I stand before the mirror. I'm wearing a long red dress. The dress ends just under my knees but has a cut in the middle beginning halfway down. The dress also splits in two just above my waist, revealing part of my belly, and crosses above my breasts, leaving a rather pleasant view of the inner sides of my breasts, after which it comes together again behind my neck. Although most of my boobs are covered, I am a bit ashamed that I only now realize that this is the least revealing dress I have. The thought of lending one from Ellen crossed my mind, but they would all be too small at the waist, and definitely around the chest area. I finish up the last of my make-up and sigh a little from nervousness. It isn't just the first time I'll go on a date with someone I have met on the internet. It is also the first time I'll go to a restaurant for a first date. Most of my boyfriends that I met in the past were during parties. And that party should also be considered the first date since more than once the night ended in bed with the guy in question. Today, I thought about what I could say if the conversation with Julian will turn silent. It's strange, since normally that isn't something that keeps me busy. I look in the mirror. I decide I'm ready and go downstairs.
"How do I look?" I ask Ellen.
"If miss universe walks in, you'll still be the most beautiful girl," Ellen replies.
"Really?" I ask. And I spin around.
"Oh, stop showing off," Ellen says jokingly. "You look amazing and you know it." I smile.
"Let's go," I say. It's a quarter past six and I decide to get going. I had first planned on calling a taxi, but Ellen didn't mind driving me with her car. The drive passes by slowly, but when we arrive it is still 15 minutes early. I wait in the car for a little while before stepping out and going inside. It is rather cold, so I certainly wasn't going to wait outside. I look around. Although this isn't a star restaurant, it still looks very classy.
"Are you miss Sara?" the host of the restaurant asks. I nod. "A man named Julian is waiting for you at a table. Shall I bring you to him?" I nod again. "Please follow me." I follow him and soon see the engineer named Julian standing up from his chair.
"Good evening," he says.
"Hello, nice to meet you," I reply. We give each a kiss on the cheek.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Sara," he says while the both of us sit down. "Have you been here before?"
"Can't say I have," I reply. "You?" I ask, throwing the question back at him.
"I have. The food is pretty good here. It's not a three-star restaurant, but at least they don't charge you 50 euros for a bottle of water," I laugh, albeit a bit forced. Luckily, I notice Julian seems to appreciate it. "You look absolutely amazing," he says. For a moment I can see his eyes going to my chest. I don't mind. I paid attention to him a moment ago when he saw me the first time and he managed to keep his eyes locked on mine. He earned his look. I don't like men staring at me, especially during greetings. But for the rest of the time, the cut is there for a reason.
"Thank you," I say smiling. A second later a waiter shows up at our table.
"Welcome to the Astrance. My name is Xavier. Can I get you something to drink?"
"A negroni for me please," I ask.
"For me a glass of rosé please." Julian orders.
"Thank you," the waiter says. "I'll be right back with your drinks."
Both me and Julian thank him and we decide to start checking the menu. I look at Julian for a moment. His hair has the same black colour as Ellen. He isn't very handsome. His ears seem too big for his head, while his lips are too thin. He seems to have almost no facial hair either, not even a stubble, which I find weird. His eyes are very beautiful though. A deep, green color which match well with his black hair. For a moment I think about how much more handsome Alex is. Although I hate the guy now, I can't go around that simple fact. "What do you think," Julian asks. "Meat or fish? Or something else?"
