Tyler
Tyler was sitting on a park bench, reading a novel. It was a personal favorite pastime of his; he got to feel the sun shine down on him, hear the birds singing, and of course watch all the dogs being walked. Who didn't love seeing some happy dogs? There were other reasons he chose to read out in the park, one of which was because he was a helpless romantic. The 23-year-old hadn't had a date since his junior prom in high school, and he wanted to get back out there. He had a whole lot of love to give with no one to give it to.
He did have a few things going against him. Tyler was quite the shy fellow, and never made the first move. His date to junior prom had happened quite by accident, namely through a lack of communication. Tyler and his "date" didn't hit it off, and spent most of the time away from each other and drinking virgin drinks from the little bar the venue had. It wasn't a fun time for either.
So, Tyler would always read in public places in hopes of someone approaching him to talk about the book he was reading. It had worked once, somewhat. The woman who talked to him was happily married with children. This had been going on for a few weeks, and it was getting to a point where he was ready to move on and try something else. Perhaps get into online dating, it'd make it easier to meet people guaranteed. That is assuming the two parties would successfully trade messages consistently.
Before abandoning his reading idea, Tyler decided he would try it for one more week, reading a different book each time. Today, he had opted for a novel called "Ten Little Scoundrels" by a casual writer turned novelist. Tyler's idea of reading involved looking at the middle of the book to make it seem like he was far in and invested. If they wanted to talk about any point in the book, he'd just reply with a "I want to wait until I'm done to avoid spoilers." That did work with the married woman from earlier, so it's worked every time so far. Tyler sat down and randomly went to the middle of the book as he feigned reading.
"Excuse me, is that Ten Little Scoundrels you're reading?" a woman's voice asked, Tyler surprised that this plan actually worked.
"Why yes it is! Very good one so far."
"I know! And how about that part where Liz-"
Tyler held up his hand hastily. "No spoilers! I'd like to save discussion until I get through it all. Seems very much like the book to do that for."
"You got me there. I'm Lisa by the way." she said with a smile, holding out her hand.
"Tyler, it's a pleasure." he answered with a smile and handshake.
"What brings you to the park to read anyways? Why not a library or at home?"
"Well, I like seeing some dogs." Tyler replied back with a laugh. "Can't see excited dogs in libraries."
"Guess that's a good reason for it!" Lisa giggled along with Tyler.
The two chatted for a good while, about an hour passing. Tyler was enjoying her company quite a bit. However, he was also getting worried. Did she feel the same way or was she just passing time? Did she think they were hitting it off like Tyler thought they were? He decided to prod the romantic waters even if it meant it could end the interaction.
"Say...I hate to be upfront like this but, are you seeing anyone right now?" Tyler asked twiddling his thumbs nervously.
"Aside from the people who walked by no." she replied with a wave of her hand. "Why's that? You liking what you see?" Lisa added with a giggle.
"Oh I uh...y-yes?" Tyler said rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry for being super forward it's uh, it's been a while since I talked to a girl in this way."
"Here then," Lisa said taking out an old receipt and pen from her purse and wrote something down. "My number for future reference."
"J-jeez, thanks!" Tyler was feeling quite ecstatic now.
"Say, I'm going to check out this new bar that recently opened. I think it was called ‘A New Dive’, care to come with me?" she asked with a smirk.
"Yeah, totally!" Tyler shook his head up and down. "Kinda early don't you think?"
"What are you talking about? It's already 5! By the time we get there it'll be 6. Perfect time to start getting hammered no?"
"I-I'll take your word for it!" Tyler said with a chuckle. "Did you need a ride there?"
"I won't say no to one!" Lisa laughed. "My little Uber driver."
Tyler blushed a little bit as he took Lisa's hand, going to his car and making their way to the bar.
"What's so special about this bar anyways?" Tyler asked over to his passenger.
"I don't really know, they didn't really advertise it much." Lisa replied. "I just feel like getting some drinks if I'm being honest."
"Can't argue with that!" Tyler chuckled.
Soon enough, they arrived at the bar's location, the door's seemingly just having opened. There was a small crowd of people there already, the small handful going in after the bar opened it's doors. Lisa let out a small groan.
"Dang it, I wanted to be the first one in. Ah well, let's go inside anyways."
"Sorry, traffic wasn't our friend today." Tyler said back with a small frown.
The two got out of the car and went into the doors before Tyler realized he forgot his wallet in his car. "Dang it..." he muttered to himself. "I'll meet you inside, I gotta get something from my car."
"Sure thing, I'll save you a seat." Lisa nodded and walked into the building.
Tyler ran back down to his car before he felt someone tap his shoulder. He was a bit weirded out but gave it the benefit of the doubt and turned around. "Jack?"
Written by vinomath on 01 June 2017
