Mind Games and D.I.D

29. Come get wet and join me.

At the morning interval Christine watched as her best buddy skipped over to Steve to share the news of the day as he arrived at the spot.

"Allo," Shannon greeted her as she arrived too at that point and sat down with Christine.

"Morgan and Tammy set me up on two dates," Christine whispered.

"Tammy is so happy," Shannon observed.

"She is..." Christine sighed. "I couldn't tell them 'no.' What should I do?"

"I say jus go to these dates. 'Av some ah, ookward talks and jus tell zem jou sink about it," Shannon smiled. "I 'av done this before, an it works."

"Just tell them I'll think about it? What if it's too awkward?" Christine cringed at the thought.

"Hmm... you text a code and I call. Jou know? 'Ohh no, I mus go now, my mo'ser is i'll!'" She smirked. Christine grinned back at her.

"Deal."

"Perhaps le food is good?" She suggested. "Is free?"

"Who said it's free? I don't like the idea of someone buying me food."

"Why?"

"Guys can think you owe them, maybe?"

"To sleep wis?" Shannon guessed.

"Oui. You know..." Christine blushed while catching Steve raising an eyebrow over at her after taking in the information from an overly excited Tammy. Christine shrugged slightly, to which Steve let off a laugh and played it off like a response to Tammy saying something witty, since she was feeling especially noteworthy that day.

Later on, that very evening Christine forced herself to make the effort and go on the date for her friends' sake.

"Chad?" She asked the lone guy who stood out front of the sushi shop in town, that she'd agreed to meet him at via the friend-correspondence.

"Christine?" The vaguely familiar, dark-haired guy of similar height asked.

"Yep. Did you want to go in?"

"Sure thing," he smirked. "Ladies first."

Maybe it was the fact that she really didn't want to be there that made his statement sound creepier than it should have been to her, as she simply didn't appreciate it. She forced a curt smile and marched through the single door space quickly, then walked straight up to the glass cabinet display to grab a clean plate before looking over the dwindling selection of sushi there at the end of the presumably busy day. She then picked out four simple small cubes of rice that were each topped with a strip of raw salmon and pushed her plate down to the register.

"Is that all you're getting?" Chad queried as he peered over.

"Yep."

"I can buy it for you, if you'd like," he offered kindly. Christine shook her head and pulled out her purse.

"It's fine. I've got mine," she stated adamantly and instantly paid to not give him the chance to. Christine then made her way to the closest small square ornate table and pulled out one chair to sit with her food, then reached over for a pair of stylish wooden chopsticks and the bottle of soy sauce that sat near the edge.

Chad then made his way over and placed down his food that was over twice the amount that she'd ordered.

"Are you in a rush?" He enquired while noticing she was already on her second piece of sushi. Christine smiled before covering her mouth as it bulged with rice and fish until she swallowed it.