She stared at her phone nervously. Was she really going to do this? It felt like a bad decision. It had been years since she's been on a date with anyone, though she's been thinking about it almost every day, just hoping for someone she could spend her time with. It wasn't like she was desperate for a man, her fingers did her just fine. It was the fact that she wanted a companion, someone she knew she could call on when she wanted to see a movie, go to a fancy restaurant. She saw her friends around her explore their own relationships, and she couldn't help but wonder what it was really like. That was why, at the age of 24, she finally mustered the courage to ask her co-worker to set her up with someone. She was incredibly wary that it might be a bad decision, but she didn't want to meet someone through an online dating site like everyone else did, and she also didn't fancy meeting anyone at a bar, either.
Her co-worker at the hospital, Sandra, went to the gym pretty regularly, and knew of a perfect guy for her. All she knew about him was that he was 35, black, pretty tall, and worked at a pretty decent job. It wasn't a lot to go by, but Sandra reassured her over and over again that they would be great together, and to just trust her. Katie didn't like that idea very much, but what was the harm? She would meet this guy, see how it goes, and then decide what she wanted to do after. She hoped he would like her, but wasn't so sure. It wasn't that she wasn't attractive. She was mixed race - Chinese and Persian, with long black wavy hair and thick rectangular glasses. She had a curvy body which she was always insecure about growing up, but learned to appreciate the more she grew up. She would rather be curvy than have small tits, anyways. She wore a black polka-dotted dress with thin strips and a heart-shaped line, showing off her greatest assets. She wore black tights to cover her legs in the autumn Canadian air, and shifted left to right as she waited outside the Tim Hortons, where they had agreed to meet.
She checked her phone once more - where was he? This was where they had agreed to meet, right? Maybe she got the wrong location. A thousand thoughts raced through her head, even though she was still around 15 minutes early. A few minutes she heard a clearing of the throat behind her, and she turned to look back. She was around 160cm, and had to look up at the man looking down at her. He had brown eyes, short-medium black curly hair, and an average body, though it was hard to see under the hoodie he wore. "Hi." He said, and waved his hand at her.
"Hi." Katie said in response, her heart pounding. Oh god, why did she agree to something like this? What was she supposed to say? She wasn't the type to be into a guy through physical characteristics alone, and needed to truly get to know someone and see how the dynamic went before feeling attracted to them. This made it difficult in the real world, and part of the reason why she hasn't been able to find anyone for her, yet. She was also a very cynical and sarcastic individual, and saw the world in a pretty dark light. She didn't like most people, finding them to be very superficial and fake at times. She preferred deep and soulful conversations rather than talks about the weather, but never wanted to force anyone into it, so spent most of her time people-watching instead, letting them do the talking at her.
"Um... you're Katie, right?" He said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Yes. And you're Joe?" She said, unable to look at his eyes from the nervousness.
"Yes! Nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out, and she shook it. It was weird to feel the warmth of his hands against hers so immediately, and her heart pounded even faster.
"Do you want to go inside and grab some coffee?" She asked, smiling gently.
"Sure." He opened the door in front of her, letting her in before him. She appreciated the notion, thinking it was sweet.
They stood in line waiting for the coffee, and Katie wondered if she should start the conversation to prevent the awkwardness. Before she could though, Joe began speaking. "So, how do you know Sandra?" He asked. Good. She thought. Someone who tried to make conversation.
"Oh, we're coworkers at the hospital." She replied, tilting her head slightly to the right.
"I didn't even know she worked at a hospital!" He exclaimed.
"I heard you two met at the gym?" She asked. She liked a guy who took care of his body.
"Yeah, I figured I'd keep up with my usual routine from Australia while I was abroad." He explained. They took a step forward as the line moved.
"You're from Australia? I had no idea." She said, bewildered. She had to admit that kind of turned her on a bit. A man with an accent and lots of culture.
He laughed out loud. "You didn't notice my accent until now?" He grinned.
"I did." She blushed, why was she so embarrassing? "I just couldn't place it. Everyone's so Canadian here, I barely hear any other accents."
He nodded. "People try to guess my accent all the time. They're usually wrong."
"That's why I didn't even try!" She laughed. She was already feeling really comfortable with him, which was a good sign. No awkwardness yet!
"Wait, so what do you do at the hospital? It must be pretty intense." He asked.
"I'm still doing my placements as a student but... basically I work as a cytotechnologist."
His eyes widened. "Um, what does that mean exactly?"
"It's hard to explain, and no one really understands me." She started.
"Try me."
"Basically I study cells, I look at them under the microscope and see whether or not they have malignant changes, like... becoming a cancer cell. We try to tell them before it gets any worse and start the treatment process. The most famous one is the pap smear." She said.
He nodded. "Okay, that does sound pretty intense. But also pretty important."
"It makes me feel like I'm actually helping people. I knew I wanted to help people and also love biology, so it was perfect." She said proudly. "What do you do, then?"
"I'm a senior manager at a major corporation, currently situated in Canada because I love to travel, so as soon as they brought up the opportunity to work here indefinitely... I snatched up the offer." He explained. She thought about it for a second. It was nice that he was placed here but... it would make it hard for them if they wanted to continue this. She didn't even know if she wanted to yet, but she was hesitant to put a lot into it if it wasn't going to lead any further than a few dates. Other than that, she loved people who loved to travel and explore other cultures, so that was a huge plus for her.
"Wow, what a coincidence that it led you here." She said.
"It's good it led me to you." He said, winking. She gasped internally. Did he just flirt with her?
They had finally reached the front of the line, and they walked up together. She looked at the server. "An earl gray double double, please. Medium." She glanced up at Joe.
"Uh." He said. "What's a double double?"
She laughed out loud, and the server did as well. "I see you haven't been to Tim Hortons yet. You have a lot to learn. It means two cream and two sugars. I like it in my tea. Trust me, it's really good."
He nodded. "Same for me then." She fished into her pocket for her wallet, and he shook his head and brought his credit card out instead. "My treat, since you're introducing me to such a new concept."
She laughed. "Okay then."
They stood aside waiting, and the two teas arrived almost immediately. He walked to a nearby empty table and she followed, and they sat across from each other, both holding their steaming cup of Tim Hortons tea. "Try it, I promise it's amazing." She said eagerly. She loved introducing people to new foods.
"I'm sure it'll be a little hot." He chuckled.
"Ah, sorry. I got too excited."
He shook his head. "Don't be sorry, I think it's really cute." She blushed again. He realized he liked making her blush. He confidently continued the conversation, "So, what made you want to go on a blind date?"
She stared at him. Getting right to the point, huh? "Well, I'm kind of picky." She started.
"Oof. I hope I'm doing a good job then." He joked.
She smiled back. "I don't know, I don't think you've won me over yet."
