As Blake muttered under her breath, the man nearby turned his gaze toward her. Caught off-guard, Blake felt a rare flush of shyness color her cheeks, a contrast to her usual confident demeanor.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe tall handsome striking man approached Blake and caught her attention. Among all the blind dates she had met so far, he was by far the most attractive.
"Are you... Blake?" the man inquired gently.
Blake masked her surprise with a composed smile and replied, "Yes, that's me. And you're the person my mother mentioned?" The man nodded affirmatively. "Let's head inside. It's chilly out here." Blake agreed and followed him inside, taking a seat by the window. For a moment, they sat in silence and Blake noticed the man's discomfort as he touched his neck. She initiated the conversation, "I'm Blake. Nice to meet you." "Liam Xander," he introduced himself.
Blake pondered, "He seems socially anxious. But how reliable is he?" After they ordered their meals, Blake continued, "Have you been waiting long? | took the bus, and there was some traffic." "Abit," Liam replied.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmBlake felt awkward with Liam's response. She took a sip of water, thinking, 'He's handsome but so reserved. Is he hiding something?" When their meals arrived, Blake cautiously asked, "Liam, you do realize this is a blind date, right?" Liam nodded. "Yes, I'm aware." Blake pressed on, "Usually, people share about themselves such as your job, lifestyle and others. Do you have a car, a house?" Liam answered plainly, "I'm a freelance writer. | rent my place and don't have a car. Driving isn't really my thing." Intrigued, Blake asked, "What do you write?" "Web s. It's a decent living." Liam said.
"Really? Can | check out your work?" Blake further inquired.
"Sure, | could show you," Liam said, looking slightly embarrassed as he patted his empty pockets. "Sorry, could | use your phone? Seems like | forgot my phone at home." Blake handed Liam her phone. When he handed it back, she recognized his pen name.
"Xander Gale? You're the platinum-rank web ist?" Blake asked, her voice tinged with surprise. "I've heard of you! You make a seven-figure monthly income, right? Weren't you at a book signing last month? | heard you left early. What happened?" Liam lowered his head as he touched his neck again. He said shyly, "Yeah, that's me. | prefer keeping things low-key, though.
Big crowds, like at book signings, aren't really my scene.”