The Invitation

Lily was terrified. They had been talking for nearly a year and finally she had worked up the courage to suggest a real “date.” The suggestion, much to her surprise, was accepted and to make the whole situation even more stressful, she’d suggested her place. What the hell was she thinking? It’s one thing to text back and forth, or talk for a bit on the phone. It’s also fairly easy to banter at the coffee shop. There are escape routes, dammit. You can hang up, have to go to the bathroom, or just leave. But no, you had to go and make it weird and inescapable by having it at your place. What are you going to do? Run out of the apartment and hope for the best? Girl, you are an idiot.

She had been wanting this for a very long time. She’d paid attention to Blair, not really knowing how to flirt, but hoping the attempts were noticed. She tried to be funny and a good listener, but she was never sure how she was received. It wasn’t that she was shy - she was just, well, not really sure how all this is supposed to happen. They met by accident at the Library, of all places, and had coffee at the cart outside. Several times when they had been there at the same time, they’d grabbed dinner or drinks. Lily didn’t think she was a stalker, but she’d timed her visits to hopefully coincide with Blair’s. And then, out of nowhere, she heard herself making a dinner invitation: “Candles, flowers, food, wine - I’m a really good cook!” As it came out of her mouth, she was already cringing. Really? That’s the line you’re using? And she could not have been more surprised that it worked…

She was a good cook. And even though she had planned this date in her dreams forever, she was worried. Should she cook something outrageous? Ceviche? Coq au Vin? Or should she go for comfort and make her amazing meatloaf? Maybe she could impress with something exotic like Mongolian Beef or moussaka. It wasn’t so much the menu, but still, it had to be just right. Eventually she settled on boeuf bourguignon. Her secret? She didn’t use burgundy wine. She found this enchanting Old World Merlot that she used to braise the beef. That should do it. The rest she didn’t want to contemplate too closely…

That evening, the apartment smelled heavenly. She opened a special bottle of Merlot that was more fruity than she’d cooked with (and more expensive too…) and left it to breathe. She had dressed and re-dressed all afternoon, finally settling on a simple t-shirt and jeans. She’d promised flowers but put her shamrock plant in the middle of the table instead - she’d take luck from anywhere. She got out her decent china, which basically meant it matched, wasn’t plastic, and was clean. And finally, she got out her wine glasses. They were a gift from her best friend who’d told her to save them for a “special one” or a close facsimile.

She closed her eyes, trying to imagine how the evening would go. She’d decided on a jazz piano playlist, since she knew they both enjoyed it. She was starting to really get nervous, or perhaps it was excitement, or maybe she was going to throw up, but before she could decide, there was a knock. “Dear God,” she thought. “I should have dressed up and cooked chicken and gone with white wine and this music is too loud and did she say she was bringing dessert and I don’t have on any shoes and my hair is scary as hell”...and there was another knock. She took a deep breath and opened the door - and there, holding a cheesecake, was Blair. She too was in a t-shirt and jeans, but had on shoes. Lily’s heart almost stopped. “May I come in?”

“Crap. Of course. Sorry. That cheesecake looks great! You got it at Shirleys!” Lily was babbling. Blair laughed. “Of course. Is there any other bakery? You look great! Glad you got the memo to wear a black shirt and jeans.” Lily put the cheesecake on the table while Blair inhaled the aroma. “What are you cooking? That smells delicious.” Lily smiled. It was nervousness, but it was excitement too. She poured a glass of the Merlot and handed it to Blair. “Here you go.” They clinked and drank. Blair swirled the wine and drank again. “This is good. Really good.” She put down the wine glass and pulled Lily into her arms.

“Yes,” she thought, “this is exactly how I imagined this, just don’t drop the wine” She knew where it would go from here and she hoped the boeuf bourguignon wouldn’t be too overdone. She couldn’t believe it had taken her a year to build up the courage for this. She could hardly breathe and she thought she might be a little dizzy. She felt herself melt perfectly into Blair’s embrace when she heard an ear splitting clanging. Was the kitchen on fire? What the hell? She sat up. She. Sat. Up. And with a fat tear slumping down her cheek, she hit the alarm and got up to start another day.