Choices of the Heart

When Dakota walked into the restaurant that her friend had told her the date was going to be at, she immediately started searching around to find the person she was supposed to be meeting. It was 5:00 PM, but then again Dakota liked to be early to things. She didn’t want to seem as if she was searching for someone though, so she opted to sit down at the bar and wait. Her friend said that the guy would know what she was going to wear, so she didn’t even bother giving her a description of the guy. It peeved her that she didn’t even know what her date looked like, but her friend promised her that he was good looking and nice.

“What can I get you?” a voice asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Dakota turned her attention towards the bartender and smiled. “A glass of Merlot, please,” she said.

“Coming right up.”

Dakota turned her attention to the patrons of the restaurant. She saw a bunch of couples and a few families sitting around the tables. Some were laughing and smiling and others were just enjoying themselves. Dakota enjoyed watching people.

“Ma’am, your wine,” the bartender said.

She smiled at him and gave him the money for it. As she picked up her glass her eyes wandered to the front door again. She watched the door open and a man in his mid-twenties from the angle she could see. She moved a little to the left to get a better view of this man. She wasn’t sure if he was her date or not, but she was impressed by his lean physique. She noticed his dark hair was spiked in all directions and she thought it suited him nicely. He was wearing a long sleeved, navy blue button down shirt and dark washed jeans. Dakota watched him as he walked through the restaurant with one of the hostesses. She sat him down at one of the empty tables meant for couples and then handed him a menu.

Dakota took her eyes off of him and returned it to her glass of wine. She glanced at her cell phone to check the time. The LCD screen read 5:30PM. Her date was supposed to be there at 6PM because she hated eating dinner late.

“Another glass?” the bartender asked.

She simply nodded and then watched him as he poured her the glass. She paid for the drink and slowly started to sip on the new glass as her eyes continued to watch the restaurant.



Brian had been immediately seated when he entered the restaurant his friends told him his date was going to meet him at. He was impressed that his friends seemed to have been able to pick a decent restaurant. He noticed the bar that was situated in the corner of the restaurant near the front. As he was being led towards his table he felt eyes watching him, so he subtly turned his head to see a young woman with long brunette hair staring at him. He continued walking until the hostess stopped next to a small table near the back of the restaurant that was meant for two people. He still had a decent view of the bar, which was nice. He opened his menu to see what he thought he might want to eat once his date showed up. As he searched the menu, he glanced down at his watch to note that the time was 5:30 PM. His friends had set this date up for 6:30, so he was an hour early. Usually, Brian would just barely be on time for things, but tonight he was a nervous wreck.

He had no idea what to expect from this girl, mainly because his friends didn’t give him a name. They just told him that his date would be wearing something yellow. As he waited, he caught a bit of movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head a little to get a better look at the bar, where the movement came from. His eyes landed on the brunette he had noticed watching him earlier. She was drinking a glass of red wine and drumming her fingers on the counter top. He noticed that she seemed a bit annoyed about something, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was. He watched her for a bit longer before he turned his attention back to his menu. He hoped his date wasn’t late, in fact, he hoped that she was someone who was precise on time because he was starving and everything he saw on the menu sounded delicious.

“Sir, can I get you something to drink to start?” a young waiter asked.

Brian looked up at him. His eyes quickly searched the drink menu before he turned his attention to the young woman at the bar. He smiled.

“Yes, a glass of whatever that girl over there is having please,” he answered.

“Certainly.” The waiter smiled and walked off.

He normally didn’t drink wine. His best friend, Johnny, was the one who drank the wine out of everyone, but something about the young brunette at the bar caught his attention. Brian thanked the waiter when he returned with his glass of wine. He then turned his attention back to his menu, so that when his date finally did decide to show up, he wouldn’t be indecisive on what he was going to eat.



Dakota slammed her phone down onto the counter of the bar. She was beyond livid. Her date was twenty minutes late and she had already consumed three glasses of wine. She was slowly working on her fourth one and had yet to eat something. She turned towards the bartender.

“Can I order some coconut shrimp please?” she asked.

“Of course. Would you like to eat it up here at the bar?” he asked her.

“Yes, please. I am going to use the restroom. Please make sure my wine glass is full for when I return,” she instructed.

“Of course,” he smiled.

Dakota slid off her stool and headed towards the bathroom. She was beyond pissed off at her friend for setting her up with someone who wouldn’t even show up to a date. She took her phone out of her purse and then sent an angry text to her best friend as she entered the restroom. Once the message was sent, she stuffed her phone back into her purse.

When she left the bathroom, she was on the phone with her friend. One thing Dakota hated the most was making a scene in public, but she was pissed off. Her friend tried to tell her that he’d show up soon, but she wasn’t buying it. She was done waiting. Dakota hung up on her friend, not wanting to listen to her try and convince her to stay a little longer. When she got back to the bar she noticed a plate of coconut shrimp and full glass of red wine waiting for her.

“Thank you,” she smiled at the bartender.

“No problem,” he said.

Dakota took a drink of her wine before she started to take the tails off of the shrimp. If anything, she was precise. Whenever she ate shrimp she would always take the tails off from every piece first before eating one.



Brian let out a heavy sigh when he checked his phone. It was an hour past the time of the date. He had seen the brunette from the bar stomp off to the bathroom a few minutes ago and when she had returned to the bar, she was not happy with whoever she had been talking to. He finished his second glass of wine before he stood up from the table.

“Leaving so soon?” a voice asked.

He turned around to see a waitress standing there. “Yeah, the person I was supposed to be meeting didn’t show up, so I’d rather not take up a table for you,” he answered.

“No problem, sir,” she smiled.

“Am I able to pay for the wine I drank at the bar?” he wondered.

“Of course,” she replied.

He thanked her and then made his way to the bar. He noticed the brunette picking at some shrimp. He walked up to her and cleared his throat.

“Excuse me, Miss, do you mind if I sit down?” he asked politely.

The woman turned towards him and simply shrugged. He frowned as he took a seat next to her.