Chapter 2
A/n: Here is chapter 2, this story will only be Emily's Pov and it will be shorter I'll write like 1 or 2 more chapters and I hope you'll enjoy reading this story.
I really couldn't comprehend what was going on, "But my friend Spencer set me up with someone from her husband Toby's office, someone named 'McCullers.'" I explained. Paige snorted and shook her head again. I knew the facts of what was happening. It was absolutely obvious that I'd been set up on a date with a woman. But the implications could not sit still in my mind. I felt a jarring buzz in my brain, a total lack of context.
"Toby Cavanaugh and Hot Spence?" she asked, shaking me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah Toby and Spencer Cavanaugh ," I said, but her phrasing seemed strange, "Hot Spence?" I asked. Paige's face was extremely red and she was looking down at her phone, avoiding my eyes.
"Oh uh, yeah. There are two guys in department with wives named 'Spencer' so we call one 'tall Spence' because she is taller than her husband, Hank, and the other one 'Hot Spence' because she is so...hot and Toby is such a dork. Some of the other guys made it up," she said absentmindedly. Well we were definitely set up together. Toby and Spencer had set me up with a woman named Paige from Toby's office. They knew I was a straight woman. They apparently knew Paige was a straight woman. And they did this to us. Why?
"This is so embarrassing, I am so sorry" I mumbled but Paige didn't say anything. I don't know why I apologized; it felt like something to do. Something real to do. For a minute we sat in complete silence, too uncomfortable to speak. What the hell was all this supposed to mean? I tried to focus on one idea, to try to place this situation in frame where it would make sense. All I could tell was that I was absolutely mortified. And I could only come to one conclusion.
"This is not a funny joke, I didn't think Toby was such a dick," Paige said, apparently reaching the same conclusion I had. This was some sort of elaborate practical joke. Maybe Paige had been single for a while too, so they set us up to make us feel...I don't know. Stupid? It didn't make any sense. But none of this made any sense. I wasn't a lesbian. Why would Toby and Spencer think this was funny? God, this was just the most humiliating thing ever.
"It isn't like them..." I said finally, but without conviction. What else could this mean? Maybe they had sat us next to the window so they could look in at us and laugh. I looked out the window but didn't see anyone I recognized in the street.
"Well here we fucking are!" Paige snapped. I felt the heat of her anger and quailed. I must've made a face, "Sorry. Not your fault. Just feel really conspicuous. Everyone thinks we are on a date or something. The whole wait staff is probably in on this joke. And honestly I am uncomfortable with you seeing me this...uncomfortable."
"I am in the same boat, you don't need to be embarrassed with me," I said. I was still just trying to get a handle on my ideas. Beyond the same embarrassment I was trying to talk Paige out of, I couldn't begin to register my own emotions.
"Hi, I am Heather, I am going to be your waitress tonight," a voice finally said. Paige and I turned and looked at a cute young woman in a black shirt and tie smiling brightly, "Would you like a bottle of wine or something else to drink to get started." I felt flustered. The last thing that I wanted was to leave.
"No...uh, thank you but no," I said, stumbling out the words. But I suddenly knew what I wanted to do, "We changed our minds. We are going to go." I explained. Paige nodded without looking at the waitress and grabbed her purse, ready to go. She apparently agreed. The joke was over. The waitress put her hands on her hips, tilted her head to the side, and bit her lip.
"Oh, I am sorry to hear that," the waitress said, "What should I tell Spencer about the bill?" I felt so strange, hearing her reference Spencer.
"Spencer? What does it matter to her?" Paige spat.
"There is no bill, we haven't ordered anything, we are just going to go," I said, starting to stand up.
"Oh I know, I mean the agreement," she said.
"What agreement," I asked, stopping. What other joke was there. Some sort of wedding cake or something? 'Look at those two women who can't get men. Might as well just buy them a dozen cats and put them together.' Funny stuff.
"Spencer and her husband, they agreed to pay your dinner tonight. Should I let her know that you don't want it? Or what?" The waitress asked. I didn't care if Spencer and Toby agreed to pay the mortgage on my condo, I was done.
"I don't care, I just want to go."
"How much did they agree to pay?" Paige said, sitting back down in her chair. The waitress shrugged. I was reaching back into the seat to grab my purse. I stopped moving as there was something different now in Paige's voice.
"Oh they didn't say, they just said they'd get the bill. They left their credit card on file," the waitress explained. Paige looked over at me. A broad smile spreading out across her face, making her look devious (and pretty). She leaned forward on the table, placing her elbows on the surface and rubbing her hands together.
"Is that a fact?" she asked. The waitress nodded, looking a bit confused. Paige turned back towards me, "You thinking what I am thinking?" she said, her voice sounding low and malicious. I instantly surmised what she was hinting at. A little bit of revenge. My humiliation in exchange for a very, very expensive meal. For a second I thought about it, but I started to shake my head.
"No, I can't, they..." I started.
"Want us to have a good meal," Paige said, smiling sweetly at the waitress, then she turned towards me, raising both her eyebrows and speaking slowly, "I am in payroll, trust me Toby can handle it and they DESERVE to hear about US being happy," she said, each word dripping with meaning. I knew she was right, but I was about to demur again.
I was angry at Toby and Spencer, and confused, but I couldn't do that. It was wrong to take someone's money. Especially a friend. Even if that friend was being...weirdly cruel without provocation. But thinking about that strange spite from my friends, and hearing about what I deserved and about being happy, I thought about my conversation with Spencer. The one where she'd cried and told me about me about my future and my needs. I thought about the emotional ups and downs of that conversation, the way that Spencer seemed to really hurt for me. The fact that I sacrificed what I wanted just to make her happy.
It was all for this...joke or prank and I got what, a free meal out of it? Hardly even. Each memory, the feelings and guilt she'd stirred in me, heightened the rage. I had never felt so angry in my entire life.
"Actually, I am feeling pretty hungry," I said, sitting back down in the seat. Toby and Spencer were going to pay until we were equal and then pay some more. Then I might not ever speak to them again. This was unforgiveable. A joke in bad taste was one thing, but this went beyond it. (I mean not really, I was never going to cut them out, but it felt powerful to pretend I could). The more I thought about it, the less I was able to understand it. My friends were being just hatefully mean to me for no reason. They left their credit card to mitigate the shear meanness of it, but that wasn't really enough. Apparently Paige felt the same way. She picked up her menu.
"Yes, miss. We'd like a bottle of your most expensive red wine...and a bottle of your most expensive white wine. Uh...we'd like one of...let's say each of the appetizers. We'd also like two of your most expensive entrees and...let's say the catch of the day for us to share," she said, pointing to each item on the menu as the waitresses eyes got wider. Paige spoke pointedly, each word spilling out of her mouth like she was spitting out a razor blade. I liked the way she sounded, feeling my righteous indignation mirrored in her voice.
"Actually, we have a really nice white to pair with the fish..." The waitress attempted to say.
"Is it the most expensive white wine?"
"No but..."
"We want the expensive one. Our pallets are crazy sophisticated," she said and, despite my anger, I had to giggle, "Thanks." And then Paige handed the menus back to the waitress. The waitress looked a little bit dazed but nodded and walked away.
"Oh my god, you are so crazy!" I said once the waitress was gone. I was glad that this girl was on my side. I wanted to get even, but I wouldn't have even known where to start.
"I hope you don't mind me ordering for you, we are on a date after all," she said and I actually smiled.
"Not at all, as long as you promise to save room for dessert."
"Desserts," she said and we both laughed a little bit. We sat in silence for a few moments, just trying to come to terms with the new situation. Finally, I had an idea.
"Hey, do you just want to leave? I mean, they are going to charge them for the food anyway, let's just both go home," I suggested.
"Uh...No Em. I appreciate the offer, but I am staying," she said, "First of all, I am nowhere near done here. Second, like I said, I cleared my schedule. I have nowhere else to be. Do you?"
"Well I could go back to the office I guess, but really no..." I replied, wondering what I could be doing more productive than this.
"Then fuck it," Paige responded, "Let's just take it easy and have the most expensive meal of our lives. You seem like good company, let's get back at them by enjoying our 'date.'" I tilted my head to the side and looked at Paige. What she said made sense. I nodded.
"Yeah, I guess so," I said, "You seem like more fun than paperwork"
"A ringing endorsement," she responded and I laughed. At that moment, the sommelier arrived with two bottles of wine. He seemed surprised that he was bringing two bottles for two people. But he popped the corks and we inspected them. He was about to pour the wine into the glasses.
"Woah there," Paige said, grabbing at the red wine bottle, "We can handle that part." She said. The sommelier looked at her like she was crazy.
"They usually do that kind of stuff for you."
"No, I usually do this stuff for me. He is going to fill it like a quarter of the way up so it can pretentiously 'breathe.' I want to get drunk on someone else's dime, I am filling my glass..." she said, tilting the wine bottle up, "and yours to the top." And she poured out her wine until it was almost at the rim. The sommelier shook his head and walked away.
"I have work in the morning," I said, placing my hand over my glass. I really did.
"Don't make me drink alone Em," she said, she started to pour the wine out of the bottle! It splashed against my hand and I quickly drew it back. Soon she was filling my glass just as she had hers. I wanted to be angry, but I just laughed at her boldness. She didn't try to convince me of anything, she just did what she wanted and expected me to get in line. I admired that.
"Well, you drive a hard bargain," I said, "But I guess I am in." Paige lifted her glass, very carefully, for a toast. I did the same.
"To...a dyke date I guess," Paige said and clinked her glass against mine. I laughed.
"To...that," I said. We brought our glasses up and both took deep drinks of the expensive (and tasty) wine. Paige didn't hold back, she downed her glass of wine, gulping it like water, and then set her glass back down.
"Wow, I haven't pounded wine like that since college, and that was cheap stuff," Paige said when she finished, her eyes watering.
"That couldn't have been that long ago," I said, taking another big drink of my own wine. For some reason, I wanted to keep pace with her.
"I graduated...two years ago. But it feels longer," she said. The drink seemed to relax her some and she leaned back in the booth, "How about you?"
"How about me what?" I asked.
"How long ago did you graduate?" she asked, and then she smiled, "I guess that's my not-so-sneaky way of asking how old you are." I laughed.
"Oh wow, I am 25 so I guess I graduated about...5 years ago," I said, had it really been that long?
"Wow!" Paige said, "Wouldn't have guessed that."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, I am not saying you are childish or anything but...you don't look 25. I thought you were like 18 or 19 at the oldest."
"And how old are you?" I asked, not really sure if that was the best way to ask.
"I'm 24. I'll turn 25 in may." Paige answered.
Paige refilled her glass and then topped mine off with the remains of the bottle. I wondered how much money we'd just drunk in a couple of minutes. But I didn't care. I took another swig of the expensive wine and felt the effects already starting to occur.
"So where'd you go?" I asked.
"I'm right here," Paige said and then giggled a bit. She had really been attacking the wine and it sounded like it went right to her head. I laughed at her joke.
"No college, you said you haven't pounded wine since college, where was college? Party school? Hey no, judgment I went to state" I said. Paige actually laughed a little bit. She reached down her shirt between breasts and grabbed something. She pulled the chain of a necklace up over her hair and handed it across to me.
"Oh it was an absolute trip, but it wasn't a party," she said. I felt my brow furrow and I reached out and took the object that Paige offered. The chain was thin silver band, but the pendant was large. When I looked down I saw that it wasn't a pendant at all, but a ring. A class ring in fact, from Davis Bible College.
"Bible College?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. Paige laughed and nodded, taking the ring back from me.
"Yeah," she laughed, "I figured I stood out as a Davis alum from my modest dress, my humorless demeanor, and chaste behavior." She said and then to accentuate she took a big drink of wine. I laughed at her joke, but really couldn't ever see this punky looking girl at bible school.
"I can honestly say that was the last thing I expected. I would've been less surprised if you went to clown college," I responded. At around this moment, the waitress arrived with the first of our giant load of appetizers. We started eating immediately and the food was worth the price or at least the price to Toby and Spencer.
"Well," Paige said as she finished off a shrimp, "My parents are both INSANELY conservatively Christian. It was choice between Bible College or no college." She explained.
"Not much of a choice," I said.
"Not for me, I needed out of that house. I didn't want to be married at 18 like half the girls at my church," she explained. I felt a sudden well of admiration for this girl. It must've been difficult to buck her tradition upbringing, even just a little bit, and go to school. That took courage. I looked up at Paige now, taking a sip of my wine, and considered her. She was young and a bit wild, but she was also funny, delightfully impulsive, and brave. Not to mention very pretty. I found that I liked her and wondered if Toby and Spencer had not set us up as a joke, but maybe so that we could be friends. Of course, if that was the case, they could have just introduced us. Why all this play acting at romance? I didn't spend much time considering that possibility, the taste of wine on my tongue made me realize something.
"Where were you pounding wine at Bible College?" I suddenly asked. "I would figure it would be wall to wall true believers." Paige laughed and shrugged her shoulders.
"Yeah it pretty much was, except for my junior and senior years. When I was a junior another girl like me showed up as a freshman, Jenna. We ditched the religious classes together and actually had fun. It was kind of like a a real college experience after that. And I was old enough to buy alcohol, so it was just a matter of finding a place to get drunk," she explained. I figured that that made some sense.
"Judging by that wine glass and your professional demeanor, you weren't much of a partier in college," She said. I felt a little self-conscious and finished the last of my wine. I might not have had quite as much as Paige, but I was a lightweight. I wasn't feeling it too much yet, but I knew I would before long.
"I guess I wasn't," I said, "Every once in a while Spencer would convince me to..."
"Spencer as in Hot Spence? You've known her for like ten years?" she asked. It was still such a strange nickname, though I had to admit that Spencer was a beautiful woman.
"Yeah, longer really," I said.
"Does this seem like...in character for her?' Paige said, switching back to our earlier guess as to our friends' motive. "Like I can't imagine Toby doing this, is Spencer a schemer? I've only talked to her twice."
"No," I said, thinking about my friend, who was sweet and kind and sensitive, "No, not like her at all. She is a lovely person." I said, being more honest than maybe I should have.
"So weird," Paige said, placing some sort of fried puff ball into her mouth and chewing, "Oh God!" she said, spitting it back out into her napkin, "Not nearly as weird as that!" I laughed so loudly that people in other booths looked over and I quickly quieted, though I leaned in towards Paige and kept laughing.
"I think it was some sort of sea food," I said while laughing.
"I think it was locker room feet and burnt hair!" Paige said, causing me to laugh again, "God damn hipsters and their weird ass food." She finished ruefully.
"At least it's free," I said and Paige raised her glass. I found my glass of wine and the new bottle, and decided to join her.
I suppose it would be tedious to go over the conversation we held at dinner at length. Not to say that the conversation was tedious, far from it. Just, that the blow by blow is not necessarily essential to the story here. A few more appetizers came and eventually our gigantic meal arrived. There was far too much food to eat and soon we were both stuffed.
The whole while, we carried on a lively conversation. Mostly I spoke about work, because it was really the only thing that I had to talk about. I felt bad, like I was boring her and also driving home to myself that I had no real life. But Paige seemed genuinely interested both in my job and in me as a professional (as well as a person). She asked me for professional advice and I got the feeling that despite her slacker appearance, that she had large ambitions for herself and the acuity of her questions indicated that she had the perceptiveness necessary to achieve those ambitions.
Regardless, I didn't need to worry too much if I was making boring conversation, as Paige spoke enough for two. I learned that Paige was one of six children, the youngest. I learned that she grew up in an outer suburb of the city and that her parents had nearly disowned her when they learned she took a job at a secular record label. She jokingly said that she couldn't tell if her father was angrier that she'd chosen to work in a "sinful" medium or that she had chosen a profession in a field ripe for extinction. Her mother, whom it was clear she hated, revered, and loved deeply all at the same time, had just feared for her soul. She explained that she convinced them that it would be both a chance to spread the word of God and also to learn transferrable business skills and they had relented. All of Paige's stories were uproariously funny, even the ones that should not have been. Despite the monopoly she placed on conversation (which grew more overwhelming she drank) I wished I could hear more about her. I found her absolutely fascinating and undeniably cool.
The whole while we were talking and eating we were also drinking. About an hour into our "date" we had ordered a third bottle of wine. This was a cheaper bottle (we decided to take it easy on Toby and Spencer because we were having fun) but it was arguably stronger than the first two. By the time we both abandoned attempts to finish eating, we were both pretty well drunk. Paige suggested that, instead of buying a dessert, which we couldn't eat, that we head to the bar and "drink" our dessert. Normally, I would decline such an offer. I never much liked liquor. But I was already drunk and eager to extend my positive mood and Paige's attitude was absolutely contagious. So I agreed and we moved back.