Scars of the Past

Chapter Thirty-Five: Spot Conlon

I take a breath as I sprint down the street, swerving around people on the sidewalk. I can't believe I'm late. I haven't been on a date in so long and I can't even learn to manage my time right.

I quickly cross the street and make a right turn, ending up right in front of the restaurant.

I cool air quickly surrounds me, hopefully making my sweat pause for a least a few minutes.

I look around the restaurant and notice Zeke sitting in the back corner. I let out a smile as he gently waves.

Heading over there, I realize how weird this feels. It's been so long since I've been on a date. On top of that, it's been so long since I met someone at the restaurant for a date. I mean, Anthony and I were always with each other so we'd never have to meet up. This just feels so odd. It feels like I'm cheating, even though I'm not.

"Hey," Zeke smiles. "You look nice."

"Thanks!" I smile back. "You too!"

I quickly take my seat across from him.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I lost track of time."

He shakes his head. "Don't worry about it! It's alright. Our table wasn't quite ready right away anyways so it's probably for the better."

"Still. I should have paid more attention."

"Relax, it's fine. Don't stress about it," He smiles.

I let out a sigh as the waitress comes over. "Hello, my name is Meghan. I'll be your waitress today. Is there anything I could get you guys to drink?"

She looks between us as Zeke makes a small gesture toward me, encouraging me to go first.

I smile and then look over at Meghan. She smiles softly back, her green eyes glistening as she listens.

"May I please get a coke?"

"Sure," She nods then turns to Zeke. "And for you?"

"I'll take a coke as well, please."

"Sure!" She nods, "Do you guys want any appetizers?"

"Can we please have some bruschetta?" He asks, quickly glancing down at the menu.

"Of course!" She nods. "Can I get you guys anything else at the moment?"

Zeke looks over at me and I shake my head.

"No, I think we're good. Thank you!" He says, smiling.

She nods. "Of course!"

My heart skips a leap as his gaze switches to me as Meghan walks away.

He laughs, "Are you alright? Your face is red."

I nod, closing my eyes for a second. "What? Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. Just excited to be here."

"Me too." He smiles.

For a second, I find myself getting lost in his hazel eyes. They're a gorgeous shade of green with flashes of brown scattered throughout. "So, how was your day?"

"It was pretty good," he begins, "Had to take my police dog in for a physical assessment and a bit of training. She did a great job though."

"Aww!" I smile brightly. "What's her name?"

] "Alexis. She's a year-old German Shepard. She's been on patrol with me for a while but they try to keep up with her periodically to make sure she'll be alright on the job."