Fact: I will never go on a blind date again.

I can’t move my head. I can’t breathe. I can’t move my hands. I’m as froze as an ice cube that’s stuck in a freezer in the middle of the North Pole. “Hi, are you Georgia?” a voice asked as I blinked my eyes. I stood up slowly, and turned my head to see a tall blonde with sparkling blue eyes. He looked strangely familiar, but I didn’t know where I knew him from. He looked like a guy that should be in college, not a singer. “Hello? Are you Starstruck or something?”

“Oh no, no,” I said as I laughed, looking at the hostess as she walked away. She needed to come back and save me from this embarrassment.

”So you’re not Georgia? I figured as much –“

”No, I’m Georgia,” I replied, shaking his hand, “And I wasn’t starstruck, just, my friend told me that this guy was a celebrity and it made me nervous. I was trying to figure out where I knew you from.”

“Is it best that I don’t tell you yet?” he asked with a smirk. I’m floored. He’s blonde, in a suit and has a killer smile. I’m going to kill Diana for putting me into this situation. “Hello?”

”Oh yeah, no it’s cool, but what’s your name?” I asked, realizing we were still shaking hands. “Sorry.”

”I’m Nick,” he said as he walked around the table. I watched him as he pulled the chair out and sat down. I didn’t even realize I was still standing until he looked up at me smiling. “Are you going to sit down?”

”Yeah, I’m sorry.” I said, sitting down. I scooted closer to the table and looked around the restaurant, wondering what to say next. “So who was your friend that set you up on this date?”

“My friend Brian,” Nick said, looking around the restaurant. “He lives here in Atlanta and we’re all here working right now.” I watched him as he looked down at the table, thinking to himself. I wondered if he was thinking about killing his friend for setting him up with a fat girl. “So, who set you up?”

“My friend Diana. She’s older than me, so maybe she knows your friend or something.” I put my hands in my lap and looked around the restaurant too. “Diana is always trying to set me up on dates and stuff, so, it’s a little awkward.”

”This is actually the first time Brian has done this.” Nick whispered, leaning back in his chair, “So, Georgia right? What are you, like a Georgia peach or something?” I snorted. That line was so cheesy I couldn’t help but laugh at him. “What? Isn’t that what they call them? That’s what Howie’s always saying –“ he said as he paused, “Well are you from Georgia or did you love your name so much that you decided to move here?”

”I’m from,” I whispered, before pausing. “I’m from Savannah originally. After college, I moved here to Atlanta. I’m a writer.” I moved my hair off of my shoulder, feeling nervous. I felt so nervous that it felt as if small bugs were crawling all over my skin. I could just claw myself to death because my nerves were so bad. “So where are you from?”

”Florida. I was born in New York but then moved to Florida.” He said, taking a sip of his water on the table. I watched his lips as they moved against the glass gently, sipping on the water. That’s when I realized he was staring at me. “And,” he said, clearing his throat, “Well, now I live between LA and Florida. Brian’s been trying to talk me into getting a place up here near him but I don’t know.”

”Where does he live?”

”Outside of Marietta. How about you?”

”I live in Roswell. It’s about thirty minutes from Marietta, depending on traffic,” I replied. I paused, realizing he was looking at my breast. He wasn’t being very shy about it either. “So,” I said, moving my arm across my chest, distracting his view, “disappointed that you got stuck with a fat chick?”

”Huh?”

”Huh?”

”Nothing,” I replied, seeing the waiter walk towards us. I smiled at him, and began talking to the waiter who wanted to take our order. I didn’t know if Nick actually understood what I said, or if this acting dumb thing was a serious quality that he carried. I also wondered how old he was. He looked as if he was nineteen. I’m twenty-six years old for Christ’s sake. I have a daughter. I don’t need another kid.

After the waiter took our orders, it was quiet between us. Finally he spoke up, asking me about my life. I told him that I had a daughter and that my life basically revolved around her and work. We talked about the things we enjoyed and things we liked. I found out that we both love 80’s movies and he liked the beach too. It was just small things, but as our food was served the conversation became quiet again.

I still didn’t know where I knew him from. He looked really familiar. He never cared to mention how he was famous either. I definitely wasn’t getting anything for my article I had to write. I did get one thing, no matter how old you are, it doesn’t stop you from spilling your drink all over the table.

There was something about him. Maybe it was his smile. I didn’t feel as if his smile was genuine though. It seemed forced or fake. That’s why I felt as if he wasn’t having a good time. I was having an okay time, but it’s not what I expected. He seemed younger than me, and definitely not interested in me. Then again, I didn’t agree to this date to find a man. Finding a man wouldn’t be such a bad thing, but I didn’t intend on robbing the cradle.

“So can I ask you a question?” Nick asked, as I nodded my head. “Do you now a lot about investigating and stuff like that?”

”Why do you ask?”

”I was just wondering.”

”But you’re a celebrity,” I replied. He gave me a look and I started to become scared. “I mean, shouldn’t you have your own group of people to do that type of thing, like lawyers and such.”

”Well yeah, but I’m not wanting to go to a lawyer right now about this,” Nick whispered, “Maybe I shouldn’t even say anything. I don’t even know you.”

“Well you can tell me,” I replied, sitting up more. I pushed my plate back lightly and gave him my undivided attention. “I’m not going to tell anybody. I don’t even know your last name or anything.”

”Okay,” he replied, looking down at his hands. “A few years ago, I was in this town for a long period of time. Well, it’s when the band I’m in was starting to become very popular.” I nodded my head, watching him as he started talking to me. He told me how he had slept with this girl a few times. He cheated on his girlfriend at the time by being with her. That was a lovely thing to tell to a girl that you were set up on a blind date with, for sure. He didn’t see the girl again until a week ago when he was in that town again. “And,” he said, taking a deep breath. “She told me that she got pregnant by me.”

”Oh wow, you have a kid?” I asked. “How old are you?”

”I just turned twenty-four,” he replied, looking up at me. “You?”

”I’m twenty-six,” I whispered. He didn’t look twenty-four. “So, does she have the kid or did she have an abortion or what?”

”She gave it up for adoption,” Nick said, looking up at me. “You seem really smart and I thought maybe that you might know a few people that could help me.” I nodded my head, staring at him. “I wanna find my kid. She doesn’t know if it was a boy or a girl, but she thinks it was a little boy.”

”Wow,” I whispered, looking down at my hands. “Yeah, I can give you the number of a really good private investigator right now.” I reached down, pulling a pen out of my little purse. “I’ve used him for some investigations for the magazine.”

“Magazine?” he asked as I wrote the number down on a napkin. “I thought you were a writer?”

”I am, at a women’s magazine.”

”Oh, okay.” Nick said as he smiled. I handed him the napkin and put the pen back in my purse. “Thanks, that means a lot. I mean you understand, you have a kid.”

”Yeah, I love my little girl,” I replied, looking around the restaurant. “So, are you going to tell me why you’re a celebrity?”

”Backstreet Boys.”

”That boy band?”

”Vocal group,” he emphasized, crossing his arms across his chest. “Got something against boy bands?”

”Not personally, no.” I replied, looking down at my ruby ring that I had on. He was a singer. I should have known. That would be my luck. I would meet a really cute guy and he would end up being a singer. “I need to go to the ladies room for a minute.”

”Okay,” Nick said, as I stood up from the table. I walked past him, heading towards the ladies room, dialing numbers on my cell phone. Diana had better answer and she better have an explanation for herself.

“Hello?”

”He is a Backstreet Boy? What are you doing to me?” I asked. Diana snorted and I wanted to jump through my cell phone at her. The problem was, my fat ass couldn’t get through the small speaker wholes. “Diana, he’s a singer. Singers and I don’t mix and besides, he thinks I’m fat.”

”Now why do you say that? I talked to Brian and he said that Nick had weight issues too.” Diana said. I rolled my eyes, locking myself in a bathroom stall.

”The only weight issue he has is if his hair is spiked enough or if there’s too much moose in it that it weighs it down. The guy is hot though,” I whispered, hearing her laugh. “I mean, I watched his lips move along his glass and I was ready to jump the table at him.”

”He looks good huh?”

”Good enough to eat,” I replied, laughing at myself. “Maybe that’s what he’s afraid of.”

”Oh shut up Savannah, or well, Georgia, and go back to your dinner date.” Diana said. I sighed, asking her if Nichole was asleep. Of course, she was on the sofa, watching Cinderella with her eyes lightly shut. I told Diana that I would be home soon, and to go ahead and carry her to bed.

As I walked back to the table, I thought to myself if I would ever have a chance with a guy like that. He seemed funny, he had a good job, and he cared enough about a kid that he never knew about, that he wanted to find him. The only problem is the fact that he’s a singer.

”Yeah, she’s really nice,” Nick said, talking on his cell phone as I walked up behind him. I looked around, wondering if I should listen to him or not. It wouldn’t hurt anything. “Yes, and she’s very smart. She says she works at a magazine. She has a little girl. Yeah, I told her about the Danielle situation. She gave me this PI’s phone number so I’m gonna get in touch with him tomorrow.”

I smiled. I’m such a good girl.

“She’s great.” Nick whispered into his phone, playing with his fork. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve never dated someone that heavy before, you know?” My mouth opened in shock. He did think I was fat. That was a boost of self confidence. “No Brian, really. She’s pretty, but she’s kind of thick, you know what I mean? She’s got some breast that would give Leighanne’s a run for her money though.” I was utterly disgusted. I did not want to stand here one minute longer.

“Hey I’m back,” I replied, startling him as I sat back down in my chair. He quickly got off his cell phone and smiled at me. “So you think I’m fat, huh?”

“What? Huh?” Nick asked, with a confused look on his face.

“You just told your friend that I was big.” I said, putting my hand on my chest. “I mean, I know I’m not some anorexic little Barbie Doll that walks around showing her midriff off. But I’m a real woman, not half a woman or a fake woman.” I said, putting on my jacket as I stood up.

“Dude, what are you talking about?” Nick asked as he stood up. “I said you were thick, damn, I didn’t say you were Jabba the Hut, damn. I mean, come on, let’s face it, you’re not super model material –“

”Screw you,” I said, grabbing my glass of water and splashing it in his face. “I know I’m not that damn pretty but I don’t need a New Kids on the Block rip off throwing it in my face. It was nice to meet you.” I walked out of the restaurant without even looking back.

It’s one thing for a person to feel fat or know their fact. It’s another thing for a guy that you actually liked to whisper behind your back, telling his friend that you were fatter than any girl he had dated. Yes, I’m sure it’s a well known fact, but he could have waited until I left. That’s what I get for agreeing to go on a blind date with a celebrity, a singer no less. I’m going to tell Sandra she can take her article and shove it up her ass.

I, Savannah Shiver, will never go on a blind date again.