Chapter 3: Second Dates and Secret Plans

Reed did the questioning; Mason listened outside the glass.

Reed seemed like a rookie, not as serious as the others.

“How many people were with you?”

Me: “Two friends, they don’t know I was brought in.”

Reed turned to the camera. “Reporting to Captain Grant, two more accomplices!”

Me: ???

Reed asked again: “Did they all use? Who gave you the stuff?”

Only then did I realize what was going on.

“What are you talking about? Drugs?”

Reed: “What else?”

I was dumbfounded. “I didn’t! I really just came to drink!”

Reed: “Then why’d you run?”

I said I just followed the crowd, but would they believe me?

Mason couldn’t take it, came in. “Prep a drug test.”

Talk is cheap; two hours later, the test cleared me. The bar’s surveillance was delivered—camera right above my head, crystal clear.

They even called in a lip-reading expert to see if we were making illegal deals.

The expert, in front of sixteen people, translated awkwardly and mechanically:

“Damn, that Officer Grant I went on a blind date with is so hot! Those little muscles, ahhh, before I die I have to taste someone like him!”

The whole office went silent. Everyone stared at Mason, trying so hard not to burst out laughing. And Mason—no more cold ‘Captain Grant’—just looked at me with this complicated expression. He sat a little awkwardly, ears tinged pink.

Help! I’m dying of embarrassment! How will he ever see me the same way?

I stood there like an ostrich, toes gripping the floor, eyes darting everywhere. Until Mason dismissed the crowd and walked over.

“I misunderstood you today. It’s late, I’ll take you home…” He sounded a little hesitant, like he didn’t know what to say next.

Huh?

My mood did a 180. Suddenly I felt better. It’s so late and he’s taking me home—does that mean… something?

The answer is…

No answer.

My girlfriends heard I’d been brought in and came to pick me up at the station. Mason watched me get in their car. My two friends were even more reluctant than me, looking back at every step. “So handsome!”

I stopped them immediately. “Don’t even think about it! He’s mine! That’s the blind date I told you about!”

Back home, I flopped around on my bed like a lovesick puppy. I forgot something important—after two meetings, I still hadn’t added Mason on Facebook. This kind of rare fate? It’s like the universe is matchmaking us. I decided to make the first move. I even practiced what I’d say out loud, feeling like a middle schooler with her first crush.

Friday.

I had my mom find the matchmaker who’d introduced Mason. Wanted to set up another blind date.

On the phone—

“Handsome Mason? After your daughter and him didn’t work out, I introduced him to someone else. They’re probably eating together now.”

Oh my god!

I immediately asked for the address and rushed to the restaurant. But when I arrived, I hesitated. He’s not my boyfriend—what am I even doing here? I don’t even have the right to sabotage…

Mason was still dazzling; girls kept sneaking glances at him. But the girl across from him was pretty too—a golden couple. They seemed to have just arrived; she was still looking at the menu.

I picked a hidden seat. Since I was here, it wasn’t a crime to look at him. I ordered food, even pretended to make a call to look busy. My heart was pounding so loud I was sure the waiter could hear it.

“Two dishes are up already, aren’t you coming?”

Maybe I was too loud—Mason actually turned around. The moment our eyes met, I felt so guilty, like I’d been caught. I quickly looked down at my phone. They seemed to be chatting happily. I could always hear the girl’s laughter. I suddenly felt a little sour—my first time being so proactive, and it seemed like a failure. My eyes started to sting. I went to the bathroom to wash my face.

When I came out, distracted, I didn’t know how their date went.