Dating To Arrive Early

It must have been a hundred years since Xander wore a suit and tie.

Poised in front of a full-length mirror, he brushed his fingers through his thick blonde hair. "Now there's a renaissance man! Blood-stained and bruised as I led the Mongol horde across the steppes of central Asia to the current sharp-dressed man I see here, there isn't a shoe I can't fill,” he proclaimed.

Every so often, he grows bored of his ability to neglect the laws of time for his benefit. Thanks to the ever-prevalent violence that humans inflict on one another, his work is endless in nearly every timeline.

Tonight, however, he was meeting Sophia.

Just as traveling the limitless strand of time enthralls him, so does the personal touch and conversation with a woman. Both work to satiate his need to balance intimacy and infinity. Humanity and Divine.

Catching his reflection as he turned to the glow of his phone, he wondered if she liked tall brunettes. "Nah, I'm sticking with blonde,” he mumbled.

Noticing Sophia's name flash across the screen, he answered. "Why, hello there,"

"Hey! I'm just calling to make sure I'm going to the right place!"

Xander chuckled, "It's the Bastille Bistro on Fifth."

"Oh! The place by the pet store. I'll see you soon!" She said with a click.

It must be nice to never worry about the past, present, and future course of humanity, Xander thought with a grin as he tried to refrain from judging her mental lapse. Besides, this restaurant was her choice.

...

Xander tossed the driver a hundred before stepping out of the cab. A little too chatty for his taste, but his corporation pays him an exorbitant amount of money for the services he provides. He gasped as he turned from the cab, "What magnificent architecture for the twenty-first century!" He said as he fawned over the Roman style façade of Bastille Bistro. Unlike the surrounding glass and metal buildings that suffocated this quaint little restaurant, it had tiers of stone columns that supported a little overhang like the Pantheon. The arched columns took him back to the days of gazing over the colosseum as the scent of dirt and blood filled his lungs. "Looks like she has some class."

The scent of sizzling lamb chops from a passing waiter overcame him as he took in the atmosphere. Smooth jazz drifted from a dimly lit corner. Jazz, what a gift to the soul, He thought as he approached the hostess.

"Good eve-"

"All good, I see she's having a drink," interrupting her as he nodded toward the bar along the back wall. Relieved he could identify her by the picture his friend Zac sent him, he brushed past the hostess.

Coming up beside her, he leaned against the bar. "Excuse me," tapping her shoulder, "I just wanted to let you know I'm jealous of the man who's keeping you waiting."

"Well, wouldn't you say that man owes me a drink when he gets here?" Sophia smiled from the corner of her mouth, her flowy red hair matching the shade of lipstick that highlighted the curve of her lip.

Xander grinned as he saddled up beside her. "What's good here?"

"For booze? Personally, I'm a beer gal myself, but even I won't say no to a nice merlot; their selection is extraordinary."

Roman architecture, Jazz, and now merlot? The finer things! I would have thought this girl knew me if Zac hadn’t set us up.

With their drinks in hand, they meandered through the bustling dining room toward their table. Dodging servers and the occasional chair leg as they went, Xander arrived first, pulling her chair from the table before taking his own.

"Quite the gentlemen I see," Sophia said as she tucked her olive-green dress beneath her.

"I enjoy the art of etiquette," he said with a smirk. He gazed into her eyes for some time as he admired the deep green hue. "The color of your dress is nearly as stunning as your eyes."

"You’re quite the smooth talker." Taking a sip of her wine, the red lipstick left a perfect imprint on the glass the same color of the merlot she was drinking.

Xander leaned forward, "I can tell you enjoy the art yourself."

"Among other things, yes.”

Unexpectedly witty! A good personality is uncommon and underrated, and she has plenty of both. He returned his gaze to her, drifting away as he watched her lips come together and then apart.

"Well?" She asked.

Startling him with her question, he sat up, “I’m sorry, did you ask me something?”

"Aren't you going to ask me about the other things I enjoy?"

"Right, of course," he mumbled, his face the color of her wine. She's throwing me off! Apparently, I need to date more often between throwing coups.. "I would be lying if I didn't say your mind held me in a trance. Clearly you have the gift of gab, but what else would you answer when asked 'what makes you happy?'

“That’s better,” she replied, turning her eyes to the ceiling. “Well, first and foremost, I love history. Perhaps you noticed the façade of this place?"

Xander's eyes widened. "Noticed? Admired! I'm quite the aficionado when it comes to history; saying it's a passion of mine would be an understatement!"

"How are we doing this evening? The waitress asked, failing to hide her grimace from Xander's enthusiastic gestures. "Are we prepared to order?"

"Think about your top three wars while I look at the menu," Sophia mouthed with a curve of her lip before turning to the waitress.

Top three? That's a tough one, he thought as he watched Sophia slide her finger down the menu. I mean, I've engineered hundreds of global conflicts throughout history. I suppose I gotta go with the ones I've been in, he thought as he mindlessly rattled off his order.

Sophia waited eagerly as Xander finished placing his order.

"Okay, top three," he said as he handed the waitress his menu and leaned forward, cupping his hands on the table. "First, I have to go with World War I. I know everyone says World War II, but I gotta go with I."

"I respect that," she said with a nod.

"Let us see. Number two would have to be The An Lushan Rebellion."

"Quite the throwback on that one!" Sophia said with a grin.

Xander perked his brow. "You're familiar?”

"Since I was a little girl I've been fascinated with the formation of China. What an interesting history!"

Xander was floored. How he longed to tell her the truth. To tell her he was one of the main political architects that molded China into what it is today. To let her know nearly every one of those wars he was present for, commanding from the front lines and swinging his blade when needed. Keep it together, he thought. Mortals are unable to comprehend.

"Well, what about your third?" Sophia asked.

"I'm gonna go with the Australian Invasion of India.”

Sophia furrowed her brow in confusion as a grin crept across her face. "I guess we can count pretend wars also?," she said before laughing.

Xander had an obvious look of surprise at the words that came from his mouth. You dummy! That conflict hasn't happened yet in this timeline! Get it together! He thought. “I just threw it in there to see if you’re paying attention!” He teased.

"Okay, I'm going to hit this curveball and say that sounds interesting. Let's pretend! How do you imagine that conflict happening?" She asked as she leaned forward and rested her chin on her elbows.

"Okay, now that's a game!" Xander chirped with relief. He skipped a beat as he pondered if he should tell her the truth or make it up as she assumed. Although very few women have made him want to play it level and treat them as equals, the rush of relaying major events that contemporary humans don't have knowledge of is intoxicating. If he had any less respect for her, his ego would be palpable.

"I would guess India starts it and Australia ends it!” She asked before he could begin.

"Actually, I was thinking more like circa 1891, the City of Perth-"

Cutting him off, Sophia stood and pushed her chair from the table.

"Wha-is something wrong?"

"I'm so, so sorry, something just came up and I have to leave," she blurted as her eyes scanned her phone.

"Bu- our food hasn't even arrived,"

Sophia walked around the table and kissed him on the cheek. “I had a wonderful time,” she said before making a beeline for the exit.

As she burst through the Bistro doors, she welcomed the smell of gasoline mixed with the ever-present scent of street food. Although the restaurant smelled better in retrospect, she could never catch her breath around him.

The more I do this, the more I realize how manipulative he is, she thought as she worked to control herself. The further she distanced herself from the Bastille Bistro, a perfectly fabricated restaurant catered to Xander’s interests, the calmer she became. After hundreds of dates, he still lulls me into a sense of security, even though I know him. Every few steps she would glance over her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t following her, even though she knew he never had before.

Pulling her phone from her purse, she dialed Zac’s number.

“Did you get the scoop?” He asked.

“Don’t I always?” She replied with a shaky voice.

“Atta girl! You have nerves of steel to interact with that sociopath so often..”

“Trust me, if killing him didn’t rip apart the fabric of time he has strategically wrapped around himself, our dates would have ended thousands of years ago.

After arriving at her car parked several blocks from the restaurant, she climbed into the driver seat and locked the doors. “You there? I’m alone.”

“Go for it.”

“The year is 1891 in the City of Perth. Australia invades India. Unclear if 1891 is the year of the invasion or the year a political fuse is lit, but I need you to pull everything you can on the relationship between the two countries from 1600-1891.”

“Don’t sweat it, I’ll have all the deets pulled by the time you get back to the facility. We’ll have you riding the thread in no time.”

With her anxiety faded, she chuckled. “Can you imagine his face at the discovery of how many of the ‘dates’ he’s been on has been to undermine so many of his campaigns?”

“The thought gives me joy. Hey, I’ve always wondered, do you ever think he recognizes you? I mean, I know you change your appearance, but you can’t really change your personality.”

“He’s not even aware another of his kind exists and he certainly isn’t aware that each failed coup on his end is a successful peace negotiation on ours. Besides, my personality is catered to him and his ego. Feed him what he wants to hear and he’s putty”

“True, but putty that’s been carelessly handled has a lot of nasty and dangerous stuff in it.”

Sophia chuckled. “Very true, but it’s getting easier for me to coerce him into revealing too much. He’s getting sloppy.”

“All I know is with the amount of meddling in history he’s done in the name of political greed and power, there’s a chance we wouldn’t be here if not for you. You will be remembered in the history books thousands of years in the future as the one who realigned the human projection.”

“Okay, shush. Once you get that data, start calculating the projection for his next ‘social get away.’ While I’m playing de-escalation chess with him somewhere in the Indian Ocean, I’ll start thinking about our next date’s dress to wear.