The Date

Chapter 2

''I was afraid of that. Well, I can only hope my friend comes quickly, so I won't have to stare at his handsome face and him not to eat all my cheese.''

It doesn't mean that I don't wanna share, but I didn't carry enough for two people to share.

“No offense, Rachel, but my goal is not to eat all your treats with you all night.” Although he wanted to. . . No, remember her friend? Right? Time to ask her a question. ''What about the wedding? When will it be held?

She made a face.

He smiled at her.

“Don’t make faces.”

She looked at her phone bored.

''If prison sentences lasted for a weekend, this one would qualify. Okay, fine, a prison in a cushy hotel, but still.''

He looked at her still smiling.

''Not so cushy right now. What’s so terrible about this wedding?''

She threw her hands in the air.

“Let me count the ways.” She held up one finger. “One: it’s my friend’s wedding.”

Jack winced. He’d been there. Friend's weddings were always a trial. You have to be happy, even in the worst circumstances.

Second finger. “Two: she’s marrying someone from med school.”

Jack looked straight at her. Okay, she may have a point, judging from his own personal experience.

“Were they dating. . .”

''No, they started dating after med school. Let’s just say that I wasn’t particularly pleased to hear how it all happened, shall we?''

She held up the third finger. “THREE.”

He sat up straight.

''There’s another one? A third finger?'' he said, smiling.

“Oh yes.” She waved her middle finger. ''As a matter of fact, this is the worst of the fingers. Three: I'm the bridesmaid, and I need a date, unless l will be the only single in the group.''

Are you kidding me? He said, laughing.

Nope, still single

''I need cheese to process what l just heard.''

''I'm telling you something important you are asking about cheese''. She was laughing.

Rachel, I’m touched. I truly am.

“And then”—she waved another finger in the air—“ and there’s a four.”

''Oh good Lord, what could four possibly be? Are your divorced parents coming to the wedding with their spouses, too, or something?'' he laughed.

''No, but good guess. What a nightmare that would be. No, four is that I am not only a bridesmaid at the wedding, but I am a dateless bridesmaid at the wedding. My date bailed on me at the last minute, so I’m going to look pathetic, sit alone, and probably get drunk. The whole thing is going to be a nightmare.''

He brushed that off with a wave of his hand.

''Oh please, you’ll be fine. Weddings are great places to meet people. As my friend Dave always says, ‘Don’t bring a sandwich to a buffet.''

She laughed out of surprise.

''I’m definitely going to steal that saying. And while in most situations I would say that your friend Dave is totally right, that is five percent of situations where a sandwich would save me from all the food poisoning in the buffet. I’m going to get so many pitying looks, you have no idea. And lots of ‘What happened, did you guys break up or something?’ And I’m going to have to smile and take it, but there’s like a thirty percent possibility I’m going to have one too many glasses of bourbon and go rogue.''

He touched her hand and tried not to hold it too long.

“And the worst thing, is that you can't decline.”

He looked toward her purse again.

“Rachel, I’m going to need you to give me that cheese if you don’t want me to steal it.”

She grabbed her purse and moved it to the other side of her seat. She did so smiling.

''Now temptation is farther away. Isn’t that better?'' she kept her purse out of sight.

He looked at her, and where she kept the purse, and back at her. She smiled.

“So, Rachel. Why don't you have a guy or girlfriend ?''

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay”

“It's okay, I haven't been in a relationship for a while.”

He stared at her surprisingly.

''Don’t stare at me like that! She said, smiling," I’m not the relationship type of person! And anyway, he doesn't want anything serious, that's why I ended it. She sighed. ''Jack. Anyway. Except I forgot that I needed a date for this damn wedding.''

“Wait,” he said. “How, exactly, is your date ‘bailing’ on you?” He stared at her fixated.

''He valued his work more than he valued me.''

“However, I think this is just more evidence that I’ve been cursed when it comes to this wedding,” Rachel said, laughing.

Jack laughed and relaxed against the chair. Hey, it’s not like he was in danger of becoming this lady's date. He could at least get a few accidental touches of her hand before her friend came around.

“You probably did something to deserve it,” Jack said, smiling.

“Oh, really? I pour out my heart to you about this nightmare of a wedding and how now I won’t have a date and all the terrible things that will happen to me because of that, and when you hear my tale of woe, you tell me that I did something to deserve it? Just for that, I’m not giving you the cheese.''

“I'm sorry, don't use this as an opportunity not to give me some cheese.''

He reached into her purse but hesitated for a second and raised his eyebrows at her. She sighed and nodded.

''Okay, fine, you can have a little cheese, but you’d better save some for me. And no tearing it off with your fingers. What kind of personality do you think I exhibit? There’s a knife on the table.''

He beamed at her. Good Lord, that was a dangerous smile. She looked away and took the butter knife, so she stared at something else without looking at him.

He’d just bitten into his third cheese-laden cracker when she saw her friend enter the restaurant.

“Great, looks just dropped in?” She sat upright.

“Looks like I won’t have to tackle you for the rest of the cheese,” Jack said jokily.

''Thank goodness, my friend came at the right time.''

She waves at her friend, to let her know where she's seated.

''Sorry I'm late, she realized her friend was with someone. ''Hi, I am Ariel, and it's a pleasure to meet you." she sat next to Rachel.

She has always been the free-going type.

“Hi, I'm Jack, and it's a pleasure to meet you too.''

''I'm sorry to break this little date of yours, but my friend and I have to get going.'' hope you don't mind.

Rachel is imagining herself with Jack, touching his abs and wanting to be in his bed. God l need to date, and stop thinking about him who doesn't know.

Probably. She had a very active imagination. It helped to make up for her current lack of a romantic life.

“Looks like your friend and I start on a good front,” he said as they got off together.

“Looks like it.” She smiled up at him for a second before she had to look away from those eyes again.