Date Me Like You Mean It

I cringe and look away. “I forgot to set my alarm and I overslept.”

Her shoulders sag once she realizes I’m fine.

I’m not. My shin is still throbbing and my breath is horrid, but she doesn’t need to know that.

“Right, of course. I should chide you, but I find that putting that sort of negative energy out into the world isn’t good for my gut bacteria.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” I say with an energetic nod of my head as if I’ve ever thought about my gut bacteria a single day of my life.

After she’s convinced I’m fine, she leaves me alone so I can get to work. I have menial tasks to attend to: some sick days I need to tally and a few office supplies to order. I know to some, work like this would be boring, but I actually like the routine. I like having a checklist of all the things I need to do in a day, and I love the feeling of accomplishment as I tally them off.

Around lunchtime, my cell phone rings.

It’s Stephanie, one of my best friends from childhood who I haven’t seen in a few years. We went to different colleges and now she’s back in Dallas. It’s been hard to stay in touch, though we try to call each other a few times a month.

“Maddie! I’m so glad I got you. I was worried you wouldn’t pick up since you’re at work.”

Stephanie doesn’t work. Well…she kind of does. Her mom owns an interior design firm and Stephanie helps out when she feels like it. Ah, the life.

“No, you actually called at a perfect time. I’m about to take my lunch break. What’s up?”

“Well, as you know, I’ve been talking things over with Elliot and trying to come up with the perfect joint bachelor-bachelorette party.”

“Oh? Any leads?”

“I think we’ve settled on this little compound in West Texas. It’s a total desert oasis with a series of private bungalows so everyone will have their own space. We’ll have a caterer and masseuses, of course, so don’t think it’s that primitive.”

Knowing Stephanie and Elliot, I knew that wouldn’t be the case. Elliot’s dad is part owner of the Dallas Mavericks. In all likelihood, this desert oasis is a freaking palace.

“So you’ll come, right?!”

“Of course!”

I’ve had the week marked out on my work calendar for months, ever since Stephanie first invited me.

“And since it’s a couples thing, make sure to bring someone. That won’t be a problem, will it? Are you dating right now? I know you’ve had such bad luck lately, and I can set you up with someone if you need me to. One of Elliot’s friends, maybe?”

“No! No, you don’t have to do that,” I rush out, feeling my cheeks redden.

“Oh, so then you are seeing someone?”

“Uh…”

I can hear my pulse in my ears. Time seems to slow. If I tell her I’m not seeing anyone, she’ll force me into spending the whole week with one of Elliot’s friends. No thank you! But if I lie and tell her I do have a boyfriend, well…what the hell am I supposed to do then? Hire an escort for the week?

Aiden pops into my head.

Yes.

AIDEN.

This is perfect! He doesn’t even have to come. I’ll just use him to get out of having to be thrust upon one of Elliot’s friends. Surely, he won’t mind. He laughed off the encounter with Elise, right? What’s one more lie?

“Maddie?”

Stephanie’s worried the call dropped.

I clear my throat. “I actually am seeing someone.”

“Who?! Tell me everything!”

“It’s Aiden.”

“Aiden Aiden?! Are you kidding me?”

“Nope. Crazy, right? We finally started dating.”

Stephanie knows I’ve had a crush on him forever.

“Good for you girl!”

Even though it’s a total lie, I can’t help but feel a little inflated by this false reality. That’s right, I’m dating Aiden—in my head.

“So then he’ll come?”

NO.

“Oh, that sounds so awesome, but…”

Her voice sounds desperate when she asks, “But what?”

Yes, BUT WHAT, MADDIE?! Is he your boyfriend or not!?

“There’s no way he’ll be able to get time off from work with such short notice.”

“Really? What’s his number? I’ll have Elliot call him later and fill him in on the details just in case.”

“NO! Err…you don’t have to do that. I can tell him myself. Just email me the plans and I’ll see if he’ll be able to join.”

“Okay. I really think you should try to convince him to take the time off because it’s going to be all couples. I don’t want you to feel left out.”

In other words, miserable.

I could just bow out myself, but Stephanie’s my oldest friend. We have photos together dating back from kindergarten. I can’t skip out on this special occasion just because I’m too scared to invite Aiden.

“Let me work on him and I’ll be in touch.”

“Awesome. We officially leave in two weeks, so I’ll need to have a final headcount by Friday.”