Page 37 of Reeling in Love

Finally, he replies, “Enjoy yourself.”

Really, these two words took him so many minutes! Whatever. Enjoy myself, I will. I’ll make sure of that.

I hail a cab and scroll through the reels on my way to the restaurant. I’m still scrolling when the driver announces, “This is you.”

I see Clark waiting outside. I pay the fare, adjust my hair, and, putting my phone away, I step out of the car.

“Hey, Nora. Good to see you,” he says, stepping over and giving me a quick hug. “You look beautiful.”

He leads me inside to a cute corner table. He seems to be a frequent visitor here since he knows what he wants without even glancing at the menu. Once I’ve decided what I want and placed our orders, the awkwardness begins. We stare at each other in silence, smiling stupidly. It’s weird because I have nothing to say and that’s quite unusual for me. I don’t want to botch this thing up, whatever ‘this thing’ is.

“So, Clark. What do you do? Besides being a dentist, I mean.”

“Um. Watch TV?”

I can’t contain my laugh. “Good one. And how did you become a dentist?”

He squints his eyes and regards me as if I’m a mental case. “By studying for it?”

Shit! I’m appearing like an asshole here. God! What type of questions am I coming up with?

“Are you active on social media?” I ask, hoping to connect with something.

“No. Not at all. I mean, that’s the biggest waste of time there is. I see people on the streets, in cafes, in my waiting room, all glued to their phones, scrolling on their screens, watching mindless videos of silly cats, and celebrities telling them what to wear and what to buy. It’s stupid and crazy beyond anything.” He squints his eyes a little. “I hope you’re not one of them.”

“Me?” I give a nervous laugh, wondering if I should tell him the truth that I, indeed, am one of them, maybe one of the biggest ones. “No. I mean, what’s with these people, right?”

Why am I lying?

I know why. So I can end this date the way I want. With a soul-shattering kiss. Whatever it takes. I want to assure myself that what I felt that night with Gabs was not unusual. That others can make me feel the same, or maybe even better, if that’s possible.

The waitress brings our orders and places them on the table. Thank heavens, because now we can focus on the food and leave the conversation for later.

“Excuse me, I’ll be right back. Call it the bane of the medical profession, but I need to wash my hands before eating,” he says with a smile.

I nod and smile. “Sure.” He has a cute smile, maybe not as cute as Gabs’ but cute enough.

Rule number one: Stop comparing him to Gabs.

In any case, I’m glad that he’s gone, because I’m dying to post a photo of this beautifully presented food. I click a photo and post it quickly. Hashtag good-food.

I see a message from Gabs just as I’m about to put my phone away.

“How’s Clark? Superman-like or journalist-type?”

“A good mix of both, I’ll say. He has a cute smile. What are you up to? Dinner with your new team?”

“Interesting! Someone seems smitten. Cute smile. That’s your turn-on. Good for him. And yes, dinner with the team and then drinks with a few of them.”

Really? Is a cute smile my turn-on? I think back and I have to agree. All my boyfriends have had cute smiles.

“Smitten is too strong a word. I don’t think I’ve ever been smitten. Drinks! Some girls in the mix?”

“One girl. I think she’s trying to cozy up to me. And you have been smitten. Or have you forgotten your crush on Mike?”

“Ah! Mike. Sigh! He was too good for me.”

“Hey, don’t. You’re super sexy, hot, and smart. So don’t settle for anything less.”

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