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cmk418This is a sequel to the drabble Computer Dating which I just wrote for the "tech" prompt at HardTime100. I ended by not showing the date itself because I knew it would make the drabble too long but ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
severina talked me into a sequel. (I estimated that a sequel would be another 300 words, but this came in around 655).
Murphy walked into the bar and looked for an open table. There was a booth off to the side, not far from the entrance where he could watch for his date. There was a woman the next booth over, staring at her phone. When she glanced up, he realized that he was looking at Claire Howell.
He nodded a greeting at her and she returned the gesture before going back to her phone and tapping in a message.
A couple seconds later, his phone beeped. Not an angry text from Howell, but rather something from “Knicksfan293”, the woman he was supposed to be meeting for the first time tonight.
Knicksfan293: May need to leave. Coworker just walked in.
Sean looked down at the message, then up at Howell. Down at the message, then up at Howell again. Maybe he could just order a beer and leave. That would probably be for the best.
His phone beeped again.
Knicksfan293: Can you give me an ETA?
Sean sighed, remembering the good conversations they had when they hadn't known who each other were. Would he have let the conversations go as far as they had if he'd known it was Howell that he'd been texting?
Another beep.
Knicksfan293: I'm just going to go.
He watched as Howell waved the waitress over to settle up the bill. She looked so sad. Maybe those conversations had meant a lot to her too.
He texted I'm here and got his final confirmation to her identity as she glanced toward the door.
He took a deep breath, got out of the booth, and started to walk in her direction when his phone beeped again.
Knicksfan293: Where?
Sean stopped at the edge of her table. “Hi,” he said.
“Hey, Murphy. You see anybody come in?”
“Let me try this again. Hi,” he repeated and turned his phone toward her so she could see his text messages.
“Oh.”
“So... how do you want to play this?”
She gave him a little smile. “You want to try that super-smooth introduction on me again?”
He smiled back. “Hi, I'm Sean, also known as Irisheyez17.”
“Nice to finally meet you in person. I'm Claire. Knicksfan293.”
“Mind if I sit down?”
“No, go ahead.”
He motioned to the bottle of beer in front of her. “Can I buy you another?”
“Yeah.”
“So, Claire, what do you do for a living?”
“I'm a glorified babysitter for very bad boys.”
“Do you like it?”
“Sometimes. And you?”
“I'm a hack at Oswald.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“It can be, but I can handle it.”
“Sean,” she began, and he couldn't help hating the serious note that crept into her voice. “At what point does the carriage turn back into a pumpkin?”
“Who says it has to?”
“Oh come on. You know that at work on Monday, we're just going to go back to who we were.”
“Well, I was crazy about Knicksfan293. I don't see that changing. Come over here.”
She slid into the booth next to him as he activated the camera on his phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a selfie. Tim wanted a picture of my dream girl. He was worried that you were going to turn out to be a 60 year old man.”
Claire laughed. “I think he would probably prefer that.”
Sean snapped the photo and then sent a text and the photo to Tim.
“I wouldn't,” he said. His eyes dropped to her lips. “Is it okay if I...?”
She nodded, moving forward and, as his lips touched hers, a series of beeps started to sound from his phone.
“I guess McManus got your message,” she said as they slowly drew apart.
Sean reached for the phone again. “Let me just shut this off while we get to know each other better.”
severina talked me into a sequel. (I estimated that a sequel would be another 300 words, but this came in around 655).Murphy walked into the bar and looked for an open table. There was a booth off to the side, not far from the entrance where he could watch for his date. There was a woman the next booth over, staring at her phone. When she glanced up, he realized that he was looking at Claire Howell.
He nodded a greeting at her and she returned the gesture before going back to her phone and tapping in a message.
A couple seconds later, his phone beeped. Not an angry text from Howell, but rather something from “Knicksfan293”, the woman he was supposed to be meeting for the first time tonight.
Knicksfan293: May need to leave. Coworker just walked in.
Sean looked down at the message, then up at Howell. Down at the message, then up at Howell again. Maybe he could just order a beer and leave. That would probably be for the best.
His phone beeped again.
Knicksfan293: Can you give me an ETA?
Sean sighed, remembering the good conversations they had when they hadn't known who each other were. Would he have let the conversations go as far as they had if he'd known it was Howell that he'd been texting?
Another beep.
Knicksfan293: I'm just going to go.
He watched as Howell waved the waitress over to settle up the bill. She looked so sad. Maybe those conversations had meant a lot to her too.
He texted I'm here and got his final confirmation to her identity as she glanced toward the door.
He took a deep breath, got out of the booth, and started to walk in her direction when his phone beeped again.
Knicksfan293: Where?
Sean stopped at the edge of her table. “Hi,” he said.
“Hey, Murphy. You see anybody come in?”
“Let me try this again. Hi,” he repeated and turned his phone toward her so she could see his text messages.
“Oh.”
“So... how do you want to play this?”
She gave him a little smile. “You want to try that super-smooth introduction on me again?”
He smiled back. “Hi, I'm Sean, also known as Irisheyez17.”
“Nice to finally meet you in person. I'm Claire. Knicksfan293.”
“Mind if I sit down?”
“No, go ahead.”
He motioned to the bottle of beer in front of her. “Can I buy you another?”
“Yeah.”
“So, Claire, what do you do for a living?”
“I'm a glorified babysitter for very bad boys.”
“Do you like it?”
“Sometimes. And you?”
“I'm a hack at Oswald.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“It can be, but I can handle it.”
“Sean,” she began, and he couldn't help hating the serious note that crept into her voice. “At what point does the carriage turn back into a pumpkin?”
“Who says it has to?”
“Oh come on. You know that at work on Monday, we're just going to go back to who we were.”
“Well, I was crazy about Knicksfan293. I don't see that changing. Come over here.”
She slid into the booth next to him as he activated the camera on his phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a selfie. Tim wanted a picture of my dream girl. He was worried that you were going to turn out to be a 60 year old man.”
Claire laughed. “I think he would probably prefer that.”
Sean snapped the photo and then sent a text and the photo to Tim.
“I wouldn't,” he said. His eyes dropped to her lips. “Is it okay if I...?”
She nodded, moving forward and, as his lips touched hers, a series of beeps started to sound from his phone.
“I guess McManus got your message,” she said as they slowly drew apart.
Sean reached for the phone again. “Let me just shut this off while we get to know each other better.”
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Date: 2022-01-03 01:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-01-04 04:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-01-03 02:04 pm (UTC)IF ONLY Claire has learned her lesson and turned her life around and... Oh, Sean. Hope you don't get hurt. (But maybe Tim could pick up the pieces? Sequel to the sequel!)
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Date: 2022-01-04 04:39 am (UTC)