The Phantom of The Phantom of the Opera

Chapter 13: First Date

The next Friday, Catherine busied herself with cooking and baking for the date. She made an Italian dish of some sort and a chocolate cake with homemade icing. When she finished, she looked at the time. It was a quarter to six.

Just enough time to get ready.

Catherine quickly did her makeup and slipped into her little black dress.

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Matthew wrung his hands together nervously, messing around with his mask. After a moment's hesitation, he knocked on the apartment door.

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Catherine took one last look in the mirror. "This is it," she thought. She moved to the door, took a deep breath and opened it. "Hello, Matthew."

Matthew's jaw fell ajar. He could gawk at her hair, her dress, her beautiful form, but her eyes captivated him, the black of the dress bringing out every color full fledged. "Wow," Matt stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. "You look...wow."

"Thank you," Catherine blushed. "Would you like to come in?"

Matt didn't know how to speak. What was there to say? "Wow," he whispered awkwardly, stepping inside and handing her a single red rose.

"Um...dinner is ready but we can wait if you would like."

He gave a small nervous laugh. "Whatever you would like. I'm your obedient servant."

"We could eat and then watch a movie after," Catherine suggested.

Matt gave a small nod. "As you wish. Smells amazing," he commented, removing his long black coat.

"Thank you. It's my friend's recipe. I hope you like Italian."

"Love it," Matt grinned. "I spent a month an Italy when I was younger. Beautiful country."

"I'm actually half Italian. We visited Rome a few times. It really is beautiful."

"Ever taken a gondola ride? Those narrow rivers, twinkling moonlight, standing above the world," Matt sighed. "Closest I've ever felt to understanding Erik."

"Never," Catherine replied with a small smile. "I want to though."

"I'll add it to my list then," Matt said as he sat down at the table.

"Ooh. You're list. Sounds so official," Catherine laughed as she served the well-prepared food.

"Not really," he said with an embarrassed laugh. "It's just a collection of things I need to do with you, see them through your eyes."

"That's sweet. Caleb never did anything like that."

"I'm sure he did," Matt shrugged. "Some guys just don't talk aloud as much."

"Do you like it?" Catherine asked, gesturing to his plate.

"It's the best meal I've had in a long time," Matt complimented after taking his first bite.

"Save room for dessert. I made a chocolate cake," Catherine smiled.

"You outdid yourself, Cath," he grinned, shaking his head at having such a beautiful friend. "So...what do normal people talk about on dates?"

"Um...their lives, I guess," Catherine shrugged. "Here's a fun anecdote: I used to have depression."

Matt's face fell serious. "I know." The thought of Cath crying chilled him to the bone.

"You...know?"

"Sorry," Matt murmured. "Just, you tug at your sleeve, pulling your sweater down whenever certain topics comes up. That means at some point...you had something to hide."