Go on and hit me with your best shot...
And by shot, I mean review.
Natalie
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The moment of truth was upon not only me and my companion, but upon Corday and Romano too: The bill had come.
The waiter did that set it down face down in the middle of the two people thing, and no one moved for a moment. This was, of course, the moment of truth, everyone was supposed to be still. My hand twitched to reach for the thin piece of paper, but before I could get a hand on it, my companion had snatched it up.
Okay—so he got to it first. That didn't mean he was going to pay. I awkwardly reach into my purse and pull out my wallet. I extract my money cautiously and silently set it on the table. When you speak of such things, it just gets more awkward. My companion reaches for the money, and I think he's going to take it.
A waive of disappointment flashes over me as I realize that if he does in fact take it, this wasn't a date.
And then, I realized I wanted this to be a date. Damn me, I wanted this to be a date.
But just as I thought he was going to put my money with his, he folded my portion of it up, and set it in front of me.
"I've got this." He says as he motions the waiter over.
I want to protest, and I begin to, but he looks at me sternly, silencing me with his look: Not many people can do that.
Okay, so this was a semi-date.
Hallelujah.
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Elizabeth sat there silently sipping her wine, staring subtly at the tiny piece of paper that fluttered with the heater: a testament to its thinness and instability.
She always hated this moment; it was unlike any other she'd ever experienced. It was awkward and just felt plain unnatural. She began to reach for the tell-tale piece of paper, but her hand hadn't gotten halfway to it before Romano picked it up.
Her heart fluttered involuntarily as she realized that this could be a date. She slowly got out her share of the money, and cautiously placed it in the middle of the table. Romano glanced at it, and picked it up.
She thought briefly, that perhaps this wasn't a date, until he quickly folded the money back up and handed it to her. She accepted it as Romano said "I've got this." That was the universal line that all men used during this extremely awkward moment in the evening.
She smiled graciously, and thought about insisting, but quickly changed her mind. She found it incredibly sweet that he had picked up the check, and that he had wanted to pay for her dinner. But mostly, she felt glad at the fact that there was still a possibility that this was a date.
"Thank you" she said quietly.
"No problem—you're lucky I drank all that wine." He said, smiling at her and motioning the waiter over to the table.
She laughed at his joke, and considered him for a moment. He looked good. She never though she'd find herself saying those words, but to her, he did.
Robert smiled at her and finished off his wine to drive home the point.
He thought for a moment. He'd offered to pay for dinner and she hadn't refused. She hadn't insisted on paying her fair share. Did that mean that she wanted this to be a date, then? Women usually refused gestures like this if they didn't want the situation to be a date—that is, unless they were rude or into taking advantage of nice men.
However, Elizabeth wasn't that kind of woman, and he, he mused, wasn't a "nice man." So, when it came down to it, he wanted it to be a date, and apparently so did she. Or so he derived from her actions.
Yes, that was a very good sign.
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Okay, so Romano picked up the check. All right, he was definitely swinging. I watched the couple, and I noticed that she didn't protest his gesture. She was swinging too.
Hell yeah.
I was disturbed out of my reverie by my companion "So, tell me more about this baseball analogy you've cooked up."
I faked being indignant "I will NOT explain my philosophy just so you can have a good laugh." I said, acting haughty.
He laughs "Fine, keep your delusions to yourself." He stated before adding "No, seriously... where do I fit in to the game."
"You? Ha. You don't fit in to the game. You don't get to play. Those who laugh at the game don't get to play in it."
"Are those the rules" he says, a flirtatious connotation to his voice.
"Yes," I said "Those are the rules."
"Uh-huh. And who made them up?" he says, his voice low.
I smile lightly "Me."
"Uh-huh. So, how can I get you to change your mind?" he asks as he scoots his chair closer to mine.
I really don't want to be caught up in this right now, so I force my mind to concentrate despite his close proximity.
"Fine." I said, giving in as to avoid any more of this dangerous territory. "You can be.... The catcher."
He laughed "Ah-ha. I see how you operate."
"What?" I asked
"Put a mask over my face so no one can see how handsome I am."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, shoot, you've really got my number." I said, laughing.
"I always have."
'boy ain't that the truth' I though to myself.
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"What's this guy's deal?" Romano questioned.
"I have no idea. Apparently he's not heard of showing up for appointments."
"Apparently" he concurred.
Elizabeth sighed "I suppose I should get on home now." She stated as she began to stand up.
"Ah yes, it is 10:07, you're not used to such late nights."
Elizabeth laughed "Yes, that is the truth." "Nor am I." He assured.
He stood up, as did she, and he put a hand on her back to guide her through the room.
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I quickly noticed that my batters were on the move, his hand on the small of her back, which has always been my favorite gesture. I point this out to my companion, and he raises his eyebrows
"Should we follow?" He asked.
"You need to ask." I stated as we quietly stood up and followed Corday and Romano out of the restaurant.
They didn't notice us watch their every move as we hid behind a wall, and cautiously peeked around the corner to catch their actions.
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"Well..." Romano said, trailing off.
"Yeah." Elizabeth seconded.
"This was fun." He said nervously.
"Yes, it was." Elizabeth said equally as nervous.
"So..." Robert began, but didn't finish.
"Thank you for dinner, Robert." She said quietly.
And then she closed the distance between them and placed a light kiss on his cheek.
He said nothing, as his heart fluttered into his chest. Elizabeth Corday had kissed him on the cheek.
"I'll see you tomorrow" she said, and then she got into the taxi that was waiting for her.
Robert Romano smiled a large smile as he turned from the cab and began to walk down the street. Life was good.
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I was totally expecting more when she stepped closer to him, but whatever, I guess a kiss on the cheek will suffice for the time being, it's better than what happened the night before. I saw that huge smile on Romano's face. And I have to reiterate the fact that Damn, I'm good.
I mean, I know he's not the nicest guy on the face of the planet, but he deserves happiness just as much as the next guy. And, as the pitcher of this whole game, I have to say that I am proud that my actions, albeit indirectly, brought about the smile on his face.
My companion looked at me, as we stood behind the wall—still hiding so that we can't be seen.
"Wow." He said simply.
"Yeah, I know."
"That was... sweet... in its own way." He stated.
It truly was.
I could feel him leaning closer, reeling from the sweetness of the scene we had just witnessed. I wanted to push him away, to tell him to leave, go away and just leave me alone—because I am that cynical. But, for some reason I couldn't.
He leaned towards me; his face inches from mine, and smiled at me, his eyes boring deeply into mine.
Until I feel his lips brush lightly against mine. It's only for a second, but it's one of the sweetest seconds of my life.
I pause briefly, as I lament the fact that my batters didn't share the same pleasure, but I'm quickly reminded of my companion as he smiles at me, still looking into my eyes.
I smile back—truthfully smile back—and say with a grin "Nice catch."
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To be continued. Mwahahahahahaha....
ReViEw Me!!!! Kay, thanks!
Hmmm... maybe you know who the narrator is—maybe you don't... either way... who cares... this is a CORDANO, people... I'm just throwing the narrator in for fun! : ) But still, it's fun to write...
Especially when YOU review.
--And regardless of who my narrators are... or who you think them to be... can we all make a conscious effort NOT to allow the Carbys to take over the world.. NOT that Carby is bad... but come on... diversity.. it's a good thing... Please, I beg of you--
Emily Dickinson (a.k.a.: Natalie)