Good date, bad date ~ a short story

A continuation of good day, bad day.

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Electra and Adonis were about to go out on a dinner date at a fancy Italian restaurant: Red Mane. It was her favorite place to eat, right by her apartment. She had only been there a few times with friends, but it was always a great experience.

However, as soon as they got there, there was a large sign posted on the door stating that the restaurant had shut down, although takeout was still available.

Electra was extremely disappointed. So exhausted from a long week of work, she couldn’t even brainstorm any alternatives. She stared at Adonis, blankly.

Is this a sign? She wondered, should we just cancel the date?

“I’m pretty tired,” she sighed heavily, “maybe we should reschedule.” Electra was really, really craving that garlic alfredo ravioli. The thought of going to a completely unfamiliar restaurant scared her.

Adonis was disappointed by her response — perhaps she’s only looking for an excuse to get out of this, he assumed.

“What about the place next door?” He offered.

It was a steakhouse, and Electra was vegetarian, but, “sure,” she agreed, trying to sound easygoing. What if being vegetarian is a dealbreaker, she panicked.

As soon as they sat down at a table and were handed menus, Electra became fretful. There were so many people around. Nothing on the menu looked appetizing and her stomach was rumbling. When she’s hungry, she gets very cranky.

“You look like you don’t know what to order,” he inquired, “let me pick something out for you.”

“Hmm,” she scanned the menu closer, “I’ll probably get some kind of salad.”

“Oh no, don’t get a salad!” He insisted, because he didn’t want to imply that she needed to watch her weight, “this place is too nice for just a salad, I like when a girl eats!”

Electra excused herself to the restroom. She was really nervous and knew she had to pull herself together before she screwed up. She took some deep breaths and decided she would be honest with Adonis once she returned, just tell him she’s vegetarian, tell him how hungry she is, tell him how nervous she is…

However, as soon as she returned, Adonis told her that he had already ordered for them while she was gone. He was hoping it would take off some of the pressure because she seemed overwhelmed.

Until the food came, all Electra could do was worry about how she would survive this. With every word he said, and every question he asked her, she couldn’t stop agitating over what he ordered and how she would fake eating it.

Finally, the waiter came by with a big bowl of baked mac and cheese with breadcrumbs and seasoning on top.

“How did you know?” Electra’s face lit up. But it immediately dropped when she saw it being handed to the booth behind them.

A few seconds later, another waiter came by with their food, and Electra was handed a big plate of steak so rare that there was a pool of blood. She was horrified.

Adonis was mortified when he felt her disappointment. “I know it looks intimidating, but just try. I have to see you try it.”

“Let it cool down first,” she replied.

Electra cut her steak into smaller and smaller pieces, creating an illusion that she was nibbling at it, and dropping pieces on the floor or in her napkin when he wasn’t looking. Her stomach was rumbling so hard that she couldn’t even focus on Adonis or what he was saying.

“What?” she asked after he mumbled something.

“You’re barely eating, what’s wrong? You don’t like it?” Adonis said, knowing Electra was distracted but totally confused as to why. She wasn’t really talking, she was hardly even listening. It was like she didn’t even want to be there. She seemed so uncomfortable.

“No, I like it!” Electra denied, “it’s so filling, I’m going to take it home and finish it tomorrow. Let’s get the check now.” If they could just continue their date at her apartment, she would be able to relax a little more and they could have a much better time.

“Just let me see you take one bite!” He wondered why she was in such a rush.

Cornered, Electra took a big piece and stuffed it in her mouth. She reached for a napkin to spit it out, but he was watching too hard.

“Bathroom,” she mumbled with a mouth full of steak, as she started getting up.

“Wait,” he pulled her arm, “slow down! Swallow first!”

Electra froze. His touch sent chills down her spine. She couldn’t walk away from that hand. She wanted more. And by reflex, she swallowed. And then gazed into his eyes.

But the moment quickly passed when she felt vomit making it’s way swiftly up her throat. Hand on her mouth, she darted to the bathroom and threw up.

Coming back, Adonis looked extremely unsure, “are you okay?” He asked.

“Sorry, I drank too much water!” She lied.

At last, the painful dinner was over. They didn’t speak too much during dinner because she was just so nervous and felt all this pressure to be perfect. She felt like she couldn’t fully reveal herself to him too soon, or else he would see something he didn’t like and then run away.

Adonis walked her to his car. He didn’t want the night to end. But he was very unsure.

There was something off about Electra and he couldn’t figure out if it was because she wasn’t interested or something else.

Maybe she was just nervous. Maybe she would feel more relaxed at his place. But his apartment was getting construction and his roommates were home. He couldn’t just invite himself over her place.

The deciding factor would be if she would kiss him or not.

“I had a really nice time,” he said, leaning into her.

Electra knew she had vomit breath, so she backed up. She denied his kiss and then decided they would go back to her place where she could rinse some mouthwash.

Seeing her pull back, Adonis immediately shut down. “I better go home now, see ya Monday.”

“Wait,” she stopped him, “you can come back to my place.”

Adonis felt like she was pitying him now. He thought, shes just saying that to be polite. Just like she only agreed to go on this date to be polite. She would’ve kissed me by now.

And so, Adonis insisted he go home. With disappointment, Electra went back home and shed a few tears. What a disaster.

The End.

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Electra and Adonis made their way to Red Mane. Her heart was racing and her breath was heavy. She decided to repeat to herself that everything was fine, everything would be okay.

There was a sign on the door stating that only takeout was available.

I suppose this was a sign… that we should do takeout instead, she thought. We’re just not ready for the pressure of eating out — plus, I’m exhausted from a long week of work, and would much rather be relaxing on a soft couch.

“We could try another place,” Adonis offered.

“No,” she stopped him, “we’re already here. Let’s get takeout and eat at my place.”

“Alright!” He grinned.

They picked up garlic alfredo ravioli for Electra and a BBQ pizza for Adonis.

After grabbing their takeout, they went to Electra’s apartment where she gave him a quick tour. He met her cat, her bunny, and her dog! Being around animals helped them both relax and open up more.

Electra offered to open a bottle of red wine, since she wouldn’t be driving. Adonis would just have one glass. The wine was a really great destressor after a hectic workweek.

They sat on the couch and watched a movie while eating dinner.

“This is so delicious,” Adonis said, “you have to try a slice.”

“That’s okay,” Electra shook her head.

“At least a bite, I insist!” he pressed.

“I don’t like it, I’m vegetarian,” she explained.

“Oh, that’s cool,” he shrugged. It really wasn’t a big deal.

It was so nice to be able to talk and get to know one another in privacy, with a comedy playing in the background, and all her pets causing a ruckus as always. There were no spaces for awkward silences. The conversation really flowed.

As opposed to a crowded room full of strangers, in a noisy and high-pressure atmosphere — here, they could just focus on each other, and completely be themselves. Electra was honest and felt she had nothing to hide, she felt like she was talking to someone who she could truly trust, who would never judge her for anything. His aura was bright yellow like the sun, welcoming and inviting her to come out of her shell.

The movie was so funny that Electra rolled over in laughter, almost spilling her third glass of wine. Although, it still wasn’t as funny as him. She leaned into his chest and he graced his hands through her silky hair. She looked up at him for a moment and then they both went in for a passionate kiss.

To be continued…

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It’s interesting how everything shifts, when you shift your mindset.