Sweet on Wilde

by Fabiola Francisco

  I walk into Southern and see Bryan sitting by the bar.

  “Hey,” I say in greeting.

  “Hi!” His high-pitched voice surprises me.

  I take a seat next to him at the bar and I don’t miss Jake’s confused expression. I shrug quickly and look at Bryan.

  “It’s so nice to meet you, babe. How are ya?” He talks with his hands.

  “Good. It’s nice to meet you as well.”

  Bryan goes into full-blown conversation about his job as the hotel manager for the Cooper Hotel in the city. He talks really fast and animatedly and I’m trying to keep up. He finally asks how my job is.

  “It’s great! I own a bakery in town and love baking and cooking.” I take a drink of my beer, relaxing into the date despite the awkwardness that I feel as I observe my interaction with Bryan.

  “Wait! Sweet Delights?”

  “Yeah…” My forehead wrinkles waiting for him to explain.

  “I love that place! You are an amazing chef.”

  “Thanks!” Pride fills me at the compliment. We continue to talk, but half way through our date I am convinced that Bryan is a bit more feminine in his manner than I like. I guess that is his down fall. Either that or he is trying to hide his true self behind dating girls that he knows will not move forward in a relationship with him.

  We say our goodbyes, but I turn down a second date knowing it wouldn’t be fair to him or me to play along with the charade. I wish him well and head home too tired to put thought into another date or deal with Jake’s jokes.

  My highlight these past few days has been going through other profiles and seeing that the person they want must be religious and actively practicing certain religions. Why don’t they just join those religious dating sites if they’re so adamant on that requirement? It messes with me. Some of those are actually decent guys, but I won’t be considered if I don’t practice their religion. I’m frustrated with the lack of actual matches. Part of my mood may also have to do with Parker and that spark I felt when he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his side on Monday at the bakery and that I haven’t felt it with anyone else I’ve met these last few weeks.

  Being half way into October, the buzz around town is Halloween. The college students are stoked about off campus parties and the small children are making bets about how much candy they’d collect this year, the loser handing over a handful of candy to the winner. Smiles and warmth fills our small city despite the colder temperatures. Fall is in full swing, and I enjoy the walks around the city, taking in my favorite season.

  Mark had mentioned meeting this weekend, but he got a last minute call into the hospital and had to cancel. I decided I wasn’t going to stay home Saturday night when I was off tomorrow and went to Southern to meet up with Jake and relax with a few drinks.

  I was well into my third beer when I heard a voice that was beginning to become quite familiar.

  “Hey, Jake, can I have a beer please?” He takes a seat on the stool next to me and looks in my direction. I look at him from my peripheral vision as I take a sip of my beer, waiting for him to speak or mock me, apparently they’re one in the same.

  “Hey, Savannah,” he nods towards me and gratefully grabs the bottle Jake hands him. Jake looks at me and winks, his thoughts obvious despite his silence.

  “Hey,” I say, drinking some more to ease my hoarse voice.

  “Everything okay, buddy?” Jake takes a look at Parker and I take a moment to observe him. He looks like shit.

  “Yeah, work was a bitch today.” He takes a swig of his beer and looks at me. “How’s the bakery? Any more creeps?”

  “The bakery’s great. No more weird assholes approaching.”

  He laughs and clinks his bottle to mine, saying, “Cheers to that.”

  We silently sit there, savoring the hops and wheat flavored beverage, and I can’t help but sneak peeks over at him. I have a close view of his short beard and straight nose, and his wavy blonde hair hanging down his neck teases me to brush it with my fingers. He looks at me, smiling beautifully, and says, “No boots today?” He almost looks disappointed that he can’t jab at my footwear choice.

  “No, I thought I’d switch it up,”

  “It’s odd…Almost like you’re not being true to yourself.” Ah, there’s the guy I’ve gotten to know. What’s up with this guy? It’s almost like he can’t help but offend me. First, he laughs at the fact I’m trying out online dating. Then, he makes fun of my boots, yet says I’m not being myself when I don’t wear them.

  “Um… okay,” I say. Then I mumble under my breath, “Like if you really knew me.”

  “No hot date tonight?” Jake asks. I’m sure he’s wondering if Mark ever responded.

  “Not tonight,” I give him my best smile. “Mark got called into the hospital so we couldn’t meet.” I hear Parker scoff. Not sure what the hell his problem is.

  He turns to me and says, “A doctor? Guess that’s why you opted out of the boots.”

  Oh, he’s so wrong! That’s not true; although Mark is a doctor and from the pictures I saw, he does have a more upscale and preppy look. I thought I’d try out a different kind of outfit. Maybe I’m not being true to myself. I just finally came across a “normal” guy. This whole experience has been exhausting and self-deprecating. It only made me realize that the types of guys I meet out at bars are the types of guys on this online dating site. If I was going to deal with assholes and blunt dicks, I might as well do it while I was out and drinking. At least I can use my alcohol-induced words to make it entertaining.

  Speaking of alcohol-induced words, my beers are starting to add up, making me braver to speak up, and also more dangerous.

  “Do you have a problem?”

  “Nope,” he smiles widely and finishes off his second beer, looking more relaxed now.

  Ignoring him, I look at Jake. “Can I order a burger and fries? Please?” I smile at him sweetly, but he sees through my sweet façade and sees my annoyance.

  “You got it, babe,” he punches in the order.

  “Add another one for me,” Parker pipes up. I look at him quickly and finish my beer.

  “Another beer, too.” I motion my empty bottle at Jake. He laughs to himself and prepares our orders.

  After a delicious burger and more beer, I begin to feel my body humming to a tune that I know, yet try to control–the numbness of alcohol spreading through me and denial that I may be getting tipsy. A few acquaintances and friends say hello throughout the night, and I make small talk before they walk away to continue their night out.

  The music blasting from the speakers draws me, and I move my body to the beat as I sit by the bar facing the dance floor. Although Southern is a more laid back bar, it has a small area designated for the patrons that want to dance without feeling like they’re disrupting the flow of the service.

  “Let’s go dance.” Parker is eyeing me mischievously, obviously enjoying as I move to the music. The stress he came in with has now totally eased out of his body. He is back to his relaxed, confident self.

  “It’s okay. I’m fine here, not much of a dancer,” I lie because the thought of dancing with him throws me off.

  “Really? You haven’t stopped moving. Come on,” he reaches his hand out to me. Taking a moment to watch him as he stands before me with his hand out, I can appreciate how good-looking he is. I take his hand and let him lead me towards the small crowd dancing in the center of the venue.

  “Sweet Home Alabama” begins to come through the speakers, and as soon as everyone hears the familiar introduction, they get in position, ready to dance the steps taught to us from a young age. In perfect unison, we all begin the line dance, looking like something out of Footloose. As I’m turning with the beat, I notice Parker beside me, following along without missing a step. I look down at his feet, and smile, shaking my head.

  Two more songs come on, each with its own line dance to accompany the music, and we all dance. The next song that comes on is a slower o
ne, so I head back to the bar in need of a cold beer to cool down. Line dancing always gets me excited but it can be tiring. Before I make it out of the crowd, an arm jerks me back and turns me. I’m facing Parker, his smile causing my heart rate to speed out of control. “One more,” he says, beginning the two-step to Billy Currington’s lyrics. Leading me around the dance floor, Parker is confident, his grip on me firm as we move through the other people dancing.

  “You know, for someone who mocks my boots, yours look quite worn and broken in.”

  He chuckles, his grip tightening around my waist. “I may not be from Tuscaloosa, but I am a southern boy, Savannah.” His drawl heavier, making his point. “I’m sure you wish you had your boots on while you were dancin’.”

  “I can manage without them.”

  “I can tell.” He gives me another heart stopping smile, and I look into his blue eyes, sparkling in the dim light of the bar. Damn, he’s good-lookin’.

  As the song comes to an end, I tell Parker I’m heading back to the bar for another round and he follows in suit. Jake smiles at us and gives us each another beer without having to ask him. I see him look at me and know exactly what he’s thinking. I shake my head in warning.

  Taking my beer, I slowly sip it, knowing I’ll need to go home soon and need to take it slow. I hear Jake ask Parker, “How’s the team coming along?”

  “Good. They’re really working hard and improving.”

  “What do you do?” I interrupt their conversation.

  “I’m the new assistant baseball coach at The University of Alabama.”

  “That’s cool.” I am a sports fan overall and my dad loved baseball, so I’m familiar with the game. “How long have you been here?” That’s probably the reason he is so fit. He’s got that baseball player look I had noticed when I first saw him at the bakery, so now it all makes sense.

  “Just moved here a couple months ago.”

  “Cool. Where are you from?”

  “I’m from Athens, but I lived in Atlanta before coming here.” I nod my head and drink my beer. Jake and Parker go back to talking about baseball and sports, while I tune them out and finish my beer.

  I stifle a yawn and glance at my watch. It’s past midnight and I’ve been up since early this morning for work. I pay off my tab and say bye. As I’m getting into my car, I hear a voice call after me. Turning back, I see Parker jogging over to me and can’t help but admire his body moving effortlessly under his clothes as he makes his way to me.

  “Hey,” he says as reaches me.

  “Um, hey,” I look at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something else besides hey after I just said bye inside.

  “Just wanted to ask you before you left if you’d like to go out some time.”

  “Um…sure,” I hear myself say. I don’t even know why I sound unsure. He’s hot and can dance really well. Despite his mocking nature, I’m pretty sure he’s a nice guy. I also agreed that if I met someone outside of online dating, I’d go for it. It’s not like I agreed to just that. The point of this agreement was to open myself to finding a good guy. If I’m willing to give strangers I chat with a few times a chance, I sure as hell can give Parker one. What do I have to lose?

  “No need to sound so enthusiastic,” he laughs.

  “Sorry. It just threw me off. I’d love to.” I try to make up for my shock. Maybe Jake did have a reason to say the things he said.

  “Awesome. We’ll talk this week and plan.” He gives me a kiss on the cheek and turns back towards the entrance of Southern. I get in my car and drive home, excited for this possibility but also really nervous. Online dating was kind of like a joke to me, so I didn’t stress over those dates. This is different.

  With a smile on my face, I head home looking forward to hearing from Parker.

  My nonstop thought the rest of the weekend was how Parker was going to reach me about our date if he didn’t have my number. My answers were received on Monday morning when he came by the bakery, ordering his coffee dark and unsweetened and a fresh made scone. I was out in the bakery helping some customers when I saw him approach.

  “Hey,” his voice soothed me and I couldn’t contain my smile upon seeing him.

  “Hey,” I responded, waiting for him to bring up our date.

  “Are you free Friday?” His hand brushed a lock of hair from my face as he asked.

  “I may be,” I teased.

  “Well, what would I have to do to make you say yes?” His teasing was suggestive and I squirmed at the thought of all he could do to convince me. I smiled, my eyes happily agreeing with my words, and told him I was free.

  Beth looked at me inquisitively when she saw Parker and I talking so intimately, and I’ll confess I was also somewhat shocked at our closeness. He didn’t tell me where we were going, but said he’d pick me up Friday evening.

  It’s been two days since then and the energy spiking within me has me restless. I’ve mentally picked out possible outfits, torn on wearing boots or not, and nervous about going on a real date outside of the comfort of Southern. After Parker put his protective arm around me at the bakery when that guy came up to me, I felt a spark, something that ran a delicious chill down my spine. When we danced the two-step on Saturday after the fast paced line dancing, I felt that familiar spark surge. A desire kneading within me as I let him lead me on the dance floor. Looking up at his eyes, his perfect smile framing his rugged face, I knew I was in trouble.

  “Hey, are the sandwiches almost done?” Beth brings me back to the present.

  “Um…yeah. Sorry, here you go.” I hand her the ones I’ve finished and start on the rest for today’s lunch rush. They’re supposed to be pre-made, but at the rate I’m working today I might as well take custom orders.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, just distracted,” I say, brushing it off.

  “Mmhmm…nothing to do with a certain hottie taking you out this week?” Beth arches an eyebrow and giggles.

  “Yes! I’m so nervous, Beth. I’ve gone out with a few guys I’ve met online but I kinda knew nothing major would come from those first dates. I could only hope they were normal and wouldn’t attack me or something.” Beth laughs at my ridiculousness. Ignoring her, I continue, “Parker is someone I’ve had conversations with. Albeit, I thought of him as an asshole when I met him, but I know this date isn’t something I expect to go wrong, or am willing for it to. I actually kinda want this to work out.”

  “It will! He asked you out, that’s a big step in itself.”

  “Thanks. You make it seem like I’m a shitty catch, or impossible to approach.”

  “Well…” she jokes and I stick my tongue out at her. “Seriously, it’ll be great. He hasn’t stopped coming here in the mornings. That has to prove something to you. He can grab coffee anywhere.”

  “But he can’t grab one of my scones anywhere,” I point out.

  “Huh… grab your ‘scones.’ Is that a new term for something else?” Beth teases and leaves me alone again in the kitchen before I throw something at her, probably the cheese I have in my hand as I finish up the sandwiches.

  When I get home I realize I have a message from Mark. I’ve been a bit preoccupied thinking about my date with Parker that I didn’t even take the time to look at my messages. That also reminds me I haven’t spoken to Emily in a few days. I should call her later today when I know she’s out of work.

  Making the mental note to call my best friend later, I open Mark’s message.

  Subject: Sorry

  From: Mark

  Hey Savannah,

  I’m so sorry about Saturday. I know I already apologized, but I feel terrible. Let me make it up to you this weekend. Are you free Friday?

  Hope to hear from you soon, Mark.

  Huh. Well, talk about coincidences. I’m definitely not free Friday, but should I consider another day or just let him know I’m not available at all. What if this thing with Parker is just a one-date thing? Mark seems like a nice guy but maybe I shou
ld wait to see how things go with Parker before agreeing to go out with Mark. By the way Parker winked at me today as he was leaving the bakery, it’s safe to say he’s into this date.

  The warm water runs, mixing with the soap, as foamy bubbles begin to rise and fill the tub. The smell of eucalyptus swims around the bathroom, instantly relaxing me and I dip a toe in to check the water temperature. It’s perfect. I dip in, letting the water cover my body. My stress immediately leaves and I sigh in contentment. The familiar country tunes are coming from my laptop. This is my happy place–lost in the water enveloping me and forgetting everything but the music and the playful bubbles that tickle my skin. Letting time melt away, I close my eyes and relax.

  “What about this?” Beth holds up a dress she found in my closet.

  “That could work.” Since he seems to have a fascination with my boots, I want to wear them and that dress works with my brown boots.

  “I’m so excited for you! By the way, have fun tonight and don’t stress about anything else. If you want me to open the bakery tomorrow I will. Actually, I’ll go in anyway in case you’re too busy to call me and let me know,” she winks.

  “Thanks, Beth. I don’t think it’ll get that far, but I appreciate your offer.”

  “Well, I’m not saying you need to put out on the first date, but since you don’t know where you’re going, you may get in late and want to sleep in. It’s okay to take a day off. I promise I won’t burn the kitchen down.”

  I laugh. “Thanks. I know you won’t. I’ll let you know.”

  “I’ll be there early anyway. I’m having a quiet evening regardless.”

  “Okay,” I say trying on the dress she grabbed from my closet. “What do you think?” The blue dress falls a few inches above my knees and the short sleeves cover my shoulders snugly. I put on a few layered necklaces and my gold stud earrings. Beth gives me an approving smile and thumbs up. My hair falls in loose waves and my makeup is light and simple.