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Eileen holds on tightly to her small purse, putting pressure on her newly manicured nails. She winces then tells herself to calm down, as she has done this many times before.
She sighs before stepping into the restaurant, where the host greets her and points her in the general direction of the table she had reserved. She walks slowly past the other tables, her eyes glancing at couples on first or second or umpteenth dates, families having reunions, and businessmen talking about negotiations and the best way to earn money.
Seeing these people, Eileen gets lost in thought, mentally asking herself what kind of dinner she's walking into.
Because of this, she almost trips on her heels as she turns the corner, and she groans, stopping to examine her wedges. Out of her entire outfit, it's the only thing that isn't new. It's contrasting to the new blouse-and-skirt combo she bought recently, which she decided to wear when she visited her university today. Sure enough, the sole on her right heel is coming off.
Eileen stands back up, closing her eyes in frustration before walking into the back wing of the restaurant. She sees him right away, sitting alone at a table in the corner, his back to her.
Hayden, his hair curling at the base of his neck, having grown long over the summer. Hayden, with his tan shirt spread tightly across his taut back muscles, as if he was flexing. Hayden, whose cologne Eileen can practically smell even though she's only halfway across the room. Hayden, her boyfriend that she hadn't seen all summer because of vacations and out-of-town trips and multiple planned dates paired with multiple cancellations because things "just came up".
Eileen's face falls, partially because this is the first time she's seen Hayden in awhile and partially because she knows this could be the last time she sees him for awhile once again.
Hayden turns around just then and his face brightens up when he sees her. With a smile, he approaches her and envelopes her in a hug. When he pulls back, Eileen has a smile on her face too because she can't help herself. Seeing Hayden so happy and so enthusiastic to see her relieves Eileen's erratic thoughts. She hadn't known what the effect of distance would be on their relationship but apparently, she didn't have to worry about it at all.
Hayden greets her, takes her blazer and drapes it on her chair, then turns back around and pulls her in for a less than chaste kiss. Eileen smiles against his lips and thinks that maybe this dinner won't be as bad as she had feared.
🔹🔹🔹
Eileen looks down at her watch, surprised at how much time has gone by. Their dinner had been quite a delicious one, and while waiting for appetizers, she and Hayden had made small talk. They had asked about each other's day, about the latest news, the weather and how cold it was starting to get, and just when their small talk had smoothed out and become more serious, the crab salad had been served.
