tables. “Now everyone here probably thinks I’m a jerk, thanks to Mr. Big Shot.”
If anyone was making Brian look like a jerk, it was Brian. It took everything I had not to say it out loud.
He glanced toward the bar where Mitch was once again helping customers. “Guys like that really piss me off. Like he had to come and save the day to look like the “hero”. He needs to mind his own business is what he needs to do.”
At that point I knew what I needed to do—end the date. Brian’s mood swings and sudden jealousy made me extremely uncomfortable. We hadn’t even ordered dinner yet and things were already bad. This guy was definitely not for me.
I stood up and decided to give it to him straight. “Look, this isn’t working out. We’re obviously not a match.”
His jaw clenched and his face turned red. “You haven’t really given it enough chance.”
“Yes. I have. Sorry, I need to leave.”
Fearing that he was about to freak out, I apologized, turned on my heel, and quickly headed out the front door. Fortunately, he didn’t follow me out.
I arrived at my cabin, twenty minutes later, kicked off my shoes, and poured myself a glass of wine. Oddly, I felt no remorse as to how the date had ended. I’d kind of dreaded going on it in the first place, and now I felt an immense sense of calmness.
I sat down on my sofa and was about to text Marcy, when I decided to tell her about everything in the morning. She was out with Robbie and I didn’t want to ruin their date. Knowing my best friend, she’d feel bad and want to try and cheer me up. They’d probably stop over and I knew it wasn’t fair for either of them.
After drinking my glass of wine, I took a shower and crawled into bed. As I was falling asleep, my thoughts returned to Mitch. I wondered again if he was single.
Maybe Marcy and I should have dinner soon at the restaurant?
The thought of seeing him again made me warm all over. I knew it was probably just the wine, but I couldn’t get his smile out of my head. Or the way his clothes fit—the guy obviously worked out. And it was always possible Brian had noticed something about Mitch I hadn’t…that he was actually interested in me?
Snorting at the ludicrous thought, I turned onto my side and fell asleep.
A couple of hours later, my cell phone went off, jerking me awake from a deep sleep. I grabbed it and noticed a message from Brian.
Brian: You’re definitely missing out on some fun. Maybe this will change your mind?
I didn’t understand what he meant until he accompanied the message with a photo of his erect penis.
“Oh, God,” I groaned, disgusted.
I was about to delete everything, and block him, when I had a better idea. I started typing.
Me: You should get that looked at before it gets any worse.
Smirking, I sent him the message, blocked the creep, and then went back to sleep.
3
Sophia
Marcy sent me a text the next morning, asking how my date went with Brian. I gave her the rundown. When I told her about the “dick pic” and how I’d responded, I could almost hear her erupting with laughter.
Marcy: LMAO! Hopefully he doesn’t take you up on the advice and show up at the hospital you work at.
Me: Let’s hope not. Anyway, no more online dating for me.
Marcy: That was just one bad egg. You can’t give up that easily!
Me: Screw that. Gonna let nature take its course from now on.
Marcy: Better yet, take a break and try again. Seriously, you’ll meet better guys.
Me: We’ll see.
After texting with her, I did some cleaning and then went grocery shopping. While I was looking around in the frozen food aisle, I heard my name called. I turned around and saw Mitch moving toward me with a cartful of frozen pizzas.
I groaned.
It figured.
I looked like crap. Not only did I not have any makeup on, but my hair was in a messy bun, and I wore an old pair of sweats. I also had on a washed-out green hoodie with bleach stains. I was surprised he even recognized me.
I smiled weakly as he approached. He wore a T-shirt, ripped jeans, and a red Twins baseball cap. He looked tired. There were shadows under his eyes and his jaw was getting a little scruffy. It didn’t take away from his good looks, though.