CHAPTER SEVEN
Emma
“I really think you're gonna have a great time,” Claire says, holding up a pair of black heels. “What about these?”
“Nah. Not with this dress,” I reply. “I'm either gonna have a great time or it's gonna be absolutely dreadful. One or the other.”
“Do you want me to call you at a certain time?”
“Why?”
“So you'll have an excuse to leave. Give me a specific time to call you. Then when I do, if the date's not going well, you can tell Chad that there's an emergency and you have to go.”
“Oh. I've never done something like that. Good idea. I'm meeting Chad at seven. So how about, say, eight. Maybe eight thirty?”
“Okay. I'll call you between eight and eight thirty. How about these shoes?”
“Oh, perfect! They're perfect for this outfit.”
I put on the shoes and look myself up and down in the mirror. I'm not a fan of dressing up, usually. Tonight, though, I wanna look as good as I can. Gustoso Italiano is a really nice restaurant and I want to make sure that I fit in. That's not the only reason why I wanna look good, though. I hate myself for it, but I really wanna impress Chad.
“When you're right, you're right,” Claire says. “You look amazing!”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, you do! Be confident. Chad's gonna think you look incredible.”
I hope so. Normally, I don't get this self-conscious about my appearance. But when I'm going out with a fitness model who's known for his good looks, things change. I'm still unclear of why Chad wants to go out with me. He can – and does – get any girl that he wants. I can't imagine what he wants with me, but I'm dying to find out.
“I'm just trying to go into this without any expectations. I mean, yeah, I want him to think I look good, but I don't need him to.”
“Of course you don't, sweetie. But he will, so don't worry about it. I'm sure you're gonna have a wonderful time.”
“But if I don't, you'll call between eight and eight thirty?”
“Promise. I'm setting a reminder on my phone. See?”
“Thank you, Claire. Okay, I gotta order an Uber and get going. Seven o'clock is creeping up quickly.”
I order myself an Uber and finish getting ready while I wait. My nerves are starting to get the best of me and I haven't even left my apartment yet. I feel like a school girl with a crush going out with the most popular boy in her class. The thing is, I don't have a crush on Chad. In fact, I can barely stand him. So why do I feel like this?
“Bye, Claire. I'm outta here. Don't forget to call me.”
“Don't worry, I won't. Have fun!”
My Uber pulls up the second I get outside. I say hello to my driver, hoping he'll chat me up during our ride to the restaurant. Even if thoughts of Chad are still lingering in the back of my mind, some light conversation should keep him out of the front of it. Unfortunately, my driver barely speaks English. Even if he did, the man doesn't exactly look like the chatty type.
I take out my phone, doing my best to distract myself. Opening one app after the next, nothing works. All I can think about is Chad. It's wonderful that he's helped so many people get in shape. What he's doing is kinda like what I want to do. My dream has always been to write a book about how to lose weight, telling my story. That way, I’d be able to help tons of people get healthy and feel better about themselves. As much as I'm liking my job as a dietitian, I'm only able to help a few people every day. If I wrote a self-help weight loss book and it sold well, I could help thousands.
Maybe I'll tell Chad about my dream of writing a book. I go over a bunch of potential conversation topics in my head but can't figure out what he'll want to talk about. Chad obviously is into fitness and nutrition, two passions that I share. But what else can we talk about? He's used to going out with tons of fun, attractive women. My life is gonna seem so boring by comparison. What am I saying? Chad's a talker. I'm sure he'll lead the conversation. But what if he doesn't? Stop. Just stop, Emma. You're driving yourself crazy. Listen to Claire's advice – just be yourself – and you'll be fine.
I'm so lost in my own head that I don't even notice we've stopped in front of Gustoso Italiano. The driver turns around and says something to me that sounds like “Be our guide.” I think what he actually said or was trying to was “We've arrived.” Either way, I thank him and get out of the car.
Taking out my phone to check the time, I stand outside the restaurant and look around. It's five minutes to seven. Perfect. Gustoso Italiano is packed. The dimly-lit restaurant is filled with well-dressed professionals. After seeing what everyone else is wearing, I feel much more comfortable with my outfit. I'll fit right in. More importantly, I won't stand out. Feeling a little more confident, I enter the restaurant and am greeted by the hostess.
“Welcome to Gustoso Italiano. Your name?”
“I'm Emma Robinson, here to meet Chad Taylor.”
When I mention Chad's name, the hostess' face lights up. His name seems to have that effect on a lot of women.
“Of course. Right this way, Ms. Robinson.”
“Is Chad here yet?”
“Not yet, no. I'm sure he'll be here shortly.”
I'm loving the ambiance in here. Lit candles on every table, the food looks amazing – everything seems great. I can't wait to get a look at the menu. I haven't eaten anything since lunch. I'm starving. We arrive at an empty table with two spots set, a candle burning in the middle of the table.
“Here we are. Your waiter, Matt, will be by shortly to get you a drink.”
“Thank you.”
I have a seat and continue to look around the restaurant. There's a digital clock on the wall near the kitchen entrance. It's now one minute before seven. Oops, correction: It's now seven o'clock on the dot. I shouldn't be surprised that Chad isn't on time. In the week and a half I've been at Fit World, I haven't seen him come in on time once. Chad always leaves his clients waiting while he's doing whatever. I wonder what he's doing that's making him late now.
“Good evening, miss. I'm Matt and I'll be your waiter this evening. Are you expecting someone else to join you?”
“Yes, I am. He's running late, obviously.”
“Would you like me to get you a drink or do you want me to wait until the other party has arrived?”
“Um... Why don't we wait a few more minutes. Would you just get me a glass of water in the meantime, please?”
“Of course. I'll be right back with your water.”
“Thank you.”
A couple minutes go by and Matt returns with my water. I'm starting to get a little upset that Chad's keeping me waiting. Maybe he's doing it on purpose to get some kind of reaction out of me. Or more likely, he's just an inconsiderate jerk that doesn't take other people's feelings into consideration. I'm guessing it's the second. A few more minutes go by and now I'm starting to really get mad.
I take a sip of water and flip open the menu sitting in front of me. Everything looks amazing. There are no prices anywhere which tells me that everything's really expensive. That's why I didn't order anything to drink yet. I could sure use a glass of wine, but don't want to be on the hook for a forty-dollar glass if Chad bails on me.
Suddenly, a wave of anxiety crashes over me. The thought that Chad would stand me up hasn't crossed my mind until right now. Is he that much of an asshole? Would Chad ask me out on a date to an expensive restaurant and just not show up? Is this some sort of continuation of his high school bullshit? I can feel my face getting red even though I can't see it. How could I be so foolish? Why would I say yes to going on a date with such an asshole. What in the world was I...
“There she is!” I hear Chad say, walking up from behind me. He plops down in his seat and continues, “Hey, Emma! How are you doing? I hope you haven't been here long.”
And I hope you have an apology and a good excuse ready for me. You're more than a few minutes late and my time is just as valuable as yours. I don't say any of this, of course. As soon as I lay eyes on Chad, I'm speechless. He's wearing a blue dress shirt, untucked and unbuttoned at the collar. The sleeves are rolled up and I can see his massive forearms. Chad's shirt make his gorgeous blue eyes pop even more than usual. Everything about him looks amazing. I want to scold him for being late. I want to demand an apology. But I can't bring myself to do either.
“Not too long. I'm good. How are you?”
“Me? Come on, Emma. I'm great! I'm always great. You know that!”
“You look good.”
“Good?” Chad says and laughs. “Thanks. You look... nice. Let's get some drinks.”
“Sounds good. Mark is our waiter and he should be around again in a few...”
“Waiter!” Chad yells out. “Mark, where you at?”
Everyone in our section looks over at us and I can't help but feel a little embarrassed. I guess embarrassment is something that Chad doesn't feel. He certainly doesn't act like it is. The waiter comes right over and we order our drinks. Even he treats Chad like a god. I don't pretend to understand why so many people are in love with such a jerk. Especially when I'm drawn to him for whatever reason, too.
“So, Chad… I'm curious to know: Why did you ask me out?”
“Really? That's the first thing you ask me?”
“I just can't figure out why you asked me here.”
“I thought it was obvious: So I can get to know you better. So we can get to know each other better.”
What does that mean? Is that code for “I want to fuck you?” I've been out of the dating world for a while. My intuition isn't exactly at the top of it's game. I was in a relationship all throughout junior and senior year of college with a guy named Roger. We broke up after graduation. Since then, I've been so focused on my career and everything that I haven't really been in the dating pool. I don't know what to make of Chad.
“Okay. So let's get to know each other better. Tell me about yourself.”
“What do you wanna know?”
“Who is Chad Taylor? The real Chad Taylor?”
“WYSIWYG.”
“Huh?”
“What you see is what you get. I am who I am.”
“I don't believe that. Everyone has a public side and a private side. Tell me about how you spend your time.”
“Well, most of my time is spent helping other people get their shit together. Their bodies, minds, and everything else. There are a lot of losers out there that need my help. Between my YouTube videos and personal training, I don't have too much time for anything else.”
“You like helping people. That's great. I do, too. That's why I became a dietitian.”
“That's cool and all, but you're not gonna help that many people working at Fit World. You ever think about starting a YouTube channel or anything like that?”
“I want to write a book about my weight loss journey and about how others can do the same as me. It was a real struggle and I feel like I could help a lot of people, especially young women, to lose weight and feel better about themselves.”
“You know what I wanna do?” Chad asks, using air quotes.
“What?”
“Nothing. I don't wanna do anything. If I want something, I figure out how to get it and I go after it with everything I've got. If you wanna write a book, write a fucking book. If that's what you really want, Emma, you should've started yesterday. You wanna hear one of my favorite quotes?”
“Sure.”
“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”
Wow. Chad's right. Of all the different potential conversations that played out in my head, this definitely wasn't one of them. He's actually inspiring me right now. Why haven't I started writing my book? What's holding me back? I hate to admit it, but Chad Taylor's actually giving me a lot to think about. There are probably a million better, nicer ways he could've said it, but he's right.
“That's a great quote. Who said it?”
“Who knows and who the fuck cares? All I know is that if you want something, go after it. Otherwise, someone else will. If you want to write a book, write a book. Start tomorrow. Seriously.”
“I just might do that, Chad.”
Our waiter returns with our drinks. Chad ordered us a bottle of some expensive wine that I've never heard of before. I take a sip and am embarrassed to admit that it doesn't taste any different – better or worse – than any of the other wines I've tried. They all just kinda taste the same to me.
I don't know how he did it, but Chad's already ignited a fire inside me. And he managed to do it before our drinks even arrived. I feel motivated and inspired. But that's not all I feel. I'm seeing a different side of Chad than I'm used to. He's still kinda being a bit abrasive, but he's trying to help. That's super attractive to me. I love how he tries to help those around him, even if it's in his own asshole-ish kinda way.