The two of them sat down at the small booth. Miranda had no real idea why she'd brought Donovan here. She hadn't been back to this restaurant since her break up with Nora Ashline. Maybe I'm finally letting go… she said to herself. She didn't open the menu. She always ordered the same thing. Once their food arrived, the two of them sat talking and laughing and Donovan suddenly realised that he was acting like this was some sort of date. It wasn't… was it?

"That looks interesting," he said, pointing at her plate.

With a broad smile, Miranda picked up her plate and offered it to him. "Help yourself, Ethan."

He picked a prawn out of the curry sauce and blew on it. He popped it into his mouth. His eyes went wide and then slammed shut as they began to water. It was like napalm in his mouth! To his credit, he didn't spit the food out but continued to chew through the burn, huffing through pursed lips.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed.

When he reached out for the water, Miranda stopped him. "Don't, it will only make it worse. Eat a few bites of your own food."

Donovan obeyed, eating his much milder noodles. The burn began to recede. He wiped at his eyes, still breathing through his mouth, trying to ease the burning. "Thanks for the warning!"

Her eyes sparkled. "Call it a bit of hazing."

He shook his head and smiled at her. For some reason, Miranda simultaneously made the hairs on his arm stand on end and blood pool in his groin. He found her unnerving and intoxicating at the same time. The more the two of them talked the more Donovan felt like he was, in fact, on a date. Granted, it had been a really long time since he'd been on one and he really had no idea what he was doing here but something way back in his mind remembered this nervous feeling.

He'd felt like a right bastard when he'd cheated on his wife the first time. It had been before their youngest daughter, Rebecca, had been born. If Donovan was honest with himself, that was the beginning of the end really. Oh, it wasn't the reason. There really was no single reason or party you could point your finger at. But once he'd slipped his wedding ring into his pocket and fallen into bed with that dazzling brunette, well, that was when he'd known, deep down, that it was over. Sure he and Heather had given it a few more tries but those tries had all fizzled quickly and then he'd found out about what's his name. He hadn't been angry about it. He was just glad he wasn't the only one stepping outside the lines. Whenever Donovan visited a city, he indulged and after a while it hadn't even felt like adultery anymore. He was a pretty good looking bloke, suave and charming, and had no trouble filling his nights with pleasing company but the woman sitting across from him was way the fuck out of his league.

She was a beautiful woman but she was also his superior. This wasn't exactly a good idea. But then again, coming out here hadn't been a good idea either. Donovan had received a fairly decent amount of political blowback because of this. He was laying his career on the line in a way he never had before. And since he was already in a risk taking mood…

Once their meal was over, Donovan saw a small speck of curry on Miranda's lip. Feeling brave and bold, he reached across the table and swept it away with his thumb. He let his fingers trail across her jaw. There was no mistaking the gesture.

Miranda gave him a soft smile and then said, "I thought this was a friendly outing, Ethan."

Donovan pulled his hand back quickly. He stood up and started digging his back wallet out of his pocket. He felt himself colouring with embarrassment. Real smooth… "Yeah. It is. I'm sorry. Forget it."

"Ethan…"

"I said, forget it," he stammered. He dropped a few notes onto the table. "We should get back. Jack'll be wondering where we're at."

Embarrassed, Donovan walked away and back towards the car. When he got there, he realised that Miranda had the keys. Shit… he sighed and waited. He was completely mortified. The idea of facing Miranda now was churning his stomach. He knew it had been a bad idea from the start. What had gotten into him? The idea that she'd be interested in him was laughable. He was an old greying man in his fifties.

The car beeped and the doors unlocked and Donovan got into the passenger seat as fast as he could. He didn't look at Miranda as she settled behind the steering wheel and started the car and the longer he stayed silent, the more embarrassed he became. He was mortified and felt like a complete fool. When they got to the Hub, Miranda barely had the car in park before Donovan got out of it. He tried not to look like he was fleeing as he darted through the Hub, waving to Ianto and Jack as he went. He couldn't get down the north stairs and into his room fast enough.

He stayed there for hours, he didn't even come up for dinner. He was already embarrassed and now he was compounding it with this childish behaviour. He was hiding in his room like a scared boy. With a sigh, he opened the door and went upstairs. Feeling like a completely idiot, he knocked on Miranda's door. He stood there, waiting. There wasn't an answer and Donovan sighed. He'd speak to her in the morning.

Just as he was about to turn away, the door opened and Miranda was standing there. Her hair was dripping wet and she was wearing a pink silk dressing gown. It clung to her wet body and Donovan could see every curve, her nipples standing out underneath the clinging cloth. The gown wasn't even tied. Miranda was holding it closed with her hand.

Donovan realised he was staring and averted his eyes. He got the distinct feeling that the dressing gown was an afterthought and that normally she wouldn't have bothered. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were in the shower."

"I wasn't expecting… Are you all right, Ethan?" Miranda asked.

Man up… "I wanted to say I was sorry about before," Donovan said.

"There was nothing to apologise for," Miranda said, giving him an odd look.

"No, there is. I acted like… I don't know what got into me, making a pass at you like that," Donovan shook his head. "It was inappropriate and I'm sorry."

"Were you sincere in your interest?" Miranda asked.

"Uhh…" Donovan wasn't quite sure how to answer. Either way he risked offending her and he was already screwed. What the hell… "Yeah actually, I was… I mean, I am."

"Then you have nothing to apologise for, Ethan," Miranda said and turned towards her bedroom.

Donovan stood there in the lounge like an idiot not really knowing what to do. He assumed she was going to dry off and change into something more appropriate for them to talk. He shifted his weight back and forth, waiting.

"Ethan?" she called out.

"Yeah?"

"Are you coming or not?" she asked.

Donovan's jaw dropped and he stood there stunned. Huh? She couldn't possibly mean…? Did she…? Well, he wasn't thick enough to stay out here!