What is... "Home?" (Hetalia Fanfic, W.A. '13 Finalist)

Chapter 57~!

OMG THEY'RE ON A DATE WHAT THE FRIG AM I GONNA DO?!?!?!?!

Eheheheheh... Well, let's hope this doesn't fail epically...

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It was huuuge! The room was enormous, like a ballroom in a palace, and the drapes partially hanging around the large gothic windows added to the sense. Waiters and waitresses dressed smartly were bustling around, filling out orders or bringing fancy trays filled with food to their customers. The restaurant was fairly full tonight, which didn't surprise me seeing as how it was Valentine's Day. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling beautifully and the tableclothes were pristinely white while soft music circulated throughout the vast area. All in all it was the fanciest place I'd ever been in.

"Whoa..." was all I could say as I gazed into the dining hall.

Matthew laughed and tugged on my hand, leading me to the check-in podium. A man with a curly mustache stood there, looking very proper in a tuxedo.

"Do you 'ave a reservation, madame and monsieur?" he asked in a light French accent.

"Oui, I believe it is under 'Williams'," Matthew said, obviously excited as well as glad to have been seen by this man.

"Williams... Williams," the man muttered as he searched through the list. "Ah! 'ere you are, yes. Right on time. If you will follow me, s'il vous plaît?" With a formal wave of his hand he led us to our seats at a table near the far left corner of the room, right next to a wide window. Matthew looked like he was about to pull my seat out for me, but I'd already done it, so he just sat down. 'Oops... Melina, your formal manners could use some work.'

"'ere are you menus, and a waiter will be with you in a moment," the matre'd said, bowing before returning to his post by the main doors.

I let out a low whistle and a little laugh. "I can honestly say I did not expect that."

Matthew laughed softly as well. "You mean how fancy this restaurant is?"

"Yes, as well as the service and the grandeur," I added with a quick look around the room. "I'm utterly surprised, I can tell you that."

"Well, it's my treat so order whatever you'd like," Matthew said.

"Are you sure? I'm really hungry after the hours of work I had to put in today," I replied with an exaggerated lean forward and eyeroll.

"Doing what, exactly?"

"Well, this sure didn't happen in fifteen minutes," I said lightly, gesturing to my dress and face. "And then I helped Kadi, Rayn, and Kylie with their getting ready processes, but I'm not sure I was much help either way."

"Reminds me of Halloween," Matthew commented, and I giggled just a little.

We looked over our menus and decided on what to eat just as a waiter came by to take our orders. After Matthew gave his long and somewhat hard to pronounce order, I finalized my decision upon an omelet and a small platter of escargot, just to be brave. Matthew gave me an odd look when I said that, and I laughed after the waiter left with our orders.

"What? I thought I'd be brave tonight," I told him, and he cracked a smile.

"Oh, I see," he said, folding his arms across the table just in front of him and leaning forward.

"What? I like fish, after all. I've heard escargot tastes fishy, so... There ya go," I ended, feeling the urge to playfully stick my tongue out at him. I didn't, however, because Kadi would have killed me for it had she been there.