The Blind Date Gone Right

Walking into the bar, I scanned the crowd, searching for the blind date my friend, Dana, had set up behind my back and kept to herself until today. All I knew was his name and that both of us would be wearing red.

She had an obsession with me finding a man, whether or not I agreed to her meddling. And the only reason I relented this time was because I had nothing better to do.

Not seeing any red to indicate my date was here, I made my way to the bar. I ordered some merlot, hoping it might calm the butterflies in my belly.

The bartender setting the glass in front of me, I sipped the wine, swirling it in my mouth, then swallowed it. It had a nice flavor.

I tapped on the counter to the beat of the music as people chatted loudly all around me as they visited with friends, the servers moving around.

Suddenly, the door opened again, revealing a man wear a dark red shirt, dark jeans, and a black leather jacket.

My breath caught as I stared.

My God, he was gorgeous, with that nice tan and those blue eyes. My weakness. And he was walking towards me!

I stood up, almost falling. I grabbed the counter at the last second to catch myself. Phew, crisis averted.

He smiled at me, "You must be Jamie."

"I am," I straightened, "and you must be Eric."

"You would be correct." He took the stool to my left. "Do you always lose your balance when you see men?"

I blushed a little, "More than you'd think."

"It's okay, I know I'm stunning."

I rolled my eyes, "And humble too."

Eric laughed, "Totally."

I giggled, taking another sip of my wine. "How do you know Dana?"

"Oh, we go to the same gym and she always chats with me."

"Sounds like her," I bobbed my head, "So why would a stunning guy like you agree to a blind date?"

"Why not?"

"Fair enough."

"Besides, Dana is persistent."

I laughed, "You have no idea."

We quickly fell into deep conversation over various topics, me liking him more and more. Guessed I owed Dana a favor.

She usually missed the mark when it came to setting me up with men, causing me a few cringe worthy memories. Not this time.

Glancing at the clock, I realized several hours had passed, my stomach telling me I needed to eat.

He raised a brow, "You hungry?"

"Yeah," I blushed a little, "Wanna go get food?"

Eric smiled, "Sure, I know a great place."

"Will we fit in?" I gestured to my dress.

"Oh, I think we'll be fine."

Leaving the bar, we walked down the sidewalk for a short bit, although I was glad to be wearing flats on the uneven pavement.

The warm wind blew in my face, whipping my hair around. At least it wasn't in a fancy do or anything.

Stopping in front of a small place, Eric rummaged his coat pocket, pulling out a key and unlocking the door. "After you."

I blinked, stepping inside. "So you work here?"

"Yes."

"Is your boss gonna be okay with this?"

"Oh I think so, unless this night takes a bad turn." He gave me a knowing expression, turning some lights on.

My breath caught. "You own this place?"

Cozy and pretty with the fairy lights dimmed low, this was the perfect first date location.

"For a few years, yeah."

Letting my coat slip off me, I sat at one of the tables, watching my date get down to it in the kitchen, turning on appliances and prepping ingredients.

Damn, a man who cooked. A great bonus, especially since I was banned from cooking at events due to a food poisoning incident two years back.

The scents had my stomach grumbling.

Every now and then, Eric glanced at me, smiling until he finished cooking and brought the food over, "Hope you enjoy."

Taking the first bite, I moaned, "Oh my God, this is delicious."

"Thank you."

We once again fell into deep conversation and I knew this would be the first of many adventures together.