She parted ways with him at her building and had never been happier to return to her apartment alone. It was time to get Evan’s profile set up, and then she could ignore this whole topic for a while as she waited to hear from everyone with their date suggestions.
ChapterFour
Evan
As Cade had predicted, Luke’s pick came through before the week was over. Evan had tried to chat with her on the app, but she hadn’t accepted.
Kayla’s restaurant and blind dating app had been a stroke of genius. It allowed for more than a blind date, and if the dates chose, they could chat inside the app using only their first initial if both parties agreed. She said most people actually chose that option, taking the time to get to know each other a little before their date.
The fact that this woman didn’t want to chat with him made him more nervous. According to Jake, the woman kept trying to touch him under the table and asked a lot of personal questions about money, making it clear what she was interested in.
He tried to push the dread down, but as he got ready for his date Thursday evening, he couldn’t keep it at bay. There was no excitement for tonight at all, only fear of what he was about to run into.
Kayla had told him to keep an open mind, but it was hard when you knew Luke. He was a jokester, making it clear he was the youngest of their group with everything he did.
He looked in the mirror and straightened his silver tie before running a hand over his beard. He’d been considering shaving it, but hadn’t brought himself to doing it yet. Shaving was a hassle when your hair grew as quickly as his did. It was close to a twice daily thing when he did try to stay shaved.
Shrugging on his jacket, he pushed his thoughts away. His date wouldn’t see him tonight anyway unless for some reason they hit it off so well they decided to meet after. The entrances were separate at the restaurant; one person came in on one side and another on the other, keeping your date from ever seeing you if you didn’t want them to.
After the date, both parties had to agree to meet or they wouldn’t at all and would either try another date, and chat in the app if they wanted, or they would be unmatched and no one would ever know who they were.
The dinner would be in complete darkness consisting of a salad and drinks. It was the one thing he’d pushed against with Kayla, but in the end, she’d won that they wouldn’t have more of a menu. Since the guests could barely see their food, they wouldn’t know if they got the right thing, or it was cooked right, she reasoned.
The restaurant wasn’t really for food; it was for dates. If people wanted to meet, then they could always go out again after. Or, in his case, probably go home and order a pizza.
Evan headed out to his car and made his way to the restaurant. He’d asked Kayla earlier today for her thoughts on the date, but she’d remained tight lipped, so other than the fact that Luke had chosen this woman for him, he had no idea who he would be meeting.
As he pulled up to the restaurant, meeting the valet and handing over his keys, he took a few steadying breaths before going in. It was an entirely different perception to come in as a date instead of as a partner to this business. After a million visits, he thought he knew what to expect, but this was different somehow.
The waiting area was dimly lit and other men waited on the benches that lined the entryway. After letting the hostess know he was there, he took a seat and waited for his turn.
He knew how it would work, but when they called his name and he was led into darkness, he barely contained his own nerves. Between the darkness and the anxiety over Luke’s choice, he wanted to bolt.
The server explained the process, but Evan tuned him out completely, working to stay calm. After a few beats, the server took Evan’s hand and rested it on his shoulder to follow him through the restaurant to his seat.
As he walked, the only light he saw was from the glow of the tables, which was enough to see where your plate and drink were, but not enough to illuminate your face. Keeping identities secret was paramount here, and while the concept was great and the business did well, he admitted it was bizarre as a customer.
Jake had explained it would be, but Evan had brushed him off. Thankfully, he’d also explained that it was less weird each time.
“Here is your table, sir.” The server took his wrist, moving his hand from the man’s shoulder and placing it on the table. “Your date is here and should be with your shortly.”
It was strange how alert he was to sounds and was completely aware that the server had moved away, despite not being able to see him. He was here first, which gave him a moment to compose himself before she joined him.
A few minutes later, the server returned, giving directions to his date. She sat across from him and took a minute to get settled.
“I’ll be right back with your food and drinks.” They had to order on the app so everything was ready for them when they got there. It wasn’t like they could read a menu in the dark.
“This is ridiculous,” the woman muttered across from him.
He pretended not to hear and introduced himself. “I’m E, it’s nice to meet you, kind of,” he joked. Everyone kept their voices soft as the darkness made everything louder than normal.
“This is insane. I didn’t think it would actually be completely dark,” she said, too loudly, hushing the conversations around them.
“It’s not so bad,” Evan encouraged.
“Sure. You didn’t waste a full face of makeup and a good hair day to sit in the dark,” she complained.
He was shocked. Never in all his imaginings of how this date would go did he think that he would have someone who didn’t want to be here.