Jittery

The return of Mrs Aretas, looking a little rough around the edges. But overall healthy, had meant that Eric could breathe a sigh of relief. Not only could his workload go back to normal. Now he could also be certain that when he met up with Evelyn on Wednesday night, he would be operating at his best.

So he had passed his Tuesday on a high. Quietly anticipating what was to come on Wednesday night. But now it was Wednesday, and all of the elation that he'd had the previous day was gone. In its place there was nothing but worry.

'Pull yourself together Eric. This is not a real date. It is not even going to be a fake date. The two of you are simply having a planning session. There is nothing to be nervous about.' Repeating that to himself, over and over in his head, did not help matters. So Eric went for a different tactic. Going over the game plan in his head.

'They were going to have a planning session to help them fake the perfect date. A date that would not only keep their exes away, but also ease the worries of their loved ones.' Breaking the whole thing down into simpler terms made Eric feel better. The reminder that he was not doing something totally crazy for no good reason helping him breathe easier.

Nothing was going to go wrong. Things would be fine. They were going to Chardays, which was familiar to both of them. Plus their choice of location meant Eric could go back to having good memories about the place. After weeks of nothing but bad dates there, Eric had to admit that the blind dates had begun to muddy his thoughts on the restaurant. He had gone from associating it with really good food. To often thinking about all of the horrible experiences that he'd had there, whenever the restaurant's name was mentioned. 

But now he and Evelyn were going to cleanse the place of all of those bad memories by making it the location where they would plan the one date that would end all of the shenanigans that had been going on in their lives.

Not only that, going to Chardays also meant meeting up with Evelyn again. He had really enjoyed the brief conversations that they'd had so far. She was just one of those people who was easy to get along with. He had no idea what those idiots that she had been on dates with had been thinking when they had ruined things with her.

Clearly he was the only person with a good eye. It was kind of sad, that he would never get to go with her on a real date. Shaking his head over thinking such things. Eric did his best to clear his head and focus on just getting through his day. For the most part he was successful. 

His students at least did not notice that anything was off, nor did most of the other teachers. But much to Eric's chagrin, the one person to notice that there was a shift in his mood, was the last person that he wanted to realize.

"Why are you nervous?" That was Gary's greeting the moment that he entered the break room and Eric could not help but glare at the man. 

"What makes you think I'm nervous?" He said, turning away and focusing his attention on the sandwich that he had packed for lunch.

Not reading his mood at all, the other man took a seat right next to Eric, and began sipping on his protein shake.

"Well, the moment I came in I noticed that your leg was bouncing uncontrollably, so that definitely means you are nervous. You're never nervous...unless... Do you have a hot date?" It was such a random conclusion, and one so close to the truth, that Eric found himself wondering if Gary was a mind reader.

Heart beating wildly in his chest. Eric suddenly felt like he was a fly under a microscope. It did not help matters that Gary had been absolutely right about almost everything so far. The man normally had the observation skills of a gnat, but now he was suddenly a super genius. What was Eric's life?

"No, Gary, I do not have a date and I am not nervous. Now if you please, I would like to eat my lunch in peace. Can you stay quiet long enough for me to do that or do I have to take my meal elsewhere?" Gary was quiet for a moment, giving Eric a look like he did not believe him.

"I'll stay quiet if you promise to play some basketball with me after school," Eric wanted to scream in frustration. Play basketball?!What?! He was just about to refuse when he thought more deeply on the idea and began to see its merits. 

He would be having his dinner with Evelyn later on, and having some physical exercise beforehand would do wonders to tire him out enough, that his mind would not be running a mile a minute. 

Making him doubt every decision that he took. That was how Eric ended up playing basketball with Gary after all of the kids had left. It should not have worked, but he found himself feeling incredibly calm after their game. Not even bothered by the fact that Gary had won. 

When he got home, he got ready in record time, his body too tired to let his mind wander over all of the scenarios of what could be, and what might happen if he took certain actions. 

In this case, he had to admit that Gary had done him a huge favor with the basketball game. Deciding that one good turn deserved another, Eric promised himself that he would make an organic protein shake to take to work for the other man the next day.

Not because he felt indebted to him or anything. But as a thank you for the game because if he were being honest with himself. Gary was one of the few people that still managed to get Eric to peek out of the little shell that he had built for himself. They were not friends(Eric just took dares and lost to Gary...a lot), but even though he constantly complained about Gary. The man's company often got him through some dark moments. Soon enough all thoughts of Gary fled Eric's mind. He was too busy focusing on the evening ahead, and what he would say to Evelyn. He really hoped that they came up with a solid plan.