The Dating Game by Susan Buchanan Page A

you free on Thursday?’ Anton asked. 
    Gill knew she was, but made a show of checking the calendar
on her phone.  The girls had taught her something after all. 
    ‘Looks like it,’ she said.
    ‘Can I surprise you?’ he asked.
    She hoped he wasn’t going to turn up naked, although on
second thoughts, maybe that wasn’t such a terrible idea!
    ‘Can I trust you?’ she asked, teasing him slightly.
    ‘You can trust me,’ he said. 
    ‘Then, it’s a yes.’
    ‘I’ll be in touch then, about where to meet, but it will
probably be around seven again.  Is that OK?’
    ‘That’s fine.’
    Just then the next available taxi pulled up.  Anton opened
the door for her.  She climbed in, and once she had turned around, he pecked
her on the cheek, before following that up with another little kiss on the
lips.
    ‘I had a really good time tonight.  See you Thursday.’
    ‘Me too, until Thursday.’
    Anton backed out of the taxi, the door closed and the taxi
rolled away along Duke St, before turning towards the south side of the city.
    Anton waved and watched the taxi disappear into the
distance.  Turning, he walked back into the station.
    The next train was due in fifteen minutes.  Anton sat on one
of the benches, trying to block out the noise of the occasional drunk person
stumbling past, shouting obscenities.  The station was relatively busy and the
vast semi-circular roof above him conducted the noise of his fellow passengers
remarkably well.  Taking out his iPod from his inside jacket pocket, he slipped
the buds into his ears and selected Stravinsky’s Romance .  He was in the
mood for something light and romantic.  Who said romance was dead?  Apparently
women always wanted romance, but what about men?  He wanted nothing more than
to find someone he really liked and which could eventually develop into love,
someone he could spend time with.  He wasn’t so naïve that he thought Gill
could be the one to fulfil that role.  They needed to get to know each other
first.  That could continue on Thursday.  He would surprise her and see how it
went.  If they decided to have another date after that, then she could choose. 
The important thing was she had said yes to Thursday.  He liked that.  She
hadn’t made him wait, hadn’t played hard to get, she’d simply checked her
diary.  He hated game playing.  It was difficult enough dating someone, without
all the mind games.  Anton thought he was a pretty open person.  He could also
be very direct and occasionally a bit blunt.  But he would never intentionally
hurt anyone’s feelings.
    He removed his ear buds, as he heard the tannoy ring out, 
‘The train now arriving at platform one…’
    That was his train.  Anton took out his travel pass from his
pocket, slipped his ticket through the machine and went through the barrier.
    Luckily he managed to nab a seat with a table.  As he stared
out of the window, he remembered how Gill’s hair had smelled of coconut.  Her
perfume was floral, but sensual.  As the train drew out of the station, Anton’s
thoughts remained with Gill and would do so for the duration of his forty
minutes journey back to Stirling.
     

 
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
     
    Tuesday 6th September
    Next morning Gill overslept.  She had slept remarkably well,
but she must have forgotten to set the alarm on her phone.  Picking up her
mobile, she scowled at it, as if the obnoxious, beeping noise were its fault,
instead of hers.  Her e-mail alert pinged.  Well, it would have to wait.  She
hated being late. Gill ran around like a mad thing, foregoing coffee, in order
to arrive at the office at the originally planned time.  She had meetings this
morning, both in and out of the office.  She needed to impress the new client,
too, she remembered.  At least she had had the presence of mind to finalise her
preparations for her meeting before she went out on her date last night.
    Fortunately there was very little traffic on the roads