Dinner for Two?

I didn't have class on Thursday because of the Jewish holiday (yay!), so I took the opportunity to try yoga with Michelle again. I hadn't been making much time to work out since school started and I really didn't want to let all my stressors get the best of me (or my weight). Endorphins, right?

I just finished putting on my crop leggings and a white v-neck when Michelle texted me that she was at my house. We were walking into the class ten minutes later. As we were stretching, I told Michelle how I was supposed to get dinner with Justin that weekend.

"No, Caroline," she sternly said as she touched her toes. "Why?"

I shrugged while doing the butterfly stretch. I really couldn't think of a good reason to get dinner with him. "I don't know. I miss him." When the words left my lips, I realized how stupid I sounded. Was two weeks apart really going to magically fix any of our problems?

"I'll find you someone else," Michelle insisted. Before we could continue our conversation, the tiny instructor walked in and started the class.

After an hour of embarrassment, with the instructor trying to fix all my wrong positioning, I actually felt some of the benefits of yoga. I was more aware of my breathing and my head didn't feel as cluttered. Who am I becoming?

Once we were done, Michelle drove me to a frozen yogurt place partially against my will. I filled a small cup half way and only topped it with fruit.

"Want to come with me to Nick's hockey game tonight?" She asked me before taking her first spoonful of yogurt. Michelle had been dating Nick for over a year now and they were the cutest couple ever. He played intramural hockey. Some of my guy friends played at the same place.

"Um, what time?" I asked. I had so much school work to do but maybe I could fit it in.

"Eight and I'm telling you Caroline, there are so many cute guys on his team. Sometimes even cuter ones on the other team, not that I'd ever tell him that."

I wrestled with the idea for a little but ultimately I was way too tired to sit through one of those games. I told her I'd take a rain check and went home.

The next day I woke up with a text from Justin. "Mario's tonight? 7:30?"

If I thought Justin was bluffing about dinner or was going to simply forget, I was wrong. I put my phone down and got ready for work.

By the time I sat down in my office chair, I still hadn't made up my mind. On one hand, I knew there was no good from seeing him. I was doing a pretty decent job at moving on and how would this help? On the other hand, I wouldn't hate seeing him. Also, I told him I would. I hated backing out of things.

I whipped out my phone and wrote back, "Okay :)"

I knew it was a mistake, but as Lily Aldrin once said, "there are certain things in life where you know it’s a mistake but you don’t really know it’s a mistake because the only way to really know it’s a mistake is to make the mistake." I sighed. Why was I justifying my actions with the words of a How I Met Your Mother character?

I kept busy the rest of the day and soon I was home getting ready to meet Justin. I took a shower around 5 and started blow drying my hair when I began receiving text messages from Darlene, Anna, and Jessica. Within a few minutes, they had arranged to go see a movie. I lied and told them I wasn't feeling up to it. I planned on telling them about my dinner the next day, but didn't want to hear the criticisms when I had already made up my mind to go.

A few minutes after 7, I texted Justin that I was about to leave. I was wearing dark jeans and a black long sleeve top. My goal was to look cute without looking like I was trying too hard.

I arrived at Mario's a few minutes early and Justin still hadn't wrote back. I sat in my car and cleared some of my emails while I waited for a text or until I saw his car pull up. By the time 7:45 hit, there was still no sign of Justin.

I waited until 8 o'clock before I gave up. Was this really happening? Justin stood me up?

I decided to send him one, simple text. The last thing I needed was for him to show his friends my text messages and exclaim that I was crazy. I hated when guys acted like complete douche bags and then tried to accuse girls of being 'totally psycho.'

"Okay, I'm going home. I don't know what happened but it doesn't matter. Everything's fine with us so let's just end this for real."

I started to drive home when I realized that I didn't want to go home. I would just get emotional at home and I wasn't interested in crying. My friends were seeing the movie a little after 8, so it was too late for me to meet them but they wouldn't be around for a drink until at least 10.

I pulled over on a side street and pulled out my phone. Every time I looked at my phone and there was no text from Justin, I felt myself get more frustrated. My emotions led me to write out my next text and it wasn't to Justin.

"Hey, Moose! Any of you guys around tonight?"

He answered me back within a few minutes. "Yeah, we're at The Shop. Come get a drink."

As soon as I read it, I placed my phone back in my bag and drove across town to the bar.