I dropped the phone back into my purse, releasing the breath that threatened to suffocate me.

'When he gets serious with his cougar and breaks your heart' was the words playing havoc on my poor brain.

Was this how it felt when one's heart was being broken? When had I obtained the side chick position?

If I was being honest, all week I had been looking forward to this date. It was the only thing that consumed my thoughts when I had any idle space for thinking. Now, here I was, on this same very date, without a partner because he was tending to his girlfriend. I wonder if this was how a mistress felt whenever the husband had to cater to his wife?

Ugh! Oh, I knew he said it was an emergency. And, with her age, God knows, an emergency was an emergency. However, I could not seem to shrug the feeling of sadness which blossomed across my heart.

Attacking my lip with a bite, I fought back a sob that threatened to escape. My eyes drifted closed and I tried the technique my father had taught me years ago. I began a count to ten to ease the tension on my tear ducts.

One Mississippi

Two Mississippi

Three Mississippi

Four Mississippi

Five Mississippi

"Hi," a charming voice interrupted my count down.

My eyes reopened. A tall guy stood staring at me. His light green eyes twinkled with the smile he wore. "Hi." I forced out with a smile.

"I know this sounds like a lame pick up line, but is this seat taken?" He pointed towards the empty seat opposite of me.
Derek's seat. The one he was supposed to be in right now.

Sadness drenched my thoughts.

I must have taken a while to respond because the stranger continued, "I mean, I've been dying to come to this restaurant. Unfortunately, I'd have to make a reservation which I was unaware of.  So, I snuck in looking for a good Samaritan before they catch me and kick me out."

He stood patiently awaiting my response. His smile never faltered.

I guess it wouldn't hurt. It was not like I needed the seat anymore. My pinnas registered a voice that sounded like my own, "My date's not coming, so sure."

Letting out a breath of relief, he got in the chair with a," Thanks, the name's Adrian Chaste.”

"Catherina Rosewood," I offered.

He grabbed the menu and scanned through it. "So, got any suggestions?"

A smile tugged on my lips at his casualness.

"I'll recommend the shrimp caviar with stir-fried vegetables," I played along.

"Ahhh!" His eyelids drift closed as if imagining the taste of the meal. "Okay, I like it! Let's order."

Slapping his menu shut with a clip, he signaled the waitress as a greedy child. Not long after the waitress came running along, wearing a sweet smile. "How may I be of assistance, sir?"

"The lovely lady and I would like to place our orders."

She nodded and took out a notepad, ready to jot down the given order.

"I'll get the shrimp caviar and stir-fried vegetables and the lovely Catherina would like—" he raised an eyebrow while the waiter's eyes searched mine for a response.

A shy smile curled my lips. "I'll have the same."

I didn’t bother to look at the menu. Derek was always the one who ordered for me. He often had these ideas we needed to explore flavors, give our taste buds a little adventure.

I laughed to myself.

Every time we went out, he would select a random meal. I don't know if it was his luck or what, but every meal we've tested thus far has been incredible.

"What's so funny?"

I smiled at the intruder of my thoughts. He stared at me with interest. The waiter was no longer present.

I shook my head. "Just a blast from the past."

"Ah, I see." Taking up the wine from the cooler, he poured some in his glass. "Wine?"

"Sure." Tilting my glass, I allowed him to pour the dark red substance to its waist.
He returned the bottle to its rightful place and sipped from his glass. I did the same.

My eyes closed and I hummed when the sweet flavor seduced my taste buds. My fingers caressed the rim of my glass and it sang to the melody. My eyes reopened in time to catch Adrian watching my every movement.

"Sorry, it's just a force of habit. Der-," I shook my head, refraining from completing the sentence.

Adrian opened his mouth to say something but clamped it back shut when the waitress returned with our meals. I got to say this 'save by the bell' term suited this situation perfectly.

The aroma tickled my nostrils when the food was placed before us. A mutter of thanks was uttered before the conversation between our mouths and the food commenced. A moan was even thrown in the mix. I don't think it came from me, though.

"Have you ever finished a meal in five minutes?" Adrian asked. Mischief glowed in his eyes.

I laughed at his silliness. "No, but there's always a first time for everything."

He beamed at my response.
“Really? You know what? Let’s play a game.”

I couldn’t help the new spark of excitement coursing through my veins. “What’s the game?”

"Okay, whoever finishes eating last has to take out the winner on a date. Deal?” He held out his hand.

I've never been a fast eater. Nevertheless, the competitor in me would not let me pass up the challenge. "Deal! Prepare to lose, Chaste." I dragged out his last name while we shook hands.

"Oh, it's on, Rosewood," he mimicked, in the same playful tone. “I have a timer I can set.” Grabbing his phone, he tapped on the screen, then placed it in the middle of the table. "Okay, on three." His fingers waved over the phone, ready to start the timer. "One...Two...Three!" The timer was set.

I dove into my food, shoveling the food into my mouth as fast as possible. Only two or three chews were allowed before swallowing. My eyes traveled to my opponent who was winning with ease.

Damnit!

He glimpsed my frustration and wiggled his eyebrows. Groaning, I thought of an idea. I picked up my plate. He narrowed his eyes at me. Our stares challenged each other. Some of the contents on my plate were scrapped on his plate.

However, instead of getting angry and distracted, Adrian shook his head as a dad would at his child: disappointed.
He swallowed and made a tsking sound with his tongue. "Ah, Rosewood, you don't play fair, but not to worry." He filled his mouth and groaned aloud.

Suppressing a laugh, I continued my feast.

I swallowed the last bit with two chews. By then he had about a mouth full of food still sitting on his plate. Triumph washed over me. I jumped out of my seat. "Ha! In your face!"

He swallowed then wiped his mouth. "You did cheat, but, I'm still going to be the bigger man and say, you did win."

My heart fluttered and my smile brightened. It was then I realized I had drawn a little attention to myself. Murmurs of sorry poured from my lips as I took my seat.

"So, I'm planning our next date."

"Yep!" I exclaimed, popping the P.

A soft sigh circled us. "We kind of have a little problem."

I arched a brow.

He scratched the back of his head. "I don't know any place."

A snicker flew out. "For a second there I thought you were going to say you were married."

Light green eyes widened. "No, well, not yet."

Great answer.

"Don't worry, I'll choose the place. I have to think about it but I'm free on Friday."

"Friday's good." He nodded engrossed in thought.

"Well, this was nice, but I should get going." I clasped my purse.

"Yeah, don't worry, it's my treat. You can pay on our next date, Friday," he said while taking out his wallet. "Do you want me to walk you out? Take you home?" He raised an eyebrow. The twinkling in his eyes returned.

The corners of my lips tilted at the quality feature I had gotten used to in such a short time frame. Then, Sarah's words came rushing back. 'I think you should get a potential boyfriend. That way when Derek pulls the rug it won't hurt that much.'

"So, what shall it be?" Adrian questioned.

Adrian seemed like a nice guy. I guess it would not hurt to let him bring me home. I mean, we were going out on a date Friday. So, it couldn't be that bad, right?

Lightly clapping my hands, I proclaimed, "Gosh, I thought you'd never ask.”

He smacked himself on the forehead. "I can be so dense sometimes."

Chuckling, he paid the bill. After which we walked quietly to his Ford Maverick Pick up. However, the silence didn't last. While on the way home, we talked about everything and anything. It was surprising how Adrian was fun and easy to talk to. I mean, not as easy as Derek but almost similar.

Derek was a listener. He allowed the person to talk without interruption, giving cues on the way that he was hearing what was being said. If it was a situation where the person was sad, he would say all the right things the griever should or want to hear. If the person was upset, he would go out of his way to make sure they laughed, to make them forget they were even upset in the first place.

Ahh! And, I was thinking of Derek again. Could I be any more of a loser?

"Oh! This is my jam!" Adrian beamed, turning up the radio while trying to keep his eyes on the road. His tone deepened. "Prepare to be amazed."

Before I could even laugh, he started singing in a God awful voice. "Cause I had high high hopes for a living. Shooting for the stars when I couldn't make the killing. Didn't have the time but I always had a vision. Always had high high hopes."

He motioned for me to join in which I did.
"Cause I had high high hopes for a living. Didn't know how but I always had a feeling. Always gonna be that one in a million. Always had high high hopes."

By the end of the song, I was laughing so hard my tummy hurt. Tears were even spilling from my eyes. He had the most breathtaking facial expressions while singing. I literally stopped breathing.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! This is my stop!" I flashed my finger all over the place.

"Alright! Alright! Alright!" He laughed, parking at the curb. "Is this where you live?" he asked curiously while peeking out the window.

Not wanting to lie, I answered, "No, but I don't want you dropping me off and my roommate sees."

Adrian's brows knitted and a straight nose scrunched. "Aggh! I know all about that. Thank God that's over for me."

"Yeah! See you Friday," I snickered before departing the vehicle.

With a smile plastered on my face, I watched him drive away. Well, at least I had a great time. I strolled and hummed the rest of the journey home.

I prayed this didn’t come back to haunt me in the future.