A special thanks to "Aaroneous" for the great story suggestions and for all the time it took editing. I know how much patience and the length of time it takes to read through my stories and pick out the huge number of errors. It is greatly appreciated!
The Oddest of Set-ups.
The house party was in full celebration mode when I entered.
I saw the girl I was looking for. She was standing off to the side of the room, next to a group of other girls. A group of girls that were all desperately trying to stand out in the crowd by wearing sorority sweaters.
By choice, the girl I was looking for wasn't wearing one. She didn't need anything to help her stand out. This girl's beauty alone made her different from every other girl at the party.
The girl I was there for had an individuality that set her apart. The other girls worked hard to get noticed by the masses by wearing their "colors". And I suppose the sweaters did make them stand out in the crowd in one way or another, but I couldn't really say anything, because I was wearing my college letterman jacket.
Parties were not really my thing. In my first two years of school, they were, and I had gotten into a bit of trouble at one of them, but since then I've settled down. But tonight, I had a reason to be here.
I was there specifically to meet her, the beauty without a sorority sweater. We were both in our fourth year at Tennessee. This was a blind, well, not so blind, date. I had met her twice, maybe three times before at different events and she knew I played football. I knew only what my best friend had told me about her. I wanted to get to know her, but we had never crossed paths in any of our classes or at any other social gatherings.
My best friend at school, a guy who was also on the team, was dating this girl's best friend. Her friend and mine thought we might hit it off. They both had different reasons why they thought that, but because Marlon and I were so tight, Susan thought that if I were dating her BFF, it would be beneficial to us all.
Susan and Marlon knew Amanda and I had completely different backgrounds and values, yet they insisted on us at least giving it a shot. In the end, I believe it was more for them than for us, but whatever self-serving reasons they had, I still agreed to meet with Amanda, and she agreed to meet me. It was the oddest of set ups.
Like I said, we had met before, but she avoided me, and I really hadn't paid any attention to her. But watching her standing with Susan, and her gang of sorority friends, I felt compelled to take a closer look.
Yes, Amanda had a very pretty face, and it was accentuated by short brown hair. The cut looked almost like a sixties style of boy cut, but it looked so good on her I had trouble looking away. She was 5'4", maybe 5'5". Way shorter than me, but tall enough.
She was wearing a fall dress and her shoulders were covered by a sweater. Her attire seemed almost out of place, considering every single one of the other girls at the party had on jeans or yoga pants. But she looked good. Really good. Once again, I noticed how much she stood out in the crowd, even if it wasn't her intention.
Amanda knew we would be meeting tonight and, like me, she also knew what tonight was about. It was about our friends trying to set us up. It had every opportunity to turn out poorly, and to be uncomfortable in the future if it didn't work out, but we were going to at least try it for them.
Before making my final approach, I did a final check. Jeans zipped up. Hair okay. Breath even better. All systems were a go. I was nervous, but ready.
I tried my best to hide the shyness as I walked up to her group and stuck out my hand. "Amanda. Amanda Smyth?"
"Auston. Auston Dervers?" she said it in a witty tone. Her mimic was coupled with an accompanying smile.
"Sorry. Yes, I am. I was a little nervous coming over here."
"Was? You still look 'a little' nervous to me."
I turned my head and looked over to her BFF who was standing six feet away, and if the music were any lower, would have been in direct earshot. "That's because Susan said she'd beat me up if I didn't make a good first impression."
Amanda smiled again. "And how's that working out for you?"
"Remains to be seen. But I feel like I've made it out of the first round without getting beaten up too badly. I'll have to check the score card. Do you feel like getting a drink?"
"I don't, actually."
"Oh. Okay. Can I still talk with you for a bit?"
"Yes of course. I mean that I don't drink."
"Me neither. I mean, at least not during the season." We stared at each other for more than a few seconds. "Would you like to get a coffee or a pop?"
"Coffee, no, not from here at least. But I would love a cold pop."
"Perfect, I'll be right back." I took two steps and stopped. "Diet or regular?"
"Do I look like I need diet?" she said with a grin.
"I... um... I'm not sure..."
"Diet, please. I was teasing you."
I heard her chuckle at me as I went to get our drinks. Looking around the room, there were girls at the party that I "knew" there were girls who had tried to "get to know me" and others who, well you know, "everyone knew". Playing quarterback on a winning college football team has some advantages, and some major disadvantages.
Armed with cans of Diet Coke and glasses of ice, I returned to Amanda's side. The music had gotten louder, so I leaned in to close the distance between us. Apologizing for taking so long, the first thing I noticed was the soft fresh scent. Amanda smelled like a freshly cut bouquet of flowers. If I knew her any better, I would have put my nose to her neck.
She thanked me for the drink but didn't say anything else.
It was awkward to say the least. Both she and I could tell we were to topic of the whispers of the people standing around us. We both had the same uncomfortable feeling between us as we stood in silence. Her looking at the floor, me looking for an exit. Our "date" wasn't going well.
"You smell very nice." Honestly, it popped into my head. I needed something to say, and it was the best line I had.
"Thank you. It's called Bloom."
"Nice. Is it expensive?"
"I'm not sure. It was a gift."
"From a boyfriend?" WTF? What kind of question was that? I was fumbling all over my tongue. "I'm so sorry, that was a rude question. I shouldn't be so nosy."
"It's fine, Auston. But actually no. It was a gift from an aunt."
"Well, she has great taste. It smells wonderful on you." Wonderful? Did I just say wonderful? I was dying on my feet.
I drained my glass in two gulps, then toyed with ice for another ten minutes. Finally, Amanda had had enough and came to the decision that it was time for her to bail.
"Auston, thank you very much for the drink. I think I'm going to head back to my dorm."
I looked at my phone... 10:42 pm. Early night. I knew things weren't going well, I just didn't think they were going that poorly. There was no way she couldn't see the disappointment in my eyes, so she seemed to throw me a bone.
"Do you feel like walking with me?"
"Sure. Yes. Absolutely." I may have said it a little too eagerly.
*****
We walked in the cool October night air. It was only a few blocks to her place. I knew there was zero chance I was going to be invited up, so I took a different path.
"Have you ever had coffee and pie at Carmen's?"
"You're kidding, right? They have the best pecan pie in the world."
"Do you feel like going for coffee and a dessert?"
The change of direction was her answer. Ten minutes later, I was holding the door open for her as we entered the restaurant.
We found a booth in the back of the old diner. The air was filled with the scent of baking pies and coffee. That alone would have been enough to make me happy. We ordered black coffee and pecan pie, alamode.
"Thanks for coming. It means a lot to Marl..."
"Auston, look you're a nice guy. I mean everyone at school thinks so. You are also a very popular guy around campus. It's just that we come from different worlds and if those worlds were to collide, well, things wouldn't work out."
Shot down before the end of our first date. It hurt a little, so I asked her for an explanation.
"I mean I'm doing this for Susan, because she asked me to and you are probably only doing this because of Marlon, right? And to be completely honest, I know about all your girlfriends. I mean it's the talk of the school. Apparently, you are a 'player'. Both on and off the field."
The little bit of hurt became a full-on painful experience. I can only speak about my case, but she was right and wrong at the same time. There were always girls hanging around the team, wherever we went, but I wasn't "with" them. It seemed that lots of girls came my way, but what they wanted didn't always interest me. I don't mean sex, because I am interested in sex, a lot, but sometimes it comes at a cost with some of the girls who cling to the team.
So, normally I wouldn't waste my time defending myself. I just let people talk and think what they want, but tonight, I had nowhere else to be. So, I chuckled and shook my head.
"You're right. Marlon asked me to go to the party tonight, just like Susan asked you. Not once did he ask me to date or marry you. He just wanted us to meet."
I looked for our waitress. Nowhere in sight.
"Do you believe that?" I continued. "Do you believe what other people say about me?"
"Well, I..."
"No. You said, 'to be completely honest', so let's be honest. How many girls do you think it is? Give me a number. Is it something believable at least?"
"Fifty or sixty, so I'm told."
"So you're told? Well lucky me. I'm surprised with that many girls, I'm able to find time for my classes and football." I looked away, wondering where our order was. "Six, and two of those were in high school. Just so we can be completely honest."
"That's still a lot."
"By what standards?" I could feel myself becoming upset.
"Mine."
"Yeah. Tell me how many boyfriends you have had?" Yeah, definitely quarrelsome.
There was absolutely no shame on her face. She looked right into my eyes and told me.
"Zero."
"What? You mean to tell me you've never had a boyfriend, why?"
"What do you mean 'why'? It's not a bad thing. I took a virginity pledge. A vow of sexual abstinence. And I wear this." She showed me the silver band on her finger. "It's a purity ring. I plan on waiting until I get married." She must have noticed the odd look on my face. "It's not a bad thing."
"I didn't say it was."
"You didn't have to. It's written all over your face."
"Two coffees and two slices of pie. Enjoy." Saved by the waitress and her tray of goodies. We both said "thank-you" in unison.
I took two sips of coffee and a couple of bites of pie before I even looked back at Amanda. Even with us not hitting it off, she was still so pretty it made it difficult for me to concentrate.
Amanda seemed to be very intelligent and was very well spoken. There was an attraction, but just by the way she looked at me, I could tell it was a one-sided affair. She didn't have the same feelings for me as I had for her. That much was glaringly obvious. I wanted to let the subject go, yet my curiosity, as always, got the better of me.
"Is that a choice of your own or is it your religion's choice?" I had heard Susan talk about Amanda's religious beliefs.
"In the end, it's mine. I decide what's best for me. I am a Baptist, but I make my own decisions." She waited and watched for my reaction. "What religion are you, Auston?"
"None. I have never followed any religion."
"Why not?"
"I suppose it's because I'm a non-believer."
A deathly silence took over our table. I think for a minute or so, Amanda may have even stopped breathing. She looked at me with confused wonderment. Like I was the first person whom she had ever met that didn't buy into the whole organized religion thing.
"Auston, I know it's important to Susan and Marlon for us to be... friends, but I... I just don't think it's a good idea to continue pretending that we have anything in common."
