The Second Date

The sky above me was a dull shade of gray as I made my way toward the Whiskers Café, where Rose and I had agreed to meet each other for lunch. I'd heard about the place before and had meant to check it out for a while but had never found the time to do so; the fact that Rose suggested it for our second date was a pleasant coincidence. A freezing gust of wind blew past me, causing me to shiver even through my flannel shirt and jacket. The temperature was sitting in that oh-so-convenient zone where I was still a bit too cold even with my jacket on but wearing a coat would have been overkill.

I grimaced, cursing the fickle nature of the weather in the Midwest; it was Saturday afternoon, and it had only been a little over a week since I had first met Rose at Danny's, but in that time an unmistakable chill had crept into the air. I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised, though. After all, it was the beginning of October, which meant that Autumn was nearly upon us. Soon the leaves on the trees would start to change color. It was always my favorite part of the season, and the beautiful blazing warm hues of the falling leaves was almost worth putting up with the chillier weather... almost. I preferred to walk whenever I could, saving my car for trips to and from campus or anywhere else too far to feasibly travel by foot. It helped that my apartment was close to not only campus, but also the many surrounding shops, restaurants, and bars. Regardless, I was definitely regretting my decision to walk at that point.

I quickened my pace when I saw the nondescript two-story white building looming ahead, a sign with a black silhouette of a cat flanking the name of the café just above the door. I was still a bit early for our date, so time wasn't an issue - I was just ready to be out of the damn cold. Thankfully, it wasn't long before I was outside the door. I pulled it open, and a bell jangled as an inviting rush of warm air rushed toward me, beckoning me inside. I quickly slipped into the building and shut the door behind me. The sounds of light chatter, clinking utensils and bustling employees washed over me as I stepped over into the small waiting area, where the hostess waited at the small booth.

"Hey there! Welcome to Whiskers," she said, smiling warmly. "Table for one today?"

"I'm actually still waiting for one more person to get here," I said.

"Alright then, just let me know when you're ready and I'll get you taken care of!" she said. I nodded and sat down on the padded bench near the window, then took a moment to look around the restaurant.

As it turned out, the otherwise unassuming building was home to a pretty... eclectic establishment. The furniture had a sleek, modern style, with dark metal tables and black, leather-bound booths surrounding them. Steel lamps hung over each table, bathing each black tabletop in a pool of soft, white light. The furniture was in stark contrast to the rest of the décor, which had a distinctly feline theme. On the second floor, a large clock sat on the wall with an unsettlingly photorealistic image of a gray cat on it; its paws were stretched in odd, unnatural angles to denote the time. Bizarre, abstract paintings of cats were put up on the walls at various places. A couple of televisions were mounted to the walls on the first floor, but the only thing playing on the screens seemed to be a looping slideshow of various cat pictures.

Honestly, the whole vibe kind of creeped me out, but I had heard the food and drinks were good. If nothing else, I was glad I'd get to spend some more time with Rose. One glance up at the creepy cat clock told me it was 1:50 PM, which meant I still had ten minutes before she was supposed to meet me there. I gave myself a bit of leeway just to make sure I would make it on time; since I was actually able to prepare for our date this time instead of being blindsided by Ryan, I wanted to put my best foot forward and make sure everything went smoothly. I pulled out my phone and took a quick look at myself; unsurprisingly, my hair was a mess from the wind - again. I took a moment to smooth it down again, and I had just managed to get it looking presentable again when the jingling of the bell pulled my attention over toward the door. A smile spread across my face when I saw that Rose had also arrived early - fashionably early.

She was wearing a black sweater with a denim jacket, and a red and black plaid flannel skirt hung down just above her knees. Her legs were covered by a pair of thin black stockings, and the addition of tall, black leather boots and a red handbag pulled the whole look together. Her hair hung down to her shoulders in long, slightly wavy locks that reached just past her shoulders. Oddly enough, her hair was stark white, and her skin looked a bit paler than it had been last week. I wondered if everything was okay, but despite her appearance, Rose's enthusiasm was palpable, and she greeted me as if nothing was amiss.

"Oh, hey! You beat me here," she said, beaming as soon as she noticed me sitting down. Her irises shifted from blue to green, shining brightly in the warm lighting of the café.

"Well, I had to make sure I wasn't late this time," I said, flashing a smile. I stood up as she made a beeline for me and was a bit taken aback when she held her arms out for a hug. I went in expecting a gentle hug from her, but she nearly squeezed the life out of me instead. As we embraced each other, I couldn't help but notice that her breasts were a good deal larger than the last time I had seen her. Heat blazed in my cheeks as they pressed against me, and I felt my dick begin to twitch in my pants. Rose seemed to wobble a little bit as she hugged me, and I nearly fell, but I managed to steady us both in time. We separated after a few moments, and I was relieved to find that my arousal had died down just as quickly as it had begun, though I was still a bit concerned at her condition.

"It's so good to see you again! You haven't been waiting long, have you?" Rose asked. I quickly shook my head, and I could see the relief on her face. "I'm glad. Whelp, should we go ahead and grab a table, then? I'm starving." I nodded, and we headed over to the hostess.

It wasn't long before we were both led to one of the tables on the first floor, next to a cubist painting that vaguely resembled a cat pawing at a ball of yarn. I pulled off my jacket and slung it over the back of the chair while Rose placed her handbag under her chair, next to her feet. We both sat down, and Rose seemed to sink into hers; she definitely looked pretty worn out. I was just about to ask her what was up, but the waiter came by to take our drink orders before I could. Rose ended up ordering a hot chocolate, while I chose chamomile tea with honey. He quickly shuffled off to put our drink orders in, leaving me and Rose alone at the table. A sly grin crept across Rose's face as she studied me from across the table.

"What?" I asked sheepishly, feeling myself blush under her scrutiny.

"We match!" she chirped, pointing at my shirt. Sure enough, it was the same color of plaid as her skirt. "Great minds think alike, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess they do," I said, with a chuckle. I was still feeling a little uneasy about the fact that she almost fell earlier. Rose must have picked up on it because her lips curled downward into a frown as a look of concern crossed her features.

"What's up? Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, but I actually wanted to ask you the same thing. You seemed a little shaky earlier when we hugged."

"Oh, that!" Rose piped up, with a weak grin. "I pimped myself out this morning, so I'm feeling a bit weak." My eyes went wide and thought I had maybe misheard her.

"I'm sorry - you did what?" I asked. Rose's cheeks turned pink and she flashed an embarrassed smile.

"Oops. That's... just a little joke between me and my Polly friend back home." She pulled up her sleeve for a moment, and, sure enough, there was a bandage on her right arm. "Sorry. I, er, donated plasma this morning. I do it every Saturday, actually. It doesn't pay as well as whole blood, but I can do it weekly, and Pollies get an extra stipend for donations because our blood and all of its components can be used for all sorts of different medical purposes. So, between the extra money, and the fact that it's known as Polymorphic Plasma, my friend and I started calling it 'pimping ourselves out.'"

"I... see," I said, as I nodded at her. "I get it, but you just kinda... caught me off guard a bit. I didn't know you guys got extra money for that, but it makes sense now that I think about it." Rose smiled at me.

"Yup! I use some of the money to help pay for my rent each month, but a chunk of it goes straight back into my pocket. The only thing is that the process takes a lot out of me, so I can't exactly sustain any changes to my body, even though I always have a big breakfast before my appointments. I had a bit to eat before I came here, but all I could manage was darkening my complexion a bit and fitting into my clothes. So, I'm a little less... put together than usual right now. I didn't want to miss our date though; besides, after last week, I had a feeling you wouldn't mind me looking like this, anyway." She looked around and leaned in a bit before she spoke up, her words hushed: "And if anyone here has a problem with it, they can fuck right off." She smiled at me then and winked as her eyes flashed green again.

"Oh, it's no problem. You look great, Rose," I said, with a smile. "I'm just glad you're okay, and I'm glad to see you're feeling a bit more comfortable with the way you look."

"Thanks, Matt," Rose said, turning pink as she picked up her menu to take a closer look at it, obscuring her face from my view. I grabbed mine and took a moment to peruse the options on offer. The menu was mostly what I expected, with a wide selection of sandwiches and wraps to choose from, plus soups, salads, and various sides. However, there were a few curveballs thrown in, too. "God, I'm so glad I can finally relax - classes have been fucking brutal. I've been looking forward to this all week."

"M-me, too," I said, stammering a bit as a legion of butterflies descended into the pit of my stomach. I was glad that she couldn't see how hard I was blushing behind the menu, and suddenly I realized I couldn't care less about what kind of flatbread pizzas the place had.

"Have you ever been here before?" I was still so distracted that it took me a second to register her question, and my reply came out in a bit of a rush.

"Oh! Um, no, I haven't," I piped up. "I've heard good things, though. I've been meaning to check it out." I put down my menu and leaned in a bit, dropping my voice before I continued. "I gotta say, though, some of the stuff in here weirds me out a bit. Like, that clock up there. It's super creepy, right?" I pointed it out, and Rose put down her menu to glance up at it.

"Christ, I fucking hate it," she said, turning to face me. "The poor thing actually looks like my cat back at home. Here, gimme a sec..." Rose fished her phone out of her pocket and showed me a picture of her cat - a pretty gray tabby cat with green eyes. It did bear a striking resemblance to the cat on the clock. "His name is Squishy, and he is perfect and precious."

"Oh, look, he's a tabby, just like his mom," I murmured, the words soft but still loud enough for Rose to hear. I couldn't help myself as I flashed her my best shit-eating grin.

"Goddammit, Matt, shush!" Rose hissed, but there was a playful edge to the words. She turned crimson and threw a glare my way, but, sure enough, there was still a smile on her face. She took another moment to flick through her photo gallery, then pulled up a photo of a portly little corgi with a black splotch near its eye. "And this is Bingo!"

"Aww, he's so cute!"

"Yeah, he's a goofy little dude," Rose said, setting her phone down on the table. "Whenever I'm home, he won't leave my side for anything... well, except for maybe treats." Just then, the waiter came over with our drinks.

"Here's your hot chocolate-" he began, as he set down a giant mug topped with a heaping swirl of whipped cream in front of Rose. Next, he placed a teacup on a saucer and a miniature kettle down in front of me, along with a couple little plastic packets of honey and a tea bag. "-and here's the tea. Are you two ready to order, or did you need some more time to look over the menu?"

"I think I'm ready, if you are," I said, looking across the table at Rose as I opened the little kettle and plopped the tea bag into the water and closed the lid, leaving the little tag to dangle down the side.

"Yep, I'm good to go," she replied, glancing up at the waiter. He turned to her and took her order first: a cheesesteak sandwich with fries, a cup of potato soup, and a Caesar salad. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with fries. The waiter quickly jotted down our orders and rushed off toward the kitchen to put them in. Rose grabbed her mug of hot chocolate and took a tentative sip, and her face immediately scrunched up into a grimace.

"What's the matter? Still too hot?" I asked. Rose shook her head.

"Nah, it's just that it's dark chocolate," she grumbled. "I'll drink it, it's just... not what I was expecting, is all." She was clearly disappointed. So much for things going smoothly. I immediately went into damage control mode.

"Oh, well, um... I don't really mind dark chocolate. We could trade drinks if you'd like?" I asked. Rose was silent as she considered my offer; her brow was furrowed, and her lips were pressed in a thin line as she stared at the small kettle in front of me.

"Well, I know I like sweet tea, but I've never had chamomile before," she said. She was silent for a moment before she raised her shoulders in a cute little shrug. "I'll give it a shot, I guess." I nodded and pulled the teabag out of the kettle before placing it on the saucer. That done, I poured her a cup of tea and slid it across the table toward her. She pulled the saucer and cup close to her before gingerly picking it and bringing it to her lips. She took a hesitant sip, and judging from the face she made, she wasn't a big fan. She put the teacup back down onto the saucer and frowned at me from across the table. "Matt, this tastes like I'm drinking fucking tree bark."

"That's what the honey is for," I said, chuckling as I slid one of the little packets toward her. "Try it. It makes a huge difference." Rose huffed a bit and grabbed it before she spoke up again.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Did you want me to drink tree bark water?" she asked, with a smirk.

"Well, I just wanted to see if you liked it plain," I said innocently, as a snarky little grin crept onto my face. Rose rolled her eyes as she added the honey to the tea and stirred it in, then took another small sip. A contented smile finally spread across her face, and she took another big gulp from the cup. "Oh, wow. That is a lot better."

"Right? I'm glad you like it," I said. "Could you pass me the hot chocolate, please? I want to try it." Rose pushed the mug over in my direction and I tentatively took a drink, grimacing as the bittersweet liquid hit my tongue. I tried stirring in the mountain of whipped cream before taking another sip. It cut the bitterness a bit and made the taste slightly more bearable, but not by much.

"You don't like it, either?" Rose asked. It was probably pretty obvious that I wasn't a fan, but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, especially after I had just offered her the tea.

"I mean, I don't love it, but it's fine," I said. Rose's lips curled downward into a frown.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to be stuck drinking something you don't like."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry about me," I said, as I slid the kettle and the other packet of honey toward her. "There should be enough for another cup in there, once you've finished that one." Rose stared at me a second before her frown deepened and she let out a small sigh.

"Matt, it's really not that big a deal. If you don't like the hot chocolate, I'll just give you back the tea and order something else," she said. I looked down at the mug sitting in front of me; it already looked all gloopy and congealed; I knew right away I wasn't going to drink any more of it. Rose stared at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. She was right; it would have been easy for her to just order something else, but, after seeing how much she liked the tea, I figured I'd just let her keep on enjoying it. I really didn't mind, as long as she was having a nice time - that was all that mattered.

"It's fine... really. You go ahead and enjoy the tea," I said, flashing her a reassuring smile. Rose studied me for a bit, and it looked like she was considering whether to press the issue further. I felt a fresh blaze of heat settle in my cheeks as the gulf of silence between us grew.

"Erm... alright then," she finally said, as she placed the teacup back on the little saucer in front of her. "So, um, anyway do you have any pets back home?" I felt a wave of relief wash over me now that we had moved on to a different topic.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "No brothers or sisters, either; it's just me and my folks."

"Ah," Rose said, her lips pinched into a slight frown. "Sounds like that could get lonely."

"It can be at times, I suppose, but it's... peaceful, too. I've always wondered what it would be like to have siblings, though," I said.

"Oh, I could tell you some stories. I've got a little sister back home; I love her to death, but she is such a handful sometimes," Rose said, with a playful smile.

"I can imagine," I said, grinning back at her. Suddenly, Rose's phone began to vibrate on the table, making us both jolt in surprise at the sudden sound. Rose grabbed it and studied the screen for a moment before she flicked her gaze back toward me.

"Speak of the devil, that's her now. Um... Sorry, but do you mind if I take this? I told her only to call me if it was important."

"Oh, no, you're good! Go right ahead," I said. Rose flashed me an apologetic smile as she answered the phone.

"Hey, Nic, what's up? Is everything okay?" A moment later, concern flooded her features, and her irises took on an amber hue. I hadn't seen that color before in Rose's eyes but, judging by the look on her face, it couldn't have been good. "What's wrong?" Another moment later, her irises darkened swiftly, turning a cloudy gray color. "Really? That's it? Jesus, Nicole, that is not an emergency... I don't care how hot Henry Cavill is - it still doesn't count." Rose silently mouthed an apology from across the table as she rolled her eyes, which were back to their usual steely blue. I just grinned at her, both relieved that everything was okay, and incredibly amused at the conversation's sudden shift in tone. Even Rose was smiling, despite herself. "Well, I don't know the password, so you'll have to ask Mom when she wakes up... Sorry, but this really isn't the best time, Nic... No, no. It's okay... Nicole, you're fine... Alright, sis, I've really got to go now... Love you, too, pickle. Bye." My ears perked up at the odd nickname. Rose shook her head as she hung up the phone and dropped it onto the table, where it landed with a soft thud. "Well, there's a little taste of what it's like having a sister. God, she really scared me for a second there. Emergency, my ass."

"Maybe you should cut her some slack, Rose. It sounded like she was in a real pickle," I said, punctuating the last word with a smirk.

"Very funny, Matt," Rose deadpanned as she rolled her eyes. "It's just a dumb nickname from back when we were kids."