The Date

She let the shower run for a few more minutes, as tiny droplets jostled to hold on to those long, dark locks as if they were a magic beanstalk. The ones that lost grip, tumbled lazily down her body in no obvious hurry; evidently enjoying their contact with her warm, soft, skin which smelt faintly of strawberries (courtesy the shower gel her cousin had got her from Bangkok last month). The warm water felt soothing, though her nerves could not have been more jittery. If this was what Mrs. Bennett had felt every time she complained of nerves, maybe she was to be pitied; if only just a little bit. Anyways, she had better got dressed or she'd be late.

She slipped into a bathrobe and walked to her closet. She knew what dress she'd wear. She'd been planning this night for long enough. But she hadn't decided the lingerie. How silly, specially when she wanted tonight to be...

She chose a particularly lacy set, quickly wore them and settled at her boudoir. She needed to look perfect tonight.

She dried her hair and let it lie in soft curls at the small of her back. She hoped they'd be her partner in crime tonight, especially once they got teased into excitement by the night breeze. She then turned her attention to the rest of her armoury, ensuring all weapons were battle ready. She sharpened those sultry eyes with the right amount of kohl and put gloss on her lips giving them a moist look, full of longing. She double checked to see that she had extracted the very best out of every feature and then got up for the most awaited moment (of course before the date began).

She had picked up the dress almost two months back, a few days after she had met him for the first time. She knew even then that the dress would serve a night no less special than tonight. It didn't matter how long it stayed on, it would play a crucial role. It was a little black dress, simple, short and revealing just the right amount, the kinds Coco Chanel had made a must have for every girl. It fit her like a second skin, a fact that had almost driven her to neurosis. Every time she had subconsciously had a bite of chocolate, she'd run to the weighing scales. What if she had become fat, what if the dress did not fit? Luckily however, the dress still fit her like second skin.

Just as she was all dressed and slipping into a pair of strappy, pointy black heels the door bell rang. She quickly wore the shoes, took a deep breath and walked to the door. This was it.

There he was standing, with a bunch of flowers in his hand. This wasn't that bad. In fact it felt good to be told how pretty she looked. She asked him to wait while she grabbed herself a shawl and her purse. Just as she was returning, the phone rang. She swore softly under her breath and turned back to go inside. She was back, however, in a couple of minutes. Her date smiled and they left the apartment. As she was locking up, he asked if everything was alright with the phone call. She smiled and said,

" Just the usual. My husband called. He said he'll be working overnight again."