The Date That Changed Everything

I sat at the edge of my bed and let out a loud sigh. I was not excited about this blind date. I thought maybe having a glass of Merlot would help change my mood. After one glass nothing changed. “Maybe I need another one,” I thought.

“Why did Maria sign me up for it anyways?” I asked.

I had no desire to date anyone after I ended my 5 year relationship a year ago. Since then, I made it a goal to focus on myself and my career. I no longer wished to live in anyone’s shadow. I somehow lost my identity during that relationship. My friends were his friends. He or should I say “I” allowed myself to become isolated from my family. I didn’t like the person I became and I wanted something better out of life. I deserved better.

This past year has been nothing short of amazing. I have traveled, I have been promoted to managing partner at the law firm and I have a new found confidence. Even my relationship with God has gotten better. Everything in my life seemed to have aligned themselves beautifully and I wasn’t sure that there would be any space for a man.

I got off the bed and headed to the closet to pick out my dress. I poured myself another glass of Merlot as a boost to energize me. Just because I wasn’t interested in the date didn’t mean that I would fall short of looking my best. I pulled out this knee length black dress that hugged every curve. I bought it a few years ago when I was in my last relationship but never got the opportunity to wear it. The dress was a chantilly laced dress that Maria helped me pick out. She thought I looked amazing in it.

“Should I wear a dress that I bought for my ex to a blind date? I mean…. would that be bad luck?” I contemplated.

“Whats the worst that could happen anyways?”

I picked up my glass of Merlot and headed to my bathroom to do my makeup. I wanted to have a red lip. I remember reading that a red lip was representative of a woman’s strength during a time when men took control of everything. The red lipstick served its purpose by attracting attention. There are other negative things that a red lip could be reminiscent of back in those days but I’ll just go with that it is sexy and goes with a black dress.

I finished my makeup, got dressed and then slid into my red heels. There was no turning back now I told myself. This was it. I sprayed some of my tiger orchid fragrance on my wrists and neck. I grabbed my keys and proceeded out the door.

I gave Maria a quick call on my way to the Penthouse at Mastro’s. This was one of the fanciest restaurants in LA. I hadn’t been there and always wanted to go one day.

“So are you ready for your date?” asked Maria.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said with no excitement.

“Whats his name again Maria? I wasn’t paying attention when you told me about him the last time. I need you to summarize his bio for me again.”

“Girl…… Are you serious? How can you not remember a thing I said about Nick?. Anyways to refresh your memory. Nick is a 35 year old architect. He’s originally from London and moved here 6 months ago to join the Manson and Sons Architect Firm here in LA.”

“Is he good looking?” I asked. “If I was going to have to spend an hour with someone when I didn’t desire to, I would prefer that he was more esthetically pleasing to the eye.”

Maria could not contain herself.

“Here you go again with the queen’s English. I mean who says esthetically pleasing,” as she continued to laugh away.

Her laughter was contagious and soon I was laughing too.

“He’s handsome Petal. He’s never been married and has no kids. I think he will be a great conversationalist too. Call me on your way back because YOU KNOW I WANT EVERY DETAIL!”

“I will”, I said. “Talk to you soon!”

I felt a bit more relaxed all of a sudden. I think the Merlot had finally set in. I pulled up to the restaurant and my car was valeted. I walked in through the double doors. There was a tall but striking man waiting near the bar. He was very attractive and his beard was nicely trimmed. He had a bouquet of red roses in his hands.

“Hi! Are you Nick?”

“Yes I am. You’re Petal right?”

“Yes, Nice to meet you!”

His voice was confident but sensuous with a rich tone.

“I got you these flowers so I hope you like them. I think Maria said they were your favorite. You look absolutely beautiful by the way.”

I thanked him and we both proceeded to the main dining area to be seated. Nick was wearing an impeccably crisp and well tailored navy blue suite. As we walked to the table, I could smell his cologne. His smell was inviting, sexy and reminded me of rosewood and vetiver.

“Are you wearing Tom Ford Oud Wood Eau de Parfum?”

He glanced at me immediately saying, “how did you know?”

“I have a thing for scents,” I said with a smile.

He escorted me to my chair and then proceeded to sit across from me. The lighting was dim and the overlying chandeliers were captivating. We were seated in a corner somewhat away from the other tables. It made everything seem a bit more private.

“Have you been here before?” He asked

“No I haven’t. Why did you pick this place?"

“I did because I was reading the reviews and they have one of the best steak and seafood menus out here in LA. Maria did mention your love for seafood.”

“Oh did she?. What else did Maria mention?”

He smiled and I thought his smile was energetic but also affectionate. I was in my own little world staring at his perfectly aligned teeth and his rosy and moist upper and lower lips. It must be that wine again. My mind seemed to be drifting away. Nick interrupted my thought process.

“Is there anything you would like to drink?”

I took a quick glance at the menu and asked that he order something for the table. I was actually shocked by my response. There was something very captivating about Nick. I was surprisingly enjoying the evening.

“So tell me about yourself? I asked.

“Well I’m originally from Brazil. My family and I left Brazil when I was three years old and moved to London. My mom was teaching Portuguese to the Deveaux family and they invited her to join them when they were returning home. The Deveaux’s took such great care of us. They paid for me to attend private school. I became an architect because it allowed me to be creative and it gave me the opportunity to work on some amazing projects.”

“Oh wow!” I thought. “Do you still speak Portuguese?”

“Yes, I do in addition to French, Spanish and of course English.”

I was intrigued by Nick. He was different from most of the guys I’ve met. He was extremely smart but I also picked up on his humility. He didn’t have any kids and he spent most of his life taking advantage of all the opportunities that came his way. He was determined and overly ambitious.

“So what about you? Tell me more about yourself.”

I smiled then said, “my life is definitely not as exciting as yours. I can only speak one language and that’s English.”

There was an explosion of laughter at the table when I said that. It made me relax even more.

“I am a lawyer as I’m sure Maria has told you. Since I made partner last year, its almost all I do. I use to play the violin when I was younger but I gave that up when I attended Yale Law.”

“You’re really smart”, he said. “I’m very impressed and can’t believe that I am having dinner with a woman of such caliber. I almost feel intimidated.”

“Don’t be”, I said while I leaned in and caressed his right hand which was on the table.

I enjoyed the New Zealand king salmon fillet which was cooked perfectly. He enjoyed the bone-in Kansas City strip. We shared some lobster mashed potatoes and some creamy spinach as if we were a couple who had been dating for number of years.

Talking to Nick was easy. There wasn’t a time where we dealt with this awkward silence which seem to have plagued most of my other dates. We just couldn’t find anything to talk about but with Nick, it was effortless. I seemed like a lioness on the prowl.

“Dessert?” He asked.

I was so intertwined with my own thoughts that I didn’t notice he had asked me about dessert and this was the second time.

“Is everything ok?”

“Yes everything is fine. I’m having a great time with you. I guess I drifted into the ambiance here in the room.”

We both looked over the dessert menu. We tried their signature warm butter cake and some mango-raspberry sorbet.

I was stuffed. I had eaten my fair share of food for the evening. Everything was absolutely delicious.

While we sat there near the window, a man approached our table.

“Diego?…Is that you?"

“I don’t know who Diego is. My name is Nick. I think you have me mistaken for someone else.”

“I don’t think so,” said the man standing next to us in a collard white shirt and black dress pants. He continued to stare at Nick for a few seconds.

“Is there something I can help you with?” I asked.

He said no and apologized for interrupting our dinner. He then walked away.

We both stared at each other.

"This was one of the best dates that I have been on," I said.

If Nick only knew how much I was dreading this evening with him or how I drank almost 2 glasses of Merlot to nullify my feelings about the whole idea of dating in general.

He helped me out my chair and we walked to the front door. As we stepped outside he offered to wait while the valet went to get my car. He asked if it was ok to hug me and I said yes.

He placed his warm arms around me and I could definitely smell that cologne. I didn’t want to leave his presence. There was some sort of chemistry that I sensed while we were at dinner but that hug escalated the feeling to the point where I wanted more than a hug. I didn’t want him to ask for my permission. I wanted him to go for it.

We both broke away from the embrace and I turned around to unlock my car door feeling disappointed. I wanted Nick to kiss me. This thought had not completely settled in when he grabbed me by the arm and turned me around. His lips met mine as if they were doing a tango. The kiss was passionate. I could still taste the mango-raspberry sorbet on his lips. I was shamelessly engulfed in his presence. As we pulled away he cupped my cheeks with his hands. I longed for him to kiss me again. He leaned in and lowered his head towards mine.

“Pop, Pop, Pop!”

It sounded like fireworks.

Nick fell towards me. His blood splattered all over my face.

All I could do was scream out for help. He was losing so much blood.

Someone drove by yelling, “You had it coming Diego! You had it coming!”