Shawn was upset, but he didn't want to make an issue of it, not yet. He remained stand-offish, but Angela was totally oblivious to his frustration. She and Topanga swapped stories about shopping and school and Angela's experiences in Paris while Cory and Shawn sat silently.
Cory had cooled off since his argument with Topanga, but the girls continued to lead the conversation all throughout dinner. Shawn remained uneasy, glancing over to see Charles admiring Angela every few minutes. Shawn had picked at his exquisite French entree for as long as he could when Charles returned to the table offering dessert.
Ready to call it a night, all four of them refused, prompting Charles to lay one more compliment on the girls.
"Yeah, what do you guys need with dessert?" he asked slyly. "There is more sweetness over here than you two probably know what to do with," he said, glancing back and forth to Cory and Shawn.
Even Cory couldn't help but laugh at the cheesiness of Charles's line. Shawn just kept quiet, and the girls blushed and giggled, absolutely flattered. With that, Charles left the check, returning only a moment later to pick up Cory's payment.
"Topanga, I am so glad you chose this restaurant for my first night in town," Angela said. "The food was to-die-for."
Topanga agreed completely. "Yeah, my co-workers were right about this place. We'll have to come back sometime."
Cory and Shawn had obviously heard enough. Both stood up abruptly, desperately hoping that Charles would return with Cory's credit card.
"Thank you, Mr. Matthews," Charles said as he approached the table. "You all have a wonderful night." He focused intently on Angela as he spoke the last sentence.
Feeling obligated to say something back to the friendly waiter, Angela spoke out. "Thank you, Charles," she said politely. "We had a lovely evening. Topanga and I were just talking about how we'd love to come back."
Charles smiled brightly. Taking Angela's graciousness as a sign of interest, he reached to pick up her hand and kissed it gently. "Then I look forward to seeing you here again," Charles said, looking deeply into her eyes.
As the group went to exit the restaurant, Shawn was fuming. The anger that boiled in his blood clashed with the heavy sadness that tugged at his heart, resulting in sheer frustration.
The couples had arrived at Pierre's together via subway, but outside the restaurant, they parted ways to ride home in separate taxis. The cool night air agitated Shawn's fury as he climbed into the cab.
It was still relatively early, he noticed, as the clock was just approaching 10:30. This is going to be a long, difficult night, he thought, still feeling extremely unsettled about the events that had taken place at dinner.
Angela sensed Shawn's uneasiness. She studied his face as he gazed aimlessly out the window. Uncertain about his worries, Angela opted to comfort him silently, sliding her fingers into his and nestling close to his body.
Shawn did not attempt to understand his girlfriend's behavior at this point. His attention was focused outside the realm of his existence. Effortlessly, he absorbed his strikingly imposing urban surroundings, trying desperately to push all doubts about his relationship outside his consciousness.
Angela loved him; he knew it for a fact. Even through their tumultuous breakup two years ago, he never doubted it for a moment. So why did the interaction between Angela and Charles bother him beyond comprehension?
Shawn was barely conscious of Angela's subtle efforts to console him as they rested silently in the cab. Her slender fingers delicately caressed his motionless hands. She melted in the warmth from his body and embraced the soft vibrations of his heartbeat.
Angela wondered what could be troubling him to the point of absolute silence. She wanted so desperately for him to speak to her but decided to wait until they arrived back at the apartment to discuss the problem.
As hard as he tried, Shawn could not repress his feelings of hurt and anger. The thought of Angela, his Angela, pulling her hand away upon seeing the cunningly smooth waiter played in his head over and over.
Is she going to pull away from me again? Did she realize how close we inevitably were going to be when she came back from Europe? What if she isn't ready to accept me as the only person she would ever love?
Shawn sighed and ran his fingers through his short brown hair. He felt the cab gradually slowing and looked up to see his apartment building standing tall in the night.
Shawn quietly paid the driver and stepped out of the vehicle, with Angela still close by his side. The two ascended the stairs in silence, finally entering apartment 14C when the tension had reached its peak.
Neglecting to turn on the lights, Shawn briskly walked to the couch, where he plopped down without so much as a word. Angela was as confused as ever. She turned on a small lamp near the sofa and sat down. There was just enough light so that they could see each other.
Angela opened her mouth to speak, choosing her words carefully. "Shawn, if something's bothering you, you know you can talk to me about it." Her words were soft and sincere.
Shawn simply stared at the wall ahead of him, shaking his head to refuse her offer.
"You know I love you," she said meekly, silently praying that he would respond.
He hesitated for a moment before turning to face her. "Angela, I -- I know you love me, and I thank God every day for that. I just felt very uncomfortable with the way you responded to that sleazy waiter tonight," he said, tones of sadness echoing in his voice.
Angela was speechless. Was he entertaining the thought that she might be interested in another man? Hurt, she shot him a look of confusion.
He spoke again before she could collect her thoughts, this time allowing his anger to take full control. "I mean, that guy was eying you like, like other guys shouldn't be eying you," he stuttered furiously. "And you didn't do anything to let him know that he needed to back off, not a damned thing!"
Angela was torn between crying and shouting. Any other time, a little harmless jealously would have been flattering, but this time, it was obvious that a more serious issue was coming to a head.
"Oh, and what did you do, Shawn?" she questioned him bitterly. "You keep to yourself all night and then blow up because I politely accept compliments from some guy I will never see again?"
Shawn interrupted her angrily. "Excuse me, but you didn't give him any indication that you wouldn't be seeing him again, if I remember correctly."
Angela was on the verge of tears. "Shawn, you know as well as I do that I have zero interest in spending time with any other guy than you. I know you don't believe I would leave you for some smooth-talking waiter." She did her best to control the tone of her voice. "What's this really about?"
Shawn's rage had suddenly faded into a state of confusion. "I -- I really don't know," he said, more calmly. "I'm gonna have to think about this."
Still baffled by his anger, Angela searched for some sign that everything would be okay. As Shawn's troubled eyes looked up to meet hers, she clearly understood that despite his problems, he had never intended to hurt her.
"Look, Sweetie, I'm gonna go get ready for bed. Are you gonna be okay?" she asked.
Shawn nodded and placed a soft kiss on her hand. "Yeah, you go ahead. I'm just gonna crash here on the couch."
Although she had no problems sharing a bed with Shawn, Angela understood that he needed to work through his confusion alone. She lightly pressed her lips to his forehead and headed off to the bathroom.
Once she had changed and crawled into Shawn's bed, Angela lie awake, contemplating the meaning behind the conversation they had just had. Angela knew she stood the chance of being hurt; Shawn was never one to act rationally when something was troubling him.
Before, she would have run away to escape the possibility of having her heart broken. Now, she wouldn't dream of it; she loved him too much to let fear get the better of her.
Angela tossed and turned sleeplessly for hours. Her only comfort was the warmth of the bed itself. Lying on the same sheets that Shawn slept on night after night, Angela felt his essence surrounding her.
The feeling of familiarity and the knowledge that she and Shawn would be calling the same place "home" soothed Angela's heart and ultimately cradled her into sleep that difficult night.
Shawn, however, could not fight his feelings of discomfort so easily. Curled tightly into one end of the couch, he was beginning to realize that his reaction to the Charles situation was much more of a problem than the event itself.
A year away from someone can really put you on edge, he thought. Angela wants to be with me, or else she wouldn't be here to live with me for a month.
As the night pressed on, Shawn's thoughts became more and more rational. Realistically, he knew that Angela wouldn't consider leaving him, not after all the work they had invested in their relationship. Somewhere in his mind, though, there remained a shred of fear that Angela wasn't ready for the level of commitment that he wanted.
Only time could eliminate his doubts, Shawn decided. In the meantime, the most he could do was enjoy their time together and sit back to allow his heart guide him into making his next move.
Cory had cooled off since his argument with Topanga, but the girls continued to lead the conversation all throughout dinner. Shawn remained uneasy, glancing over to see Charles admiring Angela every few minutes. Shawn had picked at his exquisite French entree for as long as he could when Charles returned to the table offering dessert.
Ready to call it a night, all four of them refused, prompting Charles to lay one more compliment on the girls.
"Yeah, what do you guys need with dessert?" he asked slyly. "There is more sweetness over here than you two probably know what to do with," he said, glancing back and forth to Cory and Shawn.
Even Cory couldn't help but laugh at the cheesiness of Charles's line. Shawn just kept quiet, and the girls blushed and giggled, absolutely flattered. With that, Charles left the check, returning only a moment later to pick up Cory's payment.
"Topanga, I am so glad you chose this restaurant for my first night in town," Angela said. "The food was to-die-for."
Topanga agreed completely. "Yeah, my co-workers were right about this place. We'll have to come back sometime."
Cory and Shawn had obviously heard enough. Both stood up abruptly, desperately hoping that Charles would return with Cory's credit card.
"Thank you, Mr. Matthews," Charles said as he approached the table. "You all have a wonderful night." He focused intently on Angela as he spoke the last sentence.
Feeling obligated to say something back to the friendly waiter, Angela spoke out. "Thank you, Charles," she said politely. "We had a lovely evening. Topanga and I were just talking about how we'd love to come back."
Charles smiled brightly. Taking Angela's graciousness as a sign of interest, he reached to pick up her hand and kissed it gently. "Then I look forward to seeing you here again," Charles said, looking deeply into her eyes.
As the group went to exit the restaurant, Shawn was fuming. The anger that boiled in his blood clashed with the heavy sadness that tugged at his heart, resulting in sheer frustration.
The couples had arrived at Pierre's together via subway, but outside the restaurant, they parted ways to ride home in separate taxis. The cool night air agitated Shawn's fury as he climbed into the cab.
It was still relatively early, he noticed, as the clock was just approaching 10:30. This is going to be a long, difficult night, he thought, still feeling extremely unsettled about the events that had taken place at dinner.
Angela sensed Shawn's uneasiness. She studied his face as he gazed aimlessly out the window. Uncertain about his worries, Angela opted to comfort him silently, sliding her fingers into his and nestling close to his body.
Shawn did not attempt to understand his girlfriend's behavior at this point. His attention was focused outside the realm of his existence. Effortlessly, he absorbed his strikingly imposing urban surroundings, trying desperately to push all doubts about his relationship outside his consciousness.
Angela loved him; he knew it for a fact. Even through their tumultuous breakup two years ago, he never doubted it for a moment. So why did the interaction between Angela and Charles bother him beyond comprehension?
Shawn was barely conscious of Angela's subtle efforts to console him as they rested silently in the cab. Her slender fingers delicately caressed his motionless hands. She melted in the warmth from his body and embraced the soft vibrations of his heartbeat.
Angela wondered what could be troubling him to the point of absolute silence. She wanted so desperately for him to speak to her but decided to wait until they arrived back at the apartment to discuss the problem.
As hard as he tried, Shawn could not repress his feelings of hurt and anger. The thought of Angela, his Angela, pulling her hand away upon seeing the cunningly smooth waiter played in his head over and over.
Is she going to pull away from me again? Did she realize how close we inevitably were going to be when she came back from Europe? What if she isn't ready to accept me as the only person she would ever love?
Shawn sighed and ran his fingers through his short brown hair. He felt the cab gradually slowing and looked up to see his apartment building standing tall in the night.
Shawn quietly paid the driver and stepped out of the vehicle, with Angela still close by his side. The two ascended the stairs in silence, finally entering apartment 14C when the tension had reached its peak.
Neglecting to turn on the lights, Shawn briskly walked to the couch, where he plopped down without so much as a word. Angela was as confused as ever. She turned on a small lamp near the sofa and sat down. There was just enough light so that they could see each other.
Angela opened her mouth to speak, choosing her words carefully. "Shawn, if something's bothering you, you know you can talk to me about it." Her words were soft and sincere.
Shawn simply stared at the wall ahead of him, shaking his head to refuse her offer.
"You know I love you," she said meekly, silently praying that he would respond.
He hesitated for a moment before turning to face her. "Angela, I -- I know you love me, and I thank God every day for that. I just felt very uncomfortable with the way you responded to that sleazy waiter tonight," he said, tones of sadness echoing in his voice.
Angela was speechless. Was he entertaining the thought that she might be interested in another man? Hurt, she shot him a look of confusion.
He spoke again before she could collect her thoughts, this time allowing his anger to take full control. "I mean, that guy was eying you like, like other guys shouldn't be eying you," he stuttered furiously. "And you didn't do anything to let him know that he needed to back off, not a damned thing!"
Angela was torn between crying and shouting. Any other time, a little harmless jealously would have been flattering, but this time, it was obvious that a more serious issue was coming to a head.
"Oh, and what did you do, Shawn?" she questioned him bitterly. "You keep to yourself all night and then blow up because I politely accept compliments from some guy I will never see again?"
Shawn interrupted her angrily. "Excuse me, but you didn't give him any indication that you wouldn't be seeing him again, if I remember correctly."
Angela was on the verge of tears. "Shawn, you know as well as I do that I have zero interest in spending time with any other guy than you. I know you don't believe I would leave you for some smooth-talking waiter." She did her best to control the tone of her voice. "What's this really about?"
Shawn's rage had suddenly faded into a state of confusion. "I -- I really don't know," he said, more calmly. "I'm gonna have to think about this."
Still baffled by his anger, Angela searched for some sign that everything would be okay. As Shawn's troubled eyes looked up to meet hers, she clearly understood that despite his problems, he had never intended to hurt her.
"Look, Sweetie, I'm gonna go get ready for bed. Are you gonna be okay?" she asked.
Shawn nodded and placed a soft kiss on her hand. "Yeah, you go ahead. I'm just gonna crash here on the couch."
Although she had no problems sharing a bed with Shawn, Angela understood that he needed to work through his confusion alone. She lightly pressed her lips to his forehead and headed off to the bathroom.
Once she had changed and crawled into Shawn's bed, Angela lie awake, contemplating the meaning behind the conversation they had just had. Angela knew she stood the chance of being hurt; Shawn was never one to act rationally when something was troubling him.
Before, she would have run away to escape the possibility of having her heart broken. Now, she wouldn't dream of it; she loved him too much to let fear get the better of her.
Angela tossed and turned sleeplessly for hours. Her only comfort was the warmth of the bed itself. Lying on the same sheets that Shawn slept on night after night, Angela felt his essence surrounding her.
The feeling of familiarity and the knowledge that she and Shawn would be calling the same place "home" soothed Angela's heart and ultimately cradled her into sleep that difficult night.
Shawn, however, could not fight his feelings of discomfort so easily. Curled tightly into one end of the couch, he was beginning to realize that his reaction to the Charles situation was much more of a problem than the event itself.
A year away from someone can really put you on edge, he thought. Angela wants to be with me, or else she wouldn't be here to live with me for a month.
As the night pressed on, Shawn's thoughts became more and more rational. Realistically, he knew that Angela wouldn't consider leaving him, not after all the work they had invested in their relationship. Somewhere in his mind, though, there remained a shred of fear that Angela wasn't ready for the level of commitment that he wanted.
Only time could eliminate his doubts, Shawn decided. In the meantime, the most he could do was enjoy their time together and sit back to allow his heart guide him into making his next move.