The next ten minutes were spent in an awkward silence. I went back to my game, and she stared out the window. Finally, the food arrived, and I ate as quickly as I could so I could politely end this date and maybe salvage my Saturday afternoon.
Halfway through lunch, Bekah perked up. “I saw your TED Talk,” she admitted.
I eyed her. “Cool. Did you like it?”
She smiled. “I did. And…”
I waited for her to elaborate, but she just went right back to her meal. Ten more minutes passed without a word of conversation. Once again, I wondered what my dad had seen in Bekah. I wanted to ask her why she’d agreed to go out, but I knew I’d come off more like an asshole than sincere.
Any other day, I’d consider myself a nice guy. I didn’t mistreat people, I always opened doors for women, I donated to causes. Giving back to my community was important to me. I gave back through mentoring and volunteering at the local food pantry monthly. But this…is some bullshit.
Sighing, Bekah said, “I’m sorry.”
I peered at her. “For what?”
“For wasting your time. I’m not ready for a relationship right now.”
“I get it,” I told her.
“It’s just…I broke up with my boyfriend a few months ago.” Her chin trembled. “I thought it was time to get back out there. But I miss him so much.” A tear fell. “I want him back.”
I nodded. “Again, I understand.”
“Your father talks about you a lot. I asked him how you were doing one day, and he mentioned you’d recently gotten out of a relationship, so I suggested we meet.”
Her revelation made sense. My father hadn’t done this on his own. Which was a good thing, because it meant it’d never happen again. “No need to explain, Bekah.”
“This was fun, though,” she said.
A simple“yeah” or even a “sure” would’ve probably made her feel better about this date. Yet, I wouldn’t say either of those words, because they’d be a lie. Instead, I told her, “I’ve never been here before. It was interesting.” The chicken burger I’d ordered was still sitting on my plate, along with the housemade coleslaw, both half eaten. The only thing I’d finished was the fruit cup.
“If you’re into vegan, try Seva. It’s delicious.”
I dropped my napkin onto the table. “Good to know. Thanks.” Another moment passed with no further exchange of words. Glancing at my watch, I said, “I need to get going.”
Bekah grinned. “Oh, okay.”
The server set the bill on the table. I glanced at it and stood, leaving the cash to cover our lunch.
Bekah finally slid out of her seat and hugged me, catching me off guard. As with every part of this date, the hug was stiff and awkward. “Thanks, Lennox.”
“You’re welcome.”
She pulled back. “I’ll let your father know you were a complete gentleman.”
“He knows,” I murmured, gesturing for her to head toward the door first. As we walked through the restaurant, I thought about what I was going to eat for a real lunch. I could go to my parents and ask for that fifty bucks and one of my mother’s famous omelets. Decision made, I texted my mother and told her I’d be there in the next half hour. Outside the restaurant, I asked Bekah, “Where are you parked?”
She pointed at the Volkswagen right in front of the restaurant. “Right there. I was lucky today.”
Too bad I wasn’t. “Alright.”
Bekah hugged me again. This time, she held on a bit longer. Uncomfortable, I patted her shoulders and tried to back away gently. Out of the corners of my eyes, though, I spotted a familiar face.Blake.
The smirk on her lips let me know she knew exactly what I was thinking. I mouthed,Help me,and she cracked up. She approached us. “Hey, Professor Cole.”
“Blake Young,” I said.
Bekah seemed to register I was talking to someone else, because she let go of her hold and craned her neck toward Blake. Only, she didn’t speak to the woman; she simply gave her a once-over, rolling her eyes and turning back to me.
