Chapter 3
Happy April Fool’s Day, ha! Try Happy Fool’s Year.
I’m miserable. Ever since Ryan and I broke up in January, I have been in the biggest slump.
I thought I was in a slump before, but this is the slumpiest slump I’ve ever slumped into.
I stand by my decision to end things with Ryan.
He’s a good guy, and I did love him, but we outgrew our relationship.
It felt so adult of us to have a mutual breakup.
Don’t get me wrong, I have gone back and forth several times about whether it was enough.
I’ve been lonely. Lonely enough to try dating websites for the first time.
It feels…pathetic. But maybe it’s the way we’ll be meeting everyone in the future?
At least I don’t have to deal with going out to a bar and having a creep breathe beer breath on me while slurring pick-up lines that would not work on me in the best of scenarios.
I’ve been talking to a few people, but Luke seems to be the person that I’ve gravitated toward most. He is super funny and has a lot of charisma.
He looks really cute from his profile picture, in a kind of nerdy way.
I love a good conversation starter, and his first message really sucked me in.
Luke: Would you rather be itchy for the rest of your life or sticky for the rest of your life?
Me: Hmmm. I can get a little whiny when I'm itchy, so I guess sticky? You?
Luke: Definitely itchy, think of when you have an itch, and you give it a good scratch, and it feels AMAZING.
I would like to feel amazing like that all the time, even if I’m uncomfortable the rest of the time.
I guess I like extremes. (In hindsight, this should have been a red flag.) Plus, I really like to read, and I don’t think I could cope with the stickiness when turning each page of a book.
Me: You could get one of those e-readers?
Luke: Ugh! Think of the fingerprints! What do you like to do?
Me: I also really enjoy reading. I like thrillers and ”cringe” romance. I’ve kept a journal of every book I have read since high school. I’m on book number 37 for this year so far.
Luke: Like 37 books in this year? 2009? That’s like three books per week!
Do you have time to shower, eat, and sleep?
I assume you don’t have a job. ?? Maybe if we decide to take this fun outside of this chat, I can show you my favorite bookstore, and you can teach me how you could possibly find that many books to be interesting.
Me: LOL. I do have a job and do take care of basic hygiene needs!
I like to run, kind of, so I listen to audiobooks while I am doing that, which accounts for some of my speed.
But otherwise, I like to snuggle up and read, especially in the winter.
I don’t watch a lot of TV other than on Thursday nights.
Luke: American Idol?
Me: Duh!
Luke: I think I’m in love.
Me: Wow, online dating is easy! ??
We agreed to meet in person, which I was excited about, but I was also kind of certain I was going to get murdered.
I grew up in a generation that was told not to meet strangers from the internet.
We decided to meet at a coffee shop for an afternoon date to keep things low-key.
I was a ball of nerves as I was getting ready.
I don’t do adventures and excitement. I am an introvert to my core, and my idea of a great night is finding a new TV series that I can watch over and over again.
I chose to keep it casual with jeans and a nice top, with some sensible flat shoes.
I am not a high-heels kind of girl, so it is best not to set unreasonable standards on the first date.
I go for minimal makeup, with just some mascara, blush, and lip gloss.
This is as good as it is going to get, and if he doesn’t like it, I will not go into an emotional tailspin.
I will not cry my eyes out while eating cupcakes.
I will not swear off dating again. Besides, I have to get through this date without getting murdered by a stranger before I can worry about any of these things.
I spot him right when I walk in the door.
He is wearing a navy sweater, khaki pants, and nice brown shoes, like he was wearing his Sunday Best. He looks different in person.
His glasses seem a little too big for his face, or his eyes are too big for his head.
But he has a great smile and good manners as he stands up when I approach the table and hands me some flowers.
I can feel myself blushing from the attention.
“Hi, Cassie, it’s so nice to meet you in real life instead of talking online.” He pulls a chair out for me and gestures for me to sit.
I realize I am staring, and I still haven’t said anything. Say words. Any words.
“Nice to meet you, too.” Say some more words, Cassie. “I think I'm going to be terrible at this.”
He let out a loud laugh that was a bit unexpected. “Well, I appreciate your honesty, and I have had the same fears, so let’s see if we can get through this together. Tell me what you want to drink, and I'll go grab it for you.”
“I’ll just have a vanilla latte. Better make it decaf.”
“Ok, be right back.”
I spent some time looking around the coffee shop trying to calm my nerves. He seems like a normal person. It’s broad daylight. So other than being a bumbling idiot, what could possibly go wrong?
He returned with my coffee and sat down. “So, Cassie, tell me something I don’t already know about you.”
I noticed he sat down a lot closer to me than he had been when he came in. He smells really good, and I can’t help but notice he has some magnetism.
“If I have caffeine at this time of day, I won’t sleep again until tomorrow night, hence the decaf. I actually live pretty close by; it was within walking distance for me.”
He nodded and said, “Me too; that’s why I chose it. So, that must mean we don’t live too far apart from each other. But, I’m not telling you exactly where I live because you could be a murderer.”
“Hey, if anyone is a murderer here, statistically, the male is a much higher probability.”
He laughed and said, “I’m not taking any chances until I get to know you better.”
We continued to chat for about an hour about our work, friends, and families.
He is working at a tech start-up company, hence the bit of a nerdy vibe he gave off.
He was very passionate when he was talking about what he is doing at work.
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I liked his energy for work and found that endearing.
The more I sat and stared at him, the more I started to appreciate how cute he was.
The thick, nerdy glasses are a terrible distraction from the really hot guy wearing them.
We had both finished our coffees, and it felt like things were wrapping up, but then he said, “Hey, I have to stop at my office, which is right down the street, to grab something I forgot. Do you want to walk with me, and I can show you the place?”
I pause. Is this a ploy to get me alone for kidnapping, murder, or naked things? I heard something online about not going to a second location, but I can’t remember what the context was.
“Don’t worry, there will be other people in the office, so I can’t murder you there. No pressure. I'm having fun with you and trying to casually extend our time together. If you're interested.”
I was pleasantly surprised and pleased that he wanted to keep hanging out, so I accepted his invitation.
We exit the coffee shop and start walking downtown toward his office.
We stopped for a light, and he grabbed my hand, which took me by total surprise.
Hand holding on a first date? This seems aggressive. What is he, some kind of sex freak?
We got to his office, and he introduced me to every person we saw on the way to his cubicle. He grabbed a bag from under his desk and pointed to it.
“Murder supplies?” I ask with a grin.
“Close. My gym clothes and shoes. I forgot them here and didn’t want that to be my excuse to avoid working out all weekend.”
He tells me a little bit more about his company while we make our way back out of the building. It’s really adorable how much he likes his job, and I make a mental note never to go into detail about my job, as I would sound like a complete downer.
“I feel like I have been talking your ear off today. I want to hear more about you. Let’s walk over to the park since it’s so nice out. You can tell me about the book you're reading right now.” He grabbed my hand again, and we started walking at a leisurely pace.
I start telling him a little bit about my book, but it is a happily-ever-after story, so it follows a pretty typical format.
“Oh, it’s just a light read. A HEA book, so nothing too surprising,” I explained.
“HEA?”
“Happily Ever After. Typically, the format is girl meets guy, but there is some reason they can’t be together.
By about halfway through the book, they eliminate that obstacle and kiss…
or other things, depending on how sexy the book is.
Around 75% of the way through the book, there is a giant misunderstanding, often something someone wasn’t honest about, and the other person doesn’t give them time to explain.
Around 90% of the way through the book, they come back together, and everything works out.
It’s predictable, but that is what I like.
If I ever read a book that doesn’t end happily, I feel a bit cheated. What are you reading right now?”
“I could basically summarize what you said, but instead of romance, I stick to Sci-Fi. Step one: aliens. Step two: total destruction of the world as we know it. Step three: a human steps in to save the fate of the world. Step four: I guess I also read Happily Ever Afters,” he laughs.