Shane was worried. And nervous. The date seemed to have started off well, though they both had experienced some jitters. When Oliver was nervous, he tended to stutter or stumble over his words. But tonight, ever since Nicki greeted them and handed them their menus, he really wasn't talking much at all. She didn't think she'd done something to upset him, but perhaps she had.
She wondered if they should've considered somewhere other than Montaldo's. If she was honest with herself, though the atmostphere was wonderful and the food was incredible, her dates (or non-dates) there had either been or ended in disaster. She hoped this night would be different. But first, she had to figure out if Oliver was upset with her.
She pursed her lips, furrowed her brows, and peered over the menu at Oliver. She still remembered the sting of their last time together here, how he'd uttered the heart-wrenching "just friends" phrase, and how that night had just gone so wrong despite starting out somewhat right. She remembered wiping a tear away at the table where they sat, then wiping away more when she'd returned home.
She had been sure they'd moved past all that. They'd gotten closer, especially after Oliver's misadventure with Joe in El Dorado Canyon, but she was beginning to fear that labeling any outing a date with Oliver O'Toole would result in disaster. She had to know if something was wrong.
Nicki appeared at their table and began speaking about specials, but Shane heard none of it. She glanced at Oliver and at her menu, as so many thoughts raced through her head. She suddenly noticed both Nicki and Oliver were looking at her expectantly. "Would you like me to order the wine, Shane," he asked, ever the gentleman.
"Sure", she murmured, and noted that he ordered a red. Great. If he ordered clams, she was doomed.
Nicki left to retrieve the wine, and Oliver and Shane returned to perusing the menus. Shane noticed that one of the specials featured clams. She suddenly had to know.
"Oliver, did you notice that there's a dish with linguini and clams with a white wine butter reduction?" She asked and did her best to innocently meet his gaze.
Oliver glanced back at the menu, spotting the dish, but shook his head almost imperceptibly. That dish looks wonderful, but I'm not in the mood for clams tonight". Shane breathed a sigh of relief. No clams. He wasn't upset with her.
Nicki returned with the wine, expertly uncorked it, and offered it to Oliver to taste. He swirled it, sniffed it, and took a taste. "This is excellent", he stated. Nicki poured their glasses and took their orders, and then they were left to face each other, without the safety of their menus. This was painful.
Thankfully, the music began to play.
