Double blind date (open to 1 male - PM)

[tizzy_filly]

(Seeking a male to play Monique’s blind date. You will also need to provide a character for Becca’s date, though they’ll only play a part in the first date. PM me if you wish to take part. Thanks.)

Monique Long

Age: 21

Born in the Dominican Republic. She grew up there, before moving to the U.S at the age of 11 with her mother after the breakdown of her parents’ marriage.

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“Becca, deep breaths, keep calm.”

“But why are they late? They said 8, right, it was 8?”

“Yes, it was 8, but cool it! We only just got here ourselves, right?”

Monique watched her best friend nod and take a deep breath, before taking another glance around the parking lot. There were a lot of people around, only to be expected on a warm summers’ night like this.

Some were going into the cinema at the other end of the entertainment complex, whilst others were going into the restaurants and bars dotted around. The arcade and bowling alley they were in front of also had people going in; Monique was starting to wonder if there would be any space for them at this rate.

She had no idea what had made her agree to this. It was ludicrous. Not just a blind date, but a double blind date. When Becca had first suggested it, Monique had laughed and said no way. She was bad at dates anyway, let alone blind ones. But bit by bit, Becca had worn down her arguments, finding answers to all the objections she had put up, until finally Monique had no real argument to give.

But she was going to look at this with a positive attitude. She was going to have a night of bowling and a meal out; anything else – friendship, whatever else – would just be a bonus. Which would explain why she felt less nervous then Becca seemed to be.

She stood up on tiptoe slightly as her eyes fell on a pair of guys getting out of a car, a few rows along from where theirs was parked in the lot. She gave Becca a gentle dig in the ribs and nodded towards them.

“Think that’s them?”

“I don’t know. Guess we’ll find out if they come this way.”

Monique gave her friend a slightly blank look.

“But surely you know what your guy looks like?

“Mona, this is a blind date, emphasis on blind. I know that my guy has my number, but that’s it.”

“Oh. Great.”

Blind dates definitely weren’t her favourite kind of date.

 

[susurrus]

"Dave, you've got to be kidding. A blind date?"

"Dude, I know. But I got the number from a friend. He said he'd been out with this girl and she was a lot of fun. But when I called, she said she had a friend who she wanted to double with. I can't go if I don't have somebody for her friend. C'mon, Eric, you don't want to just sit around watching the tube Saturday, do you?"

To be honest, I'd spent way too much time sitting in front of the TV and computer lately, I had to admit. It'd been quite a while since I'd had a real date - of any kind. I'd never been on a blind date before, but Dave had never really steered me wrong in the past. He came close a few times, but he never actually managed to really fuck things up.

Anyhow, the plan was for Dave to get this Becca he'd called. I got her friend. There was no way to know what to expect, hence the "blind" part. It was nerve-wracking, to say the least. I knew I was no troglodyte, but there was no guarantee that this "friend" wasn't Quasimodo's first cousin or something. Still, I'd be polite and would have as nice a time as I could, and make sure it was the same for her. Let's face it, after this one date, there was no need to ever see the girl again.

The plan was to keep things pretty inocuous. Dinner and bowling. No dark theaters or anything. It'd be torture for everybody involved if we all took immediate dislike to one another and had to spend two hours sitting side-by-side at a movie none of us wanted to watch.

The night of the date, I got my hair pulled back in a decent ponytail and got myself freshly shaved so I'd look good. If I really liked this girl, I sure as heck wanted her to like me, too, and the whole appearance thing is the first judgement call people make. That whole "first impression" bit.

So, I put on a clean pair of jeans - the place we were going to eat wasn't fancy - and a button shirt. That's always a better impression than wearing a T-shirt for the first time out.

Dave picked me up and we headed for the rendezvous he and this Becca had chosen.

Along the way, I asked, "So, what if neither of these girls is all that good-looking?"

Dave looked over at me and smirked, "Hell, you turn my stomach all the time, and I still keep hanging around with you."

I punched him in the arm. "Oh yeah, like you're fucking George Clooney, eh, dipshit?"

"Didn't you make a little girl start to cry when she saw you walking down the street?"

"Aren't you the poster child for birth control?"

We went on like that the whole way. Dave may be a goofball sometimes, but he is my best friend. It was the only reason I agreed to this whole blind date thing.

Dave and I are physical opposites. He's short and stocky - not fat, but just solidly built. He keeps his blond hair cropped pretty short, almost a military cut. It comes from his dad having been a DI in the army. Me, I'm tall with dark, long hair. Dave gives me crap about my hair, but I get more compliments from women about it, even while their men are looking at me like I'm some kind of freak. I just gave up on paying for haircuts.

When we pulled into the parking lot, there were a lot of people just standing about, but there were only two females by themselves, unaccompanied. The assumption was that these were our "dates."

Dave had told me that my date's name was Monique. Pretty name. I liked that much. From halfway across the parking lot, I could see that one of the women was a short redhead, the other a black girl. I had no idea which was which. The closer we got, they neither of them looked like they should be ringing bells in France, in fact, they were mighty pretty - especially the black girl.

When we got to a distance that shouting would be unncessary, Dave spoke to both women. "Becca? I'm Dave," he waved a hand in my direction, "This is Eric."

 

[tizzy_filly]

It was as Monique was taking another glance about the parking lot that she spotted them. Another pair of men coming from a parked car, and they were headed straight in the two girls direction.

“Hey... I think they’re coming.”

“Oh yikes! Where?”

“Other side of the lot, they’re walking over.”

Now she felt a little nervous. She took a quick glance down to check she wasn’t showing a bra strap or something like that. She’d chosen a simple but pretty tunic top, and black jeans for the date – not too much skin on show, but not too baggy either. She’d left her hair down, falling in loose curls to just past her shoulders.

Neither of the guys coming towards them was terrible looking – in fact, from what Monique could see as they got closer, both of them looked good. Looks weren’t everything, of course, but... she’d probably have been put off if she’d been left with some gargoyle for the evening.

But both looked good. One blonde, stocky, probably Monique’s height or a little taller, the other tall, dark-haired, his hair back in a ponytail. Out of the two, he was definitely more her type. As they got close, she gave Becca a half-glance; she looked slightly more relaxed now. Maybe the fact that they had turned up had helped her stress levels some.

They were close enough to make conversation possible now, and it was the blonde that spoke:

"Becca? I'm Dave," Then he waved a hand towards his friend. "This is Eric."

Ahh... so she had a name for her date now, and he was the one she was more attracted to initially. That made a nice change. Becca gave a smile, stepping forwards slightly.

“Yeah, i’m Becca. This,” She motioned towards Monique “is Monique.”
Monique raised a hand in greeting, focusing her smile more towards the one she now knew to be Eric. He was the one she’d end up spending the most time talking to, after all.

“Hey.”

After a moments silence, Monique spoke again, a little tentatively.

“Um.. shall we head inside? Becca told me you guys booked a lane inside, but there still might be a bit of a wait..”

 

[susurrus]

When Becca spoke, I couldn't help but smile. In my book, the main thing she had going for her was a larger bustline than her darker skinned companion. Monique was a far more attractive woman all-around. From a sheer looks standpoint, I thought I was getting the better end of this deal. I didn't really care what Dave thought. I could see him zeroing in on Becca's assets right away.

I loved the way Monique's hair fell around her shoulders. I really like women with longer hair, and it has nothing to do with my own. I'm also not partial one way or another to any particular ethnicity - a beautiful woman's a beautiful woman in my book - but there was an exotic tinge to Monique that told me she wasn't your "run of the mill" dark-skinned girl.

When Monique smiled at the fact that I was her date, I could see her pleasant first impression ranked right up there with mine. She had a spectacular smile, I hoped to see much more of it as the evening went on.

There was some hesitance in Monique's voice as she spoke, but I could tell she wanted to get things going, instead of this standing around in parking lots. I couldn't have agreed more. Where I'd at first been dreading this date, I was now looking forward to seeing where it would lead.

“Um.. shall we head inside? Becca told me you guys booked a lane inside, but there still might be a bit of a wait.” I liked her voice. It was a good thing, too. Few things worse than a good looking woman with a voice that sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Dave was busy ogling Becca's tits, but Becca didn't seem to mind, surprisingly enough. I slapped him upside the head to get his attention back. He glared at me, but I forcefully answered, "Yeah, let's get going. No sense standing out here all night."

Like a gentleman, I held my elbow out to Monique. "Shall we?"

Finally inside, we found that the lane we'd reserved was going to be another half hour, so we needed to wait, anyway. I wasn't sure why I agreed on bowling. I think I've bowled maybe five times in my entire life. I do remember watching the Pro Bowler's Tour on TV when I was younger, and managed to pick up a few things from that, but it hardly made me a decent bowler. Still, I had a good time with it, so what the hell.

We found a bench to wait on, and I asked, "So, does anybody want anything to drink while wait?"

 

[tizzy_filly]

As she finished speaking, Monique couldn’t help but notice that Dave’s attention was a little diverted. His eyes were focused on Becca’s boobs, and Monique gave her friend half a glance, wondering why she wasn’t setting him straight.

Eric negated the need for her to say anything, however, by giving him a slap upside the head. Monique had to hold back a laugh, but Becca looked vaguely disappointed.

Monique knew that Becca was immensely proud of her breasts. They were one of the first things a guy noticed about her, other than the red hair. This wasn’t exactly surprising though – Becca intentionally showed them off by wearing low-cut tops and push-up bras.

Monique had never understood how Becca could be quite that daring. Yes, she sometimes showed off a bit of skin while out clubbing, but nothing like Becca! She supposed it was just a difference in self-consciousness. Personally, Monique had always been a bit unsure about her body and her confidence until last year. She could still be pretty shy, but maybe this would be good practise on blitzing that...

"Yeah, let's get going. No sense standing out here all night." Well, at least Eric agreed with her on that. She felt surprised, but really quite gratified when he then offered her an elbow ”Shall we?”

She gave a smile and slipped her hand through the crook, resting her hand on his forearm. “Certainly.” She glanced over her shoulder and flashed Becca a slight grin as they headed inside.

The news that the lane was still busy wasn’t altogether surprising. At least they wouldn’t be spending the intervening time stood outside awkwardly. Monique had been bowling a few times in the last few years, but wasn’t the greatest at it. This could be pretty embaressing, but ahh well, she’d give it a shot.

All four of them took a seat on a bench nearby the reception desk.

"So, does anybody want anything to drink while wait?"

Monique glanced round to see if Becca had heard him. As suspected, she was a bit too busy. Her eyes were on Dave as much as Dave’s were on her. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Monique gave Becca a tap on the shoulder.

“Becca, Eric’s asking if we want drinks.”

“Oh, oh!” Becca looked round “Um.. yes, a white wine spritzer please.”

“And i’ll have.. an orange and lemonade please.” She got up. “Want a hand bringing them over?”

She really didn’t want to be left alone with the ogling twosome. The lack of alcohol wasn't because she didn't drink - she had done the drunken spells. It was that she felt like taking it easy on the alcohol tonight. Last thing she needed was for it all to go to her head.

 

[susurrus]

I looked over at Monique and saw her surprise at how Dave and Becca were carrying on. I got the impression that Becca normally didn't put up with being ogled the way she was at present. Oh well. I was glad I'd volunteered to get drinks so I could get away from it for a couple minutes at least.

Dave didn't say anything, but I had a fair idea what he'd drink, so I didn't bother repeating myself. When Monique offered to help carry, I was pleased. She was a pretty woman, and I found myself wanting to spend time with her. I hoped we could get to know each other at least a little over the next few hours, so I could make the decision as to whether I liked her as a person, too.

At Monique's, “Want a hand bringing them (the drinks) over?” I smiled and told her, "Sure, come on."

On the way to the bar, I thought I'd go in for the big question right away. "So, where are you from, originally?" I said as friendly as I could, "Or I guess the primary question is: where does your family originate? It's pretty obvious it isn't from here." I then felt it necessary to add, "I like to know where pretty women come from."

 

[tizzy_filly]

"Sure, come on."

She was glad to. In truth, she was rather wanting to spend some time getting to know Eric. While a double date took out the danger of spending the night alone with a person you might not get on with, it made spending quality time getting to know each other perhaps a little harder. Or maybe that was the point?

Getting up from the bench, she walked alongside him towards the bar, which was over the other side of the room. Almost at once, Eric came out with a question he seemed to be wanting to get out of the way.

"So, where are you from, originally? Or I guess the primary question is: where does your family originate? It's pretty obvious it isn't from here." And then, seeming to think he needed to give some sort of explanation of his question. "I like to know where pretty women come from.

So he thought she was pretty? That was something. Monique gave a soft smile.

"There's no need to justify; it's a valid question. My family originate in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic, if you want to be specific. I was born and raised there up until I was 11." She looked round at him with a slight grin. "Guess it shows in my accent some, huh?"

The actual bar area was pretty quiet. Perhaps most of the customers were buying their drinks and then taking them back to their lanes.

"So, are you looking forward to the bowling? I got the feeling this was some brain-child of Dave and Becca's."

 

[susurrus]

Monique eased my mind as far as my addition of the "pretty" thing, but she seemed pleased by the admission. Still, she continued, ..."My family originate din the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic, if you want to be specific. I was born and raised there up until I was 11. Guess it shows in my accent some, huh?"

My suspicion had been correct, she hadn't been born around here. Still... "Caribbean, eh? That's cool. I like your accent. It just tipped me off that you maybe started out somewhere other than here. Me, I'm a local boy. Born and raised. Been to the Caribbean a couple times, but never the Dominican Republic. One thing you notice right away there: in amidst some incredible beauty there's a lot of poverty. But I guess that rule goes for most places in the world."

The bar area was pretty quiet, which was nice. While I had a feeling Dave and Becca were going to be pretty wrapped up in each other, I really liked this exotic, pretty woman I'd ended up with, and hoped to get to know her better. At the moment, this seemed the best place to do so.

I loved seeing Monique smile, and she was doing that all through my explanation. Then, she asked, "So, are you looking forward to the bowling? I got the feeling this was some brain-child of Dave and Becca's."

I couldn't help but laugh. "To be perfectly honest, I'm a crap bowler. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've bowled in my life. Still, I'll roll a couple balls and see how many pins I can knock over. I just hope I can knock the pins down in my own lane..."

 

[tizzy_filly]

"Caribbean, eh? That's cool. I like your accent. It just tipped me off that you maybe started out somewhere other than here. Me, I'm a local boy. Born and raised. Been to the Caribbean a couple times, but never the Dominican Republic. One thing you notice right away there: in amidst some incredible beauty there's a lot of poverty. But I guess that rule goes for most places in the world."

"Ahh, I see. Where in the Caribbean have you been? I do prefer it over here in ways, I see it more as home."

Eric seemed in no hurry to get the drinks and head back, and Monique was in no hurry either. If the two of them could ogle each other that openly when they had two people alongside them, what on earth were they up to now? Monique quickly moved her mind off that subject.

At Eric's comment about the bowling made Monique start laughing. She couldn't help it, she knew the feeling about how tonight might go.

"Actually, i'm not the best myself. I've bowled maybe... 3 times in the past few years, and each time i've either fallen over or nearly injured someone else." She rolled her eyes slightly to the ceiling "I'm not to be trusted with heavy objects."

 

[susurrus]

I laughed at Monique's description of her bowling prowess. It sounded like we were a pretty even match in the bowling danger category.

"I just hope I can keep the ball rolling in the direction of the pins. One time, the people I was with wanted to play three games in a row. My hand got so tired, I coudln't grip the ball right. I drew back to throw it, and the ball ended up going backward." At the look I received, I held my hand up. "Honest."

I really wasn't sure I wanted to go back and hook up with Dave and Becca.

 

[tizzy_filly]

At the ending of Eric's description of his bowling disaster, Monique raised her eyebrows at him, a throughly disbeleiving look on her face, which was met with a raise of the hands and a plea of honesty. She laughed.

"Alright, I beleive you. Remind me not to stand behind you when it's your turn!"

She was finding it remarkably easy to talk to him, which was a bit surprising but felt nice. The few dates she had been on before had felt awkward, it had been difficult to keep the conversation going. She wasn't someone that had to keep talking and talking, but long silences weren't something she associated with dates.

Maybe it helped that they both seemed to be in the same boat here, and that took the pressure off some. Or maybe it was that he was easy on the eye. Either way, she was happy to be spending time in his company.

 

[susurrus]

I laughed, "Right, no standing behind me with a bowling ball in my hand. With me, it could be considered a lethal weapon."

I liked talking with Monique. We hadn't really gotten to know one another very much, but our small talk was comforting, and I really enjoyed her smile and laugh, and more than it all, I really liked looking at her.

"Y'know, I have to admit, Monique, I wasn't much looking forward to this date. Just the words 'blind date' conjure up all sorts of potentially frightening scenarios. It was probably the same thing for you. Not that looks are everything, but I was scared that I'd be singularly unattracted to you. Trust me, even if that had been the case, I'd have done everything I could to make sure you had a nice evening. It would just mean we wouldn't get together again. Granted, we only just met, and the final judgement will be after the end of the evening, but so far, I'm liking the idea of seeing you again after this."

It was a long speech, but Monique stood there and let me go on. I had no idea what her reaction would be.

 

[tizzy_filly]

Monique stayed quiet, listening to him with her head tilted just a little to one side as he talked. A soft smile showed on her face as he finished his little speech. After a moment, she spoke.

"You know what? Same. I thought this would be really embaressing and awkward, or that i'd go all shy, chicken out." She gave him a swift smile "I'm not the best with dates. But... i don't know... this just feels different to me. Even if we've only just met, I like how it's going so far. And as for being unattracted... that's not the case for me."

Now she blushed?? Typical. She glanced over her shoulder to hide that fact, back towards where Dave and Becca were presumably still otherwise engaged. She was starting to wonder if they'd even notice if she and Eric took a long time in returning to them.

She always felt embaressed saying something like that. Especially since, for all she knew, it could scare him off of her! After a moment, she looked back at Eric, knowing her cheeks were still a little heated. Really hoping she hadn't freaked him out.

 

[susurrus]

"...And as for being unattracted... that's not the case for me."

Oh, wow. Then the feeling was mutual. And Monique's sudden shyness at that admission just made her more attractive. Now, I don't necessarily believe in "love at first sight," and I was pretty sure this wasn't love, but wasn't this kind of thing a direct line to it? Or was I getting ahead of myself?

I watched Monique's gaze turn toward our friends, sitting half the room away. They seemed to be having quite a good time of their own, so it would appear this blind date wasn't the disaster I think we were all dreading.

When Monique looked back at me, she still looked a little embarrassed at having told me she was attracted to me, but she smiled sheepishly and kept my gaze. I found myself wanting to kiss her right then and there, but we'd only just met. I was afraid she'd think I was going too fast, and that I'd scare her away.

My only response to Monique's admission was a warm smile, and I lifted a stray strand of hair off her shoulder to join the rest of it over her back.

I wouldn't have cared if we'd just have gone our separate ways and left Dave and Becca to their own devices, but suddenly I heard, just off my left shoulder, "Eric, man, where are those drinks? Our lane just opened up."

I looked away from Monique's pretty face to see Dave standing there. He wasn't upset - I think he and Becca had been having their own fun while we'd been gone - in fact, I think he looked impressed that I was hitting it off so well with my own date.

"C'mon, let's go," he jerked his head in Becca's general direction, then started off that way.

A little embarrassed, myself, at having gotten caught giving Monique the whole goo-goo eyes treatment, I cleared my throat, placed a hand on her hip, then guided her around to the bar and started making our order.

 

[tizzy_filly]

Eric didn't say anything, but the smile on his face, and the just barely there touch as he moved her hair back, told her she hadn't scared him off. That little touch caused a swooping feeling in the region of her stomach. This was definately not a date she wanted to end soon.

The sound of Dave's voice made Monique jump slightly, and the spell seemed to break. She glanced round at Dave too, and saw the almost impressed look on his face before he walked off back towards Becca. A slightly embaressed smile on her face, she allowed Eric to guide her in the direction of the bar.

She'd been a little unsure about getting too close, or touching too soon. Some people were odd about that, and while Monique was a pretty tactile person, she wouldn't have wanted to impose. Now, however, she let herself ease close to Eric as they waited for the drinks. Once they arrived, she took her own and Becca's, and carefully carried them back towards Becca and Dave.

Becca was in her element now. She was a naturally competitive person, and Monique could see that glint in her eye that meant she was up for a challenge. She wondered if Dave knew quite what he was letting himself in for here.

"Come on, put those down and get your bowling shoes on! We decided on boys versus girls whilst you two were.. um.. otherwise engaged." Becca gave a grin. Monique resisted the urge to make a face at her as she handed her her drink, put her own down beside the bench, sat down and started undoing her shoes to get them off.

"You do remember that i'm rubbish at this, right?"

"Yes, but i'm pretty good, so it levels out." Becca gave a bright smile. "Now come on!"

 

[susurrus]

Monique didn't seem to mind my touch as we turned finally to the bar and ordered our drinks. In fact, she kind of moved in a little closer at the feel of my hand on her. To be perfectly honest, she felt pretty good under my hand, and against my body. It'd been a while, so I felt myself start to respond to her contact.

While we waited for the drinks, we just stood there, my arm still around Monique's waist, her hip nudged in close to mine. It almost felt like we'd been together for more than fifteen minutes or so. I know I certainly liked having her so close.

Finally, the drinks stood before us, I gave the barman his money, and we headed back toward Dave and Becca. Bec already had her shoes on, and Dave was lacing his up. She bounced up to Monique and told her it was going to be guys vs. girls. I had no idea what the prize might be for the winning team, but I sure wasn't going to ask, either. At least the teams were even. Monique had already admitted she was no good at bowling, and I was sure of my own inadequacies at the game. Since Dave had agreed to all this, I assumed he had at least some ability at rolling the ball in the right direction and knocking the required number of pins down. It was going to be interesting, to say the least.

Monique and I got our shoes on and picked out balls, then came back to the lane, where Becca was already getting herself ready to roll the first ball.

I told Dave, "I hope to heck you remember how to keep score. I sure don't."

He patted my shoulder, "No problem, buddy. We'll smoke 'em."

I laughed, "You forget that time when we were sixteen and I lost the ball over your cousin's foot."

He laughed, too. "Oh yeah, that's right. Well, maybe they'll take it easy on us."

I left Dave to the score sheet and sat down next to Monique.

"From the way they wrote the names on the scoresheet, you're next, and I'm batting cleanup." I took a sip of my drink and waited for my turn.

 

[tizzy_filly]

When Monique reached the lane, Becca was already readying herself to roll the ball. From the way she was holding the ball and judging it, you would think she was involved in some Olympic sport instead of a leisurely game of bowling. Monique took a seat, taking a sip of her drink as Eric sat beside her.

"Ahh, OK. Who knows, maybe i'll damage the lane and you guys will have to forfeit." She gave him a slight wink to show she was joking. She'd never been quite that lethal with a bowling ball.

Now that the scoresheet was all set up, Becca could finally take her turn. She'd looked eager, almost impatient as they all got to the lane, but now she just looked plain excited. She neatly swung her arm back, then sent her ball down the lane. The first ball knocked down 7 of the pins. The second looked good, but knocked down one, leaving two up. Becca's jaw dropped.

"Damn it!"

With a slight laugh, Monique got up as Becca came back to their seats, looking annoyed.

"At least you knocked some down, Becs."

Monique picked up her ball, and moved up to the lane. Praying that she wasn't about to show just how bad her skills with a ball were, she sent it rolling.

Her first ball went straight into the gutter. Her second, on the other hand, kept to the lane, and knocked 2 down. Happy to have not sent it into the neighbouring lane, Monique came back towards Eric with a slight grin on her face, glancing back as Dave moved up to watch his progress.

 

[susurrus]

Becca's first two throws weren't bad. She didn't seem happy with how she did, but I'd have been satisfied.

Monique then got up with encouraging words to her friend, She looked great walking over to the ball return, but when she lifted her ball, it looked like she was trying to pick up a small car. I think she'd chosen a ball a bit too heavy for her. Her first throw was in the gutter, the second squeaked along the rim but stayed on the lane, taking out two pins.

When she came back, she appeared fairly content with how she'd done. I didn't really care, I just thought she looked fantastic, and I just wanted to look at her. Still, when she sat down, I leaned over and said, "I think we need to find you a lighter ball. When I get done with my turn, we'll go back over and see what we can do about that, okay?"

Dave got up, got nine and picked up his spare. He must have been practicing, because I had no idea he had any bowling ability.

I got up and rolled a six, then took out one of the remainders. Shrugging, I passed by a cursing Becca, then held out a hand to Monique. "C'mon, let's see what we can do about getting you a different ball."

 

[tizzy_filly]

The ball had been kind of heavy to pick up, but since Monique hadn't done much bowling in her time she'd thought that was how it was meant to be. She was therefore pretty surprised when Eric leaned close to her and said about getting a new ball. Having him lean closer to her wasn't a bad thing, of course. She turned her head so she was looking into his eyes.

"You think? Well alright, i'm fine with going back over there."

She watched Dave manage to hit a spare, causing a muted curse to escape Becca. Monique raised her eyebrows slightly at her friend. It wasn't that much of a big deal if they lost, was it?

After that, she got faintly distracted as Eric got up. She had to admit she liked the view as he moved to the ball return and scored a 7. Becca looked furious as she got up, and Monique barely supressed a sigh. She gave Eric a smile, and took his hand as she got up. As they moved out of the lane, she heard Becca call.

"Hey! It's your turn next, be quick!"

"Yeah, OK." Monique waved a hand to let Becca know she'd got the message. She gave a light smile as they moved over to the ballrack. "She takes these things a little too seriously sometimes."

 

[susurrus]

I was surprised at how bitchy Becca was being at bowling, of all things. Christ, she took this competition even more seriously than most of the guys I knew. Of course, I sort of wondered if she and Dave had some kind of bet going. Knowing Dave, he bet her a chance to fuck her tits if he won or something like that.

"She takes these things a little too seriously sometimes." Monique told me as we went to the ball rack to find something that maybe she'd be able to handle. Her small hand felt really good in mine, and it felt really great to hold it while we walked over.

It dawned on me that it might be good to know what ball she'd already picked, so I went over to the ball return and grabbed the one Monique had just thrown, and got glared at by Becca, who was lining up her next shot.

Monique's ball was heavy, even for me. I wondered how she could even lift the damn thing.

"Damn, girl, it's no wonder you had problems," I told her as I came back, "this thing's way more than you need."

Now, as I've mentioned before, I'm no expert with bowling, but being as I'm so lousy at it, I go with the "lighter is better" phliosophy. Meaning: I'd rather power the ball down the lane rather than finesse it.

Suddenly, I felt like Mr. Pro Bowler as I started lifting balls and testing them. Not knowing Monique's strength, I found one that was pretty light and handed it to her. "Here, try this. Let me know if the weight's okay and the holes are spaced properly. You won't be able to hold it very well if the holes aren't right."

 

[tizzy_filly]

Geez, what was Becca's problem right now? Monique saw quite clearly the glare she gave Eric as he picked her ball up from the ball return. Catching Becca's eye as Eric moved back towards her, Monique mouthed 'behave yourself', earning herself a glower from her friend.

"Damn, girl, it's no wonder you had problems, this thing's way more than you need."

"Yeah? I kind of just... picked up the first one that was there." At the look she got, she added, a little defensively "Come on, if we'd kept those two waiting much longer they'd have been bowling for us."

Monique bit back a smile as she watched Eric picking up balls and weighing them, acting like a pro. Having heard of his record on the lane, Monique felt slightly apprehensive about taking advice, but decided to trust him on this.

Taking the ball he offered over to her, she weighed it in her hands. It was significantly easier for her to hold in one hand; the other one had caused her wrist to ache almost straight off. When she put her fingers into the holes, she found they were grouped pretty close, but she could hold it comfortably.

"This seems alright. Don't think i'll throw my back out attempting to roll this." She gave him a smile

"Thanks. Though," She tilted her head a little to the side, a slight grin on her face "are you sure it was a good plan to do this? I mean, i'm on the opposing team, you could have won easily if you'd left me with that thing. You've..."

She tried to think of a term "colluded with the enemy. Least that's how Becca would see it." She finished with a slight laugh.

 

[susurrus]

When Monique checked the ball I'd handed her, she seemed greatly relieved not to have to try to lift the first one she'd used any longer. She gave me a grin and said:

"Are you sure it was a good plan to do this? I mean, I'm on the opposing team. You could have won easily if you'd left me with that thing. You've..." she searched for the words she wanted, "colluded with the enemy. 'Least that's how Becca would see it."

I took the ball from Monique and held it up in one hand. "Heck, I'd think she'd be happy for you to have a better chance at this." I leaned over and whispered in her ear. Her hair smelled sweet. "I think she and Dave have some kind of bet going."

 

[tizzy_filly]

When he leaned close to her, Monique felt a little flip happen in the region of her stomach at having him close to her again. At his words, she gave a slight laugh, realization dawning on her as she glanced back in the direction of their lane.

"Yeah? That would explain the 'win win' mentality." She raised an eyebrow "I thought maybe she just wanted to impress Dave." Another grin flitted across her face "Ooh, wonder what the bet is..."

Right then, Becca appeared from their lane, arms folded.

"Are you done yet?"

"Yep, ready for my turn." She took the ball back from Eric with a smile, feeling more confident now that the bowling ball no longer felt like it would make her arm fall off. "Let's see if this makes any difference."

Once they were back at the lane, Monique moved up into position again. She sent it rolling much easier this time, and knocked down 7, then 2. Still not strike material, but much better.

She sat down beside Eric again, smiling as she met his eyes.

"Thank you, I definately owe you."

 

[susurrus]

The new ball made a difference for Monique. She still didn't roll the ball like a pro at all, but she was at least able to control it well enough to keep it on the boards. She ended up with a very respectable nine once her turn was over and I applauded her while she made her way back to her seat once she was finished.

When she leaned in to me and said, "Thank you. I definitely owe you." My mind started racing. I wondered what that payment might entail. I knew what I hoped it might mean, but was unsure whether that was what she had in mind. (No, I wasn't thinking sex quite yet. I was enough of a gentleman not to expect that so soon.)

Therefore, I just sat there with a stupid grin on my face. Eventually I found the words, "You're very welcome. I didn't want you to finish the night with one arm three inches longer than the other."

Dave was hot on the lane and got himself a strike, which sent Becca into a streak of profanity. As I got up and went to roll my turn, I saw that she'd only gotten an 8 on her last time up. Dave and I were winning, and Becca was seeing her end of that bet going up in smoke. Then again, we were only two frames into the game. A lot could happen.

I managed a seven, which would have been eight, but one pin just wobbled but never fell. I shrugged as I went back to my place next to Monique, who sat smiling at me. She had a spectacular smile, and I found myself smiling right back at her.

A quick glance around made me ask, "Anybody need more to drink?"

 

[tizzy_filly]

Monique gave a little laugh at Eric's words.

"Forget three inches longer then the other, it would have been trailing on the floor!"

She had noticed the slightly stupid grin on his face, the brief moments of inability to speak, and had a funny feeling what was running through his mind. She managed to keep her face straight as she turned to watch the lane again. She'd had those things in mind too, but was going to wait until the end of the date to see if that was acceptable.

Dave hit a strike, and Monique heard the string of muttered profanities from her left which meant Becca wasn't happy.

As Eric scored a seven (just missing out on an eight), Monique gave him a bright smile and a little round of applause as he came back. It felt like the smile they shared together was infectious, warming. She saw Eric glance around, then heard him say.

"Anybody need more to drink?"

"Ah ah!" Monique put a hand on his arm "You already paid for a round, i'll do this one." She felt a teeny bit miffed that the other two seemed happy to let Eric pay. This was a mutual thing, after all. She got up, saying quickly, as Becca opened her mouth

"I know, white wine spritzer."