The Plan

“A double what?” I asked, my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide. Simone stood in the bedroom we shared, one hand on her hip and the other holding up a dress. She sighed and smirked slightly.

“A double date m’dear; Mike and I were going out to dinner and then his friend Alex came in town and we decided to make it double and bring you,” she explained. I sat down on my bed, my head spinning.

“You both decided or Mike decided? I’m having a tough time figuring out why you both hate me so much.”

“We don’t hate you,” she scoffed, handing me the dress. “We just realize that you’re lonely and bitter and so is Alex, who is subbing as bass tech on this tour by the way, so you should totally date. Put the dress on and some makeup, you have ten minutes.”

I started to strip in front of her as she started putting on mascara with a doleful expression. The back of my throat ached and my eyes burned because I wanted to cry so badly but instead, I searched through my drawers for my blue satin pushup bra.

When I got around to pulling on a matching thong, I deemed myself able to speak.

“I actually already had plans for this evening, which I’ll now have to cancel,” I said coolly, trying to maintain a casual air. I wasn’t nervous for this date. I didn’t even want to go on it. Instead, I faced it with dread and a pure sense of dedicated rebellion.

“Oh really? Plans to pack more boxes of t-shirts or to watch reruns of Bones all night?”

“Actually Andy wanted me to help him pack and then we were gonna go out to eat,” I said delicately, pulling the dress over my head. It was casual, but actually really nice. It came to a bit less than mid thigh and was strapless, with different patterns.

It was uniquely me and I gave Simone props to that.

“Oh please,” she said, twisting the cap back onto the mascara and looking at me flatly in the mirror, “Having sex with Andy is a horrible way to spend the evening.”

“What about having sex with Andy?” Andy asked, walking into the room promptly. I sighed, pulling my bangs back with a bobby pin and inspecting it to make sure it was straight enough. He lounged casually on the edge of Simone’s bed.

“Kelly was gonna have sex with you tonight but now she’s coming on a blind double date with Mike and I,” Simone explained, handing me the eyeliner she knew I was looking for. While tracing my eyes, I noticed how rigid Andy looked. He wasn’t lounging anymore.

“I think Kelly was actually gonna help me pack and eat with me.”

“Yeah, and then totally sleep with you.”

“Simone’s right; I was going to sleep with you,” I admitted, shaking my head and grinning. I applied my mascara and brushed a little bit of blush over my cheeks. I went in my closet for a pair of gladiator sandals and a bright cardigan I knew would match.

While arguing jokingly with Andy, Simone squirted me with perfume and then herself. I pulled my bag from its spot on my bed and smiled apologetically at Andy, who was giving me puppy dog eyes.

“I’ll be back soon,” I said, patting his head gently. He frowned.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t wait up!” Simone said, pulling me by my hand out the door as there was a swift knock at the front one. I allowed her to drag me through the living room. Andy followed us, probably just as curious as I was to see my date.

Mike looked chipper to see me standing in one piece and looking mildly attractive. Alex, my date for this evening, looked mildly nervous and just as curious as I must have. He was wearing tight, dark jeans and a plaid shirt covered by a leather jacket. His long dark hair looked shiny and soft, a small hint of bleached hair peeking around by his left ear.

“Kelly, this is Alex. Alex, this is Kelly,” Mike introduced, wrapping an arm around Simone’s shoulders and leaning down to peck her lips. I played shy and smiled warmly before biting my lip. Knowing that he was subbing as bass tech obviously meant he played bass, he scored a few points.

The only bassist I wanted was standing directly behind me.

“Hey Mike would I be able to talk to you for a second?” Andy asked. His voice was quiet and calm, a sign that he was angry. I looked up to see his bright pink cheeks and intense glare. Alex also noticed, looking between him and me, I shrugged and smiled.

“We have reservations to make,” Simone said, placing her hand on Mike’s stomach territorially. She did that often and now, she lightly pushed him out the door. Andy did nothing about it, opting to pull me in for a long, tight hug.

I hugged him back obviously. I mean, I dunno this was just awkward. My date was watching me hug the guy that I liked which also happened to be the guy he’d be working closely with for the next two months. Shoot me.

When he released me, I walked out the door and watched Mike slam it shut. He was angry, I could tell, and we all walked casually and silently to the car. Alex and I got stuck in the back to awkwardly sit in silence.

“Where are we going?” I asked as Mike pulled out of the parking lot. Simone turned in her seat. “Do we have another vegetarian?”

Alex nodded somewhat sheepishly and I sighed. I was constantly surrounded by vegetarians. I rarely got to eat meat, as my closest friends always gave me disgusted looks. I grinned at him and shrugged my shoulders.

“There’s a new place I think, or it’s the old place but new management. Whatever, we’re gonna try it out and see,” she said from the front. I looked through my phone idly, checking it for texts I knew I wouldn’t have. I tweeted but there wasn’t much to say; I knew Mike would see them all.

One New Message: Simone
talk to him!!!

I wish I could plan my love life the way I planned my best friends’ love life.

I tucked my phone away and remained quiet. After what seemed like an awkwardly long amount of time, we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. Alex and I walked side by side behind Simone and Mike, continuing our tirade of intense silence.

We were seated at a booth where I sat next to Simone and across from Alex. I made a big show of hiding behind my menu and playing quiet. It was nerve-wracking to be sitting across from someone I’d never met and be on a date with them simultaneously. Blind dating was dumb.

We all ordered and I sipped at my lemon water. Simone and Mike dominated the conversation and it was adorable, as usual. They chatted casually over a book Mike was reading currently and she poked fun at the way he pronounced the word ‘mirror.’

“So Alex,” I said coolly, “You play bass?”

All eyes snapped to me and I could see the small smile on Mike’s face.

“Oh, um, yeah. I’ve played for a while.”

“That’s cool. And you’re tech for Andy?” I asked, nodding. He casually sipped some water and then shrugged.

“Yeah, I’ve been friends with Josh for a while and he hooked me up with the gig. I’m pretty excited about it,” he said. I didn’t know who Josh was. I figured that I might as well make the most of this set up, even if it was the dumbest thing I’d ever seen.

“Touring with these guys is great, if you like obnoxious laughter at three in the morning and chasing drummers out of trees,” I recalled. Mike’s eyes twinkled with mischief. Tour was always our favorite part of the job.

“We have to kick the girls’ asses this time,” he said, a faint smile on his face. Simone and I got away with dying all of the crew member’s hair pink, or variations of it, last time. The band had gotten a lucky break on that one.

“Yeah, okay. Kelly and I are too quick to be caught and too clever to be tricked love,” Simone said, shaking her head. I laughed at that one. We were an unstoppable duo on tour. I felt invincible as we traveled, like my personality wasn’t contained and muted.

Dinner went by quickly. Tour was an easy route of conversation and it led up avenues for music tastes and concert experiences. I ended up recounting the tale of how I met Mike and then how I met Simone and how they met.

Alex was really nice. He laughed at all of my jokes and when he felt comfortable, made his own. I figured he was just the shy and quiet type.

So when we reached the apartment door and his lips brushed against my cheek and he whispered a promised “see you soon,” I was a little surprised. Not because he was too forward; I’d had guys pin me up against walls after first dates that went beyond worse than this.

No, I was surprised because I’d actually felt a little something in the pit of my stomach.