A Quartet of Desire

Chapter 4: The Awkward Date

*Ryan's POV*

I made my way over to the treadmill to start my workout off with a quick run. Sean and I balanced each other well. While he was stronger, I was faster. He physically fought, while I mentally fought. It was typical for him to hit the weights at the gym while I focused more on cardio and cross fit.

There were very few people in the gym on a Friday night, especially one so close to a holiday. It was nice to have the place mostly to ourselves, especially when we needed to decompress after the rough dinner party at our parents' home.

I shook my head as I thought about the past couple of hours. Starting up the treadmill, I began jogging as I thought back to the fact that there was an official wedding date. While Sean's was sooner than mine, it still felt like I'd been hit with a sledgehammer in my gut. To be honest, there probably would never be a time I was ready to marry Claire McKnight. She was too boring, and I had no idea how I was going to form her into the spouse I needed her to be.

Thinking back to the day that Mam introduced Sean and I to our fiancées was like a slap in the face. It came out of nowhere – neither of our parents had given us any indication that they were interviewing candidates for an upcoming marriage for either of us. All they had told us was we were to dress nice and come by the house for a bit after work. Finding out we had fiancées was something that completely blindsided both Sean and me.

While Claire and my first date wasn't nearly as disastrous as Sean and Saoirse's, it still was unpleasant. Sean told me which restaurant he was taking Saoirse to, so I had chosen to take Claire to the next best in Chicago. The flowy black short sleeve dress she wore reached her knees. She wore a matching pair of black heels; her hair was done up in a tight classy bun. That night she had chosen to forgo the black rimmed glasses I had seen her in previously, allowing her natural beauty to show a bit better in her facial features. She slowly made her way out of her house and down the front steps to me as I waited patiently by the car, the door held open for her.

Instead of complaining about how long she was taking to get down the stairs, I patiently smiled at her as she finally made her way to the car.

"Hi," she had squeaked out.

"Hey, you look beautiful," I said as she slid into the car.

Her face blushed vibrantly as she lowered her eyes to her lap. "Thank you, Ryan."

The drive to the restaurant was unbearably silent as we zipped through downtown traffic, finally arriving at the restaurant twenty minutes later. The valet parked the car as we made our way in. Claire moved so slowly, it was as if she had never walked in heels before or with a man before. I bit the inside of my cheek as I continued to be patient with her.

After ordering a salad for her and a pasta dish for myself, the waiter left us to our awkward silence. "You ever been here before?" I asked her.

She shook her head and bit her lip as she looked around the room. "No, but it's beautiful here."

I nodded in agreement. "The food is really good too."

Another pregnant pause passed between us as she fiddled with her fingers in her lap.

"So, what are you interested in?"

Her bright blue eyes lifted to meet me as excitement coursed through her genuine smile. "I love reading and writing."

"Oh," I said, struggling to hide the disappointment in my voice. While I had good reading comprehension, I could never understand why people enjoyed reading. "Like, you write books?"