The Set Up

It had been over a year since Jules had dated anyone new. After a devastating breakup, sticking to her plan to stay single had been fairly easy. She had a small group of close friends, and she genuinely enjoyed her own company. Jules was known to take herself out to dinner and sit at the bar with her book and a glass of Merlot, quietly enjoying a meal alone. One of her favorite things to do was to go to the movies by herself, usually a matinee on Monday, her day off. The theater would be mostly empty, and sometimes, if she was lucky, she would have the whole room to herself. She could sit where she wanted (always in the back row), and didn't have to share her popcorn or worry about someone wanting to talk during the good parts. After the movie she would treat herself to happy hour at a restaurant down the street.

She bartended a few shifts a week, so there were plenty of opportunities to meet single men, but she had a strict rule about dating customers. She had tried that in the past and it had proven disastrous. After a particularly bad experience where she had to involve the bouncer, she vowed to keep her work and personal life separate. Dating just wasn't something Jules thought about regularly. She figured that she would know when the right person came along and piqued her interest. Her friends, on the other hand, were obsessed with her dating life—or lack thereof. They were constantly trying to set her up. She would meet up with them for dinner and somebody would have just happened to bring a friend who just happened to be single. Jules would carry on polite conversation at dinner, ignoring her friends' pointed looks and nudges under the table. The whole thing always felt so contrived. She found it hard to relax and be herself. After these dinners she would make her friends swear to stop these "accidental" set-ups. She didn't want to be set up, there was too much pressure to perform, it made her feel awkward.

So then why, when a friend suggested a blind date, did Jules completely surprise herself by saying yes? A blind date went against everything she thought dating should be. She couldn't imagine anything that felt more staged and less natural. But, as her friend described the guy he wanted to set Jules up with, she found herself intrigued. He had just moved to Los Angeles from London and was a writer and a surfer. Jules had laughed at the idea of a surfer from London, but he had apparently only lived there for one year due to a work assignment. He was originally from Southern California, near San Diego. He was well travelled and loved to read. Jules was tired of LA guys and another SoCal surfer dude wasn't exactly what she was looking for but something about him sounded different and interesting. Before she could second guess herself, she told her friend to go ahead and pass along her number.

He reached out three days later with a short, friendly text.

Hi, it's Kevin, Dan's friend. How's your week going?

This seemed harmless enough. Jules sent a text back right away—she wasn't one to play games.

I'm Jules, but you probably already knew that. My week is good, staying out of trouble. Yours?

Kevin messaged her back immediately as well.

Staying out of trouble sounds like no fun.

Jules found herself smiling at her phone.

Oh, I'm sure I'll get around to the trouble eventually.

They carried on with flirty banter for the rest of the afternoon. Jules was reaching for her phone more often than usual, hoping to have heard from him. He seemed smart and funny, and she was charmed by his quick wit. She was a sucker for a guy who could make her laugh. The texting tapered off a bit in the evening, but around 10pm he sent a message.

Sweet dreams.

Jules sent one back.

xo.

She had a day shift the next day and found herself smiling a little while she set up the bar. Maybe this could be something interesting. Kevin sent her a text in the afternoon asking if she wanted to talk on the phone later. They made a plan to chat around 7, when she would be off work. She got home at 6:30 and poured herself a glass of wine while she waited for the phone to ring. Just after 7, she saw Kevin's name flash on her screen.

"Hey," she said, answering on the second ring.

"Hey yourself."

She heard ice clinking in a glass and it was obvious she wasn't the only one who had poured a drink for this conversation. They started talking and before she knew it she had finished two glasses of wine and an hour and a half had gone by. The conversation was light and easy and she found herself laughing a lot. He asked intelligent questions and seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. As the phone call came to a close, he asked her if he could take her out to dinner on Saturday. Jules said she would love that, and they chose to meet at an Italian restaurant near her apartment. Whoever got there first would wait in the front of the restaurant by the host stand.

In the following days, Kevin sent her a few texts, just saying hi, or asking how her day was going. They kept the messages short and light.

Saturday was her day off, so she slept in and spent the rest of the morning cleaning her apartment in case they decided to head back there later. You never knew.

Late afternoon, she got a text from Kevin.

Hey, out at the beach with a couple of buddies, meet us at Waterfront for a drink?

Jules looked at her phone, confused. Was this guy out day drinking before their date? She quickly typed out her response.

Um, no thanks? I think I'll just wait for dinner tonight...

Kevin responded right away.

All good, it's just beautiful out so I thought we could get a head start if you wanted! See you tonight, looking forward to it.

Jules waited a minute, still thrown off by the proposed change in plans.

Me too.

This strange conversation stayed with her as she carefully got ready for the date. She wore a pair of dark jeans with a black top and low-heeled boots. She slipped on her favorite earrings before heading out the door. The restaurant was close enough to walk. There were only two other people inside by the host stand and they were clearly a couple. She put her name in for a table and waited nervously. A few minutes later, Kevin walked in.

"You must be Jules."

His voice came out loud in the small space. He stumbled just a little as he went in to hug her. It wasn't incredibly obvious, but Jules' bartender eyes were trained to notice these things. Kevin hugged her and Jules found herself pulling back. He smelled like booze and it didn't seem like he had even showered before their date. Had he come straight from the bar? She was immediately annoyed, but tried to talk herself down. Maybe she was wrong, she needed to relax and give this a chance.

The hostess led them to their table and Kevin continued to talk a little too loudly. It was becoming increasingly obvious that he had been drinking all day, and was trying to hide it and appear sober. Jules scanned the menu and ordered an expensive bottle of Merlot. If she was going to have to sit through this, at least she was going to have a decent glass of wine. Kevin made a quip about how he liked a woman who takes charge and asked the waitress to bring him a martini. Jules was floored. That was the last thing he needed.

Soon the wine was uncorked and Kevin was slurping down Grey Goose. Jules excused herself to go to the restroom. She needed a minute. This was not at all what she was expecting. Where was the interesting and funny guy she met on the phone the other night? She saw the waitress while she was waiting in line, and told her what was going on. She offered to quit serving Kevin any more alcohol but Jules just laughed and told her it didn't matter. This would be their first and last date. Let him make an ass of himself. When she returned to the table, Kevin was digging into the bread basket. Jules sat down and sipped her wine. She had just started looking at the menu when an appetizer arrived.

"I hope you don't mind, I ordered some apps. I'm starving."

She smiled a tight-lipped smile. He had ordered something wrapped in prosciutto and Jules didn't eat meat. She remembered mentioning that to him when they spoke on the phone. This date was a complete joke.

"So, where are we meeting your friends after this," Kevin slurred.

Oh god. She had forgotten they talked about meeting a couple of her friends out after dinner, if all went well. That was definitely not happening. Jules decided to just be honest. It didn't really matter at this point.

"Honestly, Kevin, I think I just want to go home after this. You are clearly drunk and I feel a little uncomfortable."

Kevin looked up from his plate and laughed a little, answering her with his mouth full.

"I mean, if you don't want to be here, you can just tell me."

Jules thought for a second. He didn't even have the respect to show up sober for their first date. Why should she have to sit through this? There was nothing stopping her from getting up and leaving. She stood up and collected her bag.

"Ok, bye."

She started to walk toward the door.

"Wait!"

Jules turned slightly.

"Wait, Liz!"

Jules laughed out loud. Had he really just called her the wrong name? She turned and walked the two steps back to the table.

"My name is Jules, not Liz."

Kevin's mouth dropped open. The woman at the table next to them looked over, shocked and amused.

"Oh, and I'm taking this."

Jules reached over and re-corked the bottle of Merlot, slipping it into her bag. She turned and walked out of the restaurant.

She couldn't help but laugh on her walk home. What else was there to do? It's not like she really knew the guy, and at least it would make a great story. Jules got back to her place, drew a bath with extra bubbles and poured herself a big glass of wine. As she sank into the bath with her wine and a good book, she thought maybe she wouldn't mind staying single just a bit longer.