First Impressions Series (1-2)

by Nicole R. Locker

  “Are you ready to get started on your lesson for tonight?” I said as I gave him a look as though I questioned his ability to handle said lesson.

  “Okay, sure. Bring it on, babe,” he challenged.

  The butterflies I got in my stomach at the term of endearment made me nervous, but outwardly I pretended not to notice it at all.

  “Do you know why I picked this place tonight?” I asked.

  He looked around for a moment and then stared at me thoughtfully before answering, “Well, there’s no one here with their dignity hanging out. Does that have anything to do with it?”

  I laughed. “That’s part of it. What else?”

  “It’s definitely not the bar scene,” he continued. “No one here is even drinking,” he observed. Of course, they didn’t even serve alcohol at the Daylee Grind.

  “Keep going,” I coaxed him to see what else he might have learned so far.

  Finally he said, “I give up. Why this place? It’s cool, don’t get me wrong. I like it. I wouldn’t mind coming back here… but I couldn’t see myself coming here to find a date.”

  “Exactly,” I affirmed. “Most of the people here are here because they want to hear the music, and maybe enjoy other people’s company. It’s a way of looking for people who have an interest in something.” Then I added, “Plus, you’ll notice that the music isn’t so loud that we can’t hear each other talking. It’s a good place to carry on a conversation with someone.”

  He nodded as though he understood, and I could see the proverbial lightbulb go on.

  “So, with that in mind, let’s find you a potential new friend.” I looked around for a moment and thought about the options I observed.

  I pointed out a girl sitting at a table by herself - I had noticed her before the music started - with a blank journal she was writing or drawing in. Probably the artsy type, she was now listening to the band and swaying, enjoying the music. I hadn’t seen her checking her watch or looking back at the door when people walked in behind her, so I didn’t think she was waiting on anyone to join her. I had also seen her chatting with other people at the tables beside her, so she didn’t give me any kind of stand-offish vibe or anything that said she just really wanted to be alone.

  She might not have really been his type, but she was very pretty in her own way and probably interesting to talk to. Not to mention, he really wasn’t sure what his type even was at this point.

  “See the girl in the scarf, over by the window? Does she look like someone you might like to get to know?” She was facing the platform the band was playing on, so I felt comfortable pointing over to her to indicate the girl I was talking about.

  His eyes followed. “Okay, sure. Do I just go up and talk to her? She looks like she’s really into the band. I don’t know if I should interrupt.”

  “Right now, go order a slice of pumpkin bread with two forks. Then when this song is over, use the time you have before they start the next song to ask her if she’ll share it with you,” I instructed.

  He gave me a look that said, “Wish me luck!” Then he walked over to order the pumpkin bread and did as I had suggested. I watched from across the room as he walked up to her, signaled toward the empty chair, and her face lit up as she looked up at him. She nodded and gestured with her right hand to take a seat. He sat the plate on the table between them and handed her the extra fork.

  It didn’t look like he had any trouble finding things to talk with her about. He really was a natural at interacting with people. He had a way of making them feel at ease, I thought. Of course, it helped that he had the face of an angel. I couldn’t imagine any female that wouldn’t welcome a conversation with him smiling at them with those bright, caramel eyes.

  Then I thought about the night I had first seen Dylan at the Book Shelf. I supposed I had thought very differently at that time. Maybe it was the fact that we were sitting in a bar then, and he had girls lining up to talk to him.

  I knew I was a bit of a cynic when it came to guys consuming alcohol. I knew that guys would usually say just about anything to a girl to get what they wanted, but knowing him a little better now, I wasn’t so sure he was like that.

  As the band was half-way through a cover of Landon Pigg’s Falling in Love At A Coffee Shop, I wondered how I would have responded then had he approached me that night the way he approached the girl in the scarf here tonight. The thought sent a pang through my stomach. A pang of what, though, I wasn’t willing to explore.

  The more I sat and observed Dylan’s conversation with the girl in the scarf, the more I felt I was somehow violating their privacy, so I looked around the room for someone to talk to. I saw a couple of guys I knew from school who I went to say hi to. I sat with them for a while talking for a bit, and finally decided to leave back to my apartment.

  It seemed like Dylan was really hitting it off with the girl in the scarf, so I didn’t want to interrupt anything. I sent Dylan a text after I walked out to let him know I was leaving and that I hoped he had a good night.

  * * *

  When I got back to the apartment, it was still pretty early for a Saturday night. Clara was in her room just getting ready to go out.

  “Zia? You’re home early. I thought you went out with Dylan tonight,” Clara called through her bedroom door.

  As I walked through the living room, I took my jacket off and tossed it on my bed before going into Clara’s room to talk.

  “I did. You make it sound like we were on a date or something. You know it isn’t like that, Clar.”

  “Yes, I know you keep saying it isn’t like that. I just haven’t given up on the idea that it could develop into something more than what you keep trying to convince everyone it is.” Clara’s left eyebrow raised as she spoke this over her shoulder at me. Then she turned back to the mirror and said to my reflection, “Or trying to convince yourself.”

  “There’s nothing to convince.” I shrugged as I pulled my knees up to my body and hugged my arms around them. “He doesn’t see me that way. Trust me. You should have seen him hit it off with the girl I pointed out to him tonight at the coffee shop. Dylan and I are just… friends.”

  “You are probably the only girl on the planet who would spend so much time with Dylan Porter, who might just be the single most hottest guy on the planet, and try to get him to date other women.” Clara laughed and shook her head in disbelief.

  I laughed and teased back. “Hey! I know this might come as a shock, but you know there’s more to people than just looks. I can see how you might miss that, what with all the mega-hotties you always date. Speaking of which, how is Cason, by the way?” Deflection at its finest.

  Clara’s smile widened as she began talking about Cason and their plans for the evening, which effectively shut down the conversation about Dylan.

  I wasn’t sure why, but it bothered me talking about Dylan with Clara like that. I realized that this wasn’t the first time tonight I was working pretty hard at avoiding exploring my feelings when it came to Dylan, but avoiding was what I was sticking to for the moment.

  The way I saw it, I had a job to do. I wouldn’t let myself develop feelings for Dylan. That would be a disaster.

  CHAPTER 5: DYLAN

  By Saturday evening, I was able to talk myself back down. I had to get my head in the game, because it was pretty clear at that point that Zia was focused on the task at hand and not interested in anything else with me.

  This was made blaringly obvious to me in a phone call with my brother, Devin, earlier that morning.

  “Devin, what’s up, bro?” I answered as I picked up my cell.

  “Not much, little brother. Any big plans for this Halloween night?” Devin asked.

  “Oh, I might have a little something planned for tonight,” I boasted.

  “That sounds interesting. I take it there’s a girl involved?” My brother knew me so well.

  I could hear Devin’s fiancé, Daniella, in the background. “Say what? He met a girl? Put him on spea
ker.”

  “Okay, I’m putting you on speaker, bro,” Devin stated as he conceded to Daniella’s polite demand. They’d been together for a couple of years now, and even I had to admit that they made a great couple. Daniella was really down to earth and we got along well. Plus, anyone could see she was really good for my brother.

  “What’s up, Daniella?” I greeted her.

  “Dylan,” she greeted back. “What’s this about a girl?”

  She didn't waste any time, did she?

  “It’s nothing big. It’s just a girl I met recently. To be honest, I’m not sure she even likes me.” It was the shortened version, and I hoped they wouldn’t ask too many questions. No such luck.

  “What do you mean? Why don’t you think she likes you?” Daniella asked. I didn’t think my brother would really care either way, but of course, Daniella wanted the details.

  I settled into the reclining chair in my living room, realizing I’d be there for a while, and I started from the beginning.

  “I met Zia a couple of weeks ago after I’d seen her at the bar one night. The next Monday, I had left a book at a table in the Student Central Building, and when I went back to get it, there she was holding it, so I introduced myself. So when I ran into her later that same night at a coffee shop, I stopped and talked to her for a while.”

  “Okay, so then you asked her out?” Daniella asked, getting ahead of herself.

  “No, not exactly. Then I somehow put my foot in my mouth and told her how I could get any girl I wanted, but that they all seemed the same, so next thing I knew, she was offering to teach me how to look for the right kind of girl,” I continued.

  Devin spoke next, rejoining the conversation. “So instead of asking this girl out, whom you were obviously attracted to, you convinced her instead to set you up with other women?”

  I realized how ridiculous this all must have sounded.

  “Have you gone out with her yet?” Daniella asked.

  “We went salsa dancing last weekend,” I answered.

  “Dancing. That sounds like a date.” Daniella sounded hopeful.

  “Yeah, except we spent most of the night dancing with other people,” I admitted, doing a silent face-palm with the hand that wasn’t holding my phone to my ear.

  “Is that all?” Daniella again.

  “I did go hang out with her at her place last night. It was just the two of us. I thought we were hitting it off, but when I went to leave, I told her I had a confession to make, and she told me that nothing good usually followed that statement.”

  “Ouch,” Devin blurted.

  “What did you tell her after that?” Daniella asked.

  “I couldn’t bring myself to tell her anything after that, so I just told her I’d see her tonight and left.”

  Daniella responded, “But you’re going out with her tonight? I mean, that’s a good sign, right?” She was grasping at straws.

  I winced as the words came out. “Well… she’s meeting me there. But it’s basically just like the night we went dancing." I explained the process of our arrangement.

  They were both quiet for several seconds, and I got the impression they were whispering a conversation between themselves.

  Finally, Daniella came back on and said, “Yeah, I don’t know, Dylan. Are you sure this girl isn’t batting for the other team or something? The more you tell me about her, the more it sounds like she’s just being friendly. For goodness’ sake, she’s trying to pawn you off on other women every time you go out together. That’s not a good sign, Dylan.”

  Leave it to Daniella to tell it to me straight.

  “You’re probably right. When I say it out loud, it sounds a lot different from how I was seeing it in my mind,” I conceded in disappointment.

  “Does she have any hot friends?” Devin added, and I swore I could hear him dodging a fist on the other end.

  I laughed. “It’s cool, guys. I have my eyes open.”

  “Whatever you do, I hope you guys have a good time tonight,” Daniella encouraged.

  Devin added, “Where are you going, anyway? Big keg party?”

  I laughed again. “No, we’re going to the Daylee Grind to see a cover band.”

  I had been invited to several different things going on that evening. Jonas and Ethan asked me along to a costume party at a club that night, and I’d also gotten an invitation to a keg party at a sorority house.

  Even worse, I had gotten a text earlier that day from Katy asking if I wanted to be her date for the night with whatever she was planning to do. I had steered her back in Ethan’s direction, hoping he’d never find out she asked me in the first place after I had just told him the day before that I hadn’t heard from her.

  No, I was spending the evening in a coffee shop with a girl who wanted me to date anyone else but her. I’d never had self-esteem issues, but this really had me doubting myself.

  Call me crazy, but even despite all that, there was still nowhere else I’d have rather been going that night.

  * * *

  As I walked into the Daylee Grind that evening, Zia was already sitting there at a table with a carbonated drink in hand. As always, she looked amazing, even in the novelty shirt she wore with a Cheshire Cat’s toothy grin beneath the words, “We’re all mad here.”

  At the sight of her, my mood picked up and my excitement level rose, despite the downer of a conversation with Devin and Daniella earlier that day. Maybe now that my expectations weren’t quite so high, I could just relax and enjoy things as they were.

  “Hey, Zia,” I greeted her with a smile as I approached her table.

  “Hey, long time no see, stranger!” She laughed jokingly.

  “What are you drinking?” I asked. It had an unusual coloring for a soda drink.

  “It’s a white chocolate-watermelon Italian cream soda. You want one?”

  I couldn’t hide the skepticism from my face. I wasn’t too sure about that one. I gave her a raised eyebrow.

  “You can’t knock it until you try it! Here, try mine before you rule it out altogether,” she offered, lifting the glass and handing it to me as I sat in the chair next to her.

  “Okay,” I said as I took a sip from the side, holding the straw to one side so that it didn’t spear me in the face.

  “Hmm, not bad,” I admitted. “Once again, you know more about what I like better than I do, it seems. And to think I never would have tried this on my own.”

  “Should I go grab you one?” she offered.

  “No, of course not!” I feigned offense. “But I’ll get you another one while I run up there to order mine. I’ll be right back. Would you like anything else?”

  “No, nothing else, thank you,” she smiled.

  I went to the counter to order two cream sodas and when I returned, I took my seat next to Zia again. The band finished setting up and started playing their first song, a cover of Goodnight Moon by Go Radio.

  “The singer is amazing. Have you heard them before?” Zia asked me as she began scanning the room.

  “No, I haven’t, but you’re right. It’s great music so far,” I agreed.

  “Are you ready to get started on your lesson for tonight?” she questioned with a challenging look.

  “Okay, sure. Bring it on, babe,” I accepted.

  “Do you know why I picked this place tonight?” Zia asked, looking back at me.

  I looked around for a moment, taking in the tranquil crowd, the laid back setting, the mood of the music. Then I looked back at Zia before answering, “Well, there’s no one here with their dignity hanging out. Does that have anything to do with it?”

  She laughed. “That’s part of it. What else?”

  “It’s definitely not the bar scene,” I continued. “No one here is even drinking,” I observed. Of course, we were at a coffee shop, not a bar.

  “Keep going,” she coaxed, as if to see what else I might have learned so far.

  I thought for a while, but I wasn’t sure what answer she was loo
king for. Finally I said, “I give up. Why this place? It’s cool, don’t get me wrong. I like it. I wouldn’t mind coming back here… but I couldn’t see myself coming here to find a date.”

  “Exactly,” she affirmed. “Most of these people are here because they want to hear the music, and maybe enjoy each other’s company. It’s a way of looking for people who have an interest in something.” Then she added, “Plus, you’ll notice that the music isn’t so loud that we can’t hear each other talking. It’s a good place to carry on a conversation with someone.”

  I nodded, taking in what she said. She had a point.

  “So, with that in mind, let’s find you a potential new friend.” Zia looked around for a moment, considering the options.

  Finally, she pointed out a girl sitting by herself at a table near the stage area. “See the girl in the scarf, over by the window? Does she look like someone you might like to get to know?”

  The girl was facing the platform the band was playing on, so I only had a view of her profile. “Okay, sure. Do I just go up and talk to her?” I observed her as she sat, swaying to the music. “She looks like she’s really into the band. I don’t know if I should interrupt.”

  Zia thought for a second, then instructed, “Right now, go order a slice of pumpkin bread with two forks. Then when this song is over, use the time you have before they start the next song to ask her if she’ll share it with you.”

  I stood slowly, gave Zia a wish-me-luck expression, and walked back over to the counter to order as directed. Then with pumpkin bread in hand, I made my way to the table as the current song, a cover of Forever by Ben Harper, slowly came to an end.

  “You look like you could use some company. Would it be okay if I joined you?” I asked the girl in the scarf as I signaled to the empty chair in front of her.

  The girl smiled and nodded, gesturing toward the chair as she said, “Sure.”

  As I took a seat, I sat the plate on the table between us and handed her the extra fork. “I’m Dylan. Do you like pumpkin bread?”