Settle down, girl.

a short story

The restaurant oozed a feeling of warmth, intimacy even, although the place was packed on this chilly saturdaynight in October and the streets outside the window were packed with New York's evening crowd. James was concentrating on the menu, and Rachel stifled a laugh. He'd left his glasses at home and was a little too cool - or maybe insecure - to ask her to read it to him.

Their entrees arrived and for a moment they ate in silence. A comfortable silence, which she used to study the familiar features of the man sitting opposite her. She wished she had brought along her camera, but shook the feeling of in a second. No need for photographs here. It was already imprinted in her mind. She closed her eyes for a second, breathing in the atmosphere and gathering some courage to do what she was about to do.

Rachel waited for the panic to envelope her, to make her chicken out again. Keep her words, thoughts and feelings to herself. It didn't come. She almost snorted aloud, amused at her own sense of amazement. Could it be? No, surely it ... couldn't be that she had ... become mature? Ish?

A sense of pride whirled through her stomach, giving her enough courage to smile and look into James' eyes, but the words didn't come out. Yet. She wanted the feeling to last, the excitement had all of her senses on edge, her body was tingling with anticipation. She gulped down some more wine and sat back.

The evening passed by almost without them noticing it. They laughed and ate and even danced a little, to the amusement of both the customers and staff. The clock ticked on, and before Rachel knew it, it was almost midnight, time to go home, especially for the exhausted waiters. James stood up and went to the bathroom while she gathered her things, suddenly realizing both the state she was in after all that wine and the fact that she hadn't asked. She bit her lip, and blinked, trying to get the room back into focus. A young waiter approached the table, quietly clearing it. He was about to leave when she laid a hand on his arm.

"I've got a secret," she told the patient waiter with a soft slur, her arm loosely tapping on his wrist. The boy looked a bit uncomfortable. Rachel's eyes darted around a bit before the words left her mouth in a whisper. "I love that guy. I think he'd make a great husband."

The waiter's shoulders relaxed and he smiled. "Then I suggest you'd go on and tell him that ... " He hesitated for a moment. "Because I think he'll say yes." He winked at Rachel and then subtly steered her to the door, where James was waiting.