I sat in my seat unsuccessfully trying to distract myself by admiring the decorations along the wall. In the morning, I told Brittney and Morgan about how my mom arranged me a blind date and did not give anything away about who it was in hopes to gather some support. Unfortunately, they were extremely enthusiastic and determined to help me get dressed and drop me off at the restaurant.
"Remember to tell me everything that happens. Absolutely EVERYTHING!" Brittney's voice echoed in my head
"I'm soooo excited! Hope this works out for you! Oh the life of lovebirds." Morgan's voice echoed afterwards,
I took my phone out of my purse and looked at the time. Sigh, how could only 2 minutes have passed...I knew I shouldn't have arrived 10 minutes early...who arrives 10 minutes early for simply a BLIND date...
"Eva?!" a familiar voice said from next to me causing me to quickly turn my head. Standing next to me in a nice tuxedo was Peter.
"Peter? What are you doing here?" I said standing up
"Uhm," Peter said awkwardly, "Seems like you're the really nice girl my mom mentioned?"
"Um, then have a seat I guess. My mom didn't say anything about you. She said it would ruin the point of the blind date." I laughed awkwardly
"True, although...would you still have come if you knew?"
"Probably." I said, "Seeing we are classmates and crossed paths several times, this is more of a hangout."
"Have you been to O'Henry's before?"
"I haven't actually,"
Peter coughed into his fist and whispered, "This is THE place to go for first dates..."
"Why?"
"Because of their couples package," and when I looked at him blankly, he continued, "They have this thing where at the end of date, a pair can sign up to have their photo taken and every month they get an invitation to come back for a discount. Every time you come with that same person as the first night, the discount gets greater."
"I see...its quite a unique business model. Seeing that you know so much, how many times have you been here?"
"Too many times," Peter sighed
"Wow, in the past I have always found a way to get out of the blind dates, but unfortunately this time my mom cornered me."
"Really? How so?"
"She said she would stop paying for my tuition," I sighed
"It's hard to beat that one," Peter said with a nod,
"What about you?"
"Only in the past few months, my mom really started pestering me about going on dates. I find its easier just to concede and make a bad impression."
"How so?"
"I wore a science t-shirt and shorts to a couple dates."
"Not this time?"
"This time Andrius was around and he ganged up on me together with my mom to make me wear a tux tonight."
"It looks good," I said hoping it didn't sound awkward.
Peter smirked, "Thanks. So, did you see anything on the menu that interests you? Assuming you didn't order your food yet."
"Not really anything special other than how they organize the menu" I said admiring how the menu was split into categories depending on relationship and meal size.
"Good Evening, sir and madam. Welcome to O'Henry's a place where two hearts become one. What can I get you started on tonight?" said the waiter suddenly. I looked at Peter and gestured for him to go first.
"Could I get the mahi mahi with its wine pairing?" Peter said handing the waiter the menu.
"Could I see you're ID?" the waiter said and Peter showed him his ID, "Thank you. And for you ma'am?"
"Could I get the salmon?" I said
"Of course, and would you be interested in the wine pairing that comes with it?"
"No I'm good, thank you."
"Of course. You're meals will be out shortly, until then, feel free to play with the cards on the table and if you need me, just press the button." He said before heading to another table.
I cleared my throat and looked around at the other couples either sharing ice cream or holding hands across the table.
"Do you like people watching?" Peter said breaking the silence between us.
"I think it can be pretty fun," I said
"Look to your left, towards the window."
I turned and by the window was a woman sitting by herself. Her hair was done nicely and she wore a skintight red dress.
"She must be waiting for her date," I said
"Do you think her date will come?"
"No, I bet she deliberately told him the wrong time or location."
"Interesting, why do you think that?"
"She probably is mad at him or wants to prove a point."
"What point?"
"That she doesn't need anyone," I said after a brief pause.
"I'd say you are pretty good at this,"
"Thanks, I guess practice makes perfect," I smiled,
"Very true." Peter said and took a sip of his water.
"I guess your talent would be in street racing?"
"I wouldn't exactly call it a talent."
"Regardless it's cool to be a part of a group that brings people who have the same interests from different backgrounds together."
"It sure is," Peter sighed with a small smile
"How did you get into it?"
"My brother needed a partner to spot the road when he was just starting. That is also how I met Andrius since he was the one who got my brother into racing. I think it was once my brother didn't need my help anymore, I started racing by myself."
"So do you race with the car you came with today?"
"Erm-I can? It's just I can't go exactly go as fast as I can with my other one." Peter said then stopped as the waiter approached with their trays of food.
"My apologies for the interruption. Your food has arrived." The waiter said as he placed what we ordered in front of us.
"They look good!" Peter said as he spread his napkin over his lap and I followed suit.
As I cut my salmon into smaller more manageable bites, I attempted to continue the conversation, "Do you modify regular cars to be better suited for racing?"
"Yes, we have to get all kinds of parts replaced but I guess it's easier for me since Andrius' parents run a car company."
"So it's true!" I said causing Peter to give me a puzzled look. "Our school has a lot of rich kids."
"Well, I wouldn't say a lot it's probably more like 10% of the student body is...rich,"
"Are you one of the 10%?" Seeing Peter beginning to look awkward, I quickly said, "You don't have to answer, I know it's a strange question."
"It's alright. It's just kind of hard to explain. My family used to be rich like Andrius' but it's been going downhill ever since my father died."
"Feel free not to answer but what business was your family in?"
"We owned hotels but sold most of them when we merged with another company."
"I see...so...just out of curiosity amongst all your friends, who is the richest?"
Peter smirked, "Andrius. His dad owns a car business and his mom owns a bakery business so when they got married, their assets combined.
"That's so cool."
"What do your parents do?"
"Both my parents work at the hospital."
"That's pretty cool! Did they not press you into going to medical school too?"
"Yes but I convinced them that I would be more successful if I went into law."
"Interesting,"
"Did your parents try to make you inherit the family business?"
"Sort of? To be honest neither of us wanted anything to do with the business so my brother and I made an agreement. Charlie would go into engineering and I would do business, but we did minors in each others majors. So I had engineering as a minor and he did business. That way we could swap spots during difficult tests. We are nearly perfectly identical so the teachers never found out."
"I didn't realize you were that rebellious but I guess, nothing wrong with taking advantage of the fact you two are identical."
"Yep,"
"Were you close with your brother?"
Peter paused for a moment before saying, "We...used to be."
"Oh...do you want to talk about it?"
Peter glanced at me quickly before looking at his plate again and said, "Next time,"
I nodded and placed down my fork and wiped my mouth. My phone screen buzzed and showed I had received a message from Morgan. That was also when I realized how much time had actually passed.
"Time really flew," Peter said, drinking the last drop of water from his glass. "This is actually one of the better blind dates I have been on."
"I have to agree, it was pretty fun. Although it helped that we did know each other before this." I laughed
"Look, the woman is still there now eating her dessert alone." Peter said in a low voice
"It seems she ordered two glasses of wine. The other one is still full."
"She must have got stood up."
I silently nodded as she gently clinked her glass against the one across from her. Downing the entire rest of the drink she placed it heavily back onto the table before standing up and walking to the front desk to pay.
Peter cleared his throat, "So...do you have a ride back?"
"My roommates dropped me off here but I guess it's kinda late to call them."
"I can ride you back if you want."
"Really?! You don't have to, I can always call a taxi."
"It's fine really," Peter shrugged with a kind smile.
I suddenly felt a warm feeling spread through my chest and made my ears feel hot.
"Sure, if it is not too much of a hassle."
"You will be going back to the dorms?"
"Yep,"
"Sounds good! You can wait for me here while I pay the bill."
"We can split it if you want,"
"No it's alright my mom will lecture me if I let you pay." Peter said as he stood up and pushed in his chair. He hurriedly walked to the counter and after a few minutes, he gestured for us to head out.
I followed him into the parking lot, the sky had already turned a deep indigo and the street lights bathed the area in orange yellow light. His car was parked nearby and it was a silver colored Audi that seemed more white in the evening light.
"Cool car," I said
"Thanks," Peter said with a smile, "I have to say my car is better than most."
"I believe you," I said and we both laughed as we got on.
The first thing I noticed was the car freshener in the shape of a crescent moon hanging from the rear view mirror.
"Where did you get that?" I said admiring how it seemed to glow in the dark
"It was a gift. My brother got it for me as a car warming gift if that's a thing...it came as a set...mine was the moon and his was the sun. The two could actually connect to each other like some friendship necklaces do."
"That's so cool."
"Yep." Peter sighed and turned on the car to start backing out of the parking spot. I glanced at Peter trying to read his expression. "You have a burning question?" Peter said, giving me an amused glance.
"Um...just curious what happened to it?" I said and the car jolted to a stop.
"Sorry about that," Peter said hurriedly and continued to turn out of the parking lot.
"We can move to a different topic if you're uncomfortable."
"It's alright..." Peter said with his voice trailing off. I waited patiently in silence until he eventually said, "It was lost the day my brother died."
"I see." I said, "I apologize for bringing it up."
"No it's alright really...just could you keep it to yourself cause it's supposed to be a secret."
"For sure! I completely understand." I said with a nod
Peter made a deep sigh and said, "Do you mind if we get some ice cream? We can eat it in the car while I tell it."
"Sure!" I said and Peter drove into a small ice cream shop nearby that happened to be drive thru. After several minutes, we were parked in the corner of the lot with our bowls of ice cream in hand.
Peter made a deep sigh and said, "Alrighty...so...several months ago, Charlie received a letter saying he was invited to participate in a renowned racing competition. He was so excited and nervous so he asked Andrius to give him pointers as they rode on a test drive track. That specific track was recommended since it had similar terrain and tight turns just like the practice track. They rode on it everyday but two days before the competition, I received news that the rain had made the practice road dangerous, but my brother had already left. He also has a habit of shutting down his phone when practicing so he has maximum focus. I had no choice but to drive there..." Peter paused and I noticed his eyes seemed to unfocus as if he were seeing the events unfold before his eyes again. He continued, "When I got there it was already too late. But apparently a truck lost control and crashed into Charlie's car. It happened too fast...it so happened that the practice road was on a hill top so they rode off the edge of the road all the way down. Sometime on the way down, Charlie pushed Andrius out of the car...saving him...while...my brother crashed into a tree...I saw the later events unfold, the car hurling down the hillside and crashing into a tree. Andrius after getting pushed out tried to make his way to the car but it suddenly exploded...Charlie was gone..." Peter's voice trailed off.
"I'm terribly sorry that happened...that is truly devastating."
"I guess you kinda know what happened afterwards," Peter took a deep shaky breath and I realized tears had rolled down his cheeks. "Andrius stopped coming to the club and I have started to pretend I was Charlie in front of my mom...since...she trauma blocked it in a way...I just don't want her to go through that again."
Peter swallowed and in a small voice said, "You see, Andrius...doesn't drive anymore because he doesn't want to...it's because he can't...he said to me once that every time he touches the wheel...he sees the events unfold over and over...it makes him get a panic attack essentially..."
"Wow...I guess everything makes more sense now..." I said softly then after a moment of hesitation, I said, "If you do, I don't think you should have to feel guilty over your brother's passing...you tried your best in the situation...if those events happened to me... I probably would have done the same thing you have..." I said and lightly placed my hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks...I'd like to think I made peace with it...but for some reason Andrius insists someone else sabotaged the truck since according to the truck driver, the brakes stopped working."
"Oh..." I said my mind blank with shock, "do you believe it?"
"I honestly want to believe it was a pure accident...if only I could get Andrius to accept that..." Peter took in a deep breath and wiped away his tears. "Andrius is a stubborn guy..." Peter said with a lighthearted chuckle. "Anyways, I think it's time to head out before people start thinking I kidnapped you."
I suppressed a laugh, "I guess so it is close to midnight, I might never hear the end of it from Morgan,"
"Who?" Peter said with a confused expression
"Morgan, she is my roommate along with Brittney."
"Oh...I see,"
"Why do you seem so shocked? Do you know her?"
"She...she, if I'm not mistaken, just so happens to have dated my brother for a while...in fact she was the one who gave my brother the tip to go to that specific practice track..."
I looked at Peter in silent shock and he continued in a lower voice, "What a small world..."
"You don't think she was the one involved in...wait...according to her...she said she was there and saw the truck hit Charlie's car..." I said,
After a minute of silence, Peter said, "That's interesting...cause...I didn't see anyone else there when I arrived."
"Do you think Morgan lied?"
"I don't know...it could be that, she left before I arrived, or I just didn't notice her there."
"I can ask her for you," I said,
"That would be amazing, but if its too much you don't have too...I already made peace with the idea it was a complete accident..."
A silence fell between us and I silently watched Peter for any change in expression. His face remained in a composed, unreadable expression as he drove with one hand casually on the steering wheel and the other on the door. He must have felt my gaze on him since he turned to look in my direction and I quickly avoided eye contact, feeling embarrassment turn my ears pink.
Peter cleared his throat, "So, have anything exciting planned for the rest of the weekend?"
"Not really," I said with a shrug, "How about you?"
"I don't have much either, but I believe Andrius wanted to get the gang together sometime."
"That sounds like so much fun!" I sighed, "One thing I know for sure is that my roommates will not stop asking questions about what happened tonight."
Peter smiled, "I wish you the best of luck! Should I drive slower to delay the conversation?"
I laughed, "Thanks for the offer but its gonna happen no matter what. I'd rather get it over with."
"Alrighty then. I was gonna circle around, but seeing you don't want to stall, guess we have arrived." Peter said as he turned onto the road that passed between the school gates. The tree branches intertwined overhead blocked out the night sky until Peter turned onto the side road that led to the dorm buildings. The trees opened up to a large parking lot connected to four buildings.
"I don't think I have ever entered the dorm buildings from this side." I said,
"Oops, I may have just shown you an upperclassmen secret." Peter suppressed a smile, "Sorry, but could you not tell anyone about this entrance? Its supposed to be a secret since you underclassmen really takeover the other parking lot."
"No worries, I wasn't really paying attention about how you got here anyways." I said, "Also, my assigned spot is pretty close to my building so I'm good."
"Sounds good, thanks," Peter smiled back and parked in a spot right next to the curb.
"Thanks for the ride," I said unbuckling my seatbelt.
"Anytime," Peter smiled
"I guess I'll see you in class?"
"Yep, see you in class," Peter said with a wave as I exited the car and closed the door. I watched as he skillfully made a U-turn and drove to park in an empty spot by a black motorcycle. I stood there for a few moments longer before walking back to my dorm building.