The Blind Date

A/N: I have no idea what I just wrote...

It's almost eleven o'clock at night, and I just randomly decided to join a contest?! I, uh, hope this doesn't sound too bad. Thanks for reading!

"So, I know this guy-"

"No," I cut her off, not bothering to look up from the book I was reading.

"You don't even know what I was gonna say!" she whined. I could hear her shuffling, and I peeked over the top of my book. The girl had flipped upside down on the recliner she was sitting on, her legs thrown over the back as her head hung off the edge. She was scrolling through her phone.

Returning my gaze to the book in my hands, I replied, "yes, I do. Allie, I've known you too long. You were gonna try and set me up again."

"Whaaaat? Of course not, when have I ever done that?" Allie replied, feigning innocence. She's tried to set me up with nearly every guy she knows, ever since I broke up with-

Nope. not going to think of him.

Instead of responding, I turned to the next page. Allie huffed and turned to sit upright again. She put her phone down.

"Okay, you got me. I just think it'd be a good way to, y'know, move on. And Matt's a really sweet guy. Just... one date? Please?" she pleaded. I sighed.

"Fine. But if this date turns out like the last one, you are so coming to rescue me." We both shuddered at the mention of the previous date she got me to go on.

"Most def. Andy's Coffee at ten on Saturday?" Allie questioned, already tapping away at her phone. I hummed in reply. This could be fun, I guess. At least, I sure hope so.

~~~~~

The bells jingled as I opened the door to the small cafe. The air smelled strongly of coffee, and I relished in the scent as I looked around.

Most of the tables and booths already held couples or what I assumed to be friend groups. I scanned faces, looking for the man Allie had described to me.

"Look for a tall dude. Like, six foot something. Last time I saw him he had a dark buzzcut, and he should be wearing black-framed glasses. Good luck!"

Her words echoed through my mind. I almost didn't notice one of the patrons waving at me. He sat alone at one of the window booths with a cup of tea in his other hand. Sure enough, he had short, dark hair and black glasses.

Walking up to him, I asked, "Matt?" The man smiled at me. He had movie star teeth.

"Yeah. I'm gonna assume that you're Alexa? Otherwise this might be kinda awkward," he joked. I let out a small chuckle.

"Yep. Nice to meet you." I slid into the booth across from him.

"Do you want me to call one of the waiters over so you can order something?"

"That would be great, thanks," I replied. As he turned to flag down one of the workers, I got a better look at him. His hair was dark brown, and it had grown out a bit since he had a buzzcut. His skin was a dark olive, making the white of his teeth stand out even more. His nearly-black eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled.

He was hot.

"Alexa?" his voice pulled me out of my thoughts. The waitress was standing at our table, notebook in hand. I cleared my throat.

"Er, can I please have a flat white with a shot of irish cream?"

"Of course, I'll be right back with that," the waitress responded, overly enthusiastic.

I snuck a look at Matt as she walked away, embarrassed to have been caught checking him out. The grin on his face told me that he did notice. What a way to start a date.

"So," Matt spoke before I could, "what do you do? Like, job-wise."

"I work as a website designer for a bunch of the companies around here. It's a pretty cool job, but, coding man." Matt laughed as I exasperated. "How about you? And I know you look great in that flannel, but please don't tell me you're a lumberjack."

He laughed again. "No, no. I actually work as a secretary for the CEO of the Scottish Co., which is hardly exciting," he explained.

"Cool, cool." There was an awkward pause. I was about to ask another question, when I was cut off by a little girl's squealing.

"Daddy!" she called. I turned towards the sound to see a little girl who looked to be around four or five. Her hair was in pigtails, and paint stains splattered across her coveralls.

My eyes widened as she ran straight towards Matt, launching herself into his lap. I raised an eyebrow.

"I am so sorry," Matt apologized, "she's supposed to be with my sister right now. Uh, Alexa, meet my daughter, Maddie. Maddie, say hi."

"Hello," Maddie singsonged. She looked up at her father. "She's pretty. I like her." I couldn't help but smile at this. Just then, a woman ran up to our booth. Her face was flushed and her ponytail was falling out.

"Maddie! I told you to stay with me!" the woman sighed, "I'm sorry, Matt. we were taking a walk, and she saw you through the window."

"It's alright, Susan. Er, I think," he looked over at me for confirmation. I smiled. I quite enjoy kids, though I'm never around them much.

"Here, I can take her back home-" Maddie cut Susan off with a cry.

"No! I wanna stay with the pretty lady and daddy," she pouted.

"I'm okay with it if you are," I said before Matt responded. I was still a little unsure about him having a daughter, because that usually meant someone had a wife too. Maddie was just too cute, though.

"Yay!" Maddie cheered. She climbed off of Matt's lap, running around to crawl into mine.

"Oh! Hello there," I said, smiling. I looked across the table to Matt, who looked completely dumbfounded.

"Hi! Do you like my daddy? Is that why you on a date with him?" I started at her blunt question. Matt made a choking sound. Susan had disappeared.

"Uh, I... Yeah, your dad's a pretty cool guy," Maddie seemed satisfied with my answer. She pulled a crayon from her pocket and started coloring on my napkin.

"I'm really sorry if this is making you uncomfortable. I can take her-"

"No, that's alright. I really like kids, to be honest," Matt brightened up. "If you don't mind me asking, where is her mom?"

"She, uh, she hasn't been around since Maddie turned one. We dated in college, and when she got pregnant she just gave me the baby and disappeared," Matt scratched the back of his head.

"Gotcha. So, do you want to continue where we left off?" The previous first-date tension had worn off.

"For sure," Matt's eyes shined.

We continued talking, long after we had finished our drinks. I found out that we had a lot in common. We even had a brief argument on which Stars Wars movie was the best. I made a mental note to thank Allie for setting this up.

The sun was beginning to dip below the tall buildings lining the streets, and the cafe was almost empty. A weight settled on my chest. I looked down to see that Maddie, who had been coloring the entire time, had fallen asleep in my lap.

"Oh boy, I guess that's my que. Matt slid out of the booth, checking his watch. He reached out and took Maddie in his arms. "I had a great time."

"Me too. Both you and your daughter are probably the best blind dates I've ever met," Matt chuckled, rocking Maddie side to side, "Do you want to do this again sometime?"

"Is that even a question?" he teased. "For sure- although I think I'll leave Maddie at home next time. I'll text you?" I nodded. Matt gave me one last smile before switching the arm he was carrying the girl in and walking out.

That was the most interesting blind date I have ever been on, I thought. It was definitely the best one, though. I found myself wishing that our next date would be soon.