Date Night

It was late on a Friday afternoon. The world outside was dreary and the city was nestled beneath a blanket of grey clouds. A cold winter wind was blowing outside the glass window. Meanwhile, sheltered in the warmth on the other side of the window, a group of directors shifted nervously as their boss tapped his finger impatiently against the wooden boardroom table. He was clearly displeased with the presentation they were showing him. They all anxiously awaited his criticism.

All the while, Adam had been blankly staring at the presentation being given before him. His eyes stayed focused, but his mind could not. For the first time in his life he found himself unable to concentrate during a meeting. He was too busy worrying about the weather outside. His eyes betrayed him and he glanced down at the time.

Finally, after at least thirty minutes of having carried on this way, Adam gave up. If he waited any longer he'd run out of time. The grey clouds were already threatening him with snow. If it fell before he left he would be delayed even further.

"No one wants to work late on a Friday." He said to his team. "Type up the presentation and send it to me. We can discuss improvements next week."

They all looked at each other in disbelief. They were preparing themselves for reprimand and instead were told to finish work for the day? It was unheard of but no one questioned it. They all counted their good luck and hurriedly grabbed their materials and left before Adam could change his mind.

Once everyone else had filed out of the room Adam himself left. He went back to his office to grab his things and let David know he would be leaving on time, which was extremely early for him. Then he braced himself and headed out into the cold.

Adam drove for a while before arriving at his destination. Once there he parked outside, sent a text message, and then he waited. Only a few minutes had passed when a beautiful girl came rushing out to meet him.

"What are you doing here?" Elle asked as she got into the car.

"I came to surprise you."

"Well it worked." She said with a laugh. "What about your work?"

"There's nothing that can't be done later." Adam assured her. "For the rest of the evening my time belongs only to you. Tell me, what do you want to do?"

Elle's face flushed slightly and she rested one hand against her stomach. "I'm hungry." She shyly confessed.

"Dinner it is."

~~~~

Elle leaned forward in her seat as she saw their food arrive. She picked up her chopsticks and eagerly began poking at the steaming bowl of ramen in front of her.

"Did you not eat lunch?" Adam asked with a frown.

Elle shook her head no. "I was in back to back meetings all day. Before I knew it it was already the end of the day."

"Even if you're busy you should eat." Adam chided as he added more meat to her plate.

They casually enjoyed the warm food together. As they spoke Adam began to notice that Elle had a faint cough.

"Are you sick?" He asked after flagging down a waitress to request some hot water for her.

"No. My throat is just a bit dry." She gratefully accepted the water when the waitress returned and took a long sip, almost chocking on the water when she noticed the troubled expression Adam wore as he watched her.

Elle let out a light laugh and leaned forward to massage the furrow in his brow away. "I know not to get sick at such a crucial time as well. I'm telling you that I'm fine."

After dinner they headed back home, but neither of them were in the mood to simply let the night go. Even when they returned home they lingered in the living room, watching tv from the sofa to draw out the time.

Elle laid comfortably within his embrace and Adam wrapped both arms tightly around Elle's waist. He frowned slightly as he did.

'When did she lose so much weight?' Adam wondered to himself as he noticed how slim she had gotten. 'Why didn't I notice sooner?' He silently chided himself.

Elle, who was oblivious to his worry, nestled into him. She burrowed her back deeper into his chest, feeling like a piece of a puzzle that was crafted to fit perfectly between his arms. Adam's worries were quickly lost to the comfort of Elle's soft and warm embrace.

"This is so nice." Adam murmured against her skin. "How long has it been since we were able to spend time together like this?"

Elle felt her heart swell. She leaned up and gave him a careful kiss.

Adam closed his eyes slowly. It wasn't anywhere near enough but it was also rare for Elle to be the one to initiate intimacy so he let her lead for a moment, happily accepting her string of chaste kisses before eventually prying her lips open and letting his tongue slip into her mouth so that he could kiss her properly.

After a few minutes Adam slipped his arms under her legs and easily lifted her. Elle's lips were too busy to laugh at his urgency as he carried her to their bedroom. The cold day was quickly lost to a warm night.