Third Date (4 page)

“I’m married, but I still want to look sexy.” She unzips the side of her skirt to reveal her silky black bikinis. “These are my weekday ones. I have better ones for the weekend.”

Kayla keeps snooping in my drawer. “That’s all you have in here? You don’t even have one decent pair of underwear. There isn’t even any variety. They’re all the same style.”

“I stock up every year during the back-to-school sales.” My voice trails off as I realize how pathetic that sounds. I’ve been buying back-to-school underwear! The kind meant for tweens! The kind that’s sold in six packs! “All right. Maybe I could use some new ones.”

Kayla tosses my underwear back in the drawer and closes it up. “I’ve gotta go. But we’ve got some work to do.”

“I can take you shopping at lunch tomorrow,” Paige offers.
 

“Fine,” I agree. “But I’m not spending more than thirty dollars on a bra.”

Paige shakes her head. “You’ve gotta spend more than that for a decent bra.”

“Think of it as an investment in your future,” Kayla says as she heads out the door.

After they leave I start to get nervous. Maybe I’m rushing into this. I don’t feel ready. I can’t just have sex with some random guy. I’ll regret it. I know I will. But I can at least go on a date.

Friday arrives way too quickly and I regret my earlier suggestion to be set up. Kayla and Paige are now treating me like one of our projects in the lab, telling me what to wear and how to do my hair to create the outcome that will yield the best results. I’m not even sure what those results are. I know Kayla expects me to have sex tonight, but it’s not going to happen. As for Paige, I think she just wants me to learn how to date again. I
am
out of practice. I have a feeling this dinner tonight will be painfully awkward. I’ve never been good on first dates.
 

 
Ever since I told Kayla and Paige my secret, they look at me differently. Like there’s something wrong me. I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal. So I’m a little behind in the relationship department. Since when is there a sex timeline that everyone has to follow? And why is sex just expected? It wasn’t that long ago that women were outcast from society for having sex outside of marriage. Now you’re a social outcast if you don’t.
 

It’s now 6:30 and I need to finish getting ready. I pull my jeans over the ridiculously uncomfortable silk panties that Paige picked out, noticing how they ride up as soon as my jeans hit my butt. I dig my hand down my jeans and try to push the panties back into place. But as soon as I walk, they bunch up again. That’s just great. Now that’s all I’ll be able to think about during dinner.
 

The lacy black push-up bra that matches the panties has been torturing me all day. Its “comfort” wires are anything but comfortable. I lift up the fabric-covered wires to see red marks on my skin. Why does looking sexy have to be so painful? I put on a snug-fitting, red v-neck sweater and check myself out in the mirror. My breasts stick straight out in front, a look I’m not used to. I feel like one of those girls from the fifties with their breasts aimed and ready to shoot bullets from their cardigan sweaters.
 

It’s not like this guy is getting lucky tonight. I’m only wearing these new undergarments to get used to wearing them. To see if I can survive even a few hours in them.

I decide to meet the guy at the restaurant where we’re having dinner. Even though Kayla knows him, I don’t feel safe letting him pick me up at my apartment. Plus, this way I can bail if the guy turns out to be a jerk.

I get to the restaurant right on time. The guy is nowhere to be found. My cell phone rings and I answer it. It’s Kayla.

“Morgan, Matt’s running late. He would’ve called you himself but you wouldn’t let me give him your number. But he’s really sorry. He’ll be there soon.”

“Yeah, okay.”
 

“Are you excited?”

“Sure. I’ve never been to this restaurant,” I say, knowing full well that’s not what she’s referring to.

“Not about the restaurant.”

“How could I be excited? I don’t even know the guy.”

I see a guy walk in who meets the description Kayla gave me earlier. Let me clarify. He kind of meets her description. Her version of tall, dark, and handsome is actually a guy who’s about 5’9 with dark messy hair that needs a good trim and a scruffy face that hasn’t been shaved in at least three days. He’s wearing jeans and a black shirt topped with a faded brown leather jacket.
 

“I think he’s here, Kayla. I gotta go.” I hang up and walk over to him.

“Excuse me. Are you Matt?”

He puts his hand out and smiles. “Yeah. Morgan?”

“Yes. Nice to meet you.” I feel like I’m on a job interview. It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date I don’t know how to act and I’m way too nervous.

“I’m late because I got caught up at work and then traffic was bad. Let’s get a table.”

He puts his hand on my shoulder and pushes me forward to the hostess. It’s an immediate turnoff. I’ve known the guy for two seconds. What’s with the shoulder grab? And the pushing?

“Two,” he says to the hostess.
 

He keeps his hand on me as we walk to the table. His firm grip is starting to hurt my shoulder. When we sit down, I try to pretend it didn’t happen. Maybe shoulder-grabbing is his thing. Maybe he does it to everyone.
 

I check him out from across the table. He’s already scoping out the menu, which I find annoying. Doesn’t he at least want to say hello face-to-face before burying his head in the menu?

“So Kayla said you two met at a Twins game last summer?”

He looks up. “Huh? Oh, yeah. I was there with a couple of my buddies. Her and her friends were in the row behind us. We had a good time.” He smirks and it makes me wonder what he meant by that.

What kind of good time? Did Kayla already sleep with this guy? Is he one of her leftovers?

The waitress comes to the table for our drink order.
 

“I’ll have whatever beer you got on special,” he says. “And we’re ready to order.”
 

I haven’t even opened the menu yet.
 

“Um, I’m not quite ready.” I start looking through the 8-page menu.

Matt sighs. “It’s tacos. Burritos. What’s there to look at?”

“I’m not sure what I want.”

“I’ll order while you look.”

He orders, then the waitress waits patiently for me. I can tell by her expression she feels sorry for me having to eat with this jerk. I hope she doesn’t assume we’re actually dating.

“I’ll have the chicken burrito.” I hand her the menu. “And no sauce on top, please. Thanks.”

She leaves and Matt says, “So you’re one of
those
girls.”

“What girls?”

“A no-sauce, dressing-on-the-side kind of girl. High maintenance. I’ve dated your type before.”

“I just don’t like that burrito sauce. That’s all. I’m not high maintenance.”

As I look at him, I notice he
does
have nice eyes, green with specks of blue. But I’m so turned off by how he’s acting that his eyes can’t save him.

The waitress brings his beer. He takes a big gulp of it, then leans over the table. “Enough with the small talk. Let’s get down to business. Kayla says you need some help in the . . .” he looks around, as if trying to be discrete, “in the bedroom. So what were you thinking? Right after dinner? Did you want to go to my place or yours?”

His beer breath fills the air in front of me. I back away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have absolutely no interest in that.” I’m now furious with Kayla and fuming mad at this disgusting guy.

“She said you wanted to—”

“You know what? I’m not hungry. Tell the waitress to cancel my order.” I grab my coat and race toward the entrance. Matt doesn’t bother coming after me, which is good because I was just about ready to punch him.
 

I bolt out the door into the cold, dark night and race to my car, my stupid new underwear riding up my butt. I get in the car and drive home, vowing to never let Kayla set me up again.
 

My cell phone rings the rest of the night but I refuse to answer Kayla’s calls. I have to cool down before speaking to her again.
 

I avoid Kayla’s calls in the morning, too, and focus on date two, which is tonight. I’m meeting Paige’s guy at a martini bar in St. Paul. He’s 24 and works with Paige’s husband, not as a stockbroker, but in some other finance-related job.
 

Thinking this isn’t going to lead anywhere, I go with my cotton briefs but succumb to the pains of my new bra because it actually does make my boobs look better. I wear a dress and heels since this is more of an upscale bar.
 

When I get to the bar, a guy is standing out front and holds the door open for me. I recognize him as the guy Paige described.

“Morgan?” He smiles.

“Yes.” I smile back.

“Hi, I’m Aiden. Did you have any trouble finding the place?”

“No, not at all.”
 

Paige’s description of Aiden is much more accurate than Kayla’s description of Matt. Aiden is about 6’ tall with light brown hair that looks freshly cut. He’s clean shaven and wearing dress pants and a sweater. This guy has potential.

“I got us a booth,” he says. “But we don’t have to sit there. You can check it out and see if you want to get a table instead.” He seems kind of nervous, even more so than me. He motions me to walk in front of him, but given that I don’t know where we’re going, I walk slowly trying to figure out which booth he means. At least there’s no creepy hand on my shoulder shoving me forward.
 

“It’s that booth right there,” he says pointing to my left. “Can I take your coat?”

“Sure.” I give it to him as I sit down.
 

“I’m just going to put it on this hook, okay?” He holds my coat over the hook at the end of the booth.

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

He sits down across from me, grinning at me and staring, rarely stopping to blink. “So is this booth okay? Because we can move to a different one if you want.”

I look around, not sure why a different booth would be any better. They’re all the same.
 

He seems to be getting even more nervous and the way he keeps bombarding me with questions is putting me on edge.
 

I smile, hoping it will help him relax. “So Paige said you work with Michael.”

“Yes, we started working there around the same time. Paige and Michael are a great couple, aren’t they?”

“I don’t really know Michael, but I like Paige.”

“They’re lucky they met in college. Once you’re out in the real world, working all the time, it’s hard to find someone, don’t you think?”

Before I can answer, the waitress shows up at our table asking for our drink order.
 

“Do you know what you want?” Aiden asks me. “Or do you need more time?”

I give him points for at least asking and not just ignoring me and ordering, the way Matt did.
 

“I think I need a minute to check the menu.”

The waitress leaves and Aiden is staring at me again.
 

I glance down, wondering if I spilled something on my dress, but there’s nothing there. “Do I have something on my face?”
 

“No, why?” He continues to stare.

“No reason. So what else do you do besides work?”

“Not much else. I pretty much just work all the time. How about you?”

“I’m in a book club. And I go to yoga a few times a week. Oh, and I’m in a wine club.”

“That sounds fun. I don’t drink, but if I did, I’m sure it would be interesting to learn about all the different types of wine.”

I give him a strange look. “You don’t drink? Then why are we at a martini bar?”

“Paige said you liked them. Plus it’s a cool bar and they have a band playing later.”

The waitress comes back and I order my martini. Aiden orders a sparkling water. I suddenly feel like a drunk.
 

The evening continues and although Aiden is a sweet guy, I decide that he’s just
too
sweet. He asks me how I’m doing so many times that I consider making up answers so I don’t have to keep saying ‘good’ or ‘fine.’

Over the course of the evening, the nonstop questions continue. He asks if I’m too cold or too hot. If I like my drink. If I like the bar. If I like the music. And then he asks if he can hold my hand. It’s all too much! When I said I wanted a nice guy, I didn’t want
this
nice of a guy. He’s driving me crazy!
 

At the end of the evening, he walks me to my car, then stands there. “Would you mind if I gave you a kiss?”
 

I feel like I’m in seventh grade.

“Um, sure,” I say, afraid to hurt the guy’s feelings. He gives me a quick peck on the lips, then we say goodbye.

When I get home I lie on the couch, relieved the dates are over. But I’m proud of myself for going on them. Two dates in two nights? That’s a huge deal for me. Okay, maybe I cut the first date a little short, but I showed up, which was a big step.
 

Unfortunately, after just two dates, I’m already losing interest in dating. Getting a few cats is starting to sound like a good idea.

On Sunday I text both Kayla and Paige to let them know I’ll tell them about my dates Monday at work. Why ruin their weekend with the news that I rejected both of their guys?
 

I spend Sunday afternoon packing up boxes at my dad’s house. Half of my stuff is still stored over there and I have to find some way to fit all of it into the tiny space I now call home.
 

Monday morning, Kayla and Paige are both waiting in my office when I arrive. A box of donuts sits on my desk along with a latte.
 

“What’s all this?” I ask.

“Paige thought we needed refreshments while you tell us about your dates,” Kayla says. “But from what Matt said, there isn’t much to tell.”