Chapter Two Blind Date

 I reached Kate's apartment and found her in the kitchen, cutting up the vegetables for tonight's supper. My mood was a thousand times better than when I first arrived in Columbus; I couldn't help but wear a massive smile on my face." Hey Katie Bug!"

   Kate turned around from the counter long enough to greet me with a smile. "Tati! I thought I heard you come in. Dinner will be ready real soon!" She turned back around, busying herself plating the tomatoes.

 I walked over to the kitchen island and set the bag of apples down." Would you care if I baked an apple pie?"

 Kate washed the knife she was using and put it in the drainer by the sink. "Of course not! Help yourself to the kitchen. The ingredients you should need are all in the cabinet closest to the stove, butter is in the fridge, and my pots and pans are under the sink."

 My smile reached my eyes." Thanks, Kate!" I walked over to the cabinet to take out the ingredients needed to make the pie and set them on the counter. Kate finished putting the chopped veggies in the fridge and left the kitchen. I walked over to the sink and bent down to look underneath it for a pie pan and mixing bowls.

 Mentally, I went through the list of ingredients one last time before cutting and peeling the apples. I sat them aside and melted the butter in the microwave. Once the butter melted, I mixed it with cinnamon, sugar, and brown sugar.

     I saved making the pie crust for last; unlike Mama, I couldn't make a thin flaky pie crust to save my life. By the time im done, my clothes have a coat of flour. Wearing a smile on my face and a sense of achievement, I put the pie in the oven and set the timer to bake.

 

     I walk out of the kitchen to get cleaned up, and as I pass the front door, I hear someone knock.

Kate called out, "Tati can you get the door?"

   I opened the door, not thinking much about it. Most likely, it would be Kate's parents. Instead of seeing Mr. and Mrs. Hall, I was caught entirely off guard. There Axon stood, holding the same dozen roses I helped him pick out. Instead of his eyes meeting mine, he was looking down at his feet.

  My mouth hung wide open for a moment, not exactly knowing what to say or do." Axon, what a lovely surprise. What are you doing here?" I probably sounded rude, I tried keeping my smile, but it was fading fast. My nerves had gotten the best of me.

  His eyes trailed from the floor to mine, parting his lips slightly, he smiled a crooked smile. "Tatianna?"

 Kate walked over to the door a gleam in her eye."Oh great! You guys have met."

I looked at Kate in confusion, slightly arching my eyebrow. Is Kate Axon's blind date?

He turned from me and grinned."You look well, Kate!"

Kate nudged me towards him and grinned like a Cheshire cat."Axon, this is Tati, the girl I told you about."

He smiled, his cheeks a rosy red. "It's lovely to see you again, and you must be my blind date?"

I'm going to kill Kate! She knew that I'm in no shape to date. Hell, I haven't even officially broken it off with Jackson. I will when I've calmed down enough not to kill him or cut off his unmentionables.

Kate smiled before she said, "Well, I better be going now."

My eyes looked anywhere, but near Axon, I said to Kate, "Wait! You didn't tell me you were going out?"

" I'm sorry, Tati, it completely slipped my mind. Enjoy your date!" She quickly exited the front door, not giving a second glance back or time for an argument.

 Well, at least she made tacos. "Will you excuse me, Axon? I need to freshen up. Just make yourself at home."

 He walked through the door in a daze and took a seat on the couch.

 Quickly, I ran off to the guest bedroom to change my clothes. I looked at my appearance in the vast stand-up mirror, Just as I thought I'm wearing a coat of flour from my head to my toes. Great, just great; I didn't have time for a bath or a shower, so I shook the flour out of my hair and undressed. I slipped on a fuzzy red sweater dress and black leggings. Along with a pair of grey fuzzy sweater boots. I quickly looked at myself in the mirror, teasing my straight, long, black hair." Good enough!"

I walked down the hall and into the living room. Axon stood up and handed me the roses. "These are for you."

I smiled and took the roses. "Thank you! I better get these into some water. I'll be right back!"

I walked into the kitchen and searched for a vase. Finally, I found one underneath the sink. I cut the bottom of the roses and set them in the vase filling them with water. I carried them into the dining room that joins the living room and put them on the table.

At a brisk pace, I walked back over to the couch and sat beside him.

"What smells so heavenly?" He asked as he sniffed the air.

My smile reached my eyes, and my cheeks flushed at the compliment."' I'm making a homemade apple pie."

"You bake?" His eyes grew large as if he was surprised by that.

I took my bottom lip in between my teeth and lightly chewed, looking down at my fidgeting hands; I said, "I used to, but I don't ever get the chance anymore."

"Right, you must be a very busy woman. Kate tells me you're in the process of starting your own business. I can give you some pointers if you'd like. I'm the owner and CEO of Blaze Enterprises. They specialize in technology upgrades, but enough about me. Tell me about yourself, like how do you know Kate?"

"Let's see." I touched my jaw and began to ponder. I can't very well tell him the truth, can I? "Kate has been my best friend for seven years now. We met during a.." Can I tell him how we met? Kate hasn't told him I'm a famous model, and I'm pretty thankful for that. He doesn't know who I am. Isn't this what I always wanted, someone who likes me for me?

"You met at a?" He says, nudging me to finish my sentence.

"At a business convention, and we've been best friends ever since." I lowered my head, so I didn't have to look him in the eyes. My stomach did flips, and I'm starting to feel guilty. I just met him, and I'm already lying. Maybe I've been around Jackson too long?

"So what kind of business do you plan on starting?"

I lift my head high and proud. Finally, a question, I'm sure of."I plan to start my clothing line collection. I've been drawing and designing for years; I've just never had the time to start up until recently."

"That sounds very interesting. What brings you to Ohio?" He says with a grin.

I'm not about to tell him the truth, so I'll let him know the partial truth. Answer the question with a question. Why not it works with the media?"What brings anyone here? Im Just having a mini-vacation while visiting my best friend, Kate. California can get quite tiring."

His hands start to get antsy; his smile is reaching his eyes."Kate never mentioned where you live. What part of Cali do you live in?"

"Los Angeles." I caught myself frowning.

"It's hard to believe you're my blind date.”He laughs a nervous laugh.

"My friend tends not to tell me things. Especially that she's set me up on a blind date." I smile, but I'm secretly planning how to get Kate back. Revenge sweet revenge.

He grins."Typical Kate!"

He acts as if he knows her; now I'm curious to know their story."How do you know Kate?"

"She's dating my best friend, Aiden."

My eyes grow large; I'm surprised, to say the least."Really? She never mentioned having a boyfriend." I have a feeling she hasn't mentioned him because of my breakup. Typical, Kate is always trying to make everyone else happy.

"They've only been dating a few months. I just found out myself. Aiden doesn't talk about his love life."

I let out a small sigh." Neither does Kate. Will you excuse me?” I head into the kitchen to get the pie out of the oven. “Why don't you have a seat at the table, and I'll bring the food."

He stands up to follow me. "How about I come and help you instead?"

"Okay, right this way!" I feel his eyes linger on me as we walk into the kitchen.

  I pick up the oven mitts and take the pie out to cool, turning off the oven in the process. Axon carries out the pot of meat on the stove as I gather the fridge's remaining ingredients. I walk into the dining room to find him waiting at the table. This date is going better than I expected.