I checked the box in my pocket again. It was still there. Too bad that my girlfriend, Kat, was twenty minutes late. That wasn't a something out of the ordinary; she had a busy job as a sales manager, but tonight I was all nerves.
Finally after an agonizing thirty-five minute wait, she came sweeping into the restaurant. "Sorry, I'm so late. Joe just would not shut up for anything, and I was stuck there." Joe was her boss, and the subject of many complaints in our lives.
She was still dressed in her business suit, a dazzling shade of blue that set off her eyes. Her black hair had been done up in a bun for work, and she'd kept it up for our date. She sat down and looked at me. "Please tell me that you ordered me a drink," she said. "It's been a long day."
I bit my lip. "I wasn't sure if you were coming or not, so I just waited." I flagged down the waiter and ordered her a margarita, her drink of choice.
She smiled at me and rested her hand over mine. "Of course, I was coming. I never miss a meal. I'm just late sometimes."
I smiled back at her, but didn't speak.
She looked at me askance. "Are you alright today? You seem a little off."
"Just stressing about some things. I'll tell you later," I replied.
We ordered dinner and talked about the day. She was struggling with a new employee who seemed to tell her whatever Kat wanted to hear. I told her about my writing and my work for the day. One of the things I appreciated about this woman was that she never tired of hearing about my writing, even when it was not going well. She smiled again at me. "So what's planned for tonight?"
I bit my lip, not sure that I wanted to tell her before dinner. My speculation was ended by the waiter, who brought out the dinners and chatted about refills and dessert.
We ate in silence, both tired from the day. We made quiet chit-chat, but nothing that was too deep. We were lost in our own thoughts.
Kat finished her dinner, and the waiter whisked it away. I actually think that he was more excited by this than I was. He brought back a piece of wedding cake with a ring on top of it.
Kat sputtered for a second as she looked from me to the ring and back. "What?" she asked, still staring at the ring. "Of course, I mean, I'm just shocked."
"You shouldn't be too shocked. We've been dating for three years."
She laughed. "Well, when you put it that way, true. But I wasn't expecting it now - or soon. It was just a surprise to me."
I nodded. "It just seems like time."
She grinned at me. "It does. She popped out of her chair far enough to lean over the table and kiss me. I was a bit surprised. It wasn't a soft kiss. It was a kiss with intentions, as we called it around our apartment. I had expected cuddling tonight, but the kiss made it clear that she had other things in mind for us. Another surprise for the newly engaged couple.
I paid the bill, and we walked hand-in-hand to the exit. A horse drawn carriage was waiting for us by the door. Kat laughed as I helped her up. "You went all out for this. I appreciate that."
I pulled myself up and into the carriage. I sat next to her. "After last month when Henry practically gave Jacquie the ring over that football game, did you think I'd forget?"
She rolled her eyes. "No. Probably not."
The carriage took off, the horse setting a clip-clop pace down the street.
"Where are we going?" Kat asked.
"Hotel for the night. I've got a taxi to bring us back here to pick up the cars in the morning. It seemed more romantic to actually go to a destination than to just wander around the city."