Chapter 2

Slowly, the loud sound of the click-clack of heels boomed throughout the busy street. Soon Miranda  arrived at the restaurant, her feet coming to a stop. She let out a deep sigh, clutching her purse as she looked around the bust street, looking for any signs of the arrival of her blind date.

"Where the hell is he?" Her gaze turned downwards, she stared at her watch, noticing that she was fifteen minutes early. "Huh. Maybe I'm here too early..."

Miranda waited patiently, checking her watch every now and then. Soon enough, the clock hit eight, and there was no sign of anyone. She glanced at the large, lavish restaurant, wondering if he was already waiting for her inside of the restaurant. "No, no." Miranda said, almost approaching the restaurant's entry, but ultimately changing her mind. "Sophie said he's going to call me as soon as he gets here."

Miranda continued to wait, her foot tapping against the concrete uncontrollably as her clutch on her purse became tighter and tighter, her knuckles whitening. "Unbelievable..." She mumbled to herself, rolling her eyes as crossed her arms. "He's almost ten minutes late."

With a loud, shaking sigh, she glanced at the restaurant once more, noticing the happy couples entering and leaving as they laughed and kissed. Her breathing became faster and faster as her foot tapped against the floor rapidly. "I shouldn't even be here..." She mumbled, rolling her eyes once more. "I should be at home getting ready for tomorrow. Now I'm going to show up to work unprepared and without even gaining anything tonight."

She let out another sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Oh, Sophie..." She said, raising her gaze to the night sky. "Why do you insist on sending me on these ridiculous blind dates...?"

Suddenly, her phone rang in her purse. With a deep breath, she quickly searched for it, digging into her purse's content. "Finally!" She mumbled, pulling out her phone. "The damn bastard is showing up! I hope this was worth the wait—"

But her expression fell as she read the name of the caller. "Sophie?" Miranda calls out, answering the call.

"Hey! How's the date?" Sophie said, her voice obviously excited.

"Oh, he's a real charmer!"

"I know, right?" Sophie said, letting out a breath of relief. "I've got to tell you, I was worried you wouldn't like him, but as soon as I got to talking with him, I knew he was exactly your type!"

"He's my type for sure, Sophie!" Miranda said, laughing. Her voice suddenly became serious. "I especially love his disappearing act!"

"What?"

"Your date's not here, Sophie!"

"That's odd." Sophie remained silent for a moment, deep in thought. "You sure he's not there?"

"I've been standing here for thirty minutes!" Miranda said, her voice becoming more and more impatient. "Where the hell is he?"

"He's probably on his way, alright?" 

"On his way?" Miranda called out, chuckling to herself. "I'm leaving, Sophie."

"No!" Sophie quickly replied, her voice clearly panicking. "Just give him a chance? I know you'll like him."

Miranda let out a deep sigh, rubbing her temples. "Fine." She said, gritting her teeth. "But if he doesn't show up in fifteen minutes, I'm leaving!"

Without another word, Miranda ended the call, crossing her arms once more. Minutes passed by and she was getting more and more irritated. Her hands shaking in fury, Miranda kept a straight face as she rolled her eyes.

Doubts were creeping into the back of her head as she watched the time pass by on her watch. "What if I don't like him?" She asked herself, letting out a groan of frustration. "What if he's just another terrible date?"

Miranda's mind raced as she considered leaving and going back home, but the image of a disappointed Sophie flashed before her eyes, freezing Miranda in her place. "Shit..." She cursed under her breath, her gaze softening as she glanced towards the restaurant. "If I leave and he shows up, I'll have to deal with a sad Sophie.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out another deep sigh. Sophie was Miranda's best friend for as long as she remembers. She always had her back ever since her high school days, and the last thing that she wanted to do is disappoint someone she considered family. "For Sophie..." Miranda mumbled to herself, nodding along as she gathered a bit of hope. "I'll wait for Sophie."

Almost twenty minutes later, Miranda was leaning her back against a wall, crossing her arms as she watched the customers walk in and out of the restaurant, taking notes of their custom made suits, their brand dresses, and the shining jewelry they all had on, which made her turn her attention to her outfit.

Miranda wanted to keep it simple with a yellow dress that brought out the color of her rich mocha skin. She had always loved this dress, and always believed it brought her good luck, but it didn't tonight. She let out another sigh of frustration, her gaze downwards as she realized that not even her favorite dress could compete with the lavish, on-brand outfits everyone else was arriving with, and she realized something that she had been thinking about all night long...

She was way in over her head.

"That's it." Miranda raised her arms in surrender. "I'm done here. I'm going back home"

Suddenly, Miranda's phone rang once more, and Sophie's name came up on the screen again. "Damn..." Miranda mumbled as she answered the phone. "How did she know I was leaving?"

"So..." Sophie said, her voice excited again. "How's the date? He's great, isn't he? You know my choices in dates are flawless."

"He's still not here."

"Shit!" Sophie called out, her voice booming from the phone's speakers, which caused a few people walking past Miranda to give her strange looks.

Her brows furrowed in anger, Miranda spoke into the phone, her voice barely a rushed whisper. "Sophie!" Miranda called out, her jaw tense as she grit her teeth. "This is it! I'm done!"

"Wait! Maybe he's just running a little late"

"I've been standing here for almost an hour!" Miranda's voice was becoming increasingly furious. "He's not showing up, and I'm done waiting!"

"Just hang on a little longer!" Sophie pleaded. "For me?"

"Sophie, we've been friends for what, fifteen years?"

"I think so, yeah."

"And as your best friend, I'm telling you this to your face..." Miranda takes a deep breath. "Your taste in men sucks."

"It's not that bad! I've hooked you up with a couple nice dates before, right?"

"No, you haven't! I have literally never gone on a blind date that was actually good!"

"Really? Not one? Huh..." Sophie quickly recollected herself. "I promise you, this one is definitely worth the wait!"

"Sophie, I'm done, okay?" Miranda said, walking away from the restaurant. "I'm done with all of this, and I'm going home to have a bath and a good night sleep. I've already wasted a lot of time on this whole thing."

"I'm just trying to look out for you, Miranda!"

"Look out for me? Sophie, I'm fine."

"You're not! You're absolutely not fine!" Sophie said, her voice knowing. "You barely leave the house for anything not work related anymore! You don't go and talk to anyone unless I force you to!"

"So?" Miranda rolled her eyes. "I like staying alone! What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that it's important for me! I want this to work out for you!" Sophie took a deep breath, her voice suddenly low. "Miranda, you're becoming a workaholic."

"I'm not a workaholic, Sophie!"

"Oh yeah? At your last job, did you talk to anyone that you didn't have to?"

Miranda remained quiet, her silence giving her away.

"That's what I thought. So, just do this for me? It will definitely be worth it when he gets there."

"Well, maybe it's just not meant to be."

"It is meant to be! You just have to wait for it." Sophie's voice became soft. "You know I would never set you up with an asshole."

"The last guy you set me up with was married, Sophie."

"Okay, well, I would never set you up for failure twice!"

Miranda let out a loud, shaky sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "How would you even know he's worth it, huh? Maybe he's just as bad as the ones before him."

"He's not, okay? I know the guy."

"Fine. Tell me about him."

"Well, his name is Steve Nicholson." Sophie said, her voice breaking. "Um... he's the advertising executive at Holmes Hotels!"

"And?"

Sophie remained silent for a moment. "What, you want to know more?"

"Sophie!"

"Okay, okay! Just let me think! He's um..." Sophie remained silent, and with every passing second, the realization starts to hit Miranda. "Well, he loves uh..."

"Oh, my God..." Miranda said, her eyes wide as her mind pieces the puzzle. "You don't know the guy!"

"It's not that! It's just that we haven't met that many times, okay? We're not like best friends or something!"

"Sophie, I'm going to ask you a question, and you better answer me truthfully..." Miranda said, her entire body shaking with fury as her breathing becomes sharp. "How many times have you actually met Steve?"

"Well, I don't really keep count of how many people I talk to, you know." Sophie said, chuckling nervously. "I'm a very social person."

"Sophie! Answer me or I'm walking right out of here!" Miranda said, gritting her teeth as she called out.

"Okay, okay!" Sophie let out a loud sigh. "I've met him twice."

"You've met him twice? Two times?" Miranda said, rubbing her temples. "You're hooking me up with another damn stranger!"

"He's not a stranger! He's Steve! From the advertising department!" Sophie said, attempting to fix the situation. "I've had a really good vibe from him!"

"Good vibes? Oh, thank God!" Miranda said, her voice sarcastic. "Now I can't wait to meet Steve!"

"See? Now we're talking! Glad to see you're coming to your senses."

"I was joking!" Miranda lashed out, her furious voice booming around the busy street. "I'm done, Sophie! Goodnight!" Miranda's finger hovered over the end call button...

"I'm trying to make it up to you, alright?" Sophie said, her voice rushed. "I'm trying to make sure you're not alone today."

Miranda furrowed her brows, her mind racing. "Sophie, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh..." Sophie said, her voice surprised. "You didn't even remember what today is?"

"What? No! What's special about today?"

"Nevermind then! Let's not talk about it!" Sophie's voice broke, as if she was attempting to change the subject. "Lovely weather tonight, huh?"

"Sophie, what is today?"

"Today is a great day! Remember when you got hired this morning! Fun times, aren't they?"

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Miranda checked the date on her phone, her eyes widening as she remembered exactly what today was.

"Miranda?"

But Miranda didn't reply, her eyes wide as she leaned against the wall once more, her mind racing.

"Shit, you remembered what today was, didn't you?"

"Yeah..." Miranda said, her voice suddenly slowed as she stared into the date on her phone.

Today was the day her heart was torn in half...

"Miranda, listen, don't let this get under your skin, alright? It was a long time ago! Don't think about it too much..."

Sophie’s voice became distant as Miranda stared wide-eyed at the date, remembering everything that had happened. It was seven years ago, but Miranda never really got over that breakup.

She swallowed hard, remembering everything in vivid detail. She remembered the night that she had gone home early. She had prepared Phil's favorite dinner, and she had lit candles all around the dining room. She waited, and waited, and waited for hours. Phil had always been busy with his work, but Miranda loved him. In fact, she loved him so much, she was willing to accept the fact that he had been ignoring her most of the time. She looked over the fact that she knew to be true...

And that it was a one-sided relationship.

Miranda had waited all night long in the dark, watching the candles slowly burn out as light smoke filled the room. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as pushed the food aside, leaning against the dining table. She had never cried that hard, but her disappointment was too much to handle.

When all hope seemed lost, she finally got a call from him. She answered it as fast as she could, and Phil's voice came through. She asked him about his whereabouts, but he told her that he forgot about their date night. She tried so hard to make it work. She even pretended like she didn't care about it and wanted to do it again another night, but that is when it happened...

Phil told her that he doesn't have time for her. He told her that he thought it was time they see other people.

Miranda had watched the last lit candle that was in front of go out as tears rolled down her cheeks, splashing against the wooden table. Her lips were quivering uncontrollably, and on that day, she did something that is still haunting her to this very day...

She begged for him to stay. She begged the person that never gave her any attention to stay with her, but Phil rejected her.

In a last gasp effort, Miranda said those specific words. She hoped to say something that would convince him to stay...

She told him that she loved him...

And he ended the call.

Miranda's phone slowly slid out of her hands, crashing against the floor with a loud bang. She looked around the dimly lit room, her eyes travelling from the trail of red petals that led to the bedroom, to the food that had gone cold, and finally landing on her pocket, where a small box was sticking out...

With a shaky hand, Miranda had carefully pulled the box out, opening it to reveal an engagement ring. 

She knew how weird it was. She knew how strange it would be for her to propose to him, but Miranda loved him with all of her heart. And at that moment...

Miranda's eyes widened in realization. She realized how pathetic she looked. She realized how weak she was, and she promised herself she would never feel that way again.

With a loud groan of anger mixed with hatred, she tossed the box as hard as she could at a wall nearby, her breathing hard and rapid as she watched with wide eyes as the ring slowly rolled on the ground uncontrollably, finally coming to an end at her feet. She wiped a few tears off her face, her heart beating faster than it ever did. That night was forever carved into the back of Miranda's mind, and Sophie always knew how much Miranda hated this specific date.

"Miranda? Miranda!"

Sophie's voice suddenly pulled Miranda out of her memories. She looked around, finding herself still standing in front of the restaurant.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm here." Miranda said, shaking herself awake.

"Listen, I'm sorry, okay?" Sophie said, her voice breaking. "I was just trying to get your mind off tonight, but then I messed it up and reminded you of what happened and now I'm..." Sophie took a deep, shaky breath. "I'm just trying to cheer you up."

Miranda's lower lip curled into a small smile, her voice suddenly soft. "It's fine, Sophie. I know you want the best for me." Miranda glanced at the restaurant with new hopeful eyes, nodding her head. She was motivated more than ever to enter that restaurant and have the night of her life. "And that's why I'll wait."

"You will?" Sophie's voice suddenly became excited as she felt the hope sneak back into Miranda. "You're the best!"

“Breaking up with Phil was an eye opener. I should be focusing on moving forward.” Miranda took a deep, shaky breath, recollecting herself. "But he better be here! Fifteen minutes max or I'm leaving!"

"Fifteen minutes. Leave without looking back, girl." Sophie said, her voice excited once more. "Now, loosen up a little, will you?"

"What are you talking about? I'm always loose!"

"No, you always have been focusing on work ever since..." Sophie suddenly went quiet, swallowing hard. "Ever since that night."

"I've been working on myself, okay?"

"Loosen up, Miranda! It'll do you good!"

Miranda quickly pulled out a small mirror from her purse, making sure that the makeup was blended well with her mocha skin. In one swift motion, she placed the dark red lipstick on her lips, flashing herself a small wink of encouragement.

Without another word, Sophie hung up, leaving the refocused Miranda standing in front of the restaurant, her gaze determined. "Loosen up..." Miranda mumbled, taking a deep breath as she walked up to the restaurant's entrance. "I'll show her! Tonight, I'll have the wildest night of my damn life!