AN: I'm back with a slightly longer chapter :) hope you guys enjoy! And I'm so sorry that I didn't answer to all the nice reviews that you wrote! That was so great, I didn't expect that so many people would read it!! :)
Disclaimer: It all belongs to ITV and Julian Fellowes
The concert had been over for about half an hour, but Mr Bates still lingered. He had been going to her concerts for a year now and never missed a single one. She noticed that he went there no matter if any of the Crawleys would be there and that he – for some inexplicable reason – always managed to get a seat in one of the front rows. But this lingering of his didn't really occur until a few weeks ago. He always seemed to be waiting for something, almost anxiously, but she never found out what it was because he'd leave after a while. They never really talked either, just a little small talk once in a while. All that Anna really knew about him from Mary was that he had a very long divorce process finished around the time they first met.
But even if she didn't know him, she couldn't help but like Mr Bates. The way he smiled when she performed was just so kind and gentle that it made her insides stir.
Today was different from the times before. He remained unusually calm in his seat and approached her when she came down from the stage with her cello case in hand and her bag over her shoulder.
'Hello', he said, with a slightly nervous smile.
'Hey', she answered with a similar expression 'It's nice to see you here again. How are you?'
'I'm good. And you?'
'Me too.', she said with a shy smile.
A moment of silence passed between them, until Mr Bates spoke up again: 'You know, I actually wanted to ask if you'd like to have dinner with me.', he bit his lower lip. Oh god, he thought. We aren't even friends. Acquaintces, merely. She'll think me a creep.
'Yes. Yes, I'd really like that.', she answered with a shy but happy smile. 'Wait a second.', she said searching through her purse, and finding a piece of paper and a pen. 'I'll give you my number so we can work out when and where.' She gave him the paper with a smile. 'So...I'll hear from you?'
'You will.', he responded, also smiling. 'See you then'
'Yes, Goodnight.'
'Goodnight.', John said, unable to keep a silly grin from his face. He didn't notice until he sat later in his car that she had scribbled 'Looking forward to it. - Anna xx' under her number, causing his grin to become even bigger.
'Damnit!', Anna whispered, staring at her reflection in the mirror. None of the clothes that she tried on seemed suitable for a date, much less a first one. She contemplated quickly on whether to call Mary for help or not. One side, she might get mocked by her friend for going out with her father's best friend. But on the other, embarassing herself in front of John after waiting for him to make a move was a so much worse notion. But her desision seemed to have been made in her place: her phone rang, it was Mary.
After picking up, Anna didn't have the time to answer, because her friend almost immediately spoke up: 'Hey darling, I was wondering if you'd like to go out tonight?'
'Uh...actually no. I have plans.', Anna answered nervously.
'Oh come on, you'll just spend the night in front of the telly anyways and go to bed early!', Mary exclaimed. Anna could only barely keep herself from groaning. She really liked her friend, but once she got an idea in her head, it was really her to get her mind off it. Now I might as well just tell her, she thought.
'No, I won't. I have a date.', Anna stated determinededly.
'Shut the front door! With whom? And why do I not know anything about this?'
'John Bates, your dad's friend. It's just the first date.'
'No way! Though...it kind of makes sense now. Why else would he be on all of your concerts for the past year?', Mary spoke with a slight lilt to her tone.
'Mary, I actually wanted to call you because I don't know what to wear.'
Her friend groaned exasperatedly. 'Why on earth didn't you tell me immediately? I'm coming over. See you then.'
Anna released a small laugh. 'Alright, bye.'
Just a few minutes later, Anna opened her apartment door. Mary didn't even leave her enough time for more than a quick 'Hello' before storming into Anna's bedroom and searching through her clothes. 'Where are you guys going, anyway?', Mary wondered.
'We're having dinner in town.'
'Good. Then I have just the right thing for you.', Mary pulled out an almost-forgotten, knee-length white and blue patterned dress out of Anna's closet.
'Oh.', Anna stated surprisedly. She had bought it years ago, never thinking that she'd actually wear it.
'Yes, 'oh'. Now go off and change, we'll see if we can find the right shoes.'
John paced up and down the pavement in front of the restaurant. Even if he was way too early he couldn't help but wonder if Anna would even come at all. Stop that immediately., he told himself. You haven't heard anything but good things about her from Mary. She doesn't seem like she could let anyone down, either. Still, why on earth would she want to go out with you? You have a past, Bates. And you'll have to tell her. His thougths were intruded by steps coming towards him. He looked up, and there she was. She wore a knee-length dress, that made her legs seem like they were going on forever, and the blue flowery print on it complimented her eyes just perfectly. Her hair was made the same way like when they first met, cascading own her back in slight blonde curls. She was smiling somewhat giddily towards him, which caused her eyes to light up even more.
When he finally spoke up, his voice was hoarse with nervousness. 'Hey.', he cleared his throat before continuing: 'You look very beautiful today. I – I didn't mean...I mean you look always beautiful, there's just something about you today.' She couldn't help but blush at this.
'Thanks. And you don't look too bad yourself.', she said, biting her bottom lip. He couldn't quite agree with that. After spending hours in front of his wardrobe, wondering what to wear, he had just settled on a suit jacket and a white shirt. 'Thank you too. Would you like to go in? I think our table is waiting.' She nodded, taking the arm that he offered her. It was just a small touch, but more than enough for her palms to become sweaty and her ears to redden. For god's sake Anna, stop acting like such a teenager, she scolded herself. You've had dates before, this isn't the first time you went out with a man, and it won't be the last.
After being seated at one of the tables, John asked: 'So...how was your day?'
'Oh, just the usual rehearsals.', she responded shrugging it off.
'Are you trying out anything new? For a concert, I mean?'
'Uh, we've started to play this one piece recently – are you sure you want to listen to me rant about classic music? I really don't want to bore you.'
'You aren't, y-you never could', John berated himself inwardly for seeming overeager, and added: 'As long as you explain the musical expressions.'
She chuckled lightly at that, and then she started to talk. She talked about the componist of the piece and its place in his biography, but he was only half listening. He mostly paid attention to the way her eyes lit up while describing the complexity of the music and the gestures her hands made while talking about playing an instrument in general. He was only broken out of his thoughts when she asked: 'And what about you, John? You are ever so mysterious about your occupation.' accompanied with an easy smile.
'There isn't really anything to tell. I work for a newspaper, and most of the articles I write are about books. That's all.'
'Oh, you are also bookish then.', Anna said, as her smile got bigger.
'Yes, I most definetely am.', John responded with an own smile of his, that made wrinkles appear at the corners of his eyes, causing Anna's insides to flutter. 'What kinds of books do you like?', he added.
'All different kinds of literature, but my favourite is poetry. I read mostly Burns, though.'
'What a peculiar coincidence.', John said with a small laugh. 'He is my favourite, too.' They continued to chat about poetry, books and all kinds of other different things, not noticing how the time passed, until the waiter told them that the restaurant would close in a few minutes. After they paid their bills, Anna suggested they'd take a walk around the park nearby. They always found a subject to talk about, and there were no awkward silences whatsoever. That was until he remembered that there was something about him that she needed to know if this was to continue. She's too good to waste her time on you when you might as well just tell her about the whole thing, he thought. He took a deep breath and blurted out: 'Anna, can I tell you something? It's very important that you know this, before we get any...deeper.'
'Yes, of course. Whatever is the matter?', she asked, still with that light smile on her lips.
'You probably know that I have been married, just shortly before we met.', he said with a frustrated sigh.
'Yes, Mary told me.', she responded with an inquisitive look on her face. 'John, if you're not comfortable talking about this, it can wait. You don't have to do it now.'
'No, I have to. Did you know, that Robert had a car accident about ten years ago?'
'Yes, Mary told me once. What does this have to do with you?'
'Well, I was driving that car. And in the accident my knee got almost shattered. It's all fine now, but I had to walk on crutches for months. During that time, Vera – my ex-wife – wasn't very supportive. She'd kick my crutches while I was walking on them or make fun of me, be it public or at home. And because it would get too much for me, started drinking. We argued more often than not, and sometimes either of us would lash out – I wasn't violent, we were just mostly shouting at eachother and broke a few plates. But it is the reason I don't drink anymore.' When she stayed silent, he added: 'You can walk away if - '
'I won't.', she stated. He looked into her eyes, utterly surprised. Of anything that he expected, it wasn't this. 'I won't, because I really like spending time with you. Those things that happened to you are now in the past, and if that cruel treatment did nothing but turn you into the kind and patient man you are today, you are even stronger in my eyes.'
He couldn't but blush and chuckle nervously at this. 'I guess there will be a second time then.', he asked, not able to hide the almost hopeful tone in his voice.
'Oh yes, there will be.', she said with a smile. 'Goodnight.'
'Goodnight.', he almost whispered.