It was the perfect date night a girl could ever have... considering it was an online date.
As Lizzie got off the taxi cab onto Manhattan's Upper East Side, she recalled the profile pictures of him holding up his dog on one arm and a red solo cup in the other and another picture of what looked like him wearing a superhero costume at a Halloween office party, and smiled.
Their conversations were pretty standard:
Hey.
Hi! How are you?
Good, what do you like to do for fun?
I like to read, go to museums, go to the movies, beach, and travel.
The list went on and on with pretty generic conversations but which eventually led to David asking Lizzie out on a date. Unlike the other guys she was talking to through the site, this one seemed like a guy she would be generally attracted to, too good to be true. He looked like the kind of guy you'd find on the cover of a romance novel.
But Lizzie knew that being attracted to pictures and actually meeting them in person was completely different, which was why it was important that they met as soon as possible. She didn't want to be catfished.
As she walked up to a very trendy- looking restaurant called Boqueria, she thought of how surprised she was that he suggested they meet in person. Most guys didn't. They either wanted to keep texting for as long as possible before ghosting because they couldn't keep up a conversation or just stop writing all together after the first hello.
But this guy's different, she thought as she slyly took out her compact mirror and fixed her lipstick. She rubbed her lips together after lightly blotting them, loving the light taste of cupcake that her favorite matte shade gave her.
Lizzie nodded her approval. A dusty rose mauve was always a good shade for a first date, especially with her cool toned complexion.
Right before she opened the sliding glass door, she ran her fingers through her hair, giving herself one more look of approval through the window of her door before straightening up her black jacket and walking over to Boqueria .
Lizzie was rather impressed that David chose this place. Her other dates were completely clueless on what kinds of places to pick and what a girl like Lizzie would like- preferring to take her to a T.G.I Friday's or any other chain restaurant that you would find on Times Square. So it was a plus in her book that he chose something so chic.
With her head held high and a slight smile on her face, Lizzie entered through the glass doors of the restaurant and did a quick scan to see if she saw anyone matching Maximus 3000's pictures- tall, jet black hair, a lean, muscular build, and a nice pair of jeans with a dinner jacket..
Nope. She didn't see him.
Approaching the hostess, who was shuffling menus and completely not paying attention to her patron, Lizzie cleared her throat and awarded the petite girl with a friendly smile.
"Hi, excuse me, but can I..." Lizzie quickly scanned the room, trying to make a quick decision as to whether she should get a table or sit at the bar. " Hmm... I think I'll go sit at the bar and wait for my date. If a guy comes in asking for Lizzie, tell him that's where I'll be."
The hostess quickly nodded and returned to her shuffling and organizing, not giving Lizzie a second thought once she realized she didn't have to personally seat her anywhere.
Lizzie walked with her head held high to the stool that was in perfect view of the main entrance door and leaned forward in her seat.
"Hey," she called to the nearest bartender, why inconveniently had his back turned to her and was quickly washing a dirty glass. "Can I get a glass of rosé?"
"Sure thing, sweetheart," he said, grabbing bottles of liquor and a glass with rapid speed, mixing and shaking various liquids until a familiar, slightly pink color filled the empty glass.
"Here you are," the bartender, who Lizzie quickly saw because of his tag that his name was Diego, said with a smile. He placed a napkin underneath her drink and slid it down the bar to her. "Is there anything else I can get you?"
"That's all for now Diego. Thanks."
Diego's eyebrows shot up at that. He probably wasn't used to patrons calling him by name or even attempting to figure it out on their own without him telling them. "No problem," he said before returning to his other customers.
Lizzie took a sip of the drink, closing her eyes as she savored the fruity, flowery taste. It was just last year before she graduated college that a friend of hers introduced her to the girly, classic drink.
She was so entranced with Diego's bartending skills that she barely noticed someone sliding into the stool beside her.
"Liz...Lizzie, right?" a semi-deep voice said to her right.
She whipped her head in the direction of the voice and jumped a little in her seat, startled. Once Lizzie looked him up from head to toe, she knew she was in serious trouble.
Yeah, sorry. You surprised me. David, right? From Bumble?" Lizzie asked, not caring to hide how she was checking out David from top to bottom.
He looked exactly like his pictures and so far, so good. He was a ten in her books, with his straight black hair that shone as dark as midnight and his icy blue eyes. Though he wore a suit, it was fitted enough that Lizzie could see a hint of muscle definition beneath. In other words, hot beyond words. Now that she was right next to him, looking at him in person after a couple of weeks of writing through the site, texting on the phone, and talking on the phone last night for the first time, she felt a tiny spark growing inside her. It was a strong response to him and an obvious sexual attraction she couldn't deny.