Chapter Eleven

It was a lovely spring night when a taxi cab pulled up in front of Angellin's Italian Café. Daria got out of the cab, frowning as she smoothed down her pale green dress.

'Jane really owes me for this,' she thought as she headed for the door. 'I wonder what nightmare is waiting for me inside this time. Another German student wanting a Green Card? Another cross dresser? Another ventriloquist? A German cross-dressing ventriloquist? Ugh. If it is, Jane is going to---'

"Daria!"

She turned around to face the source of the voice. "Tom?"

He had been standing behind her with a look of surprise on his face. "Hey. I wasn't expecting to run into you tonight."

"Me neither."

"Well, how's your life been going?"

"It's okay, I guess. Yours?"

"Fine…. fine." There was an awkward pause. "So…. Daria….. what brings you here?"

Looking down at the ground, she said, "Actually…..I'm sort of here on a date."

Tom's face fell. "Oh."

"A blind date. Jane made me."

"You got forced into one too? Huh. That's weird. So did I."

"You're kidding. That's---" Daria suddenly paused for a moment. "Wait…. you're not by any chance going on a double date as well, are you?"

"Actually, I am." Suddenly, his eyes widened as he realized exactly what Daria was getting at. "You don't think…" They turned their attention back to the restaurant. Sure enough, they could see Jane and Carter through the window, looking over their menus and chatting.

"Oh, no."

"You know what they're trying to do, don't you? They're trying to play matchmaker," Daria grumbled.

"It certainly seems that way," said Tom. Suddenly, he turned towards Daria and grinned mischievously. "Too bad we won't get to see the looks on their faces when they see they've been stood up."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying I think we should leave. They're going to think they're so clever getting us together like this. If we leave, they don't get that satisfaction."

Daria thought about that for a moment. "Sounds like a plan to me. Well, I guess I've got to call another taxi to get back. Nice seeing you," she started to leave.

"Wait!" Tom said. Daria stopped and turned back. "Why don't I drive you back to your place?"

"Um, right. Yeah, I guess that would be the best thing to do."

"Great, my car's right over there."

They walked across the parking lot to Tom's car, the same one he'd had since high school. Before Daria could get there, Tom walked over to the passenger side and opened the door for her. However, instead of getting in, Daria just stood there staring for a moment.

"Daria, are you gonna get in the car, or should I strap you to the hood?" Tom smiled, jokingly.

"…..No, I'm coming." She slid in, and Tom shut the door.

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"I'm sorry, Carter," Jane said, looking at her watch again. "She should be here any second. My friend is never like this, I swear." Looking back up at Carter, her face regained the dreamy look she had had all evening. She had never felt quite this way before. She was consumed with a light, warm, almost magical feeling.

Carter shrugged, grinning goofily. "That's alright, my friend seems be running behind too."

"I bet they're not gonna show up. It's probably just as well." Jane sighed. "She was getting sick of blind dates anyway. She would have been grouchy all night."

"Plus, now we get more time alone!" Carter waggled eyebrows, and Jane let out a giggle. "Actually, I'm kinda glad Tom didn't show up!"

Jane did a double-take. "Tom? Tom who?"

"Tom Sloane." Carter frowned. "Have you heard of him or something?"

"You could say that," she said weakly. "I dated him in high school for about seven months."

"Really? Wow, that's really ironic."

"Oh, Carter," she said, shaking her head. "You don't know the half of it…."

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Unbeknownst to Jane, Carter, and the other inhabitants of the restaurant, Cupid was standing in corner nearby. Zapping Jane and Carter with the Love Tazer once more, he headed toward the restaurant's exit in pursuit of his current subjects. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks.

'Oh, wait a minute! I almost forgot!' He grabbed his bow and two red arrows from his bag. With perfect form he pulled back the string and let the two arrows take flight.

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In a booth across the room, Krissy laughed as she spoke with her boyfriend. "Anyway, so then I told her, if you think that's bad, you should have seen what happened last year with me and Megan in New Hampshire, and she said----Ow!" She felt as if something had hit her chest.

"Hon, what happ---Owww!" Her boyfriend, Brandon, was suddenly subject to the same sharp, short pain Krissy had. It felt as if waves of electricity were running through his body.

When the sensation stopped, both sighed in relief, checking themselves over to see if they were hurt. "Krissy, did you feel…." He suddenly looked up into Krissy's eyes.

And suddenly both of them found themselves unable to speak. It was at that moment that the both of them knew that they were with the person they would spend the rest of their lives with.

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'Another success!' Cupid thought. He looked down at his watch. 'Oh son of Zeus, I'm late again.' Off he rushed to catch up with Daria and Tom.