Before I Forget

Schrödinger's Cat

The sushi was excellent.

It was probably the best sushi Nicholas had had in years.

The food wasn't the only good thing, though. His date was going better than he had dared to expect.

It had been too long since he had been on a date. He couldn't even remember when the last time was, and that - he had to admit - was just sad. But since Elaine's death, it had taken a long time before he had been able to even consider dating again, and well - Sky had been a handful. Raising her had taken all his time and strength for years.

Of course, there had been some short romances here and there, some summer flings when Sky had been on a vacation with Kat's family and things like that, but they had never turned into anything serious. He had always told his dates that his daughter would be the number one in his life and that there was no room for negotiation in that. Since most women didn't like hearing, they weren't the most important thing in the life of their love interest, Nicholas' love life had been rather dry.

It must have been more than a year since his last date, for he hadn't gone on any after Sky had been shot.

He pushed that thought away. That day was in the past, he would never have to live it again. He had sun on his face, a beautiful woman in front of him, a plate of the best Sushi he had ever eaten and life was good.

"You were right about this place. The food is amazing." he said, and ate a salmon roll.

"I'm glad you like it," Lisa replied with a soft smile. "A friend of mine owns the place. I must admit it is a problem - I am an addict now."

"There is no such thing as too much sushi."

"Oh, there might be," Lisa laughed, and Nicholas answered her smile. It was easy to answer - she was nice and funny and he had wanted to ask her out for years. Only it had never been a good time before now - but finally, they were living on the same side of the continent and finally, Nicholas was feeling like he was ready.

He was ready for good things to start happening to him again.

God knew it was high time for that. And he was thankful for every moment.

Sky's life seemed to be going great. She had friends, Karate had done wonders for her, her boyfriend was very much in love with her and she hadn't had a PTSD episode in ages. For the first time in a very long time, Nicholas was feeling optimistic.

He could have some nice things for himself too. Like great sushi, good wine, and the company of a beautiful, intelligent woman.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Lisa said, flashing Nicholas a teasing smile.

He blushed - Lord, it clearly had been too long. He had forgotten how to play these games, if he had ever known how.

"I was just thinking that you are very beautiful," he admitted. "And smart."

"Stop flattering me, Nicholas. We've known each other too long for that." Lisa laughed and brushed her dark hair over her shoulder, but her smile told Nicholas she liked the compliment.

"So, you were telling me about your Ph.D—?" he started, picking another piece of the excellent sushi and dipping it lightly in soy sauce.

"Ah, the eternity project," Lisa replied with a roll of her pretty eyes. "But yes, I have finally decided to take some time off work and finish it—"

Her sentence was interrupted by the ringing of Nicholas' phone. He frowned as he pulled it from his pocket, cursing himself for forgetting to turn it on silent.