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Angela found no comfort tonight in the silk dress that stuck to her skin like a second skin, making her every move mesmerising and leaving her back nearly completely exposed. The diamond choker around her neck felt like a noose. A gift from her father, that had come soon after she'd informed him that she had managed to get around to finally going on a date with Oscar. The choker had come without a note, simply a price tag and a receipt. He didn't need to say much else.
There wasn't much else to be said.
She'd truly never imagined that she could ever dread the opportunity to dress up and look good, but she'd found herself dreading this day from the very moment that she'd made the date. Angela considered rescheduling and spending the night eating several tubs of ice cream in her very expensive dress, but she could only be sick so many times in a month before he began to question it. She would simply get to this date and get it over with.
Angela stepped in through the doors, her hand clutching a purse at her side as if her life depends on it. Her hair was pinned up neatly behind her. Standing at a table at the corner of the room with his handheld up to catch her attention was Oscar, his expression beaming. Her steps were measured and calculated.
"Hey. Wow, you look amazing." His eyes scanned over her from head to toe appreciatively, lingering on the curve of her hips in the dark dress before his eyes snapped back up to meet hers. His face appeared flushed. "You look great."
Angela found that it wasn't nearly as hard as she'd imagined finding a smile. The corners of her lips turned upwards at the compliment. She knew, of course, that she looked amazing. She hadn't spent literal hours getting ready to look anything else, but it was nice to receive a compliment as genuine as this. And if there was anything that Oscar was, it was genuine. "Thank you. You look amazing as well."
She stepped back to take a seat but before she could make a move, he was behind her, pulling her chair out with an easy motion. Her smile dropped. Angela muttered her appreciation to him under her breath. It was strange to her how quickly her attitude towards him could change. One moment she was commenting on how sweet he was and the next she couldn't stand the sight of him. Somehow the harder he tried, the more she withdrew, and she couldn't explain it.
"So what do you want to order? The duck salad looks good." Her features must have resembled something off disgust as Oscar scrambled to correct his words, visibly flustered. "Or, we don't have to have duck salad, o-of course. It's just that the last time that I was here, it was the thing that got here the fastest and I figured that you wouldn't, you know, want to wait. Unless you don't mind waiting."
Angela didn't mind waiting. Truthfully, that was the farthest thing from her mind. She didn't care about the duck salad, quite frankly. Something about this entire date simply, felt, off. There was no better way to explain it. She felt like a sleepwalker, moving numbly through this date. She was nodding where it felt appropriate and answering questions with single words. Angela didn't understand why it was so difficult for her to make a connection with him.
