Spaghetti and Meatballs

Justin and I exchanged text messages for several days before arranging to get dinner last Friday night. We live about twenty minutes apart so I suggested a restaurant right in between us. You know, to show how chill and accommodating I am.

I chose a nice, casual Italian restaurant. As I put on one of my favorite blouses (it shows off my breasts in a non slutty way while flowing over my stomach to hide my post dinner bell), I tried not to put too much pressure on this date. I mean, it had been a long time since I met a nice guy and got to know him in a normal way, without any sort of baggage getting in the way. Even if Justin wasn't Mr. Right, or even Mr. Right Now, I simply wanted to remember how exciting dating can be.

I arrived at the restaurant and Justin was already sitting on the bench outside. He greeted me with a kiss on the cheek before leading me inside. There were a number of small tables inside a big, well-decorated room.

It's weird going on a first date as a millennial. Justin and I already knew so much about each other through texting and we became Facebook friends two days before. It felt like our fifth date.

"So, how was your day?" Justin awkwardly asked after the waiter brought over our menus. I was already craving spaghetti and meatballs, but the mouthwatering picture of them sealed the deal.

"Nothing exciting, I assure you," I answered. "What about yours?"

Justin worked for a big company in their IT department and while it's not the most exciting job in the world, he had a couple stories that beat out anything I had to say. He began telling me about his struggle to teach one department how to properly access their email when something else caught my attention.

It was Mike's dad and brother.

Out of all the restaurants on Long Island, why did they have to be at this one? I felt like I was truly moving on from Mike, but seeing his family made me lose my appetite.

I lost track of Justin's story, but caught the end so I was able to play it off. I laughed before looking down and playing with my silverware. I felt terrified at the idea of Mike's family seeing me across the restaurant, especially on a date.

"Is everything okay?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, yeah," I insisted. "Um, I'm just not sure I'm hungry anymore. I'm sorry." I began to blush. I felt bad but I would only further embarrass myself if I stuck around. I'd continue to feel flustered and probably blow it with Justin for good.

"You want to go back to my place?" Justin asked.

He completely caught me off guard, but when I thought about it, I did want to. Justin left money on the table for our drinks and I walked out of the restaurant with my head down.