Kyra fiddled with the green stir stick in her coffee, pulling it out and licking the foam off and then tapping it distractedly on her cup. She looked around the café for what seemed like the hundredth time, puffing out a sigh of frustration. Why her friends thought she had time for this, she had no idea. She had a life. Important things to do. Right. Really important things. Things like....yoga class, feeding her cat, and work.
She pulled out her compact, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. It was way past time for a trim, but she didn't really care. Who was she trying to impress anyway? Her mind drifted back to her conversation with Brit the evening before.
"So don't be mad at me," Britt had said, looking sheepishly into her popcorn during what must have been the 17th ad before the movie started.
"I feel like the fact that you needed to preface what you're about to tell me with that means I will, in fact, be mad at you," Kyra replied, "but what did you do?"
"I set you up," she said, popping a kernel in her mouth matter of factly.
"Ugh, not again. Why do you people think I need a boyfriend so badly? I don't have time for a boyfriend."
"You have time to go to the movies with us," Stan piped up, leaning around Britt, who elbowed him sharply in the chest, "Not that we mind you coming of course."
Maybe they were right. She'd never even thought about how much of her time was spent third-wheeling. Fine then. One date, then life could go back to the comfortable routine she was used to.
Twenty minutes later, Kyra was losing her resolve. Draining the last of her coffee, she stood and brushed invisible crumbs from her dress, preparing to leave. That was when he came in the door. He was better looking than she expected. Tall, blonde, and dressed sharply in dark jeans and a grey sweater. He was holding a single rose and scanning the small crowd. Their eyes met and she thought she saw a flicker of indecision in his eyes.
Shoving down her anxiety, Krya grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair and walked towards him, tossing her empty cup in the trash.
"Are you serious?" she said with a laugh "was the single rose your idea or Britt's?"
"Uh, mine I suppose," the tall stranger said, shoving one hand in his pocket and holding the rose out with the other.
"Kind of cliché, don't you think?" she asked, taking the rose.
"I suppose I shouldn't help you on with your coat either, then?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, now you're confusing cliché with chivalry."
"Ah. In that case, m'lady," he said with an overly dramatic sweep of his hand, "allow me."
He opened the door with a flourish and they walked out into the early afternoon sun. "Where to?" she asked her date, who was eying a nervous looking young man pacing on the sidewalk to their left.
"This way," he said, pointing right and taking off with long strides.
It wasn't until they were out on the crowded street and walking toward the central square that she realized they hadn't exchanged names. The conversation had flowed naturally, if somewhat sarcastically from the moment they'd left the shop.
"Im Kyra, by the way," she said, adjusting her scarf against the cool autumn air.
"Jack," he said, shooting her a grin. "So Kyra, what do you do?"
"You mean for a living?" she asked, "I'm in radio."
"I thought people in radio were supposed to be ugly," he said with a grin.
"I thought people on dates were supposed to be nice," she retorted, feeling herself blush.
"I am being nice. That was a compliment."
"A rather back-handed one if you ask me," she huffed, looking out over the water as they crossed the footbridge leading to the square. "So then what do effortlessly charming people like you do for a living?"
"Marketing."
"So you convince people to buy things they don't need."
"I prefer to think of it as helping people realize what they didn't know was missing in their lives."
"How very gallant of you."
"I like to think so," Jack said. "For example, you look like you need some ice cream."
"Ice cream? Are you kidding me? It's like 40 degrees out." Kyra shivered and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jacket.
"Just wait." he smiled.
They came up to the square, where several food trucks had parked along the edges. The smell of spiced meat, fried foods, and roasted vegetables filled the air. Jack placed a hand on the small of her back, and led her to a small truck advertising gelato.
"Two affogatos please," he said to the vendor, placing a bill on the counter before she could protest.
"Affogato?"
"Trust me, you'll love it," he said with a wink.
Kyra rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. This man was turning out to be anything but cliché.
Soon she was holding a plastic stem glass filled with a small scoop of ice cream and swirling espresso. She took a spoonful and it was hot and cold at the same time. Bitter and sweet melting in her mouth with a smooth coffee aftertaste.
"You were right," she said, licking the spoon. "I needed this in my life."
"I told you I knew what I was talking about."
"You're insufferable, you know that?"
"I know," he said, and his face lit up with a smile that made her heart do a flip-flop.
Just one date. She reminded herself.
The rest of the evening passed in a flash. She wasn't really sure what they actually did, but they talked and teased like they'd known each other for years. He was charming, intelligent, and sometimes frustratingly self-confident, and she realized she didn't want this to be just one date. As he walked her back to the coffee shop where they had met, Kyra knew the date was coming to an end.
"That's my car," she said, pointing to her jeep. They stopped next to the vehicle and she looked down, fiddling in her purse for her keys. They weren't hard to find - she had at least a dozen keychains so they'd be hard to misplace - but she was stalling for time. He hadn't said anything about seeing her again and Kyra wondered if she had misread him.
"I had a really great time," she said, meeting his ice blue eyes.
"Now who's being cliché," he teased, and she laughed despite herself.
Jack reached for her hands, putting an end to her key-finding charade.
"You were the best part of today," he said, his breath creating puffs of cool mist in the night air. "Completely unexpected, and absolutely perfect."
"You're really good at your job," Kyra said, heat rising in her face despite the cold.
"How's that?"
"You know, helping people realize what's missing their lives." She glanced away. That was a bold move, especially for her. She wasn't sure how he would react. She felt him drop her hands and risked looking back at him. A slow smile spread across his face like a sunrise. He placed a warm hand on her cheek, and carefully brushed her bangs out of her eyes with the other. Tentatively he leaned forward, brushing his lips across hers. Kyra's eyes fluttered shut and she felt like her heart might burst, when suddenly her cellphone started ringing obnoxiously loud.
Jack pulled away, and she pulled the phone from her jacket pocket, blushing furiously.
"Hello?"
"Kyra I'm so sorrry!" It was Britt.
"Sorry for what?"
"Sorry you got stood up! Steve sent me a message saying he got called in to work, but I didn't get it until now."
"Who's Steve?"
"Your blind date for tonight, don't tell me you forgot."
"My date?!" Kyra glanced at Jack who had his hands shoved in his pockets and wouldn't look her in the eye. If Jack wasn't her date, who was he?
"Britt, I'll call you later," she said, hanging up before her friend could protest.
"Jack?" she ventured, "If that is even your name...could you please explain who you are and why you're posing as my date for tonight? Is this some kind of joke?"
She could feel her walls going up. Of course this was too good to be true.
Jack ran a hand through his unusually perfect hair, messing it up in the process.
"Look, I was going to tell you- " he shook his head, "gosh, this is embarrassing."
Kyra folded her arms and waited.
"It's really your fault, you know," he said.
"MY fault? How can it be my fault that you lied to me?"
"I never actually lied to you," he said, raising a finger. "You just assumed I was your date."
"But the rose-"
"Yeah, some guy handed me that rose outside and asked me to give it to the barista. I think he was trying to ask her out."
"You mean that poor guy pacing on the sidewalk?"
"Right. I imagine he's pretty miffed at me. The flower had a note on it, but when you sashayed over to me with all your charming criticism, I made a snap decision to pocket the note and let things play out. I hope you don't mind." He glanced at her from under his messy fringe and her heart melted.
"Your'e a terrible person, you realize," she said, stepping towards him.
"I know." Jack said, and this time, she kissed him.