seven.

I never wanted to bolt out of an establishment as much as I wanted to at the moment. I’d like to think that I was overwhelmed with inexplicable emotions that was why I agreed to meet with the people behind the email for dinner. It was the same overwhelming and inexplicable emotions that made me forget the things that I had to go through before I agree to anything.

Because of my excitement, I forgot that I needed to condition my mind that the meeting wasn’t a force arrangement for me to socialize. But I already gave out my word and I hated having to send an email composed of a pathetic excuse of my absence. Besides, I was already in the location and was fifteen minutes early. The waiters have already seen me and if they happen to ask, I was certain that they would be told that I came and then bolted. 

It was either I swallow my anxiety or deal with an embarrassing situation that would soon follow if I left. As much as a part of me was incredibly against it, I went with the former. With my fingers constantly tapping on the surface of the table, I waited for the people who emailed me to arrive. I didn’t know them but they’ve given me a name and made a reservation in this fancy restaurant. If they were going to stand me up, I doubt that they would’ve made an effort on the reservation.

Another ten minutes later, two men arrived. One was tall and had a lanky built and wore a blazer over a striped shirt. He had a nose-ring and the start of a tattoo seemed to be peeking from his neck. But he had a warm smile on his face and a kind glint in his brown eyes.

The other guy was shorter by three inches and curly blonde hair that he didn’t bother to tame. He wore round and fashionable glasses over dark eyes and had a dimple on his chin when he smiled. He looked more casual than the other guy, only in dark denim jeans and a button-down shirt. Unlike the other guy, he didn’t seem to have any tattoos or piercings.

“Hi, we’re Lennon and Kyle, the one who sent you the email. Zoey McKenzie, right?” The shorter one asked, offering a hand for me to shake. I stood up slowly, shaking his hand cautiously and motioned for them to sit although that gesture seemed redundant because were they just supposed to hover over me while we had the meeting?

“Our actor’s running a little late because he had something come up but he’ll be here soon. Why don’t we order and wait until he arrives to start the meeting?” The taller one suggested. I wanted to ask which one of them was Lennon and which was Kyle but I couldn’t help but think that it would be rude of me to do so.

I also didn’t have any appetite because my stomach was in knots at the moment. I hated having to meet with strangers on my own. Technically, I should already be a pro at this given that it was what my job entailed me to do. I was a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company and most of the doctors that I see on daily basis were strangers to me.

But I’ve learned to separate my work life from my personal one. I’ve also learned to create a different version of myself at work to survive. So the usual version of me- the one currently sitting across two men she just met- didn’t know what she was meant to do in her current situation.

“I’ll just have a glass of sweet tea,” I muttered, playing with my hands under the table. Lennon and Kyle looked at me, both confused.

“Did you already eat?”

I swallowed and nodded. “Yea, I’m all good.”

“What about dessert? Or something else to drink? I hear they have really expensive wine here. If you’re worried about how much it’ll cost, it’s the actor’s treat.”

Shaking my head, I tried to flash them a smile but I was certain it was more like a grimace. I hated that I was coming off as someone who couldn’t afford the food on the menu. To be honest, I could afford a full-course meal if I wanted and it’ll barely cause a dent in my account. “I’m okay, really. Don’t worry about me and order what you’d like.”

The taller guy wanted to say something more but the shorter one nudged him and subtly shook his head after staring at me for a little while longer. He waved the waiter over to our table and they gave out their order but I was surprised that they ordered three meals. When the waiter left, I raised a hand at the two to catch their attention since they were quietly having a conversation with each other.

“Why’d you order three meals?”

The shorter one flashed me an easy smile. “Don’t worry. The actor texted Kyle and said that we should order for him.”

“Oh.” That was all I could really say. The next minutes that passed were painfully slow for me. The two of them tried to include me in their conversations but I’ve already mastered the art of dodging that. At some point, they realized that I wasn’t here for small talk so they quietly talked to themselves while we waited for their order and for the other guy to arrive.

Eight minutes after the food arrive, another guy arrived at our table. He seemed out of breath, panting heavily before he collapsed on the chair beside me. “God, the traffic here is horrible! I’m sorry if I made you guys wait for so long. Leslie called me an hour ago saying that someone wanted to check out the building and rent one unit so I had to go and handle that.”

Lennon chortled across from him. “You hired your own sister to look after that commercial building but you run your ass there as soon as she calls. What are you paying her for, Mase?”

I sat there, stunned in silence as I watched the three of them interact. If I wanted to bolt earlier before Lennon and Kyle came, the urge was greater right now. He hasn’t even turned his head in my direction so if I bolted right now, he wouldn’t know that it was me. I had a bit of time and the three of them were so busy with catching up, I was certain they wouldn’t notice me leave.

Reaching for my bag, I hastily grabbed it and was ready to make a dash when one of them said something in my direction. “And the writer we were telling you about, Mase, we’d like to introduce you to Zoey McKenzie.”

Ah, shit.