"What to wear, what to wear..." Dalia said aloud, her forehead creased, shuffling back and forth between possible outfits on her clothes rack. Normally, this would have been a simple decision where she would have dressed as she always did when catching up with Simon - casual. But with Meagan's notions that maybe Simon had intended this to be more like a 'date' just because they were meeting in the evening, Dalia could not help second-guessing herself.

Meanwhile, she hadn't even had a proper chance to consider how she felt about Simon and their relationship evolving into 'more than friends' - with exams filling every nook and cranny of her mind! But with one subject out of the way, it was as if a little space had freed up in her head for new thoughts - so tonight would be her first time really contemplating the whole Simon thing.

'Makeup or no makeup?' she wondered to herself, as her hands touched an outfit she was now leaning towards - a plain, beige dress that reached past her knees with long sleeves and an asymmetrical cut. She began imagining how with some accessories - like her pretty, black beaded necklace - the outfit could be 'dressed up'.

"Ugh," Dalia said, still undecided, afraid she might find herself overdressed - how embarrassing would that be, not so much the 'choosing the wrong attire' part, but more the implication that she had thought this catch up was more serious than Simon had possibly even intended!

Furthermore, the place she and Simon had agreed on was a Middle Eastern restaurant called Little Lebanon. It wasn't a fancy place - Dalia had purposely picked a place that wouldn't be too pricey, just in case Simon did offer to pay, conscious of his tighter budget - but the decor was pleasant and the food was delicious. So you could get away with dressing both casual as well as semi-formal - which didn't help Dalia right now!

Realising the time, forced to make a quick decision, Dalia settled on the beige dress and some light makeup - just eyeliner and lip balm to keep her lips from cracking in the cool evening air.

When she arrived at the restaurant and was greeted with Simon's beaming face, she silently sighed with relief at the effort she had made. The casual T shirt and jeans that he wore pretty much every day were replaced with a baby blue dress shirt and black, relaxed fit chinos. Dalia also caught the scent of his cologne, that wafted over to her nose, assisted by the breeze outside at the restaurant entrance where they stood - another small detail that she wasn't quite used to when Simon was concerned...

"You look really nice," Simon said, his mouth in a wide grin, his face exuding warmth.

Dalia felt that thud in her chest again. Trying to lighten the mood, she said in a casual, teasing way, "You clean up pretty good yourself."

Simon laughed, the smile he wore since first catching sight of her now practically tattooed on his face.

After they sat down at their table for two, he asked her about how her exam went, to which Dalia shared a detailed account of her afternoon. As they chatted away, Simon's eyes remained fixed on her face the whole time, until a waiter came around, asking if they were ready to order.

"Sorry, we haven't looked at the menu yet..." Dalia said apologetically, shooting Simon a guilty look for being the one rambling on.

"Not a problem. Just wave us over when you're ready." The waiter leaned in closer and lowered his voice as he added, "We usually get a lot of people coming in on a Saturday, so I'd order soon before the crowds arrive."

"Thanks so much!" Dalia said, flashing him an appreciative smile for the tip.

As she looked at the menu, initially, she felt immobilised by the variety - from an array of starters including the famous grapevine leaves stuffed with rice and mince; chicken, lamb and beef dishes with a choice of rice or chips as a side, and even seafood options. However, upon feeling a rumble in her tummy after a long day of last minute study review before an exhausting two hour exam, Dalia decided to stick to her usual choice - barbeque prawns on a bed of Lebanese seasoned rice.

Thankfully, they got in their order before the great mass of people arrived that the waiter had warned them about, their food arriving in no time. Dalia's dish was brought out first, steam rising from the mountain of rice topped with charred prawns on a large, round, white plate - Dalia was sure she would be packing leftovers for lunch the next day at the sight.

But when Simon's order of barbeque steak arrived shortly after, strangely, the sight of the well cooked meat still on the bone, and the smell that wafted over to her side of the table, caused Dalia to suddenly feel ill, her stomach growing queasy. Having been raised to always 'respect' food whether you liked it or not - conscious that there were those who had less - Dalia tried hard not to pull a face, so to distract herself, she turned her attentions to her own plate, inhaling the aroma, her tongue salivating.

"You have to try some of my prawns. I'm never disappointed!" Dalia pushed her plate forward towards Simon.

"Sure," he said eagerly, stabbing a prawn with his fork from the top of the pile before shaking it off onto his own plate. Immediately after, he picked up one of the smaller pieces of steak from his plate and placed it on Dalia's, saying, "Try mine as well."

Dalia hesitated, the uneasiness still lingering from just the very sight of the steak.

"Mmm, this is really good," Simon said, having removed the tail of the prawn that was usually kept shelled for infusing flavour, chewing the piece as a whole. "I'll definitely be ordering this next time."

Now feeling obliged to at least take a bite, Dalia hacked through the meaty end of the piece before placing it in her mouth. As she chewed, the nausea spread up from her stomach, reaching her throat. Dalia's eyes watered as she clenched her teeth and fought the urge to throw up, forcing the chunk down.

"Dalia, what's wrong?" Simon's eyes looked at her with alarm.

She waved her hand as if to say it was nothing, but she immediately gulped large mouthfuls of water to wash out the taste.

"Dalia, you shouldn't have forced yourself if you don't like steak, " Simon said, his eyes mixed with guilt and concern.

"No no, I do like steak usually... I think my tummy's just a bit unsettled after my exam, so the steak was probably just a bit heavy?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Hey, it's not your fault at all! My tummy's just being weird tonight. I love steak actually..." As Dalia said the words aloud, she suddenly experienced a feeling of deja vu. Had she felt ill trying to eat steak recently? It was hard to remember anything these days when her mind was at capacity with memorised facts and figures for her upcoming exams, so she shrugged the thought off.

Their evening progressed, the two going on to discuss a myriad of topics including favourite foods, exams coming up, holiday plans, and family. When it got time to paying, Simon immediately stood up and said, "It's my treat." He hesitated, as if he was about to say something but changed his mind. "To celebrate you successfully completing your first exam," he finally added, his eyes dancing with warmth, his face still plastered with that boyish grin.

'So not a date then... But does a guy tell you it's a date when he pays?' Dalia wondered to herself.

Ignoring her internal musings, Dalia returned Simon's grin and said, "Thanks so much for tonight!"

"It's a pleasure."

Dalia was about to ask if Simon needed a lift home when she heard the clank of keys and noticed him pull some out from his right trouser pocket, dangling them from his forefinger. 'Maybe he borrowed a friend's car... But why would he do that if he knows his house is on my way home?'

Small crests and troughs formed on Dalia's forehead at these little details that suggested that maybe this was a date - but without Simon actually stating it plainly, it could still all be in her head. 'Argh, Meagan, I'm going to kill you!' Dalia silently swore, but then mentally shrugged to herself when she realised that at the end of the day, hadn't she had a really good evening? She always loved Simon's company, with his easy going nature and positive outlook on life. It was fun and refreshing being around him.

Although Simon had in fact borrowed a car, and was lucky to nab one of the six parking spots the restaurant offered directly in front of the entrance, he insisted on walking Dalia to her Lancer, which was parked about a hundred metres away on a side street. They walked in silence, Simon to her left, matching her pace.

When they got to Dalia's car, Simon didn't wave her goodbye immediately, nor did he speak at first - it was as if he was trying to figure out what to say. Finally through a shy smile, his voice filled the awkward silence between them. "I really enjoyed spending time with you tonight," he said, sincerity in his eyes.

"Me too," she said, feeling her heart racing - the air had changed between them with that one statement.

"So... I'll see you at the Maths exam?"

Dalia nodded, her eyes trying to meet his gaze although she found herself needing to glance to the side of him to distract herself from the loud thud in her chest.

"And... maybe we can catch up again after?" Simon's eyes were hopeful this time, while she could hear the clank of the keys he still held in his right hand, which he now fidgeted with.

Dalia managed another quiet nod, her mouth mute as she silently tried to come to terms with how she felt about this new situation, and these new, not yet fully formed feelings.

---

Hey there

Yes, finally this cough is almost completely gone! Doctor said it could have been an infection :(

So soon, I'll be releasing those extra parts I promised.

Hope you're all keeping well and staying way from illness!

-Noelle