She took a deep breath and walked through the door. The very pretty hostess, turned to face Aurora. She had short spiky bleached blonde hair and a friendly smile. 'Good evening, Madam. Have you got a reservation?'
'No, I'm meeting Mr Sam Jones, I believe he reserved the table. I'm a little late,' she smiled.
The hostess pointed towards the far side of the restaurant, 'Mr Jones is sitting at the bar.'
'Thank you.'
Aurora walked towards the bar, hoping the mysterious Sam Jones wouldn't turn around and watch her, she hated it when they did that. She looked around the restaurant, which was decorated in whites and creams, the back wall by the bar was painted red which gave the place a warm glow. It had wooden floors so she click-clacked self-consciously across the restaurant.
All the waiters and waitresses looked Italian, and she felt like she really was in their beautiful country. That was until she looked out of the window and was brought back to reality with a wallop when she didn't see a cobbled square highlighted by the golden sun but dark, dreary London.
The things she'd do for a holiday.
Sam Jones was very handsome - she was not expecting that. She almost gasped when he turned to face her which she just managed to cover by saying 'hi' too loudly. A few diners turned to see who had shouted.
'HI.' she could feel the blush washing over her, that's all she needed. Now he probably thought she was drunk. She had very pale skin so it was obvious when she blushed - she couldn't hide it, unlike Tasha who was tanned all year round. She couldn't imagine Tasha ever blushing anyway.
'Hi, you must be Aurora, I'm Sam.'
'Yes,' that's all she could get out. It felt like her throat was closing up, she needed some water.
'Shall we…' Sam led the way to their table.
Aurora was looking through the menu, trying to decide what to order. She didn't want to get anything that was messy like spaghetti bolognese, she didn't want to end up with pasta sauce splattered all over her face. She decided on chicken breast wrapped in parma ham. Not messy, she hoped. Sam ordered steak. Why was it, men always ordered steak? She wondered if it made them feel big and strong.
'So Aurora, what do you like to do in your spare time?' Sam asked, while pouring her a glass of wine.
'A lot of stuff, I don't know. I like to read, watch films, your normal kind of thing I suppose. What about you?' Aurora tried to give him a cute but sexy smile, which she instantly regretted, she gulped down some wine.
'I collect cars.'
Now wishing she'd learnt to drive, 'what kind of cars?'
'All sorts, I won't bore you by naming any though,' he gave her a cheeky smile.
No, she thought. That's for the best. She'd probably end up falling asleep in her dinner.
'Do you drive many of these cars? Must be an expensive collection to keep.'
He started laughing, which Aurora thought a bizarre reaction and was beginning to annoy her until he stopped guffawing and explained.
'I collect matchbox cars. I don't imagine I'd be able to fit.'
'Oh, well that was silly of me.' She laughed along with him although inside she was dying of embarrassment. She wondered if her face was as red as it felt. Why was it so hot in here? She wouldn't be surprised if she started to melt right there in her chair.
After they had eaten their main courses the waiter came over to take away their plates. 'Would you like to order some dessert?'
'No, thank you.' After the car incident, Aurora couldn't wait to to leave. They hadn't spoken much after that. He was very nice, and friendly but they didn't have much in common. Sam collects matchbox cars and she likes to watch reality TV while painting her nails. He did tell her more about the cars during the meal, but Aurora kept feeling like she was going to yawn.
'I love going out hunting for the cars, they can be quite difficult to come by, so when I find one, even if it's one I've already got I get this great warm feeling in my stomach. Only collectors could understand. I'm sure you feel like that when you've found something you love. Right?' Hunting for matchbox cars, it sounded like he was hunting for some exotic near-extinct animal in the dark.
Aurora looked down at her strappy heels 'Actually, I do know exactly what you mean.' When she found the heels in the sale, she wished she could break into a song and dance number and that everyone else in the shop would join in and automatically know the words and moves like they do in musicals.
'Any coffee, or something a little stronger?' Said the waiter with what Aurora thought looked suspiciously like a wink.
'I wouldn't mind some coffee, what about you, Aurora?' She looked over at Sam as he said this. Oh please, no, she thought.
'It's getting a little late.'
Sam looked up at the waiter, 'I think we'll leave it then, can we just have the bill, please? Thank you.'
Stay tuned for more.
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