"Eh? What are you doing here?" She asked upon seeing Harold freshly showered and dressed casually in a tank top and jeans. "Aren't you supposed to be at the university?"
"Not today," Harold said as he let himself in the condo and noticed how Rayne was dressed. "Oh, are you going out?"
"Yeah. I'm in the mood for hash browns, pancakes, and sausage platter with rice."
Harold blinked at her. "Uh, you're going to eat all of those?"
"Of course. I don't share." Rayne said, sounding like a two-year-old.
"Right," Harold murmured. "What's the occasion? You normally don't eat an entire fast food joint." He added in a louder voice.
Rayne smiled brightly. "I got promoted!" She said, clapping her hands in excitement. "I'm now a lead manager and will be training new hires starting next week! Also…oof!"
The following words were squashed as Harold grabbed her to envelope her in a bear hug. "Congratulations." He said softly and, without thinking, kissed the top of her head.
Rayne felt her face burn with embarrassment but at the same time with joy. She hugged him back. "Thanks." She murmured.
"Although," Harold pulled away from her. "you are not going out to gorge yourself in overly processed food."
"Oh, come on, it's not like I always eat fast food." She protested.
"You're not going out alone. I'm going with you. Let's celebrate your promotion together."
"Don't you have classes?"
"Not today. No consultations either. You can't get rid of me."
"Fine, fine, it's like I could even if I wanted to. Let's go, prof." She said as she extended her hand to him, which he took and enclosed firmly.
* * *
Harold would always be amazed at how much food Rayne would order for herself. While he settled for a sausage sandwich and a cup of coffee, she ordered what she had said earlier: two hash browns, a three-piece pancake, and a sausage platter with rice accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate.
"You must be starving." He said, eyeing her meal.
"Want some?" She offered the plate of pancakes to him.
"I thought you didn't share."
"Normally, I don't, but you're different."
"Then don't mind if I do," Harold said as he took a fork to cut a piece of pancake.
Rayne giggled. He stared at her, puzzled. She shook her head. "You're quite cute."
Harold's eyes widened, and he knew that he was blushing. Huh, who knew she could make him blush like a schoolboy? It was also the first time he heard her complimenting him. "Thanks." He murmured as he took a sip of his coffee.
The two continued eating in companionable silence, except with Rayne insisting she fed him with scrambled eggs and pancakes. He had to put his foot down before she would have him choking on so much food.
Rayne was now finishing her remaining meals with Harold watching her closely. He was planning to ask her out for dinner when he dropped by to see her, but she ended up inviting him for breakfast. The dinner was not for this evening anyway, and it would be at the end of the exams, which fell on a Saturday and was two days away. He wanted to ask her in advance because he wanted to be prepared.
Oh well, no guts, no glory. He thought. "Mm, Rayne?"
"Yes?" She said as she put her drink down and looked at him expectantly.
"Are you free this weekend?"
Rayne thought for a moment. "I am; why?"
"I booked a dinner for two at Café by the Ruins, so how about it?"
She pointed at herself. "With me?"
"Who else? You're the only one I'm looking at and the only one I want to go on a dinner date with."
Rayne looked away briefly, then stared at him shyly. "Wow, um, sure."
"Hmm?"
"I'd love to."
Yay! Harold was mentally cheering for himself, and it showed in his voice. "Awesome. I'll pick you up at seven."
"Okay."
They left the restaurant and got back to the condo via taxi. They were chatting about random topics as if they made a silent agreement not to talk about going on a day a week from now was never brought up. They parted by the hall as Harold waved at her and went to his place, with Rayne waving back while opening her door.
"MEOW!" An indignant Bubbles greeted Rayne.
"You just ate, so stop whining." She hugged the cat tightly as it let out a yelp, then struggled away from her. She released the cat, who stared up at her.
Rayne went to the living room with Bubbles trailing after her. Seconds later, she was in a half-lying position staring at her phone, which she retrieved earlier from her pocket, and completing the ensemble was the cat sitting like a burned loaf on her hip. She looked at her contacts, scrolling down to who she could talk to about her present situation.
Christie's name flashed in front of her. Without thinking, she dialed her friend's number. Rayne ended up wincing and holding her phone away from her as she heard Christie's energetic voice greeting her from the other line. She was always amazed at how she was always active despite working at night and having a baby daughter.
"What's up? Do you still have questions about your duties as a lead manager?" Christie cheerfully asked.
"Uh yeah, I got a date next Saturday and-!" Rayne began but dropped her phone as she heard her friend screaming. She stared at the phone on the floor as if it had become sentient. She managed to pick it up without Bubbles getting off her.
"Rayne, are you still there?" Christie's voice reverberated in the living room.
Rayne glared at her phone and then put it back on her ear. "Yes, I'm fine. Luckily I can still hear. What's with the screaming?!"
"It's because you are going on a date! It's so rare for you to go out with anyone other than Brianna and me. Who's he? Where does he live? What does he do?" Christie began to pepper her friend with questions.
"Whoa, when did you become my interrogation officer? Fine, he's my next-door neighbor. He's a professor at the university where we're both alumni from. His name is Harold Sales. There, happy?"
Rayne got a squeal as an answer. She sighed in exasperation.
"Wear something dazzling and sexy! Make him eat out of your hand!"
"I intend to date him, not seduce him."
"Eh, that's where it would end up eventually."
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Christie giggled from the other line. "Relax. I know you prefer to take it slow. Anyway, I hope you have fun, and you got to tell me the deets once we meet up."
"Sure, sure. Also, when would that be? The last time we met was two years ago."
"True, don't worry, we always find the time and way to meet."
"Of course we do."
They chatted for a few more minutes, with Christie providing unsolicited advice that burned Rayne's ears. By the time she ended the call, she was staring at Bubbles, who was just as wide-eyed as she was.
Strangely, she ended up falling asleep on the sofa.
* * *
The day has arrived. Rayne was pacing in circles with her arms across her chest, and Bubbles was asleep on the pile of clothes on her bed. The cat was observing her earlier but got tired of watching his human make a fool out of herself.
Rayne was dressed in a thick black terry cloth robe and glared at the pile of clothes. She had spent the better part of the afternoon digging through her closet for something appropriate to wear for her date tonight. She did not want to dress like she had gotten out of bed, but she did not want to dress like an escort. It has to be something in between.
"Ah, whatever." She muttered as she took off her robe and began to put on her bra and underwear.
An hour later, she was fully dressed and washing her hands as she had just fed Bubbles.
"Okay, I'll be out for the night, but I will be back before I turn into a pumpkin." Rayne was talking to her cat, who ignored her as usual as he was eating happily.
Rayne had no idea what would happen tonight as this was the first time in a long time that she went out on a date with a very handsome guy. What did she do to deserve such a thing? Having him as a friend was a privilege, but going beyond that, she would not be sure how she would respond, especially since he told her how she felt about her. She could not provide him with a reply because she was too stunned to think of one.
Rayne was grateful that Harold was patient, but he could not wait forever. She would have to give him a response eventually. She could give it tonight. She took a deep breath and stared at the sink.
A knock on the door jolted her from her thoughts. She quickly walked towards the door, briefly giving a last look at her reflection in the living room mirror then she opened the door.
"Hey." Harold gave her a smile upon seeing Rayne. He eyed her appreciatively, seeing her dressed in a dark blue three-fourth-sleeved maxi dress and a pair of black leather Madilyn pointy-toe boots. Her hair was flowing loosely, which was a rare sight to see as she usually puts her hair up in a messy bun or a tight ponytail. Even if they were simply designed, the silver amethyst stud earrings and a silver studded chain bracelet said so much about her. "You look beautiful."
"Thanks. You too. I mean, you look great." Rayne hastily corrected herself.
Harold laughed. He understood what she was trying to say. "It's cool. Oh, by the way," he revealed a single-piece sunflower surrounded by baby's breath and wrapped in a black and gold floral paper tied with a silver bow. "For you."
Rayne gaped at the flowers. "Wow. That's so pretty, thank you." She took the flowers and admired how bright and colorful it was in contrast to the paper it was wrapped on.
"And safe for Bubbles."
"Yay! Let me put this in a vase; then we're off."
Harold nodded. Rayne went back inside and came out a few minutes later.
"Shall we?" Harold extended his hand to her.
Rayne smiled and took his hand. "Where are we going?"
"Café by the Ruins."
She gasped. "Wow! I always wanted to go there, but I just never found the time to do so."
"Well, now you have the time and the companion to go with." Harold clasped his hand on hers.
"It does beat going there alone. Lead the way, my kind sir."
"You suck at being formal."
"Fine. Move along, peasant."
"Yeah, no."
They were laughing as they walked out of the condominium building. While holding hands, there was no indication that they were out on a romantic date as they exchanged playful barbs. The guard saw them and offered to hail a cab, which they accepted. A white Innova stopped by their side, and they got in.
They continued chatting about random topics, making it a point to avoid talking about work. They arrived at the restaurant and were greeted by one of the staff as they were led to their table.
Rayne looked around her. "So much has changed after the fire. The place looks more modern."
"Yeah. I thought they would never reopen given how severe the damage was and when they sold their equipment and tableware." Harold took the offered menu from the staff and handed it to Rayne.
"That was a shock for me. But I was also surprised they reopened." She began to look at the menu. "Hmm, so many to choose from."
"Don't be shy and order whatever you want. It's on me."
Rayne looked up at him in concern. "But that won't be fair-!"
"I'm a man; it's part of my birthright to pay for the lady's food." Harold winked at her.
Rayne made a face. "We're not in the Middle Ages, professor. I'm as capable as the next person to pay for my dinner."
"This is a date; allow me to be a little romantic with you, okay?"
That left her speechless. How could she say no to that? Muttering her thanks, Rayne focused on her meal, trying not to feel self-conscious about how Harold was staring at her.