Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

at the time, a reality TV star he won’t name because surely I’d recognize her.
I start looking around for an excuse to get a break from him as soon as my drink is drained.
I miss home. I miss Marie and my couch. I want to curl up with her and watch old movies tonight
instead. I wish I could leave now without being incredibly rude.
Shoving down the wave of sadness, the sense that I’m so much lonelier here than I would be
actually alone, I freshen up my lipstick and check my phone.
I guess I’m expecting to see a message from Calvin since I stood him up again, but there isn’t
one.
I wonder what multiple course meal Chef Ryan made us for dinner.
A vision springs to mind of Calvin sitting in his massive apartment all alone, eating it by himself
since I didn’t show up.
I remember him saying he felt lonely a lot of as kid, and tonight I probably gave him that same
feeling.
I must be about to start my period or something, because inexplicably I feel a little emotional
about not being at Calvin’s for dinner instead of where I am.
Maybe lunacy is contagious.
Get it together, Hallie.
Calvin’s feelings are not my responsibility.
Doing my best to shake it off, I put my phone away and head back out to the busy dining area.
A blonde mass of gelled hair atop a tall, lean body stands by the bar waiting for me. I flash him a
tiny smile as I approach.
“Our table’s ready,” he tells me.
I nod and start to follow him, but he motions for me to move ahead of him, so I guess I’m taking
the lead. I greet the hostess and give her his name, then she grabs a couple of menus and leads us to
the table.
When I turn around to make sure he followed, I see his head down and he’s texting.
Jackson used to do that all the time when we went out to eat. Drove me crazy.
His gaze is still glued to his phone as he texts someone else, so I walk around the table and sit
down. Several seconds pass, then a few more. Seeming to realize it’s a bit rude that he’s still texting
and ignoring me, he peeks up from his chat. “Sorry babe, give me like two more seconds. I had a text
from a friend and he’s just blowing my mind.”
Babe?