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“Oh, nothing. It’s just something I read that was ridiculous.”
“By the look on your face it must have been pretty amusing.”
“Yeah, it’s an article I’m w
riting.”
“An article? You’re a writer?”
I nodded.
“What’s the article about?” he asked.
“A silly dating article.”
“Why is it silly?”
“It just is.” I shrugged.
“What’s so bad about it?” He walked to stand beside me, looking genuinely interested in the answer. When I looked up at him he was close enough that I could faintly smell him. It was the same clean scent of sunshine and freshly washed clothes. The scruff on his jaw was visible today, which meant that he probably wasn’t an everyday shaver like Derek.
“No. Forget it. It’s stupid,” I said as I saved the article and closed the document. He studied me for a moment with his brows furrowed, but he didn’t speak. “It’s just that fantasy dates are unrealistic.”
“Isn’t that why it’s called fantasy?” he replied, cocking his head to one side in confusion.
“Well, um?.?.?.?yes?.?.?.?but I think that it sets unfair expectations. It encourages poor girls all over the world to expect that first dates are romantic, or the first time they kiss sparks will fly. The existence of soulmates and all that crap.”
“You don’t believe in that?”
“Clearly not. Don’t tell me you do?” He shrugged but didn’t reply as he went back to installing the sensors. I stared at him as he worked. I thought about the way Natalie described her kiss with Sam after their first date all those years ago as we sat across from each other on our dorm room beds. She claimed that her heart was beating wildly in her chest. I thought she was being super dramatic, but then again she always did have a flair for theatrics. I had to suppress a gag when she started talking about how time seemed to stop as his lips got closer to hers, and that sparks flew when their lips finally met.
Yep. Pure crap.
My stomach began to growl, and I decided that it was time for lunch and I needed to get out of this house.
“Aidan? Do you have any other appointments this afternoon?”
“Um, no.” He sounded hesitant.
“I’ve been stuck in this house all week. Can I take you to lunch to a place that actually offers sweet tea?” I asked, and he squinted his eyes at me and shook his head.
“No, but I can take you to lunch.” He grinned. “Let me just finish up these sensors and we can go.”
I smiled back at him and went to my room to get ready. I brushed my hair, freshened my makeup, and put on a spritz of perfume. When I emerged, Aidan was already holding the front door open.
“Ready?” he asked, and I nodded while walking past him. He led the way in his company vehicle, and I followed behind in my car.
****
“So tell me more about this article you have to write and why you detest it so much,” Aidan said after the waitress had taken our order. He had chosen a restaurant not too far from my house, nothing fancy, but the place smelled delicious. I’d ordered a club sandwich, and he went with a burger.
“Why are you so interested?” I asked, sipping my water.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged and looked away bashfully. “Just am, I guess.” It was hard to ignore the faint color that stained his cheeks. I barely knew Aidan, but I liked him. He made me feel comfortable.
“Fine,” I answered and leaned back in my booth. “The premise is five romantic rendezvous and not just your average go-to-dinner-and-a-movie dates, but things that are sure to kick-start a relationship.” I rattled off the objective of the article the way Natalie wrote it to me in an e-mail.
“Five dates? That’s kind of a lot.”
