And that meant not going on an app and swiping or clicking or loving or hoping a hookup was inevitable.
And although I missed sex, and a hookup would be nice, I wasn’t ready for that.
No, what I wanted was a connection.
Honestly, I didn’t think that was going to happen anytime soon.
I tossed that thought from my head, annoyed with myself. It really wouldn’t happen if all I did was complain about it.
I pushed those thoughts away and smiled at my date.
The man seemed like a nice guy. I was going to count that as a blessing. We were sitting at a little Mediterranean restaurant that I had been to a couple of times before because the naan they served at the beginning was twice the size of my head and came with the best olive oil and feta cheese with seasonings dip ever.
“I love this place,” I said to my date, grinning. “Have you been here before, Kansas?” I asked.
Yes, his name was Kansas. And my friend Dakota had introduced me to him. All of us had thought Dakota should have been the one going out with him for the name thing alone, but she had pushed him my way. She thought we would be good together. I figured it was because it wasn’t her turn and she didn’t want to have anything to do with dating.
For a group of women who had gone into this wanting to find a connection with someone, we sure were hesitant when it came to the actual dating part.
Probably because of how everything had started with Hazel. But again, I didn’t want my thoughts to go down that path, so I focused on Kansas.
He had dark blue eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. His spiky hair was thinning a little bit at the corners, but that didn’t bother me at all. I was probably losing about as much hair as he was at my age.
It honestly made him look more regal.
He had a soft smile, a firm jaw, and was pretty built.
What I liked beyond the looks that gave me warm feelings was that he had already made me laugh once when he met me in front of the building. It had been some stupid joke about parking, but it had made me laugh, and I counted that as a win.
See? Tonight was already going better than the last date I’d been on. And he wasn’t connected to any murders that I knew of.
I should probably throw salt over my shoulder or knock on wood if I was going to state things like that in my head.
“I’ve been here once. I liked the kabobs.” He smiled again, a little blush right under his wire frames. I warmed, leaning in. That was cute. Only…why was he blushing?
He must’ve seen the look on my face because he turned even redder. “Sorry. I usually just end up cooking at home or ordering in Panda Express or a hamburger.”
I shrugged, shaking my head. “Why would you be embarrassed about that?”
“Because your name is Paris. And look at you. You’re all cosmopolitan, and you probably go out to eat at fancy places like this all the time.”
I didn’t think this place was all that fancy, but I guessed it was, compared to fast food. This restaurant was quite reasonable compared to some of the other restaurants in Boulder. I didn’t say that, though. Instead, I smiled. “I don’t think I’m anywhere close to cosmopolitan. I haven’t even been to my namesake.”
His eyes widened. “For real?”
“I’m a Colorado girl. I’ve never even been out of the country. And Boulder isn’t that cosmopolitan. The mountains right there kind of make it hard,” I said, and he smiled at me again. I liked that expression. I could get to appreciate that smile.
“Oh, this place is very cosmo for me. Though I don’t even think I’ve had a cosmo before.”
“I’ve had one because it was all the rage back before I was legally allowed to drink, thanks to Sex and the City. They’re a little too bright pink and sweet for me.”
“Well, good thing this place is a bring your own bottle establishment, and we can’t bring the hard liquor in with us.”
“True. But I’m fine with water or iced tea.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” The waiter came over and handed out that beautiful naan that smelled so good my mouth started to water. And then he walked away since neither of us was quite ready to order.
“I could probably gorge myself on this naan,” he said.
“I was just thinking the same thing,” I said with a laugh.
“Although, I was looking at maybe getting a little kibbeh to start with. And then I could probably fall into the chicken shawarma or even a Greek moussaka.”
His browse rose. “I was thinking maybe a chicken kabab. I don’t know if I’m that adventurous.”
“You could taste some of mine. That is if you’re not going to be too full from all the naan.”
“Oh, I don’t share food. As it is, I’m kind of shaking even having to share the naan right now.”
I held back a frown.
“I’m sorry. I can ask our waiter to get a second one. Or maybe we can cut it into pieces and get a different plate. I didn’t even think about that. I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not about germs. Just the sharing.” He winked. “I share some things, but not others.”
I held back another frown, wondering where exactly he was going with this. “Oh?”
“You didn’t laugh, was my joke not good enough?”
“A joke?” I asked, uneasy all of a sudden. “I’m sorry, I don’t get it.”
“About the sharing. I mean, that’s why we’re here tonight. My wife would be here too, but I figured it’d be good for the two of us to get to know each other before you come and meet June. She’s excited to get to know you. Like I am. I mean, the fact that she’s going to share me with you is going to be kind of fun, isn’t it? That is what this is, right? Dakota was setting us up so you could join us for an evening or three.”
I just blinked at him and swallowed hard. I wondered how the hell I had gotten into this situation.
“You’re…married?” I looked down at his left hand and didn’t see a ring.
“Oh, well, of course, I am. Didn’t Dakota tell you that?”
I tried to be calm, to use my words gently. “I don’t think Dakota is aware you’re married. You probably never mentioned it. Nor are you wearing a wedding ring.” See? I was not hurting anyone. Wasn’t screaming. Wasn’t running out of the building so quickly there was a Paris-shaped hole in the door.
“Oh, we didn’t do wedding rings. We got matching tattoos. And June’s nipple rings match my cock ring.”
He was saying the words pretty low, but a family of four glared at us from the other table. I sank into my chair, trying to become invisible.
“Oh?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t like body jewelry. Are you going to judge?” He narrowed his blue eyes behind those wire-framed glasses.
“No, not at all.” I shook my head. “I mean, you do you. I like body jewelry and tattoos and everything. And I don’t mind people being in polyamorous relationships or triads or anything that makes them happy. Only, I wasn’t aware that this was happening.”
“Well, shit,” Kansas said, shaking his head. “I knew this was too good to be true. June said I should have just brought you over to the house rather than trying to take you somewhere fancy.”