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Chris had to admit. He was not turned off. He appreciated her candor, and she had a responsible and important job, like him, and he worked some wild hours sometimes himself, so she’d be the type of person to be understanding of something like having to work late.Wait, what am I thinking? I only have to go on one date, then the debt is paid. It doesn’t really matter what she thinks of my schedule.Either way, she seemed like someone he could carry on a conversation with, and potentially have a date with.
“She’s the one.” Jake grinned.
“We don’t know her,” Chris replied sarcastically.
“I’m telling you. I know what you’re thinking. You’re going to message this girl, and you’re gonna think you fulfilled your end of the arrangement, but she’s the one. I can tell.”
“Fuck off. You are so lame. Does the DEA even want you anymore when you say soft as shit like that? Oh, my god.” Chris was annoyed, even though a tiny piece of himself he didn’t want to fully address just yet also had a good feeling about this Viviana. He waited to message her though because he wasn’t about to have his brother supervise. He put his phone back in his pocket.
“You’re seriously not going to message her?” Jake said, ignoring Chris’s other comments.
“Not in front of you, no. Besides, you’re way too invested in this. If I end up going on a date with her, or someone else that fits the bill to clear my stupid debt, you and my other asshole brother will get a picture from our date, and that will be the end of it. You really need to get a life.”
“My life is at the rodeo right now, what can I say,” Jake said with a grin.
“Barf.”
Chris would never admit it, but he did admire his older brother. Not only was he a decorated agent with the DEA, he had put it all on the line for his woman. He won her back after years apart. And there was something to be said for that. As much as he loved giving Jake shit about it, part of it was a bit of jealousy, and he could admit that much to himself. Certainly not to his brother though.
Later that evening, Chris lay on his bed, scrolling through Viviana’s photos again. His favorite, a photo of her someone else had taken when she wasn’t looking, was of her hiking in what appeared to be the nearby Franklin Mountains. They weren’t terribly hard to hike, and a lot of residents would head up on nice days to enjoy the view of the city. She wore hiking boots and shorts, an incredibly sexy look, with a white tank top which showed off her toned arms. She was definitely fit. She was a nurse after all, so he assumed she was probably pretty into health.
He wanted to message her but wasn’t quite sure what to say that wouldn’t sound stupid or cliché.
Time to shit or get off the pot here.
He opened the chat.
Chris C.: Hey there, Viviana. Nice to meet you. I should thank your BFF for bringing you here. I have to admit I’m new at this online thing myself. It looks like you enjoy hiking, do you go often?
He felt like he should have said something cooler, but what, he had no clue. He stared at the chat for a few minutes then laid his phone down next to him and shut his eyes. It wasn’t particularly late, but after working all day, then having dinner with his brother and his parents, he was tired. Work had been crazier than normal the last few months, and he spent quite a bit of time outside, which this time of year was colder than normal too.
As he started to doze off, his phone pinged with a notification. He picked it up right away, a little more excited than he intended to, and saw Viviana had returned his message.
Okay, play it cool.
Viviana R.: Nice to meet you back. I’m sure my BFF would appreciate it. haha. Full disclosure, I think I’ve gone hiking like twice. The picture was decent though, so I couldn’t help using it. Do you enjoy hiking?
Chris C.: I’m not much for hiking tbh. But I’ve gone a few times. I have to do a bit of hiking at work, so I don’t particularly love doing it outside of that.
Chris C.: What do you enjoy doing here in the glorious Sun City?
Viviana R.: Well, lately I’ve been into trying some of the new restaurants downtown. It’s growing so fast, and there’s a lot of cool new places. I’m into trying new activities too. I just went to Top Golf recently, and had way more fun than I expected.
Chris C.: I’ve been wanting to go there but haven’t been yet. Do you golf?
Viviana R.: I do not. But it was so much fun. And the food was spectacular. Maybe we should go sometime . . .
Haha, well-played Miss Viviana. I like your style.
Chris C.: Ready to plan a date so soon? We’re just getting to know each other.
Shit, maybe that is a turn off. I don’t want her to think I’m not interested. Ugh, I’m overthinking this. I hate dating.
Chris C.: That would be really fun actually. What is your schedule like? You said you’re a nurse? Do you work crazy shifts?
The dots indicating she was typing a message back continued popping up and disappearing.
Chris ran his hand down his face.
