“You look beautiful, Veronica,” he said, gushing, as he stepped towards her.
Veronica felt an initial instinct to step away from him when he moved towards her, but she caught herself just in time. Calvin was her boyfriend after all, and he had every right to touch her or kiss her.
“Thank you,” she said, blushing to a bright red as she accepted the soft kiss that he left on her cheek. Without a word, Calvin extended the bouquet towards her and she accepted it, hanging it from the crook of her arm. Then she felt Calvin’s hand on the small of her back as he pushed open the door of the restaurant and they both stepped inside.
Veronica was glad for the hustle bustle of the place. Surrounded by so many people, the noises and the soft background music; had put her somewhat in ease. At least they were not completely alone.
Calvin had already booked a table for them, and the host led them towards a small table for two by the large bay windows overlooking the back garden view.
Veronica noticed the changes in Calvin’s behavior. He was quick to pull out a chair for her before he sat down, a chivalrous gesture that he had tended to forget as their relationship grew old. She was beginning to believe that she had completely been right, their time apart had definitely done them a world of good.
Calvin’s eyes were bright and he had a constant smile on his face. Like a young teenager, giddy over a crush, he sat down across from her. The host came over and lit the tall candle between them, and Veronica placed the bouquet of roses at her feet on the ground.
“Is that a new dress?” Calvin said, finally breaking the awkward silence between them. Veronica wondered if it was only awkward for her or for them both. He seemed blissfully unaware of the contradictory feelings that were going on inside her.
“Yeah, it is,” she admitted, being quick to avoid looking directly into his eyes. She was aware that she felt beautiful in that dress. Was that the most expensive piece of clothing she owned? The feel of the buttery soft fabric against her skin, was also a constant reminder of who had given the dress to her. Frank Davenport. Her cheeks colored immediately.
“When did you have time to go shopping? I thought you said you were always in the house with the two girls,” Calvin continued to interrogate and Veronica crossed her brows. Back to the cross examination! She thought.
“Will you stop being a lawyer, for one second, Calvin,” she snapped at him, and instantly regretted raising her voice. Calvin’s eyes widened and then sank down. He had rarely seen her lose her temper, and she hadn’t expected that reaction from herself either. In fact the last thing she wanted to do was to infuriate Calvin.
Veronica gazed at him, blinking, as he quietly read the menu. She still hadn’t decided when and what she was going to tell him. She could feel a familiar feeling of guilt creep up in her as she watched him.
It had been several weeks since she last saw Calvin, and given how long they had been dating and how intimately she thought they knew each other - Veronica had expected at least a little more excitement when they met after so long. But she had felt nothing when she set her eyes on him. She appreciated the effort he had put into setting up the date, and how polished and handsome he looked. Beyond that however, she didn’t feel that spark. The spark she knew she felt every time she merely set her eyes on Frank.
Calvin looked up at her suddenly, interrupting her thoughts.
“Have you decided what you’ll order?” he asked and Veronica felt her mouth go dry. After the number of times they had frequented this restaurant, she thought he would have known exactly what she wanted. She had ordered the same main and same side for the past three years, every time they came to this place. She never got bored of it.
But instead of pointing that out to him, she simply nodded her head and Calvin smiled. He shut the menu and placed it with a smack on the table, which caught the attention of one of the waiters.
“I’ll have the Arancini as a side and the Gnocchi with ricotta,” Calvin said, looking up politely at the waiter when he appeared at their side.
“And I’ll have the Linguini in clam sauce as my main, and the pesto and garlic bread on the side,” Veronica said.
“Of course, I forgot you order the same thing!” Calvin said with a nervous laugh escaping his lips.
When their eyes met, Veronica looked away from him. She was feeling guilty again, because even though she was sitting in front of her boyfriend who was trying his best to be sweet and kind to her, all she could think about was being with her boss.
“How’s the food?” Calvin asked her and Veronica looked up from her plate to fix her eyes on him. They had been eating in relative silence since the food arrived. Even though Veronica wanted to make some kind of conversation with him, she couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
“Delicious, as always,” she said finally, wiping the sides of her mouth with the napkin on her lap. Calvin smiled and nodded his head, and after a few moments of silence had passed again, Veronica decided to say something too.
“And how is yours?” she asked, her voice catching a little in her throat.
“Very good,” Calvin replied.
Did they really have nothing left to talk about? They were seeing each other after nearly four weeks. Granted that they spoke over the phone every other day, surely, there would be something more private to discuss? Veronica racked her brain.
“Ashley, Mr Davenport’s older daughter…just won a dance competition,” she said. Veronica had to try very hard to remind herself to refer to him formally, instead of just calling him Frank. She didn’t want to slip up unexpectedly. Any news she wanted to break to Calvin would have to be done gently.
“That’s lovely. Sounds like you’ve grown quite fond of the kids,” Calvin said, with another one of his kindly smiles. It seemed to Veronica that he was trying to please her. They had lost a lot of their comfort and it felt more like a “first date” rather than a hundredth.
She nodded her head vigorously.
“I love them. They’re brilliant kids,” she said with a smile. She noticed that Calvin was looking at her curiously, something was on his mind.
“And what is Frank Davenport like? I’ve heard that he is quite a difficult man to work for,” Calvin said, dropping his fork on his plate. He was gearing himself up to listen to what she had to say.