Wine and Dine

It was a Friday night, Dan and Sophie have been too caught up with their work lives to even acknowledge each other. They agreed to set up a date night, so they can catch up and finally meet face to face after spending many weeks texting each other on Facebook. Sophie was secretly starting to think he was a catfish. Dan set up an at-home date where he cooks Sophie dinner, he was very nervous but excited all in one. She clocked out of the office at 5 pm, which was way earlier than her usual midnight. See, she works at a publishing company that demands way too much of her, but she wouldn’t give it up for the world. Dan was a writer, a published one at that. Though the work isn’t as strict, it’s just as much time-filling.

“At last, I’m here! Out of work early and ready to spend time with the strange man from the internet,” Sophie exclaimed excitedly, with a smirk on her face. Making it hard for Dan to know if the statement was genuine or whether it was sarcastic.

“There’s the pretty face I've been dying to see for the first time,” Dan grinned at her, leaning in for a kiss to which Sophie indiscreetly turns her head, letting the kiss fall right on her cheek. Dan ignored it and continued to prep.

“What is it that I will be digesting on behalf of you tonight? Hope it’s not poison,” Sophie joked. Sophie always had her guard up around men. Her friends advised her that first dates in the comfort of a man’s home seemed like a sketchy idea. While she did accept it, she was still extremely cautious of her surroundings and made sure her location was on.

“Who would want to poison such a beautiful girl?” Dan laughed. In hindsight, he knew that in this day and age, that was certainly possible. He cleared his throat. “A glass of wine maybe? While I tell you the specials?”

“I love a good glass of wine, what do you have?”

“To complement the lovely filet mignon I have cooking up, I have this wonderful Merlot,” Dan said, pulling out the bottle in a dramatic gesture.

“I’ve never tried Merlot before, this is exciting!” Sophie exclaimed.

“What?! Merlot is the best, now you have to try it,” Dan said, pulling out a wine glass and pouring some wine into it. He then slid it over to Sophie with urgency, a hopeful look on his face while he waited for her to try the wine. Sophie then takes a sip, putting on her best poker face ever, just to tease Dan.

“It’s sweet, but subtly,” Sophie began, with a small smile on her face. “It’s a little dry but not as dry as most, it's softer and easier on the nose...like you.”

“Like me?”

“Like you.”

“How so?”

“Well, as I said, it's sweet but in a not-so-obvious way, different than its usual, and easy to be around,” Sophie said shyly.

“So I take it you’re a fan of Merlot?” Dan said with a smile on his face.

“Among other things, yes.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, because dinner is finished and you just have to try the wine with the steak,” Dan said, pulling out the dining chair, and letting Sophie get comfortable before beginning to serve the food. A lovely filet mignon, with sauteed vegetables, and garlic mashed potatoes.

“Oh my gosh, this all looks lovely, I’m excited to dig in,” Sophie said, grabbing the utensils. She wasted no time digging in.

After eating about half her plate in silence, Sophie cleared her throat and decided to open up a bit.

“You know, I have to admit, I was pretty nervous at first. I had my guard up right at the door,” Sophie spoke sincerely.

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

“Well we’ve only texted for so long, and I wasn’t even sure that this would fully work out,” Sophie has always been one to be intimidated by any kind of intimacy. It shook her to her core, but something about Dan felt special.

“Ah, I understand, it’s hard to know what's genuine in this day and age, but I’m glad you feel more comfortable with me, I bet it was the wine huh? That has to be what won you over!” Dan joked, with an adoring look in his eyes. He likes Sophie.

“Oh yeah, one hundred percent the wine,” Sophie joked back.

“Would you ever want to try the Merlot more often?” Dan asked, picking up on her metaphor from earlier, with a cheeky smile. Of course, Sophie picked up on it and let out a small laugh.

“I definitely would, the Merlot might be my main wine now!” Sophie said, giggles and smiles surrounding the environment.

“Oh, so there are other wines in the picture!” Dan exclaimed, playing along with her obvious joke. Making more laughter erupt from the small dining table.

“I’m glad I met you, Dan,” Sophie spoke softly, reaching her hand over and gently holding Dan’s hand in hers. “And the Merlot.”

“I’m glad I met you too, Sophie,” Dan spoke, looking directly into her eyes. “Can I kiss you now?” Dan said this with yet another hopeful look on his face, making Sophie laugh.

“Yes!”

“Finally!” Dan exclaimed, before leaning in to place the most gentle and loving kiss on her lips.

The couple’s first date night was fantastic, full of laughter and smiles. They became grateful for each other and grateful for that glass of wine.