First Impressions Are Everything

A Story by Katie2443

a short, light-hearted story about a first-date gone awry

They had established in their last message that she would wear acid-washed jeans and a pink top, and he would wear khaki shorts and a blue polo shirt. So, she hoped that her last-minute outfit change wouldn't ruin their chances of finding each other in this ridiculously crowded bar. She just felt that if this was the night she might meet her future husband, she should put in a little more effort than fifteen year old jeans. Besides, the flirty and lacy dark green dress she finally decided on complemented her emerald green eyes (and made her A cup breasts look almost average- almost).

She glanced at the digital clock hanging above the dismal display of beer bottles and liquor. 7:28 pm it read. They weren't supposed to meet until eight, but she had completely forgotten to set her clocks an hour later the night before. That is, until she overheard two drunken, screechy bimbo blondes sitting at the bar laughing like hyenas about how they had arrived at their tanning appointment an hour early because of "some dumb nightlife saving time rule."

So, there she was sitting in the same bar stool she had been for forty-five minutes occasionally fixing her hair of lip gloss using her skewed reflection in her tall, empty beer glass.

Of the eighty-something people in the packed bar, the only person she had so much as looked at the whole time was the sleazy, greasy-haired bartender. He had explained that it was his first day on the jab and asked if she'd mind sampling some of his "signature shots"- on the house of course. She had never been one to turn down free alcohol, and she figured some liquor might ease the anxiety of her first date in two years.

He set out five shot glasses in front of her and expertly layered colorful liquor on top of colorful liquor even lighting one of the concoctions on fire! At first, she insisted on only trying a couple, but the first two were so tasty and went down so smoothly that she figured another three tastings wouldn't hurt.

These five samples plus the three blue moons she had sipped on while she waited finally hit her around eight.

Seeing the clock and realizing that her date would appear any minute, she pulled out her phone to message him.

"I'm here but I can't fine you," popped up the instant she opened her phone.

"I'm here. Wearing a green dress" she typed and hit send only to see that her fingers hadn't quite hit the intended keys, and instead she had sent her date a mumble jumble of random consonants and commas.

Suddenly, she felt a soft tap on her shoulder. She eagerly spun around in her barstool a little too quickly and almost fell off of the stool. Luckily, two strong, tan arms grabbed her waist firmly but sensitively and propped her back up.

"Rachel,", asked the tall, dreamy figure, "is that you?"

Through her hazed, groggy view she could make out deep brown almost black eyes peering through a mess of wavy, sandy blonde hair. As she stood up to give him a hug, her foot got caught under the foot rest of the barstool. Her hands flailed around and reached out for the first thing they could find which ended up being a chiseled jawline, full lips, and some faint blond stubble.

"How'd you kno-know who I wa." She tried to use her most alluring voice, but instead she could barely slur together a phrase that came out in a pathetically fake and eerily husky voice. "So you must be," she paused her a few seconds half trying to remember his name and half lost in those intense dark eyes, "Derek."

This made him smile the most radiant, adorably crooked smile she'd ever witnessed. "I can see you started the fun without me."

She had been so focused on playing it cool in front of Derek, that she hadn't been paying any attention to her historically weak constitution. Before she could even turn her body away for her date, (who was actually supporting her entire body weight at this point) she best over and vomited.

The buzzing of her phone on her bed-side table finally woke her up at eleven a.m. She instinctively rolled over and opened her phone, the bright screen making her already throbbing headache ever worse. She had one message from Derek saying, "Hope you're feeling better this morning. Sucks that our date got cut short, but glad I got to drive you home. Call me when you can.

She was so mortified that she say up in bed for fifteen minutes and felt her cheeks heat up with regret. Once she had scraped up enough dignity, she dialed Derek's number and braced herself for the most painfully awkward phone call of her entire life.

"Good morning," said the vaguely familiar, cool voice on the other end, whad'ya say we try this date thing one more time."

The couple was engaged to be married seventeen months later.