Page 20 of Ember

“We haven’t ordered anything yet,” I said. “We were waiting for you.”

“Thanks.” Paper rustled again, and her voice took on a thoughtful tone. “I’ve never been here. I’ve heard amazing things.”

“I’m glad we chose it.” I listened to Rian shifting in his seat, and the soft clink of silverware, He was probably playing with his fork. The restaurant was lit nicely; it didn’t hurt my eyes even to sit near a light like we were.

The world was a layer of gray shadows and blobs. Even though Cindy was only two feet away from me, I only saw a big gray shadow that was slightly lighter gray than the person sitting at the table behind her.

I’d already had her profile read to me. Cindy was a blonde, blue-eyed, beta woman who worked as a marketing executive in San Francisco. She was thirty, five years younger than I was, and one year older than Rian. She liked the ocean, running along the beach, and going to aquariums.

I could see why the algorithm matched her so highly. She seemed like a nice blend of my and Rian’s personalities. She smelled pleasant, like baby power and freesia.

“We were talking about an appetizer,” Rian said. “Stuffed mushrooms?”

“Oh, sure,” she said. Her tone of voice was a little high-pitched. I didn’t know her well enough to say if it was nerves or she didn’t like mushrooms but was trying to be agreeable.

“We could order a couple of appetizers if you’d like,” I offered.

“Mushrooms sound good.” She paused. “Have you two been with Cosmic Bonds long?”

“Nope.” I drank from my glass, the water cool against my lips. “You’re our first date.” I injected cheer in my voice.

“That’s wonderful.” She sounded genuinely pleased. “I’ve been on three dates. It was fine, but the chemistry wasn’t there.”

“My name is Marco and I’ll be your server for the evening.” The waiter’s voice came from my left.

Years of practice kept the surprise off my face. Another reason restaurants weren’t high on the list of my favorite things. It was harder to hear people. The soft sound of conversations floated around me, and it took a lot of concentration to listen for footsteps on the plush carpet.

“Can I start us out with some wine?” the waiter asked.

“None for me. I’m the designated driver.” I winked at Cindy and she gave a nervous chuckle.

Rian tapped my forearm. “He thinks he’s hilarious.”

“That’s because I am.”

Rian let out a long-suffering sigh, and I grinned. I had an entire repertoire of blind jokes I used to make sighted people more comfortable. I was hilarious.

“Can I have a glass of Bordeaux?” A pause from my omega and he said, “What would you like to drink?”

“Oh, ummm, the Bordeaux sounds lovely.”

“Excellent choice.” The waiter shifted his weight, the fabric of his pants making a soft sound. “Can I start you all off with an appetizer?”

Rian ordered the mushrooms, and the waiter left.

“How did you get into executive marketing?” I asked. I would be kind and attentive, and this would be a nice first date. I wasn’t over the moon over her scent, but scents weren’t everything.

“I got a marketing degree, and the firm headhunted me after I graduated,” she said, and paused. “I don’t mean to be rude, but did you need help with the menu?” She sounded uncertain.

Annoyance flashed through our bond, and I pushed calmness at Rian. I’d already told him to expect questions about me being blind. I was fine with it. It wasn’t like she was a complete stranger off the street trying to interrogate me.

“I’m okay, thanks.” I gave her a pleasant smile. “There’s an app on my phone that reads out loud, so I do that before I come to a restaurant.”

“That sounds great,” she said. “Have you been blind your whole life or…”

“Basically.” I ignored more annoyance coming from Rian. His chair squeaked a bit. I didn’t feel like going into the entire ins and outs of my diagnosis, but I figured giving her the big picture, ha ha ha, another funny joke, would satisfy some of her curiosity. “My vision has always been really blurry, but it’s gotten worse over time. I mostly only see gray shadows with blobs.”

“I’m so sorry.” She sounded sorry too.

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