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Erik dipped a large wooden spoon into the pot on the stove and gave it a stir before he brought the spoon to his lips, sampling the tomato sauce. He took a moment to savor the flavor before he turned to his spice cabinet and pulled out some dried rosemary to add to the sauce before he stirred it again. Certain that it was perfect now, he moved away from the stove to fill a second pot with tap water, then set it on an empty burner to boil for the spaghetti.
He wiped his hands on his apron, his eyes flicking over to the timer on the oven, making sure his garlic bread would be ready in time. Satisfied that all was going to plan, he moved over to the dining table and picked up the new tablecloth he’d purchased specifically for that evening and began to spread it out, only to sigh quietly when his cat hopped up onto the chair closest to him. “Ayesha, no, get down,” he chided softly. “I know you like sitting on the chair and pretending you’re a person, but I don’t need you getting up on the table this evening and making a mess of things.”
He’d been meticulously planning this evening out all week, practically ever since he had gathered the courage to send Christine a text asking if she would like to have dinner with him. He hadn’t asked anyone on a date in ages, and his hands shook terribly as he’d typed the message, but he forced himself to do it.
The shaking in his hands was back now that he was only minutes from her arrival. The plates clattered against the wooden table as he set them down, and he had to pray that he wouldn’t accidentally break something.
He desperately wanted this evening to go as perfectly as possible. It had been years since he had felt this much attraction to someone, and he didn’t want to do anything to potentially drive her away. There was enough about him that could do that as it was, and he didn’t think he needed any assistance in that respect.
Once he had everything set out, he stepped back to survey his work, and at finding nothing amiss, he moved over to the Target bag he’d left by the kitchen entrance and drew out a few candle holders and tapers. It took only a few moments to arrange them in the center of the table and light them, hoping it wouldn’t look as though he were trying too hard.
Anxiety grew in his stomach. Was he doing too much? Would she think him strange for it? Should he remove two of the tapers so that there was only one? Would that make things better?
Before he could act on any of this, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the front door. He quickly untied and removed his apron, practically throwing it onto its hook, and he smoothed down his sweater vest to be sure it wasn’t rumpled. With reasonable sureness that he looked at least mostly put together, he stepped out of the kitchen and into the small entryway area to open the door to his apartment.
“Hello there, Christine,” he said softly, gesturing for her to come in. “Can I take your scarf and coat?”
“Yes, thank you,” Christine replied with a warm smile. She immediately unwrapped her scarf from her neck and shrugged the coat from her shoulders, then passed both to her dinner companion. “It smells so lovely in here.”
“Oh, thank you. It’s the rosemary.” Erik laughed a bit at his own joke as he hung up her coat, all the while admiring the way her bright blue sweater popped against her brown skin tone. “I made spaghetti and meatballs for this evening. I hope that’s alright with you.” His brow creased slightly as a thought occurred to him. “I suppose I should have checked with you beforehand. I hope you aren’t a vegetarian or allergic to gluten or something.”
“No, not at all, don’t worry about it,” Christine replied, laughing quietly. “I’m by no means a picky eater, so that’s something you’ll never have to worry about when cooking for me.”
Erik noted that she seemed to be speaking of the future, daring to hope that there was already a small chance of another date. “Good,” he said dumbly, not quite sure how else to respond. “I, um- oh, the water, I have to boil the pasta. Pardon me.” He turned to slip into the kitchen and over to the boiling pot to pour in the box of spaghetti, cursing himself quietly for the awkward interruption.
He set a timer for the pasta and took a deep breath to compose himself before he left the kitchen again, finding his guest in the parlor in front of his bookcase. “There are more in my study down the hall and some in my room,” he said softly.
“That’s quite a lot of books,” Christine said with a smile, running her hand over the spines. “I don’t know how you have the space for them all. I ran out of space long ago, and now I just have stacks of books all over my room. It’s becoming quite the problem, but I don’t have anywhere else to put another bookcase.”
“That does seem like an issue,” Erik agreed. “However, if the alternative is to stop buying more books, then I suppose you shall have to deal with it.”
“My sentiments precisely,” Christine laughed.
A few beats of silence passed before Erik finally remembered his manners and asked, “Can I get you anything to drink? We’ll be having wine with dinner, though it’s still breathing right now. I could get you ginger ale, or perhaps a club soda?”
“Just some regular water is fine, thank you,” Christine said softly.
“Of course. You…you’re welcome to join me in the kitchen, if you wish. Dinner should be ready soon, and my cat is in there, so you could meet her. Unless you don’t like cats, that is, then you could just leave her alone, or I could put her in my room for the evening.”
Christine laughed a bit, shaking her head. “It isn’t necessary to put her away. Really, Erik, there’s no need to be so nervous,” she said with a smile. “I’m nobody special, you don’t have to impress me.”
Erik simply smiled at the statement and briefly ducked his head before he led her into the kitchen. If only he knew how special she truly was, how much just her kindness alone meant to him. He didn’t know what he did to deserve it or why she even took an interest in him in the first place, but he was very happy that she did.
Dinner went off without a hitch, much to Erik’s relief. She seemed to enjoy the meal, telling him how delicious it was multiple times, and he was glad that she thought so, her opinion meaning everything to him in that moment.
As they ate, they talked of the books they were each in the process of reading, sharing their likes and dislikes and the novels they planned to read next. The conversation had moved around a bit after that, but it eventually landed on music. Erik was surprised to find out that Christine had enjoyed taking opera lessons in her younger years. She claimed that she didn’t retain much of her training, though she promised to sing for him sometime.
A few hours later, Erik found himself in the entryway, helping her to slip her arms into her coat, the evening having come to an end far too soon. “Would you like me to walk you out to your car, Christine? The parking lot is quite icy, and I would hate for you to slip and fall.”
“I think that would be very nice, thank you.” Christine smiled back at him. She waited patiently as he slipped on his own coat and shoes before she took his arm, allowing him to lead her out of the apartment.
Erik guided her down the stairs to the first floor, then opened the front door, a gust of cold air whipping him in the unmasked side of his face as he did so. “Goodness, I do hate December. It’s far too cold.”
“It is, though I have to admit that it’s nice to curl up on the sofa with tea, a blanket, and a book in the wintertime,” Christine said softly, pulling her car keys out of her purse as they approached her blue Toyota.
“That is nice, yes,” Erik replied in acknowledgement of her statement, then gave her a smile. “Thank you for coming over this evening, Christine. I…I can genuinely say that I haven’t enjoyed an evening this much in years.”
“I enjoyed myself as well,” Christine replied with a grin, brushing one of her black ringlets out of her face. “I would love to have dinner again soon if you’re free.”
“Yes!” Erik replied a little too quickly, only to clear his throat. “Yes, dinner again, that would be great. You could come over here again. O-or we could go out somewhere?”
Christine laughed quietly, finding his nervous disposition to be quite endearing. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll text you as soon as I get home so that we can make a plan. Does that sound good?”
“Yes, great, good,” Erik said with a small smile, opening her car door for her as soon as she unlocked it. “Goodnight, Christine.”
Instead of getting into the car, Christine stood up on the tips of her toes, grasping the labels of his coat in her hands, and pressed her lips softly to his. She let the kiss linger for a few moments before she pulled back with a smile. “Goodnight, Erik,” she said before she slid into the front seat.
Erik gently touched his fingers to his lips, which tingled from the interaction. He managed to nod dumbly before he closed her car door. And it was at that moment that he knew he would be waiting by his cellphone for the rest of the evening, waiting for her to text him to make a plan to see each other again.