Chapter 3: The Date

“Hey Sai, are you sure you still want to do the double date tonight?” Kyla asked me while we were in my bed, “I can cancel the date, it’s not a problem you know.”

“I’m ok, Kyla. I can do it. Your cousin looks like a decent guy plus it’s your first time dating, I must support you as you said!”

“Well… yes, Brian’s really a good guy you know. Maybe you might end up liking him! He’s got a clean record with girls, he’s very loyal. Too loyal that girls are the ones breaking his heart by getting cheated on.”

“I did say he was decent, but Kyla, I don’t think I’m ready yet to go on another relationship. I’m not ready for that yet.”

“Because of Cedric? You still haven’t moved on? Please forget that guy, he’s not worth it! He left you without any kind of explanation!”

“No. It’s just that I am really not yet ready, I feel my heart is still too fragile to trust another person again. Look, I can do the double date with your cousin but please don’t get your hopes high that we’ll end up a thing or something. We can be good friends but that’s just it, ok?”

“Ok sister!” she waved her hands as a sign of resignation, “Just let me know whenever you want his number!”

I rolled my eyes at her and went to check my phone to watch a movie. I’m seriously not planning to get too involved with that Brian person or any other guy at the moment. I just want to take care of myself first and totally heal from all the pain Cedric left in my heart.

At around 5 PM, Kyla suggested we start dressing up and putting on our makeup. Kyla opted to put up her hair in a ponytail while she curled my hair. She wore a black fitted dress while I wore fit jeans and a white floral sleeveless top.

By 6 PM, Brian arrived to pick us up and drive us to the restaurant where we were meeting Kyla’s date. As soon as we arrived at the Italian restaurant, Kyla waved to a tall buffed looking guy with brown hair on the 2nd to the last table. We approached the guy and introduced each other. The restaurant had a very authentic Italian ambiance with even a brick stove for their pizzas which we ordered. Classical music was played in the background and the light was dim giving it a very romantic vibe.

We chatted over dinner where we learned how Kyla and Mark, her date, met through an online dating app. We talked about various things and got to know each other more. I learned Brian was part of the swimming varsity in our university. He was our senior so he was a year older than me.

It was a nice and relaxing dinner. Kyla’s date seemed pretty decent and she seemed to be totally in love with the guy already. Ah, that crazy feeling of first love.

After dinner, Mark invited us to go to a nearby karaoke where we sang and drank at the same time. After some time, I excused myself as I needed to pee.

After I got out of the toilet and was walking my way back to the karaoke room, I noticed Brian going out of the building so I called him, “Where are you going?”

He looked back at me and smiled, “Ah, I was just going to get some fresh air. Want to come along? Let’s give the new love birds their alone time together.”

I agreed and tagged along. We just went to a nearby convenience store and bought some snacks and a soda drink. We sat on the chairs outside the convenience store.

“Are you enjoying the night?” He asked me as he opened the chips he bought. He also asked if I wanted some and I reached out to get some chips.

“It was a good night. I’m happy that Kyla is enjoying her date.”

“What about you? Are you enjoying your date?” He smiled playfully.

I lightly slapped his shoulder jokingly, “No! You’re a bad date!”

He acted hurt, “Ouch. So mean!”

We laughed and it felt good. The night breeze also helped light up the mood.

“I was just kidding. You were such a good date. I definitely enjoyed your company.”

“I’m happy to hear that. I forgot to tell you earlier, you look beautiful tonight.”

I felt like I blushed but I quickly turned serious, “Hey Brian…”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t get me wrong, I think you are really a nice person but I think we can only be friends. I’m not assuming you like me or anything, but I just want to be clear with you right away. I find you really nice, I enjoy your company, but I’m just not into dating right now. I just went along with this because Kyla needed help.”

He took a bite from his bag of chips and looked at the sky, “Sai, I’m glad I met you. I also enjoyed your company tonight. I would be lying if I say I don’t find you attractive, but if you’re not into dating, I’m not pushing you into anything. I know you’re still being careful with your heart. I totally understand that, I’ve been in that situation before. It’s hard to start again if you haven’t even closed a chapter in your life yet.”

I looked at him and I wondered why he was able to say all the right words I needed to hear.

“Sai, let’s be friends. I’d love to go with the flow and see how things go in the end. Just remember that if you need to talk to anyone, you can also count on me.”

“Thank you, Brian. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. Don’t stress yourself too much, Sai. Just enjoy the night, we’re here to have fun. Ok?”

I smiled at him and nodded. There was silence afterward.

I cleared my throat and asked him, “So Brian… What’s your favorite color?”

He burst out laughing and I almost wanted to hide from embarrassment, I didn’t know what to say, I just wanted to break the silence and it was the first thing that came into mind. I didn’t really know what to say!

“Sorry Sai, I had a good laugh!” He said while trying to wipe the tears on his eyes after laughing so hard, “Where did that question come from? That was so random!”

I felt heat go to my cheeks and blushed, “I don’t know! Sorry, I know that was random, I just didn’t know what to say.”

“Come on Sai, it’s fine. I’m comfortable with silence, I actually enjoy it. You don’t need to actually force yourself to think of anything to say.”

“Ok, sorry,” I still feel embarrassed.

“It’s ok, but if you want to talk about something and you’re not comfortable with the silence, we can chat. I’ll go first and answer your question, my favorite color is blue. What about you?”

“Hey, you really didn’t have to answer that question! I just blurted that out without thinking.”

He smiled, “It’s fine, let’s get to know each other through the little details first. So tell me, what’s your favorite color?”

“It’s purple…”

“I see. So I’ll go and ask a question now, what’s your favorite food?”

“I like cake. What about you?”

“Same! I’m a fan of desserts! I love strawberry cake the most!”

“Hey, I like that too!”

“Awesome! Have you tried the cake in the Sweet Home restaurant?”

“I’ve heard about it and I was meaning to try it but haven’t had the chance nor the time to actually go there!”

“Hey, what do you say we go there this weekend? It’s my treat! You really need to try their strawberry cake, it’s the best I’ve tried in my life!”

I hesitated, “You don’t have to treat me… It’s fine.”

“No, I’m the one who told you about the place and I’m the one who invited you to try it out so I’m treating you to a cake!”

“But…”

“Ok, if you feel shy about it, treat me to an iced coffee after!”

I agreed, “Fine, let’s do that then.”

“So, it’s a date then?”

He smiled so widely at me, I felt his excitement while the night breeze touched my skin and I suddenly felt goosebumps. The stars that night shined so brightly which made me feel excited and scared at the same time.

It’s going to be just a ‘friendly’ date, right? I just don’t want to go too far and find myself falling into a deep well again.