Fated First Date

Sam tugged once again at the uncomfortably high hem of the far too tiny black dress, cursing Lauren's innate ability to talk her into doing things. The date, the dress, everything tonight had been her best friend's idea. Sam had yet to even see her mystery date, but she already wanted to go home.

She'd never been comfortable with the whole dating scene, but Lauren had been insistent that she needed to meet someone special. It just so happened, she'd revealed after that announcement, that she had the perfect man in mind. It had already been set up and Sam had been furious!

She did have to admit, she'd never looked as good as she did tonight. Lauren had performed some sort of magic with her long, dark hair and a curling iron. Her eyes were lined perfectly and their nondescript plain blue shade, had somehow been transformed to a startling sapphire sparkle with the makeup her friend had applied.

The low-cut bodice of the dress she wore emphasized her way too modest cleavage, and the hem she'd been tugging at was far too high for her liking, even though it reached mid-thigh. Even her glasses had been banished for the night, over her objections. In their place, she was sporting the contact lenses she usually ignored because they were too much trouble.

With a sigh, Sam straightened up once more and scanned the restaurant, looking for her date. Her only clue had been that he would be wearing a gray shirt and would have a glass of Merlot. Mentally, she rolled her eyes. Probably half the tables in the building had freaking glasses of Merlot on them.

At last, she spotted him. A lone gentleman in a dark gray dress shirt, also scanning the room, appeared to be around her age, maybe a little older. She was too far away to tell much about him, but their eyes met and he smiled, raising a glass of Merlot in a silent toast.

Sam returned his smile, slowly making her way across the room to the man who had to be her date. She wasn't one to base her opinions of people on their looks, but damn he looked good. He rose as she approached and she forgot how to breathe for an instant. Slightly taller than her, he had dark brown hair, just starting to show signs of silver. His eyes were the same shade as warm caramel and she found herself lost in them for a moment.

She realized he was speaking and apologized, asking him to repeat himself. Her cheeks warmed as he chuckled lightly and reintroduced himself. He gestured at the chair across from where he'd been sitting and waited for her to be seated before returning to his own chair.

Mark had to admit he'd been more than a little dubious when his friend's sister had suggested a blind date. At his age, he'd had more than a few and they never seemed to work out well. This one, however, showed immense promise.

It was more than her appearance. There was just something about her he couldn't put his finger on, but he could tell she was different from most of the dates he'd been on recently. As they talked, he felt more and more sure of it.

Before either of them realized it, it was almost midnight. The restaurant was closing, yet neither of them wanted to say goodbye. There was a connection between them like they'd never had with anyone else. They shared a sense of humor, agreed on almost every topic mentioned, and had a mutual love of music.

At last, they made their way to the door, still hesitant to go their separate ways. But, with promises to call and text, they finally parted at Sam's car. She waved one last time as Mark walked away after closing the door for her.

Making sure her doors were locked, she started her car, then reached for her phone. Lauren would want to know how the date had gone. She frowned as she saw several texts and missed calls.

Immediately, she called her friend back. Lauren answered on the first ring.

"Where were you?" she demanded immediately.

"I-"

"I've been trying to reach you all night! After all we went through, you chickened out?!" Lauren asked incredulously.

"What do you mean chickened out?" Sam asked in confusion.

Even before Lauren responded, a strange feeling took over her.

"Don't play dumb with me! Brad said you never showed."