Going in Blind {Liz&Edward}

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<sub>Liz was nervous. She had been in town for one month, but her new coworker (and close friend) had pushed her to go back into the dating world. It had been three months since Liz had left her husband, and the divorce wasn't finalized yet, but he had moved on before their marriage had ended. Her coworker told her that since he had moved on so fast, she should be able to do the same. Liz thought about it for a little while, and then she realized that her friend was right. She shouldn't sit there and mourn something that someone else wasn't mourning. So, she went in and told her friend to set the date up. And she did. So that's what Liz was getting ready for. 

She got off work, making her way home. She threw many things off her hangers and finally settled on one outfit that she had never worn before. She put it on, did her make up, kissed Aurora goodbye, and then went to the little corner place where the date had been set up at. She walked up to the hostess, stating that she was here for a date. He took her to the table, and she sat down, waiting for the date. 

She had no idea who this guy was. She had no idea what he looked like or what he was interested in, but her friend said that he would be perfect for Liz. Liz wasn't sure, to be honest. She was nervous. She hadn't been on a date in ten years. She was used to being married and not having to look all perfect and put on an act for the first date. She was used to sitting at home in her sweatpants and glasses, reading a new romance novel. She was used to the guy telling her she was pretty even in her pajamas. She had been too comfortable with her ex, and that's what she thought her biggest mistake had been. 


Click</sub>

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Edward fidgetted with his tie for the fifth time since he left the house. A regular at the bar had convinced Edward to come out tonight, and while he had no idea how in the hell to handle a date, he couldn't shake the idea that he should expact the same woman that invited him. Edward always felt he had a gift for talking with people, and that he could relate to them on levels he only wish he could express. Tonight he felt would be a test for that, and he showed it, at least in his choice of attire. He was wearing a navy blue casual dress jacket with some black slacks, falling down to his outrageous orange dress shoes. While he loved the shoes and was content with simply wearing that, his daughter Marilyn had suggested he wear a tie, and so he did. A deep crimson red tie, almost an offset to the dark color, looking as if blood had soaked down the middle of his white dress shirt.



A small wind blew across Edward's face, his trimmed scruff moving slightly on the breeze. Edward knew he would be a little late, to which he'd have to appologize profusely for. He had to walk tonight, as he was convinced Marilyn needed to go out, and instead of using a taxi which would eat all his money, he had to save it. Edward's phone buzzed against his theigh, and he quickly pulled it out, checking the number. It was work, no doubt calling him in, which he would have none of tonight. He could always call back tomorrow and explain that he had been sick, he would no doubt get a stern talking to, but nothing he couldn't handle. Turning his phone off, he replaced it back in his pocket, a small sigh escaping him. His nerves were shot, he figured this would go horrible, and to counter the stress Edward pulled out a small pack of mints, popping one into his mouth.

A few more minutes and he was standing inside the resturaunt, his stomach slightly growling. Giving the hostess his name and mentioning the date, she led Edward to the table. The mystery woman sat, looking more than a little nervous herself. He was thankful she hadn't left, and also that it wasn't who he thought. As he pulled the chair from the table to sit he looked her over, she was beautiful all right. A truey stunning woman, a small smile crossed his face as he rested in his chair before speaking.

"I'm so sorry for being late, I had to walk. My daughter needed the car, and taxis in New York are outrageous. I hope you weren't waiting long, my name's Edward."

He spoke in a somewhat rushed sense, it was obvious that he was nervous. His hand extended to shake the woman's should she have taken the offer. He kicked himself mentally, what person brings their kids up in the first ten minutes of meeting someone? Who was that awkward? Edward laughed in his head, answering his own question. He was. His mind was racing, stringing together thousands of combinations that could happen, mostly all of them ending with him walking home, worse for the wear and slightly drunk. At least, that's how his dates used to go, there was a first time for everything right? Right? 

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<sup>Liz pulled her phone out of her small clutch purse as she waited for her date. She was mostly checking the time to see how late he was, though she wasn't impatient. She was a news reporter, after all. In order to do that job, you had to have patience. Not only with uncooperative people, but also with slow news days. You couldn't just make news happen. Once she checked the time, she opened the app to her email, checking the recent emails she had received from her coworkers and boss about certain things they were pitching to each other, about events that were happening around the town this month and who was going to cover what event. Honestly, Liz didn't care which events she covered. She was comfortable doing most events, so she was just going to let them fight over which ones they wanted and take whichever one they didn't want. When she heard someone speak, she quickly turned her phone off, shoving it back into her purse, next to her wedding band she still hadn't gotten rid of. She took his hand, shaking it slightly.

"No problem at all."

She told him with a smile. He looked to be about her age, and she was wondering how he had a daughter old enough to drive. He must have had a child as a teenager, or so she thought. It didn't matter much to Liz. Since she couldn't have kids of her own, she figured it was best to just go with the flow of life, and if this was what life was throwing her way, so be it. 

"I took a taxi here, but where I work usually has them lined up at the end of the shift so we don't have to wait on them too long."

She told him. Working for a newspaper had its perks. Liz absolutely adored it. 

"My name is Elizabeth, but feel free to call me Liz, if you'd like."

She replied, placing her hands on her lap. Liz was a formal person, which could make her come off as stiff. But she wasn't. She was just raised with intense manners. 

"How old is your daughter?"

She asked.</sup> 

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Edward nodded slowly at the woman's actions, following her words carefully. She seemed pretty...stuck up. Well, at least she didn't seem laid back to him. Was it how she talked, the way she presented herself, or something else? Edward couldn't put his finger on it, much to his disappointment. Where did she work where taxis were just waiting on her and other employees hand and foot? Edward picked his brain looking for an answer, but nothing came to him.

"Oh she's in her early twenties. I adopted about eight years ago, it was kinda...strange to say the least. She's my world now, well, was. She keeps pushing me to get out and meet people, she thinks I'll be happy that way."

Edward said plainly, signaling to a waiter for a menu. He needed a drink, he could tell already, he just hoped she wouldn't think less of him for it.

"Elizabeth huh? I like it, kinda old but not something that's heard everyday. It's nice."

Edward smiled softly to her as he commented on her name, the waiter arriving shortly. It seemed that Edward was right to dress up as he gazed about the room, for the first time taking it all in. It was...crowded to say the least, but it seemed to look very nice. The waiter was dressed very formally, nothing but the black and whites, almost like a tux it seemed. Edward stifled a laugh, he knew he looked ridiculous but did those that worked here have to stoop so low as well? The menu placed in front of him, Edward quickly glanced over it, looking for the drinks. Damn, no whisky. A sigh escaped him before he spoke again.

"I suppose I'll have water then. What about you?"

Edward asked waiting for her response, and once she had spoken, he quickly asked her a question after the waiter left.

"So what do you do for work?"

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<sub>"Oh, I bet she's amazing."

Liz gushed, smiling softly at him. 

"I was looking into adoption once, but things came up."

She told him. Those things happened to be her best friend getting pregnant by her husband. When she found out that she couldn't carry a baby, she had looked into adoption and even surrogacy. She hadn't gotten too far along in her research when she was bombarded with the news. So, she had just left her research alone. She was still considering both options, to be honest. She did want a baby. She wanted to raise her own little kid, and she wanted to be able to have someone to love. She had adopted Aurora, but she was just a kitten. There was a large difference between a human baby and a kitten. You could leave a kitten alone for hours at a time, but if you did that to a human, you would probably be thrown in jail. 

"I honestly have no idea how my parents came up with my name. I think they just thought it was a strong name. They always wanted their kids to have strong names to go with their strong careers."

She told him. Liz had never liked blind dates. All of the people she had been set up with were rude and obnoxious; they always seemed to want to brag about themselves and their accomplishments. So, she had been extremely nervous about tonight. She was thankful that tonight was going well, though, at least in her mind. Edward seemed to be kind and loving, especially when he talked about his daughter. He seemed like he had things going for him in life, just like her. And he also seemed casual. He didn't seem like a slob, and he didn't seem stuck-up. He was the perfect combination of the two. Though this was just the first date, Liz believed you could tell a lot about someone from their first impression. 

"I'll have a sweet tea, please."

She told the waiter before turning her attention to Edward. 

"Have you ever heard of this place before? This is the first time I've actually ever heard or seen it. Then again, I've lived here for a few months."

She said, rambling a little bit. She was nervous. She was afraid she was going to screw up and spend the rest of her life alone. It had happened once before. What's to say it wouldn't happen again?

"I'm a journalist for the New Yorker."

She told him. 

"What about you?"</sub>