Andie entered the bar just a minute or so after the time she was due to meet with her date. She scanned the bar and couldn't see anyone matching Gary's photographs. No one waved to get her attention so it seemed that he wasn't there yet. Since she had been late herself albeit barely, Andie really couldn't be annoyed. There was no way to stop herself from being a touch disappointed though. She checked her phone but there were no messages from Gary. Andie hoped that was a sign that he was only a little way away.
The bar had a number of customers but wasn't too busy so there were a few tables available for her to sit. Andie headed to the counter to buy something to drink while she waited for her date to arrive. She noticed that there were a few other people in the bar that appeared to be by themselves. That gave Andie some comfort that she wouldn't seem out of place. She had dressed up for her date so she knew she looked good but she hadn't gone all out on her appearance to attract attention, which was a decision she was currently feeling relieved about.
After Andie bought herself a vodka and soda, she took a seat at a table that had a view of the bar's entrance. A sip of her drink had Andie realising she was a little more nervous than she thought. She set her drink down onto the table and made herself take a slow deep breath. Andie told herself that she was going to have a good night and that she wouldn't watch the entrance or check her phone constantly while she waited. To keep herself occupied Andie studied the interior of the bar and in a less obvious way, the other customers.
When fifteen minutes had passed and there was no sign of Gary and no message, Andie's nervousness turned into a mix of annoyance and anxiety. She definitely felt like she had been stood up. She sent Gary a quick message asking where he was and then tensely waited, watching her phone for a response. After a few minutes of nothing Andie sighed. There were excuses for a lack of a message but none of them spoke to the night going the way Andie had hoped it would. She drained the rest of her vodka and soda and debated her next move. Andie wondered if she should accept her fate and leave now or get another drink and see if just perhaps something might go in her favour.
Since it was a Friday night and she was out wearing a nice dress and had gone to the effort of putting on artfully natural looking makeup, Andie thought it would be a waste for her to head home so early. Of course it currently looked like that she would end up doing that anyway but if she got another drink at least the time she spent getting ready wouldn't completely outweigh the time that she actually spent being out.
Up at the counter, just as the bartender was finishing serving another customer, some guy moved in beside her and waved to get the bartender's attention. Andie felt a flash of anger and instantly embraced the opportunity to unleash some of her frustration at being stood up. She spun around to confront the interloper and found that he was looking at her with a gentle smile. Andie's anger was disarmed long enough for the man to speak.
"You look like you've been disappointed. Can I buy you your next drink?"
The offer caught Andie by surprise and she wasn't able to respond before the bartender was there in front of them asking what they wanted to drink. The man beside her quickly asked for a negroni before turning back to Andie. "And what would you like?"
Very briefly Andie considered making a cutting remark but she instead went along with what was happening, a free drink was a free drink. She looked at the bartender and thought for a second. "I'd like an old fashioned please."
Andie looked at the man next to her, his expression showed a little surprise at her drink order but then he smiled and nodded in approval. She felt a small measure of satisfaction at having surprised this man.
Neither Andie or the man spoke as they waited for their drinks to be made. Instead they regarded each other casually. The man was maybe a little shorter than Andie in her three inch heels. He was dressed in a suit so there was a good chance he had come to the bar after work. In support of that, his clothes were looking a bit rumpled, but not shabby. The man himself was quite good looking but certainly not jaw dropping handsome. While his suit was quite well fitted, other than looking broad in the shoulders Andie couldn't really tell what shape he was in.
His expression as he studied her appearance was mostly neutral, a small smile made it appear like he was amused at their situation, much like Andie had become. His eyes were brown and he had short brown hair that was darker than Andie's own chestnut coloured locks.
She wondered what this man thought of her in her beautiful but quite modest dress, which hugged her shapely body. Did he like what he was seeing or could it be that he was amused at the idea of picking up someone who had been stood up.
The bartender appeared before them with their drinks and the man paid. Andie took her old fashioned and nodded at the man. "Thank you for the drink but I'm not really in the mood for talking at the moment."
That wasn't quite true but Andie wasn't about to encourage some guy that had come up to her out of nowhere. The man shrugged. "I wasn't really looking to talk, just thought that you could do with a small good turn."
His response came out naturally but Andie couldn't quite believe that he had bought her a drink without wanting something in return.
"Oh, well thanks again."
"You're welcome. I hope you end up having a good night."
Not wanting to prolong their back and forth, Andie wished the man a good night as well and left the counter to sit down.
Back at her table, the feeling of satisfaction from having shut down an attempt to pick her up lasted only a short while. As Andie checked her phone and saw there was still no response from Gary, her frustration at having been stood up with no sign of an apology surged back up.
That frustration was the cap on a mountain of her frustration with the dating scene. Gary had been the first decent dating prospect who seemed worth meeting after a horde of low effort or barely literate approaches from other men. After the end of a four year relationship and then spending a good few months to adjust to her new reality, Andie had re-entered the dating scene with some trepidation. She had heard stories of her friends' bad dating experiences but she hadn't thought it would be as dire as it had turned out to be.
Unwanted thoughts rose in her mind that perhaps the issue wasn't just the guys that she was interacting with. Perhaps her relationship ending and her failure to meet anyone decent was due to her shortcomings. Andie tried to ignore those thoughts, telling herself that she was deserving of having people put in an effort for her. She took a long drink of her old fashioned and then took a moment to breath and clear her head.
Andie looked around the bar for the man who had bought her drink. She found him sitting at another table by himself looking down at his phone. The possibility that he might have been playing some kind of game with her now seemed like a product of a mind made wary by disappointment. She studied him for a moment and thought maybe she could go and talk to him. He seemed okay and hadn't been bitter when she had shut down any attempt at conversation. The idea became more appealing as Andie thought about what else she could do for the rest of the night and realised she could talk to the man or sit drinking alone.
There was no reason she shouldn't go up to him. At the very least it would give her something to tell her friends that wouldn't result in an outpouring of sympathy.
Getting up from the table and walking over was easier than Andie thought it would be. Since the ice had already been broken and she wasn't worried about being rejected, Andie didn't feel any hesitation and her steps were bold and confident.
As she approached the man, he looked up from his phone and his expression flashed with slight surprise. Andie smiled. "Hi. Do you mind if I join you?"
The man returned her smile and shook his head. "No, I don't mind at all."
