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Iris was bored to tears. She once again was talked into doing something she really didn’t want to do by her best friend. Linda could be relentless when she wanted something from her. She should have stuck to her guns and said no.
“Come on, Iris. You haven’t been on a date in almost three years! That’s got to be a record!”
Linda was right. It had been two years, eleven months and twenty six days since she’d been on a date but who was counting. Besides, she was happy. Or at least she tried to convince herself and everyone around her that she was. And for the most part, she was happy. She had her mom, dad and brother Wally. She was running her own media company, Central City Citizen Media and doing quite well. She had her weekly boxing classes that she’s taken ever since she was a kid. She had her best friend Linda who introduced her to all kinds of things, the latest being online gaming. At first Iris thought she wouldn’t like it but she’s met some of the funniest and best people through it. But what Linda was proposing now was just insane.
“Speed dating, Lin? I’m not sure. Isn’t that for like, older people?”
“What? No! This one's for 25-35 year olds. Totally in our age range. You only meet twelve guys for five minutes each. That’s it. And if you click with someone then you take it from there. If not, you at least went on a dozen dates and no pressure of an awkward ending if things don’t work out.”
“I don’t know Lin.”
“Come on. I’ll take you out for dinner afterwards. My treat!” Linda was practically shaking in anticipation, waiting for her friend’s response.
“Fine! But it’s going to cost you a lot. This is going to be your most expensive date ever!”
“Yes! And you know I don’t do cheap dates! Okay, so I’ll sign us up and I’ll pick you up and we can go together!” Linda squealed and hugged her friend tightly. With that she grabbed her bag and left. Her mission was accomplished.
She knew Iris had sworn off dating ever since she caught her boyfriend and someone who wasn’t her in a compromising position almost three years ago. But Iris needed to get out of her rut and Linda knew she wouldn’t do it on her own. She was comfortable with her life. A little too comfortable for Linda’s liking. Iris was hot without even trying. She had the smoothest mocha coloured skin with a jawline that most people only dream of. Her big brown eyes were soft and kind. She was slender and worked hard to keep her figure. Aside from her obvious enviable physical attributes, she was smart. At age 28 she was already running her media empire and on her way to receiving her first Pulitzer award. She was kind to everyone, always making sure that everyone she met felt comfortable. She had a wicked sense of humour too and could hang with the guys just as easily as she could with the ladies. Everyone who met her instantly loved her. She was too good of a catch to be hiding.
Now Iris was sitting here through her 5th date of the night and she wanted to scream. This current guy hadn’t even asked her a question. They’re three and a half minutes into their “date” and he’s been talking about himself nonstop. The first guy was an exterminator who told her in detail about his latest job…a giant rats nest in someone’s kitchen. The second guy reminded her of her grade 5 science teacher who taught class in monotone. The third guy was cool at first but then broke down crying about his ex. The fourth guy spoke so softly, Iris was straining to hear anything he said. Finally time was up and it was on to a new guy. The next couple of guys weren’t any better. Guy number six kept talking about badminton. He was very passionate about that particular sport. He did ask Iris some questions but the conversation always seemed to steer back to badminton. Guy number seven was a high school boyfriend of hers and their 5 minutes were just awkward silence.
Seven guys down, five to go. Only 25 minutes left of this hell. She can do this. Linda would definitely owe her big time. Guy number eight sits down and introduces himself. Right away Iris notices his eyes. They’re smiling at her.
“Well, you seem to be enjoying this as much as I am.” He looks at her with a smile that could light up the whole room.
“Oh is it that obvious?”
He laughs and Iris notices the dimples that appear.
“So, tell me about yourself.”
Iris is in shock. “You want to know about me?”
“Well yeah. Isn’t that the idea?” He looks at her confused by her question.
“Yeah it is but you’re the first guy to feign any interest in me tonight.”
“Are you serious? Well on behalf of the guys in here, my apologies. They’re either dumb, blind or stupid to not want to get to know you.”
“What did you say your name was again?” Iris asks
“Barry. And you’re Iris, correct?”
“Iris, yes. So about me. I’m 28. I’m an investigative reporter. Love boxing. Have been doing it my whole life. I just got into gaming and I actually love it more than I thought I would. How about you?”
“Well, again I'm Barry. I’m 29. I’m a CSI. I’m an only child. I love running and also enjoy gaming. My friend Cisco who actually signed me up to this tonight sometimes hosts these epic gaming nights that are totally fun.”
“Wait. You don’t mean Cisco Ramon, do you?”
“Yeah, that’s him. He’s one of my best friends!” Again he flashes Iris that megawatt smile and she feels her heart flutter.
“Small world! I’ve actually been to a couple of those gaming nights.” Iris stops to wonder if maybe she’s met Barry before. Something tells her she would have noticed him if she had. “So tell me. What’s it like being a CSI?”
“Well it’s hard sometimes. Especially murder scenes can be pretty gruesome but I love the science behind the mystery of someone’s death. Finding out what the cause of death was. Especially if it was a death by poisoning or something like that. Is that a weird thing to say?” Barry was suddenly self conscious.
“No, I get that. As an investigative journalist, I love finding the things that people want to stay hidden. Especially when it means holding them accountable.”
“I totally agree. You’re a very intriguing woman, Iris. What else can you tell me about you? I’d love to know more about the beautiful woman in front of me.”
Before Iris could answer, the bell rang indicating their time was up and Barry had to move on.
“Well, I hope to see you again soon, Iris.” He stood up, smiled and moved on to his next date. She loved how smoothly her name rolled off his tongue.
Iris couldn’t believe how quickly those 5 minutes went. Every other date she had been on felt like time stood still. But when she finally meets someone who is not only interesting but also interested in her, time flies by.
She tried her best to pay attention to her current date but her eyes kept wandering over to Barry. Seems like he too was having difficulty focusing on his date because she caught him more than once looking over at her. He blushed the first time she caught him. The second time he smiled at her. The third time she looked over at him, he motioned with his head for her to leave with him. She smiled and nodded and as soon as the bell ring indicating time was up, Iris bolted out of her seat. There was no way she would be able to endure the last three dates. She wanted to know more about Barry. She leaned over to Linda to tell her she was leaving and before her friend could ask questions, she was racing out of the room with Barry close behind her.
“Thank you! So much! I probably would have pulled my hair out if I had to endure another one of those.”
“Were yours as awful as mine? My first date kept chewing on her hair!”
“My first date was an exterminator who went into graphic detail about the rat’s nest he just extracted from someone’s kitchen this morning.”
“What? Good lord. That’s disgusting!”
“Right? I mean I respect the job he does because not everyone can do that but I don’t need all the graphic details.”
“My second date was already planning our wedding and kids' names…Michelangelo and Sirracha in case you were interested to know. Twins obviously because that's something you can totally plan. And her mother was going to move in with us to help out with the babies.”
“Wow! Those are interesting names!”
“Really? The names are the only interesting parts of that entire story to you?”
Iris laughed, “No. She sounds certifiably insane!”
“Right?”
“At least you didn’t have an awkward date with your high school ex!”
“No way! Man, I'm so sorry. I take it your love was not rekindled after five minutes?”
“Ugh, no. He was a jerk of a boyfriend. Broke up with me the night before prom because I wouldn’t sleep with him.”
“Oh! That’s not cool at all!”
“What can I say? I seem to be really good at attracting the really bad.”
“Well hopefully that bad streak of yours ends tonight.”
“Hopefully. To be honest, you’re not the type of guy I typically go for.”
“Oh, so why take a chance on someone who’s not your type?”
“I’m not sure what it is about you but you seem different. In a good way.”
“Good to hear that.”
They walked in silence for a bit when Iris’ stomach growled angrily.
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry. This is so embarrassing!” Iris stopped dead in her tracks, clearly mortified.
“No. Don’t be. Mine is about to do the same thing. You just beat me to it.” He looked at her with a smug smile. “Shall we go get dinner?”
“I’d much rather crawl into a hole and die!”
Barry laughs. “Come on. At least I know now you have one flaw. How about steak? There’s a really great steakhouse not far from here. My treat!”
“Okay. My friend Linda, who dragged me to this speed dating thing tonight, promised me a meal so I kinda skipped lunch because I was prepared to make her pay.”
They get to the steakhouse and are seated right away. Barry orders a bottle of red wine and before any nervous energy settles in Barry asks, “So tell me. How is it that an incredibly beautiful and incredibly smart woman, like yourself, is still single?”
“Wow! Right out the bat with flattery and compliments, huh?”
“All true though.” He says smiling at her.
“Thanks. Well I actually swore off dating close to three years ago. Tonight was my first date since then.”
“Three years? So you’re telling me you haven’t been on a date in almost three years? Not even a casual one?”
“Nope. Not one.”
“Can I ask why? Seems a bit extreme to go from zero dates to twelve in three years!”
“Caught my last boyfriend in the shower with his dick down some chick’s throat.” Iris says with a shrug.
“Yep. That would do it. Man, you do have terrible taste in men, don’t you?” Barry teases.
“Hey! No need to add salt to the wound!” Iris chuckles. “But you’re right. I was always attracted to the athlete/bad boy/player type of guys. The kind of guys who every girl wanted to sleep with. Only thing is they usually wanted to sleep with every girl too. So after that happened I just decided to focus on my work and myself. And that’s what I did. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. My company is growing very well and I’m on my way to winning a Pulitzer.”
“Wait, you’re that Iris? Cisco’s been telling me about you for a while now. Said you were a badass media mogul and an amazing writer! He’s been trying to convince me to set us up but his last attempt to set me up on a date was a huge flop.”
“Oh really? What happened?”
“Well things started off good. She seemed normal at first but then she got really clingy and codependent quickly. She’d call all hours of the day and night and if I didn’t answer right away, she’d keep calling until I answered her. Or she’d show up at my work crying that I didn’t love her. I broke up with her after a couple of months.”
“I’m not sure what your problem is. She sounds like a total catch!” Iris looks at him with a sly smile.
“Maybe it’s because you haven’t been on a date in a few years. You can’t tell the signs of a crazy person.”
“Ouch! Below the belt!”
They laugh, smiling at each other. Just then, their food is brought out and they begin to eat.
“Oh my goodness, this is the best steak I’ve ever had!” Iris exclaims, eyes closed as she takes her first few bites.
“It’s good, right? Melt in your mouth good!”
“Mmm. So, so good.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying your meal.”
“So, Barry. How come a sweet, handsome guy like yourself is still single? You just haven’t found the right girl?”
“Turn the tables on me, huh?” Barry chuckles
“Only fair, right?” Iris smiles and Barry makes note of how her eyes light up when she does.
“Well, I think that the right girl is out there waiting. I just have to be lucky enough to find her.”
“That’s an interesting perspective."
“But it’s true. You could have already crossed paths with that special someone who’s just right for you. Maybe the stars haven’t aligned for you to meet yet.”
“Perhaps they already have.” Iris says, looking up at Barry and softly smiles. His heart beats a little bit faster at her declaration and he feels his palms starting to sweat.
“Definitely.” Barry replied.
Iris feels her face flush with heat. The fact that he already feels the strong connection between them is intoxicating.
“I’m sorry. Is that too forward?”
She looked at him for a moment before answering.
“No. Actually. It’s refreshing. I think a lot of times people don’t say what they’re really feeling because they’re afraid of people thinking of them differently so they lie. But the thing is, lies just get in the way, opening wounds and delaying the inevitable. The truth, however, can heal the deepest of hurts. So I always lean on the side of truth.”
“So poetic. You really are a great writer.”
They talked about everything that night. Their families, their childhoods and hobbies. They talked about politics and religion. There was nothing under the sun they hadn’t spoken about. Their conversation moved from the steakhouse to a 24 hour diner. They found a quiet booth near the back, ordered coffee and a couple slices of pie and picked up where they had left off. There still hadn’t been a lull in their conversation. They hadn’t realised they’d been talking all night until the waitress brought over breakfast menus for them.
“Oh wow! I didn’t realise we'd been talking all night!” Iris looked at her watch once the waitress disappeared.
“Yeah. This was easily the best date I’ve ever been on.”
Iris smiled at him. “Yeah. Me too.”
“You know what’s funny? We’ve been out here talking all night and I still don’t want this to end.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“Let’s not end it just yet then. Stay. Have breakfast with me.”
“Okay.”