"Do you think this fits me well?" I asked as I stepped out of the bathroom and back into my bedroom. My dear coworker sat at my vanity stool. She had her arms crossed over her chest, giving me a thoughtful look over. Marguerite was by far the most stylish person that could help me get ready for this so-called date that I had this upcoming week. Wearing a casual peach colored blazer suit, she accented it with gold bracelets, matching cream pearl necklace and earrings, finishing it off with white kitten heels.
Her brown hair pulled into a loose low siting bun at the nape of her neck, strands of brown hair framing her face; making her hazel green eyes pop. She was several years older than me and had immediately taken me under her wing when I first started working at the company. As much as she was kind, she didn't let anyone walk over her or me for that matter. That made me admire her even more. As I stood in front of her in a pink champagne colored strapless, somewhat flashy cocktail dress that I thought went well with my caramel complexion. With my hair in a half up and half down style; my curly hair cascaded over my shoulders; her eyes trailed over my body before making their way back up to mines. A slow smile of approval gracing her face. She was so pretty.
If you couldn't already tell, I had a slight crush on her. But it felt like it wasn't it going to lead to anything; she was a closed book in that regard.
"It's fabulous on you Celine! It compliments you very well. Now let's accessorize it. Let me see where you keep your jewelry." She said cheerily, clapping her hands together. I point over to the tower jewelry box that was on the vanity desk behind her. Looking to where I pointed to, she turned over her shoulder and began looking through the small collection that I had. She swiveled her head back and forth between the jewelry tower and me; a concentrated look gracing her face. She always gets so focused when presented with a task that it's hard to interrupt her when she gets like this. Persistent questions kept swirling in head; that I couldn't help but want to ask her.
"You're very helpful when it comes to stuff like this, your husband must be so grateful to have you." I said airily, twiddling my thumbs together. Glancing up at her, a soft smile spreads across her face and a small chuckle escaping her lips.
"If only I had one that could be grateful; hence why he's ex-husband now," she said as she shrugged her shoulders casually. I bit my lip to hold a small smile back, trying not get too giddy just yet. Saying more than I should, I couldn't help the question that rolled of my tongue.
"He absolutely lost a gem of a woman. Are you back out on the dating scene?" I said as I looked at her curiously. A part of me was hoping she was and another part of me would be disappointed to know that she had her eyes set on someone specific that wasn't me.
"Not exactly. I haven't met anyone that really meshed well with me," she said as her eyes meeting mine. They glimmered in the golden hue of the room. Maybe it was just me, but the atmosphere shifted. An electric feeling encapsulating my whole body. A comfortable silence filled the room; a small sigh emitting from her that effectively broke it.
"I'm afraid that you might not have enough accessories. Here, try these on," she said before I could protest. She slid her bracelets off her wrist, grabbing mines gently and sliding them on with ease. My breath hitched a bit; seeing that she was reaching up around her neck; unhooking the pearl necklace that was resting across hers. She stepped in close; her arms enclosing around me briefly as she clasped it around my neck. My eyes staying on hers; her fingers lingered for a second longer than I expected. Her eyes were on mines; an indescribable look shining through.
I gulped a bit. A nervous feeling washing over me as I could feel my cheeks heat up. I really was hoping she wasn't noticing how she was making me feel and the effect she had on my body.
"Are you alright? You're turning bright red! Are you feeling sick?" she asked, her hand raising up to my forehead to check my temperature. She was still very close; making me lean back some to try and gather my thoughts. Not being able to contain my true any feelings more; I went for it. It was now or never.
"Um... it's because I like you, Marguerite." I said sheepishly as I darted my eyes towards the ground; not sounding as confident as I thought I would. There was a brief silence before I looked back up at her. She was staring at me; her cheeks now flush and a small smile gracing her lips. I gulped in anticipation before she spoke.
"I kind of figured so, I just didn't think you would every say it," she said peering deep into me.
"You knew? Was I that obvious?" I said as I dramatically sighed. Would the earth swallow me up right now! I bit my bottom lip, somewhat dejected that I was kind of an open book when it came to my crush on her.
"Yes, you were. It's not that I minded though," she said taking step closer. The small shift towards me was more than enough to get my blood pumping. Puzzled slightly, I couldn't help somewhat relieved that she didn't outright reject my feelings......yet.
"You don't?" I said as a sense of relief washed over my nerves.
"I think it's quite cute that you think of me that way. It makes me look at you in a different light," she said while stepping back to give me some space. With that statement, I felt somewhat confused. I couldn't help but think she didn't like me the same.
"In a different light? Like in a bad way?" I asked, ultimately looking down at my feet. If it was; looking her in eyes would crush my soul completely. I felt her thumb under my chin, lifting it up so my eyes connected with hers.
"Why don't we talk more about it over dinner. I have the perfect restaurant in mind," she said with a sparkle in her eyes. My heart melted in my chest with the thought of getting to spend more time with her. I nodded my head eagerly as both of us grabbed our purses and jackets, promptly heading out of my apartment. The slightly chilly breeze cooled my skin, a sigh escaping my lips.
It was early spring in Montreal and the shifting of temperatures were at battle with each other. With our arms interlocked; she led me to her car. It chirping as she unlocked it for us to get into. We got in, soon taking off down the road towards a mysterious restaurant that I was left anticipating about. Smooth jazz played on the radio in the background; creating a comfortable silence for us to sit in. I glanced over at her ever so often, a smile crossing my face every so often that I was bound to get caught eventually. Looking out the window at the familiar scenery, it felt all too surreal that this was happening. The sky was lined with puffy clouds; oranges hues peacefully painting them. This by far was going to be a day that I remember.
Driving down Saint Laurent Boulevard, I couldn't help the butterflies that flew around in my stomach. Making a turn onto Saint Paul St; I knew exactly where she was taking me to. I look over at her as she parked the car not too far from the restaurant.
"You remembered this was one of my favorite places?" I squealed excitedly; not being able to hold back a smile. She chuckled at me; shaking her 'yes'. Unfastening my seatbelt, I got out the car in a hurry while looking back for her join me. She followed suit; locking the car and interlocking her arm with mines. We made haste to the front door of Modavie; entering in.
We were greeted and not too long afterwards, we were seated at a table near the window; looking out towards the street. Looking over the menu, I decided on what I was going to order; from appetizer to dessert. Glancing over at her; it looked like she was still deciding on what to get. Our waiter came over asking for our drink order; I requested a Bouquet cocktail, and she requested a Cupid's Arrow. I also asked if we could have Salmon Tartare as our appetizer before placing our entree order.
He obliged and went off to fulfill our requests with earnest. Looking back at each other; it was if on cue, live jazz music started filling up atmosphere. My eyes widened as I glanced down at my phone to see that it was indeed past 7 pm. She gave me a knowing smile; adding to the perfection of how this date was starting out. Wait......was this a date? As if reading my mind, she spoke.
"This could be considered a date. I wanted to take you some place I knew you adored," she said as our waiter came back with our drink order and the Salmon Tartare in tow. I took a sip of my cocktail, a small moan escaping my lips because how perfect it tasted. She grinned mischievously before taking a sip of hers. I put some of the tartare on the olive roasted bread and offered it to her first; she leaned in and took a bite of it from my fingers as her eyes never left mines. I could feel my cheeks heat up immediately, causing me to break our eye contact and look off to the side blushing. A comfort silence washed over us as the atmosphere was filled with chatter from other tables, and jazz filling up the room.