Chapter Four
Marco
The entire way I’m on my way to pick Sofia up for our date, I’m second-guessing my idea.
It’s a lame date, she’s going to think you’re a boring nerd, a nasty voice in the back of my head keeps telling me.
It had been a week since I’d met her and Russell at The Lunar Room, and finally, we’re getting together for the first of our one-on-one dates. I’m going out with her tonight, then Russel and I are going out on Sunday, and honestly, I’m excited to see him, too.
Initially, I’d been kind of thrown off by the impromptu “double date,” but the app clearly knew what it was doing. Even though Sofia had been the one I’d been expecting, I’d built a quick rapport with the other man, too.
But I tried not to think about him too much. After all, tonight is about me and Sofia getting to know each other. Russell will get his turn.
I pull up to her apartment complex and find parking near the building that houses her unit. It takes me a moment to find her apartment number, but when I get there, I’m still a few minutes early. I wonder if I should wait, go back to the car so I don’t seem overeager or something, but before I can make up my mind one way or the other, her front door swings open.
I must look startled, because Sofia immediately flashes me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I saw you coming through the window,” she says sheepishly.
A grin spreads over my face. She’s as eager as I am. “You look beautiful,” I tell her honestly, looking her up and down.
She’d texted me yesterday to ask if she needed to dress up for where I was taking her, and I had assured her that she could dress as casual and comfy as she wanted to. And she looks every bit as gorgeous dressed down as she had when she was all dolled up last week.
The jeans hugging her hips highlight the lower half of her curvy hourglass figure, and the soft green top she’s wearing has a neckline that scoops low enough to offer me a generous view of her cleavage. Her hair is pulled back in one of those split ponytail things where the top half is up and the bottom half is down, and it both shows off and frames her face perfectly.
“So does the fact that you met me at the door mean you’re all set to go?” I as with a chuckle.
“Absolutely, let me just grab my purse,” she darts back inside for a moment before returning with the bag over her shoulder.
“Perfect, shall we?”
I lead her to my car, making sure to get there first so I can open the passenger-side door for her. She thanks me as she slips in, and I can see a hint of color rise in her cheeks.
I close the door carefully and move around the car to get in on my own side. “So, do I get to know where you’re taking me?” she asks.
There’s a slight edge in her voice, and when I look at her, I can see in her eyes that there’s a little fear there, something beyond just first-date nerves. She’s sitting sort of towards the outer edge of her seat, about as far from me as she can get, and I wonder if maybe she’s claustrophobic or something.
“Well, I hope it doesn’t sound stupid, but I saw this idea somewhere…you mentioned last week how much you like to read, so I was thinking about a bookstore date.”
A quick glance at her face is enough to fill me with relief. She’s not rolling her eyes or looking bored or annoyed by the prospect. She looks intrigued, with the hint of a smile curling her lips. “What exactly does a bookstore date entail?” she asks.
“Well, I found a couple of different things that sounded interesting,” I explain, “There’s a scavenger hunt I printed out, and I have the directions for a couple of other games we could play. And we could grab something to eat at the cafe, they’ve got some fantastic sandwiches.”
“I think that sounds like a blast,” she says, smiling, “I’ve never done anything like that.”
“Me either,” I admit with a sheepish laugh, “But it sounded fun, so I thought I’d give it a try.”
So, with that all settled, I start the drive toward the bookstore. “So, how was your day?” I ask.
“Good. Uneventful, just getting some stuff prepped for a big Career Day fair next week,” she says with a shrug.
“Sounds like that could be fun.”
“A little, but mostly it’s just hectic,” she laughs, “How about you, how’s life in the fourth grade?”
I snort. “Talk about hectic. Had one of my kids sneak their pet gerbil into my class today in a Tupperware container in his backpack.”
Sofia grimaced. “With holes in the lid, I hope?”
I nod. “Yes, thankfully.”
“Why did he do that? And what the hell did you do about it?” she asks with an incredulous giggle.
“He wanted to show ‘Captain Snuffles’ off to his friends,” I reply flatly.
A laugh bursts out of Sofia before she claps her hand over her mouth to let me answer her second question. “And I mean, I just did the only thing I could think of, I sent him to the office so he could call his parents to come get the gerbil.”
Sofia shakes her head, giggling. “Poor kid. He’s soooooo grounded.”
“Oh, definitely,” I agree, laughing, “But like, really, what was he thinking?”
“Kids are weird. They haven’t outgrown it by the time they get to my school, I assure you,” she says.
“I’m not sure if that’s comforting or terrifying.”
“Little bit of both.”
We both laugh, and I’m pleased with the way things are going. I was kind of worried that maybe when it was just the two of us, she might end up bored with me. But things feel just as easy with just us as they had when Russell was with us.
We pull up at the bookstore before long. “So,” I ask as I unbuckle my seatbelt, “Are you hungry? Did you want to eat first, or start with the scavenger hunt and then eat?”