#ILoveYou #YouLoveHer

#Chaperon

Tia

"What?" I asked my mother. A chaperon- I heard her say.

"You should ask Mich to go along with you two," she added.

"But it's a date."

"I know, that's why you'd need a chaperon."

"It's just dinner and a movie. I've had dinner, and watched movies with Nate before..." Then I realized I might have said the wrong thing, because my mother frowned. "And Laura," I added.

"It's different now that he made his intentions known."

"His intentions?"

"He likes you now." What she meant was, she didn't need to worry about him before, because they all know that he likes Mich.

I'm surprised they don't have anything to say about dating your best friend's ex-suitor.

"Okay," I agreed. I'm not inviting Mich though. And Laura is not talking to me anymore. Begrudgingly, I texted my latest closest work friend, Jamie.

Nate

A text from Tia: "Hi, I invited Jamie to our dinner + movie thing, is that okay?"

What? Why would Tia invite someone to our supposed date? Was I not obvious enough? Did she think that I would've invited Michelle? So she's turning it into a group thing?

I replied, "Sure."

Was I reading things wrong? Did Tia not want to be alone with me?

It's not as if we never had dinner before with just the two of us. I mean, that was mostly during the times that Mich was in another country, or Mich had some family obligations, or some other friends that she deemed more important to meet.

If it's going to be a group thing, should I invite Mich? She was amused by the idea of Tia and me on a date, but she would not be by Tia, me and Tia's closest work friend on a date. Though I'm not sure if it'll be because she don't like the presence of a third wheel, or that she wasn't the third wheel.

"Thanks. I'll see you later then," she texted in reply.

I made a few phone calls and added two more to my reservations.

I texted Mich. "Movie + dinner, game?"

It was almost lunch time, so she texted, "Lunch, first. Pick me up."

Michelle

What game is he playing?

"Nathaniel, here's your money, although I already spent most of it on coffee this morning," I said as I returned the change to him.

"Thank you. That's very generous of you," he replied.

"So what's the deal? By the way, movie plus dinner, game? is not hopefully not how you asked out Tia."

"First off, Tia invited Jamie. And two, no, of course not. That's just how I'd ask you out."

"Gee, thanks. And who's Jamie?"

"Tia's work friend."

I shook my head. "I thought it was supposed to be a date?"

"I thought it was. Apparently Tia and I are not of the same page."

"I think she is. Maybe Jamie has a thing, and Tia needed to be there for her."

"She could've canceled on me."

"You'd rather have her cancel?"

"It's actually easier to cancel reservations than try to add to them at the last minute."

"True. So what's the plan now?"

He grinned.

Something is not right about his grin.

"The restaurant and the movie theater doesn't have seats of four together..."

I laughed.

"So I'm dating Jamie, then?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.