Now she found her thoughts straying much more often to Russ and their conversations and interactions. He was so easy to be with and she felt she could tell him just about anything. She had really surprised herself when she recounted the episode in the ladies room. She knew she wasn't ready for another relationship yet, and probably wouldn't be for quite some time, but Russ was beginning to seem like a really good friend and she was looking forward to making a meal for him.
He called on Thursday night. "I'm back early. Wanna cook me dinner on Saturday night?"
"I'd love to!" She was so happy to hear from him. "Come over any time after five."
"I'll be there. I haven't had a home-cooked meal, except my own, in ages. See you then." And he hung up.
Melanie was excited for the rest of the evening, all day Friday, and Saturday, as she cleaned the apartment and decided on a menu. She had started some Mung bean sprouts growing on Tuesday - just in case - and knew they would be ready by Saturday, so Chicken Chow Mein with Basmati rice seemed like a good idea. It was easy to make and one of her favorite dishes. She picked up the ingredients on her way home from work Friday, along with a couple of bottles of wine, and a carton of chocolate mint ice cream.
Once the apartment was spotless and dust-free, she had a quick sandwich for lunch and then she put together her ice cream pie. The crust was made with butter, brown sugar and melted unsweetened chocolate, combined with cereal flakes and pressed into the buttered pie plate. She placed it in the fridge to cool for fifteen minutes. The next step was adding the ice cream, shaving some semi-sweet chocolate curls on top around the outside edge. Finally she created a flower in the center with black cherry halves and spearmint leaves. Once completed, she placed it in the freezer until dessert time. As long as I remember to take it out of the freezer before dinner. She had learned the hard way that it couldn't easily be cut into slices when still frozen solid.
Once the table was set, she had a leisurely bubble bath, washed and dried her hair, letting it fall in natural waves and curls to her shoulders. She wasn't sure what Russ would consider proper dress code for dinner with a friend, so she chose a long, light olive green sleeveless sundress with scooped neckline and slit on one side to her knee. Sandals and a chocolate brown pendant with matching earrings completed her outfit, which she felt would be suitable as either casual or slightly dressy.