The Office Party

Part 23

On the street, Diana hesitates. 'Well, not one to go back to, I think.' She looks around, then peers at the bar we've just been in, then looks at me. 'Sorry, Fiona. That didn't go well.'

I find her comment a little bit surprising. As far as I'm concerned, we've had a nice chat, got a bit closer and had a glass of wine. A win-win-win situation for me, not least because she paid. Diana however looks frustrated, annoyed, and I wonder why. 'Um, Diana? It was nice enough. Your wine was nice, wasn't it? Just a bit of a shame about the chairs.'

She snorts crossly, and I can't help giggling. She frowns at me. 'You really don't mind?'

I shrug. 'What would I mind about? It was nice. It was nice to talk to you, and it was nice to have a drink together. Thank you.' I study her face and wonder what she's so cross about. Maybe she was really looking forward to trying the bar out and feels let down.

She nods. 'Well, all right then. Good.' She cheers up a bit. 'So, are we going somewhere else?'

'Do you want to?'

'Yes.' She looks at me. 'If you do. You choose where, though.' She frowns again. 'I don't think I'm very good at this.'

I step a bit closer and rest a hand on her arm gently. 'Good at what, Diana?' I don't understand what she's so worried about. 'It's all been good, so far.'

She waves a hand vaguely. 'All this.' She sounds testy, but I think that might be because she's actually trying to cover an unusual nervousness. 'Taking someone out.'

'Oh, OK.' I'm surprised. Pleased, much more than I want to be, that that is what this is. But mainly pretty surprised. 'Well,' I say carefully, keeping my hand on her arm, 'that's going well too, as far as I'm concerned.'

She looks at me and I hold her gaze. Her eyes betray her very real concern, so it's nice to see her face soften. 'Really?' She breathes out heavily. 'Good.'

I feel a little flutter inside, but it's not the same as the one Diana normally gives me. It's nice to know we're on a date, and confirm my earlier suspicion that this is “that kind of just a drink”, but it's mainly nice to know that Diana is worried about it, because that means she's taking it seriously. And that means she takes me seriously, if she wants to take a date with me seriously, and I love that feeling. I don't want her to be awkward and uncomfortable, but I am delighted she's making an effort. I nudge my body against her momentarily and take my time about removing my hand from her arm. 'Yes, Diana. It's been very nice so far.' I smile. I really want her to feel better about it. 'Honestly. Thank you.'

She smiles back, and the relief in her eyes makes my heart flutter again.

We start walking, and pause at the end of the road. I'm slightly worried about where we can go, because if she's used to fancy wine bars and restaurants, she's going to be very disappointed by the sorts of places I go to. And I certainly can't take her home: that would definitely feel really wrong, and anyway I'd need to tidy up first. It occurs to me that I'm now worrying about exactly what Diana was too, so I decide to stop worrying and go for it. 'Right, Diana, listen. I don't go to the same places as you, so I don't really know what to suggest, what you might like. But my friend Lizzie works in a pub which is pretty OK, comfortable, not scruffy. We can continue to talk there, if that's all right with you. And they do food, if we need that later. Although it does get busy on a Friday night.'

She puts her head on one side and looks at me. 'I'd like that, Fiona, actually. That sounds fine. And I don't mind busy, as long as we can get a seat. Once we're there, we have as much right to be there as anyone else, after all.'

I point past her. 'OK, then. That way. It's not far.' We start to walk again and I ask, 'So, are you a bit of a gourmande? You know, fine wines, nice food?' Lizzie's pub does things like burgers and cheesy chips and onion rings. Nice chips, I like them a lot more than I should, but haute cuisine it certainly isn't. I wonder just how shocked Diana will be, if we decide to eat. 'I should warn you, this won't be like that. It's fine, just nothing special, that's all.'

'Life's too short to eat and drink badly, Fiona. But this'll be fine, if it comes to it.' She looks at me carefully. 'I do like eating well, yes, but I don't have unrealistic expectations. I've tasted my own cooking, after all, so I like it when someone who can do it well does it for me, but not even I can afford to eat out nicely all the time. So I'm quite down-to-earth about food, really.' She sighs, but doesn't look unhappy.

I slip my arm through hers, feeling suddenly quite close to her. 'What's the sigh for?' She moves her arm a little to let me rest my hand in the crook of her elbow, and I'm surprised how comfortable it feels to walk with her like that.

'I like you, Fiona. I like talking to you,' she says, surprising me yet more. 'To be frank, I feel comfortable talking to you, in a way I don't with a lot of other people.' I'm too surprised to reply, but she goes on in any case. 'And I'm afraid I'm not used to telling someone that. I'm struggling to find an elegant way of saying it.'

I take a breath. My insides are a swirl of different emotions: happiness, affection, surprise, interest, pleasure. I'm glad she used the word “comfortable”, because that's important to me. I suspect she needs some emotional comfort in her life, and it makes me very happy indeed to know that I could be the one to provide it. 'You're doing fine, Diana.' I squeeze her arm. 'Thank you.'

We reach Lizzie's pub in friendly silence, and I'm pleased to see it's still not hugely busy. I make Diana secure a booth to ourselves, while I go to the bar. She makes to try and pay and I tell her off. 'No, please, I'll get this. You need to make sure we can get a seat.' I push her lightly towards the back of the pub.

Lizzie cocks her head at Diana's retreating figure as she pours Diana's wine and my cider. 'Hot manager woman?'

'Yep.' I smile at the way I'd described her to Lizzie ages ago, and at how much has happened since. I like the way things are starting to change between me and Diana.

'Going well, is it?'

I hand her the money and grin. 'Pretty well, yeah. I don't want to jinx it or anything, but...yeah.' I look over to where Diana is settling her coat and bag on the bench, and arranging herself in the seat, while looking around the pub. She's just looking with interest, not the criticism or disdain I was fearing. I watch her cross her legs and sit back, and admire her elegance. She's an attractive, successful woman, and she's just admitted to being tongue-tied and worried about taking me on a date. I smile to myself and feel special in a way I haven't really felt before. I realise that because it's Diana - with her hard-nosed, unemotional approach to women - who is trying hard over me, it's much more lovely than it would be with anyone else. I take our drinks and smile my thanks to Lizzie. 'Yes, I think it might be OK.'