Teasing Tuesday
You’re sitting at a table for two amidst a long row of other, similar tables, each one occupied by only one person. For now. Your leg bounces nervously as you try to keep your eyes on the glass of water in front of you and not on the entrance to the restaurant where the dates would soon be coming through.
Sighing, you pick up your water and drink a few sips to calm your nerves. It’s ridiculous, really. You hadn’t wanted to come in the first place, but your best friend had insisted that it could help you get out of your funk, and a blind date might just be the best way. You don’t have to get anyone’s number, but your friend had suggested that you should at least try to have fun and simply talk to the dates. After all, you never know what could come out of it.
You are pulled out of your thoughts as a small bell chimes, indicating the start of the first blind date. You hadn’t even noticed that the dates had arrived. Someone pulls out the chair in front of you and sits down.
“No!” You snap after realizing who you are facing and already start rising from your chair.
“Hey, hey. Come on, wait.”
“No,” you repeat, but are stopped in your escape by the person organizing the blind dates.
“Is there a problem?” She asks, looking between you and Braxton questioningly.
“Yes. This isn’t a blind date. I know him, for one, and I don’t want to talk to him at all, for another.” You jerk your head in Braxton’s direction with an annoyed scoff.
“Babe-” He starts with a hand raised placatingly.
“Do not call me that. You don’t get to call me that anymore, Wolff,” you hiss angrily, stressing his last name viciously.
“I see,” the organizer says thoughtfully, looking at Braxton with narrowed eyes. “If you want to leave, I understand. But if you would consider staying, just so we have an even number and no one has to wait alone, I’d really appreciate it.”
You sigh and look away for a moment, thinking. Braxton takes the decision from you, though.
“You mind switching with me, Pal?” You hear him say and turn your head back to him to see him talk to the guy sitting at the table to your left. “Look at her.” He nods towards the woman the man is sitting across from, winking and grinning at her charmingly. “She’s out of your league anyway.”
You groan at his words and the affronted look the other man is sending him.
“I’m so sorry,” you tell him before he has the time to say anything back to Braxton. “Don’t listen to him, he’s just really insecure,” you sneer.
Braxton opens his mouth, but the organizer speaks over him, giving him a stern look and asking him to move and to stay polite, or she would kick him out. She apologizes profusely to the other man, who is kind enough to shrug it off, while Brax lifts his hands in surrender and stands, waiting for the man to do the same.
The woman gives Brax a put-on coy smile, clearly happy with the change, since she eyes him up unashamedly. You roll your eyes at her with a shake of your head and notice that the other guy is watching you with a smile.
“I’m so sorry,” you repeat with an embarrassed laugh.
“Eh, it’s fine. She clearly isn’t missing me,” he chuckles, nodding towards her and how she’s drinking up every word Brax is speaking. “I’m Mike, by the way.”
“She has no idea what she’s getting into,” you mutter before smiling, relieved that he isn’t upset, and introduce yourself. “Nice to meet you, Mike.”
Mike is sweet, you decide, and regret when the time with him is up, and he has to move to another table. The rest of the suitors are nice, but nothing happens that makes you want to ask for another date, and it seems like the feeling is mutual as no one asks for your number either. Mike, however, walks back towards you at the same time Brax does, but Mike snags the chair and sits back in front of you. He gives you an inquisitive glance, checking if you actually want him to sit with you again. You hear Braxton huff when you tell Mike that you’re happy to chat some more, and sits down with another woman, who’s just as charmed as all the others. You’re rather certain that each of them would have gladly given him their number if he’d asked.
“So? What did you say you’re working in earlier?” The woman in front of Brax asks, sucking on the straw in her cocktail.
“Insurance,” he answers in a monotone voice. You can see him watching your table from the corner of your eyes.
You snort at his answer. Insurance. Right.
“Did you meet anyone interesting tonight?” Mike wonders, folding his arms over the table and leaning on them.
“Except for you, not really,” you answer honestly, while also enjoying Brax’s scoff at your words.
“Yeah…” Mike smiles, pleased, but glances towards Brax, before looking back at you and nodding towards your ex with a lifted eyebrow. “Messy breakup? If it’s okay to ask, of course.”
“I wish,” you reply with a heavy eye roll.
“You didn’t give me the opportunity,” Brax suddenly cuts in with a groan.
“You were gone for two months, Brax. Twomonths! Two months without news, without answering my calls or texts. You’ve pulled this kind of stuff on me, I don’t know how many times. That was the last straw,” you snipe angrily, accentuating your words with your finger pointing at him repeatedly like a stabbing motion.
“You know I couldn’t,” Brax insists, and he'd sound contrite if not for the clear annoyance showing on his features.
“No, I damn well did not. But it doesn’t matter anymore. We’re done.” You turn towards Mike again, smiling apologetically.
“Maybe you should move on?” Braxton's date suggests, looking between hopeful and awkward.
“Yeah, maybe. You wanna get out of here?” Brax revs his charm up to the max and makes you grind your teeth together at the flirty tone.
“Friendly advice? Don’t believe everything he tells you,” you can’t help saying to her while she reaches for her purse.
“I’ve always been honest with you,” Brax exclaims angrily.
“Of course you have. Mister Insurance,” you sneer.
“That’s not fair, you know-” he stops because, yeah, he can’t be fully honest considering his line of work. “How I felt about you was true,” he finally says instead.
“Sure.” You turn to Mike, who’s looking at you with raised eyebrows and a smile halfway between amused and confused.
“Are you saying that you just stopped loving me?” Brax keeps going, sitting back down and leaning towards you over the gap between the tables, his date watching along curiously.
“Mike, would you like to have a drink somewhere else?” You ignore Brax’s question as you try not to let your emotions show.
“Did you stop lov-”
“No! No, I didn’t stop loving you just like that,” you shout, exasperated. “Trying to forget you is a nightmare, Brax, and I hate you for it.”
The organizer pops up in front of you with an unhappy expression towards Brax before she smiles at you uncomfortably.
“I’m really sorry, but if you can’t settle this, I will have to ask you to leave.”
Closing your eyes in frustration about your outburst, you nod and stand, knowing that neither you nor Brax could stay quiet all evening. You look at Mike, who looks back with a warm smile. He doesn’t ask for your number, and you don’t offer it, both of you aware that there is no way that this could lead to anything after what had just happened.
“Take care,” he simply says, to which you nod with a small smile before grabbing your things and heading for the exit.
You don’t wait to see if Brax will follow, you know he will, as stubborn as he is, and walk faster.
“I couldn’t help noticing that you used present tense.” Brax caught up with you as quickly as you had expected, the man walking a few steps behind you.
“Oh good, you know your grammar,” you deadpan, glad to see your car up ahead.
“You said that you’re trying to forget me. Which means that you haven’t yet,” he continues, his voice sounding hopeful and not smug like you’d have thought.
Reaching your car, you turn around to lean on it and look at Brax. He’s wearing his infamous winter coat that you’ve always loved on him, his hair windswept and probably as soft as you remember it.
“That doesn’t change anything,” you finally say after your perusal and crossing your arms.
“Yeah, it does. It means I might still have a chance to win you back.”
You look to the side with a shake of your head.
“I can’t do this again… I know. I know that I knew what to expect going in. Call me selfish, but I can’t wait around and wonder for months on end if you’re still alive and coming back or if you’re…” you trail off, sighing explosively and looking skyward.
“What if I can promise you that I’ll always find a way to contact you?”
“You can’t promise that, and you know it. Not with your…job.”
“What if I can? Even to let you know if… something happened?” Brax goes on, taking a step closer to you.
You watch him, and you hate how hope blooms inside you again.
“You can’t make me hopeful only to pull the rug from under me again,” you tell him sadly, speaking your thoughts.
Brax doesn’t say more, knowing that there isn’t anything left to say and that the decision is all yours.
“I have one condition.” You stare at him hard, and he nods easily. “It’s the last time. Anything like before happens again? We’re through and for good.”
“Yeah, that’s fair.”
Brax walks all the way up to you now, standing toe to toe as you uncross your arms.
“Did you really consider going home with this Mike?”
You utter a short laugh and just pull him in for a kiss by the lapels of his coat.