Just Play Along

Eleven & Twelve

“Why did you ask her out?” Jess asked.

“She didn’t tell you? It was a blind date. I’ve still never seen her in person.”

“Hmm…” Jess said, tapping her fingernail on the table gently. To be honest she kind of scared me, her striking features and her perfect appearance made her very intimidating.

“To be honest, I’ve been on a few blind dates lately…”

“Oh?” Jess asked, “Why?”

I was about to answer when her phone started ringing on the table, buzzing loudly. 

“Sorry, I’ve got to take this,” she said, “Its work.”

“Sure…”

She gave me an apologetic look and snatched up the phone. “This is Jessica … What do you mean they’re voting tomorrow? I thought it was supposed to be next week! … I know someone needs to brief the Earl! It’s on his schedule for late tomorrow afternoon … I know that won’t do! … Let me check …” I watched on as she grabbed her bag and pulled out an iPad, flicking through a few pages and then scrolling down. “He’s booked in from four on and I can’t move them with this short of notice … Yeah it’ll have to be now … I’ll be there in five!”

My eyes were wide as she finished up, switching off her phone and the iPad and throwing the pair of them in her bag.

“I have to go,” she said, digging around in her things, “Urgent work matters.”

“But…”

“I’m sorry,” she said, putting a bill on the table, “Thanks for the drink.”

“Can’t we reschedule?” I stuttered. I saw my chance of finding a good date to the charity event literally slipping away in front of me.

“I don’t have the time,” she said shortly, “It was a pleasure to see you again.”

I stood up and watched her glide out of the coffee shop. Her heels clicked on the floor, but they didn’t impede her stride. She walked confidently and with a purpose, her phone glued to her ear as she made another call.

Sitting back down I looked at the table. Jess had hardly touched her drink and there was a twenty-pound note sitting there, which was completely unnecessary since the drink probably cost two pounds.

‘What the hell was that?’ I asked myself.

I think the most striking thing about the entire encounter was the fact that this girl was nothing like the one I’d met at her flat, watching the Chelsea game. That girl was in sweats, drinking a beer, and yelling at the television. This girl was some corporate monster or something, exuding perfection. How was that all even possible?

I guess it was back to the drawing board on this date thing…

PART TWELVE

After leaving Starbucks I headed back towards the studio to meet up with the boys. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say to them, it was starting to get a bit humiliating, going on all of these awful dates and coming up empty. 

“Hey Ast,” Marvin said, looking up from what he was working on as I pushed the door of the studio open.

“Hi,” I said shortly, dropping my things on the floor and sitting in the chair across from him.

“How’d it go?”

“Fine.”

“You don’t seem too convinced.”

“It was just weird I guess,” I sighed.

“How so?”

“She just seemed like a totally different person.”