For that brief moment, Nikki contemplated abandoning her script for the interview. But then her better judgment took over. Again, it was about eliminating variables. If Lucas was as unique as his smile and the light in his eyes indicated, then he’d stand out from the other men through her routine questions.
Besides, she had already begun with the rehearsal. Nikki always tried to line up dates by introducing herself as Nicole. That way, when she later told the guy that she really went by Nikki, she could gauge his comfort level by whether or not he actually called her that. She never really went by Nicole. Only her parents call her that. And Nikki naturally fit her spunky personality, anyway. She figured that if the guy caught on to that, then he’d refer to her as Nikki.
“Hi Lucas!” She exclaimed out loud with eager anticipation. Instead of shaking the hand that he held out to offer, she scooted away from the table and gave him a half-hug. This fit her personality better, but also was meant to avoid formalities like hand-shaking. This was an interview for love, not a job interview. “You can actually just call me Nikki since I only go by that.” With her timed pause, she then made the same opening small joke which she always did to try and lighten the situation up. “Only my parents call me Nicole.”
“Hey, me too!”
Nikki was caught off guard for a second. Never before had that reply happened. She improvised beautifully with another small joke: “What, your parents also call you Nikki?” It was a dad joke, for sure – but who knows, maybe this guy would find it humorous, signaling he appreciated dad jokes.
He did. He chuckled lightly while they both sat down. “No, actually – my parents are the only ones who call me Lucas. I really go by Luke.”
Interesting, thought Nikki. Her strategic opening act to set a casual tone had been equally matched. This had never happened before, either. Luke was definitely off to a unique start compared to the other guys. This instantly held Nikki’s interest as she would continue with her routine through the rest of their introductions.
“Thanks for inviting me out.” Luke said first – impressing Nikki with being the first to thank the other person. “I think it’s interesting that we both happened to be at that wedding. And now, here we are.”
“In Fate’s Kitchen – maybe it’s fate?” She cracked her other usual joke. But this time, a sense of embarrassment overcame her. She normally cracked the joke to start things off with humor, resulting in her having repeated that joke countless times. But now, for the first time, she was nervous about if Luke actually thought it was funny instead of some lame pun.
“Do you believe in that?” Was the only thing he asked, in an unexpected yet interestingly inquisitive tone.
“… what?”
“Fate.” Again, he surprised her from the very beginning. No one ever had turned her quip into an earnest inquiry about fate. Normally, either herself or the men would jump right into the interview questions about jobs, family, or exes. But not Luke. Something was different about him. Something … Nikki couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was that was different, but it excited her. Nikki’s mind raced at the endless possibilities, wondering if this was it – the defining moment in her life that she’d been searching so long for. That was how uniquely intrigued and instantly attracted Nikki was to the man sitting across from her. But, she still had to focus.
Nikki was off track. And, actually, she didn’t mind it. She was, after all, intrigued to be pulled from her usual course of questioning, to pry into the mind of the mystery man in front of her. She really knew nothing about him other than they both happened to be at the same wedding. She’d of course been there for work, but never managed to actually have him find that out. Just as he didn’t know anything about her, she also didn’t know anything about him. So, she wanted to get to know this down-to-earth, but still handsomely charming, man across from her. And she did this by turning the question back around on him.
“Do you?”
“Nope – no way, not fair…,” he said, “I asked you first…”
Nikki was impressed he genuinely wanted to hear what she had to say. Listening was also another rare trait for men that she’d met in the city. Often their egos fueled their desire to talk instead of listen. And most of the time, they just wanted to talk about themselves. Even then, men who seemed to be listening often only did it so that they could find a way to turn the conversation back on themselves, whether done intentionally or not. Luke, though, was different. Nikki could sense that instantly, leaving her ecstatic with the possibilities.
“Honestly … I don’t know.” Nikki admitted. “I’ve never really thought about it before.”
“Really?” Luke questioned while smiling back. “I mean – you’ve never wondered about fate … at all?” His eyes sparkled with that light which she’d noticed right away, as he was intrigued to hear whatever she had to say.
Nikki was going to take advantage of this to try and steer him back to her normal interview questions. “Well, Mr. Luke … if I had to guess, I’d say that you’re – what – a philosophy professor?”
Luke chuckled to himself. “Nice try - to steer away from the topic. But, no, I’m a chef.”
Nikki was naturally intrigued that they were both in the same exact field of work. She wanted to focus their conversation on that, but Luke deviated back to his intrigue with the topic of fate. And with just how interested he appeared to listen to what she had to say, Nikki actually didn’t mind it at all.
“No, I mean it,” Luke said, “Do you believe in fate at all?” He stared at her with his focused eyes, almost as if he hadn’t made up his mind on the subject yet and was willing to consider whatever her perspective was. Another uncommon trait, and Nikki knew it.
“I don’t think I do,” she replied, having really made her mind up on the subject for the first time as the words spilled out of her mouth. “And I’ll tell you why.”
Everything about this conversation was new to Nikki – the fact that it was so off course, as well as the topic of fate itself. Surprisingly, she enjoyed thinking through the new subject out loud and found herself easily drawn into the conversation with Luke. It wasn’t as though they were strangers who were becoming accustomed to each other; rather, it just felt natural.
“You see, the idea of fate, to me, means that there’s no free will to choose things - that there’s some all-encompassing power out there which will make you end up however it wants you to end up. I don’t agree with that. I think I have a choice in life. So, I guess that means, no – I don’t really believe in fate.”
Luke looked right into her and nodded his head for a moment, obviously taking in what she had just said. “Yeah … I could see that. Interesting – good point.”
“What about you, Luke. Do you believe in fate?”
Nikki wanted Luke to say something that would whisk her away and confirm he was her long-sought love. She wished for him to say something that was romantic but witty at the same time. She was instantly that drawn into not only his looks, but the uniqueness which emanated from him. This could be the one, she thought - she could feel it like a static charge of electricity pulsing through her nerves.