When he asks her if her name is Mindy, 'yes' is her faint reply. It feels wrong, contorted, on her lips. They aren't used to telling lies. He seems nice, and maybe that's why she let that single syllable word slip out – he seems nicer than her real date, who left for the bathroom forty-five minutes ago and never came back.
It isn't long before she realizes that Mindy, the real Mindy, isn't quite as kind as her. He had already been waiting for twenty minutes when he spotted her across the restaurant. Mindy was the one who insisted on coming here, because anything less than fine dining was a waste of her time.
"You're nicer in person. You sounded annoyed on the phone."
"I get that a lot," she says. Another lie. It stings.
Over dinner, she resolves to tell him. But then he smiles again, and she doesn't want to imagine those lips falling into a frown. During dessert, she tries again, but the only words she can manage are, "can I have a bite of your cake?"
Dan insists on walking her to her car. "I had a great time, Mindy." She chokes down the sound of her fake name. "I was skeptical, at first, but now it's kind of like ..."
"Like?"
"You'll laugh at me."
"I won't. I promise."
"It's like you're the perfect girl."
That's when Dan leans in for a kiss, and their chapped lips barely brush before she's mumbling out "goodnight" and yanking open the car door.
Because it's easier than explaining his perfect girl doesn't exist. And, if she does, her name isn't Mindy.
YOU ARE READING
Osculation
Romance"As far as I can tell, there are two basic (kissing) rules: 1. Don't bite anything without permission. 2. The human tongue is like wasabi: it's very powerful, and should be used sparingly." In which Anna writes about a lot of people kissing.
