Drinks 'n Dares

Definitely Not Date Night

Chapter Six - Definitely Not Date Night

Claire's POV

"This night is going to be so awkward." I sighed.

Carla promptly smacked me on the arm, "Hey, a lot of gals would be happy to go on a date with a handsome, intelligent, well-off man. Don't look a gift-horse in the mouth."

"I told you it's not a date. And the fact that neither of us is interested in each other, that we're only there to discuss what to do about his family ring which isstuck on my finger kind of subtracts from the romance of it all."

After Jon and I had watched the highly humiliating YouTube video of us and hung up nothing, not even yoga practice had been able to make me relax. Then the next day Jon had called me at work again to arrange a meeting between us, since he didn't trust me not to keep avoiding him. Neither of us had been able to do lunch and so we were having dinner together at a restaurant he'd assured me I'd like.

I might like the restaurant but the company was a little more questionable. Jon might be an all-round terrific guy but he hadn't seemed too impressed with me so far. And considering the things he got up to when he was drunk I wasn't too impressed with him either.

But the fact remained that I wanted to put my best foot forward on this as we tried to figure out what to do. And...well, I was still female. If there was a hot guy around I did want to look good. But I also didn't want to look like a blonde bimbo. That was why I'd called Carla and Kira around to my place to help me pick what to wear.

"Yeah but he's taking you to an Italian place." Carla insisted. "Do you know how much I'd love to have someone take me on a date to a place like that?"

"It doesn't matter because it's not a date."

Kira was hunkered down on the couch beside me dealing with my outfit. (Oh how it pays to have aspiring fashion designers for friends). She had been quiet previously but now she commented, "And you're meeting at his place?"

"Yeah." I said. "We're meeting there and then he's going to take me to this Italian-" I ignored Carla who had flopped back onto the couch in depression "-restaurant and then he'll drop me off home."

Carla pulled herself back up and with a dubious expression asked, "Are you sure you trust him?"

I sent her a scathing look. "This coming from the girl who went on a blind date with a biker named Fist to some place called 'The Hairy Snake' and had to have her friends rescue her?"

"Touché." Carla admitted, and went back to being flopped out on the couch.

"There." Kira said, re-joining the conversation. She gestured to the outfit she'd laid out for me. "Feminine, sophisticated but not too flirty."

I eyed the outfit and smiled. There was the slightly sexy black top Kira had made for me a few years ago; black in the front with a back made of black lace. Then plain black jeans and some heels.

"You'll have your hair down of course." Kira continued on. "It may look a little more romantic but it would be weird you having it up when you wear it down almost every day."

I nodded. Combined with my clutch purse and my wits it seemed to have every intention of getting me through a Jon-filled evening. Then I frowned.

"What about a jacket?"

Kira and Clara eyed each other with small smiles. "Not necessary."

I narrowed my eyes at the two of them but decided I really didn't want to know...

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Jon's POV

I paced back in front of my door trying to calm my nerves. Claire and I were only meeting to brainstorm ideas on how to get out of this ridiculous situation, but nevertheless, it had been a very long time since I had been out to dinner with a woman. And top of that I'd just had to invite to her to my favourite restaurant. If she didn't like it...well. After I got my ring back we'd never meet again. But until then I would value her opinion. But just a little. And if I had to admit it to myself I wanted to impress her a little.