Sports Bro's Second Date Goes Differently

Several days later , Sports Bro was found in another set of disposable clothes and walked into the restaurant with Vanessa. He was worried but had faith that Scarlet knew what she was doing and would not purposely sabotage his entire social life. Getting seated at the same table and with the same decorations saw an entirely different scene play out. Vanessa had ordered a simple soda as opposed to the fancier and more expensive mixed drink that Claire had ordered. Instead of disgusting at the much simpler arrangement instead of the fancier tables they had passed, she had simply commented that there must be a party or group coming in and was just happy to get a seat. When the drinks came, he braced for the impact, but Scarlet simply placed the drinks down and left to wait at other tables. She came back and got their food orders, and he was starting to think she didn’t want to risk another scene and was going to cancel at the last second.

To his surprise, however, when Scarlet returned a while later with their two dishes, he was caught off guard when his food magically ended up in his lap. Startled once again, he jumped up expecting to be burned, but contrary to that expectation, he found the food was about room temperature - clearly designed to make a mess but not harm him. Sure enough, she immediately started trying to clean him off, and he once again found himself in the men’s bathroom, trying to make himself presentable again. With a decent amount of hesitation, he briefly wondered what he would encounter when he once again walked through that door.

Out in the dining area, Scarlet was picking up the food as quickly as she could and apologizing when a gentle hand stopped her frantic efforts. Looking up, she found Vanessa gazing down at her with concern. Vanessa grabbed a napkin and, with smooth movements, wiped her hand clean, checking to see if she had been burned, and upon finding no burns had reassured her that accidents happened and was relieved she was okay. Scarlet watched as she then began helping her clean the mess despite countless efforts to have her sit to the side. Giving her a wary side glance, Scarlet asked the question burning in her mind.

“Why are you helping me?”

Vanessa paused and, after turning her head in thought for a moment, responded, “Well because I can, I suppose. I have two working hands and it was obviously an accident and getting upset at you would do no good, you don’t stand to benefit anything from making a mess, in fact you risk being fired or losing part of your wages. I’d rather help and minimize any bad results for all of us so we can continue our days.”

With that, she gave Scarlet a blinding smile, and Scarlet knew in that moment that there was an obvious difference between the two girls. They were polar opposites in every sense of the word. However, there was still one thing that she needed to confirm for her employer. With a hesitant tone, she asked, “Do you think your boyfriend will be really mad at me when he comes out?”

Vanessa didn’t even hesitate in her response.

“Unfortunately he is only my friend. Maybe one day he and I will be more, but I know one thing for sure, which is that he will not be mad. He is a gentle and considerate person, despite his rough ways of showing it. If he gets mad at you or threatens any kind of retaliation, then he is not the man I have learned to adore and love so much.”

Scarlet at that moment knew she had her answer. This was not some girl crushing with half based feelings. This was a girl who knew her crush well and also had expectations for his character and choices. She knew then that Vanessa would not only be a great supporter for Sports Bro but also a means of accountability. He would never do anything to disappoint her, and she would thrive under his love. Having gotten the information she needed, she and Vanessa finished cleaning up, and Scarlet brought out a fresh dish while Bea once again signaled that it was all good for Sports Bro to come back out.

Finding no signs of chaos, Sports Bro hesitantly took a seat back at the table and, with a small nod of reassurance, began to eat with Vanessa. Soon enough, the two were in a world of their own, chatting and stealing bits of each other’s food, oblivious to the world around them. Scarlet took the opportunity to check on her other guests and to sneak over to the table Bea was casually dining at and give her a high five in thanks. After she slowly worked her way back over to the table, she subtly refilled their drinks and slipped away, giving them more time to chat. She purposely waited until their plates and drinks were empty once more before finally bringing over the check. Sports Bro paid once more and left a hefty tip due to his good mood.

Later that evening, Sports Bro was sitting on the couch watching one of his favorite teams play on the TV when his phone pinged with a new message. Unlocking his phone revealed a new text message from Scarlet, with just a simple reminder of the time and place they would meet next to get the results. He sent her a thumbs-up message and sent a text to his friend to join him for the final thoughts. He replied immediately that he would be there, as this was a show he did not want to miss. With that settled, Sports Bro went to bed, a mix of dread and excitement coursing through him.