He knocked on the door gently. As he was waiting he was bouncing on the balls of his feet. The more times he went up and down the more nervous he got. Ben put his head closer to the door, but as he listened he could not hear a sound on the other side of the door. If he would lean in any closer it would be considered spying, so instead Ben knocked again.
Again he waited, although a bit more impatient than after the first knock. He checked the time on his phone to make sure he wasn’t early. I did say I would pick her up at 7, right? He was getting very confused. He could not convince himself that he didn’t make a mistake; it must have been his error.
Trying one last time he knocked again, a bit louder than the times he knocked before. If I knock any louder my hand will be through the door… He was beginning to feel stalk-ish, almost like a door-to-door salesman. But after a few seconds he could hear the dog barking on the other side of the door. Well, at least someone’s home… Only a few seconds later Ben heard the thumping of light feet and the door opened. In a second Ben understood that she must have been sleeping. The rollers were still in her hair and her eyes were still small after waking up so suddenly. ”Hey, please, come in,” she said with an apologetic smile on her face. As she closed the door behind him she continued with an unnecessary apology. ”Don’t worry about it. I understand, after all afternoon naps are awesome.”
He saw her walking off to, what he assumed was, the bedroom. She had told him to sit and maybe watch some TV, but he did not feel comfortable enough yet. Somehow he always needed some time to get used to a place and especially a place as nice as this one. He walked over to the window where he looked over the city and the park. He was amazed by the view, even more so since he was used to his own, quite limited, view. Francesca’s dog came to stand next to him and Ben’s hand automatically came to pet the dog’s head.
The sun was setting and Ben saw the street lights pop on. As he turned around he took in the rest of the apartment. He was surprised at how much bigger it was than his own. He always knew there were better apartments in the building, but this was something else. He figured the nightclub promoter’s business was well off. ”Your place looks amazing!” he said loudly. It appeared she was not yet ready as no response came from her room. Even though he had been a bit impatient when he was standing outside, now knowing that she was here and almost ready he felt more at ease. He finally took the seat she had offered when he came in. His eyes were on the TV, but nothing displayed actually came through to him. Like a child waiting for a new toy he was sitting on the edge of his seat. He was excited about the dinner, the food of course, but the company much more than that.
When the door to the bedroom opened again his date once again looked amazing. She walked towards the couch with the same apologetic smile on her face as when she opened the door before. She apologized again and complimented his clothes. Ben didn't really know what to say to her. He knew what he wanted to say, but it felt like someone had taken his voice away. His mouth was open but there was no sound coming out. Afraid he looked stupid he quickly closed it and stumbled. ”You look stunning...” Doing his best to find his vocal abilities he found himself able to continue. ”Are you all ready to go?” She turned off the TV, took care of the dogs supplies for the evening and replied:”Lead the way, handsome.”
Normally he would let the lady go first, but he realized she would have to lock her door, so he walked out in front of her. As he heard the door being locked he pressed the button to ask for the elevator to come up. When it arrived Ben offered Francesca to go in first. As the elevator was going down he asked Francesca: ”So, what's the name of your dog?” Coming to the ground floor the doors opened again and the dating parties both stepped out. Coming out he asked: ”Do you mind if we walk to the restaurant? It's only about 15 minutes from here.” Ben was a big fan of walking through the city, at home there was never that much to see, but here there was a possible spectacle around every corner. Even after being here for a few years it never seized to amaze him.
He had expected to feel more nervous than he was at the moment. Yesterday had been a lot of fun, but there had been enough alcohol in his body to drown out the nerves. As they were walking he did notice that they stood out from the rest of the crowd. People looked their way and commented to the people they were walking with. Now, he wasn't very unsure of his own looks and clothes, he did think that most of the looks were concentrated on his date for the night. ”So how was your day? I'll be honest, when I woke up it felt like my whole body had dry-mouth.”The air was still warm in the early evening, although it would get colder soon. They should definitely be in the restaurant before that would happen, but as luck and a bit of planning would have it the restaurant was only two blocks away.
As they arrived he saw a girl standing in the door opening. In fact it was one of his friends, Sandy was the hostess of the restaurant. Seeing what he was wearing and the person he was with her eyes widened. Normally she wasn't used to seeing him in something like this, it was quite different from his usual jeans and band shirts. With a voice of approval she spoke: ”Good evening Mr. Masters.” In his mind he could here her continue looking goohood... She walked out in front of them to the table they would have tonight. The round table was neatly set and the two chairs were standing next to each other rather than on opposite sides of the table. Sandy stood next to the able and let Francesca pass her to her seat. When Francesca passed she was no longer able to see Sandy's face, which Sandy cleverly used. She opened her eyes wide and hinted with her head and hands that Ben should help Francesca with her seat, as if she was the older sister teaching him manners.
Stumbling half over his feet he quickly manoeuvred himself behind Francesca's chair and pulled it back. As she sat down he slowly moved it forward. Looking at Sandy for some sign of approval he received a small thumbs up. Ben sat down himself and Sandy continued: ”Your waiter will be with you shortly.” As she walked away Ben turned towards Francesca. ”Are you comfortable? Oh, before I forget, are you perhaps allergic to anything?” He wanted her to be comfortable, but he had to admit to himself that she had impressed him yesterday. The club had been a great idea, and the way she handled herself showed she was good at what she did. He felt the pressure to equally impress her and since food was his business, dinner was the best choice. ”What would you like to drink?”