The Dinner Date

"Seven o'clock, right on time!" Thomas said, holding out his hand to the girl walking up to him in a royal blue dress.
"Hi Thomas, I'm Darby," she said, shaking the young man's hand. She admired his short wavy brown hair and striking blue eyes. He was dressed very sharply in dark jeans and an olive green dress shirt.
"It's very nice to meet you, Darby. I'm so glad Harris sent me your number, I've loved our text conversations."
"Me too," Darby said with a little smile. She motioned to the restaurant behind them. "Have you been here before?"
"Oh yeah, lots of times. Everything here is really good. Let's go in, it's getting chilly out here," Thomas suggested. He lead Darby across the sidewalk and held the door open for her. They were greeted by a hostess who seated them in the middle of the room at a table for two.
"Your server will be with you in a moment. Enjoy," she said with a smile, and walked away.
 Darby looked around the room. The floor was covered in a dark red carpet while bright detailed pictures of flowers hung on the walls. Gentle music played over the speakers blending with the low hum of conversation. Several other couples sat around her and Thomas talking with each other in between bites of food.
 "This is nice," Thomas said, settling into his chair. "I haven't been out in a while. Work's got me staying late almost every day now."
 "Oh yes, Harris said you work at a law firm. That must be exciting."
 "Not as much as you would think," Thomas chuckled. "It's mostly paperwork and listening to bossy lawyers order me around. But it's good money and pays for a nice apartment."
 "That's great," Darby said.
 "What do you do for a living?"
 "I am sort of in between jobs right now," Darby answered. "I babysat for this family a couple times but then I had to quit."
 "Oh that's too bad. What happened?"
  Before Darby could explain, a young woman with blonde hair in slacks and a white shirt approached their table and set down a menu in front of each of them.
  "Hi, my name is Molly and I will be your waitress this evening. Can I bring you some drinks?"
  "I will start with some ice water," Thomas answered. "And the lady can have whatever she likes. This meal is on me," he said with a wink at Darby. Molly looked at her, pen and paper ready.
 "I have heard of a drink called a Bloody Mary. Can you tell me what's in that?"
 "Of course ma'am. We make ours with tomato juice, vodka and lemon juice."
 Darby nodded and looked at Molly expectantly as if she had left some ingredient out.
 "Would you like me to bring you one?"
Darby sighed.
"No thank you, I will just have what he is having." Molly nodded and walked away to fill their drink order.
"So what do you like to do for fun?" Thomas asked, picking us his menu and scanning the pages. "Have you been to the beach a lot this summer?"
 Darby shook her head.
"I'm more of an indoor person," she said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "Though sometimes I like to go on late night walks."
"That's very romantic. Perhaps we can take one after dinner. My apartment is only a couple of blocks away. I can make you a Bloody Mary there if you'd like."
  Darby smiled sweetly.
"That's very nice. I will definitely keep that in mind."
"What are you going to order?" Thomas asked. "I think I will have a steak."
  Darby looked at the list of foods on the menu remembering how much she used to enjoy steak and chicken and hamburgers.
"I'm not too hungry. I think I will just order a salad."
"Are you sure?" Thomas asked. "Like I said, it's all on me. You can get whatever you like."
  Molly came up to the table again just then with two glasses of ice water.
"Have you two decided on an entrée?"

  Darby listened to Thomas discuss the ups and downs of working at a law firm for what seemed like an eternity. Finally Molly arrived back at the table with a tray holding two plates. She set a steak in front of Thomas and a salad on Darby's side of the table.
  "And here is your silverware," she finished, setting down a fork and knife wrapped in a white cloth napkin.
  "Silver?" Darby asked nervously looking wide eyed at the napkin next to her hand.
  Molly giggled.
  "It's not real silver, ma'am. We are not quite that fancy. Let me know if you need anything else," she said, and walked away.
  Darby carefully unfolded the napkin and looked down at her utensils.
 "Are you ok? How is your food?" Darby looked up at Thomas and back down at her plate. It had been years since she had tasted a salad. Cautiously she reached for her fork and held her breath till her hand was safely and painlessly wrapped around it.
 "Man this steak is amazing," Thomas chimed in. Darby looked over at his plate where a large piece of meat sat marinated in spices. Thomas stabbed the top of it with his fork and juices mixed with blood oozed out. Darby licked her lips.
 "I know some people like their meat well done but I prefer my dinner still be bleeding. How about you?"
 "Oh yes," Darby said emphatically. Thomas looked up.
 "How is your salad?"
Darby noticed her hand was still on the fork but she had not taken a bite yet.
 "Oh it's...great," she said, absentmindedly, staring at the blood from Thomas's steak that was mixing in with its seasoning to make a brownish red puddle on his plate.
"So anyway, I'm pretty sure if I keep going at the rate I'm at, I can make partner one day," Thomas told Darby. She rolled her eyes and dug her fork roughly into her salad.

  After they left the restaurant, Darby and Thomas walked hand in hand down the sidewalk.
"Are you sure you didn't want to take the rest of your salad home? It looked really good."
"Yes, I wasn't too hungry. But I enjoyed that restaurant, it was a great choice."
"I am glad you liked it. We can go back any time you'd like, my treat," he said, gently squeezing her hand.
"That would be nice," Darby said, hoping her voice sounded genuine.
"Here's my building right here," Thomas said, pulling her quickly to the right. They walked up five steps to a red brick building and Thomas entered a code in a keypad by the door.
"I'm on the fourth floor. You want to come up?"
  Darby shrugged.
"Why not?"
  She followed Thomas down the hallway to the elevator which opened at the press of a button and carried them swiftly up to the fourth floor. Stepping out of the elevator, Thomas lead her down the hallway to a door marked 416.
  Thomas dug in his pocket and pulled out a key ring.
 "I'm lucky to afford this place. It's a great building, nice neighbors. Though one of the girls on my floor got her keys taken by some crazy kid on a skateboard last week."
 Thomas turned the key in the lock, pushed the door open and walked in. Darby moved to follow him but was stopped in the doorway, pushed back as if by an invisible hand.
"Do you want a drink? I can make a-"Thomas stopped as he turned around and noticed his date was still in the hallway.
"Are you coming?" Darby tried to step forward again but was still pushed back.
She put on a pouty face and folded her arms. "That's not a very welcoming invitation," she huffed. He laughed and leaned against the door frame.
"Darby, would you please come into my apartment? You are most warmly invited."
Darby stepped forward again and this time nothing held her back. Thomas shut the door behind her and motioned to the couch.
"Please have a seat. Would you like a Bloody Mary? I think I have some vodka in the freezer."
"No thank you, Thomas. I would love to just relax with you."
  Thomas smirked and sat down next to his date slowly putting his arm around her.
"I had a really good time tonight," he said looking into Darby's eyes. He moved his face closer to her till his lips rested on her cheek. He planted a soft kiss and worked his way down to her neck.
"I would love to take you out again. Take you shopping and you can get whatever you want. I can afford it."
  Darby rolled her eyes. What was he trying to prove?
"Do you like this?" he asked, leaving a trail of kisses down her neck.
"I loved it," Darby said in a breathy voice. "I would love to...return the favor."
"Oh yeah?" Thomas asked with a spark in his eye. He unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt and pulled down the collar.
"I'm all yours, beautiful," he said, leaning back against a couch pillow. Darby turned to face him and ran her tongue hungrily over her teeth.
"Alright then. Let me show you what I like to do to necks."

Bailey's Keys

  Bailey got out of the elevator and walked down the hallway toward her apartment. Early mornings at work were never any fun and she couldn't wait to snuggle up in bed and take a long nap. When she got to her door, she reached into her purse to pull out her house keys. After a few seconds of feeling around, she pulled her hand out and frowned at her purse.
  "Where on earth are my keys?" she said out loud. She moved her wallet and hairbrush out of the way but the keys did not appear. Anxiously she stuck her hands into her jean pockets but they were all empty.
  She leaned against her door and sighed thinking wistfully of how comfortable her bed would be right now. Reaching into her purse again, she pulled out her phone and looked up the number for the building superintendent. She pushed the call button and waited for an answer. Instead, an automated voice came on the other end and asked her to leave a message.
"Hi, Ernie, it's Bailey from apartment three twenty. I think I locked my keys inside my place so I was hoping you could come by with the master key. Call me back when you get this, thanks."
  Bailey hung up the call and slipped her phone into the outside pocket of her purse making sure the volume was loud so she would not miss Ernie's call.
  Leaning back against the door she twiddled her thumbs and stared down at her shoes hoping the phone would ring any second.
  "Excuse me, miss," said a voice. Bailey looked up and saw a man in khakis and a green polo shirt standing in front of her holding a bouquet of flowers in a clear vase.
  "I was supposed to deliver these to the lady in apartment three twenty four but she isn't home so I have to leave them with a neighbor. Would you be willing to take them for me?"
  "Well I would like to help but I-"
  "That's great," the delivery man said, shoving the vase into Bailey's hands and reaching for his clipboard. Bailey looked down at the colorful assortment of flowers in her hands and sniffled a little.
 "I just need you to sign your name on this form. Let me find it real quick," the delivery man told her.
 "Of course," Bailey agreed, her eyes beginning to water. "Are there carnations in this bouquet?" she wanted to know.
"Why yes there are, little lady," the delivery man said cheerfully. "You really know your flowers."
"Yes well I'm... I'm.." Bailey paused and let out a loud sneeze. She sniffled again and could feel her right eye beginning to swell up.
"Here, sign right here," the man said, handing Bailey the clipboard. She sighed and reached for the pen in his other hand.
"Is there no one else you can give these to?" she wanted to know, scribbling out her name on the highlighted line.
"No, ma'am. It's lucky you came along." He grabbed the clipboard back from her and smiled.
"Have a good day."
  Bailey watched sniffling as the man walked down the hall and turned the corner toward the elevator. She sneezed loudly again and rubbed her swollen eye setting the vase of flowers on the floor next to her. Pulling a compact mirror out of her purse, she opened it and held it up so she could see her face. Her right eye was almost swollen shut and had a large red circle around it.
"Lovely," she muttered, putting the mirror away. She checked her phone to see if Ernie had called but no such luck.
  The minutes wore on and there was silence in the hallway. Bailey looked around hoping maybe the superintendent would pass by. Suddenly she heard a voice yelling from around the corner.
"Cooper! Cooper come back, buddy," it exclaimed. Bailey looked in the direction of the voice wondering who Cooper might be. A moment later she saw a full grown golden retriever dash around the corner and run toward her dragging its leash, its excited tail wagging rapidly back and forth.
"Hey, Cooper," Bailey said with a smile as the dog got closer. Cooper responded with a happy bark and leaped up on Bailey planting its two front paws firmly on her stomach. Bailey grimaced as she felt a wet sensation under the paws and looked down to see muddy brown spots growing on her new light blue sweater.
"Cooper, there you are!" said the voice again. A girl about Bailey's age stood in front of her bending down to grab Cooper's leash. She pulled the dog off of Bailey and smiled at her.
 "Thanks for catching him," she said, patting the top of Cooper's head. He barked at her and pulled against the leash eager to run around more and explore.
"No problem," Bailey answered, looking down and sighing as the mud began to seep deeper into the fabric of her sweater.
"You should really get your eye checked out," Cooper's owner said, giving Bailey's face a concerned look.
"Yeah, thanks," Bailey answered, sniffling and rubbing her still swollen eye. She felt in her purse pocket for her phone but it was not there. Looking around, she noticed it laying in the middle of the hallway floor.
 "Cooper must have knocked it out of my purse when he greeted me," she said out loud. Bailey was about to lean down to grab it when a loud voice yelled,
 "Hey watch out lady!"
  Bailey jumped back against the wall startled as a teenage boy with a baseball cap came rolling down the hallway on a skateboard. He waved at her as he passed and as Bailey raised her hand to wave back she heard a loud crunching sound from the floor. Her hand dropped to her side and her breath caught in her throat.
  Could that really be what she thought it was? Summoning up her courage, she looked down at the floor where the skateboard had just passed and saw the remnants of her phone. It now lay in two pieces, the screen cracked beyond repair.
  Bailey knelt down and gathered the pieces in her hand feeling hopeless. How was Ernie supposed to call her back now? She pulled open the outer pocket of her purse where her phone had been sitting in one piece just a few moments ago and dropped in its now shattered remnants. Her swollen eye began to itch again and she rubbed it leaning against the wall and sliding down to the floor. The vase of flowers sat next to her mocking her red puffy eye and muddy blue sweater.
  Bailey glared at the flowers and was about to angrily tip them over when a voice made her look up.
"Excuse me, would those flowers happen to be for apartment three twenty four?" A woman in a long tan jacket stood looking down at her expectantly.
"Yes they are," Bailey said, picking up the vase and rising to her feet. She shoved it so roughly at the woman that some water spilled out the side.
"Thank you," the woman said, looking at Bailey somewhat strangely. "Are you feeling ok?"
"Not really," Bailey muttered. "I'm locked out of my apartment and waiting for the superintendent to get here."
 "That's too bad," the lady replied, distractedly digging in her purse. "Do you happen to have some gum?"
  "Sure," Bailey answered, feeling a little resentful at the woman's apathy. "I bought some this morning. It's here in my coat... pocket..."
  Bailey's sentence trailed off as her hand grasped a ring of keys deep in her coat pocket. Her heart sank as she thought about her swollen eye, muddy sweater and broken phone.
"Excuse me? Gum?" the lady from three twenty four asked, beginning to sound annoyed. Mindlessly, Bailey pulled out the whole package and put it in the lady's hand.
"Oh well thank you," she said, tearing it open as she walked away.
 Bailey fumbled through her key ring and stuck the correct one in the lock on her door. Turning it to the left, she heard it click and pushed the door open. Shutting it behind her, she walked past the couch and shed her coat and purse. Approaching her bedroom where she had wanted to be all day, she was stopped in her tracks by a knock at the front door. With a sigh, she turned around and walked back.
 "Yes?" she asked, as she pulled the door open. A handsome  man in a grey suit stood in front of her. Bailey smiled at him. Perhaps this day would turn out alright after all.
 "Hello, ma'am. I just wanted to let you know as I was walking to my apartment I saw you left your keys in the door."
  Bailey looked down at the door knob but the key slot was empty. She looked at the man questioningly.
"Some kid on a skateboard grabbed them," he told her. "You may want to call the super."