The One With the Second Date
“Ok, I’m not sure what I was expecting to happen in the end,” Ryan explains as they leave the theater, “but it wasn’t that.”
Nancy laughs. “It was a stereotypical romcom, they were always going to end up together in the end.”
Ryan and Nancy walk down the sidewalk. Ryan’s hands shoved into his jacket pockets while Nancy’s are at her sides.
“I just think that she was much better with the other guy. They had way more chemistry.”
Nancy nods with another laugh.
They come to a stop outside of a parking garage. Ryan turns toward her. “My car’s in there,” he points awkwardly to the garage.
“My bus stop is right over there,” Nancy points across the street.
Ryan lets out a nervous huff. “You know, we didn’t really get to talk much tonight. With seeing a movie and everything. My parking’s for the whole night. And there’s this nice ice cream place around the corner that we could go to. If you wanted to.”
Nancy smiles. “Sure.”
“Sure?” Ryan looks generally surprised. “Sure, yeah ok. It’s this way.”
He leads them across the street and down one block. Turning at the corner and halfway down, there is a small ice cream shop. They walk in, a family and one other couple at the tables. But otherwise, it’s empty. Nancy looks at the options, debating which to choose. While Ryan immediately knows what he wants and asks the employee. One scoop of vanilla and one cookies and cream. Making sure to note that they needed to be rung up together but were in no rush.
When Nancy chooses the honey vanilla flavor, Ryan beats her to register to pay.
“You know I can pay for us at least once,” Nancy jokes. She instead pulls out a few dollars and slides them into the tip jar.
Ryan laughs. Taking back his change and dumping it into the jar as well. “It was my idea, so it’s my money.”
Nancy walks over to the table in the corner. “So, I need to plan the next date and then I get to pay?”
“Yeah,” Ryan stutters. There’s been a nervous energy with him all night. “That would work.”
“I promise I don’t mean anything by this question, I’m just generally interested. Why are you so nervous? We’ve already been on one date.”
Ryan sets down his ice cream, rubbing his palms on his pants. “I’ve been on what seems like hundreds of first dates. It’s down to a routine at this point. But as far as second dates go, there’s only been a few. And most of those times, it never went anywhere else, and I was back on the app the next morning.”
Nancy nods, showing that she’s listening.
“I get that’s just how dating can be, sometimes. Especially through dating apps. But I just want something that lasts more than a week or two, you know?”
“I do.” Nancy stares down at her ice cream. “I kind of gave up dating for a while for the same reason. It was just horrible date after horrible date. So I gave up.”
“What made you try again?”
Nancy sighs. Debating how much she should tell. “My best friend, who also lives across the hall from me, got a new girlfriend.”
“Oh,” he says. With a mix of shock and concern.
“There’s nothing there, I promise. Back when we were in college, there was a phase where we both liked each other but didn’t know. Part of me kind of always harbored those feelings for her, but it was time to finally let them go. Whatever we could have had was over, it was time to recognize that.”
“And you though going on a dating app would help with that?”
Nancy lets her hands fall into her hands. “That makes me sound like an asshole. I swear that I didn’t agree to go on a date with you just to get over my stupid feelings. They played no part in deciding to go on a date with you.”
Ryan reaches across the table and gently pushes Nancy’s hands out of the way. “I believe you, for what it’s worth. We’ve all been there at some point.”
“That makes me feel a little better.”
“I appreciate you being honest with me. I,” he pauses. Taking a deep breath. “I really like you, Nancy. You’re probably the best person I’ve met on one of these apps.”
Nancy smiles. “Same here.”
They fall into a comfortable silence. Finishing their ice cream and heading outside again. When Ryan goes to shove his hands into his pockets again, Nancy stops him. Taking his hand into hers. They walk back to the street where they would need to part ways. Nancy waiting for the bus and Ryan crossing the street to his car.
“Would it be ok if I drove you home?” he asks. “It’s dark and way better than a bus.”
“Yeah, that would be ok.”
She follows him to his car and directs them to her apartment building. He finds a spot down the street and parks. Planning on walking her to her door. With full explanation that she can tell him no.
Instead, she rolls her eyes and gets out of the car. Waiting for him to get out. He does, stumbling over his step a bit.
“So, for our next date,” Nancy talks as they walk up the stairs. “I was thinking that we could to this Mexican place I love.”
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
“And it’s my idea so my money, right?” She stops in front of her door. Facing him.
He laughs. “That was the deal.”
Inside of Steve and Robin’s apartment, Robin is staring through the peephole. Having heard Nancy come back and got curious. That’s all, curious.
“What the hell are you doing?” Steve asks. Looking unenthused.
Robin shushes him. “Nancy is back from her date. She’s talking with the guy outside the door.”
“Let me see.” Steve pushes Robin out of the way, looking through the peephole. “Oh, he’s cuter in person.”
Robin slaps his arm. “Don’t encourage this.”
“How am I encouraging this? I’m behind a door, she can’t hear me. Also, it’s too late for that. I was there for the pre-date crisis.”
“And she still went out on the date?”
Steve shrugs. “Yeah well, she seemed to really like the guy. Argyle even did his weird stalking thing he does and found nothing bad. He checked out.”
Robin pushes Steve out of the way again, looking through the peephole once more. “Oh no, she’s doing that face. You know that face.”
“I am well aware of the face.” Steve leans up against the wall next to the door. “Why is this bothering you so much? She’s allowed to date if she wants to.”
“I don’t know,” Robin groans. Letting her forehead thunk against the door. “She just deserves so much, and she’s been on so many dates and none of them have been good. I’m just . . . looking out for her. That’s all.”
Steve hums, disbelieving. Pulling out his phone.
Steve: I think Robin is jealous of Nancy’s new guy
Eddie: Oh wow, what a shocker
Eddie: Do you not remember the two-hour long pity session she conveniently had after Nancy had the first date
Steve: They’re out in the hall right now, Robin can’t stop looking at them through the peephole
Eddie: Can’t she just pretend to take out the trash like a normal person
Steve: Are you going to go do that now?
Eddie: Yes
Eddie: I need to see this guy in person
Back in the hall, while all of that was ensuing, Nancy and Ryan were saying goodbye. Not exactly making any moves toward it. Until Eddie opens the door, with a half full bag of trash in hand, interrupts it.
“Oh, hey, Nance. I didn’t hear you get back,” he says, nonchalant. Looking over at Ryan with fake shock. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Nancy sighs, catching onto Eddie’s play. “Ryan, this is my roommate Eddie.”
Ryan holds out his hand. “Nice to meet you, man. Nancy’s told me about you.”
“Same here.” Eddie shakes his hands. “I’m just gonna, thank you.” He steps in between them to head down the hall to the trash shoot. Leaving them alone again.
“I should get going,” Ryan says, pushing his hands into his pockets again. “It was really nice to see you again.”
Nancy smiles. “Yeah, it was. I’ll text you later when I’m free.”
“I’ll be looking for it.”
There is a break of silence. Expectation in the air. Ryan shrugs in the direction of the stairs. “I’ll see you later.”
“Oh my god.” Nancy stops his from walking away. Grabbing his face and pulling him down. Pressing a kiss to his lips. He’s shocked for a second, before pressing into it. “Have a good night,” she says after pulling back.
Ryan steps backward, a blush covering his face. “Yeah, uh, yeah. You too. I’ll text you later. Yeah. Bye.”
He turns to walk down the hall while Nancy snorts to herself. Eddie comes back around the corner with a teasing smile.
“Don’t even start, Munson.” Nancy walks into the apartment.
“Oh, I wasn’t going to say anything.” He closes the door behind them. “I was just merely observing.”
Nancy glares at him while taking off her earring. “Observing?”
“He seems nice,” Eddie teasing tone.
“He is nice.”
“Is he a good kisser?”
“There it is.” Nancy walks to her bedroom. “Night.”
Eddie leans on the back of the couch. “No, I wanted to do the after-date gossip.”
“Maybe tomorrow.” She closes the bedroom door.
Eddie sighs, pulling out his phone to see many new texts from Steve.
Steve: Holy shit, she kissed him
Steve: Robin is not taking that well
Steve: She’s trying to play off her jealousy as protectiveness
Steve: Maybe we should warn Nancy about the tirade she’s going to get tomorrow about the dangers of kissing random men
Eddie: I don’t know, the guy was pretty respectful about it
Eddie: He was smiling like an idiot when I passed him in the hall
Eddie: And Nancy seems happy about it
Steve: This is going to be both entertaining and a pain in the ass
Eddie: Agreed
Eddie: I take it Robin isn’t going out tonight then
Steve: Sadly not
Steve: There goes our plans
Eddie: Damn, I kind of really want to kiss you right now
Steve: You know
Steve: No one is ever in the laundry room this late
Eddie: I could do some laundry
Steve: Meet you there in twenty
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