Dylan let out a long breath and suddenly felt extremely tired.
"Here, ma'am."
She looked over and saw the man who'd spoken up setting her bar stool upright.
"Have a seat," he said. He glanced at the bartender. "Why don't you get her a drink, Carly? Put it on my tab."
"That's okay," Dylan said.
Carly ignored her and spoke to the man. "Don't worry about it, Bob. It's on the house."
Dylan sat down and stared at the remains of her dinner. She hadn't eaten much because she'd been so uncomfortable. It had been a mistake to accept Todd's invitation. Their first date had been okay, which was why she accepted a second date. Dylan had given it a shot because she knew how hard it was to make a good first impression when you were nervous. She’d been nervous on their first date, too.
The second date had been less than mediocre. Todd had talked about himself all night long, drunk too much, and made offensive jokes.
She'd tried to refuse his invitation to a third date, but had given in when he sent her a message and apologized, saying he'd drunk too much and that wasn't like him.
Never again, Dylan decided.
This was the fourth human man in a row she'd found on a dating app and it was clear that this wasn't working.
Were all human males this rude and entitled?
As Carly made her drink and Bob settled on his stool beside her, Dylan realized that wasn't a fair thought. The two humans helping her now seemed very nice and one of them was a man.
"Are you okay?" Carly asked as she set another glass of red wine in front of Dylan.
"Yeah. Thanks. I'm so sorry about the scene."
Carly waved it off. "Don't worry about it. I was about to come over and distract him before you threw his drink in his face."
Dylan couldn't help smiling at the woman. "Really?"
"Yeah. I've dealt with my fair share of assholes, too. We women have to stick together."
"I'm sorry I didn't say something either," Bob said from beside Dylan. "I saw what was happening when you told him to take his hand off you and wasn't sure if you'd welcome my interference or not."
Carly shot Bob a sharp look. "Whether it's welcome or not, you should still help a woman in distress."
"Yes, ma'am," he drawled, taking a sip of his beer. "I promise I will next time."
"I appreciate both of you for your help," Dylan said, looking at Bob. "Even if it did come a little late."
Bob smiled at her, revealing a crooked eyetooth that was oddly endearing. "Next time, I won't hesitate. I promise."
"It's okay, Bob. It wasn't your fight," Dylan reassured him. "But you came through when I truly needed you." She paused. "Besides, I kinda enjoyed punching him in the nose after he grabbed me like that."
She rubbed her thigh. It was likely it would be bruised when she got home. As would her knuckles.
Carly moved away for a moment and came back with a plastic bag half-filled with ice cubes. "Here, put this on your hand." She glanced down at the plate. "I'll put this in a to-go box for you," she said.
"Thanks," Dylan said, feeling like she'd said the word too much over the past few minutes. "Bring me the check, too."
Carly opened her mouth as though to argue and Dylan shook her head.
"I'm paying for the food and drinks," she stated. "If you don't bring me the bill, I'll just leave a bunch of cash in the tip jar to cover it."
The other woman sighed. "Fine, but that glass of wine in your hand is on me."
