This Girl's Life
The night started how just fine. Gwen had managed to get Kiki to Charley's, as planned. Joe and Jeff had been waiting and talking when the girls arrived. Kiki was wearing the pale blue summer dress she had worn to work that day, her hair swept into a loose braid down her back. She had been given very little notice and not nearly enough time to get ready. She felt very self-conscious and awkward as she was introduced to Jeff.
"I've never known Joe to lie about anything, until now," Jeff said in a sweet, deep voice.
"Excuse me?" Kiki said, thinking she missed part of his comment.
"You're beautiful. He said you were just pretty."
Kiki felt her face warming as she thanked him for the compliment. She took a seat next to Jeff. Gwen and Joe only looked at each, smiling and feeling rather proud of themselves. Before anyone could start a conversation, a waiter came to take their order. Kiki ordered first, requesting a grilled chicken salad and then set her mind to trying to find a topic of discussion.
As her companions ordered, Kiki couldn't help but sneak a glance at �him.' She wondered if that dark eyed young man always ate at Charley's and it was mere coincidence she always saw him or if maybe he was stalking her. Quickly, she ruled out the latter figuring it was just plain ridiculous. He was deeply engrossed in a conversation with his friends and was, for once, not staring at her. Kiki caught herself staring at him, silently wondering what his name was and what his voice sounded like.
"So what do you do when you're not complimenting strange women, Jeff?" Gwen asked.
Her friend's words had pulled Kiki back to reality. Fortunately Gwen was the only one who had noticed her staring at him.
"I'm an actor," Jeff replied with confidence.
"You certainly have the body for it," Gwen remarked, adding a friendly smile.
"Anything we might have seen?" Kiki asked, not wanting Gwen to flirt too much.
"So far, just a few commercials and a couple of stage productions. I'm part of a small theater group. It's not Shakespeare, but we've gotten some good reviews," Jeff said trying to sound modest through his toothy, white smile.
The four enjoyed a little idle chit-chat through their meal. Joe and Gwen thought things were going wonderfully. Kiki seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself. Gwen, however, did notice Kiki glancing over to the somewhat familiar face every now and again.
As the table was being cleared, the quartet tried to decide what to do next. Considering Jeff was the only one who did not have to work the next day, they decided to see the new Eddie Murphy film. A good comedy would fit perfectly with their collective good mood.
Jeff surprised everyone, especially Joe, by picking up the check and leaving the waitress a generous tip. There were two cars between the four of them and Gwen quickly announced that Kiki would ride with her to the theater.
"We have girl stuff to discuss," Gwen stated as she stood.
A few minutes later, the four parted ways as the guys headed to Joe's car and the girls to Gwen's car. After Kiki buckled in, Gwen put the car in gear and followed Joe out of the parking lot.
"So what do you think?" Gwen questioned.
"I think you and Joe should not have set me up like this," Kiki replied, smiling to her friend.
"I meant, what do you think of Jeff?" Gwen retorted.
"He seems nice. A little arrogant though. It's like he's pretending to be modest.
"He sure is cute."
"Yeah."
"I did notice you watching that other guy," Gwen stated coyly.
"What?" Kiki gasped, adding a hint of shock to her tone.
"You know what I'm talking about. The one we saw with the blonde last week. I saw you glancing over at him ever once in a while. You want me to find out who he is?" Gwen offered.
"No."
Kiki's answer was short and direct. But she knew Gwen and within a few days, two weeks at most, she would know his and what his relation to the blonde was. Sometimes Kiki was really annoyed with the way her friends were always meddling in her love life. But she understood their reasons and concern and tried to be forgiving.
Within a matter of a few minutes, the two cars were pulling into the theater parking lot. Joe quickly found a parking space while Gwen was forced to make two circles around the parking lot before she found a spot. Both women checked their make-up before exiting the car to meet up with their friends.
As the four came together in the middle of the lot they exchanged comments about how strange it was for the theater to be so crowded on a Wednesday night. Kiki explained that it was college night and that the local college students got into a free movie with school ID.
Joe draped his arm over Gwen's shoulders as they started toward the lobby. Jeff caught Kiki off guard when he moved close to her and slid his arm around her waist. Kiki jumped a little and shot an uneasy look in Joe's direction.
After they bought their tickets and decided against snacks, they settled in to their seats. Gwen sat to Kiki's left, Jeff to her right and Joe on the opposite side of Gwen. When the lights began to dim, Gwen was paged.
"It's just Neil," Gwen whispered to Kiki. "He can wait."
Kiki smiled to her friend and then tried to find a more comfortable sitting position. She put her arm on the armrest that separated her and Jeff. Rather subtly, Jeff laced his fingers threw Kiki's and held her hand. She thought the gesture was innocent enough so she did not worry about pulling her hand away. A decision she would later regret.
About seventy-five minutes into the movie, Kiki leaned over and softly whispered to Gwen, "Remind me to hate the two of you."
"Why?" Gwen whispered.
"He has not let go of my hand since just before the previews. My hand is all sweaty and feels really gross."
"I'm sorry," Gwen softly replied and then relayed the problem to Joe. He only looked over and smiled apologetically.
The situation didn't get much better when the movie ended. After they walked out of the theater and headed down the corridor to the lobby, Jeff slid his arm around Kiki's waist and squeezed gently. She tried to non-chalantly wiggle out of his grasp, but he was persistent and refused to accept her hints.
Kiki, Joe and Jeff headed to the parking lot while Gwen returned Neil's call. When she joined them, Gwen informed her friends that she was going to meet Neil and that Joe would have to drive Kiki home. Before heading to her car, Gwen hugged Joe and Kiki and told Jeff it had been nice to meet him. As much as she hated to see Gwen go, Kiki was relieved that Joe was still with her.
Jeff tried to make conversation with Kiki on the trip to her house but she tended to be unresponsive, but polite. She would yawn and answer with short off-handed comments. Kiki had quickly grown tired of Jeff talking about his adventures in acting. Joe would look into the rear view mirror every so often only to get a dirty look from Kiki.
When they finally arrived at Kiki's house, Jeff insisted on walking her to the door. Kiki felt uncomfortable. She knew he would want a kiss and she had no intention of giving him one.
"It was nice to meet you," Kiki said with a yawn. "Sorry I'm so tired."
"That's alright," Jeff said with a sugary smile. "Maybe the next time I'm in town, you and I can go out."
Kiki forced a smile and replied, "Yeah. Maybe."
It was then that Jeff began to lean in. Kiki knew what was coming next. Slinking back, her mind groped for an excuse to run in the house.
"I hear my daughter crying. Sorry, but I have to get to her," Kiki stated abruptly.
"Daughter?" Jeff asked in shock.
"Yeah, my daughter, Jane. Didn't Joe tell you? I'm sorry, I really have to get to her," Kiki answered and hurried through the door.
Once inside, Kiki sighed heavily. Rose looked to Kiki as if to ask how the date went. Before she say anything, though, Kiki stated, "Don't ask! I hate blind dates!"
COMING MAY 16, 1999: A NEW INTEREST
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