A Little Familiar part 1 12/04

[Aethelred]

This is not my first story but I'm hardly a prolific writer and this probably isn't the best story, but it aims to be fun at least:

 

After a long day at work I find myself sitting alone at a table in an upscale restaurant, patiently waiting for my date to turn arrive, sipping on a delightful cocktail I checked my phone, she had already messaged to say she was running late and that i should get seated and have a drink. I skim through her profile again.

"Angelique" 32, 6' 2" 

doesn't smoke, drinks socially, omnivore 

Enjoys good food, cooking, cocktails, twilight strolls, good conversation, reading, philosophy travel, design, architecture and art.

Dislikes assholes, asparagus, snakes and churches.

Tucked away at the bottom "prefers miss our ma'am unless otherwise instructed"

While reading this and committing it to memory I hear some heels clicking across the stone floor of the restaurant, glancing up i see a woman looking very much like the photos on the internet, dressed to the nines in a perfectly fitting red dress, I resist the urge to pinch myself to ensure i hadn't drifted into the realm of fantasy. 

As she walks to the table i can't help but notice that she doesn't so much walk as glide, walking with an elegance and poise I've not quite seen before. 

As the waiter escorted her to the table I stand to greet her, now somewhat awestruck. Usually when you met people the photos are an idealized curated representation here it was quite the opposite. she had dark hair and milky white skin that almost seemed to shine, silver and diamond jewelry complemented the effect.

We sit again and I have to force myself to get some words out: "Good evening Miss, I hope this isn't too forward of me, but you look absolutely stunning" 

Immediately Angelique smiled "Thank you sweetie, you're looking adorable yourself"

I'm wearing black trousers, a white shirt and a red brocade waistcoat. "Dress smart, wear something red" was one of her instructions when we were setting this rendezvous up. 

"So, I see you can read and follow instructions" Angelique beamed "this seems to be a rare quality in boys these days, please call me Angelique" 

I feel myself blushing both at the tone and the very fact I'm was being complimented, it's not something I'm particularly used to.

"Thank You, Angelique, I do my best"

We peruse the menu for a moment "have you been here before?" I ask " do you have any suggestions?"

"yes, absolutely this is one of my favorites, you can't go wrong with anything, they're known for the steak but the seafood dishes are great too and the brussel sprouts here are amazing" 

"Thanks, I was leaning towards the dry aged rib eye, and brussel sprouts are literally my favorite" as i say this i also shuddered slightly at the price of it. If the choice of restaurant was anything to go by Angelique certainly had expensive tastes, in the back of my mind i hoped she'd volunteer to split the bill, while spending a couple hundred dollars on a meal wouldn't break the bank it was far more than i would usually spend, especially on a first date.

Angelique looked up from the wine list "do you like red wine? They have one of my favorites if you'd like to split it?" 

"Absolutely, I'm not the biggest wine connoisseur but I definitely enjoy it" 

Exactly on queue as if summoned the waiter appears.

"Are you ready to order madame or do you need some more time?"

"No, we're ready. We'll start with the scallops, I'll go for a New York strip, rare, he'll have the ribeye, medium rare and we'll split the brussel sprouts. Also the 2016 reserve Cabernet" 

After taking the menus we're left alone again. At this point I'm a little flushed, I've never had someone order for me in a restaurant especially not on a first date and I'm really liking where this is going. 

I run though a the profile in my head trying to think of something to talk about.

"So, I read on your profile you're into philosophy, do you have any favorite philosophers?" Maybe a little heavy for a first topic but we'll see where this goes 

"oh absolutely I've always been partial to Nietzsche, I love what he has to say about exceptional people and how we should seek to be truly exceptional and live by our own internal code"

For the next 2 hours the conversation flows we span multiple subjects and I can't find a single subject that she doesn't seem extremely well versed, with a depth of knowledge that I wonder where she finds the time to learn all of this, we go on journeys down rabbit holes I don't even know exist. 

The meal as promised was exquisite with everything being perfectly cooked and seasoned, eventually with the wine gone and having polished off a cheese plate it comes time to leave. The waiter brings the check and curiously hands it's directly to Angelique. I reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet. 

Angelique smiles again "don't be silly sweetheart, I've got this" she says

Again I find myself blushing "are you sure? I could get this? Or we could split it?"

"Do I look confused?" She retorts in a stern but still caring tone "now put that away and let me get this"

The restaurant is a short walk from my apartment but she had mentioned getting driven here. "Can I wait with you until your car arrives?" I ask, hoping to prolong the evening just that little bit longer.

"Of course you can sweetie" we walk outside the restaurant but again exactly like with the waiter a black Mercedes pulls up as if summoned out of the ether, I haven't seen her touch a phone or anything.

"This is me" she says "I really enjoyed our dinner" before giving me a chance to reply she pops a single kiss on my cheek and jumps into the car. 

At this point the walk home is a daze, I'm almost floating. Drunk on infatuation and excitement (and a bottle of wine for good measure)

Arriving home I mix myself an old fashioned and sit on the sofa to reflect. My phone bings telling me I have another match on the dating app, I would normally be taking a look, but it no longer seems worthwhile.

I glance at my profile. 

Alex Evans, 30, 5' 11"

It goes into some depth but the gist of it is I'm a nerd and an engineer who enjoys making things (food, beer, trebuchet etc) I wonder what made me catch the eye of this incredible woman, do I deserve her and while she might have paid this time, I can't afford that kind of restaurant every day. 

As fun as the evening has been, all things must come to an end and I head to bed and collapse face forward into it, falling asleep almost instantly.