Alice slammed her car door closed, immediately using the keys to start the engine. The bitter cold of late winter nipped at her bones. Out of instinct, her hand reached over and turned on the heat, only for the cold air of the evening to be blasted at her face.
“God damnit,” she muttered, “this food better be worth it.”
She turned off the air blowing at her and sat rubbing her arms for warmth as she waited for relief to come. She was tired of the cold and longed once more for the light-filled days of summer to arrive sooner rather than later.
Any other day she would have stayed home for the night and cooked herself, but she had already promised this evening to another.
“At least this one has a job,” she mused, pulling out her phone and re-reading the messages she had exchanged. His name was Ben, and he seemed a nice enough guy. She had met him by chance at the gym she frequented, lifting weights within eyesight of her cardio workout.
Once, they had made eye contact, catching each other looking at the other. Alice liked his smile; his eyes crinkled at the edges when he laughed at her corny jokes. It reminded Alice of her father…