"How did Angela look today, Honey?" she called to Cory, who was preparing for the evening in the couple's tiny half-bath.
"Sleepy," he replied, patting his clean-shaved face as he entered the bedroom. "But nice -- very healthy, and even though she was sound asleep, she looked genuinely happy to be back here with Shawn."
Topanga smiled. "Oh I know she must be. I imagine Shawn was ecstatic, too."
"Well, I'm sure he was," Cory said, looking down to button up his white dress shirt. "He kept pretty quiet, cause you know, she was sleeping and all."
Topanga just nodded as she applied a rich coral lipstick to her lips. Dressed in a short, dark blue, spaghetti-strap dress and jeweled heels, Topanga was ready for a nice dinner with the most important people in her life.
Cory pulled on his jacket and gingerly kissed his wife's shoulder. "So, Honey, what do you know about this mysterious restaurant you picked out for us?"
"Pierre's is this great French place I pass everyday on the way to work. Some of my co-workers have eaten there, and they say the food is delicious," Topanga explained.
Cory suddenly looked uneasy. "French, dear?" he asked worriedly.
Topanga looked seductively over her shoulder to him. "Oui." Her tone became more serious after seeing the expression on his face. "Why, Cory? What's wrong with French?"
"I'll tell ya what's wrong with French. You can't read a darn thing on the menu, they give you way too many forks, and there's something funny about those waiters," he said matter-of-factly in a way that only Cory could make seem funny.
Topanga laughed at her husband's obvious paranoia. She put her hands on his shoulders and stood on her tip-toes to kiss him lightly on the lips. "Relax, Honey. We are going to have dinner in a beautiful restaurant with our two best friends. What could possibly go wrong?" She smiled reassuringly as they headed out the door.
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"What could possibly go wrong?" Cory mocked his wife as they took their seats in the lavishly decorated French restaurant.
Topanga rolled her eyes, and Shawn took it upon himself to console his friend. "Cory, nothing did go wrong. So the host mistook you for that curly-haired guy who used to be on TGIF. He's famous; you should feel flattered."
"Yeah, Cor," Angela chimed in. "I am so happy to be back with you guys, I don't want to let something that silly spoil our evening."
Topanga nodded in agreement. "You're absolutely right, Angela. This night is going to be a celebration of the four of us being all together again," she declared cheerfully. "We are going to have a great time."
Just as the group began to chat casually, a tall, muscular black guy approached the table. "Hi, my name is Charles. I'll be your waiter this evening," he greeted them politely. "What can I get you all to drink?"
The girls placed their drink orders first, blushing shyly as Charles dished out sickeningly sweet compliments. Shawn knew that the guy was just being friendly, but he couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable, especially when Charles' eyes lingered on Angela as he and Cory ordered their drinks.
It's obvious that she and I are a couple, Shawn thought. He can look if he wants, but he wouldn't think of trying anything with her boyfriend right here. Shawn sighed, feeling more comfortable with that thought in mind.
"So, Angela, what are you going to be doing here in New York?" Topanga inquired.
Angela enthusiastically shared her plans with Topanga. "I'm going to be living so close to you guys," she said. "My apartment is just down the street from NYU, but I can't move in for another month."
Topanga and Cory looked confused.
"Oh, but until then, I'm staying with Shawn." She smiled and grabbed his hand as she explained.
Shawn squeezed her hand gently back. He was feeling on top of the world until Charles returned to the table and Angela slowly pulled her hand away.
"Hey guys," Charles said, directing the comment to the whole group but looking mostly at Angela. He placed iced teas in front of Cory, Topanga, and Angela, but didn't seem to have Shawn's drink.
"A tea for you, Sir, and a tea for each of the beautiful ladies, and..." he trailed off, looking confused for a moment. "I'm sorry, man, but you'll have to remind me what you ordered," Charles said, looking at Shawn.
Shawn was annoyed. He took Charles's "forgetfulness" personally because of the waiter's apparent interest in Angela, but he decided not to react right away. "It was a water," Shawn said, emotionlessly.
"I'm sorry about that. I'll have it right out to you." Charles flashed a smile at Angela once more before whisking away.
The four perused their menus momentarily as Cory attempted to provide entertainment by sharing an anecdote about a call he made while working that day. Angela laughed at Cory's humor. He was the only person she knew who could find pleasure selling magazine subscriptions over the phone.
Charles walked over to the table with Shawn's water and proceeded to take the group's dinner orders. Just as Cory feared, his friends placed their orders eloquently and in perfect French while he frantically scanned the menu for a familiar word. Flustered, he quietly asked his wife to suggest a dish for him, in hopes of avoiding any embarrassment.
Unfortunately, Cory's dignity just wasn't an issue to his wife at that moment. In typical Topanga fashion, she loudly scolded him for waiting until the last minute to decide. Topanga wasn't angry; she was only slightly annoyed, but Cory had already been humiliated.
Charles tapped his foot impatiently while still grinning in his attempt to charm Angela. Clueless as to what to say next, Cory finally ordered. "Oh, just give me what the wife is having," he said, still feeling incredibly embarrassed.
Charles marked the order on his notepad and looked up at the two couples. "So you guys are married?" he asked Cory and Topanga. "How long has it been?"
Topanga looked at her husband briefly and replied, "A year and a half, and it's been wonderful." She turned to Cory again. "Right, Honey, it's been wonderful?"
Cory stared at his silverware. "Yeah, wonderful," he said in a sarcastic tone, waving one hand in frustration.
The handsome young waiter turned to Shawn and Angela. "Are you two married, as well?" he asked.
Shawn was reluctant to answer, still hurt by Angela's pulling her hand away when Charles arrived. Charles didn't seem to be backing down, and Shawn was growing angrier by the minute.
"No, no we aren't married," Angela finally answered. She looked affectionately into Shawn's eyes. "But maybe someday..." Shawn was too upset to appreciate his girlfriend's sincere sentiment.
Charles patted him on the back. "You're a lucky man. You better put a ring on that finger before some other man out there recognizes exactly how lucky you are," he said smoothly.
Angela giggled at the compliment while Shawn simply nodded his head. Charles collected the menus and walked away, but thick clouds of tension still loomed over the table.
"Dear," Cory began, trying to control his anger, "that wasn't really necessary, now was it?"
Topanga responded with a puzzled glare. "What are you talking about?" she shot back.
"I told you how uncomfortable I am in these places," he said quietly, but his anger could not be masked. "You didn't have to make it entirely obvious that you married a complete doof!"
Topanga was astonished by Cory's immature behavior. The two began to bicker amongst themselves, but their conflict was no cause for alarm. Cory and Topanga may have had their meaningless little arguments from time to time, but they continued to set an impressive standard for young couples. With these two, love always conquered all.
For years, Shawn had looked to his two closest friends as the example for the kind of relationship he hoped to have. When Angela came into his life, he knew he had found the person with whom he wanted to follow their example. He believed that now more strongly than ever, but he only felt bitter and betrayed that evening at the restaurant.
How could this guy flirt with her so obviously in front of me? he wondered. Is Angela actually attracted to him? Why was she so giddy around him?