Double Dates

Memorial Day Weekend (#MDW!) always meant the kick-off of New York's deserted season. Every weekend in the summer, busloads of manhattanites leave the sweltering city to go to the beach, causing the whole city to have a very empty feel. I secretly loved staying here during these types of weekends, which was why I turned down any Memorial Day plans and instead chose to have a "staycation". Work was closed Friday and Monday, so I had four blissful days of absolutely nothing planned. 

Ash was originally supposed to go with Steve to his family's place in North Jersey, but since they clearly were still on the outs, she chose to stay with me in the city. We toyed with the idea of making the trek down to the jersey shore where all of our friends from Philly went, but decided to save that trip for a weekend where we wouldn't have to fight for floor space in an overcrowded beach house. 

On Friday, we both slept until late in the morning and watched all of Dear John (don't judge) before even leaving my bed. As usual, Ash spent half of the time incessantly checking her phone for any word from Steve.

"Ash.. it's been almost a week," I said softly to her. "Maybe you should just call him."

She shook her head, "No chance, I just thought maybe since he's with his whole family, he would be missing me. I'm sure they're grilling him with a hundred questions about why I'm not there." 

"Well what if he doesn't call ever?" I said. 

She looked at me like I had two heads. "He has to call eventually. We lived together for christ's sake!"

"Okay, okay," I said calmly. "You're right, he has to call." With that, the subject was dropped.

"So what should we do today?" I asked, peering out the window at the falling rain. The forecast was calling for nicer weather Sunday and Monday, but today was looking a whole lot more like March than May. 

"Binge eat Ben and Jerrys while watching more Nicholas Sparks novels turned movies?" Ashley said with a smile. 

"No way," I laughed giving her a light shove. "Your days of wallowing are done. We need to hit the town!" 

"The town is empty," Ash said flatly. "Everyone and their cousin went out to the Hamptons."

"That's not true, I'm sure we know someone still here," I said starting to scroll through my address book. I texted Haley, hoping that her part-time job of bartending would have kept her in the city. 

OMG YES. I'm working Sunday and Monday so I'm here and alone!! Thank goooood you're here. Let's go out. 

I showed Haley's response to Ash, who frowned in reply. "I've gained like five pounds in one week, I'm going to feel like a whale if we have to go out." 

"You have not, and plus it's officially dress season which means we can hide our extra weight under pretty, flowy things!" I declared. Finally I saw the hint of a smile on Ash's face. 

"If you let me wear that Cynthia Rowley red dress of yours, I'm in," she said with a smile.

"Deal!" I replied, while typing a quick response to Haley. We decided to meet up at a bar on the LES at 10 o'clock.

"Let's go get our nails done and grab lunch," I suggested to Ash in an attempt to get her butt out of the apartment. So far, she had only left to retrieve her stuff from Steve's and go to work yesterday (finally). 

"Fiiiine," she groaned, rolling over and out of bed. She threw on a pair of jeans and stood in the doorway. 

I laughed out loud, "Wow, breakups sure do make you care less about your appearance." I gestured at her messy hair, makeup-smudged face and tshirt she had slept in.

"There's no one even around to run into," she said with a shrug. 

"Cheer up woman!" I answered. I had tried to be lighthearted about her negativity, but I was beginning to get irritated. I was really trying here and she was nothing but grumpy. 

We walked to a nearby nail place and spent the next hour getting pampered. Then we swung by Pick a Bagel to grab a quick bite to eat. We settled into stools by the window to enjoy our sandwiches and people watch.

By the time we got home, showered and dressed it was time to go meet Haley. We found a cab within minutes (points for deserted NYC!) and walked into the club just as Haley was arriving too.

"Hey ladies!" she said enthusiastically, throwing her arms around both of us at the same time. Before we could even utter our own hellos, she interjected. "Shots!" and sauntered over to the bar.

I could see Ash relax as she took in her surroundings. She hadn't been out since the break-up, and I had been worried that she would be even more miserable in public. Luckily, she appeared to be happy. I guess the change of scenery was just what she had needed. 

After two rounds of shots, we managed to snag a booth in the back of the room and settled down with our drinks. Haley's phone was face-up on the table, and when it lit up I couldn't help but notice when it said "Nick Murray" across the screen. "Um.. what?" I asked her, pointing at the screen. 

"Oh.. yeah. I meant to tell you, but Nick texted me earlier to see if I was around. Apparently his Memorial Day plans fell through.." she trailed off. 

I gave her a stern look. "Seriously? Please tell me you didn't.." 

She shrugged her shoulders, giving me an awkward smile. "I'm sorry! I honestly wasn't even thinking, and then I didn't want to text you because I was worried you'd back out," she said. 

"So that's why you instantly forced shots down my throat," I said with a laugh.

She laughed in response, "so you're not mad?" 

I shook my head, "No. Nick and I are actually okay as of right now. We grabbed dinner a few days ago." 

"Are you getting back together?" she asked excitedly. I glanced over at Ash, who was clearly not enjoying this relationship talk. 

"No," I answered. "I'm actually kind of seeing Keith.." I trailed off. 

She squealed unnecessarily loudly, which caused me to clamp my hands over my ears and Ashley to laugh the first real, loud laugh I had heard from her in days. Before I could give her more details though, I saw Nick navigating the crowded room towards us. 

"Thanks for the screech to let me know where you guys were," he smiled charmingly, bending down to give each of us a kiss on the cheek. He had a friend in tow who I didn't recognize. "This is Rob," he said gesturing towards the guy behind him. 

"Hey there," Rob said, nodding in each of our directions. We all murmured our hellos as I assessed this stranger. He was a little shorter than Nick with brown hair and blue eyes. He looked like he did a lot of lifting since his muscles were nearly bursting out of his t shirt. 

"Can I get anyone anything?" Nick offered before heading to the bar. 

"A round of shots!" Haley said, ever the party girl. Nick nodded his head and headed towards the bar. 

"So Rob, what do you do?" I asked as he settled in next to Ashley.

"I'm a personal trainer," he said. "I go to people's homes and train them." 

"Impressive," Ashley said, holding his gaze a little too long. Uh-oh, I thought in my head. Rob did not look like Ashley's type, and I wasn't exactly sure she was ready for a rebound. Before I could worry any more, Nick came over with two beers and five shots. 

"What is this?" I asked, staring at the brown liquid. 

"Soco lime," he answered with a smile. We cheersed and I made a mental note to slow down on the drinking as I felt the warm liquor fill me up. I hadn't eaten since lunch with Ash, and I didn't want to end up making any mistakes with Nick around. 

An hour and two drinks later, we decided to head to another bar to dance. Ash and Rob were clearly on the road to hooking up, and Haley had left twenty minutes earlier to meet her boyfriend. Somehow the night had turned into an awkward double date between me, Nick, Ash and Rob. I couldn't help but feel a little betrayed by Haley for inviting Nick, although a bigger part of me was glad he was there. 

As we watched Rob and Ashley dance, Nick and I sat at the bar talking a little too close. 

"Are you seeing anyone?" he asked, the liquor making him bold.

"Define seeing," I smirked. 

His face got serious, "I mean it, Danielle. I want to know."

I shook my head, "No one serious, I'm keeping my options open." 

He seemed satisfied with that answer, which he made clear by putting his hand on my thigh. I could feel the warmth of it through the thin cotton of my dress and I scooted a little closer to him. 

"Are you?" I asked. 

"No one serious," he replied, his face tilting in closer to mine. I bit my lip and smiled.

"Hey there mister," I said, placing my hand on his chest and pushing him away. "Don't go getting any ideas." 

"Why do you tease me then?" he groaned, pulling his hand back. 

"I don't," I said with mock horror on my face. 

He laughed, "If you say so." 

I glanced over at Ash and Rob who were now full-on making out on the dance floor. 

"I should go get Ash home," I said nodding in the direction of our friends. 

"Nah let them have fun," he said. 

I shook my head, "She just broke up with Steve less than a week ago, she will hate herself if she sleeps with someone else." 

"Please, she slept with other people when they were together, she has no moral compass," he snorted. 

I stared back at him, completely unsure of how to respond. "Wow...you're a jerk," I said finally and headed over to get Ashley. Suddenly, the idea of hooking up with Nick was almost nauseating.