Aurelia sifted through the options in her closet that evening and began to realize that dinner with Oliver seemed like a date.She saw him in the shop or out for coffee or lunch almost every week, but a nice dinner and dressing up felt a bit more serious.Her thoughts were a muddle of excitement and worry and she shook her head in exasperation, determined to find something to wear that wouldn’t scream ‘date.’
Stepping out of a cab in front of the restaurant, Aurelia thought she might have overshot her outfit.She was wearing a deep green dress with short sleeves, a high collar and an open back, along with her mother’s pearl drop earrings and a pair of wedge heels that wouldn’t risk life and limb on the uneven streets of Soho.She walked to the door of the restaurant and was about to pull it open when she heard Oliver’s voice behind her, calling her name.She turned and caught sight of him as he walked to join her.
He was in a navy suit and a white oxford shirt with two buttons undone instead of his usual one, and the grin on his face was contagious.Aurelia let go of her worry about whether their dinner was a romantic overture and gave in—just for a moment—to the full-on tingles running over her skin at the sight of him.
“Look at you,” she said approvingly, trying to keep her tone light.
“You look…amazing,” he replied, shaking his head as he took her in.
He held the restaurant door open for her, giving her a chance to enjoy his compliment unobserved as she walked ahead of him.
Later, as they sat waiting for dessert to arrive, Oliver quirked his eyebrow at her.
“You remember our first date?”
After all these months, she was surprised to hear him mention that night since it had seemed like a forbidden topic.
“I do, in fact.”
“You were so incredibly rude—yawning, drifting off every time I started talking.”
His smile told her he was teasing her, wanting to get a rise out of her—and it worked.
“Me?What about you?Droning on and on, barely a smile, looking like it was torture to be in the same room with me!”
“Me?” he mimicked.“I recall you making all sorts of faces at that dinner with David and James, likeyouwere in agony being in the same room with me.”
Aurelia covered her mouth, mortified at having been caught all those months ago.Oliver laughed and she joined in, glad they were both finally acknowledging the rough start to their friendship.
“Well, you still yawn on occasion, but I’ve mostly been able to keep your attention since then.”
“And you’ve thawed out quite nicely.”
Aurelia’s tone was more flirtatious than she’d intended, and her smile faltered.
Oliver clearly noticed, because his eyes were steady on hers as he said, “I know I’ve said it before… I’m sorry if I confused you, at the end of the date.But… I haven’t regretted that kiss.”
Aurelia tried to hold his gaze but had to look away.It seemed impossible that he could really mean that after she’d spent ages reminding herself that he didn’t think of her that way—as someone he wanted to kiss.Their dessert arrived and she pretended to be distracted by the business of refilling their glasses with more champagne and commenting on what each of them had ordered and whether they’d be willing to share.
By the time they left the restaurant they were both silly from the bubbly and the excitement of the evening.Oliver offered to walk her home, but Aurelia solemnly pointed to her heeled shoes and shook her head, so they compromised by taking the Tube.Once they were out of the station and walking toward the shop, though, their celebratory mood began to dissipate.Aurelia struggled to find things to say, and Oliver grew serious.She felt as though each step they took was bringing them closer to a decisive moment.
As they arrived at the shop door, Aurelia understood—the decisive moment was their goodbye, which would determine once and for all whether this had been a date.She grew restless, fiddling with her bag, her coat, her keys.She didn’t want to make eye contact with Oliver.She was worried she might reach for him and put him in the terrible position of having to correct her mistake—Oh, I’m sorry.You didn’t think I liked you—not like that?
“Aurelia?”He was trying to catch her eye, and she finally had to relent.She looked into his eyes and felt her heart leap.She was unaccountably scared, as though she were being backed toward the edge of a cliff.
Oliver stepped forward, reaching a hand to her arm and drawing nearer to her.She braced herself, knowing that if he got any closer she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from leaning in to brush his lips with hers.
“It’s almost midnight!”she burst out.
He drew back for a moment, looking appropriately confused by her sudden declaration.
“Are you afraid you’ll turn into a pumpkin?”
“No,” she laughed.“And anyway, Cinderella doesn’t turn into a pumpkin—her coach does.You need to brush up on your fairy tales.”
Aurelia pushed at him playfully and he took the opportunity to pull her toward him and kiss her.Despite her earlier resistance, she felt her body relax into his as she kissed him back.It was just as good as it had been on their horrible first date.No, she realized quickly, it wasbetter.
She lost all sense of where she was until she heard the faint sounds of the mantel clock inside the shop as it began to toll the hour.She was very aware of the fact that they were standing in front of the shop and that she was usually inside, waiting to meet a collection of fictional characters.The thought of them—and what Oliver would think if he even suspected her nighttime routine—jolted her back to reality and she drew away from him.
