Chapter 7 Mistaken Blind Date

“Hey, Talia, do you know the guy?” she asked.

“He is friends with Andy, apparently,” she replied as if that ended all scrutiny. “Andy must think he is cool, and I wouldn’t worry about him being a serial killer. You still have another week of orientation left and Andy would miss his work mule if you went missing.”

That was oddly reassuring.

She set up a secret emergency code with Talia in case the date was a bust and she needed to get out. She would text code black and then wait for Talia’s call to usher her away for some imaginary emergency.

She didn’t know how it worked because her poor acting skills would give it away. She had never been on a blind date before and spent the entire night strategizing ways to get a read on the guy before she actually met him at the restaurant. If she got off-putting vibes from him, she would turn back and never attend the date. Years of nursing experience gave her the ability to read people and rate them on how dangerous or lecherous they were.

The problem with this plan was: she had never been to this restaurant and had no idea how she would pull it off. Moreover, she had no idea what this guy looked like so she wouldn’t know what awaited her until the server brought her over. By then, there was no turning back.

Finally, Talia and Irene settled on the grey knee-length skirt and a matching top. She even wore a grey cropped jacket over it and left her golden wavy hair open.

She had a few minutes to spare when she arrived at the restaurant. She peered inside, crestfallen to discover the entrance blocked the view of the dining area. She trudged forward and paused when the hostess greeted her.

“Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, I am meeting someone here,” she explained. “His name is Noah and he is tall with dark hair.”

She scanned over the paper in front of her. “I don’t see a Noah, but I believe I know who you are looking for. Are you here for a blind date?”

“Yes,” Irene nodded cautiously.

The hostess concealed a knowing smile. “Right this way.”

They walked around the giant partition blocking her view and down ten steps into the dining room. The place was bustling but not crowded. The atmosphere was hushed, the dim lights aiding to the romantic atmosphere. Irene couldn’t help but scan over the tables, searching for the one with the single tall man.

Alas, she didn’t see the table until it was too late. They were only a few feet away. By then his green eyes had caught her gaze, making her freeze.

‘What the fuck?’

Their frowns mirrored one another, and she assured herself it was all a big mistake. Surely Andy wouldn’t set her up with Dr. Warren. Right?

‘Crap. He would.’

Dr. Warren stood up upon her arrival. The hostess pulled her seat out. “Here you are, Miss…” she said professionally.

Irene stared blankly at the chair like a zombie. Finally, she snapped out of her trance and sat down. The hostess offered her a sly smile before she slipped away, obviously enamored by Dr. Warren’s good looks. He sat as well, eyeing her warily. He seemed equally confused.

Neither of them spoke for a few awkward moments. She contemplated excusing herself to make a fast exit. No sooner had she made the decision than Dr. Warren cleared his throat.

“Is this a joke?” he questioned seriously.

Despite thinking the same thing, Irene was offended. “That is a good question. Perhaps I should be asking you that question,” she replied hautily.

“What for?” He seemed more annoyed than her. Irene enjoyed looking at his face, but that didn’t include him opening his mouth and conversing with her over a full-course meal.

“Andy is your friend, correct?”

Dr. Warren raised his hand. “You think I asked him to set us up?” he said in surprise.

That was not what she thought but she was offended anyways.

“I would hope not. Not after you harassed me in the hallway.”

He opened his mouth to retaliate but they were interrupted by their server, who introduced himself. Irene wasn’t even sure she would order, but Dr. Warren glared at her impatiently, forcing her to make a hasty decision.

She quickly ordered a drink, being careful to point out, “Make it a double. I need something strong tonight.”

Dr. Warren’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t say anything before giving a similar order. She noticed that he was dressed sharply in a dress shirt and navy slacks. His hair, while tamed was messier than his usual style at the hospital. He was clean-shaven and she could smell his subtle but enticing cologne from across the table.

The server left and they lapsed into their uncomfortable silence.

He looked over the menu, ignoring her, his eyes just as hard as his body was tense. She had to admit, he looked enticing that way. She couldn’t help but stare longer at how gorgeous he was. Especially when se imagined him in scrubs. A fact she found disturbing.

Or that she imagined herself straddling his lap and biting his jaw.

When she looked her from her menu, she found him staring at her with a smug smile.

“What?” she snapped, self-conscious.

“Not leaving, I see,” he prompted condescendingly.

She gaped at him as the server set her drink in front of her. She closed the menu, her mind made up, a took a large sip. She smiled gratefully at the server before turning to Dr. Warren. He looked thoroughly amused.

“After you were rude to me the other day, the least you can do is buy me dinner,” she challenged.

Dr. Warren didn’t respond but she guessed it was because the server was looming over us, waiting for a chance to speak. He smiled at them, apparently unphased by her statement.

“Are we ready to order?” he asked pleasantly. Dr. Warren and she exchanged glanced before reluctantly nodding.

She ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and added whatever little think to rake the bill up. She secretly hoped Dr. Warren didn’t up and leave, because she couldn’t afford to pay for both of them after all the moving expenses and security deposits she had to pay recently.

But the thought was a small part of the vicious glee she felt on ordering.

To her surprise, he ordered something equally expensive before handing back the menu with a pleasant smile. He even thanked the server.

Alone again, they sipped their drinks silently and avoided eye contact. And all she could think about was find out what he was plotting.

‘What is his deal? Why isn’t he talking?’

She glanced at him several times and found him lost in thought, purposely avoiding her gaze. The server eventually brought her new drink. Just as she suspected they would finish the meal in silence, Dr. Warren shifted in his seat and spoke.

“I’m sorry about what happened the other way.” She was surprised he was apologizing. But what brought her back to reality was his next words. “However, you still shouldn’t have contradicted me in front of my patient.” His voice was calm and certain. He felt strongly about the issue.

Irene thought for a moment and decided to be honest. “I agree. It was unprofessional of me. But you should know I did it on purpose to piss you off.”