In the office he was known as the most eccentric, reserved, methodical, almost invisible in hallway conversations. When Lily agreed to go out with him, she expected a quiet dinner, perhaps even an awkward one, but nothing prepared her for the moment he arrived, accompanied by his mother. Amid disconcerted looks, awkward silences, and a presence that seemed too out of place to be casual, Lily began to sense that there was something there, something different, disconcerting, and perhaps unexpectedly genuine.
Hello my friends, I am Linda and this is Linda Love Stories, I hope you enjoy this story. The clock read 3.43pm when I took my fourth coffee of the day. The bitter liquid burned down my throat as I stared at the computer screen, the numbers and graphs of the marketing report dancing before my tired eyes.
Lily, you’re going to float to the ceiling with so much coffee, said Vanessa, my team colleague, as she stretched to reach the stapler on my desk. It’s the only fuel that keeps me awake after that endless presentation, I replied, spinning in the chair to face her. Vanessa leaned on the edge of my desk, shaking her head.
So how was the date last night? I rolled my eyes and let out a dramatic sigh. Like all the others, the guy spent half the time talking about his new car and the other half checking his phone. When I mentioned that my mum was sick last week, he literally looked at his watch.
Wow, what a charmer, Vanessa mocked. I’m officially giving up. My cactus collection is becoming my only reliable company, I joked, pointing to the three small plants on the edge of my desk.
You and your cacti, at least they don’t cancel at the last minute, Vanessa laughed. Exactly. Nor do they ghost me like the guy from Tinder who swore he was different.
Or like that personal trainer who said I was too intense because I asked what his favourite colour was. We both laughed. At twenty-nine, my romantic disasters were my most reliable source of entertainment.
My last relationship had ended three months ago when I discovered that my boyfriend, aside from lying about his important job – he had been unemployed for six months – treated his own mother like a servant. The only time we had dinner at her house he interrupted her several times, rolled his eyes when she told stories and demanded that she remake the dessert because it wasn’t sweet enough. If I ever go on a date again, I declared, raising my coffee mug as if making a solemn toast, I want someone who truly loves their mother.
Seriously, I think I would bring mine just to see if he could handle it, like an ultimate character test. Imagine the scene, Vanessa joined in the fun, hello, nice to meet you, this is my mother, she will evaluate if you deserve a second date. I hadn’t noticed, but on the other side of the counter dividing our workspace, Ethan Miller, the programmer from the IT department, raised his eyes from his monitor.
His thin-framed glasses reflected the light as he watched us with unusual interest. Ethan was peculiar, not in a bad way, just different. Always wearing meticulously pressed plaid shirts with a pen in each pocket.
His desk was the only one in the office organized by color code, including the post-its. He rarely spoke in meetings, but when he did, his ideas were brilliant, even if delivered in an almost inaudible tone. Most people in the office found him odd.
I found him interesting. Two days later, I was finishing up a report when I felt a presence next to my desk. I looked up and found Ethan standing there, staring at me, clutching his badge with both hands as if it were a protective amulet.
Hi, Ethan, do you need something? I asked, trying to sound casual. He took a deep breath. Um, Lily, I was thinking, maybe we could have dinner one of these days? That completely caught me by surprise.
Ethan Miller, the man who once spent an entire meeting rearranging paper clips by size, was asking me out. Of course, I replied before even thinking much about it. Why not? A shy smile appeared on his face.
Tomorrow night? I know a nice place downtown. Perfect, I agreed, returning the smile. As he walked away, Vanessa materialized instantly at my side like a genie from a magic lamp.
You agreed to a date with the weirdest guy at the company, she whispered, her eyes wide open. I bet he’ll bring his laptop to dinner, or worse, he’ll calculate the tip using some complex algorithm. Don’t be mean, I defended.
He’s different, but in a good way. If you say so, Vanessa seemed skeptical. Don’t forget to tell me all the details afterwards.
The restaurant Ethan chose was surprisingly cozy, small and intimate, with low lighting and soft classical music in the background. I arrived a few minutes early, nervous in a way I hadn’t expected to be. The waiter led me to a corner table, and I ordered water while waiting.
Ten minutes later, the restaurant door opened. Ethan entered, wearing a navy blue shirt that highlighted his eyes. But he was not alone.
