I put my hand lightly on Tina’s, “I don’t intend on dating anyone else if I’m dating you. I wont hurt you. Ever TinaTrust me.”

Tina gave a shaky smile and we slowly returned to the light-hearted banter and ‘getting to know each other better’ topics.

The evening raced on and in too short a time we had finished dinner and the check was brought over. I placed my card on the plate and gestured to the waiter, which was met with protest from Tina

“No way Bette, I know you wont let me pay for it so we’ll split it both ways” She placed her card on the plate with mine and I promptly handed it back to heris this going to be our first tiff?!

“Tina, this was always going to be my treatit’s an expensive place and I would never have brought you here if I thought we were going to split itif you get the job at the school you were talking about earlier, then we can go out and celebrateyour treat” Oh smooth Bette, make her pay for her own celebration dinner, suggested by youIt was the only thing I could think to say to remove the stern expression on Tina’s beautiful faceluckily it worked. Her face lit up at the mention of a possible second date

“Okay it’s a second date, as long as you promise you’ll let me pay! But..”

Uh oh

“Mmm?”

“What if I don’t get the job, do we never see each other again?” she teased playfully

“I have no doubt in my mind that you will wow them at the interview and they’ll be begging you to teach thereI know you’ll get the job. Oooh, no pressure there Porter

We left the restaurant and I thought it safer to get a cab. It was a wonderful feeling to want to do this, to have someone else to consider rather than risking it after well over half a bottle of wine to myself.

“So where are we off to, I’ve forgot the name of your road?” I asked Tina as we climbed into the back of the taxi.

“Erso have I” she looked at me guiltily but I saw the lust and the want in her eyes, no doubt a mirror of my ownShe doesn’t want the evening to end either