4
LIAM
MARGARET IS SO far away from what I was expecting going into this date. I was ready for a giggling airhead, maybe a crazy cat lady who was desperate for a little attention. I thought the picture on her profile might be a catfishing scenario, but when I walked in and saw her sitting at the bar, talking with the bartender and looking around nervously, I was struck for a moment, just watching her.
And fuck, she’s perfect. From her gorgeous curves to her incredible laugh, she’s any guy’s dream girl, and I find it incredibly hard to believe she hasn’t been snatched up already. She’s not someone who tries too hard, her awkwardness even adding to her character, and I find myself completely charmed.
The nerves I felt earlier are set at ease around her, and it makes the night that will inevitably come to a close have a different result than I wanted. As much as I would love to take her home tonight or even extend this to a second or third date, I can’t drag Margaret through that. She’s the type who would get hurt, and I can’t do that with the profession I’m in. I can’t put an innocent at high risk.
If I had any other job, I wouldn’t hesitate to lock her down.
“So, what’s it like seeing the world?” Her pouty lips wrap around the rim of her cosmo, and I realize it’s at least her fifth one. We’ve been ordering drinks left and right, neither of us wanting to end the night just yet.
“Well, a little different than you’d think. It’s not like I go to the touristy areas,” I reply.
“What do you mean? Don’t you take clients to the popular destinations?”
I pause. Shit. I just shoved my foot in my mouth. “Uh…well, I try to make their visits more…authentic.”
She gives me a look like she just met a superhero. “Wow. That’s amazing. Is that normal or just your type of work?”
“Just me.” I chuckle awkwardly, knowing I barely saved myself and grateful Margaret didn’t catch me in my lie.
We carry on until last call, and when I glance up at the bartender in surprise, he points to the clock, which reads two in the morning. Holy shit. I didn’t even think we’d been sitting here for more than a couple of hours; it felt way too quick.
“Wow. I’ve got to get going.” Margaret reaches for her purse where it hangs on the back of her chair, and I take the opportunity to quickly pay our bill.
“Are you sure?” she asks, eyeing it.
“Of course. This is a date, Margaret,” I reply with a smile. “Can I drive you home?”
“Oh, I can walk. It’s not far.”
Not wanting to separate yet, even though I know that’s what I should do, I ask, “Can I walk you home?”
Her face morphs into a blinding smile and she nods her head. Her excitement makes my gut tighten; she probably thinks this night is far from over. I breathe in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to control myself, weighing what I’d like to do and what I’m sure I shouldn’t do in my mind.
We walk out of the bar and onto the sidewalk. What’s normally a very busy street is only occupied by a few random stragglers. Walking closely to Margaret, I take in my last few minutes with her. Knowing I’ll never see her again makes a pit form in my stomach. Very briefly, I think about what it would be like to be able to take her to bed tonight, and somehow I already know it’d be the best night of my life.
She’s not a random hookup. She’s a special person who deserves better than that. As a matter of fact, she deserves better than the app we met on—she’s a solid Match.com type of chick. I just can’t believe I was matched with her. It’s like a tease from the universe that she was put in my path and I have to shove her out of it.
“What made you want to sign up for the app?” I ask before I can think better of it.
“What do you mean? Why does anyone sign up for a dating app?” she replies.
“Well, that question can have a couple of different answers. The obvious is hookups, another is love.”
She pauses and thinks about her answer. “I don’t know if it’s that black and white, is it? Who says you can’t start with the intention of having sex and ending up finding more?”
See? I knew it, a total commitment girl, and I’m about to shatter the pretty little image she’s painted.
“Ha. That’s not what most people are looking for on there.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Because I’ve met a lot of people through the app.”
“How many is a lot, exactly?”