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Pushing the chair back as discreetly as I could manage, thanks to the very hushed atmosphere of the fancy restaurant, I tried to not make it seem as if a fire had been lit beneath my feet.
The moment I pulled away from the table and found myself a moment of peace, I let go of a deep breath and went to the restroom.
Not for the intended purpose, of course. Instead, I stood in front of one of the sinks and splashed water on my face. While it helped wake me up from the exhausting date, I knew it wouldn’t be a long-term solution. At that point, I couldn’t think of anything that would help make the date more interesting.
My head and my heart just weren’t in it, and I wanted more than anything to just go home. To sit in the comfortable space made just for me and to take in the peace and quiet. The place where I didn’t need to fake smile or pretend to be listening.
It was certainly tempting to skip out and leave her there. While I didn’t particularly care about the woman on a personal level, the idea crossed my mind, but the thought of leaving her there with the bill and no explanation didn’t sit right with me.
That just wasn’t who I was.
Others might’ve thought that of me, but I didn’t. And I couldn’t.
No matter how sick I was of the constant dates and meeting new people, despite how I told my mother I wanted otherwise, I didn’t have a choice but to sit back down and face it. To be a man and not effectively destroy my reputation with every last woman in Rose Valley.
At that point, my mother would need to start looking outside of town.
But I couldn’t tell her that. I had no doubt she would consider that notion.
With a drawn-out breath, I pulled myself together and shoved the idea of bolting out of my mind. It would be unbelievably horrible of me, and that woman at least deserved an explanation, no matter how irritating that felt.
I smoothed my hair back and cursed myself for not only finding myself in that position but also for caring too much.
Pushing away from the sink, I made my way out of the bathroom and navigated through the restaurant. My date was still just as bright as she had been before, and had no idea how tempted I had been to leave without another word.
“While you were gone, I remembered a hilarious story about the last work Christmas party we had,” she began without missing a beat.
Shoving my dread back down, I took my seat and tried my hardest to look attentive at the very least.
Each story droned on, and by the time the meal was over, I wanted to be anywhere else. That anxious energy stored itself within me, and I was itching to get away. To go back home and finally breathe.
But from the awestruck expression on her face, I could tell she wasn’t finished with me yet.
“You know, I feel like things have gone fairly well tonight, and I wouldn’t mind continuing this elsewhere.”
Alarms immediately rang in my head, and I knew I had gone too far. I had entertained the date for too long, and I needed out.
Swallowing my pride, I knew it couldn’t go on for another minute. The false smile appeared on my face far too naturally than it should have. “I had a good time, but unfortunately, I don’t really see this going any further. I’m sorry.”
The bright gleam in her eyes seemed to fade as she realized what I was saying. Understandably, her overall cheerfulness dropped, and obvious disappointment cloaked her features.
“Oh,” she managed to say, looking somewhat discouraged. “I’m sorry to hear that, but thanks for the meal anyway.”
I nodded, feeling somewhat awkward with the bill in my hand.
To my great relief, the woman took the hint, and she eventually saw herself out. I gave myself a few minutes to sit with my irritation at how many times I had been forced into that exact situation in the last few weeks.
The fresh night air helped soothe my frayed nerves as I walked down the sidewalk. While I easily could’ve taken my motorcycle, the restaurant wasn’t far, and the walk helped me destress.
That was, until my phone rang in my pocket.
Sighing, I fished it out and accepted the call from my mother. I hardly had the chance to say anything before her shrill voice came through.
“What happened, Griffin?”
The tone of exasperation was enough for me to know she had already been given feedback from my arranged date. It wasn’t the first time, and I had the feeling it wouldn’t be the last either.
“Mom, it was awful,” I mumbled, already irritated again just from talking about it. “She just rambled on about nothing and everything.”
