Merlin and Jalisa embrace and enter the karaoke bar. Their first stop is the bar, which is probably a good idea to help them prepare for what’s next. They’re both in a happy mood.
Voidcritter: Is it too early for drinks?
Knight: Not at all, and we’re right on time for happy hour.
Voidcritter: Have you ever done karaoke before?
Knight: Never…the only thing in this world that’s ever heard my singing voice is my showerhead.
Voidcritter: *laughs* Uh oh!
Jalisa stands up and takes a big swig of her drink…
Voidcritter: Are you ready?
Knight: There aren’t enough drinks in the world to make me ready, but I guess so…
Lucky for Merlin, only the private karaoke rooms are available at the moment. They step up to the mic…and choose a jazz selection.
They hug to try and recover after completely brutalizing their song…
Voidcritter: Maybe next time we won’t choose jazz.
Knight: We probably shouldn’t…ever.
Jalisa is inspired and Merlin is still happy at this point. Jalisa’s goal is to get them both in a flirty mood. They sit down and chat for a while…then snuggle, but Merlin remains happy. Jalisa is starting to think that it’s just the way he is naturally…and that it has absolutely nothing to do with her. He jumps up in the middle of a snuggle…
Knight: I’ll go get you a drink…
Voidcritter: *stares after him* But, I – uh…
Jalisa is starting to question whether Merlin is even into her at all. She wants to ask him, but she’s afraid of what he has to say.
Just when she works up the nerve to question Merlin about how he feels about her…some woman walks up to them.
Summer: Hey there! I’m Summer! *sits down without asking* I’m sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering why the two of you have on costumes. Is there a special holiday that I don’t know about?
Knight: It’s for a dating competition.
Summer: Get outta here! How can I be a part of that? It sounds like fun!
Merlin takes the time to explain a bit about the competition, making Jalisa sort of feel like a third wheel. She grabs her drink and stands up. Just as she’s about to walk away…
Knight: Um…Summer, I hate to be rude, but we’re in the middle of something right now.
Summer: Yeah…no, I’m sorry. I’ll let you two get back to your date. *stands and walks away*
Knight: The nerve of some people, right?
Voidcritter: I guess…
Knight: You okay?
Voidcritter: I’m just starting to wonder if this is a date or if I’m just hanging out with a friend right now.
Knight: What do you mean?
Voidcritter: You’re easy to talk to…and we get along well, and I have a lot of fun with you. I just question whether you like me as much as I like you. Or if you’re interested in me romantically.
Merlin stands up and pulls Jalisa close to him.
Knight: I’m sorry. I do…I like you a lot. It’s definitely not the first time I’ve been accused of withholding affection. I sometimes have a hard time with it. But, I promise to do better from now on.
Merlin and Jalisa begin to slow dance to the music playing on the karaoke machine. This finally puts them both in a flirty mood and increases their relationship level to sweethearts. They hug at the end of their date.
Knight: If I get another chance with you…I promise that you’ll never doubt how I feel again.
(The Voidcritter) I feel like I’m walking on air right now, but it doesn’t quite feel stable. Merlin never fails to be fun to talk to, but I couldn’t help but question whether or not he’s really feeling me. He says he is…and I felt it at the very end of our date tonight, but I shouldn’t have to work so hard to test whether someone really likes me or not. On the other hand, Nate is free and honest about his feelings. And he’s definitely not afraid to embarrass himself a little. He just goes for it. I might have messed up a bit when I suggested we try the bubble blower…I guess I should have checked to see if he was into that sort of thing. We had plenty of time to redeem the date after that, though. I’m glad!
28 Blind Date Summaries | read from the beginning
[…] you, Jalisa. And you’re right; we proved everyone wrong…including maybe ourselves. There was a time during the challenge when you questioned my feelings for you. I will regret that moment for the rest of my life as I constantly work to erase any doubts that you […]