Page 55 of Run
I was running late after trying to convince Fonz to message the chick he set me up with and tell her I couldn’t make it. I never should have let him set me up with an online dating profile like some schmuck, but he was adamant. I never even asked to see what this woman looked like. I didn’t care.
Anyway, he wouldn’t do it. So I came blowing into this trendy little restaurant, late, like a jerk, with every intention of spending thirty minutes having a drink and then making up an excuse to leave. When the waiter pointed me toward the table, I saw the red hair and thought, thanks a lot, Fonz, now I can spend the entire night thinking abouther.
But then I saw her face.
And now here I am, staring at that creamy skin tone, piercing green eyes, freckles lightly blanketing the top of her nose and forehead. She’s the same girl—young woman—I’ve compared every other woman to for the several years. Except she’s not.
I know she’s as shocked as I am, because she’s just staring at me blankly, taking me in.
We are both speechless until one word escapes my mouth. “Red.”
She reaches a hand up toward my face, and I don’t move. Slowly, her pointer finger lands on my upper lip, and goosebumps dance across my skin. She slides it until it hits the familiar groove of my cleft lip scar, which is hidden under facial hair, and I can’t help but smirk.
Yeah, Ari, it’s me.
When she reaches it, she lingers for a split second, then quickly pulls her hand back, and I mourn the loss of her touch. She draws her hand away and rests it in her lap, then slowly, the corners of her lips turn up and a smile breaks across her face.
“Ethan.” It’s a complete sentence and after she says it we both let out the air we’ve been holding in. I bark out a laugh while a giggle escapes her lips and I almost fucking lose it on the spot. That giggle. How I’ve missed that sound.
Cupping the crown of my head then running my fingertips down the edge of my face, I stammer, “Ari, wh— what are you doing here? Why haven’t I run into you in the city? Why are you my date? Wait, are you my date? And when did you get your tooth fixed? What … that’s it. That’s all I got.”
Ari covers her laugh as she shakes her head. “Holy shit, it’s like you haven’t changed one bit.” Then she tilts her head, looking me up and down. “Although you have.”
We stare at each other another moment. “OK, seriously, though,” I look around, “I was supposed to meet someone and I’ll have to tell her I need to cancel. I just … I don’t see anyone.”
“Oh,” I hear the disappointment in Ari’s voice and look over to see her looking down at her hands. “Of course, you have a date. Sorry. Of course you do.”
“No. Well, yes. I was supposed to meet someone from some online dating site here. Fonz set it up. He was trying to get me to go out. I don’t even know what this chick looks like.” Craning my head around, I continue, “I don’t want to be an ass and just stand her up, so if I see someone sitting alone I’ll just go tell her I’ve had a change of plans.”
“Wait,” Ari says. “Fonz set you up on a date?”
“Yeah.”
She shakes her head. “I’m supposed to meet someone here, too. My friend Sophie set it up for me.” She starts looking aroundthe restaurant, too. “But, I don’t see anyone that looks like him here.”
“Wait. Your friend sent you a picture of someone else when she was really setting you up with me? Let me see.”
She pulls out her phone and scrolls for a moment. “Here.” She turns the phone so I can see, and I try to swallow my laugh.
“Ari,” I begin, then pause for fear that my laugh is going to burst out.
“What?” She turns the phone back toward herself to look at the photo she brought up. “You don’t think he’s cute?”
“Ari, that’s Josh Allen, quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.” She pulls her brows together and brings the phone closer to her face, scrunching her nose. “You know, football?”
Ari rolls her eyes. “Yes, Ethan, I know who the Buffalo Bills are.” She studies the picture some more. “I just don’t really know any of the players.”
I finally give in and throw my head back and laugh. “Oh man,” I mumble, in tears. “That friend of yours, Sophie, is it? She must be a trip.”
Ari flips her hair over her shoulder as she puts her phone away. “She knows me pretty well, OK? She must have known I wouldn’t know who he was.” Another laugh bubbles up and I can’t hold it in. “Yeah, yeah.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself over there.”
My laughing dies off. “Man, I’ve missed you.” The words tumble out of my mouth, and we stare at each other a beat. “Wait, so are Fonz and Sophie close, if they engineered this?”
“Oh yeah. Thick as thieves, those two.”
I rest my elbow on the table and place my chin on my fist. “Next time I see Fonz I’m gonna punch him in the face and then kiss him on the lips.”
I’m rewarded with that giggle again.
