Accept her invitation.

"Sure." You shout back. "Red or white?"

"Um...White?" Melissa says, straining a smile. You swear you can hear her smoke alarm go off. "Or...whatever goes well with pizza." She says quickly before disappearing into her kitchen. You shake your head and let out a small chuckle.

A few hours later, you've showered, changed and picked up a bottle of wine and soda, all the while being peppered with Djal's questions about the modern world, and have just rung Melissa's doorbell. The door opens and you're speechless. Melissa greets you at the door wearing a beautiful slim, dark blue dress that's tied together at the neck, with just a hint of cleavage, fantastic make up, and has her hair done up with curls framing her face. Her cheeks start to turn red and she shuffles awkwardly while you stare at her.

"I feel so under-dressed now." You cough, finally finding your words. Holding up the drinks, you turn to go home and change.

Melissa puts her hand on your shoulder and stops you. "It's fine," she says, smiling warmly, "It's not often I get to have dinner with a handsome man, so it's fun for me to have an excuse to dress up." She slides her arm into yours and walks you to the dining room.

It's a very intimate set-up. Some candles have been lit. Two place mats have been set next to each other, and a silver cloche sits in the middle of the table, partnered with a single flower in a vase. You put the drinks down on the table and grab the cloche's handle. Melissa looks very sheepish when you start to lift it off, revealing... the delivery box for DiGiorno's Pizzaria.

You burst out in laughter and Melissa joins in, removing all the nervous tension that built up. "I'm so glad I bought the soda now," you wheeze, holding your sides. "What was that supposed to be, by the way?"

"Chicken Marlen!" Melissa sniffs, carefully wiping her tears away to not ruin her makeup. "I got confused. The recipe said cook it in the oven at 400 for three hours. But it didn't say Fahrenheit or Celsius! So instead of cooking, it burned!" The two of you howl in laughter again, before sitting down and having dinner together.