Lunch with Mia.

The place is at a 10-minute walk from the stadium. Mia sends you a text saying she’s already there. You want to hurry up, but you don’t want to run and get all sweaty, so you just walk as fast as you can.

You’re really happy you finally got to see Emily and Megan play a real match. They’re seriously good. You’re very thankful to Mia, and you’ll pay her by making this date unforgettable… even if you have no idea what you’re both doing today.

You get to the restaurant and you’re pleasantly surprised. It gives the vibe of a cheap place that’s trying its best to look fancy, but in a good way, with nice decoration, table settings and well-dressed staff.

One of the waitresses sees you looking around and walks up to you.

“Excuse me, can I help you?”

“O-oh. I’m supposed to meet someone here. She should already be here.”

“What’s your name?”

“David Walker.” You answer by reflex.

You see the waitress raise her eyebrows, giving you a look from top to bottom. What the hell?

“Yes, your date is waiting for you. Please come with me.”

Your mind races as you follow her through the place. She knows you’re on a date with Mia, which means Mia specifically said she was waiting for her date, who’d be you.

The waitress leads you to a table for two, far away from the entrance and points to the woman waiting for you. Your jaw drops when you see her, and if this were a cartoon it’d be hitting the floor.

Mia is wearing a very tight, long-sleeved, red wine-colored sweater dress that stops shortly above her knees. It accentuates her hourglass figure wonderfully and shows her long, black stockings-clad legs. She also has black shoes on. Her long, wavy auburn hair is tied into a bun, letting a few long bangs run through both sides of her face and her lips are painted deep red.

No wonder the waitress was looking at you funny. YOU’RE the date of this gorgeous, mature woman? Now you feel stupid for being disappointed about her previous outfit. When did she get changed?

You take your seat in front of Mia and struggle to get your words out. “You look absolutely stunning.”

“Thank you.” She replies with a relieved smile. “I asked Julia what the team would do after the match. They’re going to another restaurant for lunch and then straight back home. No one in this town knows us. So I figured…”

She doesn’t want to hide. She doesn’t want to keep appearances. This is a straight-out date between you and her, and she doesn’t care what other people think.

You chuckle. “The waitress gave me a weird look when I told her my name. She couldn’t believe I was your date, and honestly neither can I.” You give her a smile.

“Get used to it, because we’re going to get a lot of weird look today.” She chuckles as well. “Who knows, we might even get weird looks beyond tomorrow, too.”

Your heart skips a beat at those words.

You order your food, and Mia encourages you to eat a lot and advices to not order any ****. She asks about the soccer match, about how things have been going with everyone and if you’ve thought about your future in law school some more. You ask if her how work is going, if she’s still doing too much or if she’s allowing herself time to rest.

“I’m here now, aren’t I?” She chuckles. Well, Mia seems like a naturally hardworking person. Even if when she takes things easy, she’ll still have everything done.

Sometimes there are lulls in the conversation, but these are not awkward like before. You make use of the silence to look into each other’s eyes, hold hands and all that corny stuff you always thought you’d hate. Turns out losing yourself in the eyes of someone you love is amazing. You squeeze her soft hand. Did she use some sort of cream, because it feels great just to touch them. You notice her nails are also painted red, and that she doesn’t keep them very long.

Mia pays of the food and you both leave the restaurant and get in her car.

“So? What are we doing next?” You ask, putting on your seat belt.

She looks at you with an excited grin and asks. “Have you ever been to a winery?”