Then what do you want?
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
When I’m almost ready to swallow my pride and disappointment, his message arrives.
When?
I let go of the breath I’ve been holding and I smile.
I’m smiling at a damn phone.
I’ll send you all the details later.
10Sean
Istill haven’t received any information about this date. Eric just sent me a message with the date and time, telling me that he’d come to pick me up. So I find myself in the same situation again, standing in front of the mirror, wondering whether to wear a stupid tie or not. I don’t mind wearing one, and I don’t think it makes much of a difference. I don’t have to impress his family – his grandmother, to be precise – but I’m nervous all the same because I don’t feel comfortable at all. I never like having to lie to someone – even someone I barely know. I don’t like pretending to be something I’m not. I don’t like pretending, full stop.
I should’ve just said no. After all, I don’t owe him anything. I’ve done my job; I’ve gone to that event with him, shaken a few hands, made conversation, taken him home. We weren’t supposed to see each other again, and we certainly weren’t supposed to keep this charade going.
I scoff and toss the tie onto my bed behind me. I unbutton my jacket – I don’t want to seem too stiff – and grab my phone to check whether he’s sent me any messages. He said he’d pick me up at six. It’s 6:01 and I’m almost sick with nerves.
I sit on the edge of my bed, phone in my hand and nervousness in my fingers. I type out a quick message, but someone knocks at the door, so I get back up to open it.
“Y-You?” I exclaim, surprised to see Eric standing in the doorway to my apartment.
“Were you expecting someone else?”
“No, of course not, it’s just…” I shake my head, confused.
“Did we not have a date?”
“We did… We do,” I say, correcting myself. “I just didn’t expect to see you here at my door, that’s all.”
He raises an eyebrow.
“Last time you waited in the car.”
“There was a space out in the road, so I parked. I wanted to knock, but there was a woman at the door. She had loads of shopping bags, so…”
“Mrs. Conrad.”
“She was struggling.”
I smile involuntarily.
“Do you want to…?” I step aside to let him in.
“No.”
“Oh.”
“I mean… I don’t want to make us late.”
“Sure.”
