The butterflies made it worth it. The curling iron twirled in her hand as a blonde ringlet fell perfectly framing her face. He loved the curls. And though he'd never say it, he liked the extra bit of eye make up she threw on from time to time too. She liked feeling pretty, and she liked the way he looked at her when she went the extra mile.
Her date outfit was already laid out on the bed. She slid into the dark jeans, and a curve hugging shirt. Casual but sexy. After all, it was just dinner at Granny's (her suggestion), and maybe a walk by the docks. Checking her phone, she was ready early, again. She fell back against the bed with a thud. Now she had to wait.
And wait.
And wait.
He was supposed to pick her up at six, and six came and went. Close to seven, her phone went off. "Stuck at work."
She sighed. "Raincheck?" she wrote back.
"Probably," he typed in response.
Another night cancelled.
A week later, a similar set up presented itself, and she asked if he wanted to come over for dinner. This time, she straightened her hair, and as not to get her hopes up, she traded heels for flats, and a blouse for a t-shirt. She was early again, but as she was doing the cooking, it was a good thing. She fired up the burner, and thirty minutes later, she had a meal that would make a top chef jealous… if that top chef was a shitty cook and read from a cookbook. But it was ready for his seven o'clock arrival time, and she was very pleased with herself.
Of course, he got stuck at work again.
It wasn't his fault. His job was helping others, and it consumed his life. He hated it, was constantly stressed out, but she couldn't be mad at him. He was helping people. And then he had to help himself. She knew on the priority list, her place wasn't always at the top. But it made her sad again to have plans sit on the backburner, like her dinner. Jeans were swapped for pajamas, and she settled in for dinner alone again on the couch. Again.
"Come to dinner," her friend asked, after a morning of shopping and adventuring around the town.
"I can't," she smiled, "date night." Her friends smiled at her, but their smiles were laced with sympathy. They knew she didn't see him much. They actually joked about him not being real. But today, they smiled, and parted ways.
He didn't make it to dinner, but he showed up around 9 pm, exhausted. He climbed into bed with her, and she tucked herself against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. Inhaling deeply, she snuggled closer, and he stroked his fingers down her side.
She knew it wouldn't be like this forever, and eventually they would have all the time together in the world. But for now, she'd take what she could get, and if that meant an hour snuggling in her small bed, she'd take it.