We took a cab to the pub a half hour early. I asked Kat about being “fashionably late,” but she explained that it was only a good idea to do that if you don’t like the guy very much. And I had to admit, I liked Chris. He was a good person, and might be my ticket back to my own life if his “contacts” panned out.
“Quit messing with your dress,” Kat warned me as we walked down the steps to the entrance.
“I can’t help it, it feels like it’s gonna ride up every step I take.”
“Jesus, you’d think you never wore a tight skirt before! Your ass will hold it down. Look, there’s Diana. Let’s go.”
I had to admit, the way my dress clung to my hips made it seem unlikely that it would hike up too far. It was a backless number in an almost-burgundy red color, with just enough of a gap in the front to show off some cleavage. It was somewhere between “classy” and “slutty”, and I could feel people staring.
Katlyn wasn’t much better, clad in a strapless blue dress. Her skirt was a little longer than mine, because according to her “The main attraction gets to show more leg”. She’d even switched to flats after it had become obvious I would never be able to walk in heels. To be honest, Kat was already the best wingman I’d ever had, and my date wasn’t even there yet.
Diana had claimed a corner booth for us through some sort of Amazonian magic, possibly owing to the fact that her biceps were nicer than the bouncer’s. Cindy joined us soon after, all smiles and excitement, and Katlyn made the necessary introductions.
“Now listen,” she said, staring at us seriously. “Shawna is new to hetero dating. Our goal tonight is to evaluate the Viking and determine whether he deserves to be her first boyfriend. It’s a sacred duty. He’s bringing friends, and if we ladies have to jump on an uggo grenade to get the job done, I expect each of you to step up. I ask nothing of you that I would not do myself.”
Diana smirked, nodding toward the door. “I don’t expect that to be much of a problem,” she said.
Chris had just walked in, flanked by three other men. As much as I hated to give in to my new body’s ideals, I had to admit: they were gorgeous. Clean-shaved, chiseled chins, nice hair, and varying degrees of buff. Shawn Milner would have fit in nicely with this crowd. Maybe after this was all over I’d have to look these guys up.
Chris scanned the room, squinting while his eyes adjusted to the darkened room. His gaze finally fell on me, and a smile spread across his whole face.
I waved hello and he led his friends over. “Shawna,” he said, still smiling. “Ladies. This is Adam, Jake, and Ben.”
Katlyn took over and made the necessary introductions, scooting Diana and Cindy to the edge of the booth. It was a half-circle, and her move had placed me in the center, with Chris on my left. Adding his friends to the bench left us just enough room to maybe slide a menu between our thighs if we’d wanted to.
I found I didn’t particularly want to. One waitress and drink order later, and we were chatting amiably, although mostly about Chris and his life, thanks to Katlyn’s rather pointed questions.
We learned a lot in a very short time. Chris was about the same age I was, and he worked in communications at a large downtown business. He had a degree, no pets, and liked to unwind by running long distances or playing team-based video games. He had no allergies, and felt that the question of whether he wanted a family was one he should discuss with his partner before answering.
“Kat,” I said, cutting her off before she could get too personal, “maybe someone else should say something, too. Like you, for instance. What do you do, anyway?”
Kat grinned. “Journalism, if you can believe it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. That’s pretty believable.” Read more »