As I approached her door, a slight smile came to my lips. She had no idea what she was in for tonight, but I knew that it would be a night she could never forget. When I rapped twice on the door, it was almost immediately opened by my special girl, and I wondered if she had been waiting for me since she had responded to my knocks so quickly. She was completely decked out, wearing her favorite skirt and a matching silk blouse. It was obvious that she was looking forward to tonight, even though I had never said exactly what we would be doing. I could not help but wonder what she was wearing underneath her outfit, although I couldn't determine exactly what it was even when I let my gaze follow her figure as she walked. I quickly pulled my mind back to the task at hand, knowing that I would find out later.
As I entered her apartment, I could smell the perfume wafting off of her. Her makeup was lightly put on her face, and I could also smell the odors of some kind of lotion that she uses. My senses seemed alive, open to all of her scents, and I felt like I could almost smell the anticipation coming from her direction also. Yes, I thought to myself, she is definitely looking forward to this surprise evening. I casually asked if she was ready to go, and in the blink of an eye she had already grabbed a jacket and was at the door.
As for me, I had also taken great pains to make sure that she would remember tonight. I had a fresh haircut and had remembered to clip my fingernails to make myself as presentable as possible. I was wearing a pair of kaki pants, and a semi-casual button down shirt. I had made sure to take the extra steps to shave just before I arrived, so I could smell both my aftershave and cologne. I'm not sure if they exactly went together, but I knew that they weren't repulsive as a pair. I had worn my best shoes, which I knew were a favorite of hers, all of this to help finish my ensemble.
I had made reservations at a little place just a couple of blocks from her apartment building. I knew that she liked the place, and even though it wasn't a four star restaurant, I knew that it would set the mood that I wanted. It was a fairly small restaurant, especially for this part of town, and it always remained dimly lit. The candles on the tables provided the majority of the light, and it was the perfect place for us to start our evening. I had made a point of stopping at the restaurant on my way to her apartment. It was a little out of my way, but I did want to set the perfect mood. I had slipped the maitre d' a twenty and asked if he could ensure that our reservation would be for the back booth. He had assured me it would, well out of the way of the bustling wait staff.
Even in the obnoxious glow of the street lights, I could see the faint smile penetrating her full lips. She kept giving me quick, awkward glances as we walked. I knew that she wanted to ask what I had planned, but she knew that I would never reveal my plan. So she never asked. She just kept giving me those looks, hoping that I would spill my secret on my own. Of course, I never would. I controlled the conversation as we walked, and whether it was my continual talking or her mind being on other things, she never spoke a word.
As we made our way to the restaurant, I placed my hand on the small of her back, just underneath her jacket, guiding her towards the entrance. I felt a slight shudder move through her body despite the almost perfect temperature that Chicago was experiencing. As we entered the little restaurant, our eyes adjusting to the dimness from the brightly lit street outside, I caught the eyes of the man who I had given the twenty dollar bill to earlier. It was obvious that he also saw me, as he motioned to a waitress to get our table ready for our arrival. The maitre d' promptly came over and asked if he could show us to our table after taking her coat. This is when she uttered her first words of the evening, "Don't you need our names?"