I'll wait for you (Dayasco)

The date

The air in my apartment vibrated with a nervous energy. My own tiny space, a haven of bright colours and horse-themed decor which decorated the walls. Tonight was the night. It was almost time for my date with Ben.

It had been months of online flirting, witty banter, and late-night texts punctuated by heart emojis. He seemed charming, funny, and genuinely interested in getting to know me. Finally, we'd decided to meet for dinner on at 'The Wild Steer', a local steakhouse known for its cowboy hats and potent margaritas, which knowing me I'd need a few of to be able to even function on a date.

I'd spent hours of my day getting ready, my reflection in the mirror a perfect image of anxious anticipation. My brown, curly hair, usually in a messy bun, was now carefully styled in loose waves that framed my face. Next was my outfit, i settled on a vibrant, coral coloured dress, it felt both bold and slightly out of place in my usually casual attire. My brown eyes, were usually sparkling with laughter, but they now held a nervous glint.

My phone buzzed with a text from my sister, Irene. "Getting ready for the big night huh sis? Don't forget the 'I'm not even trying' confidence, you know you've got it in you! Just be yourself, he'll love you!"

I stifled a laugh. Irene had a way of pushing my buttons, but underneath the teasing, I knew she was just worried for me. I'd been single for a while now, and she was convinced I'd be forever stuck in my horsey apartment, surrounded by dusty saddles and vintage cowboy posters.

"Don't worry, I got this," I replied, forcing a confidence I didn't quite feel. My stomach doing nervous flips as I typed.

"Just don't be late, and don't do anything you don't want to do" Irene reminded me. "And bring home a souvenir, maybe a cowboy hat? It'll fit right in at your place."

I chuckled, sending a quick "I'll try" before switching off my phone. The thought of a cowboy hat made me smile, anything to do with horses or cowboys I seemed to find fascinating.

Taking a deep breath, I surveyed my reflection again. I looked... good. Well I felt good atleast, that was a start. This was a new experience for me, dating as my true self. I'd been so scared to put myself out there, afraid of judgment or rejection. But Ben had been so kind from the start, so accepting, and I'd started to believe that maybe, just maybe, this could be something special.

I grabbed my phone and sent Ben a text: "On my way! See you soon x."

With a final glance in the mirror, I stepped out of my apartment, the door closing softly behind me. The fresh night air felt good against my sweaty skin, the city lights twinkling against the darkness of the evening sky. I sat on a small wall outside my apartment as I waited on my Uber, but before long it was pulling in, I climbed inside and settled into the back seat, my heart beating so loud I was convinced my driver could hear it.

As the car pulled up to 'The Wild Steer,' I took a moment to gather myself. This was it. I was finally going to meet Ben in person and I desperately wanted this to go well, just to give myself the confidence that I could do this.

"That's us here, good luck" my driver smiled, I'm guessing the nice restaurant and my nervous energy was enough for him to guess I was going on a date. "Thank you" I say smiling, slightly embarrassed. I swung open the car door and stepped out making sure I didn't slam the door closed onto my dress, a surge of nervous energy buzzing through me when I saw the resturant infront of me. I looked around, scanning the faces of the people bustling in and out of the restaurant. And then, I saw him.

Ben was sitting on a wall outside of the resturant waiting on me, he looked just like his pictures, which was definitely a better start than some of my previous dates had had. I put my head down and focused all of my brain power onto walking and not tripping over.

I finally made it over to him, but his face was glued on his phone. I waited a moment giving him the chance to look up before I spoke "hi Ben" I said softly, being careful to not scare him. "Oh my god Bosco you scared me, hi how are you?" he said standing up and smiling at me, before going in for an awkward hug. I was glad to see it wasn't just me who was nervous well I put it down to him being nervous.

We walked together to the door of the restaurant which he pulled open, and rather than letting me walk through, he went through first then letting the door slam behind him. "Jesus" I thought to myself, "not the best start", after managing to get inside of the restaurant we were met by the greeter, "hi guys a table for two?". "Yes please" Ben replied, not making it subtle at all that he was checking this girl out.

I already couldn't wait to leave and we hadn't even sat down yet, we were shown to our table. A nice table for two in the back corner of the restaurant, lit dimly by a candle set in the middle of it. We spoke briefly, I found myself instigating all conversation, which I hated before we were thankfully interrupted by our server coming across.

"Good evening guys, I'll be your waiter tonight my name is Daya. Do you guys want to get started with some drinks?"