Consciousness came swiftly as Suzi rolled over and got a face full of brilliant, golden vindictive Cali sunshine. She rubbed her scalded eyelids, wondering why her blinds were open when the sweet note of caramel coffee hit her. That wasn't her routine dark roast. What savage drank caramel coffee for breakfast? Suzi squinted, her mouth gummy from deep sleep. There was a steaming mug of coffee on the table in front of her, Han Solo's handsome smarmy grin welcoming her to the day. Right, Trystan bought that mug specially for her, fitting since she passed out on his couch.

Suzi groaned as she sat up, still in the now rumpled but no less fabulous Millennium Falcon print dress she wore on their date last night. That brought a smile to her face. Okay, so chemistry-wise, they were definitely still better off friends, but the gesture was so thoughtful. Maybe this blind date challenge wouldn't be so bad if she could land a couple of good ones in the mix.

The clock caught her eye as she took a sip of coffee. She nearly snorted the syrupy sweet drink out her nose. Three in the afternoon! How had that happened? Trystan left for work hours ago. How was this coffee still hot? Suzi pulled back to look at her cup. It was definitely still steaming. Had he dropped by just to leave her a cup? The mystery waylaid the more pressing matter at hand.

"Oh crap, I don't have a date." Suzi slapped her forehead. Three days in and she was going to fail, even though she finally decided to really commit to this whole ridiculous bet. After that first night, she'd hemmed and hawed about setting up more blind dates in advance. How the heck was she going to drum up a date for tonight?

"Crap, crap, crap," Suzi muttered as she searched for her cell phone. Nowhere in sight. She patted herself down and winced as she peeled the cell from between her boobs. She must have tucked it into her bra last night for safe keeping. Of course, that also meant it was down to a sliver of battery life. "Don't die on me yet, please." She dialed Amy's cell and prayed the woman answered.

"Woman, I'm at work," Amy answered on the fifth ring. "You know that thing most people do during their waking hours--"

"I messed up!" If Suzi didn't interject, she'd get a full on lecture.

"I thought the date with Trystan was good?"

"No that's--wait he told you about that?"

"Who do you think suggested the restaurant to him?" Amy snorted. "Give a girl credit where it's due."

"It went fine. It was nice, but that's not the crisis here," said Suzi. "Do you know anyone available on short notice for a blind date?"

"Oooo, you're still going through with it? Brave girl," said Amy. Suzi swore she heard her friend snicker. "How short a notice?"

"Like tonight?" Suzi held her breath.

"Sheesh, cutting it kind of close, yeah? Suz, it's the middle of the week," said Amy. "I mean, there's a couple people I could call, but the most exciting thing I usually manage on a weeknight is laundry."

"Would you and let me know?" Suzi made a face as she ran a hand through her hair, her fingers catching on a few snarls. Good grief, she needed a shower. Time to scurry to her apartment, for a fresh change of clothes and her precious toothbrush.

"Give me like twenty mins, k?"

"Thanks Amy, you're a lifesaver." Suzi hit end call. She thought, briefly, of ringing up Taren but she doubted her phone would last through another call. Instead, she scavenged a pen and wrote a thank you note to Trystan for letting her crash on his couch. Thank god she still had a key to his place from taking care of his plants while he was on vacation. She locked up and speed walked to her car. It wasn't like this was a rough neighborhood, but she was pretty sure her hair looked like a rat's nest and she was in last night's dress. Not like she wanted to give Trystan's sixty year old neighbor the wrong idea.

She had just tossed her keys on her kitchen counter when her cell chimed. Scrambling to plug it into her charger, she finally answered Amy on the tenth ring.

"Give it to me straight, Doc," said Suzi, flopped over her bed to keep the cord from stretching.

"You want the good news or the bad news?"

"There's good news?"

"I might have gotten you a date," said Amy.

"Yay!"

"But not for tonight."

"Boo!"

"Look, Suz, I told you it was super short news."

"I can't lose this bet, Amy, I'm committed now."

"I would hit up the Tinder, my friend. Might be your best option for tonight."

"Ew. That short notice sounds like I'm fishing for a one night stand."

"I mean, is that a bad thing? Spirit of adventure, Suz, spirit of adventure," said Amy. "I need to go, boss is making rounds. Good luck!"

Right, sure, date via app, she could do this. She set the app to download and hopped in the shower, because cleanliness would bring clarity, dammit. After a thorough peachy scrub her hair no longer looked like a limp blonde Muppet attached to her head.

It wasn't until she actually opened the app that panic began to set in. No profile, no picture set up, she was still wrapped in a damp towel, and it was edging fast to five now. She could feel the window of opportunity closing and, truth be told, she knew any date she snagged last minute was going to be a miracle and a disaster. What was she thinking? There was no way she was going to win this bet.

She slapped her cell down on her kitchen counter, fuming. Maybe she should stay in and make margaritas. Call it a date with herself. She drummed her fingers on the kitchen counter, debating. Her pinky finger hit paper.

Suzi glanced down to find the weekly penny-saver, flipped open to the help wanted section, side by side with the personals. She sucked on her lip. No way. Did she really want to even look at the personals in the penny-saver, let alone call one? She wasn't that desperate, right?

How badly did she want to win this little challenge?

She glanced back at the penny-saver, ignoring the red circles she'd made in the ever present quest for employment. What kind of people even took out ads in the penny-saver?

Suzi scanned the page. Most of the personals were geared toward the septuagenarian set, which made a sort of sense considering her age bracket trended toward technology. Her wandering gaze paused at one of the entries.

Looking for the transdimensional time of your life? Seeking a plus one to explore the multiverse. Dinner and entertainment provided. Curiosity and love of science (real and fiction) encouraged. Text the number below if interested!

Wait, had she read that right? Transdimensional time? Suzi huffed. Obviously it had to be a joke ad of some sort. She tossed the paper back onto the counter. Finger tapping ensued. The tick of the wall clock filled the quiet space of the kitchen until her fingers fell into the tempo.

"Screw it," said Suzi. She pressed the digits into her phone and fired off an exploratory question. Time was creeping on, later and later. Beggars can't be choosers sure, but at least their ad was interesting enough to catch her eye. Sure, it could be another awkward evening, but if she could wax at length about Star Wars, then it was a win. She dressed a plain little black number she found at the back of her closet, that wasn't too skimpy or prudish, and wondered if they would answer. If she had to, she'd go to the bar and see if she could pick up a date.

Luckily, there was a text waiting for her.

Offer accepted, Ms. Sparrow. Meet me at the following coordinates.

Okay, so her mystery 'date' might be a little too nerdy even for her. Still...why not. She swept back her hair into a pair of R2D2 clips, dashed on a little mascara and lip gloss and pulled up the address on her google maps. The address was a great deal closer than she thought. She could walk there in less than ten minutes. Slipping on a pair of flats, she dropped her keys in a little black clutch and set off. By the time she reached her supposed destination, she wondered at the wisdom of accepting a date from the penny-saver when the directions deposited her in front of a long abandoned video rental store.

Suzi texted her mystery date. Uh, is this the right place.

A text pinged back almost immediately.

Turn left. Down the alley.

She glanced down the yawning mouth of the alley, the rank scent of spoiled Chinese food wafting from the dumpster.

"Aw, hell no," she muttered. Nope, nope screw her lacking a sense of adventure, screw the bar, she was going to go home, crawl into her PJs and mix something fruity and alcoholic in the blender.

A flood of psychedelic light poured from the alley. Suzi stared at it, rippling on the sidewalk, curving over her sensible flats. Against her better judgement, she turned left. At the end of the alley, instead of the standard brick wall, there was a swirling vortex of color, framed by a semi-circle structure of braided wire. A faint wind teased her hair, a wad of newspaper tumbling past as she drew close like some urban tumbleweed. Suzi glanced around but she didn't see any sort of device to create that mesmerizing swirl of color or anyone else for that matter. The damn thing was hypnotic; she barely stopped short of walking right into the wall.

What the heck was going on?

"Hello?" This had to be a practical joke.

'Ah Ms. Sparrow, so good of you to join me. May I call you Susan or do you prefer Suzi?'

Suzi spun around, searching for the speaker. "Uh, Suzi is fine. Where--where are you, exactly?"

'Why, right here of course. Would you care to join me inside?'

She jerked back a foot from the swirling vortex as the wind picked up, tugging at her the bottom of her dress. "Inside? Inside what?"

'The portal of course.'

Suzi blinked. Would stepping through that portal make her too stupid to live? Possibly. She was eighty percent sure she would walk face first into a brick wall. Tentatively, she poked a finger into the circle, which buzzed and tingled against her skin but she definitely met air, not brick.

She yanked her hand back, her pulse quickening. Was she really going to do this?

"Spirit of adventure," she whispered as she took a standing leap through the 'portal'. Her eyes were wide open but her vision went sideways as she soaked in the trippy colors. The roof of her mouth went numb. She swore she tasted tangy sweet Teriyaki sauce. Her sense of equilibrium was totally shot so there was no chance to catch herself when she suddenly tipped forward. She braced herself to hit the ground when someone caught her. The color seeped away, leaving Suzi in a blindingly white room, staring down at a very nice pair of fire engine red oxfords with black trim.

"There we are," said a voice.

Suzi looked up into a stunner of a face, the sort of androgynous beauty that made her heart race. She couldn't discern the gender of her new acquaintance but it didn't matter, they were gorgeous, dressed in a charcoal pantsuit with a vest to match the shoes, and no tie. Their black hair was slicked back in a short up-do. Dark eyes regarded her with such an abundance of warmth, Suzi couldn't help but smile back.

"Oh, hai," she said. A blush rose to her cheeks at her own conversational skills.

"Hello Suzi, may I introduce myself. My name is Burgundy Thwaites and I am so very pleased you could join me for this adventure."

Burgundy? She raised a brow at the unusual name but didn't remark on it. "I've been told I need more adventure in my life."

When Burgundy smiled, they did it with their whole face. The effect made their dark eyes glow. "Then let us be away. Tell me, have you ever traveled through dimensions before?"

"Uh, er, no can't say that I have--Holy crap!" Her exclamation came as the seamless floor dropped out from underneath them. She sucked in a strangled squeak as the white space popped and crinkled away like burnt film, revealing a whole new scene, one where gravity dragged at her heels.

Burgundy chuckled and swept her up into their arms. "I told you, we are in for an adventure." They winked at her.

Aside from the rush of vertigo, Burgundy left her feeling more than a little dazzled. As they ascended, Suzi wondered if she might be hallucinating. The world around them was a warped acid trip version of Earth, the combination of shapes, patterns, and colors, enough to make her stomach churn. Her own body began to blur at the edges as Burgundy finally set her down on a solid surface. At least she thought they had. Her knees wobbled a little as her brain tried to make sense of her surroundings.

'Where are we?' The words didn't leave her mouth, but Burgundy answered.

'I believe this is Earth #61548, though I may need to check the logs. Come, there is an excellent nightclub and bistro right this way.' Burgundy gently nudged her toward an open door where a strange strain of music poured forth.

'Wait, are you telling me this is another world?' If she had to put a name to it, she would call it Electro-Jazz-Pop-Funk. It certainly had a catchy beat to it. She bobbed her head out of tempo, unable to pin it down, but determined to enjoy the moment and not freak out at the sensation of her body fuzzing out. Maybe she was overtired? Should she say something? She felt super weird, but she hadn't eaten or drunk anything since that overly sweet caramel coffee. Maybe that was why she felt so funky. They couldn't possibly be on another world. That was ridiculous.

'Not another world, another Earth. We've entered another dimension. May I recommend the _____ it's quite good.'

Suzi blinked at them. 'What's a ____? Good grief why does it do that?'

Burgundy looked thoughtful. 'Perhaps because there is no readily available translation for the mind to wrap around. I promise it's delicious. Do you like to dance?'

Her mind was still buzzing with confusion about a food item she couldn't even say or visualize in her head but the more she thought about it, the more she swore she could almost taste it. Weird. This had to be a dream. She must have gotten home from Trystan's and passed right out. A small part of her felt defeated. She slept the day away and lost her bet, but hey, if she was here now, might as well enjoy her dream.

'I love to dance.' Not a total lie, but she didn't know any named dance moves. Her body was limber enough from yoga but she hadn't had a chance to learn anything fancy.

Burgundy seemed to glean this from her mind. 'No worries, my dear follow my lead.'

Tugging her through the doorway, Burgundy lead her onto a dance floor of neon colors and isometric designs that shifted whenever she focused on them. It was like moving through one giant Magic Eye poster and Suzi soon had to close her eyes to stop her head from spinning like a top. It felt like her head could do just that in this place. Burgundy settled her limbs into a vaguely familiar grip and as the beat of the music swelled, they leaned in and pressed their cheek to hers.

'Your eyes will adjust, my dear, but you must open them to dance.'

'Oh, sure, easy enough for you to say,' Suzi grumbled. Despite the purveying dizzy sensation, she did open her eyes. The colors and shapes assaulted her senses anew. Her mind floated, enjoying the sensations of Burgundy pressed against her, cheek to cheek, or was it hip to hip. When she chanced a look down, the shape of her own body was a loose mass, more blob than person, but heck if she didn't feel fantastic. Burgundy lead her from one dance to another, their bodies seeming to meld into one, sensations so heightened that fireworks burst in her mind.

It was about then she lost track of time and space.

An obnoxious buzz filled her ears, until Suzi finally groaned and slapped her alarm clock off the nightstand.

Reality set in like a ripped off band-aid. She sat up with a start, her heart pounding. Much to her relief, she was one solid Suzi shape, clad in her favorite Wookie PJs. She flopped back onto the bed. Jeeze, it was a dream after all. She lifted a hand to wipe the sweat off her face. Something poked against her side.

With a frown, Suzi dipped her hand into her nightshirt, surprised to find she still wore a bra. She never wore a bra to bed. Stranger still, there was a business card tucked inside her left cup.

Suzi peeled it off her skin and held it above her, squinting in the smidgen of daylight peeking through her curtains. Her eyes widened as she read the glossy black text on a bright red background.

Dr. Thwaite's Transdimensional Tours

"No way," she said. She flipped over the card. In elegant script the good 'doctor' left her a message.

Suzi, I had a wonderful time. If you would ever like another date, drop me a line. -Burgundy.

"Talk about spirit of adventure," she said. Suzi swallowed hard. There was a lingering taste of Teriyaki sauce in her mouth.

The End

Author's Note: This one-shot is part of the 31 Blind Dates anthology from more than two dozen Wattpad writers including members of the Stars program, published authors, Ambassadors and Wattys winners. If you want to start at the beginning, go to the profile of rskovach  You will find the next story in the collection on the profile of JordanLynde Just look for the sticker: