Blind dates weren't something Danica had ever thought she'd experience. And yet there she was, sat at the bar with a SoCo and lemonade, for a date with a man she'd never met. She'd intended to turn up a little late, but nerves did funny things to her. Instead she'd arrived half hour early; Ample time for her to get a little Dutch courage.

"It won't be at all awkward," Janet the A&E administrator had told her. "He's a lovely bloke."

     'He' was Simon from the Hospital's accounts department, and was apparently a good friend of Janet's husband. In the week following Danica's reluctant agreement to be set up, she'd heard untold stories of how he was 'decent looking' and had 'good career prospects'.

     As she sat staring at the door, waiting for the good looking career man to walk through the doors, it dawned on her that she knew little else. Could she expect someone tall or short, chubby or slim, or somewhere in-between? Had he been told anything about her, or how she looked? Or, like her, did he only have the table booked under Janet's name to go by?

     Each minute seemed to melt into the next, impossibly slow as Danica's heart beat out of her chest. Every beat sent anxiety pumping through her veins, her vision a little blurred around the edges as her breathing hitched. It was the first date she'd been on since Shaun.

"What did that glass ever do to you?"

      At the sound of a man's husky voice, Danica spun around. She'd only heard it once, and that had been a week ago, yet she knew who it belonged to before she looked into his blue eyes. Glancing between him and her pale knuckles clenched around her drink, she loosened her grip and let out a measured laugh.

"For one, it doesn't refill itself."

     Fraser's eyes dropped to her outfit, lighting up momentarily as he scanned the flattering dress she wore, before his expression became curious.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"I'm waiting for someone," she said, "but they won't be here for another half hour or so – I was a little early."

"In that case, how about I refill your glass for you?" Fraser asked, his lips curling at the edges as he spoke. "Y'know, seeing as it isn't going to do it itself."

"Sure, thank you."

     Despite her attempts to act cool, Danica could feel her cheeks burning as he winked at her. He shrugged off his charcoal blazer and loosened his tie as he waited for the barman. When she'd met him, his hair was soaked with rain, but now it was several shades lighter, an ashy blonde rather than the mousy brown she'd thought it was, and swept back. Beneath his rolled up sleeves his forearms were tan and toned.

     Meeting Simon was fast becoming even less desirable. She hadn't allowed herself to admit it, but Danica had been more than a little disappointed when she realised his business card had been destroyed. She wanted more time to spend with this stranger, getting to know more about him. What did he do for a job that required him to dress so well? And was it really legal to look that good in the workplace?

     Silence hung in the air as the barman poured her drink. She knew Fraser was undoubtedly confused as to why she hadn't called him, and yet was willingly accepting a drink from him, but he was too polite to ask. Preparing herself for what could quite possibly be an awkward conversation, Danica took a deep breath.

"I meant to call you."

     Fraser furrowed his brow, as though not expecting her to bring it up, before turning to tap his card against the contactless machine.

"No worries. I figured I'd been a little forward in giving you my business card."

"I didn't even get a chance to look at it," she said, gladly accepting the drink Fraser offered her. "The rain destroyed it."

"Life has a funny way of giving us second chances," he said with a smile. "And although it's not quite a coffee, I've still got the opportunity to thank you for finding Henry."

     Life didn't have a 'funny' way of doing any such thing, Danica thought, but this was Fraser, not Kelly. She could quite happily tell her friend where to shove her thoughts on second chances and the like, but this was different. So she merely smiled back at him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"What brings you here?"

     It seemed like a safe change of conversation, but she was apprehensive to get an answer. If he was on a date, she wouldn't have been able to hide the fact that she was disappointed. Not that she wanted anything from him, of course. But she enjoyed talking to him.

"I'm meeting my sister. Unfortunately, she's not quite as punctual as you," Fraser said, casting a look towards the door. "What about you?"

     Shît, she thought, having not thought that he'd politely ask the same question of her. Admitting she'd been set up for a blind date was embarassing, as though she wasn't capable of finding her own man. But something about the honestly curious look that Fraser wore made her splutter out the truth before she could think better of it.

"One of the admins from work set me up on a blind date," she said, the words tumbling from her lips in quick succession. "I know that's lame--"

"I think it's quite brave, actually. Not something a lot of people would have the confidence to do."

     As he laughed gently, the smell of his mint gum wafted over her. Mixed with his cologne it made a heavenly cocktail that wrapped itself around her, enthralling her. It created a fog that she could barely think through. Only when he excused himself momentarily to go to the bathroom did she have enough time to think straight. And in that moment of clarity, she made a mental note to ask for his number on his return.

"Miss Vincent?" The Hostess who had greeted her in earlier stood before her, holding two menus in hand. "The table is ready for you."

     With a quick glance towards the bathroom, Danica's stomach dropped. There was no sign of Fraser coming back, having only left seconds before. She asked the barman to tell him where she'd gone on his return, and followed the Hostess to the table where her date sat.

     Simon, it turned out, was lovely. The two of them managed to hold conversation for the evening, but neither felt any spark or chemistry. By the end of the date, Danica had had a great evening with someone she was sure could be a good friend, but she felt robbed. The ten minutes she had spent with Fraser weren't enough, and she hadn't spotted him in the restaurant after that.

     She returned home, nonethewiser about who Fraser was, but ever more curious to know.

Author's Note:

Hey guys!

Sorry to keep you waiting for this update. Apologies for any typos, this was hastily written by my sleep deprived brain.

Next update should be later this week :)

As always, spam me with your comments and votes - you know I love them!

Hayles <3