That Sinking Feeling

The café was much more crowded than I pictured. I don’t know why, really; A café really is a popular place  to be on a Friday night. I looked around for SimplySarah86 with trepidation. Looking at all the almost-twenties in the coffee joint made me acutely aware of how long it had been since I was in the dating pool. I felt so out of place trying to find my blind date from the internet.

Then, all of a sudden, there she was. Her long blonde hair played over her shoulders, and emerald eyes beheld a beautifully designed tribal mask in the corner. The bird of paradise flower she held in her hand signaled to me that she was my date for the evening. My heart caught in my throat. She was much more beautiful than her outdated pictures had lead me to believe… She was smart and funny, and now, she was beautiful, too.

I became utterly unsure of myself. I could feel my blood rushing through my veins too quickly… This gorgeous young woman was absolutely out of my league. I turned back to the door, my hand on the handle. Every impulse in my body told me to run away. I stopped; time stopped. ‘Is this it?’ I asked myself. ‘Am I just going to run away out of doubt?’ I closed my eyes. I swallowed. I turned around.

Walking to her table, I pulled the chair out. I sat down, and forced a smile. “Hi, I’m Todd.” I managed.

Sarah looked away from the mask and smiled, a small twinkle in her eyes. “Wow. Your picture doesn’t do you justice, Todd.”

“I was just thinking the same about you.”

The evening passed wonderfully, and at the end, we exchanged phone numbers.

I’m glad I turned around.