Chapter 6
SIX
Kyle
I thought that all I had to do was sign up for this Holidates app, and I’d have my pick of all the women desperate to find a date. The problem arose when I realized that most of them were the type I was trying to avoid. I spent so much time scrolling that I almost gave up.
And then I found her. Zara Bray, looking as plain as can be and totally unapologetic for it. The picture she posted sure did her no favors.
I read her profile with bated breath, the excitement building inside of me when I realized she was what I needed.
It looked like she needed a date for a Fourth of July party.
That would not be a problem since I loved parties.
I was sure hers would be as boring as the picture attached, but I was good with that.
I wasted no time in sending her a message, surprised when I did not get a response back right away. She just struck me as the type of person who would waste no time in getting back to me. Now, it is hours later, and I cringe at the thought that I might have to start searching all over again.
A ding from my tablet gets my attention. Dropping the work one I’ve been drawing on, I pick up the other one, which I booted up just for this purpose. My eyes light up when I notice it’s a notification from the Holidates , wasting no time to tap on it.
“Yeah, baby!” I grin at the screen when I see the girl replied.
My excitement is replaced with confusion when I finally pause for long enough to read what she said back.
Kyle,
Thank you for your message. Before I can take your interest into consideration, I respectfully request that you filled out the questionnaire attached. Since time is of the essence, I would appreciate a prompt turnaround.
Sincerely,
Zara
I shake my head and read it again. Then, I bust out laughing. This girl is perfect, and I could not have picked any better if I tried. My friends won’t believe their eyes and ears when I show up with her on my arm. And she sent me a questionnaire. Fuck yeah.
Grabbing my e-pen from the desk, I open the attachment she sent, ready to scrawl my answers. A quick glance shows there are ten questions, so not too bad.
The first few of them are pretty standard, like how far are you willing to travel for this, do you need a date for an event in exchange for attending her event, stuff like that.
Then, half of the questions on the page have something to do with punctuality.
As I answer, I am at a loss on how to answer each question without basically copying the answer from the question before.
They all just go in a circle, but the bottom line to all this is that always being on time is very important to her.
In all honesty, I don’t really care for schedules.
I have the type of job where I don’t need to clock in or out.
I just work whenever inspiration strikes.
When I get together with my friends, none of them care if I am there a little late.
The only times I try to make an effort is when I go to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned every six months. Other than that, I don’t care.
Getting the feeling that this girl would not appreciate my scattered ways, I respond with what I think she needs to hear. I save the document before hitting reply and uploading it to send it back.
“ Dear Zara ,” I say while I type. “ I hope you will find my answers to your questions to be satisfactory .” I snicker at the pompous tone of the email. “ I would appreciate a most prompt response to my message, as time is of the essence .”
I grin and hit Send. This girl is really as boring in her real life as she looks in the picture she posted on here. But it could be fun, I decide. I will take it as a challenge and run with it.
My eyes about pop out of my head though when I see a notification in the app before I even have time to turn my tablet off. I tap on it, and I am not even a little bit surprised when I see it is indeed a response from Zara.
Kyle,
I appreciate the detail in your answers, and I would like to meet with you in person to discuss this arrangement. The sooner, the better, I’d say. Please give me a few options that work for you.
Sincerely,
Zara
I drop my head back and laugh out loud. This girl is something else, and no wonder she has to find a date this way.
I can’t imagine how this would work in real life.
Then again, I’m trying to score a date in the same way, so maybe I shouldn’t laugh this hard about it. With that thought in mind, I hit Reply.
Zara,
I can meet as soon as today. Let me know what works for you.
Kyle
My email matches the energy in hers, and I have a feeling she appreciates that kind of stuff. It’s funny how I haven’t even met her yet, but I already feel like I really know her.
I stare at the little icon for messages, willing it to light up with another one from Zara Bray. This is too much fun, especially when it doesn’t disappoint, and I hear the little ding.
Kyle,
I can meet today as well. Would the diner Hollow Rocks work for you? Six o’clock, sharp.
Zara
I grin like a lunatic and hit Reply.
Zara,
I would love to, but the diner closes at three since it’s open only for breakfast and lunch. How about the restaurant across the street?
Kyle
She doesn’t get back to me as fast as before. I worry that maybe my response was a bit condescending, and I offended her. Maybe I was having too much fun with this.
Throwing the tablet to the side, I stand up and stretch my back. My hair feels messy when I run my hands through it. I should probably take a shower and clean my act up a bit. I’ve been hauled up in my house for a few days now, so focused on my work that I forgot about basic hygiene.
A ding echoes from the tablet I threw on the couch. I turn abruptly, tripping over the coffee table in my excitement to get to it. It has to be a message from Zara.
Kyle,
My apologies for not realizing the diner would be closed. I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. The restaurant across the street would do the job. I will be there at six, once you confirm that you’ll come meet me there.
Zara
“This chick is something else,” I snort to myself. I am fascinated by her, and I have no idea why. This is bizarre.
Zara,
Confirmed.
Kyle
My messages back is short and to the point, just the way I have a feeling that she likes it.
Now that’s done and I have a date for tonight, I don’t know if I should continue with my current project.
I stare at the computer where each one of the three screens is lit up with a different part of the story I am working on.
But if I get back to work now, I will be losing track of time.
I don’t want to be late for my meeting with Zara.
Based on the vibes she gave, I would not stand a chance if I got there late.
I save all my current work, then go to take a shower. The hot water hitting my body feels too good, so I take my time with it. By the time I am out, I feel like a brand new man. That feeling of cleanliness is underappreciated, I decide.
My cell phone ringing from somewhere in the living room snaps me out of the sluggishness I suddenly find myself in. I rush to get it, rolling my eyes when I see is just my friend, Alex, calling.
“What’s up, brother?” I greet him.
“Same ol’ shit.” His voice sounds gruff and, dare I say, pissed off. “What are you up to?”
With the towel still wrapped around my hips, I drop back on the couch where I was sitting before while chatting back and forth with Zara.
“Well, I got a date for tonight,” I say.
“Imagine that,” comes his sarcastic reply. “When do you not have a date?”
“It’s true,” I laugh. “But this one is different.”
“Oh, how so?” He doesn’t sound interested at all, but whatever.
“She is the girl who is going to be my plus one at Ray’s wedding.”
Alex snorts sarcastically. “And where, pray tell, does she strip?”
Zara’s picture pops into my head. She looks so incredibly proper, and she’d probably faint if anyone accused her of stripping. I am a little offended on her behalf.
“She’s not a stripper,” I tell my friend. “She is a nice girl.”
“Yeah, right,” he laughs again.
Rolling my eyes even though he can’t see me, I grab my tablet and log into my Holidates account. I then find Zara’s profile and take a screenshot of the picture she has on there.
“Hold on, I’ll prove it to you.” A couple of taps later and the picture is on its way to Alex via text. “Check your messages.”
I hear some shuffling from his end when he puts me on speaker and checks his texts.
“Huh,” he mumbles. “This is different.”
“Right?” I am so excited about it, I about jump up to sit on the back of the couch.
“What’s wrong with her?”
Alex’s question stops me in my tracks. “What do you mean?”
I stare at Zara’s picture that’s still up on my tablet. I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. She’s just plain, but nothing wrong about that. That’s what I was looking for anyway.
“She’s not even smiling in this picture,” Alex points out. “She’s probably some sociopath if you’re asking me.”
“Sociopath?” My eyes bug out of my head. “Why do you think that?”
Alex huff into the phone. “Because she gives off that vibe. I bet you she hates people. And the ones she does like are probably paying her to be her friend.”
The tone of his voice sounds hateful. It’s very confusing how much he hates this girl on sight. He doesn’t even have to talk to her when I bring her to the wedding, so what’s the big deal?
“That’s a little harsh.” I try to laugh so we can break this weird tension suddenly floating over the line.
“Excuse my honesty,” he deadpans.
I frown in confusion. “You’re in rare form today.”
Not that Alex is usually the life of the party, because that’s me. But there’s just this weird undercurrent that tells me whatever is bothering him today is more than his usually deal about Mona or people being after his money.
He sighs into the phone a couple of times, like he’s building himself toward telling me what his deal is.
I’ve never been one to push, and I know he hates it when people get into his personal business.
But will admit that he’s never actually called when upset or needing someone to talk to.
He never needs anyone from what I’ve gathered over the years.
“I ran into Mona last night.”
I groan in frustration but don’t say a word. He’s always been oddly sensitive about this girl despite the fact that he never really wanted to commit to her. His parents’ divorce fucked him up in the worst of ways. I’ve never met them though, so I couldn’t say one way or another.
“She was on a date.”
That last bit of information gives me pause. I’ve always got the impression that Mona was just waiting for Alex to call her to him anytime he felt like. That’s why I never held her in high regards, because I felt she had no self-respect.
“With another man?” I ask for clarification, just in case.
“Yeah, with another fucking man.” He is back to being condescending.
“Well…” I let out a long breath of air as I run my hand through my wet hair. “That’s a good thing, right?”
“How the fuck is that a good thing?” Alex snaps at me.
“I was always under the impression that she was just sitting around waiting for you,” I shrug as I speak. “This should give you some comfort that she’s not after you or your money.”
“Comfort?” Alex sounds angry as all hell. “I just saw her last week. We fucked like rabbits. Not even seven days later, she’s out with another man. What fucking comfort?”
My cheeks puff when I take a deep breath in and hold it. I’m not sure how to respond to any of this.
“What did you do after you fucked?” I finally ask. “Send her on her way, I presume?”
By the silence over the line, I will take that as a yes.
“You can’t treat her like a hooker forever, my friend.”
That seems to be the wrong thing to say. “I’ve never treated her like a hooker,” Alex blows up at me. “She always knew the score, and she was okay with it. And fuck you for saying that!”
It takes me a few seconds to realize that he actually hung up on me. I stare at the phone, unsure of what to do. Calling him back doesn’t sound like such a good idea. The dude’s got some anger issues that he needs to let go of at some point in his life.
Deciding that I need to worry about my own life instead of trying to figure out what my friend’s deal is, I throw the phone to the side and stand up.
I walk over to my bedroom, suddenly a bit tired.
I did pull an all nighter last night, which is nothing unusual.
But I normally rest during the day when I feel like it.
Now seems like a good time to take a quick nap before I have to meet with Zara.
I drop on the inviting bed and sigh into the soft pillow when I rest my head on it.
“Fuck, this feels so good.”
Just as sleep pulls me under, I think to myself that I should’ve set an alarm to wake me up so I don’t end up being late for my date. But it’s not like I’ll sleep for long, and it’s hours until I have to meet with Zara.
It’s all good.
Famous last words.