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SADIE

I pull off of King’s road into a mostly empty parking lot. The second my engine stops, I question everything I put on. White? On a first date? I’m going to spill all the sauces in existence on myself. Even if I don’t order them.

What if it’s not a date? What if he expects takeout and runs off once his order’s up?

What if he doesn’t show up at all?

My phone’s chiming at me. Is it him? Does he have to cancel? Maybe he had a work thing come up. A really rowdy bachelorette party broke into a bank, and they need him to get them out. Seems just as likely as a man like that dating me.

I twist my phone around to find it’s the alarm.

Oh crap, what am I forgetting?

I don’t have a work thing, do I?

Nope, just my extra double reminder so I’m not late. Well, here I am in front of the Green Elephant five minutes early. Doing my best to not sweat through the white dress I stupidly picked. This is a bad idea.

I’ll just head into the restaurant.

Where there’s almost no one sitting at the tables. So everyone can see that Sadie got stood up by the newest hot guy in Loomis.

Yeah, I’m staying in here, pit stains be damned.

If he doesn’t show, I can speed back home, climb into the bath, and scream under the water so my roommate doesn’t hear.

At first, I try watching the door. A few cars arrive, but they zoom right for the Mexican restaurant next door.

No sign of Aubry. Trying to not be the weirdo staking out a restaurant in a strip mall, I stare down at my phone.

I could open a game. There’s a Sheep Wars update.

Ooh, or maybe one where I smash vegetables with a hammer. That could get out some of my…

A black truck takes a wide turn off of King’s road into the parking lot. For a brief second, the driver’s hidden by the glare in the windshield. I sit up higher, my heart pounding fast.

It’s not him.

Well…maybe.

Tousled black hair, fine-ass features, a jaw that could shatter coconuts. Damn, the way his lips purse as he reaches for the parking brake. I run my hand across my mouth and down my chest.

Unaware of the weird woman watching him in her rearview mirror, he clicks off his seat belt. Hot and safety conscious—he can strap me in anytime. He’s reaching for the door.

Oh, shit, he’s getting out!

I dig into the handle, then kick the door to unstick it. Without thinking, I try to launch to my feet as if I just got here, but forgot to undo my safety belt. It clenches down my chest, throwing me back into my seat.

Please don’t have seen that. Please don’t have…

I fumble for the button, preparing myself. He’s gonna be in the rattiest t-shirt. Cut-off jeans. Sandals with socks.

It’s not a date. It’s not a date.

It’s not a…

“Holy shit…”

Aubry leans against his truck, hip cocked. His dark purple shirt strains across his shoulders and chest. Two of the top buttons are undone, letting a hint of tamed chest hair peek through. He’s not even in jeans. Those are black trousers tailored within an inch of their life.

“Hi,” he calls, pulling off his sunglasses. For a moment, he squints in the unforgiving light of a cement parking lot. But then a smile crosses his lips as I race toward him, my purse somehow twisting around my body like a python with vertigo.

“Hey. Great timing. I just got here myself. Yep,” I call out and stop right in front of him. My brain points out that the restaurant is behind me, but I freeze and have no idea what to do with my hands. Put ‘em in front of me? Behind? Just grab him then and there?

At the same time I plant one fist to my hip, I start to lean. My elbow crooks to land on the hood of his truck. What am I doing? I pause, but my elbow’s still bent, and I don’t know what to do with it.

Smiling, I give a little half wave like I’m in a parade.

I look absolutely insane.

Aubry returns my stupid wave as he checks his watch. “I was worried I might be late.” A lot of gold flashes on his wrist.

“Don’t worry about it.” I laugh. “I’m always late.”

The man with a shirt begging to be torn off of him stares at me from under his brow. My cheeks heat to a billion degrees.

“To things. I’m always late to things. Meetings. Classes. Busses. But I’m here, and you’re here, so we should eat. I hope you’re hungry.”

“Quite,” he says, his eyes never leaving me.

Oh boy. Come on body, you can handle turning and walking into a restaurant. One foot in front of the other. “Their tea salad is the best. I get one every time I’m here.”

“So you haven’t tried anything else?” he asks brushing up behind me.

I can sense his hand hovering just behind my back, but there’s barely any pressure. “Um.” Surely I’ve eaten something else here. We used to come all the time after work on Fridays before the Taphouse renovated. “There’s uh… No. I guess I found the tea leaf salad and never looked back.”

“You know what you want and go for it. I can respect that.”

Goosebumps. Clear down to my toes. A man like that respecting me is terrifying, and hot, and overwhelming. My mouth takes over, bypassing my brain that does little to stop it. “You say that now, but wait until morning.”

Aubry stops as we stand before the door. He runs his hand over my arm, turning me with just a touch. I peer into his dark eyes nearly black in the shadows.

“I doubt there is anything you can do…” His gaze caresses down my body, hitting every curve peeking and straining in the dress. “…to change my opinion, but I’m not against you trying.”

“Ha!” A panicked laugh erupts as I try to not grab him by the arm and drag him back to my place. There’s no hope for my panties, however. “We should…dinner. Eat. The food, for sustenance, and things for stamina reasons. Lots of calories to…”

Forcing my mouth closed to stop the flow of babble, I reach for the door handle.

“I forgot to tell you, you look lovely.”

“Lovely, huh?” Is this damn thing sticking? I tighten my grip to the handle and tug harder.

As I’m fighting the door, I barely note the palm brushing over my shoulder, fingers sliding down my bare skin. It’s when a breath brushes over my ear, that I realize Aubry’s right behind me. “I’d love to—”

“Fuck!” I interrupt, finally seeing the sign taped above the menus. In Times New Roman it declares the White Elephant closed for a family emergency. “They’re not open.”

I spin to face Aubry who’s wearing a confused look. “What isn’t?”

“The restaurant,” I explain and point to the sign.

“Ah, yes.” He reads over the note quickly and folds his hands behind his back. “That’s a shame.”

“Well, there’s a couple other places we could try.” I stare over to the Mexican restaurant beside us. As the door opens, loud music blasts into the night and two people stumble out in sombreros. Exactly the worst kind of atmosphere I’m going for.

“It looks crowded,” Aubry says.

“Yeah. The food’s pretty good. Loud. Lot of people damn near sitting on top of each other.

” Whatever hope I had of wowing him with my avalanche repartee slams to a halt.

We’d spend the whole night screaming at each other and not hearing a word.

At least he’s nice to look at. I bet he could even pull off a dollar store sombrero.

Resigned to my fate, I trudge across the parking lot.

Fingers dance over my arm.

“I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t we go back to my place?”

His place? I’d accuse him of orchestrating this whole thing, but the Green Elephant was my idea, and I’ve been trying to chain him to my bed since he saved my life.

“I can whip us up some dinner. It’s no tea leaf salad, but—”

“Yes!” I shout over him to a blinking shock of surprise then a slow grin.

My smile says ‘I can’t wait to try your food’ while my eyes scream ‘I’m going to swallow your cock whole.’ “Let’s go.”

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AFTER TURNING ON every location sharing app with my friends, I pull onto King’s road behind him. So I’m doing this. I’m really following a guy to his house just to go to bone town.

Oh my god, do not call it bone town.

“Sade!” Lucy’s voice cuts over the speakers, killing the song I didn’t hear. “Are you serious?”

“As a thing that’s serious,” I say, trying to focus on the road. All I can see is a big ass truck, which is probably how it feels following behind Aubry himself. I’ve been around men taller than me before, but never one who’s so much taller and wider that I feel…small.

“Where are you heading?” she asks.

“West on King’s road, probably out of town.

” We used to send each other pictures of our date’s license plates and last identifiable information since college.

Just in case they ever need to find our bodies.

It’s a macabre calming ritual for first date jitters.

Now it’s all on the app. I’m still itching to take a pic of his truck just to show off how much junk it could hold if it wanted to.

“Just you, that tall drink of whiskey, and a farm in the middle of nowhere. Think he’ll introduce you to his mother?” Lucy laughs.

“Shut up,” I shriek. He’s normal. As normal as a man who wants to fuck me could be, anyway.

“That’s her in the corner.” Lucy puts on a withered voice. “Been sitting there for fifteen years, not aged a day.”

“I’m sorry, is the mother talking?” I ask. The truck comes to a slow, blinker on. I mimic and follow. “We’re turning left onto Ashley Creek drive.” Narrating like I’m in some slow police chase is a good distraction from every nerve Lucy’s plucking.

“Out into the boondocks,” Lucy cries out before beginning to sing some abominable amalgamation of songs that end with me being butchered into tiny pieces. I try to follow along, but my butterflies are getting Mothra sized. Fancy houses, the kinds with infinity pools and in-law suites, zip on past.

The drive’s beautiful, the trees shifting to oranges and yellows while we zip on past. As we circle up a climbing hill, I can almost make out the Sierra Nevadas in the distance. Where are we going?

Aubry takes one more turn and my jaw drops.

No. He can’t be serious.

“Sade? What’s happening? Don’t tell me he already got you.”