Page 7 of Meet Cute Reboot
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something if you don’t mind. Can we turn the camera off?”
Her nostrils flare. Bad sign. “Cassie, I—”
Every muscle in her face hardens. “Play along,” she mouths.
Maybe now isn’t the best time to come clean. I slouch. “I’m Luke.”
“Like I told you on the phone, we’re livestreaming MatchAI’s first, official blind date.”
We never talked on the phone about our date. We barely texted, which surprised me. I fully expected her to lay into me with her thumbs.
She narrows her eyes behind the camera.
I clear my throat. “Absolutely. I can’t wait to get this date started. I’m honored that Cupid chose me for you.”
Cassie narrows her eyes further. Any more and she’ll be standing there with her eyes closed.
We head to the hostess who’s waiting with menus in hand. She motions for us to follow her. Cassie leads, and I tag along behind.
A line of stone arches divides the eating area. The arches support the low, open rafters and give the room a rustic, medieval feel. We head to a round table that’s tucked in thecorner by two rough, masonry walls. A dimmed pendant light washes the space in a golden glow, and a candle flame creates undulating patterns on the white tablecloth.
We sit with our backs facing the walls. Cassie pulls a phone stand out of her purse and plops it onto the table. She squeezes her phone into it, and I get to stare at my face—at both our faces.
I squint at the screen. Two hundred people are watching, and the number continues to increment next to a spray of hearts and thumbs-up emojis. To say I feel “uptight” is an understatement. I monitor my expression to make sure my nervousness doesn’t translate to the camera.
Cassie scoots her chair closer to mine, and my skin feels like pop rocks going off in someone’s mouth. Tingly. Excitable. I don’t let it show on my face.
She leans toward her phone, and I catch a whiff of her hair—a flowery, sugary scent. “Hi, Loraine.” She waves. “Thanks for tuning in. Oh, PajamaGirl. True, he doesn’t look half bad. Don’t make him blush. Thanks for watching, Ahmet. All the way from Dubai? Oh, my goodness. We haven’t rolled out there, but you never know. Thank you for your interest.”
I’ve never livestreamed. I don’t even have an Instagram account. I’ve heard of people doing this, but I always thought it sounded weird. I was right. It is weird.
The waitress takes our drink orders. After she leaves, Cassie rests her forearms on the table and clasps her hands.
“All right. I guess we better get this date started.” She glances at me and then refocuses on her phone.“FurryFriend wants to know why such a ‘hot hot hottie’ (her words) needs dating help.” Cassie turns to me. “How about I rephrase that to: How did you find out about MatchAI, and why did you sign up?”
“I have an investor friend at Excel, the company funding Cassie’s startup. He knows I’m single and new to the area, so hethought I’d be the perfect candidate to beta test MatchAI.” It’s mostly true.
Cassie looks at me pleasantly. I didn’t realize she was such a good actress. “Did your investor friend tell you about me and my launch plans?”
“Oh. Yes. I mean, no. He didn’t tell me about you specifically. He just said there was a chance I could be involved in the launch. A very slight chance. But look at me now. Who’s the lucky one?”
Cassie’s expression wavers, but she quickly regains her composure and hones back in on her phone.
“Okay, next question. AmberD_runnergirl wants to know if Luke feels awkward livestreaming his blind date?”
I drum my fingers on the table. “Um. A little.” I look at Cassie. “How long are we livestreaming?” I need to get to the part where I fix the mess I created.
Her expression hardens. “Until we learn more about what makes us compatible. In your profile, you said you enjoy studying Charleston’s history. How interesting. I enjoy that too. How long have you lived in Charleston, and when did you develop an interest in the town’s history?”
I angle my body toward Cassie and look directly into her eyes. “I bought a home in the historic district and moved in two months ago. I think it might be haunted. You should come ghost hunting sometime.”
“And your interest in Charleston history. When did that start?”
“Actually, I lived here for two years in my twenties, and I became really interested in the people.”
Cassie furrows her brow.
“One person in particular. She loved the town, and I loved her, so I guess her passion wore off on me.”