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"You Deserve Love And You'll Get It" - Unknown

I sat in that blues club with my heart pounding rapidly. I hadn't been on a date in so long. I tugged at my ponytail, and at the dark blue dress hugging my skin. It had been so long since I had last been on a date, I was unsure of what I was supposed to do. I suddenly felt the desire of running away. I wanted to run back to the bridal shop and do some sort of after hours cleaning, anything to get me out of this situation. Clara sat eagerly shoveling her salad into her mouth. I hadn't even touched my Chips and salsa. I had no desire to eat anymore. I wanted to run away. How do you present yourself for a date?

"Erin you need to calm down." Clara suggested still fiddling with the salad on her plate. I watched as she so calmly scrolled through Facebook with one hand while eating with the other. My nerves were building up and I never was good dealing with that. I was counting down the minutes til I was officially on a date.

"How much longer til they get here?" I question looking around the bar. Crowds of people were beginning to form around the stage, dancing and swaying in the cool blue jazz music. My nerves were only growing with the seconds passing. A puff of hot air slipped through my lips, causing me to stir in my seat. My face felt hot. Actually the room felt hot. I needed some air. "Hey Clara, i'm going to go get some fresh air. I'll be right back." A forced smile covered my face. She glanced over the edge of her phone.

"Are you sure you are coming back?" Her eyes followed me. I pulled myself from my chair, straightening the edges of my dress. I nodded to her, hoping it would be enough to reassure her. Of course I should have known better.

"Yes, I promise I will be back, I just need a quick moment of fresh air. Just enjoy your silly facebook and your salad." I glanced down at the now basically empty plate. "Or what is left of it." Before she could respond I turned on my heel, heading towards the stairwell that would lead me up to the streets above. After grabbing my coat and heading to the busy roads, I was taken in by the sky. It was turning a deep shade of oranges and purples, and from what I could see between the giant skyscrapers, it was a stunning sunset. The air was brisk and it felt relaxing on my face. I could feel my nerves slowly drifting away. I took a few steps down the sidewalk leaning my back against the wall. The rough bricks digging into the skin on my bare back.

A young girl with a slightly smaller than normal frame hung to the edge of the sidewalk, her feet slowly drifting over each crack. She looked like she hurt all around. Her whole body aching from head to toe. The clothes she wore were tattered, hanging off of her in shreds. She seemed younger than a woman of prime age. Just a lost girl smoking her cigarette. She caused a good distraction; watching her frail body wander down the street. I felt more calm, slightly heartbroken but more calm. She reminded me that things could always be worse but like the New York citizen I was... I shrugged my shoulders and turned back towards the bar.

Once I was back in the safety of the building I found myself wandering like the lost girl in the street. I found my direction though when I saw the Brunette girl sitting between two strange guys. She was looking around the room her now empty plate pushed out of the way. I gave her a small wave once her eyes met mine. I took my seat next to her and looked across the table at the two boys sitting in front of me. I hadn't seen them walk in while i was outside. Were these the same guys we were supposed to be on a date with? My guard was back up.

"Erin you are just in time! This is Eric," Clara brushes her perfectly manicured hand along the plaid sleeve of the blonde man. He perks up at the sound of his name shooting us both a smile. "Should be easy for you to remember since you basically have the same name." She winked at me before introducing me to the other guy. "This is Drew, if i remember correctly I think he said he was a cars salesman." The waitress leaned towards the table to place a few extra menus on the table. The boys both took theirs and started to look over them.

"Well you did remember correctly." He applauded her for remembering his job.

"Nice to meet you both." I paused for a moment. I wasn't really sure what else I was supposed to say. Was I supposed to say my name? Was I supposed to tell them what I did for a living or how uncomfortable I was to be here? "So ... Eric, what do you do for a living then?" I guess I might as well start conversation?

"I'm a lawyer." He quickly said before looking back down at the menu that was placed in front of him. The shortness of his comment left me fumbling through emotions. Was that really all he had to say?

I cleared my throat as politely as I could, "what kind of lawyer?" His fist was clenched with the corner of the menu laying delicately between his thumb and the rest of his hand. He bounced the menu nervously before abruptly slamming it back down on the table. He looked around the bar like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.

"Defense" his voice was so calm but the rest of his body was so tense. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't getting anywhere with this guy. With a slight shrug I looked over to Clara. I couldn't do this conversation anymore.

"I used to want to be a defense lawyer, don't they make like a ton of money?" Clara announced to the table before she waved in the air for a waitress to come over. Quickly a waitress rushed over to our table, a vibrant smile begging for tips covered her darker face.

"What can I get you guys?" She said in a raspy smoker voice, leaning a little too closely to the boys. After the four of us ordered our meals the waitress quickly collected all the menus and then left. There was another long silent pause between the group. Everyone unaware of what to say.

Drew cleared his throat, scooting up in his seat a little bit. He placed both of his hands on the table. He was obviously a hard worker, his hands torn and creased from years of work. That was strange for someone who was just a car salesman.

"So what do you guys do for a living?" He asked twiddling his thumbs. This date was obviously not going well. My nerves were going crazy. They were going to burst right out of me if something didn't change.

"Oh that's an easy question, we actually both work at the same place." Clara wrapped her arms around me; pulling me closer to her. I could almost feel the smile on her face. "We both work at Little White Dress Bridal, well actually Erin here owns it. She does amazing actually, she has ran the shop all by herself since she was a senior in high school." I wasn't really sure either of the boys cared but it felt good that my best friend was talking up a storm about how impressed she was with me; but there is a such thing as too much info and Clara was definitely giving out way more than needed.

"Clara, it's really no big deal." I tried to hush her. Luckily for me I didn't really need to as our food came rushing over as soon as I had said anything.

"So you own your own bridal shop? Shouldn't you be married?" I almost spit my food out onto the table as soon as Eric had asked the question. I had no clue how I was supposed to answer that.

"Uh, no." I awkwardly blurted out with food still in my mouth. Color rushing to my face from embarrassment. This date had taken such a negative turn that I wasn't sure I ever wanted to go on another one again. I could feel my breathing getting heavier.

"Oh silly Eric, you're so funny. Of course she isn't married though, she is on a date isn't she?" Clara tried to cover her own embarrassment. Instead she was making things worse. There was no need to brag about the fact that I wasn't married.

"I mean I could be..." I wasn't sure how i was going to fix this situation. I needed to find an exit strategy. I started eating my food a little bit faster. The sooner i finished the sooner i could leave.

"What are you talking about?" Drew looked confused. I shrugged my shoulders shoving more pasta in my mouth. Clara awkwardly chuckled. I quickly pulled my phone out of my pocket before shooting a text over to Clara.

We need to get out of here!!!

There was an annoying ding. I watched her like a hawk as she dug through her purse trying to find her phone. Quickly scrolling for a few moments she look up and nodded at me violently. I was slightly relieved that she was feeling the same way I was about this date. Before she put her device away I sent her another text.

Hold on, give me a few minutes I'll get us out of here.

Before putting my own phone away I quickly texted my mother.

Hey, I need an emergency phone call to get Clara and I out of a bad day. HELP!!

I locked my phone and set it down on the table. I could tell Clara was trying to do anything she could to fix this situation.

"So what do you guys like to do for fun?" I glanced over at the clock hanging on the wall. Clara and I had been here for over two hours. This date had lasted over an hour and a half, but it felt like an eternity. I tried to toss a few of the last noodles around the plate, just waiting very impatiently for my mother to call. I hoped she wasn't asleep already. It wasn't that late, but I hoped.

As if there was some kind of angel watching over Clara and I; my phone started ringing. I tried not to panic, to make it look like this was staged. My heart raced as I looked over the screen to make sure it was my mother. Picking up my phone I held it up to my ear.

"Excuse me I need to take this." Heading towards the bathroom I left Clara there to fend for herself for a moment. I stayed close enough I could keep my eyes on the group though. "Hello." I quietly said into the phone.

"Oh my god Erin what have you two gotten yourself into?" My mother chuckled on the other end of the line. Of course she wasn't scared that we were getting murdered or anything. I sighed before responding, thinking of my words carefully.

"Well Clara made me go on this Tinder date, some dumb double date idea of hers, I'm not really sure; but now we are sitting here and these guys are horrible conversationalist." I paused for a moment finally coming up with a plan. "Thanks for the call mom, I needed something to get us out of here. I'll tell you all about it later, Seeyah." I quickly hung up the phone rushing back to the table. I needed to seem distressed.

"Clara we have to go now!" Clara played along looking at me like she was confused.

"What why?" She whined. "We are on a date, whatever it is, it can wait right?" I could tell what she was doing. I quickly grabbed my bag from the seat and pulled my wallet out, leaving plenty of cash on the table to cover both Clara and I's meals.

"My brother was in a car accident, we need to get to the hospital now." I half shouted among the crowd of people. They were starting to stare at us. It was helping with our get out plan. "Here guys, I'm super sorry that we have to leave early, but this should cover all of our food. Good luck with your jobs and hopefully you enjoy the rest of your night." I quickly grabbed Clara's arm as we rushed towards the exit. Grabbing our jackets on the way out, we burst through the doors laughing up a storm.

"Nice story, you don't even have a brother." Clara chuckled wrapping her arm around me again. We walked down the street a couple of blocks heading towards my building.

"I know, ugh that date was literally going nowhere." I teased with her as we both took on the edge of the curb. I raised my hand in the air preparing to hail a cab.

It wasn't more than twenty minutes until I was home. I quickly undressed before hopping into the warmth of the shower. The water rushing out of the shower head and kissing trails down my body helped me ease my nerves. I really needed the time to think. The date had really wore on me. I wished I could go back to the days where people wouldn't worry about how many dates I had been on in the last year. I didn't think dates were really that important, I had figured I'd meet somebody when I met someone.

I thought about back in high school. There were many days that Carter and I had laid in my bed while we were hanging out after school. I remember he'd throw a hacky sack against the wall, my mother yelling at him every once in awhile to stop. He never did though. I could remember the many conversations we've had about dating and how stupid it was. I liked that Carter never pressured me to date anyone.

I wasn't sure where he was now. Last I had heard he was hanging out quite a bit with some girl romantically that he went to school with. We stopped talking a while ago though. I wondered where he was and what he was doing. I wished we could go back to the days where dating wasn't the most important thing and I could just focus on my friends and career. I jumped out of the shower and wrapped myself up in a towel. Quickly rushing some bedtime cream across my face. It wasn't long before I was dressed up in my oversized tee shirt and some little shorts.

I laid down, tucking myself into the sheets. I scrolled through my phone trying to calm myself down enough that I could finally fall asleep. With thoughts of Carter, and the dates tonight; I was finally able to drift off.