23. Mystery Woman
“I deserved that,”Ben said aloud to the many café customers still staring at him. Some chuckled, others gave him sympathetic looks, but slowly, the patrons lost interest in Ben as they realized the drama had already unfolded. Seeing the show was over, they returned to their laptops, books, pastries, and caffeine fixes, leaving Ben alone with his thoughts.
Shit. I messed up. Like, really messed up, Ben thought as he sat alone at the table for two in Cold Brew. The meeting hadn’t gone as he’d hoped. He had spent so many years missing Gia, wishing things had been different, but it all imploded when he finally had a chance to make things right.
She hates me, he thought. Totally hates me. I’m scum to her—and rightfully so. He had envisioned some sort of magical re-kindling of what they’d had before, an instant love connection in which the past was at least forgiven, if not forgotten.
I guess I’m going to have to work for this, thought Ben as he tilted his coffee cup back to finish the final gulp. He stood and walked out of the coffee shop, surprised to see a familiar figure walking down the street about a block away. It was Gia. She hadn’t left the area yet. That’s right. She said she had an appointment nearby. Maybe if I try again?
“Gia!” shouted Ben, trying to get her attention. Gia glanced over her shoulder, saw Ben, and began to walk faster—practically breaking into a jog. “Gia, please wait?” Ben begged as he ran to catch up. “I’m sorry about before. Can we talk?”
“I have a doctor’s appointment,” Gia said, gesturing to the building across the street. “I can’t.”
Ben looked into Gia’s eyes. It was clear she’d been crying. They were hypnotizingly beautiful, but also puffy and red, and she still sniffled faintly, even though she tried to hide it. Ben took a chance without thinking or giving her a chance to recoil. He reached around Gia and pulled her close, holding her tightly in his arms. Just an embrace.
It worked.
Gia melted into him, exhausted from the emotional toll of the morning. Her head rested against his chest, and he could feel her body heave in and out, breathing in his scent. He wondered if she remembered the feeling of being held in his arms.
“Gia, I’m sorry. I promise. I’ll make it up to you and Aiden,” he whispered in her ear, triggering an entirely different response. Gia lifted her head abruptly, shoved Ben away, and bolted across the street and up the stairs toward the large, gray medical building that towered over them. Within moments, she was gone.
Ben raised his head toward the sky and rolled his eyes. “That could have gone better… again.” He stood there for several minutes, hoping Gia would realize she’d made a mistake, turn around, and return to his embrace. He could have waited longer, hoping to catch her after her appointment, but that felt too stalkerish. Ben walked toward his car and made his way home.
Upon arriving in his small apartment, he sat on the living room sofa, trying to process everything that had just happened. Burying his head in his hands, he rolled his neck back and forth a few times as he pondered his next steps. He had just grabbed his cell phone from his pocket to browse social media aimlessly to forget his circumstances when the Only Gardeners app caught his eye. I wonder if she would answer…
He began to type:
Dear Gia,
I’m sorry for how things worked out today. I’d like to talk to you again. I want to get everything between us out in the open, the good and the bad. I want to meet Aiden, and I don’t think that can happen until you and I can be in the same room together without yelling or cryi?—
No, she’ll feel called out. She was the only one yelling or crying, thought Ben. He backspaced the last sentence and tried again:
I want to meet Aiden, but you and I have some things to iron out first. Maybe we should try someplace a little more private next time. No free show for the other Cold Brew patrons!
Ben
He considered removing the ‘no free show’ line but thought it was kind of funny, so he left it and hit the send button, putting the message out into the online dating world and hoping for the best. Just as he was about to close the app, Ben received a notification. “You have one new like!”
Might as well take a look. He clicked the notification icon. The screen transitioned to an undeniably beautiful woman’s profile. Her long black hair fell pin-straight down her back, and hazel eyes, brown specked with hints of green, gazed sexily out at him from within the screen. She doesn’t look like she’s ever set foot in a garden, but I suppose looks can be deceiving.
As Ben perused her profile, he received another notification—a new message.
Hey there. You’re cute. Wanna hear a secret?
Jen
Ben rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment. Given how the morning with Gia had gone, he figured he might as well at least try to keep his options open. It’s not like they were together. Or ever going to be. He began crafting his response.
Hey, Jen. I’m Ben. Jen and Ben, hey, that rhymes… Wow, I sound lame. I’d love to hear a secret if you”re still reading after that.
Ben
My secret… is… that I don’t actually have a garden. But I think men who garden are sexy. And I think you’re sexy.
Jen
Having just sipped from his water bottle, Ben began coughing, causing water to drip down his chin. Well, that was blunt. It did, however, pique his interest.
Well, Jen, I’m having a bit of a rough day. Would you like to meet so I can treat you to lunch later today? I’d love the company of a beautiful woman—no expectations, just lunch.
Ben
I’d love that, but why wait? Are you free now? I’m finishing up an appointment downtown. We could grab something at one of the restaurants on Main Street.
The two continued to communicate back and forth for several more minutes until they’d finalized their arrangements to meet downtown in just over an hour. Ben felt a little silly going back to the same area he’d just been for breakfast. Still, at the same time, he thought he needed company. And why not meet up with a beautiful woman? It wasn’t like anyone else was jumping to date him—although he hadn’t really been trying. The one woman he’d shown interest in before Jen messaged had just told him off and disappeared—twice.
Ben walked up to his room and began to freshen up. He didn’t need very much prep time as he had already showered, dressed, and spritzed cologne earlier that morning in hopes of making a good impression on Gia. Guess it takes more than expensive cologne, Ben thought with a sigh. He finished getting ready, returned to his car, and headed off on his lunch date.
The plan was to meet at Charmed to Table, a newer farm-to-table restaurant in town. They’d have lunch, get to know one another, and see where things went. Both Jen and Ben had promised no expectations, only lunch! Despite the morning Ben had dealt with, he was looking forward to meeting someone new, even if it was primarily a much-needed distraction from everything else happening with Gia and Aiden.