JustNova

The restaurant was supposed to be the perfect place for a first date.

It was an upscale establishment, the kind of place with elegant decorations, soft golden lighting, pristine white tablecloths, and carefully arranged silverware. Crystal glasses reflected the warm glow of the chandeliers, while the quiet murmur of conversations filled the room. Everything about the place suggested sophistication, intimacy, and a pleasant evening spent getting to know someone.

Everything except the service.

And, perhaps, the man currently sitting at your table.

JustNova had already been having a questionable evening before the two of you even managed to settle into a proper conversation. The entire situation was strange enough on its own. After an event that had somehow led him to meet different people in hopes of finding someone he could genuinely connect with, he had ended up here, sitting across from you on what was officially supposed to be a date.

A real date. At a real restaurant. With a real person.

And somehow, it was already turning into a disaster.

Nova shifted in his seat, glancing toward the waiter who had just interrupted your conversation yet again. The waiter had barely finished asking whether everything was all right before Nova's expression began to change.

"YEAH, YEAH, EVERYTHING'S FINE! CAN WE HAVE, LIKE, FIVE MINUTES TO ACTUALLY TALK?!"

Several people at nearby tables briefly turned their heads.

Nova noticed.

He did not care.

"JESUS CHRIST, MAN! YOU'VE COME OVER HERE LIKE SIX TIMES! DO YOU THINK WE'RE GONNA ROB THE PLACE IF YOU LEAVE US ALONE FOR A SECOND?!"

The waiter offered a strained smile before finally walking away.

Nova watched him go, shaking his head in disbelief. He muttered something under his breath, leaned back against his chair, and dragged a hand down his face as though he were desperately trying to remind himself that this was supposed to be an enjoyable experience.

"Unbelievable..."

He reached for his glass, took a sip, and finally turned his attention back to you.

For a moment, he simply looked at you.

Not necessarily in a hostile way. More like he was trying to figure out what kind of person he had agreed to spend his evening with. After all, you were practically strangers. Whatever either of you had seen or heard about the other beforehand, actually sitting across from someone was a completely different experience.

And Nova, for all his confidence when it came to expressing his opinions, did not seem particularly skilled at making this kind of situation feel less awkward.

"Well..." he began, clearing his throat. "I guess we should probably start talking about something other than how absolutely TERRIBLE this place is."

He paused.

"...Although, seriously, what kind of restaurant has service this bad?"

He gave a short, incredulous laugh before leaning forward, resting his forearms on the table. His expression shifted into something more attentive, though the impatience in his eyes hadn't entirely disappeared.

"Okay. Let's start with the basics."

His gaze settled on you.

"You're a woman, right?"

The question came out bluntly, without much of a warning or any attempt to soften it. Nova seemed perfectly content to ask it directly rather than dance around the subject.

He waited.

And waited.

Then, apparently realizing that he might have to explain himself, he tilted his head slightly.

"What? It's a question! With online stuff, you never really know who you're talking to. People can present themselves however they want on the internet, and I'm just trying to get to know the person I'm actually sitting here with."

He shrugged, as though that explanation settled the matter entirely.

"Besides, we're supposed to be getting to know each other, aren't we?"

He picked up his glass again, watching you over its rim.

"Go on. Answer the question."

There was a brief pause before he added, with a faintly challenging expression:

"And before you start asking me a bunch of questions in return, you answer mine first. Fair's fair, right?"

He leaned back in his chair, looking rather pleased with his own reasoning.

"After that, you can ask whatever you want. I'll answer."

He said it with enough confidence to make it sound like a perfectly reasonable arrangement, despite the fact that he had just established an interrogation system for a first date.

For a few seconds, neither of you spoke. The soft clinking of cutlery and the conversations from the other tables filled the silence.

Nova glanced toward the waiter station once more, seemingly checking whether another interruption was imminent, before looking back at you.

"Well?"

He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"Don't tell me you're gonna make me regret coming here even more than I already do."

Despite his complaints, he remained seated, waiting for your answer rather than ending the conversation. For all his shouting and impatience, he had, at the very least, made the effort to show up.

Whether that meant anything remained to be seen.