The man glanced briefly up to his side where Nikki was. He was about to brush off the event as a quick matter without saying much. But he did a double take to glance back at her when he saw Nikki standing over him still, making eye contact with him. His double-take look back at her said it all. Nikki’s eye contact reeled him in. It was a tried and true method.
The man actually shot up from his chair to stand in front of her. “Oh, no problem at all … Nicole.” He said as he read her name badge. “Here, let me help with that.” The man took some of the plates from her hands. “Where do these go?”
He winked at the odd, married couple with whom he was chatting, before he followed Nikki off to the other side of the hall where the waitresses took the dirty plates. Nikki saw the wink, and it made her grin to herself. He thought he was playing her, but really, she was playing him.
In that moment, she decided how she was going to handle this situation. She could play it desperate – where she appeared eager and outgoing to try to earn a date with him. She could also play it in what she thought of as the helpless tone – where she pretended that she really needed and appreciated his help. Or, she could play hard to get.
Nikki had played all of these roles intentionally several times in the past, and all had been successful at reeling the guy in. But this guy’s wink told her what to do. He was in for the chase, so she would give him one. Hard to get, it would be.
Nikki intentionally walked over to the other side of the hall at a pace a couple steps ahead of the man.
“I’m Ryan, by the way.” He said, trying to get her attention.
Nikki didn’t give him much attention beyond a quick glance back and smile as they made their way through the maze of circular dinner tables with guests seated all around.
So Ryan tried again. “Dinner was delicious – did you help make it? Or are you just a server?”
“Just a server, huh?” Nikki questioned back behind her. She wasn’t really offended at the way he asked the question, but still asked it to give him a hard time.
“No – not like that. I just meant that the food was really good. Do you do weddings much?” He tried to change the subject in an attempt to make small talk.
Luckily, Nikki couldn’t have a cold shoulder any more. She had to turn and talk to him. She just had to. So, she stopped right by where they were to drop off the plates.
Smirking at him, she reached out and took the plates from him. She then put them on the server tray.
“You know, Ryan, if you want to ask me for my number, all you have to do is ask.” Her tone wasn’t interrogating nor cynical in the least bit. Instead the anticipation she had been holding in was starting to show.
“Well, what if I don’t want your number?” Ryan asked, now trying to playfully give her a hard time in return. Smooth move. Nikki liked how he wasn’t just playing it by the book and was instead showing some personality.
She moved closer to him, unafraid to look him right in the eye.
“Are you sure about that?” She asked with a grin.
Ryan fumbled a bit before responding. This was obviously because he was now caught in his tracks. But still, he maintained his game in return. “Well, what if what I really want is to take you out?”
Bingo.
“Then – like I said – all you have to do is ask.” Nikki’s response was perfect and the intensity of the chemistry and game between them was as palpable as the plate which she held. Most times, dates which she’d set up with guys from these events were not as cat-and-mouse as what was going on right now. So, this time was refreshing and piqued her interest.
“Nicole – are you available tomorrow night?”
“Nope.” This wedding was on a Thursday. Because Nikki strictly held her first dates every Wednesday and Saturday, she was quick to respond. But her answer caught Ryan off guard. So, she quickly followed up: “But I am this Saturday.”
“Me too. What part of New York do you live in?”
“How about this,” Nikki now took control of the planning. “I’ve got to focus on my job now. So just go ahead and enjoy the rest of the wedding. But on Saturday night, let’s meet at 6:00 p.m. at a place called Fate’s Kitchen. It’s in Lower Manhattan. Sound good?”
“You’ll be there?”
“You bet!” She said enthusiastically. The way she reached out quickly and touched his hand as she said it didn’t leave Ryan doubting this at all.
He leaned forward and lightly placed his hand on her hip as he moved closer to her and pecked her on the cheek. “See you then.”
Ryan’s confidence and maturity were not just intriguing to Nikki, it was just downright sexy. She couldn’t wait for Saturday.
Nikki turned to go back to the serving area and saw Sara smiling from ear to ear. As Nikki approached her, Nikki could barely contain her excitement. “You see that?” She asked Sara. The sound of enthusiasm squeaking in her voice.
“Way to go, girl!” Sara congratulated.
They both tried to maintain a demeanor of professionalism for the guests in public, but managed to still sneak in their excited conversation about what had just happened.
“He seems so…” Nikki began.
“Manly.” Sara finished before giggling. She straightened up when she realized that she probably shouldn’t have revealed her thoughts. “… I mean – not as manly as Paul back home.”
“No, definitely not,” mocked Nikki.
“I mean – you’ll never find someone as amazing as Paul.” Sara was now joining in the joking.
“Yeah – never.”
“So, why should you even keep trying, I guess?” The sarcasm was just building now with each comment, but it kept the two close friends laughing.
“I really just do it to give the men experience,” joked Nikki. This comment sent Sara chuckling even harder. “I mean, some of them may be just a date away from finding the love of their life. It’s really a sacrifice on my part to help all these men out. It’s really selfless of me, if you think about it.”
Sara continued laughing before she turned back to head to the kitchen down the hallway. “C’mon – we still got work to do…”
Right after Sara turned and left for the kitchen, Nikki looked back wide-eyed at the wedding. She stared at all the people laughing. Her gaze then shifted to the large, ornate and beautiful wedding cake. And then she quickly glanced back at Ryan, whom she’d just met. No one was around to hear it, which is why Nikki confessed out loud, quietly to herself: “Or maybe, I’m just one date away from finding the love of my life.”
Chapter 4
“Hey, Nicole – you did show up!” Ryan said enthusiastically as he approached the table at Fate’s Kitchen at 5:55 p.m. on Saturday. He was a little early, which stood out to Nikki right away.
“Oh, that’s right – my name badge. I really go by Nikki.” She said as she got up from the table. She was hoping that Ryan would be confident enough to give her a quick peck ‘hello’ on the cheek, and she was right. His confidence from the other night hadn’t disappeared, which also immediately stood out to her.
As they sat down, Nikki continued with her usual joke: “Only my parents call me Nicole.”