Only an Hour
“I need you to call me in an hour,” Nesrin said as she swayed in her seat. “I can’t be bothered to stay any longer than that.”
Her friend Asya looked at her in dismay from across the kitchen counter as she bit into her sandwich. “Seriously, Nes, if you’re going to go on a date, at least do it right. It might not be as bad as you think. I’ll call you in an hour, though.”
“Yeah, ’cause the other three dates I went on were so fun I didn’t want to leave.” Nesrin rolled her eyes at her friend.
After two years in a relationship, Nesrin had no idea how to return to the dating scene. No one met her expectations, and it was starting to frustrate her. What was one more failed date to add to her list?
She had passed by Asya’s house to hang out before going out on her date to talk and make sure at least someone knew where she was in case she got brutally murdered in a dark alleyway.
Nesrin checked her watch and let out an exaggerated groan, realising she was already running late. “Don’t forget.” She whirled to point a finger at Asya, who had walked her to the door and was now leaning against its frame. “Only an hour!” Nesrin hurried into her car and drove off to her date.
She was late. Her date texted her right when she was leaving Asya’s to say he had already gotten to the restaurant. Nesrin wasn’t worried; why would she be? He was just some guy she had never met. She owed him nothing, plus she could always blame it on traffic.
She drove to the nearest train station, knowing there would be no place to park near the restaurant they had agreed on.
Nesrin hated herself for not wearing warmer clothes. She hugged the fabric of her jacket closer to her body, attempting to keep the bits of exposed skin as warm as she could. Quicker than she expected, Nesrin was in front of the restaurant.
As she stood at the door, her mind began racing with the possible outcomes of this date. It wasn’t as though she had never been on dates before, but something was always wrong. A spark that wasn’t there. Nesrin inhaled as deeply as she could, if not to calm her nerves, then to still the shivering mess she had become. At this point, Nesrin wished she had downed a drink at Asya’s. The cold started seeping into her bones as she stood blankly at the door. Finally, she mentally slapped herself, pushed the doors open, and went in.
It was a homey place. The music was loud but not loud enough to drown out any conversation. The restaurant was dimly lit, so she could barely see where she was going, let alone spot her date. “Nesrin?” A guy approached her in her state of confusion, making her jump involuntarily. Was this her date? It couldn’t be; he looked nothing like his pictures.
“Yes?” The guy must have noticed that she was wondering if she had been catfished, so he quickly told her that her date had asked him to say he was sitting in the first booth upstairs. She thanked him, her body still shivering, although the restaurant's warmth made her want to take her jacket off.
Was it too late to bail?
After forcing herself up the stairs, she looked around, only to be met with the most piercing eyes she had ever seen. Her date was sitting at the booth right near the stairs, so he was the first thing she saw. Her breath caught in her chest; his crystal-like eyes bore into her as though he was trying to analyse her soul. “Nesrin?” he looked at her intently.
“Aiden?” she replied instead of answering his question because at this rate the entire restaurant knew her name because of him.
“In the flesh,” he replied, a nervous laugh escaping his lips, which made her struggle to remember her name or why she was there. Focus, she told herself. Nesrin needed to get a hold of herself, and fast.
She grabbed the seat facing him and sat down. It wasn’t just his eyes that entranced her; it was the way he held himself, hands clasped to rest under his chin, and that slight smirk on his thin lips as if he were studying her. He was just a man; that inner voice of reason she did not want to listen to right now came back to haunt her. He could disappoint you as quickly as he entranced you. Don’t be easy. As if to confirm her thoughts, she saw he had already started drinking, which made her bite the inside of her cheek. Nesrin was sure Aiden could read her thoughts as he looked down at the sweating half-empty glass of cider before him.
Her date smiled awkwardly, “Sorry, I’m not very good at this. I’m kind of awkward when meeting someone for the first time.”
“It’s fine,” Nesrin lied. “I don’t judge.” She was very much judging, having only drunk a handful of times in her twenty-one years of life. Sheltered was an understatement of her upbringing; her parents would hunt her down if they knew she was going out with strange men she met on Bumble. It wasn’t as though she had many options when it came to men. Asya always told her to smile more and that she had “a resting bitch face,” as she had put it. Bumble was a way of weeding the odd ones out. She ensured she had the upper hand, especially after her last relationship. That was when Nesrin stopped caring as much about her love life.
It’s just for fun.
You don’t care.
So why was she calculating what came out of her mouth so she didn’t say anything wrong? At one point or another, Aiden was going to prove that he was just another waste of time. She was sure of it; Nesrin was just waiting for the ball to drop.
Nesrin wasn’t aware when she was staring and when he asked her what she wanted to eat, but her stomach was in knots. So, she lied and said she didn’t have that much of an appetite.
Aiden called the waitress over and asked for fries to share. Her mind thought of a burger, but she knew she couldn’t stomach it, especially now that he hadn’t ordered anything for himself.
“I forgot to ask,” his voice interrupted her chain of overthinking, which she appreciated. “Did you want something to drink? I got something when I was waiting for you to get here.” She was driving, so she couldn’t have anything, but her mind was screaming for alcohol to dull the thoughts. Nesrin gave him a shy smile and said no politely as he continued to sip on his drink. “So, what’s a guy like you doing on Bumble?” she asked, although she knew she might regret the answer. Nesrin had to fold her hands in her lap, trying to hide the nervous tremors that plagued her. Aiden faltered, and panic rose in her, those beautiful eyes of his deciding what the best thing to tell her would be. Whatever it was, she wasn’t sure if what would come out of his mouth was a lie. The bubble was about to burst, and Asya couldn’t call fast enough. “Well, I was in a relationship three months ago, and my friends made my profile. They kind of insisted I get back out there.” That answer didn’t satisfy her, making her think neither should be here. He was in the same mental place that she was in, and it wasn’t the best place to be. If he asked her the same question, he might think she was copying his answer, and she dreaded it.
Aiden most likely noticed her shift in mood; after all, his answer wasn’t what she wanted to hear, as hypocritical as it was of her. It felt as if he didn’t care about the outcome of this date if his friends had set up his dating profile. He looked at her intently and smiled, and it was so infectious and genuine that she couldn’t help but smile back, heat creeping up her neck. “But honestly, it’s not every day that a girl starts a conversation with an Obi-Wan ‘Hello there!’ gif. That was bloody gold.” The compliment made her want to hide her head under the old wooden floorboards, but all she did was laugh nervously. To say she liked Star Wars was an understatement, and she wanted to clarify that to potential partners as soon as possible. The fact that he picked up on it and liked it made her blush.
They were interrupted by the waitress, who came over and gave them their fries. They both offered a curt thank you and turned their focus to one another.
After that, their conversation only got more interesting. It wasn’t the typical ‘What do you like to do?’ or ‘What are you studying?’ conversations she had with other guys that fizzled into awkward silence. They talked about things like religion, death, and potential careers, and what they were interested in slipped in casually. It was so natural. Nesrin hadn’t felt this way since her ex-boyfriend. While she was laughing at a joke he had made, Aiden looked at his drink and noticed it was empty. “I’m going to get another one. Are you sure you don’t want anything?” he asked as he got up. “I’m sure,” Nesrin replied, trying to give him her sweetest smile.She picked her phone out of her purse when he disappeared down the stairs. Nesrin picked up her phone to check the time, her eyes nearly popping out of her skull after she noticed Asya had called her three times an hour ago. How did she not feel the time go by? Nesrin scrolled through her best friend’s threatening messages to find the man and skin him alive if he had done anything to her, which made Nesrin chuckle. She texted Asya, quickly calling her dramatic and assuring
her she was okay, before switching her phone off and shoving it back into her purse. ‘Damn, Asya’s dramatic’, she thought to herself. She was so disappointed in herself. Nesrin had promised only to give it an hour, she didn’t want to give it more. She knew what giving it more than an hour meant, and she wasn’t prepared for that attachment.
She wasn’t prepared to cry herself to sleep over yet another failed relationship. With how well the night was turning out, she knew that cycle was going to be inevitable. Nesrin had to leave, and she had to leave now. It meant expectations and emotions, especially given how well the night turned out. She knew it was all a cycle that led to pain and heartbreak.
A tall figure rounded the corner just as she was deep in thought. Nesrin smiled awkwardly at her date as he squeezed into his place on the couch opposite her. “Hey, Aiden, I might need to get going soon. Is that okay?” she said, all traces of happiness had vanished from her features.
She had explained that she parked her car near the train station, and he took it upon himself to walk her. “How did you get here?” she asked as they walked. “I took the train.” They were walking side by side, and she managed to catch up because he was taller than her. A lot taller. She had initially felt intimidated when they got up to pay, as she only came up to his shoulder, not having stood at his side until that moment.
“Let me take you back home; I’m not going to let you take the train this late at night,” Nesrin insisted.
Don’t do it. Don’t you dare. That voice was banging on the walls in her mind, practically throwing a tantrum, but she drowned it out.
After arguing back and forth, he agreed to it.
Nesrin wasn’t used to driving in silence since she had always blasted music when she drove. This was different, but she didn’t mind having the extra time to talk to him. Maybe it was all just an excuse, because despite the walls she wanted to build, despite not wanting anything serious to get attached to, she enjoyed Aiden’s company. She pulled up to his house almost too quickly, and that parting was here. Nesrin wanted this, she told herself, so why did she want him to stay that extra bit longer?
Nesrin put the car in park and looked at Aiden intently. “Thank you so much for tonight; I had a really good time,” she said sweetly, expecting him to lean in and kiss her. No, not expecting—wanting.
“I had a great time too,” Aiden replied. “And thanks again for giving me a ride home; that was really nice of you.”
“It’s absolutely nothing. I enjoyed it.” Nesrin wasn’t just being polite; she meant it.
“Well, goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” At those words, Aiden stepped out of the car and closed the door. Nesrin watched, dumbfounded, as he walked away. She expected him to kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her. The realisation hit her like a truck, and she rested her head on the steering wheel, something tightening in her chest. “Oh, fuck.”