Gemma’s eyes widen, sparkling with enthusiasm. “Oh, I would absolutely love that,” she says, her voice tinged with excitement. “Only if it’s not too much trouble for you.”
I wave her off with a slight shake of my head. “It’s no trouble at all. I was thinking we could go again next Sunday. Jake will be at his mum’s that day, and I’ll only need to stop by the restaurant for a couple of hours in the afternoon. We’ll have the rest of the night all to ourselves.”
“Okay then! It’s a date!” She grins, her expression brimming with delight.
Moments later, our meals arrive. Mine is a crispy-skinned barramundi with steamed vegetables, while Gemma ordered the crispy-skinned salmon with Asian slaw. We dive into our meals, pausing once in a while to exchange casual remarks.
We’ve been slowly getting to know each other better, sharing a few general facts about our life. I discovered that she hails from a family of cattle farmers in Central Queensland, yet was raised in an all-girls boarding school. She also told me about her time studying business administration at uni, all while juggling part-time jobs as a waitress and a receptionist at a gym.
At twenty-eight years old, she has never been in a serious relationship or travelled abroad. While these aren’t inherently negative things, she doesn’t seem to have any strong passions or long-term aspirations, which is so opposite to Elena, and even Mila.
Don’t get me wrong, I respect Gemma’s tenacity in cruising through life, but surely she desires more than just simply working different jobs and relocating to random cities.
I hadn’t realised I was staring at her like a creep until she cleared her throat and asked if something was wrong.
I shake my head and offer her a small smile. “Sorry, there’s nothing wrong. I just zoned out for a second there. My mind tends to do that when it’s overthinking.”
“What’s on your mind?” she asks with a curious frown.
“I’m thinking I’d like to get to know you more—your interests, your goals, or perhaps your short-term plans, the whole works.”
“Oh… umm… well... I don’t have many interests,” she admits, a faint note of embarrassment threading through her voice.
“Really? Not a single one?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “Do you enjoy reading, music, travelling, food, fitness… Anything?” I press.
“Oh, I enjoy shopping and hitting the gym, though I wouldn’t say I’m passionate about them. To be honest, I’ve never really taken the time to explore what I might be into. My main focus has always been working hard, earning money, and treating myself to the finer things in life—that’s pretty much it.”
“What would you say are your future goals then? Do you want to travel, join a club, buy a property, climb the professional ladder?”
Her eyebrows lift, as though taken aback by my intrusiveness. “I’m not entirely sure to be honest. Housing in Sydney is ridiculously expensive, so I don’t want to invest in property here. And I’m not that big on travelling the world. I might visit a few countries, but it’s not something that generally excites me. I’m perfectly content professionally—unless, of course, I find a sugar daddy to fund my lifestyle,” she says with a wink and a teasing smile.
“Oh, that sounds—”
“I’m joking,” she murmurs, quickly retracting herself. “But seriously, I don’t know what my plans are. I’ll just have to figure it out along the way.”
In other words, she has absolutely no idea which direction she wants to take in life.
Wanting to see if there’s more to her than meets the eye, I choose a different approach. “Do you ever picture yourself settling down and starting a family one day?”
She hesitates, as if she’s weighing her words carefully. “Honestly, not really,” she says, her tone sure and firm. “I haveno problem with other people’s kids, but it’s not something I want for myself.”
That’s not a major deal breaker for me. I know plenty of women these days choose not to have children, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Still, I can’t help but feel a subtle disappointment. I’ve always dreamed of a future with more children.
I reach for my glass of water and take a long, deep swig. “I really appreciate your honesty, Gemma. I know it might seem a little early to discuss goals and future plans, but I think being upfront from the start is important. Even with my own business to run, I’ve always been a family man at heart. Having children has long been a dream of mine, and I was hoping to have more in the future, once I find the right person. I thought it’s best to tell you all this now, so there’s no confusion later.”
From the look of surprise on her face, she clearly hadn’t expected me to be so direct on our first date.
“Wow, this is some pretty heavy shit.” She gives an almost bashful laugh, then says, “I think we might’ve come into this date with completely different intentions.”
I barely have time to ask what she means before she presses on. “I assumed you were only looking for something casual—a bit of fun on the side. I didn’t think you were after something serious.”
“Oh,” is all I manage to say. How is one even meant to respond to something like that?
“To be frank, Jason, I thought you only asked me out because you wanted… you know.” A rosy blush tints her cheeks at the suggestion.
My mouth falls open, but no words come out as I try to process everything she’s just said. It’s not that I’m opposed to the idea—anyone in my position would jump at the chance; I’monly human, after all—but it’s definitely left me momentarily speechless “Wow. I’m not sure what to say to tell you the truth.”
“I’m sorry, it was dumb of me to assume that we were on the same page.”
