Un Tavolo per Due

“You are looking strangely happy,” Touta noted as he saw a blushing A, who was staring down at her phone with a big grin on her face. “You haven’t been this happy ever since we bagged the Kobayashi case a few weeks back – what’s going on?” to his surprise, she looked at him with a small smile and merely put her phone back on her desk, twiddling with her hair anxiously.

“Well, I may have a date this evening around Tokyo.” She replied with a growing grin. Touta’s expression changed to one of amusement and he ruffled her hair, chuckling. “I’ll get picked up from here and then we’ll go around the city – I honestly have no idea what we’re going to do, but it’s going to be fun nonetheless. I’m excited.” It was his first time to see her giddy and red about something like a date – Touta may have been wed to his work, but even he would appreciate going out once in a while.

“It’s with that Matt guy, yeah?”

“Yeah.” She sighed happily. “He’s great. Even though I thought he was a bit of a prick for running away from me when I first saw him at the warehouse…I’ve got no idea why, but we’ve been sort of attached ever since. Texts and calls here and there, eating at cafes nearby…I think this is our first date. Our official first date, at least.”

“Did he ask you out just now?”

“Yep. The other times we just happened to stumble across different coffee shops and we’d just talk about anything under the sun. Talking would be the major part, eating would just be minimal and we’d just converse until we had to go.” She looked back at her sleek phone and smiled. “He’s been teasing, actually, about our actual first date. Telling me that having snacks at a cafe is cheap and cheesy.” She snorted and shook her head. “I guess he finally wanted a real date.”

“Aw, of course he does.” The Japanese gave her a supportive gesture and continued, “You’re a pretty, intelligent young woman. I don’t think he’d pass up this kind of opportunity.” A flushed at his comment yet grinned nonetheless, pleased at his words. “Tell me how it goes tomorrow, yeah? And please, please don’t take things too far like what Peters does.” At that, Touta gave her a hard look. “I don’t need another employee running around singing I Just Had Sex by whatever American band.”

She frowned a little, “Of course I won’t. What kind of woman do you think I am?”

“Someone respectable. Not that I’m saying Peters isn’t a respectable male, but you know what goes on in that head of his…just have fun and be yourself and whatever people advise.” He waved his hand in the air and walked towards the door of her office. “And don’t try that bar on the corner of the street. We’ve had a new report regarding bar fights and murder over there.”

With a delicate shudder, he went out of her office, leaving a once-more smiling and excited A in her seat as she eagerly texted her date on what time he’d be there.

Outside HQ and over at another building up north of the city, a ginger man leaned against the glass window of the top floor and took his phone out of his pocket as it started to ring. His blue eyes lit up at the sender of the message and he quickly replied, trying to stop his fingers from shaking so much.

“You free tonight? Might have some maintenance to do around the city.” The man shook his head and tucked his phone back into his pocket, adjusting the collar of his top and turning to look out at the city.

“No, I’ve got a thing for tonight.”

The other raised a brow.

“A thing?”

“A date.”

At the reply, Jun Matsumoto barked out a harsh laugh.

“A date? You? S’been a long time since something like that happened, Jeevas. So who’s the girl who’d have to stick to you and your smoking and love for consoles, eh?”

“Piss off, Matsumoto.” He folded his arms over his chest. “I don’t think she’d be sick of it.”

“Tell that to Molly. Or Felicia. Or Elena.”

“You set me with Molly, Felicia was just a stand, and Elena was a bitch.” He replied sharply.  “Elena may have come close, but she wasn’t the one – and she cheated, for Christ’s sake.” Matt Jeevas glanced at Matsumoto. “It has been some time since I’ve dated. But I’m not going to waste it all.”

“You’ve got this job.”

It wasn’t a reassurance.

It was a threat.

“And I’ve got a life.”

*****

Six o’clock in the evening read the wall clock. A fidgeted and ran a hand through her hair, worrying if she should have put it up instead. But going on a date with a bun? She wanted to look nice for him. A groan left her lips. She should have gone home early and changed into something that looked more casual than work appropriate, more feminine than what currently screamed ‘I just got off work’. Blast it. At least she was wearing a skirt instead of pants on the day.

A black car pulled over and all thoughts left her head as a man got out of the car. A couldn't help but grin widely and rush to him, Matt smiling back upon seeing her and opening the car door for her. “Hi A,” he greeted as she got in, closing the door and rushing back to the driver’s side. “Good day at work?”

“Same old day,” she replied, feeling blood rise to her cheeks at the clear, enthusiastic smile on his face. “So where are we going?” God, she hoped she didn’t sound too excited or anxious –

“I thought of taking you to this nice place nearby, but I forgot to reserve.” He shot her an apologetic glance. “Tried calling but it was full. Had great sushi and noodles I thought you’d enjoy.”

“N-No, that’s alright.” A cringe came from the woman after her stutter. “We can go somewhere else, right?”

“Right.” He nodded as he drove along the roads. “So…I thought we could be a little different from the norm tonight and just divide our meal into parts.”

Her green eyes then flickered with hesitation.

“Parts?”

“Yeah – like we go to this cosy resto for an appetizer, then another place for main course, another for dessert, and then end it with drinks and just talking. Are you alright with that?”

He worried that she’d accept but wouldn’t enjoy. She was someone who liked to plan carefully by the detail, he had noticed.

“I’m completely fine with that plan. Might stumble across some nice places in the city I haven’t been to, yeah?” and then came that smile of hers.

Matt felt like he’d crash into another car because of his paranoia.

And because of how attractive she was at that moment.

A could swear her face was as red as a tomato because of how eager she felt.

Also because her date looked very, very good that night.

The silence in the car seemed too much, so he broke the tension. Too bad she felt the same and both of their sentences came out interrupting the others’.

“I hope you like ramen-”

“Are we stopping there-”

Both faces turned red (A’s went redder).

“…yes, I like ramen.” Her voice went up an octave and the black-haired woman felt like bashing her head into the car window. Idiot, idiot, fucking trembling idiot!

“Oh. That’s good.” Matt cleared his throat and glanced away, spotting a nearby ramen shop and parking smoothly into the lot. At least I didn’t crash. “Here we are…let’s get out, yeah?”

*****

Arianne Maxwell hoped that the first part of the meal would be less awkward and more lively. It was going so well until they interrupted each other in the car, and it was quiet until they sat down at a table by the window and looked up from their menus. She squinted her eyes at the menu and down at the translations, wondering which she should order. After all, all the ramen she ate was either take out or instant, and the thought of that made her groan inwardly.

“So,” Matt started, looking up from his menu, “You know what to order?”

“No, I’m…still deciding.”

At that, he realized how unfamiliar she was. The thought made him chuckle.

“You know, this one’s really good.” He looked over his menu and pointed at one picture. “I’ve eaten it a couple of times and never really get tired of it.”

It looked fairly nice. She nodded, and he waved over a waiter and ordered their meals, she just asking for some water instead of his choice of soda.

“You don't like soda, A?”

“It’s fine.” She shrugged. “I just prefer having water or coffee whenever I feel like it.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “You’re a Brit, don’t you like tea?”

“Not all Brits like tea – I find it rather weird-tasting.” A wrinkled her nose. “Tried the traditional tea and then the one in packets that you dip…I prefer coffee. At least you can customize it.”

“Like what, Starbucks? Fraps with the whipped cream?”

“A Latte, I go for Fraps when I need a quick fix. I usually start my mornings with a Latte – sometimes Mocha can be used for quick fixes when I want some actual hot coffee in my system.” Matt leaned back on the chair and nodded in thought, interested at her coffee choices. He thought someone like her, especially with her kind of job, would go black or Americano.

“You like it sweet?”

“Very sweet. Usually add some chocolate to my Mocha or get Caramel Fraps when I feel like it.” She eyed him, leaning forward with her chin on her hands as she looked at the man across her. “How about you, Matt? Do you like it sweet?”

“A Cappuccino is already okay for me. But I take mine Irish when I feel like it.”

She actually smirked.

Just a bit.

“Sounds lucky.”

He laughed. “It’s luckier than you think. Part coffee, part Irish whiskey to get me through the long nights.” At the mention of whiskey, the look in her eyes went a little more interested.

“You drink?”

“In moderation.”

“And that’s like, what, two beers a day?”

She was actually teasing him now. He grinned and leaned in as well.

“I drink much more than that, darling.” She was about to respond to that, but their ramen came and eventually, they had to eat their first course – their appetizer.

A had to admit, he had good taste.

*****

“You are ridiculous, Matt.” The man blinked and looked at her, seeing that she had her wallet out. “I could have paid for my own meal; you didn’t need to treat me to this one.”

“No can do!” he smirked. “It’s a man’s job to pay for dates, A. And to pay for the succeeding ones.”

She slowly realized what he meant and crossed her arms.

“I’m not letting you pay for the next meals.”

“Too bad, love – I got my pay check today and I’m willing to spend it on you.”

*****

They had known each other for around a two months and a week, and now they were on a date. He wouldn’t have imagined going on a date with a woman who was hot on his heels for escaping the warehouse, but neither did he expect to have such a job. This proved one thing to Matt: life liked to mess with you, whether you liked it or not. And sometimes, it would give blessings in disguise.

He wondered if this was one kind of blessing.

“Ramen, and then some Italian. Why not?” she waved her fork of pasta at him with a slight laugh and ate, he watching as she twirled her fork in the bowl of Aglio et Olio. “Not like I’ll get sick of noodles, anyway.” He narrowed his brows. What did she mean? A caught his look and quickly reassured him, “I meant that in a good way. I love noodles, Matt, don’t worry.”

“I wasn’t worried!” he defended, yet couldn’t keep the relief out of his voice. She merely shook her head and looked at him with a slightly fond expression in her green eyes, eventually eating and taking sips of her drink from time to time.

The night was young (currently seven thirty in the evening) and so were they. Matt merely watched as he ate from his own plate of Bolognese, hiding a smile.

“You’re look different from when I first saw you.”

She looked up from her plate, noodle dangling from her mouth.

“Different?”

“Yeah. You look…” he thought. “Gentler.”

“Define ‘gentler’.”

“Well, you don’t have a gun shoved in my face.” He grinned. “And we’re talking like civilized people, rather than you threatening me and me basically begging for release.”

“That’s true.” She set her fork down and smiled. “But I was on duty, and I had to stick to duty.”

“Does being on duty include not giving a guy like me a chance?” he exaggerated batting his eyelashes, which made her snort and give him a bigger grin.

“Don’t flatter yourself too much, Matt.”

*****

“The pasta was already the main course,” she pointed out as they entered a store. “Are we getting dessert over here?”

“Nope, they’ve got good tacos and I want you to try them.” A narrowed her brows at him as they went through the door and into the warm shop, she glancing around and taking in the brightly-designed place. “Actually, you design your own taco. That’s what’s good about this place, it lets you eat whatever and you get to listen to good music.”

Bossa Nova hung in the air as he led her to the tables filled with shells and various toppings.

“Is there a limit to how many we can make?”

“That’s the best part – there’s no limit, just finish them and we’ll be good.”

Upon going back to their table, he was surprised to see her with a vegetable-stuffed taco and he with a meat-filled one. Was she vegetarian? But she had ramen with meat some time ago…might as well ask.

“Are you vegetarian?”

“Nah,” she took a bite and ate. “I just like my greens. There’s meat on the bottom of this taco, but the rest of it is pure vegetable, mostly lettuce and tomato.” She held it towards his direction. “Want a taste?”

Holy shit I did not just ask that.

Matt considered the offer, and after thinking, took a bite from the other side and made a face.

“How can you stand a lot of…” he swallowed and grimaced, “greens in your meal?”

Satisfied, she merely shrugged and went on eating, leaving the ginger amazed and with the taste of crunchy lettuce and juicy tomatoes in his mouth. And maybe some meat.

*****

She had asked to choose the place for dessert, he allowed it. The next thing he knew, they were in front of a pastel-themed ice cream shop with the swirly wallpaper and cutesy round tables that stood out as they went inside. A woman greeted them with a friendly smile and then asked for their orders, to which they gave. And yet once more, Matt had learned something about her.

He had actually learned a lot regarding her taste in food.

1. The only ramen she had ever tasted was either take out or instant.

2. She had a fondness for pasta.

3. She loved her greens.

4. A had a sweet tooth.

But aside from that, he also learned:

1. She preferred listening to talking.

2. She would get this faraway look in her eyes whenever in deep thought.

3. It was like she was wed to her job, but…

4. She was open to relaxing and that made him glad.

Now, he just wondered if he had a chance considering number four.

“Is this yours, Matt?” snapping out of his thoughts, he blinked as he saw her push a tall glass of vanilla and caramel ice cream towards him. The Brit saw her own glass of chocolate and strawberry and took hold of his glass, spooning some ice cream into his mouth.

She hoped he didn’t see the bill she sneaked to the waitress.

This was at least one meal she had to pay for.

“This really was a spur of the moment kind of thing, yeah?”

“The date?”

“Yep.”

“It was, but…” he struggled with his words, “but I somewhat felt that it was right.”

“Right?”

“Yes. Right.” He left his spoon in the glass and looked at her. “It’s about time we went on a date, yeah?”

At that, she smiled.

His heartbeat may have increased by ten thousand.

When they left the ice cream parlor much after, he realized that she had paid the bill in advance and was about to bring out his wallet when a warm, small hand landed on his own.

“Don’t bother, Matt – I had some cash I needed to burn, too.”

And perhaps, maybe he could let this slide.

When they rode his car and he took her to her house, both of them got out and he walked her to her door, and stood there awkwardly until she thanked him for the date and reached into her pocket for her house keys.

What he did next was instinct, really.

The sound of keys hitting the ground echoed in the air as he leaned in and gave her a kiss.