Nervously, Elaine glanced at her reflection in her compact mirror. She smoothed her hair and put on just a touch of mauve-tinted lipstick.
I can't believe I'm actually doing this...
She stared at the stage door, willing it to open.
Please God... Please let him still be here.
She looked around the club, surprised to find that she was the only customer left. Even a few of the employees were leaving.
Tears filled her eyes when she realized that she'd missed her chance.
Great, Benes. You've blown it again...
Damn it! Why had she run out so quickly last week? Angrily, she brushed the tears away, knowing that her freshly-applied makeup was now ruined. It didn't matter anyway.
The touch of a hand on her shoulder caused her to gasp.
The bouncer appeared before her, blocking her view of the stage door.
"Are you supposed to be here, Missy?" His voice was gruff and unkind.
"Well, I was just..." Elaine stammered.
Oh God, now she was going to get herself thrown out! She'd never be able to set foot in here again.
She knew this was a big mistake. Damn...
"She's with me." Said a familiar voice.
Stunned, she turned to find Jerry Seinfeld standing inches away from her. Immediately her pulse quickened and she was sure that the temperature in the club had risen several degrees.
"Are you sure about that, Seinfeld?" The bouncer asked, giving Jerry a fierce look.
"I asked her to meet me here." Jerry said.
"Really..." The bouncer said. "So who is she?" He glared at Elaine with disgust. "She certainly ain't one of our regulars."
Jerry froze.
"I'm waitin' Seinfeld. You've got two minutes to explain what she's doin' here or I'm throwin' her out. And you too." The bouncer growled.
Jerry looked at Elaine and she saw a flash of panic fill his eyes. "This is..."
"Elaine Benes." She finished for him.
Her heart warmed when she noticed his grateful smile.
"Elaine, huh?" The bouncer said to Jerry. "Friend of yours?"
"You could say that." Jerry said with a grin. "In fact, Elaine's my... girlfriend."
Unexpectedly he took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it tenderly. "Did you enjoy the show, Sweetheart?"
Elaine could only nod in reply. Her body felt numb, and she gripped his hand tightly. If she let go, she was sure she would faint.
Jerry smiled. "See, Jeff? She's speechless. She has no speech! My show was amazing, wasn't it?"
Again, Elaine could only nod as she stared into his gorgeous eyes.
Jeff gave an audible sigh. "All right, Seinfeld. You win. But next time all guests have to check in through the front office. I'm not running a charity show here."
"I'll remember that." Jerry said with a nod.
"You got ten minutes to get out of here, or I'm gonna toss you out myself." Jeff said.
Immediately, Elaine withdrew her hand from Jerry's and stood to put on her coat. "Yeah, I should probably get going."
"Wait..." Jerry said, stopping Elaine in her tracks. "I'll walk you out. I'll be back in a minute."
Elaine watched as Jerry disappeared through the stage door. Minutes later he returned wearing a brown suede jacket.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Um, yeah." Elaine said, noticing that the words came out in a squeak. Jerry must have noticed as well, judging by the grin on his face.
Together they walked out of the club and found themselves standing in the cold, crisp air. They stared at each other for what seemed like minutes, but the silence was strangely comforting.
Finally Jerry extended his hand. "I'm Jerry Seinfeld, but I guess you already know that."
Elaine laughed. "Yeah, well, we were never formally introduced. I'm Elaine Benes."
They shook hands and the warmth of Jerry's skin sent shockwaves through Elaine's body.
"Nice to meet you, Elaine." Jerry said. "Thanks for saving me back there."
Elaine was shocked. "I saved you?"
Jerry laughed. "Well yeah. If you hadn't said your name, I would have been stuck for sure."
"Well then I should thank you, too." Elaine said. "I was afraid that I was literally going to get thrown out."
"It was a good thing that we were there for each other." Jerry said.
Elaine blushed. "Yeah, it was."
"I guess I should be getting home." Jerry said after another brief silence.
"Um yeah. Me too." Elaine said.
"Do you live far from here?" Jerry asked.
"Just a few blocks." Elaine answered.
"It's late. Do you mind if I walk you home?"
"Oh... You don't have to do that." Elaine said, feeling like a teenager. "I-I'm sure you have things you need to do."
"It's no trouble, really. And I'd hate knowing that you were walking by yourself around here at night" Jerry said.
Elaine smiled at his thoughtfulness.
"That would be nice."
They walked to her apartment and made small talk along the way. Elaine was still laughing at Jerry's wonderful sense of humor when they arrived at her doorstep.
"Well, this is my place." Elaine said. "Thank you for walking me home. It was very sweet of you."
She was amazed to see Jerry blush.
"It's not safe walking around here at night. Those all-night pizza places can be torture if you're on a diet."
Elaine burst out laughing and inadvertently hugged Jerry. When she realized what she had done, she quickly pulled away.
"Oh God... I'm sorry."
Embarrassed, she turned away from him.
"Don't be." Jerry said. "Okay. Well, before I say something really stupid, I should probably get going."
"Oh..." Elaine said, desperately wanting him to stay.
"Thanks for coming to the show. I need all the audience I can get." Jerry said. "You were there last week, too, weren't you?"
"Yeah, I was walking home from..."
Damn... Why did she have to remember that horrible evening now? Sadly she looked down at her feet.
"You were saying?" Jerry asked.
Elaine looked up. "Oh, I was going to say that I passed the club on my way home and decided to stop in. I loved your set by the way."
"Thanks, that really means a lot to me." Jerry said.
Elaine immediately noticed that Jerry's face got brighter.
"Yeah. I don't hear it very much; especially in these small clubs. Half the time the audience is drunk and they'll applaud for anything-even the clean up crew."
Elaine laughed. "Well I wasn't drunk... Oh God... I mean... I thought you were very funny."
At that moment she wanted to craw into a hole. She had a terrible sense of humor.
Jerry shifted his feet back and forth. Elaine couldn't believe this guy who seemed so confident on stage was as nervous as she was.
"I was wondering..." Jerry finally said. "If you aren't doing anything tomorrow night... would you like to have dinner with me?"
Elaine smiled, barely able to contain her excitement. "I'd like that... A lot."
"Great." Jerry said. "I'll pick you up around 6:30?"
"That's perfect." Elaine said.
Jerry smiled and she suddenly realized how boyishly handsome he was. She could hardly believe that this was happening. She turned to go back to her apartment but couldn't help watching him as he walked down the street.
Suddenly, tomorrow night seemed like a lifetime away...