By the time Marci came back to offer us dessert, I was craving the ride home. I was just about to decline and suggest that it was getting late when Marco looked up at me with a hopeful expression. We ordered dessert to share. I was sure that was another presumptuous dig at me to not spoil my figure, but I decided to ignore my own insecurities.
I was glad we’d decided to share. The sight of the monstrous sized chocolate fudge cake was enough to have me shaking in my boots. We took turns forking off bites of cake, silence finally started to seep in. Dessert dragged to an end, and we sipped coffee from bright white coffee cups, Marco cracked me a slimy-looking half-smile.
“So. Do you wanna come back to my place, or should we go somewhere for drinks first?”
Wait, what?
I resisted laughing in his face. Wow, I had been so off the mark. Did he not know that this date was going so badly? Like so extremely bad that it may have just been admitted to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Neither, bucko…
As if he thoughthewas going to get anywhere with me.
“I’m sorry, but I’m actually not feeling too well. I think I’m just gonna take off.” I gave him my best apologetic smile-wince and put a hand over my stomach, trying but probably failing to look at least half-way convincing.
Inside I was still laughing my ass off, almost as if he’d told a joke. That was it though, he must have been joking. Otherwise, he was even more of a fucking idiot than he first let on.
“Oh.” I could tell immediately that I’d surprised him. He hadn’t expected that, which confused me. Had he really thought that the date was going well? Maybe I should have talked more — that might have put him off…
“I’m gonna go outside for some fresh air, and call a cab,” I said, standing from the table with no small amount of relief. “It was, well, thanks, Marco. Goodnight.”
Marci smiled at me as I walked through the dining room to go and stand in the foyer, leaving Marco to sort out the bill on his own.
Afraid of waiting on the sidewalk outside the restaurant in case Marco passed me by, I began walking down the street. It wasn’t too late and there were still plenty of people out and about. I rationalized that it was safe enough for me to wander for a bit.
My god, what a shitty night.
The date had only been to humor my parents. Thank fuck I wasn’t actually going out with that prick. It was a shame really, had he been Nikolai, that might have been a perfect date. With drinks after? Who knows, it might really have been one for the books.
