Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Zoe
I hear the Mystery Match alert go off and instantly get excited, knowing it’s David contacting me.
So, what does a typical Saturday look like to you?
I curl up on my couch, getting comfy for what I hope is going to be another great conversation.
Yoga in the morning, then chores and errands. You know, typical adult stuff.
Don’t you miss the days when you didn’t have to adult?
Sometimes. What about you? What does your typical Saturday look like?
Not much different. I meet with Donny, the guy who started this app, for a run.
Do you run often?
Just Saturday mornings. We’ve been doing it since college. It’s our way of keeping in touch and staying fit.
No other gym days for you?
That goes back to my comment earlier about having to adult. I guess I could, but work takes up a lot of my time; even after hours, I find myself working from home. What about you?
Same as you. Just yoga on Saturday mornings.
Do you think you do the adulting stuff because you have to or because you don’t have anything better to do?
Probably a little bit of both if I’m being honest.
So, if we knew each other in person, would we be hanging out today?
I would hope so.
What would we do?
Depends. Are you still trying to woo me, or are we so comfortable that we’d be running our errands together?
I’d like to think we would still be in the wooing stage for a while at least. I’m down to play hooky on adulting too. It’s overrated.
Facts! Let me think …
I ponder all the usual stuff in my head. Central Park and the Bethesda fountain or Times Square. It’s all so touristy and overdone. Since I grew up here, it’s not like I do a ton of the touristy stuff, but it all can be overrated, just like adulting can.
Then it hits me. The place I’ve always felt was so romantic and totally not what you would expect since you have to leave Manhattan, but every time I see it posted on social media, my heart does a little flip, hoping I’ll go there with my dream man one day.
OK, if you were really trying to woo me, you’d take me out of Manhattan to Brooklyn.
Brooklyn? Tell me more.
There’s a place called The River Café.
I hit Send, and the app pops up with a warning that I can’t send a location like that because they discourage meeting up with people until the seven days have passed. I chuckle to myself, then think of how to reword it.
Funny, the app just slapped my hand again, saying I can’t list an actual location. Let’s just say, it has the best views of the Brooklyn Bridge. It has just always looked so romantic.
You’ve never been?
Nope. It’s pretty fancy.
Then I’ll have to tuck that away for later and find out on my own what place it actually is so I can surprise you.
Chills cover my entire body as my heart starts to flutter in excitement and anticipation.
This guy almost seems too good to be true.
I try not to get my hopes up though because I don’t even know him.
Could this all be a facade? It’s totally possible.
But it’s also possible that he is real and this is who he is on the inside.
I shake the thoughts out of my head and ask him:
OK, your turn. Where would you take me?
That’s easy. Out on the water.
The Hudson?
Yeah. Have you ever rented a boat and gone out on the Hudson?
Ha! No. I didn’t even know you could.
Must be the Montana in me. Every time I go, I feel like I’m home again. You can rent ski boats or just pontoons. It’s a great way to spend the day.
I’ve seen people on boats, but I just figured they owned them. Sounds like fun.
Do you like being outdoors?
Probably not as much as you, coming from Montana. But then again, I’ve never been, so I can’t really answer that. I like a good stroll through Central Park though if that counts.
I’d love to take you to Montana. It’s a different world.Just being able to sit outdoors in front of a fire and under the stars will change your life.
OK, time for more serious questions …
Shoot.
Do you like your job? Where’s the best place you’ve ever visited? And how do you open a banana?
Those are all easy questions.
1. Yes, I love my job.
2. I know I should say Paris, but I have to go with my hometown. Out of all the places I’ve been, nothing beats home.
3. From the stem. What kind of question is that?
Are you crazy? Everyone knows you should open them from the bottom. That’s the correct way!
I never knew there was a “correct” way to open a banana.
Well, there is. And you’re doing it wrong.
No way. You’re doing it wrong.
Nope. I’m going to win this little argument. Watch. Google it!
I give him the time he needs, knowing I’m right, and sit back to see if he’ll actually admit it.
You’ve got to be shitting me right now. How have I been doing it wrong all this time?!
I laugh out loud, loving our little banter and that he was willing to find out and say he was wrong.
See? I’m always right. ;-)
The smile on my face is starting to hurt from talking to him like this. As every day passes, I fall for him a little more, and I can’t wait to find out who this guy really is!