Tonight was the night. The night everything Ava had worked for came together. Date night. A summation of hopes and dreams. Smiling smugly to herself in her mirror, she continued with her preparations. Though this wasn’t her date, she was still prepping herself to look as lovely as an average looking girl can. Her hair brushed and neatly arranged, her whole visage glowing with excitement, she headed out. Tonight she would prove all her doubters and naysayers wrong. Technically, she had already partially succeeded. Jeremy and Chris said she would never be able to get Bethany and Benjamin on a date, and, she had! Only the events of tonight stood between her and total triumph.

        It was a drizzling, dull evening, the kind which Ava gloried in. People walking down the street hurried on the way to their destination to get out of the light mist, and the cobblestone streets shone like silver all drenched. Ava was tempted to linger in the rain and walk slowly, until she realized that she didn’t want Chris to see her all soaked and smelling like a wet dog. Thinking of Chris brought her back to something she had been puzzling out earlier. Was this technically a date for them? She had told Chris she planned on supervising Bethany’s date from afar, and then he had offered to go with her, so she wouldn’t look like a “sad loner”. His words. Part of her said “He invited himself! It’s a low-key way of going on a date with you. So count it as one.” Another said “It might be a date if he hadn’t thrown ‘sad loner’ in there. Such un-lover like phrasing! He just wants to save you from humiliation, being his friend and all”. Ava sighed, and silently agreed with the negative voice.

        Chris joined her at the end of his street, and when he saw her he thought her quite adorable, with a broad smile plastered on her face, raindrops in her hair sparkling like diamonds, and her fierce dark eyebrows providing quite the contrast. They walked on in silence for a few minutes until he finally spoke.

        “You excited? Tonight it all goes down, for better or for worse.”

        “I’m excited, nervous, scared, anxious. Every electrifying emotion all mixed together. But I’m confident they’ll take to each other. I just know they will.” She said this more to reassure herself than to inform Chris. He nodded and they continued talking all the way to the restaurant.

        At their arrival, they took a seat by a window and patiently awaited Bethany and Benjamin. Arranging this setup had been quite a feat that Ava scarcely believed she could pull off, but she had pursued “in the name of love”. She recalled this as she scanned the room for the potential lovers and held her head high because of her first triumph. Chris smiled warmly at her, hoping all would go well for Ava’s sake, but he was already convinced that Benjamin Batch would not take to Bethany Rogers, despite the lady’s beauty and kindness.

        A tall man with a quick step and a commanding gaze strode into the room filled with laughter and the clinking of plates and glasses and took a seat. He scanned the dining parlor with a critical air; spotted Ava, forced a smile, and nodded at her. Returning his attention to the empty chair across from him, he seemed resigned to the fate of an evening trapped.

        “But goodness, if Benjamin Batch can’t kill with those eyes of his! And his cheekbones! He’s so handsome it’s scary. Whenever he looks straight at me with those icy blue orbs, I feel frozen to the spot and unable to speak. It’s really uncanny,” commented Ava with a shudder.

        “Bethany already finds it hard to speak in the presence of anyone she doesn’t know well, so I hope for your sake Ben’s eyes won’t freeze her to her chair,” Chris responded. Ava merely nodded absently and muttered “Oh dear” under her breath, and went back to wordlessly searching for Bethany. Not too long after, the much sought after woman appeared. She walked in hurriedly and had a fearful, nervous, dogged look on her face, which was intercepted by Ava and made that black haired damsel’s stomach sink straight to the floor. “Benjamin will resent her fearful look and be his usual brusque self” she dismally thought. Bethany took her seat, apologized profusely, and thus the date began. Ava mentally strapped herself in and prepared for the ride.

        “Good evening Benjamin, I am so sorry I am late. How are you this morn- er- evening? How are you this evening?” Bethany inquired this with a fearfully big smile, as she was trying hard not to show her fear that Benjamin would laugh in her face because he found her so pitiful.

        “I am doing very well this evening, thank you. And yourself?”

        “I am wonderful, thank you.” Silence, during which Bethany desperately had to summon the courage to speak, and during which the usually quick witted and sharp tongued Benjamin raced to find something to say to this demure lady.

        “How is your sister? And your brother?” he finally enunciated.

        “Oh, they are great. Justus’ studies are progressing well, and Kat is as purpose driven as ever.” Bethany flashed a real smile this time, as she loved her siblings dearly. Benjamin, perceiving this, realized he had never seen her smile genuinely; she always seemed so nervous in every memory he could recall her in.

        “When next you see Justus, I’m presuming either tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest, tell him to stop by my office, I’ve been meaning to have a chat with him for some time. He has a good head on his shoulders, but he needs guidance. He has a tendency to be something of a head hot.” As soon as these words came out of Benjamin’s mouth he dearly regretted them. Would it offend Bethany? His face turned a light shade of red and he quickly reached for his water glass. In the middle of drowning himself, he heard the lady’s melodious laugh.

        “Yes, I’ll tell him! You are so right. I’m hoping he’ll grow out of that tendency, but I do think he’s pretty adorable when he’s angry.” Benjamin’s straight face relaxed into a real smile, and he inwardly determined that he was going to enjoy this evening. He also thought how he had never realized how altogether beautiful his date was. Her doe-like brown eyes, full lips, and blooming cheeks had previously never had any effect on him, but tonight he saw for the first time how striking they were, when worn with such a lovely soul as Bethany’s. Both were silent for a few moments, but they no longer felt awkward. The smiles they were both showing each other were the genuine article, and Bethany felt so relaxed inside and reflected that Benjamin Batch did have a kind and charming side, whatever his frigid reputation might be. Both being now eager to converse, they did just that. All through the meal and the dessert, they talked, laughed and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company. Meanwhile, across the building, Ava and Chris had become so engrossed in their own conversation that they really rather forgot whose date had brought them there.

        Their attention was not dragged back to the other pair until both Bethany and Benjamin stood up; Bethany sliding her arm through Ben’s, and the pair walking off looking all-around pleased and still chattering to each other. This broke Ava’s reverie and the hold that Chris’ hazel eyes had had on her, and caused her such a shock that she could not but help exclaiming:

        “Oh my goodness! Chris! Look!” Chris saw, urged her not to point (it was rude), and suggested they ask for the check, their food having long since been devoured.

        “Oh Chris! Who would have thunk it? I’m over the moon happy! Not so much because I was right, but because they looked so happy!” Chris made no reply in words, but it would suffice to say that his long gaze into Ava’s eyes was a reply all on its own.