***
I meet my date, Nora, outside the usual restaurant that I take all my dates, and find my nerves getting the best of me.
Nora looks beautiful in a blue dress that hugs her curvy figure perfectly. Her hair is up in a ponytail and I find my eyes drifting to her open neck and then down her exposed shoulders. I am completely underdressed in just black pants and a plain white button shirt. I move my hair backwards and forwards as I glance over the menu.
“I’ve never been to this place before, is it good?” Nora doesn’t appear nervous at all.
“Yeah, I usually get the steak here.”
“I love steak.” Nora smiles and I smile back. So many times I’ve been out on dates and the only thing my date will eat is chicken. There is something incredibly hot about a woman eating proper meat to me. Of course, I will take a chicken eater over someone who doesn’t eat at all. Now those women are weird. Why go on a dinner date and then not eat simply to look thin?
“Well, I ate steak for lunch, so I might have to give something else a try.” I debate internally if I should just eat steak again.
“You’ve sold me on steak.” Nora closes her menu; I think I might like this girl even more. I dislike a girl who takes forever merely to make a simple decision.
Looking over the menu, I’m unsure what to order. Strangely enough, I don’t feel starving for once and wonder if it has to do with the sudden nerves I’m feeling or the fact that I have eaten two large meals today already.
“I don’t suppose you would think I was lame if I choose a salad?” I ask, inwardly cringing at myself.
Nora laughs, but shakes her head to say no. “Although, it does sound like something a woman would have on a date, not the man. And here I thought I was dating a manly man working in construction,” Nora teases.
“Are you making the menu gender orientated?” I ask in the same teasing tone, feeling my nerves settle.
“I suppose I am. How sexist of me.”
The waitress comes over then and we place our orders. Nora chooses wine to go with her meal while I decide to retain some of my ‘manly man-ness’ and order a beer.
“So what do you do?” I ask her, sipping on the beer that comes only moments after ordering.
“I actually work at that coffee place you picked me up in. I had to go in to drop something off to one of the other girls.”
“Cool, so I can get free coffee now?” I joke.
“Sure, if I can get free building-type, handyman things.” Nora laughs. “Sorry, I have no idea what you guys specifically do.”
“We mostly just work on our tan.”
Nora laughs again and I fight the urge to reach over the table to take her hand. I end up sitting on it. It’s only a first date, no need to move too fast and freak her out.
“So, what made you ask me out?”
“Apart from you being completely hot?” I smile at her and see her breath catch.
“Yes, apart from that.”
“Well, you smile a lot, so you seem like a nice person. I guess I just wanted to know you better and you know, to get free coffee.”
Nora rolls her eyes at me, although the smile on her face remains.
“Why did you say yes?”
“Easy, you’re a hunk and I needed to get out of the house tonight. My parents are driving me insane. They don’t want me to move out. They think I’m too young. I’m twenty-one. I think I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”
“I’m having that exact same problem with my dad. He thinks I need looking over or something. I can’t live at home forever.”
“You know, as soon as my Mom found out I was going on a date tonight, she said I had to make sure I messaged her within the first hour to let her know how it was going. If she doesn’t hear from me, she’ll call the cops or something. Insane right?”
I laugh. “Well, my Dad warned me not to get hurt. It’s a first date!”
Our meals arrive and I thank the waitress as I pick up my fork. I have never eaten the salad here, but with the sauce drizzled all over it, the crispy pieces of bacon scattered about and large chunks of chicken, I doubt it is considered a healthy option.
Nora tries to tease me with her steak as she eats it and I end up doing the same with my chicken salad. All in all, we get several strange looks from the people sitting at the tables around us, however we’re having a lot of fun.
“What about your Mom? What’s she like?”
“She passed away when I was six.” I hate this part of the ‘getting to know you’ routine.
“I’m so sorry. What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“It was a long time ago and I don’t like to think about it.” I dismiss her question. I never talk to anyone about what happened to Mom; not even with Dad, really. I never feel like it is anyone’s business.
“Of course. Sorry.” Nora moves her leftover potato around on her plate and an awkward silence surrounds us.
I hear a vibration noise and Nora growls quietly as she pulls her cell out of her handbag.
“Unbelievable. It has not even been an hour and she’s already checking up on me.”
“Just say that it’s going well and I’m showing you all my biker tattoos at the moment,” I tease, hoping we can go back to the lighter mood we had been talking in earlier.
“Good one, maybe I can mention that bike you’re going to give me a ride on later?”
I laugh. “Yeah, and say it’s okay because I cleared this date with my probation officer.”
“Oh, and that seeing someone who’s in their forties isn’t a big deal.”
I laugh again. “Yeah, that’ll help ease her worries.”
Taken By Surprise Page 32