The Line We Built

Cloak-and-Dagger Dating

Shayne remembered the last time he went on a date.

It wasn't his idea. He didn't even realize what was going on until it was too late. If Shayne knew of his brother's scheme, he would have called it off before it was too late.

"I think the reservation is under Brian Topp."

"Hm, I have one for Shayne Topp, but no Brian Topp."

"That's me. My brother must have put the reservation under my name."

"All good. I've got a table for two this way."

The waitress began walking off. Shayne squinted at the back of her dark bob cut, which bounced with her steps. Brian told him to meet him and his friends at the Cheesecake Factory at about 7 PM. They were supposed to be a sizeable group. Perhaps whoever took the reservation got the number of seats wrong.

Shayne unclenched his jaw and began to follow the server.

"I think the reservation should be good for like... four or six people."

The waitress glanced back at Shayne before looking down at her clipboard. She walked at a brisk pace and didn't seem to intend to stop any time soon. The woman navigated the restaurant with a certain grace. She sidestepped other waiters and avoided near accidents without a break in her stride. Shayne was just struggling to keep up without making anyone spill anything.

They must have walked halfway across the restaurant by the time she craned her head to look at Shayne and answer him.

"I'm sorry, my record here says the reservation was made for two. If you've got more people coming, we'd be happy to move you to a bigger table."

Shayne mulled the words over as the woman came to a stop in front of a simple table set up for two diners. She picked up the small reserved placard before placing her hands behind her back. She looked at Shayne with a slight tilt of her head. Shayne squinted at the table in suspicion.

"Is everything okay, sir? We can get you a bigger table, no problem. I see a... couple of vacancies." The lady craned her head to scan the other tables.

"I – uhh, I'll ask my brother if there's been a change of plans." Shayne fished his phone out of his pocket.

"For sure. Have a seat and I'll get you some water while you wait." The woman flashed him a polite smile and was gone before he knew it.

After a moment's hesitation, Shayne took a seat at the small table and brought his messages up on his phone. Shayne wasn't mistaken. Brian said he and "the boys" were on the way about half an hour ago. A few hours before that, he specifically reminded Shayne to be here by seven. Whoever took the reservation must have misheard the number of seats needed.

Unless...

No. He wouldn't.

...would he?

The sound of polite throat-clearing caught Shayne's attention. His eyes darted up to the source. A petite woman stood in front of his small table. She wore a nice green dress, and a nicer smile to match it. A pair of glasses rested at the tip of her nose, which was as sharp as the rest of her features. She ran a nervous hand through her dark hair, which cascaded down past her shoulders. Shayne blinked once or twice.

God damnit Brian.

"Hey – uh, Alice, right?" Shayne rose from the chair to greet her.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you, Shayne!" Alice reached forward to hug him in greeting before he could extend a handshake. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. That bastard set him up. Shayne's wide eyes looked ahead vacantly, out of Alice's sight. He accidentally made eye contact with his bob cut sporting waitress, who gave an uncertain smile.