Page 72 of Blindly Yours

As I parallel park in a spot in front of the restaurant, I laugh again. “Fair. But I was also impressed by how well you took to life at my place last weekend.” I shut off the engine and look at her. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Her lips pull up just a little, and then she gazes past me at the restaurant. “Come on, I’m starving. Let’s eat.”

I made a reservation, so we’re seated right away. It’s a sleek place with smooth wood tables and a polished red accent wall that spans the whole length of the dining room. Rose removes her coat, revealing the top of her dress, with delicate black lace sleeves that flutter over her shoulders.

“What’s your favorite kind of sushi?” I ask as we open our menus.

“Nigiri,” she replies.

I clear my throat. “And which one is that? I’m familiar with California roll, spicy tuna roll…and that’s about it.”

She chuckles. “Nigiri isn’t a roll. It’s a cut of fish on top of rice. I think salmon is my favorite.”

I nod and look at my own menu. “Will you make fun of me if I get the spicy tuna roll?”

“No, but I’ll make fun of you if you get the California roll. That one hardly qualifies as sushi. It’s not even raw.”

“Spicy tuna it is.” I close my menu quickly.

She sits back in her chair and stares at me for a long moment, almost as if she’s expecting answers to write themselves across my forehead. “I still don’t believe it’s you.”

I mirror her position and smile. “What? That sappy dude on the app? What can I do to prove it to you?”

She purses her lips. “I’m not sure.” Then her eyes light. “Oh, I’ve got it. Would you rather be able to read minds or have telekinesis?”

“Telekinesis,” I reply.

“Why?” She narrows her eyes.

“So I can tell the trash to walk itself to the curb.” I smile.

“Damn. Itisyou.” She shakes her head.

I lean forward and rest my elbows on the table with a chuckle. “Why is it so hard to believe I could be the same person?”

“Because…online you’re…I don’t know. Different.” She shrugs and looks down.

“Different than I am right now?”

“No.” She shakes her head and peers up at me again. “Different than you were before. You made fun of me.”

I can’t help but smirk. “Oh, you can’t tell me no one’s teased you before. You’re a waiting target.”

Her shoulders drop. “Well, no one has teased me for the things you did.”

I frown. Well, shit. I wasn’t trying to make her feel bad. I figured she was used to being teased for her expensive taste, but I suppose if she’s only surrounded by people who think the same way she does, there’d be no reason to tease.

I pull my hands back. “I didn’t mean to really hurt you. I’m sorry if I did.”

She quickly shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. It was just…nice to come home every night to the you on Blindly…being nice to me, after seeing the real you at work. I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that you’re the same person.”

She’s closing in on herself as she admits these things, so I try to smile again. “The real me is both of those people.”

She sighs.

“I can’t stop teasing you.” I take a sip of water. “That’s just what I do with people I like. But I can tease you about something different instead. Like maybe about how you always fold your napkin into a perfect square and align it with the bottom of your fork before you start eating?” I nod toward her napkin.

She looks down at it and then back at me with wide eyes.

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