A/N – The setting for the date, The Oak Bistro, is a real restaurant and is probably my favorite in Cambridge. I hope I've done this first date justice...
"Um, Edith. Since it is now technically Friday night and neither of us has plans…..would, would you perhaps consider having dinner with me?"
Edith responded quietly, not breaking eye contact with him, "Thank you Anthony, I would love to."
"At last!" they both thought
"Great, perfect!" Said Anthony, with more than a little relief in his voice.
"Would you mind if I go home and change first? I'd like to freshen up before we go out?" Asked Edith.
"Oh, oh not at all. Shall I pick you up at your place?"
"That would be great, thank you." Edith smiled at him as she scribbled her address down on a piece of paper.
"Say 7:30?"
"Yes, absolutely perfect. See you then."
Anthony left Edith's office and as soon as he was in the safely of the corridor he looked skywards and mouthed a silent prayer. "Thank you."
Edith could not get out of the Museum fast enough! She had to get home, shower and change – all before 7:30 and she had no idea what she was going to wear!
Having showered and discarded most of the items in her wardrobe, Edith finally decided upon a hip length emerald green top with long sleeves, cut across at the collar bone but with a deep scoop in the back giving a delightful mix of modesty and daring. She paired this with a pair of faux leather leggings which showed off her long, shapely legs and a pair of silver patent leather pumps. Edith would be striking anywhere but especially so in this outfit!
At 7:28pm, Edith's door buzzer sounded
"H..hi Edith, its me, Anthony." There was a nervous quality to his voice.
Edith opened the door and the man of the hour walked in. He had also taken the opportunity to freshen up and change and was now dressed more casually than his work day attire; in dark blue jeans and a light blue lambswool crew neck sweater, fitting just tightly enough to give Edith an idea of the muscle definition of his chest. The color of his sweater matched perfectly with the blue of his eyes. The look was completed by a pair of brown suede pull on boots. He had also splashed on some cologne, a fresh light scent; not at all overpowering. Edith found his whole ensemble ridiculously attractive.
"Hi, come on in, I'm almost ready. Please, go through and sit down. Can I get you a drink while you wait?" Said Edith.
"Oh, no, no thank you. You carry on, I'll be fine in here."
Anthony walked through to Edith's lounge and sat on the sofa. Surveying the room he noticed the mismatched fabric throws, the cushions, the large colorful rug, the wall hangings and her books. Stacks of them. Standing to take a closer look at some of the titles, he noticed that they had similar tastes – the classics and historical fiction.
Edith meanwhile was putting the last few touches to her make-up and teasing her rowdy russet hair into a manageable mop. Taking one more look at herself in the mirror, she took a deep breath, grabbed her jacket and walked into the lounge.
Anthony turned as she entered
"You look very lovely, Edith." Said Anthony, blushing lightly
"Why thank you kind Sir. You don't look so bad yourself. " Edith replied, shyly dipping her head.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes, yes of course. I'm happy to drive this evening, I'm parked just out front."
Settling into the car, Anthony turned to Edith somewhat nervously
"I hope you don't mind but I've made reservations at one of my favorite spots in town, The Oak Bistro. The food is quite superb, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Friday evenings can be busy for them and I wanted to make sure we were able to secure a table. Is that okay?"
Edith gave him another of her full face smiles, replying;
"That sounds wonderful Anthony! I'm afraid my student budget didn't allow for many evenings out in town so I am more than happy to take your recommendations."
Shortly after leaving Edith's, they pulled up outside the restaurant, which was housed in a beautiful Grade II listed building. As he escorted her from the car, Anthony explained that there had been an inn of some sorts on this site for many, many years and that the current restaurant very much paid homage to the building's heritage.
The atmosphere inside the restaurant was elegant but relaxed and the couple were soon seated at a secluded table near the back of the bistro.
Anthony wasn't wrong, everything on the menu looked absolutely wonderful and it took the couple some time to finally decide on their meals. Anthony poured them both a glass of wine and the pair began to talk…
They talked about everything: books, music, theatre, politics and of course art. Each was surprised by how their views seemed to be perfectly aligned with the other, while still offering a new perspective on the discussion.
As each of the courses arrived, bites were shared and the wine continued to flow.
The evening was progressing well and both Edith and Anthony felt completely relaxed in the others company, something that was a new experience for both of them.
Inevitably the conversation moved to more sensitive topics. Edith told Anthony about her childhood, growing up as the middle child and her parents' dismissive attitude towards her ambitions and her work. He was aghast and more than a little angry on her behalf.
"They have absolutely no idea of the gem that they have in you. You are one of the brightest, most talented people I have ever worked with, Edith, and if I can say that after only one week, I can only wonder where your talents will take you in the future!"
Entirely unused to anyone being so complimentary towards her, Edith blushed furiously and dipped her head. Forcing herself to meet Anthony's eyes, she whispered
"Thank you, Anthony. I've never had a champion before. I so appreciate your taking a chance on me with this job and all the support you've given me so far."
Anthony continued to stare intently at Edith "I have no doubt that my faith in you will be rewarded, many times over. He said quietly.
Over coffee, the conversation took a more personal turn with Edith confiding in Anthony about her private life, or lack thereof. Again, Anthony was genuinely shocked that someone as smart and beautiful as Edith had been so alone for much of her life.
The conversation then moved to Anthony's story.
For his part, Anthony couldn't say why, it wasn't the wine talking, but he wanted Edith to know. Everything. So he told her about Madeleine.
Edith listened, shocked at the brutal treatment he had been subjected to by the one person who was supposed to love him the most.
When Anthony finished his story, Edith was silent. She was trying to process everything that he had told her and trying to formulate a response that wouldn't seem clichéd or trite.
Reaching across the table for his hand, Edith started gently rubbing her thumb across his knuckles and began to speak. Anthony couldn't meet her eyes.
"Anthony. Look at me.
I'm not going to tell you that I know how you feel because, truthfully, I have no concept of the pain you must have felt and indeed still feel. I'm not sure that I could go on after that. I'm not sure that I am strong enough. But what I will tell you is that I am so glad that you are here and that we are friends. I am honored that you felt able to share those most tender of feelings with me and that any time you want or need to talk about Madeleine, or anything else, I am always here to listen. I hope you know that."
"Thank you, Edith. I'm sorry to ruin the tone of the evening by landing you with all of my baggage."
"Nonsense, nothing is ruined, I'm glad you told me. That's a heavy weight to carry on your own all these years."
He smiled shyly at her and, still holding her hand, said "shall we get out of here?"
Anthony quickly paid the bill and before too long the couple had left the restaurant.
Neither was willing to end the evening quite yet so they decided to take a walk along the Cam, just as the last of the daylight was fading. Anthony took Edith's arm and placed it in his as they walked along in companionable silence, both happy to just 'be' with the other.
At length, they circled back towards Anthony's car. "Please allow me to give you a lift home." Said Anthony.
"That would be lovely, if you're sure its not too much trouble? I know it's a bit out of your way"
"Not at all, I'll be much happier knowing that you're home safely."
"Thank you, that's very kind of you."
A short while later, they pulled up outside Edith's little flat. Anthony, being the perfect gentleman, insisted on escorting Edith right to her door.
As they stood outside her door, the atmosphere between them was highly charged. The evening had gone better than either of them would have ever hoped.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening, Anthony. You were absolutely correct, the Oak was amazing."
Anthony chuckled slightly and gave her one of his slightly lopsided smiles. "You are quite welcome, thank you for being such exquisite company."
Edith blushed slightly, cleared her throat and absolutely not thinking about what she was about to do; stretched up on her tip toes and kissed Anthony lightly on his right cheek.
Anthony looked slightly stunned but recovered before she could move too far away from him. He took her lightly by the elbows and placed a delicate kiss to her forehead.
Seeing her safely inside her little flat, he took both her hands in his, bowed slightly and kissed them.
"Goodnight Edith, thank you for a most enchanted evening."
"Goodnight Anthony, thank you."