Pick me up at seven

Fortunately, I didn't have to contemplate it for long. The line in front of us had vanished, so I gave Hans a smile that was probably as sickly as I felt and extricated my hand from his. I even managed to avert my gaze and turn to the counter before Hans could do more than smile winningly at me. Hopefully it was before he saw my cheeks flush, too.

"Hi," I said to the cashier while fumbling for my debit card. "My usual, please." And thank God that Megan and I came here often enough for me to have a usual and for the employees to know it. The routine helped me regain some composure. Plus it let me think: See, Hans, I say 'hi' and act all flustered with everyone. The cashier gave me a beverage cup and a number, and Megan stepped up to the counter in my place.

Hans had gone to the register next to ours. The girl manning it was staring at him like she was having trouble focusing on his order. She had my absolute sympathy.

"So," I heard Hans ask as I scurried to the drink fountains. "What comes on your number three?"

At the drinks I surveyed my options. Normally I get a dark cola, but today caffeine seemed like a bad idea. Not only had Hans already sent my heart racing with his touch, but I didn't think being extra jittery would help with my social anxiety. I picked something non caffeinated at random and ended up with an orange soda. Good enough. I claimed a lid and a straw while Megan was getting her sugar-free iced tea, and then I went and sat in our usual spot to wait until my food was up.

Megan sat across from me. She already had her salad, since those are pre-packaged. "Well, this will be cozy," she commented. I blinked at her in momentary confusion before realizing we normally sat at a little table for two by the windows. And since I had sat down first, it was going to be on me that we were being mean and excluding Hans. Shit.

If I had been a normal girl and Megan had been anyone else, I probably would have laughed off her earlier speculation that Hans was interested in a mean and difficult woman to win over. But the thing is: I'm me, and Megan is Megan.

In college Megan had majored in art. One of the things she'd done was make the programs for the college's theatre productions. And she'd told me once about a guy she'd met at a cast party who'd convinced her to go up to his room, where it had turned out he'd had a thing for feet. So she'd spent a couple of hours with him on the floor and her heel on his neck, making him beg to worship her toes.

Now, I will admit that I find that image more than a little hot, and I don't have a foot fetish. But that's not the point. The point is: if Megan thought Hans might have a bit of a subby streak, I was going to believe her because she has a hell of a lot more experience than I do with everything. And I did not want to be giving Hans mixed signals. Or any signals at all.

"Do you think we should move?" I asked.

Megan just arched an inquisitive eyebrow and didn't reply around her bite of salad. And then it was too late, because Hans had already come over to our table with a tray in each hand. He placed one, the one with my burger and fries on it, in front of me, and then deposited the other at the edge of our table. Then he stole a nearby chair and moved it over to join us.

"Thanks," I said. There: nice. That should balance out the mean of not taking him into account in our seating. Back to neutral.

"Of course," Hans replied easily. His tray had a milkshake and two burgers. He unwrapped one, revealing a mountain of meat and cheese utterly devoid of veggies.

My eyes narrowed. I didn't want to know, but I couldn't help myself. "Is that extra bacon?" I asked.

Hans took a hearty bite, chewed, and swallowed before grinning. "Yes," he said. "And I opted for a second sandwich made the same instead of fries... but then again, I am an unrepentant carnivore." I stared. I knew I was staring, but I couldn't help it. I have a highly overactive imagination, and I couldn't help but wonder if that extravagant appetite extended to all aspects of his life... and if it was worth becoming a mutilated bunny to find out. "Why?" Hans asked.

I saved myself from having to answer by draining about half of my soda.

"You're a man after Abby's own heart," Megan answered in my place. "That's her usual, except she keeps the fries." Megan stole a couple, too, to prove her point.

Hans chuckled. "Well, I'm glad we have similar tastes. Actually," he said, and turned to address me specifically, "I was still hoping to get your perspective on work. And since you've made it quite clear you have no patience for interruptions, and I certainly respect that, I was hoping we could discuss it over dinner."

I did my best not to gape at him, but there was no salvation from answering because at that point I had to come up for air. I scrambled for a way out and found myself saying: "Okay." Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Hans lit up with a smile. "Wonderful! Shall I pick you up at seven, then?"

My eyes widened. "Tonight?" I swallowed. "I'm... Megan and I have plans," I protested. And thank God Megan and I had plans most nights. A-ha, my way out! I could just put this off until it didn't even happen!

But Megan waved her fork dismissively. "Oh, we're just hanging out... and we do that most nights. I don't mind rescheduling." She smiled. "In fact, why don't we go out tomorrow instead? Then we can share a ride to the office party."

I stared, hardly able to comprehend this betrayal, and then it hit me. I'd been set up, twice in one go! Megan had maneuvered me into a dinner date with Hans and going to the New Year's Eve party at Club Luminescence, all in one fiendishly executed conversation.

I laughed nervously. It sounded weak to me, and I wondered if anyone really bought that I wasn't totally freaked. "Okay then, sure," I heard myself say to Hans. "Pick me up at seven." I smiled.

But I couldn't stop thinking about Vikings and wolves and brutally torn apart bunnies. Megan thought Hans had a submissive streak? I really hoped she was right, because otherwise I figured it would just be a matter of time before some park ranger found my mutilated corpse out in the woods.