Complications with Blind Dates

Thirteen.

That's the exact number of blind dates Jack has been on so far and it's only been a little under a month since he's returned home! How his mother managed to pull something as miraculous as this off (in such a short span of time as well) amazes even him. She must be extremely determined on hearing the sound of wedding bells within the next year. There's no doubt that Jack is quickly approaching his limit though. Like a balloon, he can only handle a certain amount of pressure before he bursts or more befittingly, in his case, explodes.

He's been growing weary of having to meet all of these different women under his mother's orders and he isn't sure how much longer he'll be able to put up with this madness. The girls Mrs McKiernan has set him up with aren't all that bad. Some of them have pleasant personalities, too. However, Jack isn't interested in being involved in a relationship. He's tried to explain the situation to his mother numerous of times, but he can barely get a full sentence out before he gets interrupted.

It seems like there's no getting through to her, and right now, Jack is seriously contemplating on moving out and living with his brother. It looks like that'll be the only way she won't take him lightly. He's a man now! He should be the only one calling shots on his own life. Unfortunately for him, Jack cares about her feelings too much to do such a drastic and rebellious thing. He doesn't want to hurt the woman who has loved him unconditionally. He doesn't have the heart to.

He has another date to go on this afternoon, of course. It'll be the fourteenth one. According to Mrs McKiernan, it is also a very important and crucial one, which means Jack can't afford to screw it up. It seems like this girl, whose name is Sage (yes, like the herb), is his mother's absolute favorite. Apparently, she is a Vermont native and her parents are good friends with his parents. Since her father is part of the Marine Corps, their family had to move around a lot when she was younger, which is probably why Jack can't remember them that well.

Lieutenant General Joseph Chan is the title he holds today, and Jack would be lying if he says he isn't impressed. To earn such an honorable position in the military requires dedication, sacrifice and buckets of sweat and blood. The Chan family permanently resides in California now, all the way on the other side of the country.

Up until her high school graduation, which took place roughly a year ago, Sage had lived there as well. After she had been accepted to UVM, with almost a full-ride, she decided to move back to her homestate and stay with her uncle. At least that's what Mrs McKiernan said.

The restaurant is dimly lit, tiny candles flickering at the center of every table. The shades are all pulled down, not allowing the smallest speck of sunlight to infiltrate. A majority of the décor consists of various shades stemming from red and gold, from the napkins (which are folded into hearts) to the elegant and seamless classical wallpaper plastered throughout the entire establishment.

It makes perfect sense since Sappho's is renowned for providing one of the most romantic settings in the district. Anyone who has ever been in love in the South Burlington area has visited at least once, it's a must.

The only problem is that the young man, with dirty blonde hair and steel gray eyes sitting alone at a booth in the back corner, is not one of those people.

Jack exhales quietly and checks the time on his watch. His date is supposed to be arriving in less than ten minutes. How is he going to break the news to her? Suddenly, his cell phone chirps, causing the other patrons around to turn and glare apprehensively at him. It's obvious he's interrupted the serene and amorous atmosphere. Whoops.

Quickly, he silences the device and unlocks it. It's a text message from, no surprise, his mom. His eyes sweep over the contents but he does not reply, simply because he doesn't want to. He proceeds to tuck the phone away into one of the pockets stitched on the inside of his jacket and then tugs lightly at the collar of his shirt. God, does he hate wearing such formal clothing. It always makes him feel like he's being suffocated. He's had to sport a suit and tie for all of his dates and today is no different.

His mother would never allow him to leave unless she approves of his appearance though. She insists that he flaunt everything he's got in order to leave a better impression on the potential candidate. What she doesn't have knowledge of is that Jack's been going behind her back and secretly sabotaging his own dates! What else can he do? His bank of excuses as to why each of the girls his mother selected is running low, which is why he has to make them the one unwilling to give him another chance. He doesn't do anything extreme.

He'd just show up late, play on his phone or seem disinterested whenever the other party attempted to start a conversation. It might seem rude of him, but he can't think of any other way to get them off of his back without looking like a compete ass-hat. It's not like he can just be upfront with them and talk about how obsessed his mother is with having grandchildren either. He's positive they already know that. Why else would they agree to go on a blind date with him? He can't expect them to empathize and understand where he's coming from. This time, however, Jack is going to have to be extra cautious, especially since the chances of him crossing paths with Sage again are high due to the fact that their folks are acquainted.

"Are you Jack?" a sultry voice queries, reeling the young man back into the real world.

Glancing up, he is greeted with the sight of a pretty girl who has a tan complexion, a strong, sharp jawline and a set of rich chocolate colored eyes. Although it's dim, he can still make out most of her features. For the most part, her shoulder-length hair is a dark-brown color, but he can see strands dyed silver, purple and blue. Wrapped around her body is a casual, burgundy, skater dress that stops a little bit above her knees, layered by a black leather jacket on top.

Her seemingly laid-back outfit is completed with a pair of combat boots adorning her feet and, suddenly, Jack feels like he might have overdressed for the occasion. He blames his mother for this. "I am."—he pushes his chair back and stands tall, extending his hand out to her—"You must be Sage."

Her eyebrows defy gravity, rising up for a quick second and then falling back down, before she shakes his hand. "Yeah, sure. Let's go with that. Can I sit down?"

"Oh yes. Please do," he prods politely.

"To be honest with you, I didn't really want to come to this thing." She folds her arms against her chest and leans back into her chair. "I guess you could say I was forced to attend against my will." Her words cause a sliver of hope to light up within Jack. Oh my god. They have something in common! Already, Sage is different from all of the other women he has met. While his previous dates tried to flatter him by droning on about how excited they had been to spend time with him, she did the complete opposite!

Maybe she doesn't want to be here either. Although they can't be romantically involved with each other, Jack is almost sure they can at least be friends. "But you're pretty good looking. So, I guess it's not a complete loss." And down the drain goes that idea.

Jack clears his throat. "Um thank you, I think."

She nods as a reply and soon after, the waiter arrives. "Can I get you two something to drink?" he questions. 

"Two waters will be fine," says Jack. He steals a quick glimpse of his date and swallows the saliva pooling in his mouth when he realizes he's been caught. She is already staring at him, as though she can see right through his intentions. To be honest, he's beginning to feel a bit intimidated by her presence. Why does it look like she's prepared to jump over the table and pounce him? He had been too quick to judge. Sage is just like the rest of them. He has to make his move now or else he'll end up seeing her again. "While you're here, I also think we're ready to order. I'll have the ribeye steak, cooked medium rare and the lady here will have a garden salad."

"Like hell I will," she sniggers as she looks to the waiter. "I'll have a T-bone steak, medium well."

"Of course. I'll put your orders in now then." The man sends them a strained smile and proceeds to flee the vicinity. Talk about awkward.

"I don't like eating vegetables," she announces with her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jack answers, feigning innocence. "My other dates didn't seem to mind when I ordered the salad for them. I just thought you'd be the same." It's true. Not a single person complained or bothered to change the order, even though that's what Jack had wanted. Sage seems to be an exception and he isn't sure if it's a good thing or bad thing yet.

"Are you saying all women are the same?" she questions as her eyes narrow in on him.

Immediately, he shakes his head. That's not what he meant. Maybe he should stop playing these childish games and handle this matter like an adult. Being honest is always the right thing to do, isn't it? Who knows. She might even understand where he's coming from. It's a long shot but he'll take it. "I'm sorry to say this, Sage, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now. I only came out because my mom told me to. I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but you and I, we aren't going to work out."

Next, she does the unimaginable and laughs maniacally. The people around turn to glare at them yet again but she doesn't care. Once she has settled down, the girl places her elbows on the table and leans forward. "Did I say I wanted to marry you and have your babies? As if. I'm not an idiot. All I said was you were good looking. Guys and their over-inflated egos. Just because I toss a bone at you, doesn't mean anything. Besides, you look like you'd be the kind of guy who eats women for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You should walk around with an STI sign stamped across your forehead."

Deeply offended by her presumptuous thoughts, Jack frowns at her. Acting on impulse, he loses his cool. "Excuse me? That's rather rude of you. I was just being honest. And I'll have you know that I'm a virgin."

"You should have just stood me up," she snickers. "That would have been simpler, no? Did you think I'd swoon at your kind and gentle rejection? I'm not like those other naïve girls." Jack opens his mouth to make his rebuttal, but she doesn't give him the chance to. "Who are you trying to lie to? If you're a virgin, I'm President Obama," she scoffs.

That's the last straw. "What the hell is your problem?" Jack seethes, slamming his palms against the table.

All traces of amusement vanish from her face as she stares at him with a vexed expression, her brows furrowed, eyes squinted and lips pressed into a firm line. "You are," she states bluntly. "Guys like you are the ones who make women lose their faith in love." 

"Now you're the one saying all men are the same!" he shouts, forgetting where they are. He shouldn't have to deal with such heinous generalizations. "Just because you had your heart broken, doesn't mean it's my fault. Why don't you stop being so bitter about it and move on with your life?"

The girl's body begins to quake with rage as she clenches her hands into fists. "Listen here, douchebag, this date is over." She scoots her chair back, the legs scraping against the floor and creating a bone-chilling screech. "And if anyone asks, we had a wonderful fucking time but there was nothing between us. You got that?" And without another word, his date marches off.

For a moment, Jack is utterly stupefied. Did he hear her right? Does this mean she isn't going to tell her parents what a terrible fiasco this had been? Well, this went better than he expected. He cannot wait to tell his mother how, as Sage had said, "wonderful" this outing turned out to be.

With her nostrils flared and her blood bubbling, the brunette exits the restaurant and pulls out her phone. Furiously, she types out her message and slams her thumb into the send button. It's safe to assume she regrets showing up.

After cancelling their orders, Jack apologizes to the waiter and the rest of the guests for the commotion he caused and abandons the establishment. He doesn't know if he should thank the girl or hate her. The date replays over and over again in his mind, like a bad scene from those romantic chick flicks his ex-girlfriend used to watch. Had he been too harsh on Sage? Jack recalls all the judgmental and snide remarks she threw at him and the remorse dissipates. She was the one who started it. He did nothing but defend himself. There's nothing wrong with that. 

The familiar batting cage comes into his line of sight, and a sense of serenity washes over him. Some swinging practices will help clear away the ominous clouds that seem to be following him everywhere. As Jack enters the building, he tugs on his navy blue tie, loosening it so that he can breathe properly. He doesn't even want to think about it anymore. He will only get angry.

Thankfully, his mood is quickly lifted once he spots his best friend at the counter. A wide grin slithers onto his face as he shrugs his coat off and creeps up behind her. On the count of three, Jack cloaks Charlie with the article of clothing, ultimately obstructing her vision. She immediately yanks the coat off, spins around and bares her teeth at the boy. "What'd you do that for?"

Most people might be afraid of getting such a fierce glare from the girl, but Jack knows very well she wouldn't harm him. "Don't know." He shrugs, taking his jacket back. "Needed some cheering up, I guess. What's with you? You didn't even see me coming in," he comments as he unfastens the cufflinks and rolls his sleeves up to his elbows.

"I was busy," she answers.

He arches an eyebrow. "With what?" When he first saw her, she looked like she was lost in deep thought.

"Nothing." Charlie pretends to yawn. "I'm just tired. I stayed up late."

Something seems off. Jack's known Charlie since they were in diapers. There's no way she can fool him. "Yeah, because that doesn't sound strange at all," he drawls sarcastically.

The girl takes in his appearance and her expression transforms into one filled with confusion. "Why are you all dressed up?" Just when the thought of Sage was starting to fade away, Charlie just had to bring it back up.

He lets out a disgruntled moan. "I don't even want to talk about it. I had a date from hell. I'm a hundred and twenty percent sure that the girl was the devil incarnate." Jack takes deep and long breaths in order to tame the hot fury stirring inside of him. So he might be exaggerating, but can you blame him?

"Your mom put you up to it?" Charlie laughs.

Jack scowls. "Who else would it be?"

"Why don't you just find a girl you like and take her home? I'm sure she'll stop introducing you to other people," she suggests brilliantly.

"That's the thing, Charlie. I don't have a girl I like. I'm not interested in dating right now. I just want to have fun before I get deployed again. Relationships aren't for me." He pauses to catch his breath before he continues thoughtfully, "At least, not at the moment. I'm not looking to start a family or commit to anyone. It's too much work. I've already got a lot on my plate," her cousin explains.

"Tell her that," the girl replies.

He scoffs and shakes his head. "You think she'll listen to me? As if. Also, I am extremely disappointed with you," he announces, folding his arms against his chest.

Charlie blinks. "What? Why? What did I do?" she sputters.

"You"—he points a finger at her—"didn't tell me you were dating that goody-two-shoes! I can't believe you were holding out on me the entire time!" he exclaims exasperatedly. Jack had to find out about Charlie's relationship status through Ian! He still can't believe that she hasn't mentioned something as crucial as this to him!

"You never asked," she defends indifferently.

"I didn't think I needed to." Jack huffs.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for not telling you I was dating Knight," Charlie sighs. "Are you happy now?"

"Nope." He wags his finger and grins at her. "I want to hear how it happened," he proclaims. Jack has been acquainted with Hayden for the same amount of time Charlie's known him. He has observed the two of them together on numerous occasions as well. They're literally the definition of polar opposites! Anyone with a pair of functioning eyes can see that Charlie and Hayden are as different as night and day! So of course he wants to hear how they winded up falling head over heels for each other. It must be an interesting story.

As he is waiting for Charlie to say something, his phone starts ringing and Jack takes the device out. A palm runs over his face upon seeing who the caller is. It's his mother. It hasn't even been an hour yet since he's left Sappho's. He should have seen this coming sooner. He shouldn't have trusted Sage! She must have ratted him out to get revenge on him! Why else would his mother be phoning him? How could he be so foolish? There's nothing scarier than a woman's scorn. He's going to get an earful now.

Not wanting to get embarrassed in front of a crowd, Jack decides to go into the office to get some privacy. Once he shuts the door behind him, he inhales a cavernous breath before answering the call. "Mom, before you say anything, I want you to hear me out. I tried to be a gentleman towards Sage, but she was just so rough and crass. And her hair! Doesn't she know bleach can do some serious damage? I don't know what to tell you, but me and her, we have no chemistry whatsoever. I know you really like her and you want sparks to go flying, but the time we spent together was like being in the middle of a warzone," he spits out, making Mrs McKiernan's head spin.

"Hold on a second," she cuts in, baffled. "What are you talking about, Jackson McKiernan? I got a call from Gina, Sage's mother, and she told me her daughter had a marvelous time with you. But unfortunately, she didn't feel a connection. What's this about her being rough and crass and dying her hair?" Jack is at a loss for words. Crap. He's the one who messed things up! So Sage hadn't told on him! What's he going to do now?

"I have a recent photo of her and she doesn't look like the type of girl who'd be able to hurt a fly!" Mrs McKiernan exclaims over the line. "Her hair is a plain brown, too. I'm positive it's her natural color. I remember Gina telling me how Sage is extremely against using products that contain a lot of chemicals. So just what are you rambling on about?"

Jack's thoughts are running amuck. What is he rambling on about? "Mom, can you send me that photo?"

"Not until you explain to me what's going on," she demands. 

"Mom, please." His voice is laced with anxiousness. "This is really important. I'll tell you once I sort everything all out."

There's a pause. "Fine, but I expect an explanation when you get home," she concedes before hanging up. 

A minute later, his phone reverberates and he opens the text. His jaw slacks open while his eyes bulge out of their sockets. What is this? Staring at him is a girl with hazel irises, a head full of chestnut-brown colored hair, which cascades well past her shoulders in soft waves, a set of pouty pink lips and pale, beige skin. In other words, this Sage is not the same Sage he had just met. They bear a slight resemblance but anyone can tell that they're two very different people.

"Wait," Jack whispers in disbelief upon fitting the jigsaw pieces together. "I was the one who got stood up?" He definitely did not see that one coming.

- - -

Author's Thoughts: I hope this helps you de-stress aidiixn :) How many of you saw that coming? I'm telling you, this story won't be a cliche (give or take). What do you think is going on? I hope you enjoyed! Comment and vote if you'd like!