The Boyfriend Bet (LDS Fiction) (2 page)

There were some guys that weren't a good match to date, because they didn't share the same values as me. The few times I tried dating guys that didn’t share my beliefs, I felt like I  had to be constantly on my guard and really couldn’t enjoy myself because they were looking to take the physical relationship to a level that I was not comfortable with. I found that if I stuck to dating guys that shared my values, our time together was a whole lot more relaxed and enjoyable.

Because I was looking for guys who had similar values and beliefs, the instant effect was the minimizing of my dating pool of choice. However, I didn't mind, because the area where I lived had many eligible bachelors who shared the same religious views. Church and church activities were a great place to meet guys who respected my beliefs.

I redirected my thoughts back to the current conversation with Kendra. "I could find a guy that I really liked if I put my mind to it. There are plenty of great guys out there; I just don't want to risk having one of them buying me a diamond ring."

"Really?" she said sarcastically. "You think that you could commit to one guy for a little while?" Kendra winked at me, with a challenging tone in her voice.

"Of course I could, if it was the right guy," I responded confidently. I knew that I could do anything if I put my mind to it.

"I don't know, I think that it would be too much for you to hang out with the same guy more than a few times." Sarcasm continued to drip from Kendra's voice, "The second date is when most of them are put on the chopping block, if they even make it past the first date."

I thought about what Kendra was saying. Yes, she was teasing and challenging me at the same time, but there was definitely truth to what she was saying.

Could I really commit to a guy for a short period of time, knowing that it didn't have to turn into a long-term relationship? Could I have fun and hang out with one guy without it getting too serious? What qualities would the guy need to have to keep me from placing them on the chopping block?

Kendra stopped walking, turned abruptly to face me, and placed her hands on her hips. "In fact, I
bet
you couldn't stick with a boyfriend right now, even if you wanted to," she challenged.

I liked to believe that I could, although I hesitated at the idea of any type of commitment to one guy. The dating game was too much fun right now. Why should I give it up for a silly bet? 

But the motivation that I was feeling was based on Kendra's challenge, and my competitive edge was nudging me to prove her wrong. Kendra knew me well enough to understand that throwing a challenge out at me was like shaking a bone at a dog. I just couldn’t resist.

"I'll accept your bet. We’ll pick a guy and I'll get him to be my boyfriend. I’ll need some time to get him to ask me out, so that I can work my magic."

"Hmmm, sounds interesting," Kendra commented. "Will I get to have a say in who the guy is? It has to be someone that you've never met. And there has to be a deadline on the bet."

"I guess we can plan it that way. But, it needs to be a decent guy, someone who is cute and not crazy or weird." We had a similar taste in guys, but I didn't want Kendra challenging me to date an awkward guy just because she would have fun watching me squirm through the whole experience.

"Ok, we'll make sure that he's decent," Kendra agreed. "We've got an activity on Monday night at park next to the church, I'm sure you could find someone there."

Kendra and I were both members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as "Mormons" in popular culture. The congregation that we attended was for single college students, and they had weekly activities that we often attended. Our congregation was referred to as a "ward" within the church, and several wards in the area were part of a larger area known as a "stake." On Monday, there was a big stake activity with several singles wards involved, so there was a pretty good chance that I would have the opportunity to meet new guys.

"Ok, that sounds like a plan. I need at least a week to get him to ask me out though."

"That's fair. Here's the bet: we’ll pick a guy on Monday night. You’ll have seven days to get him to ask you out, and then you’ll need to go out with him at least a total of five times within the following two weeks. During that two-week time, you can't go out with ANY other guys"

I considered her offer, knowing that it would be challenging to complete. "That sounds like mission impossible to me, but I think that I can do it. We need some type of wager, to make it a real bet. What do you think?"

"If you fail, then you have to buy me that new iPhone I've been wanting!" Kendra smiled mischievously, hinting that she was excited for a new phone.

"Whoa, you're serious about this bet, aren't you? Deal. But, if I'm successful, then you have to buy
me
a new phone. Five dates is a lot though, I dunno..."

"Aw, come on. I know that you can get any guy that you want. The challenge is about whether or not you’ll be willing to hang out with him for a few weeks." Kendra's response was encouraging and challenging at the same time, we were good enough friends that she knew exactly what to say to get me to commit.

"I can do it, but I'm not making any promises after the bet is completed. You have to agree that I have the option to walk away from the relationship after the five dates are done." As I spoke, I was trying to convince myself and explain it to her at the same time.

"We'll call it the boyfriend bet. This is going to be fun!" She stuck out her little finger and latched onto my little finger, sealing our bet with a "pinky-swear".

We walked into the church building and took our seats for the first meeting. I tried to concentrate on the gospel messages that were being shared, but my mind was preoccupied with the bet that I had just made.

There was no doubt in my mind that I could get the first date lined up, I was a pro when it came to getting guys to ask me out. The follow-up dates were my concern.

I had stayed away from serious relationships for so long that I felt a little anxious about spending so much time with one guy. Could I do it without getting hurt in the process?

Eventually, I reassured myself with the fact that it was
only
two weeks of dating, and I didn't have to commit to anything after that. It would be a fun experiment, although I wasn't sure how comfortable I felt about leading a guy on if I wasn't really interested in him. It wasn't fair to him to be in a relationship with me just so I could prove Kendra wrong.

But the challenge had been made, and I loved competition.  Anyway, all’s fair in love and war, right?

I reasoned that I could go out with the guy several times and take things slow. There was no need to make him think that I was completely committed to the relationship.

Even though I didn't know exactly who the guy would be or how the dating would go, I knew deep down that it would be fine. I had to prove Kendra wrong, and I knew that I could do anything that I put my mind to.

Monday night quickly arrived, and I felt butterflies in my stomach as we walked to the park where the church barbeque was being held. A large group of people had already gathered; free food at singles activities was a great way to get hungry college students to show up.

Kendra and I went separate directions to talk with different people. I wanted to catch up with a few friends, and while we talked I looked around to see if there were any guys that were catching my eye. I wanted a chance to talk with any potential bet candidates for a few moments before deciding.  Two weeks would feel like eternity if the guy was annoying.

As I looked around, I noticed quite a few guys that I didn’t know. Things were looking good so far, now I just needed to pick my target. I felt like a hunter, searching the field looking for the best animal to hang as a trophy over my fireplace. The bet would definitely be a topic of discussion among my friends, so I had to make sure that he was cute. A good looking guy would definitely improve my bragging rights.

I noticed a cute guy walk over to the food line, so I wrapped up my conversation and headed over to stand in line behind him. He had light brown hair, tan skin, and an athletic body. He was a little shorter than I usually preferred, only about 2 inches taller than me with my tall wedge heels on.

The height seemed to be the only drawback, and it was a very minor drawback because he was still taller than me. I figured it was worth a conversation to see what his personality was like.

Just as I was trying to decide how to start the conversation, he stepped back not realizing that I was standing right behind him, and his foot came down on my toe. Luckily he was wearing sandals, so it didn't hurt my foot.

"Sorry!" He turned around to see me, and looked liked he sincerely felt bad, with concern on his face.

"No problem." I smiled.

"Dufus." He pointed to himself and laughed.

"Nope... accident," I shrugged and reassured him.

"Beautiful." His hand motioned to my hair.

"Thank you." I blushed a little bit at the compliment, but I was grateful I was having a good hair day.

"Single?" He raised one eyebrow in question.

"Unfortunately." This clever conversation was fun, and it seemed to be starting out right. I noticed that there was a good chemistry, and I loved the way he was continuing the conversation in a unique, witty way.

"Patrick Jamison." He extended his right hand to shake mine.

"Shara Evans." I offered my hand and he shook it firmly. The butterflies in my stomach started to go crazy when our hands touched. He held onto my hand for just a moment longer than necessary, and gave it a little squeeze just before letting go.

Come on, keep it together, I told myself. It was good that there was an initial attraction, but I needed to get to know him a little better before I could decide if he was boyfriend potential.

"Hungry?" He picked up an empty paper plate off the table and handed it to me.

"Famished!" I accepted the plate, curious to see what he would say next. "It's a good thing this line is moving quickly." I flashed him a smile, trying to engage the conversation without coming on too strong.

He smiled back with beautiful white teeth and very kissable lips. "Yeah," he replied, "I wouldn't want to see you starve to death while waiting in line."

His eyes twinkled a little bit as he smiled, and I admired his strong jaw line. I noticed that there was a slight dimple on his left cheek; it was only noticeable when he smiled. I would have to find ways to encourage that smile... he was cute, and the dimple made my stomach turn into a swarm of butterflies.

Definitely a possibility, I thought to myself. Mr. Tan and Athletic was good-looking and there weren't any red flags in the conversation yet. In fact, this conversation was one of the more memorable first conversations that I’d shared with a guy. I knew that I needed to keep the conversation going, and keep his attention long enough for him to ask me out.

"It's a good thing you’re in front of me in line, because there might not be any food left after I go through." I cracked a small joke, trying to coax his dimple to come out again.

"Well, I'm pretty hungry too, so you might want to give it some serious thought about waiting to dish up after me." He motioned toward the table with his hand, "I usually eat at least five times this much for dinner!"

His response made me laugh, because there was easily enough food available to serve the 300 people that were expected to attend the picnic that night. The table was stuffed with everything you could imagine: salads, finger foods, chips, cookies, condiments and drinks. There were four guys standing over grills, and each grill was filled with hamburgers and hot dogs. The aroma of the barbeque made my stomach growl a little bit.

"Are you saying that you eat more than I do?" I teased, "That sounds to me like a challenge!"

His beautiful dimple popped up again as he smiled. He started dishing up food on one side of the table, while I moved down the other side of the table so that we were standing across from each other. I couldn't help but notice his toned biceps and the shape of a firm stomach underneath his t-shirt.

"Not a challenge, just the truth. Where are you sitting? You should join us; my roommates have a blanket laid down under the tree over there." He pointed to a big tree, where a few blankets were on the grass. Three guys were lounging against the tree; one of them was strumming a guitar.

I couldn’t have planned this better myself.  This would give me a chance to get to know his personality a little better, although I already liked what I saw.

"I'd love to join you, thanks for the invite." I filled my plate, selecting potato salad, some sliced cucumbers, a few chips, and a hamburger with tomato, lettuce, ketchup, and mustard. I skipped the onions because I didn't want to scare Patrick away with my bad breath.

After choosing a soda from a large cooler, we walked across the grass together and sat down on a blue blanket to eat. As we sat down, he introduced me to his roommates.

"Sean is the tall redhead sitting at the edge of the blanket, Bruce is the one playing guitar, and Burke is the guy in the green shirt. We've been living together since I moved to
Logan
, and it's been a good setup for us."

"It’s nice to meet you all." I nodded with a smile to each of the guys as I sat down. I turned to Patrick, "Did you recently move to
Logan
?"

"Yeah, I went to high school with Sean and Bruce. When they heard I was moving they invited me to check out USU. Their other roommate graduated last semester, so they had room for me. It seems to be working out perfectly so far. "

"That’s great. My roommate and I have shared an apartment since our sophomore year."

The conversation quieted down for a moment as everyone took a few bites of food.

As I took a bite of my hamburger, I was trying to come up with a clever idea to keep the conversation going. Normally, I don't have any problems flirting or talking with a guy, but for some reason I kept freezing up... probably because of the pressure of the bet. Plus, Patrick was good-looking. I didn't want to screw it up.

"So, I guess this is the part where you're supposed to ask me twenty questions to learn about what I do, who I am, where I work, and what I'm studying in school, right?" I've met enough guys to know that there’s a standard set of questions that they ask in the beginning.

"You’re right, those types of questions are the common way to get to know someone," he replied. "But, I'm not a common type of guy. I have just one question to ask you right now. I once heard someone say: with love, there are no rules... do you agree or disagree?"

I pondered the question for a moment, wondering if he was trying to drop a hint with the statement. My ears started to burn a little bit, and I felt as though he could read my mind.

Maybe he knew about my bet? Why else would he be asking that question? So far in my experience, if love has rules, I haven’t been told them and no one else seems to be following them either.

"I agree," I said firmly. "I've dated enough guys to know that sometimes love is like a rollercoaster, and there's no predicting what will happen. All is fair in love and war, right?"

"Good point! I've heard that's especially true at the country swing dancing nights at Club NVO. The girl-to-guy ratio there is definitely in the dude's favor, and some of those girls get pretty territorial. For some of them, two dances in a row and you’re going steady and not supposed to look or talk to any other girls. I'm not complaining though," he assured.

Club NVO was a local dance hall where many of the college students went to dance in the evenings. It was an 18+ club that didn't serve alcohol, which made it the perfect place to hang out without getting into too much trouble. The owners of the dance hall were smart to build an alcohol-free club, because members of the Mormon faith follow a set of health guidelines known as the "Word of Wisdom." One of the guidelines is to refrain from drinking alcohol.

As a member of the church, I made the decision to not drink, although it didn't offend me to spend time around other people who were drinking as long as they respected my choice to not participate. But, I was appreciative that there was a no-alcohol dance club in the area, because I could dance without having to worry about getting a drink spilled on me and going home smelling like alcohol.

At the dance hall, they played different music each night of the week and Thursday nights were the country swing nights. I enjoyed swing dancing there, it was a great way to get out of the house and get some exercise. Many of my childhood years were spent in dance class, and I found that dancing as an adult was a great stress reliever for me. It was also a great place to meet with friends and make new friends.

"Ooooh, I love swing dancing. I'm usually there two or three times a month, but I don't think that I've seen you on the dance floor before."

"This past Thursday night was my first time going. It's different than the clubs that I used to go to in
California
, but it was fun." Patrick stood up and reached for my empty plate so that he could throw it away. "It looks like they just pulled out the ice cream, would you like some?"

"Ice cream sounds great, thanks!"

"Do you guys want some as well?" he asked his roommates who had also finished eating by this time.

"Nah, I’m good. I want to catch the game on TV, so I’m gonna head home," stated Sean. "Bruce, you wanna give me a ride, or are you gonna hang around for a while?"

"I’m ready when you are. I’ve got a history paper due Wednesday that I haven't even started yet."

"Okay. Shara, it was nice to meet you. Maybe we’ll see you around campus sometime. Patrick, I’ll see you later." Both Sean and Bruce picked up their blanket and the guitar and headed toward the vehicles.

"Burke, you want any ice cream?" asked Patrick.

"No, I’m headed to the library. I’ll catch you later at the house. Shara, nice to meet you." Burke said as he stood up and followed the other guys toward the parking lot.

"Guess it will be ice cream for two. I’ll be right back." Patrick said as he headed back toward the food tables.

I watched him as he walked away and was secretly grateful that the roommates had left, maybe it would give us a little more privacy which would give Patrick a better opportunity to ask me out.

I turned my head to see Kendra sitting under another tree not too far away. I gave her a questioning glance and shrugged my shoulders a little bit-- asking her if he was the guy.

Even though no words were spoken, Kendra understood exactly what I was asking and gave me a double thumbs up. She picked up her cell phone, and a moment later I got a text from her:

He's cute. It's on! I'm excited for you to buy me that new phone... LOL! ;)

I didn't have time to respond to her text, because as I looked up I could see Patrick walking back toward me, two ice cream sandwiches in hand.

Even though I didn't want him to see my text conversation with Kendra, I knew that it might be a good hint to have my phone out. He needed to ask for my number; based on the rules of our bet, I knew that I couldn't initiate the phone number exchange.

As he approached the blanket, his right hand reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. My heart skipped a beat; this was the moment I was waiting for! Winning this bet was going to be so easy. Kendra better start looking for a good price on my new phone!

Before he sat down, he lifted the phone to his ear and said: "Hey, what's up? Are you doing all right?" Based on the tone of his voice, it was obvious that he had a close relationship with the person on the other end of the line.

Boo! It was a false alarm. For a split-second I thought that I was closer to exchanging phone numbers with him, but he was just answering a phone call that came in.

Patrick handed me one of the ice cream sandwiches, and silently mouthed, "Sorry, hold on." He quickly walked across to an area of the park where he could have his conversation in private. He turned and faced the street, so I couldn't see the expression on his face.

No big deal, I thought to myself. He'll be back in a minute and then we'll exchange information. I ate my ice cream sandwich, hoping his phone conversation didn’t take too long. I was eager to spend some more time getting to know him and hopefully give him my phone number.