maddieandchimney said:

Prompt if you ever want it: Maddie is meeting her husband at a bar for a rare date night after work when a bartender hands her a drink saying a guy told him to give it to the gorgeous woman. She looks up and oh, hello Howard. ?

It was a rare day that they got a babysitter for the kids, and an even rarer one when Maddie brought an outfit to change into after work. Today was both days.

She and Chimney had committed to meeting at Vos after work today; they'd tried the past few weeks and something always got in the way, but today it was going to happen.

She stood in the bathroom at work, smoothing her black dress over her body. It was simple, but it was classic. She'd slid little kitten heels onto her feet; a little sexy, but she'd still be able to walk at the end of the night. Her hair was up, in a hasty bun since she knew taking it down would be disastrous. She couldn't style it, so it would stay up. And really, it almost looked intentional. She swiped lipgloss on, and smacked her lips, smiling at her reflection. For a woman in her forties, she looked damn good.

She opened the door, trying not to flush as she walked past her coworkers to grab her purse from the breakroom. She could see a few curious eyes, but only Josh made a comment-and really, that was to be expected. He followed her into the breakroom, just raising an eyebrow.

"Busy tonight?" He asked, and she nodded.

"This is the third time we've tried to meet at Vos," she said, and he nodded, remembering. "Buck is watching the kids, and we are all set for a night out."

"I'm happy for you," he said. "A little jealous, but happy."

"Come on, don't give me that," she said. "You have a sexy librarian boyfriend waiting for you at home, and you know it."

"That I do," he said. "Never thought I'd put those words together but here we are."

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, and he waved her off.

The bar was crowded, as she'd expected, but thank god, there was one table available in the bar area. Maddie wouldn't typically choose to eat at a high top, but she really wanted to get a table, and a drink, and be all settled in by the time Chimney arrived.

"What can I get you?" The server asked.

"Glass of chardonnay," she called, and sat there, nervously adjusting her outfit, and tugging at her skirt a little when she saw just how many men were present. She'd wanted to look good, of course, but she'd wanted to look good for Chimney, not all these randos.

The server dropped off her chardonnay, and Maddie drank, wondering if she should order an app.

When the server came back, there was another glass of chardonnay on the tray. "Oh, no, I only ordered one," she said.

"The gentleman over there said to send one over," the server replied, placing the new glass in front of her.

Maddie tried to glance through the crowd to see who the server had pointed at, but it was impossible. She looked at both glasses, and shrugged. She was sure the mysterious gentleman would make his identity known, and until then she would enjoy the wine. She raised her glass, toasted her invisible patron, and took a sip.

The music got louder as she took another sip of wine, but Maddie didn't mind it as much now that she had a little alcohol in her. She checked her phone, frowning when she didn't see a text from Chimney.

Where are you? (Maddie)

Just a few minutes away (Chimney)

She glanced around her, wishing he was here now. A group of frat guys were taking some very loud shots at the bar, and she was not feeling great about this crowd anymore. Odds were that a younger guy had sent the drink since she didn't see a lot of older men, least of all men her own age.

She saw the server again, and gestured. "Did the man say anything when he sent the drink?" She asked.

"He just said it was for the gorgeous woman dining alone," she replied. "Did you want to order some apps?"

"Yes, but not yet," Maddie said.

"Enjoying the glass I had sent over?"

She glanced up, nervous, but immediately smiled. It was Chimney standing in front of her, hands in his pockets, a grin on his face. "I saw you alone and I had to have a little fun," he admitted. She scrambled off of her stool to greet him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I've never actually sent a woman a drink before."

"I've never been sent one," she admitted, a flush on her face. "It felt good, if not a little weird."

"You looked gorgeous drinking it," he said. "Very sexy."

"I didn't even do my hair," she said self consciously.

"I love it when your hair is up," he said. "It shows off your neck."

She flushed again, taking another sip of wine. Funny how they'd been married for years now, and he could still make her feel like she had when they'd first met; dizzy inside, flattered, happy.

"You know, I feel like I did when we first started dating," she admitted. "All nervous and happy."

His eyes softened as he looked across the table at her, reaching out his hand. She placed her hand in his, and he stroked it with his thumb. "Whenever I see you, and you smile at me, I feel like I go back to when you moved in," he said. "And we talked about Mission:Impossible, and I'd never had a woman smile at me the way you did."

"Good to know that some things never change," she said. "No matter how old we get."

"We aren't old," he scoffed. "We're young at heart."

"Yeah," she said, smiling at him again. "We are."