“What happened this time?” Kaci asked as Ava walked into their apartment. She slipped out of her shoes and walked around the couch and fell into it.
“Nothing.” Ava said as she placed an arm over her eyes.
“Oh so you mean that this guy actually gets a second date?”
“Nope.”
“Ava come on! What was wrong with Cameron? He’s hot, takes care of himself, and wants 3.5 kids the house with a two car garage and a white picket fence…like yourself. What’s up with that?”
Ava sighed and took her arm from her face, “I’m sure I would have been able to find all that out if he would have talked to me instead of into his phone the whole time.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes I’m serious. Honestly, we talked for about two minutes in the car, and then his stupid phone rang. He only got off it long enough at the restaurant to order food. Which by the way he didn’t let me order at all. He just ordered the same as what he got for me. Then…oh god you’re not going to believe this…he actually asked me to split the bill with him!” She said throwing her arms up in the air.
“Wow.” Kaci said.
“So yeah that’s definitely someone that I want to have 3.5 kids with.”
“I’m sorry. Had I known he was that kind of date I wouldn’t have set you up with him.”
“It’s ok. But honestly I think you don’t have to set me up anymore. I’m just sick of all of it. I’ll find Mr. Right when I’m supposed too.”
“Even if it means you have to wait until you’re thirty?”
“If it takes that long I’ll just be better off being single for the rest of my life.”
“Maybe you’re looking too hard. Just chill for a while. You’ll find him.”
“You’re right.”
Kaci smiled, “As I always am.”
“I think I’m gonna go take a nice hot bath.” Ava said as she stood herself up from the couch and began her trek into her room, “Thanks for the counseling session.” She called from the hallway.
Kaci smiled and picked up her book, “I’ll leave my bill by the coffee maker in the morning!” She called back.
“HA!” Ava said then closed her bedroom door.
Ava switched her weight from one foot to the other as she stood in front of the bar of a very nice restaurant. She looked at her watch one more time…ten minutes late.
She sighed and placed her purse on the bar counter and slid herself on to one of the wooden stools. “How’d I let you talk me into this one Kaci.” She said under her breath.
It was a week after she had told Kaci not to set her up with anyone anyomore. But she promised that this guy was worth the two hours spent away from her couch, TV, Ice Cream, and Dr. McDreamy.
She was beginning to think that no man was worth that. It's pretty hard to find someone who measures up to Patrick Dempsey.
“Can I get you anything?” said the bar tender.
“Just water will be fine.”
“You look like you could use something harder.” The bar tender said as he placed a bottle of water in front of her.
“I’ll probably need one before the night is over.” Ava said as she twisted the cap off the green glass bottle.
“Well I’ll be here.”
“Thanks.” She said as she took a drink.
The bar tender walked away back to wiping his glasses.
She looked up when she saw someone come up beside her, and almost spit out her drink when she saw who it was. But she kept her cool.
The bar tender walked up to him, “Can I get you anything?”
“Yeah a rum and coke should probably do the trick.” He said reflecting the way she felt at the moment. She couldn’t imagine Justin Timberlake being on a date from hell.
In fact she couldn’t have imagine him on another date at all…since the public spectacle the media made of his private life. Especially after his wife passed away.
She genuinely felt sorry for him. She knew how it felt to loose someone close to you, but she didn’t have to grieve and mourn in front of the whole world.
“Coming right up.” He said as he started to make Justin his drink.
“You sound about like how I feel.” Ava said placing her water bottle on the counter.
His head jerked in her direction and he smiled, “Blind date. That’s the last time I ever let my friend set me up at all. You too, huh?”
“Oh mine never started.” Ava said as she pushed some hair behind her ears. She looked at her watch, “As of right now he is officially twenty minutes late.”
“Not much of a first impression.” He said as he accepted the drink the tender put in front of him he looked back at him as if to say thank you.
“I’ve done this about a half a million times. My friend keeps setting me up with all these guys she thinks I’ll get along with and they all turn out…so completely wrong. I don’t know why I thought this time would be any different.” She said as she grabbed her water and took a drink.
“I knew what I was getting myself into when I accepted his offer. The last person he tried to set me up with…she was a complete piece of work. Definitely not worth the hour that was spent away from my daughter.” He said taking a sip of his own drink.
She smiled at the mention of his daughter. She had seen pictures of her in one of the many celebrity magazines that Kaci kept all over the house. She really was adorable.
She thought it might be best if she introduced herself, “I’m Ava.” She said sticking out her hand toward him.
He smiled and accepted it, “I’m Justin. Which I’m sure you already knew that.” He said as he gently shook her hand.
“Yeah.” She said pulling her hand back. She looked around as if looking for someone, “Where’s your date?”
“Oh I saw her off a few minutes ago. I don’t think I was ever so happy to see a girl leave my sights before.” He said with a small laugh as he looked into his glass and let his fingers run over the glass.
“It’s nice to see you getting back into the swing of things though. I know what you went through must have been horrible.”
He simply pressed his lips together and slowly nodded his head.
“I’m sorry if I over stepped a boundary there.” She said immediately wishing she hadn’t of said what she did.
“No, no, you’re fine. It’s just I’m not sure if I’m ready to back into this again. This is the second blind date. And my second date since I was married four years ago. I was ready to settle down then and to think that I have to go through this whole process and find the someone that I thought I had already found all over again is….just a little overwhelming.”
She simply just listened. That’s all she could do. She had never had to experience what he did and she couldn’t think of anything to say accept the over used I’m sorry. And she knew that it must be tiring to hear that phrase over and over again so she simply just kept her mouth shut and listened.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be pouring all this out on you. I barely even know you.”
“No don’t apologize. It’s fine. I’m a good listener. Or so I’m told.”
He laughed, “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“It’s just it’s been three years. It seems like it’s been long enough.”
“Some people just need more time.”
“I know. It’s just I don’t want to be by myself for the rest of my life, but I also don’t want to go through all this again. I mean I loved my wife. I loved her very much. And to think that I am supposedly to spend the rest of my life with some other woman that’s not her is a hard pill to swallow.” He said as he stared down into this glass. He had barely drunk any of it. “Melissa, my wife, she was killed by a drunk driver.”
“I read that. Did they ever catch him?”
He slowly shook his head, “Nope. He died too. A couple days after Melissa.” He said as he slid his drink away from him.
“I can’t imagine how hard this all was for you.”
“It’s hard for me to imagine it too. It’s hard to believe that this is my life.”
After a few more moments of silence he slid out of his stool. He reached into his pocket for his wallet and pulled out a twenty and left it under his glass, “It was nice to meet you Ava. But I think I should be going.”
“It was nice to meet you too. I’ll probably be behind you in a few minutes. Looks like my date is a No show.” She said as she offered him a comforting smile.
“Well it’s his loss.” He said with a smile, “Thank you for listening to me.”
“No problem. Maybe we’ll able to do this again one time.”
He laughed, “LA’s a pretty big city. But I’m sure somewhere down the line we’ll see each other. Take care of yourself.” He said as he took a few steps backward toward the entrance into the main part of the restaurant.
“Same to you.” She said as she waved at him. And he walked out into the restaurant waving back at her.
Well if that didn’t make her problems feel as small and petty as a rock she didn’t know what would.
Sometimes it takes another’s person’s tragedy to make you realize how good you actually got it.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Well aren't you peeps lucky! What can I say...John Mayer knows how to inspire! So does Deliah! I was listening to her radio show and it gave me an idea of where I wanted this to go and it just so happened to go with the song that this story is named after. Go figure! Anyway, I 'm done yakking...GO READ! LOL
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