I nod because I can’t think of anything else to do, and scan the crowd again. Just then, the door opens, and a man with a blue shirt walks in. He’s definitely heavier than I expected him to be based on his profile, but he does have brown hair like the man in the picture. I wait to see what will happen. He appears to be searching for someone.
Dev gestures with his chin. “Maybe that’s your guy. I should probably go, give you your space.”
“Okay,” I say, not really paying attention to Dev anymore. I’m focused on this new guy, trying to figure out if he’s the one I saw in the picture. I don’t think he is, though. His nose is totally different. Would somebody Photoshop a different nose onto his face like that? I should’ve looked at that picture more closely. I should’ve printed it out. Dev warned me that people play games on those sites. Imagining this guy being my date, I could just picture myself holding the printout up at his face, pointing at it in anger, and yelling, “Explain yourself, sir!” Photoshopping dating site pictures should be outlawed and violators pelted with rotten eggs. I hate this. What am I even doing here?
“I’m going to go back over to the corner,” he says. “You give me a signal if you have any problems.”
Dev has all of my attention now. “What? Are you like my bodyguard?”
He seems confused. “No. Not unless you want me to be.”
Maybe I’m still hurting over the fact that he wanted us to go out with other people after breaking my bed. My response comes out crankier than I mean for it to. “I’m fine. I can handle myself. I have pepper spray.” I pat the side of my purse confidently.
“You should get a Taser, like your sister. I’ve learned from firsthand experience that it’s very effective.”
Before I can ask him for more details, he leaves me standing there. I’m alone next to the bar now, and the man with a fake nose who I thought might be my date walks over to join a group of friends and grabs a beer from one of them. They all laugh at something he says.
If he is my date, he can forget it. I didn’t sign up for a fake nose or a group gathering. My righteous indignation disappears a few moments later when a girl comes in the front door, walks over to the man, and gives him a hug and a kiss. Game over.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
I check my phone again; another fifteen minutes have gone by. I realize as I’m looking at the time that I’m not really interested in dating a guy who shows up fifteen minutes late to our first meeting. I respect other people’s time, so it’s only fair that they do the same for me.
Dev is busy looking at his own phone, so I don’t bother signaling him to let him know what I’m doing. I’m going to head over to the ladies’ room before leaving. My night is an official bust. I’ll just pee first, and then I’ll go home. I probably still have time to pop some popcorn and find a good chick flick to lose myself in. The night is still young, and so am I. Kind of.
I look in the bathroom mirror at myself and frown. What a shame that I got all dressed up for no reason. This dating thing sucks. I think when I was younger it was different. Times have changed and not for the better. These days, men blow girls off and Photoshop their faces, pretending to be someone they’re not. Jerks.
I leave the bathroom and come out into the tavern, scanning the crowd once more so I can at least locate Dev and say goodbye. But he’s not there. He’s gone. My heart gets a crack in it, and it’s not the good kind. He left without saying goodbye? And I thought my night couldn’t get any worse. Wrong again!
The sadness that I’m feeling right now is completely out of proportion to what’s happened. Dev is his own man and he was here to meet his own date. His leaving has nothing to do with me. I should be happy for him. Hell, maybe his girl showed up and they’re out in the parking lot making out in his car. Or maybe they really hit it off and they’re doing more than that.
I know I’m being ridiculous, but I can’t help it. I was only in the bathroom for five minutes, and I’m sad that he would take off without saying goodbye. It was actually kind of awesome seeing him here. It seems that I can’t get enough of this man.
I walk outside to my car, but when I get ten feet away from it I stop short. There’s somebody waiting for me. I have a momentary heart attack until I realize it’s a very tall man in a blue shirt. Dev. My heart soars like it has wings, like it has rocket boosters attached to the bottom of it and somebody has lit the fuse. I want to sing like Maria in The Sound of Music. The hills are aliiiive!
I try to bust out my sexy walk on my way over, but end up twisting my ankle in my stupid new shoes. Dev’s arms go out like he’s going to try to help me, but he’s still five feet away. I recover without actually busting my ass, thank all that is holy, and limp the rest of the way over. I pull my keys out of my purse to distract him from commenting on my very ungraceful entrance.