Page 20 of Lucky
“I figured this was the happy medium,” I explain as I start the engine.“Still has power seats, though.”
She smirks.“My ten-year-old Honda has power seats.Big deal.”
“Exactly,” I say with a wink as we pull away from the curb.
“Where are we going?”
“I figured we’d start easy.Casual restaurant, best burgers in the city.Followed by some candlepin bowling.”
“Candlepin?”she asks, angling slightly toward me.
“The pins are skinnier.Balls are smaller.It’s weird and delightful.Very average-first-date energy.”
“It does indeed sound average,” she says.“I approve.”
We’re halfway to the burger joint before she finally asks what I was kind of hoping she’d bring up.
“So… are you going to TikTok this date?”
“I don’t know.Should we?”
She lifts a shoulder.“I’m not sure.I mean… I put this challenge out there for my followers to go on the journey with me.I envisioned me giving a summary at the end of each date, but you’re well known on the platform, so it’s not like it’s odd for you.”
“I’m cool with it if you are,” I say, and then an idea strikes.“How about we both sit down together after the date and tell everyone how it went?”
Her head turns my way, eyes illuminated by the dashboard lights and sparkling with interest.“That’s not a bad idea.”
“We can take video during the date, if you want,” I suggest.“I know to most people that would be weird, but for two elite TikTokers like us, it’s just a normal day.”Winnie laughs and I love the rich huskiness of her voice.“Except let’s agree no weird editing, no thirst-trap clips, unless you want a slo-mo of me bowling.I’d be okay with that and might even flex a forearm muscle for you.”
“Oh, please no,” she says dramatically.“Not arm porn.I’m not sure my viewers would recover.”
We laugh and I glance sideways at her quickly.“Why do you do it?”
“TikTok?”
I nod.
“I started it as a joke.Bad date venting, mostly.But then it turned into this… thing.People liked that I was unfiltered.And I realized how rare that is—being authentic.And well… that’s not hard to do, so I kept doing it.Little did I know I could make money at this gig.How about you?”
I check my rearview mirror to change lanes.“I started mine for fun.Locker room bits, chirping the guys, stupid snack reviews.Then one day I lip-synched to a Taylor Swift song and the algorithm declared me hot and funny.”
“You are funny,” she says quietly, then clears her throat.“And maybe also hot, but let’s not dwell on that.”
“Too late.You said it out loud.”
She flicks my arm and we both chuckle.
I turn into the lot of a retro diner not far from her house.Neon signs.Classic cars.Waitstaff on skates.
“You’ve been here before?”I guess.
“Only a hundred times.This place was a treat for my parents to bring me and my brothers.”I can tell by the excitement in her tone that this was a good choice.“I haven’t eaten here in a long time, though.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re seated in a retro booth lit by neon glow and string lights, sharing a basket of curly fries alongside our root beer floats.
Winnie dips a fry into her ketchup with surgical precision.“Let’s talk expectations.You’re not looking for anything serious, right?”
I chuckle as I drag a fry through her ketchup.“You’re not holding back, are you?”I glance at her as she sips her float and awaits my answer.I’m slightly distracted by her full lips that are, not going to lie, fully kissable.“Define serious,” I say.
