Never Again

Chapter 5: Dinner

'If it's that bad, you can always pretend to be ill and go home.'

That actually wasn't a bad plan at all, but she was determined to make the evening a success. It had been a long time since they had gone out together and actually had a good time. She hoped this time would be different and secretly hoped that life would go back to as it had been six months ago. Knowing that this probably wouldn't happen she put another large hand of crisps into her mouth.

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Keira was standing in front of the mirror in her bedroom. She was wearing a long dark red dress she normally wouldn't wear. It felt uncomfortable to be in a dress, she normally just put on a pair of trousers because it was easy. She had decided to dress up for this occasion, to show David that she had made an effort. It was a dress she had worn to a wedding once and then had been stored at the back of her closet. While admiring her reflection in the mirror she suddenly felt exposed and vulnerable. She had found a blazer that would go with the dress to cover up her arms, but it still felt more naked than normal.

With a few touches of make-up she made sure that nothing she didn't want was showing. Her hair she curled very lightly and she even put on some mascara. She found a pair of heels laying at the bottom of her closet and put them on. Her keys, phone and extra make-up were stuffed into a bag and she felt ready to go. She decided to wait for David downstairs and flopped down on the sofa, while turning on the TV to kill the time.

'Are you ready to go?' Keira opened her eyes in surprise. It became apparent that she had fallen asleep on the sofa. She blinked a few times and saw David standing in the doorway, he looked very handsome. He had shaved and his hair looked clean and smooth. He smiled when he noticed Keira had been sleeping.

'Yes, I am. Hang on,' Keira put her heels back on, 'now I'm ready!' She grabbed her bag and made her way over to David who opened the door for her.

It had been another beautiful day and the warmth was still tangible in the air. Keira wanted to take off her jacket, but decided against it when she reminded she didn't want her arms exposed. Even though it wasn't as busy on the streets as it was during the day, people could still be looking. She smiled when David took her hand and gave her an encouraging squeeze. They walked in silence for a while until David told her about how his extra courses were going. Keira had been afraid to ask about these courses he had enrolled in, but it sounded like it was going well. She was glad, he wasn't dumb, he was actually quite smart, it was just the motivation that had been lacking. He had a look of elation in his eyes when he was talking and it made him look even more handsome. He had always been good looking, but his newfound confidence in himself made him shine.

They reached the restaurant not much later, Keira was pleased because her feet already started to hurt. She wasn't used to wearing heels and she couldn't imagine why women actually wanted to wear them. Sneakers were so much more comfortable and a lot easier to walk in. She followed David into the restaurant where a waiter led them to their table. The restaurant was already half full and the atmosphere was very relaxed. Keira smiled when David pulled out her chair and sat down. The candle on the table was already lit and radiated a comforting glow. A waiter brought them their menus and took their order for drinks.

'Looks fancy,' Keira remarked.

'When you take out a pretty girl, you can't feed her hamburgers,' David answered.

'You know I love hamburgers, don't you?' Keira chuckled.

'How could I not? But no, this time I would like to spend some money,' with that he closed the menu.

'You have already decided?' Keira raised her eyebrows. She wasn't even half way through the menu and read all kind of things she had never heard of before.