Page 39 of The Blind Date

“What time is it over there?”

I tapped on the screen to view the time.

“Eleven thirty-seven.”

“Aren’t you usually in bed by this time?”

"I am, but my boiler decided to break down today,” I groaned, moving back to sit on the floor. It was sad sitting on the floor of my tiny utility room with a boiler that refused to work whilst on the phone with my best friend who was on an exotic honeymoon with her new husband.

“Oh, Saff, I’m sorry. You sound like you’ve really had it with today.”

“It’s been a really shitty day,” I exhaled deeply through my nose. “But I’m glad you called. I already feel so much better.”

“I wish you were here with me right now, Saff. This place is so beautiful, it’s not possible to be sad here.”

"I definitely don't want to be on your honeymoon with you and Jeremy." My nose scrunched up at the thought. That would be taking being the third wheel to a whole new level.

"That's a very valid point," Alina laughed. "Jeremy is in the shower right now, and I'm already dressed. I've got some time to kill so I thought, what better way than to call my best friend and catch up? Now, let’s forget about my honeymoon and how terrible today was for you. I want to know all about your hot date with Cedric on Friday.”

"It wasn’t a hot date," I denied with an unimpressed snort. "It was a blind date. There's a huge difference there."

“With how great of a couple the two of you would make, it most certainly was a hot date.”

“Was not.” I continued to disagree like a petulant child. “Anyway, hot date or not, it went terribly.”

“What happened?”

"More like what didn't happen. Cedric is such a douche,” I complained. “I don’t know how or why everyone thinks we’re so good for each other.”

"It's because you are, but the two of you are too stubborn to see it."

"I know you're talking, but it all sounds like utter gibberish to me.” I laughed, hoping to end this conversation here, but unfortunately, it wasn't as simple as that. The fact that Alina had pitched Cedric to my parents meant that she was invested in this, and just like them, she wouldn't give up until she knew for sure that things wouldn't work out between Cedric and me.

“Ugh! That’s so childish of you, Saffron.”

“You sound just like him.”

“Who? Cedric?”

“Yes,” I groaned.

"Do I sound like him, or is he on your mind?"

"Now who is being the childish one?" I shot back at her, a smug smirk on my face. It immediately slipped off my face when it reminded me of a certain someone. "Look, I just want all of this to stop, okay? I agreed to ten blind dates a month to get my parents off my case, and I've already completed them all for this month. I’ve held up my end of the deal, and everyone needs to get off my back until November when this nightmare starts all over again.”

A moment of silence sounded on the phone. Before I could ask if she was still on the line, Alina started giggling.

“Something happened!” She squealed loudly.

“Nothing happened,” I denied far too quickly for it to be believable.

"Now I'm certain something happened. Spill the tea, Saff! Don't withhold anything!"

"I'm going to start by saying that it wasn't technically a kiss–” I began but was cut off by the sound of Alina shrieking at what I could only presume was the top of her lungs.

“What?” She squealed again. “You and Cedric kissed? Why didn’t you start with that?”

"I just told you that it wasn't a kiss!" I groaned, annoyed with myself for mentioning it in the first place. Not only would Alina not let this go, but she would tell all our friends, and they wouldn’t let it go either. “It was more of a peck than a kiss. And it wasn’t even on the lips.”

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