“So… How’d you end up with a name like James?”  He tried not to smirk, but it was hard to hide.  He’d been wanting to ask since the date had been arranged.  He almost declined because he thought his cousin was under the impression that he was gay.
“How’d you end up with a name like Peter?  My parents drew it from a hat.” She was trying not to be a sarcastic ass.  “They are a little weird.  They literally drew it from a hat.  James was up against gems like Blanche and Moonstone.  Rather than narrowing them down and picking a favorite, they just filled up a hat with all of their name ideas and picked one out when I actually arrived.”
“My granddad was named Peter.”  
The waiter walked up and asked if they’d like drinks.  James ordered a beer.  Peter ordered a glass of red wine.
“Not a beer drinker, huh?”
“No.”
“And you think it’s weird that I’m named James.”
A moment of awkward silence.  A couple a few tables away laughs heartily at some great joke.  Peter and James practice avoiding eye contact.  Peter had been on one blind date previously.  She hadn’t been nearly as good looking as James, but they’d had a lot of things to talk about at least.  “So… James, do you like sports?”
“I like bowling.  Does that count?”
“I broke my toe bowling as a kid.”
“Ouch.  I guess you like football?”
“Yeah.  I went to college at UGA.  It’s a bit of a religion, you might say.”  Peter glances up at a television airing ESPN then back down at his hands.  “Are you religious?”
“Not really.  I grew up in church, but I haven’t been in years now.”
“You don’t feel like there’s a void in your life?”
“No.  I’m too busy for that.”
She orders a burger.  He orders a vegetarian pasta dish.
She wasn’t expecting that.  “You don’t eat meat?”
“No.  I don’t hold it against other people when they do or anything.  I just feel healthier when I eat meat in small quantities.  Eggplant Parmesan is one of my favorites.  They make it well at this joint.”
“I hate eggplant.”
“That’s a shame.  How do you know Ben?  He said you used to work together or something like that.”
“Yeah.  When we were in college we worked at the same pizza joint.  We have been pals ever since.  He even crashed on my couch for a few weeks after he moved to Atlanta.  I graduated a year ahead of him.”
“He’s a cool guy.  We weren’t close growing up because we lived on different sides of the state, but he’s a good guy.”
“True fact.  My cousin just had a baby.”
“Oh yeah?  Kids something you into?  Plan on being a mom one day?”
“God no.  Gross.”
Peter chuckles.  “I’ll drink to that.”
“I make babies cry.  I just look at kids and they start crying.  I think they know that I don’t like them.  Also I make awful faces at them.”
“That’s it.  We’re going to a playground after lunch.”  They both smiled.  
“It’s a deal.”