"I don't care how nice he is Maria, I am not going on a date with some stranger," Serena scowled at her sister, her long auburn hair falling loosely across her face.
"For crying out loud Serena, you haven't gone on a date since David left you," Maria replied, placing her hand on her hip and giving Serena an annoyed look. "You're not getting any younger, you need to get out there and live a little again."
"You're insufferable you know that," Serena replied, throwing her hands up into the air. "Fine, if it will make you happy, I will go on one date. But if he turns out to be a jerk I won't let you live this one down."
"Don't worry, he's a great guy," Maria said, pushing away from the wall and pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. "I'll call Devon and let him know right away." She looked at Serena, her cell phone in her hand. "You know, I had thought you would give me more of a hard time with this. I'm really proud of how you are doing Serena."
"Yah, yah, I have heard it all before," Serena said, rolling her eyes. "Just make the damn phone call before I change my mind."
"You're not going to regret this, I promise," Maria said, smiling as she turned her back on her sister and dialled the phone. "Hey Devon, its Maria..." Serena tried to get closer to hear what Maria was saying but her sister waved her away and walked out of the room, the phone to her ear.
Serena stood there stupefied. Had she really just agreed to go on a date with a total stranger? Ever since David had left her she had been hiding in her own little world, strong on the outside but falling apart on the inside. She hadn't even attempted to try to date again due to being scared of being hurt again. It wasn't until now that the divorce had been finalized that she had started to feel a little like herself again, going out with the girls more and starting to enjoy life.
She had never really been on a real date before, having met her husband in high school and marrying him right after they were out of college. Her friends always told her that she had been crazy marrying the first man she ever dated, but, she had been in love and euphoria of it all didn't allow her to think clearly, that is until it cleared and she found herself alone again 10 years later.
Sighing she looked towards the doorway where her sister and disappeared and shook her head. "What have I gotten myself into?" she thought to herself, fighting the urge to tell her sister that she had changed her mind. She knew her sister only wanted the best for her and when she really thought about it, Maria was right, she did need to get out more and move on with her life. Who knows, maybe this guy would turn out to be as great as her sister said he was and she would end up having a fun evening after all. What did she have to lose, other than her boring life as it was now.
"He'll pick you up Friday at eight," her sister's voice pulled her from her revelry and she felt a sudden nervous feeling in her stomach. She felt like a teenage girl who was just asked on her first date. She giggled which caused her sister to flash a confused look.
"What is so funny?" Maria asked. Serena looked up at her and smiled.
"I feel like a teenager again," she replied. "I have no clue what to say or do on a date and what should I wear?" Maria returned her laugh and nodded towards her room. "Come, I think I have something that would be perfect."
Serena sat nervously in the living room, her hands brushing away imagined wrinkles from the skirt of the black dress she had borrowed from her sister. She had been sceptical when Maria had brought out the dress but once she put it on she was pleasantly surprised with how good she looked in it, though it was a lot sexier than what she had ever worn before. The low cut neckline of the dress dipped dangerously revealing more cleavage than she was comfortable with, but, her sister wouldn't give her any peace until she had agreed to wear the dress. She had already started to head upstairs to change twice, only to be headed off by Maria and her stubborn glare, she finally gave up the idea and ended up fidgeting nervously as she waited for eight o'clock to roll around.
She almost jumped at the sound of the doorbell, glancing at the clock. Eight o'clock exactly, if there was anything to be said about this guy, it was that he was definitely punctual. She quickly made her way to the door and pulled it open.
"Hi, I'm Devon," he said smiling, his bright blue eyes instantly drawing Serena's attention. Serena felt an attraction to him, though she had just met him. She stood speechless, holding the door, unable to take her eyes off him. "I am assuming you are Serena." The sound of Devon's voice pulled her from her revelry and she smiled.
"Yes," she replied, holding her hand out to him. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"I believe the pleasure is all mine," Devon said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips to kiss it softly, his smile seductive and playful. "I must be the luckiest man on earth to have the pleasure of spending the evening with a gorgeous woman like you." Serena blushed and pulled her hand away, her heart beating in her chest. What was it about this man that made her quiver inside and made her feel like a schoolgirl again.
"Ah, I see you two have met," Maria's said as she walked came out of the kitchen wiping flour off the front of her shirt.
"What happened to you," Serena said, laughing at her sister. "It looks like the flour container exploded all over you."
"I was trying to bake a cake for my Valentine's supper tonight with Michael," Maria replied, brushing her cheek and leaving a trail of flour across it. "I am afraid it is not going well." She glanced at the clock. "If I hurry I can buy one at the store before he gets here. You two have fun tonight." Grabbing her keys Maria slipped past Devon on the front steps and hurried towards her car.
"I see Maria is as crazy as ever," Devon said, his eyes sparkling with laughter. "Shall we go, I have made reservations at Chez Moi for 8:30."
"Yes of course, just let me get my coat," Serena said, grabbing her dress coat from the rack beside the door as she slipped into her boots. She smiled as Devon took her coat from her hand and helped her slip it over her shoulders, shivering at the feel of his fingertips as they brushed along her neck as he adjusted the collar of the coat. Locking the door behind them, she followed Devon out to his car and slid into the passenger's seat, amazed again at how much of a gentleman he was, holding the door open for her and tucking her coat in beside her to ensure it did not get caught when he closed the door.
"I hope you like the restaurant I chose," Devon said as he backed the car out of the driveway and drove towards the restaurant. "It is one of my favourite places, though I don't get to go there very often with a beautiful woman like you."
Serena blushed again at his words. He had her entranced already and the date had just begun. Serena wasn't sure if she was feeling this way because of him or if she was just caught up in the euphoria of someone treating her so well.