It Ended with Merlot

It Ended with Merlot

Sandra looked in the gilt framed mirror in her cozy glam industrial condo one last time. The little white dress clung to her slender frame, accentuating the curves of her hourglass figure, and ending with a flare. The low back allowed a glimpse of her shoulder blades, but she would cover that with a blue jean jacket waiting at the door with her purse and brown heels. She put on some red lipstick, wondering if the color scheme would clash with this mystery date.

At just south of 30 and facing parental pressure to find a nice husband and have children, or otherwise adopt and be a single parent – something Sandra was okay with, but her friends were staunch believers in love and healthy relationships – Sandra decided to put her trust in her friends for this one. Her best friend Colleen had not shared his name, and described him as “taller than you, strong, good-looking, goal and family oriented, has his life together, similar lifestyle and hobbies, smart, and non-judgmental.” Not knowing much about him beyond this tied her stomach in knots. She was good alone, and self-conscious with potential partners; alongside being weary of late-night dates when she was tired and would rather be curled up on the couch or in the bath with a book.

Colleen and Angie had set the date up as a last-minute meeting for drinks on a Thursday and had only given her 30 minutes notice. It was now 7:30 and she locked up, getting into her car to make her way to the address she’d be given. She arrived at a black painted building with a red plain sign and UK flag that read “Pub/Tavern on a hill” off of a larger shopping area. After parking her matte indigo Audi, she entered the building, looking around for someone who would be waiting on someone else.

The building was set up with a central bar area that was very well stocked with various alcohols with high tables close to the bar, shorter tables in enclosed and open outdoor areas, and booths at the far walls. A blonde man with very blue eyes in a blue shirt and jeans looked up from one of the shorter tables and smiled. He waved, and as she approached the table, he rose and said “Hi, I’m Nathan. You’re Sandra? You look better than the pictures.”

She smiled and nodded politely before sitting down across from him. “I’m sorry but I know absolutely nothing about you. This was a surprise.”

He grinned sheepishly and said “Yes, and neither Colleen nor Angie would give me your number beforehand.”

“Yeah, you could be some kind of weird-o.”

The waitress showed up with waters. After directing them to the QR code menu, and taking their orders – a Kentucky mule for her and beer for him, she left to get their drinks.

“So do you live near here?” he asked.

“Yes, down the road a ways. What about you?”

They quickly delved into a number of topics, and it turned out they shared many hobbies in common – weight lifting, shooting, racing, and video games chief amongst them. They were both in technical fields. As the night went on and Sandra could feel the buzz sinking in, Nathan got another beer, and eventually the bar closed. He paid the tab, and said “let’s get you home so you can work tomorrow. I hope I’ll see you again soon.” He politely walked her to her car and she gave him a hug.

After getting home, Sandra undressed and sent him a selfie. She was too awake to sleep so she poured some bourbon barrel aged Merlot into a glass. It probably wasn’t a great idea to be mixing drinks or staying up late, but she was in a good mood, as she powered on her computer for some late night browsing with movies on.

Her phone buzzed. Had a great time meeting you tonight beautiful. Sweet dreams.

She responded with a picture of the Merlot bottle and movie. Join me?

Hoping it didn’t seem too fast, she put her phone down and focused on the computer screen. Wait, are you serious? Because I will.

Yes. She responded along with the address.

It didn’t take him long to show up, about 15-20 minutes. They were both in comfortable clothing. She opened the door, “make yourself comfortable.”

He settled on the couch and accepted the glass she offered him. “I’m not much of a wine drinker you know, I just wanted to see you.”

She smiled. “Try it, it has bourbon taste.”

They quickly soaked up each others warmth as they sipped wine and watched the movie. Eventually it was past midnight and their lips found each other as they grew sleepy and buzzed. “I have to go,” he said. “I’ll see you again for our date at the range.”

“Okay,” she walked him to the door and they hugged again. It was easy to fall asleep after that.