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Jack felt like an idiot. That was not new, but what was new was him accepting Shen’s offer to set him up on a blind date.
He hadn’t seriously dated anyone in the 5 years since Emily had died. Not necessarily out of devotion or grief, though that had been part of it. But mostly life had gotten very chaotic with work. It was an excuse, he knew, but it was also true.
The truth was that he had met someone that had actually interested him for the first time in years, beyond a fleeting physical attraction and that made him want to delve into her, get to know her, make her undone and then build her back up again just so that he knew he had not missed a single part of her. So it made dating impossible due to the fact that everyone else paled in comparison. And the one person he had ever wanted beside his wife he couldn’t have. She’d left for greener pastures and he couldn’t blame her.
Hence, his idiotic decision to accept when John Shen said he knew a girl he might like. It had been a moment of weakness wherein he had felt, had thought, perhaps he could muster up an ounce of interest and get out of his slump.
But as he sat there, in the dimly lit restaurant waiting for a girl he had not an ounce of curiosity for he realized he had made a grave mistake. What he should have done was get on a plane to New Jersey and confess the extent of his affections.
He was about to get his phone out to text John so he could make his excuses with his friend and leave when soft steps approached the table.
“Hi, Jack. Long time, no see.”
His breath caught in his throat, and his eyes widened where they were staring at his plate. He was afraid to look at the source of the sweetest voice, too scared that in his ruminations he had brought on an audible hallucination. But he couldn’t resist for too long, turning his entire torso to the right.
She was here. She was real, and she was here and she was his date. Goddamnit, he was going to have to make John Shen godfather to their kids, wasn’t he?
As their gazes met he couldn’t help the huge smile that was overtaking his face, his eyes becoming squinty and bright. The smile was mirrored on the plush lips he thought he might never get to see again.
“Samira. Hi. I missed you.”