Page 80 of Resting Grump Face
On Saturday night, he invites me to a date that, as he puts it,‘I might hate’.
29
RYKER
“Iknow I don’t have to actually say this, but —as you put it at my wedding— this is probably one of those things one is supposed to say in situations like this,” Phoenix explains on the other end of the line, “so whatever you do, please be careful not to hurt her.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I would never,” I answer in a rush of annoyance.
“I know, I know. It’s just that she is not always as tough as she’d like people to think she is. And she seems to like you. And it’s been a long time since you’ve actually allowed anyone to get close to you. It would be a shame if you were to just push her away.”
“Well, don’t worry. I am currently rethinking my one-date-perpetual-bachelor-policy, if that’s what you’re referring to. Not sure that’s still working out for me.”
“But haven’t you two been on like a dozen dates already?”
“First of all,” I explain, “no, we haven’t because we didn’t call it that. Secondly, like I said, maybe that isn’t working out for me anymore anyway. Which is why, thirdly, yes, I asked her out onan official date tonight and I wanted to get Olivia’s opinion on it, so can you please just give me your much more helpful wife?”
“Sure, sure,” he grumbles, “but first you’re going to listen to my very insightful advice about romance and relationships and love…”
There’s silence on the phone for a moment.
“Hm,” Phoenix grumbles again, “I really thought something thoughtful would come to me just like that. Doesn’t seem to be the case. Maybe just do whatever I did, because I ended up with the best wife anyone could wish for.”
“I knew he had a secret second wife somewhere,” Olivia jokes and takes over the phone. “What’s up, Rykes? Still in love with my best friend?”
“I am not— okay, whatever. I just need your opinion on something, alright?”
Olivia teases me for a couple more minutes, we plan to go on a double date soon, and she more or less approves of my plan for my (kind of) first date with Sienna.
That evening, I pick her up in my grandpa’s car and take her to the destination of what could turn out to be a dumpster fire of date, although, to be honest, I am not all that worried since even a dumpster fire of a date with Sienna would outshine every other date I’ve ever been on.
“That’s a taaaaall building,” she says with tightly pursed lips and crossed arms after we park the car and Miles pulls up next to us.
Robyn, Paige, Guy and Earnest, all dressed in their finest suits and dresses, slowly crawl out of the limousine. I help them to their feet and guide them towards the entrance.
“What are you guys doing here?” Sienna asks with surprise.
“We were invited to a romantic dinner by your boyfriend,” Paige explains as she hooks her left arm into Guy and her right into Earnest.
“Why don’t you guys go ahead,” I say. “They are already expecting you. We might be there shortly.”
I kiss my date and lead her into the lobby of the tallest skyscraper in the city. She observes as her friends get onto an elevator and wave her goodbye.
“Shit,” Sienna mumbles and crushes my hand a little. “You got us a table at Cloud 9, didn’t you?Any chance you brought me a pair of sneakers too?”
“Nope. Plus, our reservation is in,” I check my watch, “thirty minutes.”
“I’m never going to make that.”
“You will if you take this,” I say, press a button and watch as the doors to the elevator open.
“You invited my friends to pressure me into getting in there? You sneaky, sneaky snake, you.” Her hand is still wrapped around mine, still crushing it as the doors to the elevator close again. There are a few people in the lobby. Some checking into the hotel that’s situated in this building, some just leaving the offices on the higher floors.
“I did.” My mouth instinctually presses a kiss to the side of her head. “I figured it might be a good kind of pressure.” I turn towards her and let my hands glide into her hair. “Listen, Sienna. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Your wrinkle of friends will have dinner up there with or without us. I booked a room on the third floor and the restaurant will deliver their nine-course meal to us if we want, but?—”
“We’re going up there,” she says with conviction and presses the button that makes the doors slide open once more. “We will step over this gap, that is clearly too narrow for me to fall through,” Sienna is thinking out loud without moving an inch,“into this metal cage that will close us off from fast access to medical care, should we need it, and it will take us up and away from the safe ground, with what is probably a surprisingly thin metal cable that could snap at any moment.”
“Sounds so exciting when you say it like that.”
