Stood Up

*

Idly I glanced at my watch again.
Why did I think I could rely on him?

I felt the apologetic and pitying glances of others around me as I sat alone in my favourite restaurant. At this point, though, I was way past being embarrassed. I was pissed. I didn't want their pity; I just wanted my goddamn boyfriend to be on time for a change. Forty minutes I had been waiting here, forced to say one thing after the other to assure the waiter that my date was still coming.

"He probably just got stuck at work."
"I'm sure it'll only be a few more minutes."

All the while constantly checking the time. The minutes dragged by in what felt like an eternity, and I knew he had no good excuse to be this late. We had planned this night out weeks ago.

Eight months we had been together, and I was at my wit's end. I had given him chance after chance, hoping he would change once he saw how upset it made me when he didn't seem to take anything seriously. I always tried to make sure everything was perfect for him; left him cute notes, cleaned his house while he was away, even did some of his laundry and cooked some meals. But I guess he just didn't give a damn. The least he could've done was be on time for events that were special to me. But there was always an excuse.

"Oh, babe, I'm sorry. Time just got away from me."
"Sorry, babe, the boys came over and I couldn't just tell them to leave."
"Come on, babe. It's not like the 6-month anniversary is as important as the one-year mark."

That last one really shot a nerve, and he knew it. He'd apologized profusely and been super sweet to me for about three weeks. He'd been on time for everything, and went out of his way to make me feel super special and appreciated. It was those moments that gave me hope, as well as motivation to keep giving our relationship my all. I wanted things to work out.

Aaaaand then it all went down the drain again.

This date was my last straw. I had agreed with myself that if he didn't show up for this one, it was over. So if that's the way he wanted it...

I couldn't help but feel a small pang of sadness though; he could be so amazing when he wanted to be. It just really sucked that those moments were so few and far between. I couldn't afford to waste time on someone who just kept disappointing me like that.

I took a moment to come up with an apology for the restaurant staff about me wasting so much of their time during an obviously-busy night. I signalled one of the nearby waiters, but just as he reached my table...

"Oh my god, I am so, so sorry! You would not believe the traffic out there today!"

I was speechless. The man who had sat himself down across from me in a very flustered manner was definitely not my soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. Caught off-guard, whatever I had meant to say to the waiter died on my tongue. I literally could not conjure up a word quick enough, whether to tell this stranger off or ask the waiter to remove him.

The stranger, slightly scruffy in the best way possible, didn't skip a beat and asked for a water. The waiter looked between us for a glance, then rushed off to retrieve the drink. I'm sure he was just happy to finally serve me properly now that my "date" had arrived.

I turned on the stranger, about to tell him that he must have the wrong table, when he shot out his right hand towards me.

"Sebastian. Just go with it. Whoever didn't bother to show up for someone as stunning as you is a total dick."

I shook his hand lightly and settled back in my seat."Toary. Have you been watching me?" I lifted an eyebrow.

Sebastian glanced around at the other tables. "I mean, hasn't everyone? It's a crowded restaurant, and you can't exactly miss it when a waiter repeatedly comes to the same table every few minutes."