Little Things

Miranda stood in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She was wearing a cute, deep purple dress. It was five-thirty and Ben would be there shortly. That's one thing she loved about him, he was always prompt. Although she hadn't picked out an outfit, at least her makeup was done and her jewelry was on. Reflecting in the mirror was a bed full of clothes. Pants or skirt? Dress or sleeveless shirt? She wanted to be comfortable. Miranda pulled the dress over her head and stared at herself as she backed up to her bed. Why was she so indecisive? Why wasn't she able to just relax and pick an outfit? It was just a date with Ben. They had been on almost a dozen. Each one fun and amazing. She enjoyed Ben's company and he'd told her time and time again that he enjoyed being with her as well. Miranda didn't know why she was so nervous about tonight. The last date they'd had, Ben had waited for her shift to be over and they'd gone to a movie in the park. She hadn't been nervous then. She had been relaxed and eager, but now… there was a feeling in the pit in her stomach, that was making her feel a little ill, making her sweat, making her think twice. Maybe she should call him and cancel. Or reschedule. The blaring ringing of her cell phone made her jump. She gasped. Miranda ran to her phone. "Hello."

"Hey, baby," her mother, Elena, said.

"Momma," Miranda said her heart slowing down after the shock. "W-what's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes. Everything's good." Miranda started to ask about her father. "Yes, your dad is fine. Everyone's fine. No one's dead."

Miranda smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed. As a doctor, sometimes, her mind always went to death. She hated it, but that's the way it was. "I knew that. So what's up?"

"Can't I just call my daughter because I feel like it?"

"Of course you can."

"I haven't talked to you in a week."

"I know."

"Just wanted to see how you're doing."

"Momma, it's just that I'm getting ready for—"

"A date?!" Her mother squealed.

Miranda sighed and tried to keep from smiling. "Yes," she said quickly.

"With Ben." Miranda didn't respond. "How long have you two been dating?"

"About… two months." Talking to her mother would have usually calmed her nerves, but tonight, it just made her more nervous. She knew what her mother was going to ask next and she didn't even want to think about.

"Have you two had sex yet?" Elena asked. Miranda could imagine the smirk on her mother's face.

Miranda blushed. "Momma!" Even almost being 40, with a child of her own, Elena could still make Miranda feel like she was back in high school talking about some boy she liked. But she wasn't in high school and Ben wasn't just some boy. "Momma, I have to go."

"Well, alright. I'll talk to you later," Elena said.

"Tell Daddy I said 'hi'," Miranda said. Her mother said that she would and the call ended. Miranda got off of the bed and looked into the mirror again. She'd decided on a blue and white striped bra and panty set. She ran a hand down her body, sucking in her stomach. She knew sex was on the horizon. They'd talk about it on their third date. Her friend, Dr. Callie Torres, Orthopedic Surgeon, had told her that the third date was the "sex date" and she'd gone into the date sweaty and terrified, convinced that she would have to have sex with a man that she barely knew. She thought about their conversation: When do you think is the right time? Miranda had asked him. Ben had looked at her. I don't know. I like to think we'll know it when we see it. Probably somewhere between date 8 and date 12, though. The two of them had talked a little longer. He didn't want to be her friend. He wanted to be more. And she was shocked when she'd realized that she felt the same way. Being 'just friends' with him would be torture. She had too many strong feelings for him. Ben had moved closer to her and without even thinking, her lips met his in a passionate kiss. Their first kiss. After pulling away, they'd smiled and gone in for another, this one longer and deeper. His tongue in her mouth woke up every hormone in her body. For a second, she'd wished that the third date had been the sex date. She had wanted more. Miranda had pulled away from him, looking into his eyes. She saw that he really liked her, something that she had doubted almost every time he spoke to her. Did he really like her? Was he serious about wanting to pursue something with her? All those questions went out of her head when she kissed him. Somewhere between date 8 and date 12, she thought. "Oh my God. This is date 12." Miranda checked the clock; she had 10 minutes before Ben would be knocking on her door or ringing her doorbell. She finally decided on a pair of tight, black jeans and a sheer, white loose blouse with a white tank top underneath. The bell rang, sending her heart fluttering again. Miranda took one last glance in the mirror and dashed barefoot down the stairs. Looking through the peephole, she could see that it was raining. She quickly took a deep breath before opening the door. "Come on in," she said opening the door giving him room to step inside.

He kissed her cheek before stepping over the threshold. "You look...," he stopped talking and looked at her. She took the silence between them as a chance to take in his outfit. He was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, black t-shirt and a black leather jacket that was speckled with raindrops. The dark colors complemented his brown skin perfectly. He looked really good. "There's no other word for it, you look amazing, Miranda."

Part of her didn't want to go out; she just wanted to have a relaxing night at home with her boyfriend. "Thanks. And I'll add that you look very handsome."

He nodded and smiled. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, I am." Ben pointed to her naked feet. "Once I put on my shoes and grab my bag, I will be."

"I'll wait for you," he said moving further into the house.

Miranda started for the stairs. "Make yourself at home. There are drinks in the fridge," she called over her shoulders. Back in her room, she slipped into a pair of four-inch black booties. Even four inches taller, she'd still be looking up at the taller Ben. She picked up the clothes strayed about her room. She took a quick minute to admire her outfit before she grabbed her cell and her purse and headed down the stairs. Ben was sitting on the edge of the sofa watching TV. "I'm finally ready."

"Take your time," he said slowly. He stood up and took her hand, spinning her around. "You're sure you want to go out?"

"As long as it took for me to find an outfit, we are going out," she told him with a laugh.

"Do you have an umbrella? It's still raining."

Miranda grabbed her black jacket from the coat rack and pointed to the lone umbrella leaning against the wall next to the door. Ben picked it up and opened it outside of the door and waited for Miranda to lock up. He walked her to the passenger side door. He opened the door and stepped to the side as she slid into his black Mercedes. Miranda admired his gentlemanliness. By the time she and Tucker got married, he'd stopped doing the little things. The things that people didn't think really mattered, but the ones everyone cared about. Miranda shook those thoughts from her head. Ben wasn't Tucker. They pulled out of her driveway and were on their way. "I can't even get a hint?"

"About what?" He asked as they stopped for a red light. Ben glanced at her quickly. "About where we're going?" She nodded. "I take it patience isn't your thing."

"We've been dating for nearly three months, you tell me."

"Has it been almost three months?" He asked looking in the side view mirror as he turned the car down a street.

"Yes. And this is our 12th date," Miranda said glancing at him, putting the mirror up. She wanted to see his reaction. Was tonight the night he was going to make his move? Was she ready? His face didn't change.

"Is it?" She nodded. Ben was quiet for a while. "I hope you're as excited as I am."

Miranda squinted in his direction. He smiled goofily. "Sure, loads of excitement."

"You can do better than that."

"Yes. I am excited."

"Ehh, that was okay. We'll work on it." He laughed. It was a sound that Miranda had gotten used to hearing, on the phone, at the hospital, when they were alone. He found her funny. He wasn't intimidated by her glares; when she furrowed her brows at him, he thought she was cute. And making her laugh seemed to be his favorite game. "We're here." The car stopped and Ben turned off the engine. Neither spoke, but the rain hitting the car filled the silence. He checked his watch. "We're just a little early. The doors won't open for another twenty minutes."

"Paramount Theatre?" She hadn't been here in a long time. Between Tuck's basketball and soccer games, being a surgeon and trying to stay sane in a crazy world, there never seemed to be enough time. She looked out of the wet window and into the bright parking lot slowly filling up with cars.

"You once told me that you liked going to theatre."

"I've only been a few times."

"I remember." Miranda felt a smile try to creep out. She sucked it back in. "Some rare tickets happened to come my way and I immediately thought of you."

"You did?"

"Of course I did. We're dating. You're my girlfriend," he said matter-of-factly. Miranda smiled, batting her eyelashes. "Now, I don't know if magic is your thing—"

"Magic? Like wizards and witches? Hogwarts?"

Ben laughed loudly, his movement shook the car. "No, uh, illusion. Mystery." He waved his hands in the air dramatically.

Miranda's heart almost stopped. She turned to face Ben, looking straight into his brown eyes, hers as wide as they'd ever been. "If you tell me that you have tickets to The Illusionists, I will kiss your face!"

"I got tickets to The Illusionists."

"AHHHHH!" She screamed. Miranda reached out and grabbed his face, pulling him towards her. His hand touched the back of her head. She moved forward, absentmindedly pushing him into the steering wheel. The sound of the horn made them jump and disconnect. Both were breathing heavily from the short, passionate kiss. Miranda pulled down the mirror again and wiped the corners of her mouth. Miranda let out a small sound as she smiled at her reflection and at her boyfriend.

He was flashing her that smile. The one that revealed his perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth. The one that made her want to kiss him again, long and hard. "Can I say that that was one of the best 'thank yous' I've ever gotten," Ben asked.

She felt her cheeks get hot. "You can, but that was only because I read that The Illusionists are only in town for one night." Ben nodded, leaning on his door. "And the tickets are kind of pricey, especially if you want good seats." Ben reached to the dashboard and grabbed an envelope. He opened it and made faces as he searched for their seats. He sucked in air and shook his head. "What? What?" She asked impatiently. She hoped that they weren't sitting up at the top; she hated watching shows on a jumbo monitor. If she wanted to watch a show from a million miles away, she would have just watched it on TV at home. She tapped her foot on the floor of the car and waited for him to speak. When he didn't, she asked: "Where are we sitting?!" He shrugged and handed over the envelope. "'Orchestra'. Orchestra? Orchestra! That's right in front of the stage!" She squealed. Miranda reached over and hugged Ben, his arms squeezed her tightly. He rubbed his hand on her back. When he touched her bra through her shirt, Miranda's body stiffened. Ever since she'd remembered what Ben had said on their third date, her mind was stuck on sex. When he looked at her or touched her, she was wondering what it would be like to have her shirtless back touched by his hand or to kiss his, what she imagined to be, chiseled chest. Her mind would wander and she had to reign in those thoughts. She didn't want to get ahead of herself.

Ben backed away. "You're good?" He chuckled a little.

"Yeah, just pleased… that we have good seats," she said. They were quiet again. Miranda held the tickets in her sweaty hands and watched as the parking lot started filling with people. "We should go and get in line."

Ben held the umbrella as they strolled side by side to the entrance. They walked through a metal detector and Miranda waited as Ben was scanned. They followed the crowd as it spilled into the theatre. Miranda had been here a few times and, for some reason, the excitement made knots in her stomach. The kind she felt when she watched from the gallery at the hospital. She looked up at the high, fancily decorated, gold-painted ceilings. And across the long, wide rows of gold chairs. It was all gaudy, but beautiful at the same time. They walked down to the front of the huge room to find their seats. As Miranda took off her jacket, she turned around to the see the balcony, flooded with people, which seemed just as big as the floor area. "I think I've only been in here once," he said as they sat down. Ben rested his arm around the back of her chair.

"Really?"

He nodded. "And I was sitting all the way up there." He turned around and pointed to the balcony seats. "Didn't cost much."

"I know these cost a pretty penny," she said pulling her ticket from her pocket. $305. She almost choked on her spit. "Three hundred and five dollars?"

Ben leaned over and looked at the ticket stub. "I guess."

"Did you pay for these?"

He waited a second before answering. "Does it matter?"

Miranda shook her head. "I guess not."

The subject quickly changed to something that wasn't directly related to their date. She and Ben were in the middle of talking about the pros and cons of public education when an announcement came over the loudspeaker telling everyone to turn off their phones and that recording and flash photography was not allowed. "The show will begin in 10 minutes." Miranda pulled out her phone and rolled her eyes to the gold ceiling. She didn't really want to turn off her phone. She was a surgeon after all. And a mother. What if she was needed? Ben watched her contemplate. "You can turn it back on during intermission, Miranda," Ben whispered in her ear. His breath in her ear made her shudder. He touched her hand and took the phone from her hand, turning it off. The lights dimmed and Ben put his arm back on her chair. She could smell his cologne and his deodorant. It was wafting into her nostrils and attracting her to him even more. The chatter in the room quieted down and Ben told her that he was happy to be here with her.

Miranda turned to respond, but the stage filled with blinding lights stealing her focus. Seven men entered the stage in various ways, brightening her eyes and intriguing her. She took a glance out of the side of her eye and caught Ben looking from the stage to her. Catching the eye of the other, they both smiled and Miranda's heart skipped a beat. Looking back at The Illusionists, Miranda realized that she was happy to be with him, too.