“Well, to be honest, I’m not sure …” he began while looking her straight in the eyes. And those eyes … Nikki knew she could stare at the light which glowed from them all day. But it wasn’t just that – they looked honest. Experienced, too – like he wasn’t trying to find himself in this crazy city, but already had an inherent confidence within him.
But then something happened. Actually, multiple things. And they all happened so quickly that Nikki felt like more of an observer than a participant in the date.
All at the same time, their server came to the table and interrupted them to ask about their orders. Then something buzzed on Luke’s phone that instantly distracted his attention away from the table. Without another thought, he immediately shot up from the table with a look of desperation, ignoring the waiter who stood awaiting their order.
“I’m sorry, Nikki. It was great to meet you, but … I really have to go. I’m so sorry, it’s just that …” He looked distracted at his phone, obviously having something pressing him to leave immediately. It was as though every second that passed was precious to him for some inexplicable reason.
She had become an afterthought, and she didn’t know how to react. She could have been offended, but she’d been on enough dates to no longer feel that way – even if things started out as hopeful as they did with Luke. But still, this was a new and unexpected turn of events for Nikki, so she just asked the one thing that came to her mind.
“Will I see you again?”
Despite the immediacy Luke was experiencing, an instant calm composure overcame him when asked that. He smirked at her, with a look of sincere desire that signaled he may also have felt something instant and unique between them. But due to his rush, he said just one line before running out of the restaurant: “We’ll leave it to fate.”
That line was more witty than romantic. But it still worked on Nikki. She watched as he ran out the restaurant and back out of her life – just as randomly and quickly as he had entered it a few days ago at the wedding.
Joey Fate was the waiter standing next to the table, watching the chaos of the situation unfold. His gruff - but friendly – New York voice filled the silence as they both watched the man jet outside for some unknown reason.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that joke about my restaurant’s name,” Mr. Fate said.
“Yeah, but Joey – something about this guy seemed different.”
“Well, you got his number? Just call him again to reschedule. You know how much I like repeat customers.” His gruff joke was a not-so-subtle nod to how much he appreciated hosting her countless dates at his restaurant.
“Actually, I don’t have it.” She admitted. “I just randomly met him and only had time to tell him to meet here.”
“Well, what about his last name? We could look up his number.”
“I don’t have that either,” she said aloud.
This was a date unlike any other, for sure. And what started out with Nikki saying she didn’t believe in fate had now ended with her sincerely hoping that she was wrong.
Chapter 3
“He, what?!” Nikki’s co-worker Sara all but yelled out loud in disbelief. Nikki and Sara had worked together for the last two years and had grown extremely close in their friendship. So, Nikki would share the details about each of her dates with Sara. It was among the many things they’d bonded over while prepping catered food at work for the next event.
“I know, right?” Nikki agreed. “He just got up and left.”
“And he never told you why?”
“Nope. He never even told me why.”
“Well that guy sure missed out!”
Nikki flashed a smirk at her friend from across the large kitchen in which they both were busy moving about cooking for the evening’s wedding event. Sara was busy with several plates of an avocado dip. And Nikki was working on the main entree - multiple plates of filet mignon with green beans and mashed red potatoes, sprinkled with some herbs. This was common for them – being able to talk without looking at each other while busily moving about the kitchen. So, when Nikki heard Sara say that Luke had missed out by leaving early, Nikki uncharacteristically stopped for a brief moment and looked at her friend.
“Thanks, Sara.” The honesty in her voice was prevalent. This signaled to Sara that Nikki’s routine of repeated first dates didn’t make her immune to when things ended badly. Nikki wasn’t emotionally fragile, but she still had emotions nonetheless.
Sara also stopped when she heard that sincerity in Nikki’s voice. “I mean it, girl. You’re gonna find him one day. And when you do, he’ll be the luckiest guy in the world.”
“But what if he was the guy and something happened to ruin it all?”
Sara cracked a smile. “Well, then one day, there’ll be a different luckiest guy in the world!”
This made them both chuckle out loud before hurriedly resuming their meal preparation. They were short on time, as always, due to the size of the wedding party and the dinner that had to be prepared for them all.
Back at the hustle, the two friends continued their banter back and forth.
“So, how’s life as a mom now?” Nikki asked.
“What, are you saying I look tired or something?” Sara pretended to be defensive with her joking response.
“Oh, c’mon – you were gone for several weeks on maternity leave. You have to fill me in on all the details! Is it everything you’d hoped for? How’s baby Nora doing anyways?”
Sara’s tone went from joking to a bit more factual. “Oh, she’s doing great. Me and Paul didn’t really know what to expect. At first, it was all an adjustment with naps, feeding, the lack of sleep, and everything…” Sara trailed off.
Nikki heard Sara now be the one to pause from across the kitchen’s center island and look at her. A rare, serious face adorned Sara. “But now that the dust has settled a little, honestly, it’s the best thing ever. I didn’t even know I had the ability to love something as much as I love her.”
Nikki knew she had been the one to initially invite seriousness into their conversation, but she still didn’t quite know how to handle it once it came from Sara. Perhaps that was due to wanting so much what Sara had – a husband and baby. So, Nikki reacted with making a joke of it: “So I guess that means you love Paul less, then? It’s about time you finally caught on to him.”
“Hey …”
About as instantly as the attempt at a joke left her mouth, Nikki regretted it. So, she tried to make up for it by asking another serious question. “I’m kidding. But how is Paul taking it? Any emergency texts from him yet on his first day on the job of being a stay-at-home dad?”
“None yet … but that’s not to say he won’t text any second now. Really, though, he’s actually excited. I thought it’d be too much for him to take early morning classes and then stay home with Nora in the evenings while I’m at work. But so far, so good.”
“Well, I think you two are awesome!” Nikki complimented right before their boss peeped in through the swinging kitchen door to their kitchen workspaces.