As instructed he had packed a decent supply of finger food and nibbles. He had taken great care in his choices and only hoped that she would approve. The wine, which she had chosen, was known to him and he knew it was a good choice, despite the fact that they would both be driving and she would only drink one glass from the bottle. His nerves fluttered as he approached his destination yet a familiar feeling reassured him of his day ahead.
He arrived at her selected location, a verdant spot in the countryside, rural and secluded. Three other cars dotted the car park and he knew she had not arrived yet. Busying himself, he removed the picnic basket and blanket from the boot of his car and waited patiently, leaning casually against the vehicle, waiting for her.
The warm late spring sunshine beat down upon his face as he relished this day away from the usual humdrum of his working week in a busy office. Her request to meet him here for a lazy afternoon had been a wonderful idea and brilliantly timed -- the weather was superb. He enjoyed spending such leisurely time in her company and hoped she would be in a good mood.
Resting the basket upon the boot of his car he opened the lid to check that the contents had travelled with minimal disruption and that he had not forgotten anything. Cutlery, plates, glasses, condiments, napkins and salad had all survived the journey. He smiled at his efforts and hoped she would appreciate them too.
Tyres crunched on the gravel behind him but did not turn to see her approach. Hearing the music loudly escaping from her window as she drew nearer he knew it was her. Suddenly the butterflies in his stomach began to churn more wildly and he felt a sense of trepidation and excitement that he was soon to be in her company again. The vehicle pulled up along side his and he heard the hand brake applied.
His legs started to shake a little and he felt the clamminess in the palms of his hands. She always had this influence on him and, as much as he hoped one day that he might not to be quite so affected in this way, he secretly quite enjoyed it.
Striding around quickly to her door he blinked at the sun's rays reflected from the glass. She was sat, calmly waiting for him to open her door. As soon as his hand touched the handle the door swung open, forcibly, and missed his crotch by millimetres.
"You took your time!" She snapped at him.
He faltered on the spot, not knowing what to say. He sensed an air of menace about her and immediately felt an air of foreboding. Before he could respond she was up and out of the car, brushing past him and gesturing at the back seat to a dark coloured hold-all. Her perfume wafted past him and filled the air. Momentarily, he sighed, breathing her in.
"Bring that bag with you!"
Snapped back to reality by her words, he reached for the bag and quickly moved to collect the basket and blanket. She was already some strides ahead of him and making her way down a grassy bank towards a small copse of trees a few hundred yards away. He noticed a walker out with their dog in the distance and wondered how many others might be in the immediate location. He hoped they would not be disturbed.
He watched her walking ahead of him. As usual she was dressed casually; denim jeans stretched across her broad hips, a fairly loose cotton shirt complimented her colouring and sturdy walking boots adorned her feet. Her hair was ruffled but shone a rich, dark brown under the bright sunlight. She looked comfortable and he felt an odd sense of pleasure in response to her appearance. As always, she wore her usual sunglasses and he wondered if he might be tormented by his own reflection throughout the afternoon -- a milder torment than the power of her gaze, of that he was certain.
