NICK GRIPPED THE MUG OF HERBAL TEA I HANDED WITHOUT ANY EYE CONTACT BECAUSE HE WAS GLUED TO HIS PHONE SINCE HE CAME HERE.
He was texting with the same disgustingly goofy grin plastered on his face since he plopped down on my couch, and he shamelessly wasted my time babysitting him when he apparently flirted with his girl. Honestly, if he weren't here, I would be lying on my couch and binge-watching a new show on Netflix, but he didn't need to know this tiny detail.
I slurped my tea with an exaggerated sound to catch his attention, seated across from him, and my scream for attention worked only a few minutes later, as though we were in different time zones. His eyebrows furrowed as he finally rose his gaze from his phone screen.
"Didn't your mother teach you manners?" I asked.
"Well, I could ask you the same." He rolled his eyes, shifting his position. When he was about to grab his cell again, I blurted out the first question on my mind to take his mind off that device. "Who are you texting?"
"Sarah."
"Then, why are you here?" Max howled beside me so I stroked his head.
"I came to see you."
I snorted. "Do you see the irony?"
Nick took a sip from his mug. "She asks me to find a date for Kara." I almost choked out. Almost. Nick's gaze wasn't on me, luckily, he was scrolling through his chat. "I can't think of anyone appropriate."
I wondered something else. "Did Kara ask Sarah to find her a date?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Do you have any recs?" I didn't know anyone that could handle that woman. "Oh, shit. I found someone." His eyes shot up at me with a victory. "Derek."
"No way."
"Why not?" He protested. "I think if someone can crack the shell of that woman, it's him. He's funny and flirtatious—but he's also intellectual. He can talk about anything." I couldn't think of Kara in a dating concept. I didn't even know what type of guys she would go for. Why did I care? It would be interesting to see her maintain conversations like us humans.
Derek, on the other hand, was a social butterfly like Nick described. Plus, he was Korean, too.
"Maybe you're right," I said, changing my mind. "Derek is a good candidate."
Satisfied by my answer, Nick winked at me. "I'm sending his pic to Sarah and if she approves, I'll text him." I enjoyed the rest of my herbal tea as he buried himself back to his phone. "It's a blind date," he said. I remained my gaze on the last bit of green liquid inside the cup. I wonder how she would react to Derek. "Sarah approves. I'm texting him."
"Where will they meet?" I blurted out, my curiosity getting better of me.
"I don't know. God, what should I even say to Derek? We aren't that close." I glanced up at him when he kicked my leg. "But."
I held his gaze in confusion. "What?"
"You text him."
I let out a burst of laughter but he wasn't joking. "I'm not so close, either."
"You two were at the conference last week. You must have shared a few conversations." We did. I honestly didn't like Derek at all—if anything, yes, he had good communication skills and the charm but he was too aware of that talent of his, which made him sound arrogant. It was a put-off. Well, at least for me. Probably the women at the conference didn't agree with me, since they followed every chance to talk to him. "Come on, help your bro. I can't let down my soon-to-be girlfriend at the very first request."
I gave him a long gaze, but his annoying smile never wavered. "Okay," I said. "I'm texting him. I think it's only fair if we also show him Kara's photo, right?" He found my idea brilliant and asked Sarah to send over a photo of Kara. "I can't believe I'm spending my Saturday night matchmaking Derek and Kara."
"As if you've got something better to do." He Airdropped me her photo. When it instantly showed up on my screen, the first thing I noticed was her smile. It looked like someone asked her to smile, which didn't even reach her eyes. Turning my attention back to iMessage to start a conversation with Derek, I asked, "So, what do we say?"
We actually stared at each other for the next five minutes. I couldn't think of one smart question that would make this situation less awkward. "Would you be interested in having a blind date?" Nick suggested.
"Sounds like an ad," I replied flatly.
"Wait, Derek is Korean, too, right? Damn, they are really match-made in heaven." I rolled my eyes. "Okay, look, what about I found a nice girl for you?"
That reminded me of Derek's complaints at the supper we had after a conference. He thought the women around him were fake and wanted someone genuine. Kara was real. I didn't think she was the type of woman Derek was looking for but that fact was sure.
I pulled back from my zone-out after Nick's grunt. "Ain't helping here," he said, tilting his head back. "I'm running out of ideas, this shit is tough." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Brainstorming with an empty stomach is killing me."
"I'm the victim here. I'm trying to help you satisfy your girlfriend because I'm your best friend."
He sighed. "Dude, seriously, we need to text him."
"He mentioned me about looking for someone genuine. I can refer to that." I typed a quick message: Hey Derek. Still looking for that real girl?
Did you find one?
Maybe ;)
Who?
Nick kicked my leg again with laughter. "I told you," I said. "He's always up for a date." I stroked my leg, because hell, Nick kicked hard.
Kara. A friend of mine. She wants to go on a blind date and I'm looking for the right candidate.
I also sent him her photo, trying my best to keep my eyes off it since her smile still haunted me. Would she smile at him the same way she did here? I believed she lacked the facial muscles for it before I saw this photo.
She's pretty. When can we meet?
"I didn't think it would be so easy," Nick said. "He's literally asking himself. Well, Kara looks wicked pretty up here." She is pretty in general—when she smiles. Well, when she looks daggers at me, too. "Do you think they are compatible because Kara is...I don't know, man, she's so closed off but maybe Derek can crack her open. Hope this works."
"When can they meet?" I repeated Derek's question.
"Tomorrow night. Sarah said she would convince her for then." So, Kara has no idea about this blind date. Nodding, I texted Derek about it and his reply was positive. "Give him Sarah's number. She can handle the rest."
I didn't like the idea of not being a part of this thing. "Nah. I don't think it's ethical. Tell me where they will meet and I'll pass to Derek." After a moment of thought, Nick seemed okay with the idea. As I put my phone aside screen down, he let out a sigh.
In the meantime, though the sensible part of me was suggesting otherwise, I was contemplating whether I should go to check upon them.
HAPPY RED (TAYLOR'S VERSION) DAY EVERYONE!
I've been jamming the album non-stop since the morning, and I just can't stop. ALL TOO WELL TEN MINUTE VERSION!!! THE LAST TIME!! RED!! NOTHING NEW!! Ugh, this album is everything.
Do you think Austin likes Kara? If not, why is he acting the way he does? I'm super glad for the attention this story gets. I hope you'll like how it pans out, too.
See you next week,
Sev