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‘Rough night?’ William asked after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. I wondered if it’d been a little weird between us the first time we’d met as well. It wasn’t how I remembered it, but maybe I was embellishing the past. I didn’t know how I felt about that.
Having lost my filter on my second drink at least half an hour ago, I decided I didn’t want to tiptoe around it. Especially considering we’d have to be around each other every day. And that aside, I had promised myself that I was going to stick with my list, so this was the perfect moment to be more honest.
‘Doesn’t this feel a little too familiar to you too?’ I asked back, instead of answering his question. ‘I mean what are the odds of you ending up at the same restaurant as me? Especially when we both live halfway across town.’
The bartender came back with my drink, and after a quick thank you, I immediately reached for it, taking a small sip of my fresh and very delicious margarita. Not everybody got it right, but my bartender was talented.
William thanked him when he slid his drink towards him, and my drink still clutched in my hand, I stared yet again as he took a long sip and turned halfway in his seat to look at me. I was finally feeling okay enough to take in what he was wearing: a dark grey sweater with the sleeves pulled up covered his fit, broad shoulders and the black slacks that covered the lower half of his body fitted perfectly. It was such a simple outfit, but as it was with some guys, he made it work for him. It must have only taken him a few minutes to get ready and he looked like a model. Whereas I’d taken almost an hour, fussing in front of the mirror, and I just looked… not that bad.
‘It does feel familiar, you’re right,’ William said after a lengthy pause.
I mentally shook myself out of my thoughts and focused on our conversation. ‘I know I’ve been saying this for days now, but it’s so strange.’
‘What? Me being here?’
‘Not specifically here, but in New York, maybe. Or in general us being here. Again. After all this time.’
He nodded. ‘It is strange, I’d never imagined I’d see you again.’
I chose to keep quiet and played with my glass. Had he thought about seeing me again? After?
‘You are waiting for someone, I assume?’ William asked, filling the silence between us.
My date. Right. I refrained from groaning and sat just a little bit straighter. ‘I was, yes. But I think he’s a no-show at this point, so I thought I’d just enjoy the company of the bartender and make the best of it.’ And wasn’t it funny or ironic or whatever you’d want to call it that the guy I had waited over two hours for all those years back, the guy who had stood me up as well, was just now sitting right next to me asking about another guy who had stood me up?
The joys of life.
‘Your friend got busy?’
A little lost in my own thoughts, I shrugged and faced towards the bar. ‘Not my friend. My blind date got busy. I guess,’ I murmured.
William leaned towards me just a little, and I leaned away to protect myself… from what, I wasn’t sure.
‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you.’
‘I just said, my blind date got busy.’
‘A blind date, huh? Is this the same one from when I bumped into you the other day?’
I gave William a sideways glance and smiled when I saw he was smiling back at me. It was hard not to when he smiled at you. It was that exact smile and a few other things about him that had kept me going back to that diner every night all those years ago. So, whatever I thought I was feeling just because of his proximity, I tried to shake off. We were colleagues, I couldn’t act like a blushing schoolgirl around him – which was probably how I was back then. Now? I couldn’t be like that. At least not constantly. And maybe it wouldn’t have been that bad if we’d become friends. Tentative friends with a limited number of smiles shared in between. I could very well handle that.
‘Ah, no, that was an online date. This was another one – a blind date. They’re the worst, I know,’ I admitted, forcing myself to relax a bit more. ‘But I’m trying to put myself out there a little and just see how I do at it. Flirting and everything. Not looking for anything serious at all, but just dipping my toe in, I guess. Are you dating anyone?’ When I realized how that sounded, I decided to backtrack. ‘You don’t have to answer, of course. It’s not my business. It’s just that you said you got a divorce and… I guess I’m just asking because I’m curious if it’s just terrible for me or if it’s an all-round thing.’
