Not that great

He certainly has beautiful eyes, Julia thought as her date rambled on about his prestigious job as a stock broker. It was becoming harder and harder for her to suppress a yawn that had been growing in her throat throughout the evening, but being a polite well bred girl, she strained to hold it in. How boring, whispered her mind, to be a stock broker. All he does is predict and look at patterns and mathematics, all numbers. Of course, they mean money, those numbers, but so intangible, it would drive me insane; to have such a pointless occupation. But he has such beautiful eyes, I might as well see where this goes.
Her date, a stylish man in probably his mid-thirties, seemed to her an excellent catch. All her friends had seen him and congratulated her, delight smothered in secret envy. Their voices had snapped out in bittersweet tones that she was "very lucky" (he was interested?) and "he's so handsome and definitely rich" (how could you get him?). Their underlying resentment boiled just below the surface of their kind faces, but Julia was used to it. All women must accept the covetousness of their friends when fortune smiles on them, or else they will never develop close bonds with them; for every woman knows that although you hate the hidden malice when it's your life that is blessed, you embrace the chance to gossip and pine together with them when it is another friend's bliss. It seemed now, though, that her friends had been utterly wrong. He wasn't a very good catch at all. She agreed that he is handsome and rich, but lacks conversation skills and most of all, a personality. Julia, perhaps, wasn't quite as shallow as her friends, for maybe they would be enjoying themselves if they were in her position, but Julia was not content at all. She was miserable. I hope he says something interesting soon, she thought, or I am leaving.
"So, do you have any money invested?" he asked her. Julia, who had been half daydreaming, gave him an innocent puzzled look and then quickly shook her head. She wasn't really interested in the stock market, and he could tell. He seemed a bit disappointed by her response and turned away to another table with a broken look. She had almost expected him to sigh or get up and leave, but he stayed there with her, silently averting her gaze, except for periodically glancing at her with boyish eyes, unsure of what to say next. Julia was bored and it shone through her faux cheerfulness like the gleam of a knife, sawing into her dates ego each time their eyes met.
"Umm, do you want to go out dancing? There's a place just down the street. I go there almost every Saturday," Julia suggested, although hesitantly. She knew she would have a lot more fun at the club, but she wasn't sure if she wanted her date to know about this place. She surely didn't want him hanging around there all the time, but the damage was done. His melancholy expression instantly turned to optimism and he once again beamed with confidence, as he had at the beginning of their date. Oh great, she thought, now his ego is reborn. The check came quickly and as soon as her date had paid, she was on her way to the club, almost leaving him behind. Julia walked rather fast despite her handicap: high heeled shoes. She really didn't enjoy this man's company, or anything about him, to be quite blunt, and she felt herself half racing against him; hoping she would lose him in the crowd. How horrible I am, she thought to herself, finally slowing her pace to a walk and let out a sigh of surrender. Her date shuffled up next to her, faintly out of breath.
"Whoa, honey, you most certainly couldn't wait to get here," he joked, bending over slightly with his palms rested on his knees as he caught his breath. In that instant, Julia hated him. She didn't like to be called pet names, such as sweetie or honey, and even if she had, she found it inappropriate to be addressed in such an intimate way by a man who was almost a complete stranger to her. She felt impatience for his social ignorance boiling inside her, about to bubble over, when she was suddenly softened by his appearance. He looked so pathetic, desperately trying to catch his breath without seeming out of shape. Obvioulsy, his love life wasn't the best it could be. Of course, earlier she had not noticed this pitiful internal man, because he had made sure to camouflage it with his boring work stories and droning about his past. He was so handsome, successful, and wealthy, she couldn't help but assume what even the best of us would: that he was living a wonderful life. But now, when she caught a glance at his soul through his eyes, those beautiful eyes he had shielded so well, she saw him for his true self. He was a lonely man, desperate for love and companionship, something so hard to come by these days. She forgot all about the boring lecture on the stock market and even the pet name, and was moved. She would give this man another chance at her heart, another chance at happiness with her.
"Are you okay?" she asked, holding out her hand to help him up, but seeing the bruise she might give his ego, she immediately added, "Come on, let's go dancing." Her suggestion seemed to cover up his weakness and he took her hand and walked with her over to the club entrance. He walked with a confident stride. One more chance, Julia thought.