Page 26 of Your Pace Or Mine

Something in me stirs at the thought of lying in the still-warm sheets that she’s just left, but I force that thought far away. “I’m being hospitable.”

I didn’t mean to imply anything, but a pained look passes across her face, and I’d guess she’s thinking about how she faked sleep when I slipped out of her apartment. Well, those were different circumstances. To keep her from going there, I say the first ill-advised thing that pops into my head. “Besides, maybe I’ll come and run with you.”

She laughs a little too loudly at that. “You? Run?”

“Hey, I’m fit!” I reply indignantly. “I use the treadmill sometimes.”

“For how long? Five minutes?”

How did she see right through me? I usually do a quick warm up jog before rowing or weights.

“Does it matter? I’m sure I can handle your group run. Don’t I look like I’m in shape?” I gesture at my physique, and she pointedly declines to look me up and down, turning pink instead.

“You think you can run ten kilometers? Okay, fine. Do you even have anything to wear?”

“I’ll handle it.”

I go into my bedroom and throw on sweatpants and a T-shirt with a hoodie over top to guard against the chilly mid-winter weather. When I walk out, her eyes bug out. “You can’t wear that.”

“Why? Are you overwhelmed at the sight of me in gray sweatpants? Afraid your friends won’t be able to hold back?”

I wiggle my eyebrows and she sighs dramatically.

“No, because it’s all cotton, and that’s terrible for running. You need gear that’s moisture wicking, especially in the cold. Otherwise, your clothes will get all sweaty and frosted over.”

Huh. Isn’t this what Rocky wore? She follows me into the bedroom and picks out athletic pants that I wear to play tennis, and a long-sleeved shirt. Then she unearths a windbreaker I haven’t worn in years and declares it acceptable. “When we get to my place, I’ll give you some thin gloves and find something to keep your head warm.”

“I can’t wear your clothes.” She’s barely over five feet tall. I’m hardly a giant, but I tower over her petite frame.

“I’m sure your head isn’t that much bigger, even if your ego is.” Okay, I walked right into that.

In our rideshare uptown, I begin to worry, realizing most of Ashley’s close friends will be there. Do they all know we hooked up recently? At the very least, I’ll have to be friendly with this big family of runners she’s in.

This was a terrible idea, but I can’t go back now.

Mr. Six Reel (with transcript)

Mr. Six appears in disguise wearing a Jurassic Park shirt.

“Hi online community! Let’s talk movies.

“The quintessential first date is the old standard: dinner and a movie. The modern, more casual version is of course the Netflix and chill, though that means something else these days. [smirk] I’m wondering if movies really are the best date ideas.

“The pros are that you can put your arm around your date, maybe huddle together at the scary parts, and you don’t have to make conversation the whole time. But that’s also the issue—you might as well be alone if you’re just sitting quietly in a dark room. You might also have the unfortunate experience of realizing your date is someone who talks through movies, or worse. I once went out with a woman who answered her phone and chatted loudly until we got told off by several strangers.

“If you invite someone over for a first date, however, someone is in your space and there’s always the awkwardness of not being sure what they expect from the, uh, ‘chill’ options. And of course, not everyone is comfortable going to a stranger’s place for a first date.

“So what do you think? Is a movie a good date? Cinema or at home?”

Comments:

Drive-in all the way. The best of both worlds, and if your date turns out to be an ass, you can leave in someone else’s car.

My husband and I had a movie for our first date, in my dorm room watching a bootleg version of Indiana Jones. Good times.

Ugh, if some guy on an app invites me over to watch movies on his couch, instant red flag. I don’t know you. I need to know there are at least two exits. This is the world we live in.

TEN