Blind date

The rain beat down relentlessly on the pavement, the sun long gone beyond the horizon. If one looked closely, they might notice a woman hurrying through the downpour, dressed in trousers and a jacket that hung over her dress, shielding her from the cold and wet.

Her umbrella was her only companion, offering meager protection as she dashed into the restaurant where she had parked her car.

That woman was Amelia, and this was the beginning of it all.

She stepped into the warmth of the restaurant, quickly folding her umbrella and shaking off the excess water. As she made her way inside, she fumbled with her phone, pressing a few keys.

"Mr. Taylor, where are you? I'm already in the restaurant, but I'm afraid I can't…" she began, her tone sharper than intended—perhaps a consequence of the miserable weather.

Amelia never liked rainy days; they were bad for business. What good was it to arrive drenched before getting anywhere you needed to be?

Before she could finish her sentence, she spotted a man waving at her from across the room. Her first impression: he wasn't bad. Not bad at all. But she kept her face and voice neutral, not giving anything away.

Amelia approached him and took a seat, setting her umbrella beside her to dry out. Crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap, she watched him intently.

His attire was immaculate, almost too much so. He radiated the unmistakable aura of a CEO, a vibe that instantly rubbed her the wrong way.

'He's probably arrogant,' she thought as she discreetly assessed him. He didn't seem fazed by her scrutiny, and she assumed he was sizing her up too.

Amelia was confident he wouldn't find anything to criticize. If he did, then he'd have to reassess himself. At 29, she was already the epitome of beauty and brains; a young lecturer at one of the Ivy League universities in the country. She had graduated from college at 22, bought her first car at 24, and even purchased a house for her mother.

If he found fault with her, it would only be because he couldn't handle someone too good for him.

"Yes, that must be it," she mused inwardly.

Breaking the silence, Amelia leaned forward and handed him her card. "Here."

This finally prompted a reaction. He reached for it, but she pulled back slightly.

"Yours?" she prompted, raising an eyebrow as she gestured for him to reciprocate.

Caught off guard, he quickly reached into his pocket and handed her his card. They exchanged them, and she glanced at his card briefly.

'CEO of Taylor's Holdings. The company topping the charts all year. Typical red flag,' she thought, silently labeling him.

He gave a light smile as he also read hers.

"How are you doing?" he asked, maintaining a good facade she knew too well, as she had also used them before.

Smiling at her dates even when she was obviously tired, didn't like them, or just didn't want to spoil her character in front of them.

"Let's get this over with," she said briskly. "I have other things to attend to."

She saw his eyebrows perk up at her words as his stance softened, and he added with a little smile that now seemed more genuine.

"Same here. I want to believe you're the last lady," he replied, checking his watch before adding, "And I believe you owe me an apology."

"An apology?" she echoed, raising an eyebrow. For someone she had started the date with not liking, he was sure getting ahead of himself.

"For what?" she asked, her eyes raking over him.

The idea of apologizing was foreign to her, and she certainly had no intention of doing so now.

"For being late. I waited for you for five minutes before you showed up," he said calmly.

"So?" she responded, her eyebrow arching higher, challenging him to press further.

"Never mind," he sighed, sitting upright. "Since five minutes have already passed, and I'm guessing we've spent another on this, we have just twenty minutes left to discuss our preferences, dislikes, and whether we'd like to go on another date."

Amelia nodded slightly.

"You can go first," he said, gesturing toward her.

She took a sip of her tea before speaking. "What made you consider a blind date?" she asked, the third question on her list.

"It's fast and efficient. I've spoken to almost fifteen women today and discovered we weren't compatible. This method saves time and I value that," he explained, his eyes sharp and calculating.

Amelia found his answer surprisingly practical, which made her mentally tick a box in his favor. He values time above anything else. Nice!

"I see. I appreciate efficiency as well," she replied, intrigued by his straightforwardness.

"Why didn't you like any of the women?" she probed further, her eyes searching his to ensure he wasn't lying.

While Amelia truly didn't want to have anything to do so much with the other gender, it didn't stop the fact that if she were to marry someone, it shouldn't be one who looks down on women.

"They were too clingy and demanding," he answered curtly.

Amelia hummed in acknowledgment, mentally ticking another box. Truth be told, her gender actually is, and it also makes her cringe.

Hearing his reply to all her questions made her almost feel like she'd found the right person, the perfect one with whom one can share their dreams without fear of them being trifled with.

But then there was still one ultimate question that would decide if there would be another date, an engagement, or even a marriage.

"What are your thoughts on love?" Amelia asked, her leg ticking against the table, and her hands clasped together on her lap.

He met her gaze, a smirk playing on his lips before he answered, "Love is a waste of time. I have no time for it. It's a tool designed to weigh people down. Without it, we could achieve so much more."

His response made her eyes light up with interest. He just ticked almost all her boxes green.

"I agree. Love is nothing but bullshit. We could save a lot of time by keeping our relationship minimal."

With a smirk matching his, she added, being more proactive, "What do you say? We should get married to fulfill our filial duties."

"And have a son while we're at it?" he added, mirroring her expression.

"A son?" she repeated, her eyes narrowing slightly. She had never thought about that.

Wait… do I need one? Yes, her mom had been pressuring her to get married, but her head hadn't even considered that it was because she wanted a grandchild.

'Damn! Would I have to get pregnant then, do the deed with him?' she thought as she watched him up and down.

He's not bad actually, she thought as she checked out his features. Handsome face, pink lips, chiseled… His abs are also showing slightly under his suit.

He's definitely yummy, can't deny that…

'What the hell!' Amelia suddenly snapped out of her sexual thoughts as she faced him again, 'I should stop fantasizing about him so soon.'

"Of course, a child is very important," she replied to his question with much enthusiasm after thinking it through.

"A child?" He muttered as he looked at her, "Not just one, but three."

"Huh? Three?" That came as a shock to her again.

'What next?' she thought as she calculated, 'I'll have to give up like five years of my life to nurture kids, and then what's left?'

'He must certainly want a big family!' Amelia thought as she kept looking at him, thinking deeply.

She better not lose this man after finding him among the piles of men she's been going on dates with.

What's three children?

Amelia asked herself, at first confidently, but then her resolve broke as scenes flashed through her brain.

She, resigned from work, changing diapers, trying to take her first to school, and her third crying for food.

Amelia shouted out loud as it crossed her mind.

"I don't think I can do this!"