Mikaal

16: Mikaal

"What to wear, what to wear..." Dalia said aloud, her forehead creased, shuffling back and forth between possible outfits on her clothes rack. Normally, this would have been a simple decision where she would have dressed as she always did when catching up with Simon - casual. But with Meagan's notions that maybe Simon had intended this to be more like a 'date' just because they were meeting in the evening, Dalia could not help second-guessing herself.

Meanwhile, she hadn't even had a proper chance to consider how she felt about Simon and their relationship evolving into 'more than friends' - with exams filling every nook and cranny of her mind! But with one subject out of the way, it was as if a little space had freed up in her head for new thoughts - so tonight would be her first time really contemplating the whole Simon thing.

'Makeup or no makeup?' she wondered to herself, as her hands touched an outfit she was now leaning towards - a plain, beige dress that reached past her knees with long sleeves and an asymmetrical cut. She began imagining how with some accessories - like her pretty, black beaded necklace - the outfit could be 'dressed up'.

"Ugh," Dalia said, still undecided, afraid she might find herself overdressed - how embarrassing would that be, not so much the 'choosing the wrong attire' part, but more the implication that she had thought this catch up was more serious than Simon had possibly even intended!

Furthermore, the place she and Simon had agreed on was a Middle Eastern restaurant called Little Lebanon. It wasn't a fancy place - Dalia had purposely picked a place that wouldn't be too pricey, just in case Simon did offer to pay, conscious of his tighter budget - but the decor was pleasant and the food was delicious. So you could get away with dressing both casual as well as semi-formal - which didn't help Dalia right now!

Realising the time, forced to make a quick decision, Dalia settled on the beige dress and some light makeup - just eyeliner and lip balm to keep her lips from cracking in the cool evening air.

When she arrived at the restaurant and was greeted with Simon's beaming face, she silently sighed with relief at the effort she had made. The casual T shirt and jeans that he wore pretty much every day were replaced with a baby blue dress shirt and black, relaxed fit chinos. Dalia also caught the scent of his cologne, that wafted over to her nose, assisted by the breeze outside at the restaurant entrance where they stood - another small detail that she wasn't quite used to when Simon was concerned...

"You look really nice," Simon said, his mouth in a wide grin, his face exuding warmth.

Dalia felt that thud in her chest again. Trying to lighten the mood, she said in a casual, teasing way, "You clean up pretty good yourself."

Simon laughed, the smile he wore since first catching sight of her now practically tattooed on his face.

After they sat down at their table for two, he asked her about how her exam went, to which Dalia shared a detailed account of her afternoon. As they chatted away, Simon's eyes remained fixed on her face the whole time, until a waiter came around, asking if they were ready to order.

"Sorry, we haven't looked at the menu yet..." Dalia said apologetically, shooting Simon a guilty look for being the one rambling on.

"Not a problem. Just wave us over when you're ready." The waiter leaned in closer and lowered his voice as he added, "We usually get a lot of people coming in on a Saturday, so I'd order soon before the crowds arrive."

"Thanks so much!" Dalia said, flashing him an appreciative smile for the tip.

As she looked at the menu, initially, she felt immobilised by the variety - from an array of starters including the famous grapevine leaves stuffed with rice and mince; chicken, lamb and beef dishes with a choice of rice or chips as a side, and even seafood options. However, upon feeling a rumble in her tummy after a long day of last minute study review before an exhausting two hour exam, Dalia decided to stick to her usual choice - barbeque prawns on a bed of Lebanese seasoned rice.