MISSING DATES

THE DINNER

Lisa looked gorgeous. It was the first time I had seen her in anything other than jeans and T-shirts and she did not disappoint. The dress she wore was simple: black and sleeveless with some pretty embroidered designs on the skirt in a muted gold color.

She had styled her hair differently, too. She usually left it down, which I adored because it was just wild enough for me to want to run my hands through it in an effort to tame it all down. I hadn’t done it yet though, since outside of a few kisses we hadn’t done anything physical, but I was hoping to have that freedom to touch soon. But when I saw her sporting a sleek bun, I just about split my face in two with the huge grin I wore.

She looked both cute and sophisticated, and most adorably a little uncomfortable, if the way she kept pulling at various parts of her dress was anything to go by.

In my defense, I didn’t look too bad either. I went the opposite way stylistically Lisa had. I left my hair down with just a little curl to give it some volume. I wore a dress I had found on clearance while with Jisoo on one of our rare shopping expeditions. If Jisoo knew that I would be wearing that same dress months later on a date with the person she irrationally hated the most, I was positive she would have tried to burn it on the spot. Luckily for me, she didn’t have the ability to see months into the future, so the suit was safe for the date.

“You look great,” I told her honestly once we’d finished looking each other over.

She responded with a shy smile. “Thanks. You too.” She took a second before she added, “You look really pretty.” The sincerity with which she said it made me melt a bit. That’s what I had always liked about Lisa—when she said something, she really meant it. 

“Thank you,” I responded with what I hoped was just as much feeling. “Did you want to come in before we go to the restaurant?”

Part of me wanted her to say no, because my parents were due back from the lecture they had attended at any moment. But another part wanted us to go up to my room and make out for a couple hours. That part was probably going to be disappointed.

“No, I think I’m ready. Do you need to get anything before we go?” she answered. Yup, just as I thought, no make-out session tonight.

I shook my head. After I locked the door, I followed Lisa down the front walkway to her car. I had mixed feeling about that car. The first time I had been in it had not been my best moment. My only thought that morning weeks ago had been that she was by herself in the empty student parking lot and I had a chance to talk to her privately for once. It didn’t occur to me until much later that she probably thought I was insane, barging into her car and chattering away about nothing.

I hadn’t scared her off though, because there we were, dressed in our finest on our way to one of the best restaurants in town. Lisa had suggested going out for a fancy dinner, which had surprised me. I assumed she was more of a pizza or burgers kind of girl, and I had assumed most people our age were too. But she insisted we go, while also offering to pay for the meals, which I immediately objected to. No way would I let her pay for me. I had only one dating rule: go Dutch or go home.

We made small talk about what we had each done earlier that Saturday. I’d had a squad meeting where we went over our end-of-the-year plans and picked the captain for the next year. I told Lisa that I would miss cheering next year, but I didn’t mention how emotional picking a new captain had been. Those girls were like a family to me, and I felt a deep responsibility to each and every one of them as their captain. Passing on that responsibility had been a lot harder than I’d thought it was going to be.

Putting that stuff out of my mind, I refocused on Lisa. She was a good driver, but the way she held the steering wheel with one hand made me nervous. What if we hit a pothole and the wheel jerked out ofher hands and we ended up in a ditch on the side of the road? Those things happened; that was why the ten and two positions were invented.

Breathing came a little easier once we got to the restaurant and safely parked. I looked at the impressive building in front of us, and I couldn’t help but be a little intimidated. Swallowing my nerves, I followed Lisa up to the front door. A uniformed man was waiting and opened the door for us as we approached. Lisa nodded in thanks and I hurried after her, offering up a wave to the man as we passed.

The inside of the restaurant was magnificent. Chandeliers lent a warm glow over the rich woods and velvets that made up the furniture. My shoes clacked as we walked over the gleaming hardwood floors toward the hostess. I felt self-conscious about the fancy surroundings, but Lisa took it all in stride. She stopped in front of the hostess, and they engaged in a quick back-and-forth while I hung back.

“Ready?” Lisa asked as the hostess stood waiting with a polite smile on her face. I nodded and joined her as the hostess led us through the dining area toward a table already set out with silverware and candles. With every step closer, I felt a tightness in my belly. It wasn’t the good one I got when I kissed Lisa, but the gnawing ache that typically came in the middle of a routine when I knew we were missing marks but still had to finish. It was going to be a long dinner.

The hostess pulled out a chair for Lisa, then circled around to me and did the same. The light push of the chair against my knees as she scooted me in took me by surprise, and I ended up stumbling back into the chair as I sat. I looked up to see that Lisa had caught the entire exchange with wide eyes. The hostess said something I didn’t catch and then she was gone.

The table was round and small, and the firelight cast an intimate glow over Lisa’s face, which had me transfixed. She was so pretty. I must have stared too long because she glanced down with a shy smile, nervously touching all the little items laid out in front of her.

That was when I realized that the area right in front of me was super crowded. I was sure there were more forks and spoons and knives in front of me than we had in total at my house. They ranged in size from big and wide to these tiny little things that I worried would snap between my fingers.

Lisa didn’t seem surprised to see the contents of a kitchen drawer laid out in front of her, and that was when I realized something important. Lisa had been to fancy restaurants before. For all I knew, the Manoban family dined out at places like this regularly. They had seemed so down-to-earth and friendly that I never suspected a famil