the secret admirer

flattery or fakery

Sarah had been looking forward to this evening all day, all this excitement come from that love letter she received at work, inviting her to dinner at The Pearl Restaurant. The note was sweet, romantic, and excited her. She wondered who could have sent it, but the only clue was a small heart drawn at the end of the note. She had a suspicion that it was her crush Eric from the office, but she couldn't really be sure.

As she left the office, Sarah felt a bit anxious. She had never been on a blind date before, and the thought of not knowing who she was meeting made her a bit nervous. But at the same time, she was excited. The Pearl Restaurant was one of the fanciest places in town, and she had always wanted to go there.

As Sarah drove home, she couldn't stop thinking about the date. What should she wear? How would she recognize her date? Would they get along? She had so many questions and so few answers.

As she arrived at the rooming house where she lived, Sarah noticed that something was different. There was a sound coming from the lounge, and it was laughter. She had never heard this kind of laughter in the house before this week, since Jason left to visit his parents. He's always been the funny guy as long as she can remember. Curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to eavesdrop.

As she approached the lounge, Sarah heard the voices of her housemate Max and his girlfriend Emma, and her childhood friend and co-worker, Jason. She then remembered that Jason told her the day before on the phone that he'll come back today , she thought it might be the mystery of this love letter that Made her forget. Jason had been on leave for a week and she hadn't seen him since before he left. She wanted to surprise him, but not before hearing what they were talking about.

"-And then, my mom's dog just ran straight at me, and before I knew it, he had tackled me to the ground! It was hilarious!" Jason said, in between laughs.

Max and Emma were laughing just as hard, and Sarah couldn't help but giggle to herself. It was good to hear them all having a good time.

"Did you get hurt though?" Emma asked, still laughing.

"A little bit, but it was worth it. That dog is so cute, he can get away with anything!" Jason replied.

Sarah smiled to herself, happy to hear that Jason was having a good time with his family. Jason was like an older brother to her, and they had grown up together. They even work at the same company and started renting a room in the same house to save on expenses. Although they had different goals, they supported each other and often confided in one another.

Suddenly, Jason looked up, and saw Sarah standing in the doorway. He jumped up from the couch and ran towards her with open arms.

"Sarah! It's good to be back. I missed you!" he said, hugging her tightly.

Sarah returned the hug, happy to see him again. "I missed you too, Jason. I'm so glad you're back!"

Max and Emma smiled at the two of them, happy to see such a warm reunion.

"So Sarah, how was work? Did anything interesting happen?" Max asked.

Sarah hesitated for a moment, unsure if it was appropriate to share her anonymous dinner invitation. But then she decided to tell Jason, as she trusted him and wanted to share her nightmare , she knows Emma already told Max during their pillow talk.

"Well, something actually did happen. I received a love letter at work yesterday, inviting me to dinner at The Pearl Restaurant, today."

Max and Emma looked at each other, trying to hold back a smile.

"Well then, it seems you have a secret admirer! How exciting!" Max said, beaming.

Jason looked at Sarah, grinning from ear to ear. "That's amazing, Sarah! You deserve to be wooed."

Sarah blushed, feeling touched by Jason's words. "Thanks, Jason. I hope it goes well."

"I'm sure it will. Just be yourself, and have fun!" Jason replied, patting her on the back. But you can see clearly that he wasn't happy about this whole thing.

Max, Emma, and Jason continued to chat and laugh for a while, talking about everything that had happened while he was gone. They shared stories and jokes and talked about their plans for the weekend.

As they were wrapping up, Jason looked at Sarah and said, "Seriously though, Sarah, have a great time tonight. You're amazing, and I'm sure your date will think the same."

Sarah smiled, feeling a surge of confidence. With her friend's words ringing in her ears, she felt ready to take on whatever the night had in store for her , with that she excused herself and went to freshen up.

****-****

Sarah came out of the bathroom feeling fresh and rejuvenated, only to find Emma already in her bedroom, rifling through her closet. "What are you doing?" Sarah asked, giggling at the sight of Emma holding up a bright yellow sundress.

"I'm picking out your outfit for tonight. You're hopeless when it comes to picking clothes," Emma teased, winking at Sarah.

"Hey, I'll have you know that my style is perfectly fine," Sarah retorted, playfully pouting at her friend.

After much back and forth, Emma finally settled on a cute floral romper for Sarah to wear. "You look so cute!" Emma exclaimed, admiring her handy work.

"Thanks, Em. But don't you think it's a little...revealing?" Sarah asked, tugging at the low neckline of her romper.

"Oh come on, Sarah. You have nothing to hide," Emma said with a devilish grin.

Sarah rolled her eyes at her friend's teasing, but couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, let's go. But remember, you're only going to stay there for a little bit. Just long enough to make sure my date isn't a psycho killer," Sarah reminded Emma.

Emma nodded, her expression turning more serious. "I know, Sarah. Safety first."

" Please don't forget to give me your bank card. I can't stay there without eating or drinking something." Emma said , teasing her.

" For my services" she laughed

As Sarah finished getting ready, Emma chattered on about small talk and random things, trying to distract Sarah from her nerves. But Sarah couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about the date. She had only received a love letter and hadn't seen him in person yet. It was nerve-wracking to say the least.

Once Sarah was all dressed, the two girls headed out of the room and toward the front door. "Wait!" Sarah exclaimed, stopping suddenly. "What if he's already here?"

Emma laughed. "Girl, he's not going to come to the house. You're going to meet him at The pearl, remember?"

"Oh right," Sarah said, feeling silly for forgetting. "Okay, let's go."

As they approached the living room, the guys all turned to stare at Sarah. Jason couldn't help but let out a low whistle. "Wow, Sarah. You look amazing," he said, his eyes scanning her from head to toe.

Sarah blushed, feeling a little uncomfortable under Jason's intense gaze. "Thanks," she muttered, avoiding eye contact with him.

Max cleared his throat, sensing the atmosphere in the room. "Alright guys, Let's give the girls some space," he said, guiding Jason toward the door.

As they headed out, Jason couldn't help but turn back and send a lustful look in Sarah's direction. Max saw the way he was looking at Sarah and knew he had to say something. "Dude, just tell her how you feel already. Pretending to be her older brother is only going to push her away. Besides, someone else might swoop in and steal her from you," Max advised.

Jason shrugged off Max's words, still lost in his own thoughts. But as they walked down the street toward the bar, he couldn't shake the feeling that Max might be right.