15. Her Name Is Tara, You Prick
HER NAME IS TARA, YOU PRICK
TARA
I don’t know why I thought going on a date on a Sunday night was a good idea, but here I am.
I’d had a few matches since I set up my profile again, but most of them seemed pretty creepy. One of them asked for photos of my feet, while another sent me a dick-pic before I’d even replied to his first message, which started with “wanna fuck?”
Charming.
When Daniel messaged after I’d spent the weekend with Bri, however, asking if I wanted to meet for a drink tonight, I felt braver than normal and actually accepted the invitation.
I figured it would be a good distraction from thinking about my dad.
Or daydreaming about ways to get Aiden to come back up to the apartment, which is the other thing plaguing my mind at the moment.
Daniel didn’t look like a serial killer in his profile photo, had yet to send me a photo of his package or ask for photos of anything weird, so I decided to give him a chance. Pretty sad that the bar was so low, but that’s modern dating for you.
So I put on a nice dress, applied more make up then I’d normally wear and curled my hair. Then I caught a cab to Howard Smith Wharves to meet him at the brewery. Not my usual scene, but it was his suggestion, as he apparently lives in New Farm, so this was kind of halfway for both of us.
Taking a seat on the river side at one of the high tables, I glance around to see if he’s here yet, but it looks like I’m the first to arrive.
The area is surprisingly quiet for a weekend, and I’m the only one sitting out here, but I guess most people have gone home to get ready for the working week. Like I kind of wish I was.
Once he arrives, the nerves I’ve been feeling disappear, replaced by disappointment.
His profile photo was obviously a few years old, and I’m pretty sure he lied about his age, as there is no way he is only thirty.
His hairline has receded a few inches since his photo was taken, and if he isn’t at least forty, I will willingly eat dirt.
He’s also wearing far too much cologne.
He orders for us both without asking what I’d like, and now I’ve got a beer in front of me along with a bowl of onion rings. I don’t drink beer and I’m allergic to onions.
Why did I bother with this?
“So, Tina, what do you do?” he asks, chewing with his mouth open.
“It’s Tara. And I work in insurance,” I reply, already trying to work out how I can get out of here without causing a scene.
“Right, Tara. I’m a corporate lawyer.”
I didn’t ask. I can already tell he has an over-inflated ego. And when he launches into a long and boring explanation of what a corporate lawyer does, and how important he is, I nod along absently, wishing I’d thought to get Bri to call me with a fake emergency.
Rookie move, Tara.
Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t notice that he is the only one eating and drinking, ordering another round of beers.
For some stupid reason, I stay at the table while he goes to the bar.
All these years of being polite to assholes has trained me to put up with this shit, apparently.
If this had happened to Kylie, she would have upended the beer on top of his head and marched right out of here.
I really miss her when she’s not around.
Daniel returns to the table while I’m still trying to work up the nerve to leave, and before I realise what’s happening, he’s standing next to my stool, staring down at me.
He slides a hand behind my neck and moves to kiss me.
His lips brush mine, and I recoil instinctively, the overwhelming smell of his cologne making me want to throw up.
“What are you doing?” I demand, pushing him away.
I guess I can get past the need to be polite after all.
“Come on, Tina. The connection between us is undeniable. No need to play hard to get.” He leers down at me, his gaze bypassing my face and going straight to my cleavage.
“What connection? All you’ve done is talk about yourself for the past half an hour and ordered food and drink without asking me what I like.” I get to my feet, grabbing my hand bag.
He grabs my arm. “Don’t be like that. We were having a great time. I thought this was going somewhere. Come back to my place.” He pulls me in closer and I struggle to wrench my arm from his grip.
As he tries to kiss me again, a hand clamps down on his shoulder and pulls him away.
“I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want you to do that.” I freeze when I recognise Aiden’s voice.
“Who the fuck are you?” Daniel demands, while I step out of his reach, skirting around the table.
“Someone who is telling you to bugger off,” Aiden replies.
His eyes flare while he stares at Daniel, his jaw clenched, and despite the situation, I don’t think I’ve ever found him more attractive than right now.
“Tina and I were having a nice night. How about you fuck off?” Daniel says, stepping closer to Aiden, who doesn’t back down.
Aiden has a few inches on Daniel and is in far better shape. If I was to put money on who would win a fight, it would all go on Aiden.
“Her name is Tara, you prick. Tara,” Aiden says, his voice deathly low as he turns to look at me. “Were you having a nice night?”
I shake my head. “I most certainly was not.”
He turns to glower back at Daniel. “There’s your answer. So get lost, perv. And the next time a woman tells you she’s not interested, listen to the words coming out of her mouth.”
Daniel glares at us both before throwing his hands up. “Whatever. You can have the fat bitch all to yourself.”
He storms off, and Aiden looks like he’s about to launch himself after him, but I place a hand on his arm. “Don’t. He’s not worth getting in trouble for. He spent half an hour telling me how much of an amazing lawyer he is, so he’d definitely call the cops.”
Aiden lets out a breath, finally looking at me properly. “Are you okay?”
I nod, pretending that being called a ‘fat bitch’ didn’t hurt. “I’m fine. Where did you come from, anyway?”
“I was out for a walk.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Really? Here?”
He shrugs. “I needed to clear my head after a particularly shitty dinner, so I got off at Sidney Street and was planning to walk back over the bridge.” He nods towards the elevators that go up the cliff face on the other side of the buildings.
“Okay… But why’d you come this way? This is out of your way.”
He shrugs. “I was going to get a beer first. Never been here, so thought I’d check it out. Glad I did now. Are you sure you’re okay? ”
I let out a breath. “I won’t lie and say that didn’t suck, but I’m okay. I was pretty close to slapping him, though.”
“Good. He needs a good slap. Why were you even on a date with him?” Something about his tone gets my defences up.
“Because he didn’t seem like a creep when he messaged me on the app,” I reply, raising my chin and glaring at him.
He raises an eyebrow. “You met someone from a dating app in a dark, secluded area?”
“Hey, drop the attitude,” I reply, my voice raised as anger bubbles to the surface. At him or at myself, I’m not sure. “I agreed to meet him at a bar. It’s not like I organised a tryst in a dark alley. I would have been fine. I didn’t need saving.”
Aiden looks like he’s about to argue with me, but just shakes his head after a moment. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have made it sound like you were in the wrong. I just had a shit night, and I am obviously more fired up than I thought.”
I glare at him a little longer, not entirely sure I’m ready to forgive him so easily, but something in his eyes has me softening. “It’s fine. Do you want to talk about it?” I ask, surprising both of us.
He shakes his head. “No, but thanks.”
We both stand there awkwardly for a moment.
“I should let you get that drink,” I say finally, sliding my handbag onto my shoulder.
“Don’t really feel like it now. I’ll walk you home.”
I hesitate, not sure how we’ll go spending the twenty minute walk back together. But what harm is it going to do? We live in the same building, and it’s not like I can pretend I have somewhere else to be, seeing as my date just stormed off.
Nodding, I follow when he leads the way to the elevator. We join a small group gathered as the doors open, and I hold my breath most of the way to the top, the smell of urine overpowering everything else .
“My god, what is it with lifts and the smell of excrement?” Aiden says, once we’re alone again.
I splutter a laugh. “Maybe it’s you,” I say with a grin.
“Ha, you were there both times as well. Maybe it was you.” He grins back, a twinkle in his eye.
I gasp dramatically, pretending to be outraged, and his grin widens.
We slip into easy conversation for the rest of the walk home, both of us avoiding talking about our crappy nights before seeing each other.
It’s surprisingly pleasant, and I’m reminded of our easy conversation the first night we met. Before everything else that happened.
Once we reach the lobby of our building, I’ve forgotten about my annoyance with him, reminded instead of the first night we’d met. He holds the elevator open and lets me go in first. He hits the button for the seventh floor and watches while I hit the penthouse one.
We fall silent, and once the elevator reaches his floor, he nods at me before stepping out. “Good night, Tara.”
He stands outside the door, his hand holding it open while he looks like he’s about to say something else.
“Good night, Aiden,” I reply with a nod.
He nods back slowly, before removing his hand.
When the doors close, I feel a sudden emptiness that I can’t quite describe. But I’m grateful for the little ball of fur waiting for me upstairs, realising how nice it is to have someone to come home to for a change.
Even if he does have four legs and likes to bite my toes.