Mismatched

Ch. 2

"What?"

Riley looked at me perplexed, as if the reason for his disgust was so entirely obvious that everyone could tell.

"Well, for starters, I've seen your face before. On a giant poster that said, 'do not date this man.' Plus, what are you, like nineteen? You look like a man-child. And the stained clothes are super classy, I feel very wooed," he drawled out sarcastically, scoffing as he looked away from me and back to his notebook.

"How did you see the poster?" I blurted out before I had time to process anything else.

It was like seven years ago now, and from what I knew, it was only posted in my high school. Had she still been passing them around? It just seemed a little overkill. I mean, who actually had a good boyfriend at seventeen?

Riley simply rolled his eyes in response, now refusing to look up from his notebook.

"Well, to set the record straight, that poster was from when I upset my girlfriend in high school. Considering I'm meeting you, a man, here for a blind date, I'll let you take a wild guess about why that didn't work out. I'm currently twenty-four. And yes, I apologize for the clothes, your last-minute date plans didn't exactly leave me any time to get ready after I finished work," I explained.

He seemed to consider it; his fingers had stopped tapping while he processed what I had just said.

"I mean, the matchmakers paired us together for a reason. Don't you think you should at least hear my elevator pitch before you completely write me off?" He wasn't budging, and at this point, I was desperate.

"Fine, sit," he commanded, gesturing to the entry booth bench across from him, still not making eye-contact with me.

Even though I knew I had to be here because of the business, it still took everything in me not to turn around and walk out. The idea of doing what this guy was telling me to do was quite honestly vomit-inducing. I sat, resigned.

"What's the elevator pitch?" he deadpanned.

This was going to be the make-or-break moment. I had to make it good. And the real Nate wasn't good. I wouldn't even say that I was mediocre.

But I didn't have to be the real Nate. I was already pretending to be gay and Riley's one true match, so I didn't think at this point that any other lies added on top would really matter.

"Well, I grew up here. I went to Queen's University for mechanical engineering. Came back here after I graduated, and I've been working at the Labatt brewery factory. I'm financially responsible. I've got investments, I'm paying off the mortgage on my house right now," I said, putting on the best smile I could muster.

"I try to go to the gym as much as I can, but my job keeps me pretty busy. I end up flying out to conferences all over the country, so if you play your cards right then maybe I will take you along with me," I finished.

He looked at me with the same unimpressed eyes. The sparkle I had seen when I first walked in was gone. They were nothing but cold and empty.

We sat in silence for a minute.

"Is that it?"

"What do you mean?" I didn't understand.

I just described the dream man of all my exes. Went to a prestigious school, smart, financial stable, exciting job, keeping up their appearance. If that didn't impress him, then telling him about the real me would probably send him into a cardiac arrest.

"I just think it's interesting that when given the floor to say anything you wanted, you chose to say that. Which have to be some of the most superficial, surface level things about you."