HitoriRaven's Story

The evening sky loomed over the decently sized building. The cars lightly dotted the lot nearby, and a clear moon and stars shined down from above. Everything except the building was dimly lit, though the moonlight meant that everything was had a visible sheen to it. The lit logo of the restaurant displayed the words "Olive Garden" and on the sign was the trademark olives. There was a light chill to the air, further emphasized by the jacket of the figure that approached the door.

He glanced to the side with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about the place. I would've picked somewhere better, but it was on short notice."

Upon noticing the Olive Garden logo, Raquel flashed Tori a smile. "I like it, really. I've always wanted to try there dessert." She couldn't have thought of a better place to spend the rest of her night then in the presence of his company at a restaurant known for good meals. Unfortunately she hadn't worn the proper attire which consisted of a white sequin v neck and black skinny jeans completed by a studded belt and nude colored heels. She wore a silver necklace above her sequin top which went with her earrings and bracelet. Now, tightly holding onto her clutch she followed his lead inside the restaurant.

"Aw, you're just saying that. Everyone says it sucks, and I tend to swing that way as well. But it's fine, I'll make up for it. I promise," he said, chuckling. After all, people on dates didn't tend to focus much on the food, right? The whole point was to get to know the other person, so worrying too much about the place was awfully silly. Meanwhile, Tori was dressed in a faded brand shirt, along with a pair of jeans and his black jacket. There was little else on his person aside from the wallet in the back pocket, his glasses and the watch on his right hand.

A few quick steps brought him to the door first, which he held open. Courtesy was always good to have. He stepped inside after her, then nodded to the waiter up front. "Table for two, please."

The man smiled and nodded, looking down at the seating chart. "Of course, sir. We are quite full today. Do you have a reservation?"

"Naw, didn't book ahead, sorry."

"No problem, sir. Do you mind waiting about ten minutes?"

"Not at all," Tori replied cheerfully, taking the buzzer from waiter and walking over to the couch to take a seat.

She bit her lip to suppress a smile "Of course not, I am not everyone and I am sure it isn't bad at all." Raquel replied jokingly, following him to the couch and sitting next to him. "But, I am curious about you making it up to me. Sounds like you have something romantic planned out for us later." Placing her clutch in between her legs she smiled effortlessly and looked at him through her light blue hues, not long before noticing a couple had walked in through the restaurant doors past them and to the man at the desk. They had a little girl, she couldn't have been more then 3 or possibly four at her mothers heels; she was adorable.

Altering her gaze to Tori a huge grin on her face she giggled "She is so cute, though it is usually the cutest babies that become the biggest tyrants later on I suppose." She said to him, watching as the man escorted them to their table then focused her gaze on the paintings that hung in the waiting area where they were as she pondered about her future.

"Well, I'd be a little worried if you were everyone," he commented with a laugh. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't, but until then you're going to have to wait, aren't you? No need to rush, might as well have a full stomach." His hands rested on his lap, one of them fiddling with the watch on his wrist. He met her gaze with his own, keeping the eye contact for a few seconds and breaking it before it became too intimate. The couple drew his attention and he watched them for a while.

Though Raquel had already turned back to him, his eyes were glued to the family. His response came, only a moment late. "Yeah, she is. And I suppose so." After the waitress led the group to their table, Tori continued to watch the area where they had been, mind somewhere else.

"Hum."

Raquel watched as he kept staring at the spot where the family was, his gaze focused. She wondered if she had upset him by mentioning the family as she ran a hand through her hair and sighed softly. Standing to her feet she turned to him "I'm going outside for a moment, okay?" she attempted a smile before walking out the door and onto the hard concrete floor of the restaurant walkway. She began to walk back and forth, pacing as she thought about the rest of the night. The last thing she wanted to do was screw up but the family reminded her what she wanted her life to be like.

Head in the sky, Tori took a few seconds to realize that she was talking to him, jerking upright and nodding. "Er, yeah. Sorry about that." As she exited, he wondered if he should've gone after her, but decided that maybe she just needed some time to herself. With a small sigh, the male pulled out his phone and began messing with it. After a few minutes, the buzzer began vibrating and lighting up, jolting him out of his second reverie.

Tori nodded at the waiter with a polite smile. "She's outside. We'll be back in a sec," he told the man, spinning on his foot and heading out the door. "Hey, our table's ready," he said upon opening the door, looking around for his date.

At first she hadn't noticed him as she continued to pace around the restaurant walkway. Only when she came closer to the entry did she notice that he had been standing by the door. "Oh, I'm s- sorry." she stammered. "I just needed some fresh air is all."

She quickly walked through the door and to the man at the desk who had been patiently waiting for them. Following his lead she watched as they passed a few more couples, and the family they had seen earlier before heading to a booth seat in the corner. With a smile she sat in the seat closest to the wall and gently placed her clutch beside her. "Thank you" said Raquel to the waiter and he handed her the menu and the daily special.

"No problem at all," he replied, shooting her a smile. "I was just a bit zoned out and I didn't really notice you walk out." With that, he followed her back in, passing the buzzer back to the waiter with a thankful nod.

One of the men in the couples glanced up at the movement and noise and gave their group a quick smile before returning to his menu. Continuing to glance around, he also noticed the child of the family, who looked at him. Tori gave a small waggle of his fingers and the child emulated a wave back before getting bored and turning back to his parents. When they arrived at their booth, he took the seat across from her, echoing the thanks.

"Hum, I haven't been here in forever. Wonder what I should get," he mused out loud.

She beamed up at him having already gone through the menu herself. "Well that depends on what you want to have, there are meals with chicken, lobster, and crab. I think that I will get the lobster salad, it sounds pretty good right about now." said Raquel as she placed her menu on the tabletop in front of her and turned her gaze towards him. She wondered if she was making him nervous, and what it was that he was thinking about as she sat here with him.

His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the menu, trying to figure out what to get. He didn't want to order anything too messy, but otherwise all the food looked okay, which made it hard to pick. The menu snapped shut after a minute. "Alright, thinking is too hard."

"Can I get you something to drink?" The waiter had returned very shortly, asking the question quickly.

She gave him a quizzical look "Thinking is only hard because you make it hard. Just pick whatever it is that you might find appealing." Turning to the waiter she smiled "Erm, I'll have a glass of water please thank you." then looking back at her date she smirked. "Still confused?"

Running his fingers through his hair, he smirked back at her. "When I said that thinking is hard, I meant that I was done choosing. Oh, I'll have a lemonade, thanks," he told the waiter."

"Alright, a water and a lemonade then. Your server will be right with you."

"Thanks," Tori added politely as the man left.

"So, how was the rest of buying those groceries, hm?"

"It was decent I managed to get most of the stuff on my list." said Raquel "Oh, and I am sorry. I thought you still couldn't decide on what you were getting. Silly me."