Shorties: Number 40

This is an excerpt from my story, The Parting


They had dinner at a Macaroni Grill in a town close to them. Bob wore a shirt and tie but no jacket and Samantha wore a form fitting black and gold dress. Bob’s eyes popped when he saw her. Without holding back, he said, “You look great!” Samantha smiled coyly, “Why thank you.”

Ordinarily, Bob would be a little shy around such a pretty woman but his shell had started to crack as he got to know Charlotte better. Still, he was a bit reserved even though Samantha had given many signs of her interest in him. She smiled at him and touched his hand or arm at every opportunity. Bob simply wasn’t used to attention like this. Finally, before the entrees were finished he worked up the nerve and asked, “Are you interested in me?”
“What?”

“Are you interested in me?”

“Well, yes. Is that a problem?”

“Sort of, yes”

“Why?”

“I’m interested in someone else.”

Connecting the dots in her mind, Samantha asked, “Are you interested in Charlotte?”
Feeling like a child who was caught stealing from the cookie jar he replied, “Yes.”

“Does she know?”

“No. I haven’t told her. I was going to tell her the day we met.” He wished he hadn’t added that last part.

“But me being there ruined that, didn’t it?”

Bob nodded and added, “It is for the best since she loves Jack.”

“Agreed but now we have a scandalous love triangle.” Samantha said with a smile.

“Not really. I don’t love you.”

“Are you trying to break my heart already?”

“No.”

“Then can’t we be friends? Hang out from time to time?”

“Sure, I guess.”

“Sounding so certain makes my heart all aflutter.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve just never had anyone as pretty as you express even the slightest interest in me before. I’m just not used to being around women. I would like to get to know you better, though.”

“That’s more like it.”

As they went their separate ways, Samantha leaned in for a goodnight kiss but Bob gave her a hug instead. Surprised, a little insulted and maybe even flattered, Samantha said good night and thanked Bob for a nice evening. In the moments after they parted, she couldn’t help but think that Charlotte was right, Bob was a nice guy. Maybe what she needed for her whole life was a nice guy.