The Date

Cherry slid down onto her vanity chair and ruffled her curls while peering into the mirror. It was 10 past 8 in the evening and her date had yet to arrive. Oh well, she thought, more wine for me. It was already her third glass of Merlot and the warm, tipsy feeling was just starting to hit.

Suddenly, she heard a buzzing sound – the doorbell. “Oh! That must be Nate!” She exclaimed. Trying to stand up too quickly from the vanity bench, she nearly fell over herself. After dusting herself off and doing her best to compose herself, Cherry glided to her front door intercom. “Who is it?” she asked. Can never be too safe, you know? Although, it was a bit risky to invite Nate over for a first date at her apartment after meeting online. The response came quickly through the buzzer, “It’s Nate.” A short and sweet response was uttered by a low, gravelly voice. Intrigued, Cherry pressed the buzzer to let Nate into the building.

A few minutes later, Nate appeared at the front door with takeout in hand. Cherry ushered Nate into her apartment quickly bringing with him the smell of Thai food (Cherry’s favorite). Once the food was settled on the kitchen counter, the shoes were left at the door, and Nate had a glass of wine in hand, Cherry took a moment to look him up and down. Nate was handsome – dark brown hair, striking blue eyes, and a sweet smile. The dimple on his cheek did not hurt either. Just her type. “You are pretty brave to invite a stranger to your apartment on the first date,” Nate’s comment interrupted her thoughts and brought her out of her head. “What can I say? I like a little excitement in my life.” Cherry responded coyly.

It’s true, she couldn’t imagine living life without excitement. How boring. Oh, and the soul-eating loneliness she had been experiencing the past 6 months. That sure helped her bravery. Nate reclined on her couch with his takeout container and fork. As Cherry sat next to him, he slung one arm around her and smiled with an arrogant air. There it was, that smile, she knew she was in for an interesting night. “So, what does a beautiful woman like you do all day?” Nate asked. Cherry had drifted off into her thoughts again for a few minutes. Sigh. Here comes the small talk portion. “I own my own clothing business and that keeps me pretty busy,” she replied. “And yourself – what do you do all day?” Cherry asked. Nate replied smoothly, “I’m just a model for a few brands. No big deal.” Cherry had to actively keep herself from rolling her eyes. Another model, great. “I see, sounds...fun...” Cherry responded.

Then…a period of awkward silence. It seemed like it lasted forever but probably was closer to 5 minutes. Starting to feel uncomfortable, Cherry started in with another ice breaker. “So, your last girlfriend, tell me about her. What happened?” Nate’s demeanor immediately switched, annoyance flashed over his face and a scowl formed. She had hit a nerve. “Why do you need to know about her anyway? She was a gold digger, nothing more.” Nate snarled. Cherry was enjoying the break in his pretty boy façade and decided to push a little further. She already knew at this point it wouldn’t work out, so why not? “Interesting, and how did you figure out she was a gold digger?” Cherry prodded. Nate’s face had started to flush an angry red. “You know, I didn’t expect to be interrogated like this. This is not what I signed up for. Maybe this was a mistake.” There it was, she didn’t expect to see this side of him so quickly. There was always a catch with these “nice guys”. She knew she could end the night with just a little nudge. “I’m simply curious about her, I just wanted to see why you had broken up. Are you sure she was using you for your modeling money?” Cherry pushed.

Nate snapped; she had hit just the right chord with him. “You women are all the same! Obviously, you just want me for my money too. I should have known when you asked me to pay for dinner. I’m out of here!” Nate ranted. He quickly grabbed his jacket, shoved his feet into his shoes, and stomped out the door. Ah, finally her apartment all to herself again. Maybe being alone isn’t so bad. She delved back into her world of singleness with a relieved sigh. It’s easier here – plus, more wine for me.