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Ethan took my advice and texted Katy, asking her out for that following Friday and, of course, she accepted.
And while we were at it…
“Hey, Jonas, you’re looking for a date, right?” I asked.
“Yeah…” he answered with a puzzled look on his face.
“Next Tuesday night, go over to a Yoga Studio just off of ninety-eighth and Chicago at six-thirty. Look for a pretty red-head named Moira and ask her out. You can thank me later,” I said.
I figured she was a nice girl, and Jonas really needed a lead. What could it hurt?
“Yoga studio?” Jonas questioned.
“Trust me,” I told him as I threw my book bag over my shoulder and headed out the door to walk home.
CHAPTER 8: ZIA
On the Friday night of the “double date,” Dylan picked me up outside my apartment in his pick-up truck at about nine forty-five p.m., and we drove to meet Clara and Cason at the Thunder Lounge. Clara and Cason were meeting us there, and Clara had already left by the time I got home from work that evening.
As soon as we arrived, I could tell that Clara was not feeling well.
“What’s wrong, Clar? You don’t look so well,” I took Clara by the hands and immediately noticed how clammy they were.
“I suddenly have the worst headache. I’m sure it’ll pass. I just need a minute. I got some water. I’m hoping it will help.” Even Clara’s voice was weak and low.
“Clar, maybe we should take you home. If you feel better in a bit, you can always come back,” I suggested.
“You’re probably right. But please stay. I can get a ride back to the apartment. It won’t take that long, and I’ll be fine,” Clara insisted.
“Okay, well, let me at least call a cab to come get you.” I pulled out my phone and called for a cab while she said her goodbyes to Cason. She also insisted that he stay, as she didn’t want to ruin his night just because she wasn’t feeling well.
“Clar, I just got a call that your cab is parked out front. Let me walk you out so I can tell the driver to make sure you get home okay.”
I linked Clara’s arm with mine and walked her through the club and out to the front parking area where we found the cab. I paid him the cost, plus a nice tip, and gave him instructions to get her home and help her inside. He said he was glad to be of help, and said he would call me if anything happened. I felt a little better about not accompanying her back home.
When I got back inside, I found Dylan at a table and sat with him. “So sorry about that.”
“I hope she’s okay. Do you think we should have gone with her?” Dylan asked concernedly.
“She didn’t want us to, but the cab driver seemed happy to help her home. I’ll call and check on her in a few minutes just to be sure,” I said as I sat in the chair next to Dylan.
Cason came up with a round of drinks, and I tried to put my concern for Clara out of my mind while the three of us chatted for a bit.
I scouted the room looking for a good candidate for Dylan, and waited for the right moment to fill him in. I figured maybe I’d wait for Cason to go back to the bar to give us a moment alone.
Finally, when Cason left to use the restroom, I seized the opportunity to point out three girls sitting together. Two of the girls were done up to the nines while the third one was understated and overshadowed by her two companions.
She reminded me a lot of myself, actually, with a look of almost boredom on her face. This was not her usual scene. She added little to their conversation but it didn’t seem like she felt left out of anything. She smiled at people passing by and was friendly to the wait staff, so I didn’t get the impression she was arrogant.
She was a prime candidate.
I sent Dylan over to their table after advising him to get her away from her friends to talk to her. Ask her to dance for one or two songs, and then take her off to a quiet corner to talk and get to know her a little bit.
As soon as Dylan walked off, I sent Clara a text and she responded right away that she had made it home and was just lying down. Then Cason came back with another round of drinks.
It worked out pretty well that Cason was here, I thought. Otherwise, I would have been sitting here all alone in a club that I wasn’t really a fan of on a good day, much less if I had been sitting here all alone. Besides, this wasn’t the type of place where I wanted to chat it up with the other patrons.
I started on the second round of my drink, some fancy kind of shot that Cason had chosen. Not what I would have typically gotten, but I wasn’t going to be rude and turn it down.
