chyp: You know how I feel about you, man. Keep reading and please keep enjoying!


Matthew walked into the club, second-guessing his decision to go in the first place. The arrangement was as he expected; dozens of cute tables with two chairs situated across from each other, with red and white tablecloths and frilly designs on the backs of the chairs. A scented candle sat in the center of every table, filling the air with the spicy aroma of peppermint. Alongside the candle, a crystal vase held a mixture of flowers, all red, white, and green, with a single red rose standing taller than the rest. He stood there, transfixed at the possibilities of what could happen later on. His hands never left the pockets of his brown suit. Not thinking ahead, he had chosen a white shirt over a tan one to wear with a tie the same color as the suit. He got so caught up in the decorations that he didn't notice a woman waving her hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention.

"Hello?" she politely shouted, finally getting his attention. "Have you signed in yet?"

"Oh, huh?" Matthew asked, snapping back to reality. "Yeah, I was just about to do that."

"Good," she said, smiling warmly. "After you sign in, you can take a seat over there at one of the tables. We'll be starting in just a minute! Are you excited?"

"Yeah," Matthew answered with no enthusiasm whatsoever. "I'm a little…"

"Nervous," she completed his sentence. "First time doing this?"

"Yeah," he answered, slightly blushing.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," she said, patting his shoulder. "This is a very legit ordeal. There's nothing or no one here who's going to laugh at you, especially not a big, strong man like yourself."

"I…" Matthew said, his head spinning just a little bit, "…think I'll sake my teat, I mean take sy meat, I mean take my seat!"

Matthew nervously walked over to an empty table, all the while staring at his watch. His doubts gradually increased over the next few minutes, almost overwhelming him. Why was this so nerve-wracking for him? He had definitely been in worse situations that this. Would he seem desperate? Would he seem lonely? Would he seem like a loser? Many questions flooded his mind as the second hand on his watch seemed to move backwards. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he tried to take deep breaths to relax.

"You can do this, Matt," he said to himself. "Stop worrying and get into the game."

"Mind if I sit here?" a woman asked, catching him by surprise. "Unless you're not done talking to your imaginary friend, that is."

"Oh!" Matthew jerked his head upwards, sending a few flecks of sweat flying behind him. "No, I was just…talking to myself."

"Well that makes me feel better," the woman said, smiling. "First time?"

"Is it that obvious?" Matthew asked.

"Just a wild guess," she said. "But you never answered my question. Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Please," Matthew said, quickly standing up and rushing over to properly seat her.

She was quite beautiful. Her pale off-white skin gently reflected the dimmed lights of the room. She wore an elegant pink dress, with a plunging neckline that only accentuated the exquisite necklace that hung around her neck. The silver chain held a medium sized gem, the same color as her dress. Her long, dark brown hair flowed freely down to the middle of her back, moving mysteriously as she sat.

Matthew rushed back to his seat, almost falling out of it in the process. He stared deep into her large chocolate-colored eyes before she brought him back to reality, snapping her long fingers loudly.

"Remember me?" she asked, finally regaining his full attention.

"Sorry," Matthew said. "I guess…I've just…you look really beautiful tonight."

"This old thing?" she asked, pretending to bat her eyelashes before breaking into soft laughter. "I'm just kidding. Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself, I didn't catch your name?"

"Matt," Matthew answered meekly. "I'm Matt Hart."

"Nice to meet you, Matt Hart," the woman said, extending her hand to shake his. "I'm Ariana."

As their hands grazed each other, Matthew felt an unnerving tingling in his chest. The sensation paralleled his premonition experience, but something distinguished this feeling. Usually during a premonition, Matthew felt a sense of emergency and urgency, and a slight bit of panic. Now, his mind spun inside his head, and he felt a tad giddy. If anything, this feeling was the exact opposite of a usual premonition. A woman, the same one who greeted Matthew at the door, began to speak into a microphone, returning him to his normal state.

"Guys and girls," she announced with an unusually large smile on her face, "welcome to Buckhead's own Club 404, and of course to the Christmas Speed Dating Special! I'll be your speed dating timekeeper tonight. I'm Melissa Scott, and on behalf of all the staff here, we're so excited that you're joining us tonight!"

A wave of applause swept across the club as Melissa stopped to take a deep breath. She waved at some of the people who she met earlier for just a few moments before continuing her welcoming speech. While everyone had previously been giving their full attention to Melissa, a lot of people now focused more on the person sitting across from them, waiting impatiently for the bell to ring. Matthew was no exception; he and Ariana kept whispering things to each other, trying to seem polite.

"…so now here are the rules," Melissa announced, garnering a hush from the crowd. "The first round is the ladies' round. All you beautiful women will stay at your tables while these hunky gentlemen rotate from table to table every two minutes. Round two is the men's round. Same thing as before, but this time the women go from table to table. Trust me, it's not as sleazy as it sounds!

"After the first two rounds, you can narrow down your list of potentials by choosing whether or not you want to revisit a certain table. By then, you should have a small list of people who you think would make for a great companion! Don't worry, it's a lot easier once we get into it, so let's get started! Three, two, one, go!"

She enthusiastically rang the small but loud bell placed on the podium in front of her. The various couples wasted no time in getting to know each other, getting into all sorts of questions and topics. Melissa passed around all the tables, winking at every person she saw and giving them a thumbs up. It was the beginning of a very love-filled evening.