to call him when something goes awry.”
To that, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “He’s a doctor and our family doctor is currently away for his honeymoon. It doesn’t mean anything other than that.”
She didn’t say anything else but I could sense she wanted to comment on it. I kissed Faith and reminded Vanessa again, even when I was aware she already knew what she needed to do.
“Just get a table and wait for him there.” Vanessa nodded complacently. “Text me when you’ve already arrived and seated, so I can inform him.”
It took me about fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant from my house and I didn’t even go straight into the place when I arrived. I pulled down the visor of my car to check myself in the mirror to give myself a pep talk. It indeed had been a while since I’d voluntarily gone on a date without the intention of ending it as soon as I arrived.
“Maybe you really shouldn’t have agreed with this,” I told myself, staring right into my own blue eyes, “but you need to prove to them that you’re not entirely scared of getting out there. Especially, Ryan.”
I didn’t know why I felt such an urge to prove Ryan wrong. I hated the conclusions he’d come up with and I was aware he was only teasing me like always. It had been an automatic reaction on my end though, to prove him otherwise.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I grabbed my purse, got out of the car, locked it, and headed inside the restaurant. I took a seat right in the middle to remind myself I would to sit through the whole thing and not make a hasty exit. Texting Vanessa that I’d arrived and was already seated…I waited for someone to approach me and introduce himself.
About five minutes later, the guy that Ryan had pointed out to me during the wedding arrived. “Hi, Kate. I’m Peter.”
I pursed my lips into a thin line, grimly standing up and shaking his hand then motioned for him to sit. Of all the guys they could’ve set me up with, they had to start with a guy that Ryan said already liked me and didn’t have the balls to ask me out. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the guy… it was just that Ryan had a point.
If the guy liked me, he would’ve had the balls to approach me at the wedding. He had to resort to my sister-in-law setting us up on a blind date, so he could go out with me. This fact gave him negative points and it wasn’t such a good start.
“I hope you like lobsters,” Peter started as we scanned the menu handed to us by the waiter, “but I’m sure you do. My friend told me this was the best place to bring a girl.”
I flashed him a small smile. “Why?”
Peter paused, looking thoughtful for a moment and then shrugged. “It’s a fancy place. It’s meant to impress.”
“But what if she has allergies with seafood?”
The question made Peter look uncomfortable for a moment and he immediately set the menu down. “Oh god, you’re not allergic, are you? Shit, I should’ve asked Andrew but I suggested the place and they didn’t complain or anything.”
He stared at me with such apologetic eyes and I felt bad for even bringing up the question. I quickly shook my head. “No. I’m not. Let’s just order?”
Peter seemed eager to do that and
we gave our orders to the waiter. “So how long have you been a vlogger?” He leaned close to the table, his hands interlaced as he looked at me expectantly.
I flashed him another small smile. “You’re mistaken. I’m not a vlogger.”
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “But aren’t people who work on YouTube considered to be vloggers?”
I wanted to sigh loudly but refrained from doing so. “No. People working on the platform are considered YouTubers. They can range from beauty gurus to daily vloggers, depending on the videos they upload on their platform.”
Peter blinked but he continued to smile at me warmly as if he understood. “Well, it’s a good social platform since it offers work for those who skipped college. It doesn’t require many skills but it’s just unfair how much bigger the money is when it comes to that, but the entertainment industry was never one to be stingy to its workers.”
My eyes narrowed into slits and it took everything in me not to walk out. Thankfully, our food was quick to arrive. I didn’t bother answering his statement or correcting it because I chose to dig in while he began talking about his work. Other than the occasional nods and ‘hmms’, I didn’t talk.
“How come you didn’t pursue the medical field like your brother?”
When he asked me this question, I almost didn’t answer because I was too busy focusing on my food and checking the time. When I glanced at his plate, I noted he’d barely touched his food.
Peter kept looking at me expectantly.
I hated how boring this whole thing was. Even the idea of arguing with Ryan over nonsense seemed better than having to listen to this guy. I used to love listening to Andrew talk about the nature of his work. Sometimes when Ryan chipped in his point of view, it was fun watching them debate with each other.
But not once did either of them ask me to become a doctor too.
“It wasn’t as interesting to me as it was for Andrew,” I answered quietly.
The corner of his lips twitched into what I think he intended to look like a teasing smile but seemed like a wolfish grin. “That’s okay. You’re prettier on screen anyway.”
Someone whistled behind him and I looked up, my eyes falling onto Ryan’s confident smirk and glinting green eyes as he approached our table. “I never thought I’d hear someone compliment shortcake’s looks like that. Congratulations, shortcake, someone finds you easy on the eyes.”
Despite the annoying comment, I couldn’t help but feel relieved to see him. “What are you doing here?” For a moment, it crossed my mind that he purposely crashed the date to see how I was doing. Like he still refused to believe me when I said I’d go through the whole thing.
“I came here for the seafood. Can’t a guy crave? And I’m happy to bump into you two! It’s kind of sad to eat on your own.” He then sat beside me and a waiter brought him his order.
I glanced at Peter who didn’t look sure how he should react to this crashing of our date.
Ryan seemed unbothered and uncaring as he looked up at Peter, grinning at my date. “So when you said that she’s prettier on screen, did you mean that she’s only pretty on screen?”
Peter looked flustered at the question and he glanced at me.
I was trying hard to hide my smile at how Ryan structured his question and at how flustered it made Peter.
“No, of course not. She’s even prettier in person.”
Ryan made a face then glanced at me, shaking his head, and looking disgusted. “Are you blind?”
I could help but chuckle at his reaction.
Peter gaped at Ryan, aghast.
Finally, I laughed loudly at the look on his face. I shook my head, forcing Peter to look at me. “He bullies me a lot. It’s been that way ever since we were kids. You just learn to get used to it.”
“You two seem close.”
At this statement, both Ryan and I burst out laughing and shook our heads.
I was the one to recover first. “We weren’t. We used to fight a lot and it annoyed my mother so much.”
“At some point, Lois handed each of us knives, so we could just kill each other because we were arguing so bad.” Ryan kept chuckling.
Peter was sputtering when he said this and I couldn’t help but smile at the memory. We ended up telling Peter all about our past arguments and how we would end up getting punished sometimes, if our fights became too heated.
The rest of the dinner conversation was about my childhood with Ryan and Andrew. I wasn’t sure if it was entertaining to Peter.
When we finished our dinner, Peter suddenly got a call from the hospital. He was kind enough to pay for my meal even when I insisted that it was all right. He offered to walk me to my car.
Ryan followed behind us.
Peter turned to Ryan. “Are you coming home with her?”
Ryan’s eyebrows rose and then he pointed to the car near mine. “I’m parked beside her.”
Peter scowled and ignored him.
I think he was a little peeved that Ryan crashed our date but I felt grateful he did. If Ryan hadn’t crashed it, I wasn’t sure if I would’ve even made it through the whole dinner if it meant having to listen to Peter drone on and on about his job while belittling mine. I think he hadn’t meant the comment about YouTubers but still, it kind of stung.
“Thank you for the dinner,” I told him softly, my hand on the door handle of my car. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ryan lingering near his car.
Peter didn’t seem to notice. He seemed to focus on me. “I hope you enjoyed it. I was planning to take you out for coffee after the dinner but—”His phone rang again, and he sighed.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. “I had a nice time, Peter, but you should get to work.”
“I hope to see you again?” He sounded so hopeful.
I hated to crush his hope but I did it anyway. “We’ll see,” I responded curtly and nodded at him, unlocking my car and getting in.
Peter waved, slightly disheartened, and then stalked off to his car.
I didn’t start mine until I saw his car leave and I sighed, leaning my head on the steering wheel. God, I really shouldn’t have agreed to go on this date if I turned the guy down by the end of it.
And yet, why would I give someone I didn’t even like a bit of hope?
The knock on the window of my car startled me and I jumped from my seat.
Ryan was leaning against my car, an amused smile on his face. He hadn’t left yet.
I rolled down the window. “Yeah?”
He checked his watch. “It’s only 8:30 and if you go home now, Vanessa’s gonna wonder if you left the date and didn’t sit through the whole thing.”
I tilted my head to the side. “How’d you know that Vanessa’s at home?”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Andrew mentioned that she was going to babysit Faith while you go on the date.”
I wanted to ask him why he talked with Andrew earlier but didn’t bother. Ryan had a point. If I came home now, Vanessa would ask why the date ended so early. Even if I told her that Peter was called to the hospital, she would be suspicious about it. “Do you have a plan?”
At my question, Ryan smiled.
The kind of smile that would make any girls’ heart flutter like it did mine.
“Let’s go have some coffee at the best view Tampa has to offer.”
8
Ryan
“We’re at the boulevard, Ryan.”
I could hear the annoyance in Kate’s tone and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“The coffee shops are over there.” She pointed at the line of commercial buildings where there were two cafes, a bakery, a diner, a pharmacy, and a convenience store.
I nodded my head and then pointed at a vending machine outside the convenience store. “Right. That’s where we’re supposed to get our coffee.”
Kate followed behind me closely and I knew she’d been expecting that I would take her to a café or even at the bakery. Instead, I went st
raight to the convenience store and stopped in front of the vending machine. I took out a couple of coins from my pocket, enough for two cups of instant coffee.
When I handed her one steaming cup, she stared at me blankly. “You’re kidding?”
I laughed and then pushed her cup towards her. “I prefer instant coffee over the pricier ones. It’s a lot sweeter and you can’t go wrong with a little more sugar.”
Kate looked like she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to react.
Before she could say anything, I stalked back to the boulevard. She followed behind me and I could hear her complain under her breath. I leaned against the railing when we reached the boulevard and began to sip my coffee.
Kate huffed beside me in annoyance. “This isn’t what I expected,” she stated flatly.
I turned to look at her. “I wasn’t trying to impress you. I asked you to have coffee with me. Technically, we can have it anywhere. It doesn’t require a specific place or a specific set-up. Everyone’s just romanticized the idea of having coffee and thinking of it as a date.”
Kate’s eyes widened and she took a large gulp of her coffee, wincing at how hot it was and then pulling it away from her lips. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her again. “You always have the funniest reactions. That’s why I always loved teasing you. If only you were the type to leave the teasing be and not think of it as anything more than just that.”
Her eyebrows furrowed and she set her cup on the railing. “There’s a fine line between bullying and teasing, Ryan. I don’t think that what you were doing for years was merely just teasing to get a reaction from me.”
I quirked a small smile at her but didn’t say anything more. I gazed up at the night sky and the glistening lights from buildings surrounding us. I couldn’t help but smile and sigh contentedly. When I turned to look at Kate, she was peering at me with such curiosity in her eyes. “Say it.”
“Why’d you crash the date?”
I knew it would be on her mind the moment I arrived and butted in on their date. To be honest, I just wanted to see how it would all play out in one corner of that restaurant. I got information from Andrew and I was honestly curious if Kate would sit through the whole thing. I was aware of how quickly she left the dates Mila and Vanessa had set her up with before.