Amber
On the way to the restaurant, I sent a text to a friend.
Just out of caution, since I was meeting strangers.
I was already following the other rules of safe dating by meeting Juven and Shaman at a public place, driving myself to and from.
After all our texts this week, they didn’t feel like strangers, but safety was ingrained.
I had indeed spent the day primping, beginning with the visit to the hairstylist who, upon hearing I was getting ready for a big date, insisted that I also have a mani-pedi and get my legs waxed.
By the time I left the salon, I felt polished from head to toe and carried a bag of cosmetics they sold at the front counter.
All of that and my new dress, a blue, green, and gold patterned V-neck that showed more cleavage than my usual style.
It had flowy sleeves and a fluttery skirt.
My sandals had three-inch heels, my hair lay smoothly over my shoulders, and I had followed an online makeup tutorial to make the best use of my purchases.
I barely recognized myself in the mirror, but it all gave me a boost of confidence that had held until I opened the restaurant door and saw one of the men waiting for me.
For a second, I almost turned and ran, but then I dug in my high heels and lifted my chin.
You spent a lot of time and money for this moment and you are not going to show this man, this unicorn just the back view of the dress.
I closed the distance between us, put on a fake-it-till-you-make-it bright smile, and held out my hand. “Shaman, it’s so nice to meet you, in person.” He took mine in his and my knees went weak. I thought that was just something from books, but only his firm grip held me in place.
“It’s nice to meet you too. Juven is grabbing some drinks. Should we find a place to sit?”
“Sure.” I glanced around for an empty table. It was more crowded here than usual. “How about that booth in the corner?”
We sat on opposite sides, and a moment later, Juven returned carrying a tray with at least a dozen drinks.
This restaurant had all sorts of bottled sodas and seltzers.
I always had a hard time choosing, and this wasn’t going to help.
And then the tray wobbled in his grip, and Shaman had to catch it.
It was so endearing, my anxiety sank down about three levels.
Shaman eased the tray to the tabletop, grinning. “Amber, this is Juven.”
“Juven, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
He sat next to Shaman, the two of them giving me space, and waved to the array of bottles. “They’re going to bring over some glasses with ice.”
“I think you got one of almost everything.”
“If you want beer or wine, they have that too,” he said. “But the tray was too full.”
“No, really.” I reached for an amber bottle. “I don’t drink much, and I love root beer. How thoughtful of you to pick up all these for us. I’m not sure where we’ll put the food, though.”
“Oh.” He looked abashed for a moment then brightened. “I guess we can put some of them on the ledge behind us.”
“Good idea.” I held up my hand for a high five, which they both gave me. It tingled more than usual. “They aren’t as fast as you might think around here, so if we want to eat in the next half hour, we’d better order.”
“I don’t see any menus,” Juven said. “Do we go ask for one?”
“No, there’s a chalkboard with today’s offerings near the window where you got the drinks. Every day is different, so we should go up and choose.” It was one of the best things about this place. The chef was totally in control. I slid out of the booth. “Let’s see what they have.”
There were always fresh seasonal foods here, and we made our selections then went back to the booth with a buzzer that would let us know when our meals were ready.
When we sat down again, I was afraid I might feel uncomfortable or we wouldn’t find anything to talk about, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Our texts had just touched on our lives, and they wanted to hear all about my work and my likes and dislikes and about my childhood.
Everything I had to say seemed to interest them to the point I had a hard time finding out about them.
That was until toward the end of the evening.
After we finished our meals and split a slice of mulberry cheesecake, Shaman reached for my hand and grew serious.
“I like you a lot, Amber, and I wish I could offer you all the time in the world, but in my line, we have to mate by thirty, or we don’t do it at all.
And I am the last in my line. And I’m closing in on that birthday soon. ”
“No pressure,” I said through a nervous giggle. “Can I think about where we go from here?”
We said good night at my car, and I drove home, torn. I’d never met anyone like them, and I was intrigued. I wanted to know more about them, spend more time together, but I didn’t like to feel rushed.
I was used to the idea of dating for a long time before marrying, but mating was different, in the fiction I read and, apparently, in shadow unicorn life. These guys were hot, they were sweet, they were tall, and they wanted to know if I was interested in considering mating with them. Soon.
Just wow.
The rush factor scared me.