As I approached her door, a slight smile came to my lips. She had no idea what she was in for tonight, but I knew that it would be a night she could never forget. When I rapped twice on the door, it was almost immediately opened by my special girl, and I wondered if she had been waiting for me since she had responded to my knocks so quickly. She was completely decked out, wearing her favorite skirt and a matching silk blouse. It was obvious that she was looking forward to tonight, even though I had never said exactly what we would be doing. I could not help but wonder what she was wearing underneath her outfit, although I couldn't determine exactly what it was even when I let my gaze follow her figure as she walked. I quickly pulled my mind back to the task at hand, knowing that I would find out later.
As I entered her apartment, I could smell the perfume wafting off of her. Her makeup was lightly put on her face, and I could also smell the odors of some kind of lotion that she uses. My senses seemed alive, open to all of her scents, and I felt like I could almost smell the anticipation coming from her direction also. Yes, I thought to myself, she is definitely looking forward to this surprise evening. I casually asked if she was ready to go, and in the blink of an eye she had already grabbed a jacket and was at the door.
As for me, I had also taken great pains to make sure that she would remember tonight. I had a fresh haircut and had remembered to clip my fingernails to make myself as presentable as possible. I was wearing a pair of kaki pants, and a semi-casual button down shirt. I had made sure to take the extra steps to shave just before I arrived, so I could smell both my aftershave and cologne. I'm not sure if they exactly went together, but I knew that they weren't repulsive as a pair. I had worn my best shoes, which I knew were a favorite of hers, all of this to help finish my ensemble.
I had made reservations at a little place just a couple of blocks from her apartment building. I knew that she liked the place, and even though it wasn't a four star restaurant, I knew that it would set the mood that I wanted. It was a fairly small restaurant, especially for this part of town, and it always remained dimly lit. The candles on the tables provided the majority of the light, and it was the perfect place for us to start our evening. I had made a point of stopping at the restaurant on my way to her apartment. It was a little out of my way, but I did want to set the perfect mood. I had slipped the maitre d' a twenty and asked if he could ensure that our reservation would be for the back booth. He had assured me it would, well out of the way of the bustling wait staff.
Even in the obnoxious glow of the street lights, I could see the faint smile penetrating her full lips. She kept giving me quick, awkward glances as we walked. I knew that she wanted to ask what I had planned, but she knew that I would never reveal my plan. So she never asked. She just kept giving me those looks, hoping that I would spill my secret on my own. Of course, I never would. I controlled the conversation as we walked, and whether it was my continual talking or her mind being on other things, she never spoke a word.
As we made our way to the restaurant, I placed my hand on the small of her back, just underneath her jacket, guiding her towards the entrance. I felt a slight shudder move through her body despite the almost perfect temperature that Chicago was experiencing. As we entered the little restaurant, our eyes adjusting to the dimness from the brightly lit street outside, I caught the eyes of the man who I had given the twenty dollar bill to earlier. It was obvious that he also saw me, as he motioned to a waitress to get our table ready for our arrival. The maitre d' promptly came over and asked if he could show us to our table after taking her coat. This is when she uttered her first words of the evening, "Don't you need our names?"
The young maitre d' just shook his head and told her that he already knew who we were and that our table was ready. Even with just the light of the tabletop candles, I could see a slight blush come over her cheeks. I couldn't tell whether he had embarrassed her, or whether she was just amazed at the moment. Either way, I had to work to keep myself from blushing back at her, so that she wouldn't know how much effort I had gone to. We were led back through the narrow walkway towards the back of the restaurant, past all the other diners, and past the door to the kitchen. I hadn't been in this joint for a few months, and although I knew where I wanted to be seated, I had forgotten some of the complexities of this spot. There were only two other tables in our section, and all of them were along the same wall, meaning that we had a perfectly secluded spot. I doubt if it was a new addition, but I also noticed a fireplace almost directly across from us on the opposite wall. I hadn't remembered that, but probably because, like now, it was never lit. As we approached our table, I spied the waitress removing the "reserved" sign from our table as she finished laying out the silverware and napkins. As we were sitting down, I again thanked the maitre d' and slyly slipped him another ten. Then, as if his performance wasn't good enough, I boldly asked if it was possible for the fireplace to be lit. He gave me a strange look, probably because of the pleasant temperature outside, but then summoned a waiter to light the fireplace. After all, the customer is always right, especially when he has already proven himself to be a big tipper.
As we sat there and did the obligatory perusing of the menus, I noticed that the other two tables had already finished their dinners and were having their coffee or amaretto. It was just late enough that I was hoping that we would soon have the section all to ourselves. The waitress, Jane I think her name was, came back and took our drink orders. She had champaign and I ordered a half bottle of a very good zinfandel. Not that I needed any liquid courage for this evening, but I decided to splurge since my plans were coming to fruition so nicely. Besides, I planned on spending the time to have a leisurely dinner before we left the restaurant.
Our drinks came as quickly as one could expect on a Friday night, and it could definitely have taken longer if we were in a different neighborhood where all the party-goers resided. Instead, this was a quiet neighborhood and a little known restaurant, so our service was sure to be wonderful. Sitting there sipping our drinks, I thought I could still notice a slight blush on her cheeks, and she was definitely smiling. We managed some small talk until Jane took our orders. She took our orders, and by the looks she was giving us, I knew that she was jealous of the efforts being extended to the lovely girl sitting across from me. Luckily for me, she was professional enough not to say or do anything to let anyone else catch on. I would have to remember to tip her well also.