The Catch

He seemed like the man of her dreams when she met him online.

           She didn’t mean for it to happen. One minute she was bored and stumbled across a website. The next she was having dinner, at a quaint Italian restaurant, the kind that didn’t use cheap glasses and served wine imported from Italy. She looked across the table at her date. His hazel eyes were the same color of his neatly cut hair. She said his name over and over in her head. She didn’t want to forget it. She knew him online as “Perfect4U87.” His real name was Dave.

            “Are you enjoying your dinner?” Dave asked.

            She nodded as she twirled her fork around her pasta. “I’ve never been to this restaurant. I’ve actually never been on this side of the city.” Her cheeks flushed.  Dave’s smile widened.

            “I’m glad I get to be your first.” He stared at her until she looked away.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.  

            “Nothing. It’s just that my parents would kill me if they knew I was on a date, especially with someone I met on a dating site, who’s older. They think I’m studying for midterms.”

            “Well, you’re a college student now. You do what you want, remember?”

            She nodded and took another bite of pasta.

            They went out four more times. He bought her flowers, perfume, and even a new purse. She gave him everything he wanted in return. One day he stopped calling her. He didn’t stop by her dorm with flowers. He didn’t take her out on dates. He didn’t do anything. She never went to that Italian restaurant again.

Author's Note

Flash Fiction piece for my fiction writing class.