"You look amazing, Makayla."
The woman in question blushed and sat in the chair pulled out for her. She had expected a compliment or two; hearing the man speak of her in such a way made her nervous. A soft chuckle left her mouth, and she quickly covered it up with a low cough.
Her date didn't notice and moved to sit back down. They were in a restaurant that reminded the brunette of the 1950s. The glamour was overwhelming, and the fake animal sculptures made her queasy. This she kept to herself, as it would show just how out of place she was.
Because she was a stranger. Someone who never had her head above the water like everyone else did. She had an average life that she enjoyed for a time, but eventually became sick of. Makayla's hand trembled as she took one of the free bread loaves given to them.
It felt soft, and the butter was perfectly spread over the top by the restaurant's tenured team. She was going to take a bite out of it, but stopped when she noticed everyone else. Nobody was eating. Instead, they nibbled and pushed their food around as they spoke.
This place was for appearances more than actual chit-chatting. She wondered why her date had brought her to such a place. Makayla became even more anxious and tensed up. Sweat dripped down the side of her dainty forehead as she started to overthink.
The man noticed and reached across the table. His hand touched her fist, and he helped her let go of the fork she was desperately clenching. Makayla hadn't even realized that she had been so outwardly scared and felt embarrassed. She sighed and leaned back in her seat to relax.
"I'm sorry. This whole thing has just been a lot for me." The brunette confessed with the man's hand, feeling warm against her clammy skin.
He made no move to stop her confession, so she kept going. "When you sent me an invitation to meet, I didn't know what to expect. I mean, you're you! You've been on the bestseller's list a dozen times."
Makayla had read some of the man's books as a child, which made it even weirder. Her date was a middle-aged author who had more success than the brunette could ever dream of having. Receiving a message from him was a surprise she struggled to believe for a while.
Only when he had sent a request to video chat did it hit the twenty-something that this was real. Her heart fell into her ass and she tried not to vomit when the man showed up with a smile on his face. The author had read some of her magazine work and loved it.
This led to the offering of a friendly date of sorts, fully paid by him. She smacked herself after the call ended to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Her palms were drenched in sweat when she arrived, and now she had the man touching those wet hands without a grimace.
He chuckled at her, buttering him up, and patted her hand. "You're selling yourself short here. You're a spectacular author yourself."
If Makayla could get to and scream, she would. The twenty-three-year-old had never felt so excited. She was thrilled that someone she saw as her idol could see her work as good. Her body began to tremble, and she managed to keep herself from fainting as she spoke.
"Thank you so much!" The brunette had to thank the man for his sweet words. These compliments weren't meant to be taken lightly.
He smiled, and a dimple appeared on his cheek. "It's only the truth."
Makayla let out a meek, stumbling another thank you his way before shutting her mouth. Her excitement was uncontrollable as emotions stirred throughout her body and ran wild. The man was acting like this was an actual date and not a meeting between like-minded people.
Realizing this made her feel a little woozy. She was saved by a server coming to give them their drinks, and she quickly took a sip. This kept her mouth occupied, and her brain could not embarrass her any further. The cold, carbonated drink replaced her adrenaline with calm.
