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He smiles, and I see he’s got dimples on both his cheeks.
“And you must be the infamous Holland,” he teases. “I’m Aaron. Best friends with this douchebag, but don’t hold it against me.”
I laugh. “Yes, I’m Holland.”
Emery grins and loops her arm in Landon’s. “You owe me a dance for filing your five mountains of paperwork Friday. Let’s go.”
I almost feel for the guy, his pained expression is evident before she drags him off to the middle of the dance floor, leaving Aaron and me alone.
“Not gonna lie, had no idea he was dragging me here tonight.” Aaron laughs. He signals for the bartender, then orders a beer, and turns to me. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Sure. Manhattan, please.”
He nods and tells the bartender. I feel my phone vibrate in my purse, so I slip it out and quickly check my messages.
Reed: Do I even want to know?
Me: Your sister trapped me into a blind date.
He immediately responds.
Reed: Where are you?
Me: Downtown, SoHo bar. Don’t worry, I’m keeping an eye on her ;)
The typing bubble appears, then disappears, then appears again. Is he deciding what to respond?
I wait for his reply, but he doesn’t, so I put my phone away.
Aaron slides me my drink with a smile. “So, Emery said you’re in school to be a librarian. That’s amazing. Where do you think you’ll work once you graduate?
School is safe territory. The last thing I want to do is give him the wrong impression, but I guess casual conversation wouldn’t hurt.
“I’d really like to work at a university. Ideally. But, wherever I end up, if there are books then I’ll be happy.”
We walk over to an empty table off to the side of the dance floor, that’s quieter, and sit down.
“Sometimes I think I have it all figured out, and the next minute, everything changes,” I say. “I think once I graduate, I’ll have a better feel of things.
Aaron nods. “I get what you mean. I’m in my third year of med school, and I start my residency soon. Sometimes I want to be in pediatrics, sometimes I want to be in obstetrics, and other times, I want to be a surgeon.”
“Life decisions are hard.”
We spend the next thirty minutes chatting, and I realize that while I’m not interested in Aaron romantically, he would be an awesome friend. We have a lot in common and talking to him has been easy, like we’ve always known each other. Honestly, I get the vibe that he may swing for the other team, but he didn’t bring it up, and I wasn’t going to pry. I’m fine just talking with him.
“Wanna dance?”
“I have two left feet. Seriously, it’s terrible.” I laugh, shaking my head.
He stands and extends his hand. “Do me the honor, librarian Holland, and let me have this dance.”
A slow tune plays through the speakers. I roll my eyes and laugh before placing my hand in his as he leads us to the dance floor. He pulls me to him, and I lace my hands around his neck.
And even though we’re pressed together on a dance floor, it feels strictly platonic, like dancing with a cousin. I smile up at him, awkwardly.
God, Holland, that’s terrible. You’re supposed to be on a blind date and you’re thinking of the guy as your distant cousin.
This is why you’ll be single forever.
