JABrownOfficial #TWW
Team: Chrysbliss, feathers-andflames,
Written by Ubercorn
It is not the first time my mom had arranged for me to go on a blind date. And here I am now standing at the entrance of the restaurant on a rainy day.
Why I’m at the entrance and not inside, you ask?
Simply because it is for members only and I’m not a member. My date, though, is and my mom was apparently so excited about it that they arranged for the date to be here. On top of that, he's already fifteen minutes late, leaving me out in the cold with the snobbish doorman looking down on me.
I admit, there is something about rainy days I have always liked. The smell of fresh air after the rain was the best for me of all the smell that exists. Nothing can compare to that light and indescribable emptiness. Yes, emptiness. If emptiness could have a smell, that would be the smell for me. The smell after rain.
The sound of a car approaching brings me back to the reality of the busy street and entrance I'm standing and waiting for my date. And here he is, getting out of the car. His grey business suit and light blue tie matching perfectly his light grey eyes. Or are they light green? I can’t see it exactly as of yet due to the rain separating us at the moment. His nicely and expensive-looking shoes are getting wet with each step as he approaches me with a serious expression on his seemingly tired face. Is he not in a good mood today? Is he disappointed with me already?
The doorman smiles when he sees my date and curtseys slightly as he opens the door. We’re immediately shown to our table at the farthest corner of the restaurant where only a few people are having their meal. The huge crystal chandelier right in the middle of the room doesn’t offer much light for our corner. His quietness feels a bit uncomfortable. Should I ask him first or do I just wait for him to say something?
“Hello Mr Thompson, what would you and your date like to have today?”
“We'll take today's special, thank you,” the man opposite me replies without asking me what I want or if I'm allergic to anything.
Before I can say anything, his gaze is averted to the window. I don’t want to stare but can’t help myself admiring his features. His long lashes almost touching his thick black eyebrows, is that even possible? Black hair nicely combed backwards shines even in the dim light of that chandelier. I ca How old is he? Barely in his thirties maybe. His flawless skin looks better than some women in their twenties. I fight the urge to ask him about his skincare routine, it's probably a 10-step Korean one with products that worth more than my rent.
I can easily see the ripped muscular body under his grey jacket. Huh, so he works out probably on a regular basis. I lean more to the table and catch a whiff of his cologne. It has a bit of sweetness and a kind of musk smell to it, but rather gentle and light, more refreshing than overpowering.
And while I'm admiring the handsome man in front of me I don't even notice the food that was already served until he asked me if I’m okay. I’m sure now I’m redder than this piece of lobster in front of me. I can only be thankful for the dim light of that huge chandelier not reaching us. I give him a shy smile, apologising for my distraction and take my utensils to dig in.
There's a strong scent of rosemary coming from the shell of the lobster, with a touch of lime. I realize it comes with a warm, savoury stuffing when I take the first bite. I usually don't eat lobster, mainly because my finance doesn't allow it but I also don't like its chewy and spongy texture, but I could eat this stuffing for the rest of my life.
I look up to my date and see him barely touching his food, lazily drinking from his glass of white wine.
He catches me staring, once again, and gives me a small smile. “It's Chardonnay, it's perfect for lobster.”
I nod and take another bite of my food, not having anything to reply with.
Silence falls again. Not even the delicious dish can distract me from how uncomfortable this situation is. I take a sip from my wine, hoping the alcohol will help me loosen up and enjoy this date.
“I'm sorry, this is so awkward,” the handsome man before me says. “I'm Rick, I know you're Alice and I didn't even think to...sorry. I have had a very rough day at the office but I'm being a complete jerk right now.”
I smile. “It's alright.” I take one more sip from my wine. “How do you know my mom anyway?”
His face brightens. “Oh, your mom is an amazing lady. She...did me a favour and since then we've been in touch.”
I frown. “What kind of favour?”
A chuckle escapes his lips. “I'm sorry, this is classified information.”
I squint. “She's a florist, what kind of classified favour would she have done for you?”
He sighs. “She made me the biggest bouquet for Mother's Day, on very short notice.”
I can't help but laugh at it, but also admire how cute it sounds.
“So, what do you do for a living, Alice?”
And that's how the date actually starts. We ask each other lots of questions and share too much embarrassing information along the way. We are frowned upon when I decide it's a good idea to mimic a pig with my laugh, and I pray for the chandelier to fall down and land on me.
Richard surprises me, however. He mimics a cow and receives the same judgemental stares, but only shrugs his shoulders and gets back to his food.
I don't even realize how much time has passed until he lets me have the last bite of the chocolate ganache tart we are sharing. I take a few moments to savour the soft but cool cream, the crunchy cookies and the fresh berries before swallowing it all down.
Richard chuckles. “You moaned.”
I feel my cheeks heating up. “I'm sorry.”
He stares right into my eyes and noticed that they are in fact grey. “I can forgive you if you let me make you do it again,” he says softly.
A smile is plastered on my face. “If the second date is as good as the first, I will.”
