Olivia's POV
I was quiet for a while, wondering what I should tell this very weird and strange male who seemed overly concerned about someone he'd never met.
"Hello? Are you there?" His voice came through again.
I noticed my mum giving me the side eye, her expression clearly warning me that I better handle this properly. So I decided to act cute - a task that felt weird coming from me.
"Oh hi Gabriel!" I said in the most sickeningly sweet voice I could manage. "I'm so sorry about last night. I was just so exhausted from work, and I accidentally left my phone on airplane mode. How are you doing?"
My voice sounded so weird in my ears - like I was impersonating a Disney princess - but I just had to do it to appease my dragon mother.
"Oh thank goodness," Gabriel's voice sounded relieved. "I was so worried something had happened to you. I know we haven't met yet, but I was really looking forward to our date tonight."
"About tonight..." I started, hoping to find a graceful way out.
"I was thinking we could meet around seven? I could pick you up, and we could go to any place of your choice."
I glanced at my mother, who was nodding enthusiastically and making encouraging gestures with her hands.
"That sounds... lovely," I lied. "Seven works for me."
"Perfect! I'll text you when I'm outside. I'm really excited to meet you, Olivia. Your mom has told my mom so many wonderful things about you."
"Great," I managed, forcing enthusiasm into my voice. "I'll see you then."
"Can't wait. Have a beautiful day, Olivia."
"You too, Gabriel."
I hung up and immediately wanted to bang my head against the wall. My mother, however, looked absolutely delighted.
"See? That wasn't so hard," Mom beamed at me. "He sounds like such a gentleman. Very polite, very considerate."
"Mm-hmm," I mumbled, already dreading the evening ahead.
"Aren't you curious about seeing his picture?" Mom asked, pulling out her phone. "Martha sent me several photos. He's quite handsome."
"I'm not interested," I said quickly, turning away from her phone. And truly, I wasn't. I might look at the picture and change my mind about seeing him entirely. Within me, the date was already over before it even started.
"Olivia Christine, how can you not be curious about what your date looks like?"
"I prefer surprises," I lied, heading toward the kitchen to get some coffee.
Mom followed me, still holding her phone. "At least look at one photo. Just one. What if you hate the way he looks? Wouldn't you rather know now?"
"Mom, please. I said I'm not interested."
"Fine. Be mysterious. Suit yourself."
A few hours later, Mom announced she was going shopping.
"I saw the most beautiful dress online yesterday," she said, grabbing her purse. "It would be perfect for your date tonight. I'm going to see if I can find something similar."
"Mom, I have plenty of dresses..."
"Nothing suitable for a first date with a doctor," she said firmly. "Trust me on this. I'll be back in a couple of hours."
The moment the door closed behind her, Kira pounced on me like a cat who'd been waiting all day to catch a mouse.
"Okay, now that the dragon is gone," she said, settling onto the couch beside me, "I want the full details about last night. And don't think you can distract me with this Gabriel situation - we're talking about David first."
"I told you everything already," I said, pulling my laptop onto my lap. "I ran into David, I made a stupid decision, it's over. End of story."
"Bullshit," Kira said bluntly. "You hate talking about David. You've never been able to even mention his name without getting upset. But you told me about last night way too easily, like you were reading from a script."
I kept my eyes fixed on my laptop screen, pulling up job search websites. "I don't know what you want me to say, Kira. Sometimes people change."
"People change, but you don't," Kira said, moving closer to me on the couch. "You're the most consistent person I know. So either you've had some kind of personality transplant, or you're lying to me."
"Can we please drop this?" I said, typing aggressively on my keyboard. "I need to focus on finding a new job in case Monday doesn't work out with my evil boss."
"Oh no, we're not dropping anything," Kira said, actually closing my laptop. "We're roommates, best friends, and I've saved your ass more times than I can count. The least you can do is tell me the truth about what's really going on."
For the next hour, Kira followed me around the apartment like a detective. When I went to the kitchen for a snack, she was right behind me, asking questions. When I tried to take a shower, she sat on the bathroom counter and continued her interrogation through the shower curtain.
"Was it really David?" she asked for the tenth time.
"Yes," I lied for the tenth time.
"Where did you run into him?"
"Near a restaurant."
"What was he doing there?"
"I don't know, Kira. Maybe he was visiting someone."
"Did you go to his place?"
"No, we just... talked outside."
"What did you guys talk about?"
I was starting to sweat under the interrogation, but I held firm. There was no way I could tell her the truth about my mysterious stranger. She'd either think I was crazy or simply mad - probably both.
Eventually, she seemed to realize she wasn't going to get anywhere and finally gave up.
"Fine," she said dramatically, throwing herself onto my bed.
Around four o'clock, Mom returned with several shopping bags and a triumphant expression.
"I found the perfect dress!" she announced, pulling out a garment bag. "It's elegant but not too formal. Gabriel is going to be absolutely smitten."
She unzipped the garment bag to reveal a deep emerald green dress that was actually quite beautiful. It was a wrap-style dress that would hit just below my knees, with a flattering neckline.
"Mom, it's lovely," I admitted reluctantly. "But don't you think you're going a bit overboard for a first date?"
"Nonsense," Mom waved away my concerns. "First impressions are everything, sweetheart. This dress will show Gabriel that you're sophisticated, put-together, and worth pursuing."
I wanted to point out that I wasn't particularly interested in being pursued by Gabriel, but I knew it would just start another argument.
"Now," Mom continued, clapping her hands together, "it's time to start getting ready. Kira, I'll need your help with Olivia's makeup."
"Mom, it's only five o'clock," I protested. "The date isn't until seven."
"Two hours is barely enough time to get properly ready," Mom said, as if this was common knowledge. "Hair, makeup, outfit, final touches - trust me, we'll need every minute."
I wanted to scream that this was just a casual first date, not the Met Gala, but Mom was already bustling around, organizing everything like a pro.
"Kira, can you handle her makeup while I figure out her hair?" Mom asked.
"Sure, Mrs. Hopton," Kira agreed, looking amused by the whole situation. "Though I should warn you, Olivia's not exactly cooperative when it comes to beauty treatments."
For the next hour and a half, I was subjected to what felt like a complete makeover. Kira applied foundation, concealer, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, blush, lipstick... Meanwhile, Mom curled my hair, pinned it into an elegant updo, then decided she didn't like it and started over with loose waves.
"There," Mom finally announced, stepping back to admire her handiwork. "You look absolutely stunning."
I looked at myself in the mirror and had to admit they'd done a good job. The makeup was polished, and my hair looked like I'd just stepped out of a salon. The emerald dress fit perfectly and actually made me look quite elegant.
"Thanks," I said, meaning it despite my reluctance about the entire situation.
At exactly 7:05 PM, my phone buzzed with a text from Gabriel: "I'm outside."
"He's here!" Mom announced, practically vibrating with excitement.
Kira gave me a quick hug. "Good luck," she said, though we both knew I didn't need luck - I needed a miracle to get through this evening.
"You don't really have to come back home," Mom called after me as I headed for the door, only half-joking.
I rolled my eyes and made my way outside. As I approached the street, I could see a car parked outside our building, but I couldn't make out much detail through the tinted windows.
I stood there for a moment, expecting Gabriel to get out and open the door for me like any gentleman would. But instead, the car door just clicked open from the inside.
Seriously? He couldn't even be bothered to get out of the car? What kind of first impression was that supposed to make?
I slid into the passenger seat, inwardly grumbling about how rude and ungentlemanly he was. No wonder I wasn't interested in him from the beginning. My mother had raised me to expect basic courtesy from men, and this was already a bad start.
My restlessness was visible in my features as I fumbled with my purse and tried to get settled. I was already fuming and planning on how to cut this date short when I reached for my seatbelt.
It wasn't until I turned to buckle myself in that I actually looked at the man sitting in the driver's seat.
I shrieked and screamed at the same time, "Ahhhhh!!" Then my side eye caught a figure in the back seat, I turned to look at him and my heart literally stopped beating.