C22 Not Quite Right

Sierra stood in front of her mirror, adjusting the sleeve of her blouse for the third time.

She stepped back to examine herself, then reached for her earrings.

It wasn't that she was particularly nervous. She was simply trying to decide how she felt about the evening.

Although this was her second date with him.

Miles was a nice person. They got along well enough at work, and she had enjoyed their conversations so far. There was no reason to assume their date would go badly.

Still, she wasn't as excited as she thought she ought to be.

A knock sounded against her open door.

"Are you ready?" Sam asked.

"Almost."

Sam leaned against the doorframe, looking her over.

"You look nice."

"Thank you."

"Though I must admit, I expected you to be a little more excited."

Sierra turned towards her. "Why?"

"You're going on a date."

"For the second time," Sierra corrected.

Sam smiled. "I'm just saying."

"And I'm just getting ready. Can I finish in peace?"

"Of course."

Sam started to leave, then paused.

"Try to have fun, okay?"

Sierra's expression softened a little.

"I will."

Sam nodded and left her to finish getting ready.

A few minutes later, Sierra collected her bag and headed downstairs. She checked her phone, confirmed that Miles was on his way, and settled on the couch while she waited.

She wasn't expecting fireworks. She wasn't even sure what she expected.

When Miles arrived, she said goodbye to Sam and went outside to meet him.

He greeted her with a smile and opened the passenger door.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"You look lovely."

"Thank you."

She got into the car, and he walked around to the driver's side.

As they drove away, Sierra watched the familiar streets pass by, wondering whether she was overthinking an evening that hadn't even begun.

She decided to give herself a break.

It was only dinner.

---

The restaurant was pleasant, with warm lighting and enough space between the tables to make conversation comfortable. Miles had chosen somewhere quiet rather than an overly formal place, which Sierra appreciated.

They ordered their meals and began talking.

At first, everything went well enough.

They discussed work, the challenges of settling into a new environment, and some of the things they found amusing about their colleagues.

Miles had a few funny stories about his previous workplace, and Sierra laughed at one in particular.

"I hope you didn't actually say that to your supervisor," she said.

"I did."

She stared at him.

"You're joking."

"Of course I'm joking."

Sierra laughed, and Miles grinned.

"See? I'm not completely serious all the time."

"I was beginning to wonder."

The conversation continued as their food arrived. They talked about places they had visited, their preferred ways to spend a free weekend, and the sort of things they hoped to accomplish in the next few years.

Sierra listened as Miles spoke about his career ambitions. He was enthusiastic about his work and had a fairly clear idea of where he wanted to be in the future.

She admired that.

When he finished, he asked about her own plans.

She told him about the things she hoped to accomplish professionally and how she wanted to make more time for herself outside work.

Miles nodded.

"That's good. It's important to have goals."

"Definitely."

"And I suppose the hospital keeps you busy enough."

"It does. Sometimes I feel like I spend more time there than I do at home."

He smiled briefly before returning to a story about one of his former colleagues.

Sierra listened, but she found herself struggling to contribute. She waited for an opening to ask him something, only for the conversation to move in another direction.

It wasn't that he was deliberately ignoring her. He simply seemed more comfortable talking about his own experiences than exploring hers.

She tried again when he mentioned a place he had visited.

"What was your favourite thing about it?"

"The food, definitely. You should see how they prepare it there."

He began describing the restaurant he had visited, and Sierra listened politely.

She had hoped he might ask whether she had ever been there or what sort of places she liked. Instead, the conversation remained centred on his experience.

She took a sip of water.

Perhaps she was being unfair. It was their second date, after all. They were still learning about each other.

Probably a stupid excuse.

She made an effort to ask more questions, and Miles answered them willingly. He wasn't rude, and he didn't seem to notice that their conversation required more effort from her than she had expected.

By the time they finished eating, Sierra was beginning to understand that being comfortable around someone at work didn't necessarily mean they would connect in the same way outside it.

There was nothing particularly wrong with Miles.

They simply weren't finding their rhythm.

---

After dinner, they stepped outside the restaurant.

Miles thanked the staff member who held the door for them, then turned to Sierra.

"Would you like to get some dessert somewhere?"

Sierra considered it.

"Maybe another time. I'm getting a little tired."

"Sure."

He didn't seem offended, and she appreciated that.

They walked to the car, and Miles drove her home.

The journey was quiet, but not unpleasant. They talked briefly about the restaurant and a few other ordinary things. Sierra looked out of the window for much of the drive, thinking about the evening.

She had gone into it hoping that the connection she felt at work might grow into something more.

Instead, she had spent most of dinner trying to find things to talk about.

She couldn't blame him for that. Perhaps he had felt the same way.

When they arrived, Miles parked outside her house.

"Thanks for coming out with me," he said.

"Thank you for dinner."

He smiled. "I had a good time."

Sierra returned the smile, though hers was more restrained.

"I'm glad."

He seemed about to say something else, but eventually settled for, "I'll see you at work."

"See you tomorrow."

She got out, waved goodbye, and watched him drive away before heading inside.

The evening hadn't been terrible.

It just hadn't been what she had hoped for.

Yet again.

---

Across town, Alex sat in Peter's office, waiting for him to finish a phone call.

Peter had invited him over earlier, claiming he needed Alex's opinion on something related to a project. Alex suspected Peter could have handled it without him, but he had come anyway.

When Peter finally put his phone down, he turned towards him.

"Sorry about that."

"Important?"

"Not particularly."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

Peter grinned. "All right, it was important enough that I couldn't ignore it."

"Then why apologize?"

"Because I'm a considerate person."

"That's debatable."

Peter laughed and settled into his chair.

They spent the next several minutes discussing work and a few mutual friends. Peter had a way of moving between subjects without making the conversation feel forced, and Alex found himself relaxing more than he had expected.

Eventually, Peter glanced at him.

"So, have you thought about what I asked you?"

Alex looked up from his phone. "What did you ask me?"

Peter stared at him.

"You're impossible."

"You'll have to be more specific."

Peter shook his head.

"I asked whether you'd thought about what you'd do if you ran into Sierra again."

Alex's expression changed slightly.

"No."

Peter didn't look convinced.

"Not even a little?"

"No."

"All right."

Peter returned to the documents on his desk, apparently willing to leave it there.

Alex looked at him for a moment.

"That's it?"

Peter glanced up. "What?"

"You're not going to say anything else?"

"You said you haven't thought about it. What am I supposed to do, argue with you about your own thoughts?"

Alex gave him a dry look.

"You're enjoying this."

"Not at all."

"You are."

Peter smiled and went back to work.

Alex shook his head, but the conversation had already done what Peter probably intended to do.

It had brought Sierra back into his mind.

He thought about Sam's house, about the look on her face when she saw him, and about the possibility that Sierra might have been inside.

He wondered what she had been doing that day. Whether she was working, spending time with Sam, or simply going about her life without knowing how close he had come.

He stopped himself there.

It wasn't his business anymore.

He had made that decision a long time ago, and he had no right to wonder whether she was happy with the life she had built without him.

Still, the thought lingered.

Peter looked up from his desk.

"You all right?"

Alex put his phone away.

"Yeah."

Peter studied him briefly before nodding.

"Good."

Neither of them mentioned Sierra again.

But when Alex eventually left the office, he found himself thinking about her all over again.