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“No, of course not!” he feigned offense, “but I’ll get you another one while I run up there to order mine. I’ll be right back. Would you like anything else?”
“No, nothing else, thank you,” I smiled.
Dylan returned with our cream sodas and sat as we got settled in while the band finished setting up and started playing their first song, a cover of Goodnight Moon by Go Radio.
“The singer is amazing. Have you heard them before?” I asked him as I started looking around the room to see what kind of selection Dylan had here tonight.
“No, I haven’t, but you’re right. It’s great music so far,” he agreed.
“Are you ready to get started on your lesson for tonight?” I said as I gave him a look as though I questioned his ability to handle said lesson.
“Okay, sure. Bring it on, babe,” he challenged.
The butterflies I got in my stomach at the term of endearment made me nervous, but outwardly I pretended not to notice it at all.
“Do you know why I picked this place tonight?” I asked.
He looked around for a moment and then stared at me thoughtfully before answering, “Well, there’s no one here with their dignity hanging out. Does that have anything to do with it?”
I laughed. “That’s part of it. What else?”
“It’s definitely not the bar scene,” he continued. “No one here is even drinking,” he observed. Of course, they didn’t even serve alcohol at the Daylee Grind.
“Keep going,” I coaxed him to see what else he might have learned so far.
Finally he said, “I give up. Why this place? It’s cool, don’t get me wrong. I like it. I wouldn’t mind coming back here… but I couldn’t see myself coming here to find a date.”
“Exactly,” I affirmed. “Most of the people here are here because they want to hear the music, and maybe enjoy other people’s company. It’s a way of looking for people who have an interest in something.” Then I added, “Plus, you’ll notice that the music isn’t so loud that we can’t hear each other talking. It’s a good place to carry on a conversation with someone.”
He nodded as though he understood, and I could see the proverbial lightbulb go on.
“So, with that in mind, let’s find you a potential new friend.” I looked around for a moment and thought about the options I observed.
I pointed out a girl sitting at a table by herself - I had noticed her before the music started - with a blank journal she was writing or drawing in. Probably the artsy type, she was now listening to the band and swaying, enjoying the music. I hadn’t seen her checking her watch or looking back at the door when people walked in behind her, so I didn’t think she was waiting on anyone to join her. I had also seen her chatting with other people at the tables beside her, so she didn’t give me any kind of stand-offish vibe or anything that said she just really wanted to be alone.
She might not have really been his type, but she was very pretty in her own way and probably interesting to talk to. Not to mention, he really wasn’t sure what his type even was at this point.
“See the girl in the scarf, over by the window? Does she look like someone you might like to get to know?” She was facing the platform the band was playing on, so I felt comfortable pointing over to her to indicate the girl I was talking about.
His eyes followed. “Okay, sure. Do I just go up and talk to her? She looks like she’s really into the band. I don’t know if I should interrupt.”
“Right now, go order a slice of pumpkin bread with two forks. Then when this song is over, use the time you have before they start the next song to ask her if she’ll share it with you,” I instructed.
He gave me a look that said, “Wish me luck!” Then he walked over to order the pumpkin bread and did as I had suggested. I watched from across the room as he walked up to her, signaled toward the empty chair, and her face lit up as she looked up at him. She nodded and gestured with her right hand to take a seat. He sat the plate on the table between them and handed her the extra fork.
It didn’t look like he had any trouble finding things to talk with her about. He really was a natural at interacting with people. He had a way of making them feel at ease, I thought. Of course, it helped that he had the face of an angel. I couldn’t imagine any female that wouldn’t welcome a conversation with him smiling at them with those bright, caramel eyes.
Then I thought about the night I had first seen Dylan at the Book Shelf. I supposed I had thought very differently at that time. Maybe it was the fact that we were sitting in a bar then, and he had girls lining up to talk to him.
I knew I was a bit of a cynic when it came to guys consuming alcohol. I knew that guys would usually say just about anything to a girl to get what they wanted, but knowing him a little better now, I wasn’t so sure he was like that.
As the band was half-way through a cover of Landon Pigg’s Falling in Love At A Coffee Shop, I wondered how I would have responded then had he approached me that night the way he approached the girl in the scarf here tonight. The thought sent a pang through my stomach. A pang of what, though, I wasn’t willing to explore.
The more I sat and observed Dylan’s conversation with the girl in the scarf, the more I felt I was somehow violating their privacy, so I looked around the room for someone to talk to. I saw a couple of guys I knew from school who I went to say hi to. I sat with them for a while talking for a bit, and finally decided to leave back to my apartment.
It seemed like Dylan was really hitting it off with the girl in the scarf, so I didn’t want to interrupt anything. I sent Dylan a text after I walked out to let him know I was leaving and that I hoped he had a good night.
* * *
