Candice was fidgety. She couldn't help it though! After the incredibly awkward conversation that had transpired between her and Dante Friday evening as she was leaving the ministry, there was no way to not feel incredibly... out of place. She had tried to dress nicely, but not over do it. The black dress was nice, but it wasn't a fancy cocktail type of dress. At least, Candice didn't consider it too fancy. But when Dante had arrived at her flat to pick her up, and she was pulling on her shoe as she opened the door, she had suddenly felt incredibly over dressed. Not that Dante had looked shabby, but he had been very certain to make sure that he indicated the invitation had not been a date. And Candice had been certain to quickly agree, and to ignore that weird, out of place sinking feeling at the fact.

So, if it was not a date, why was she wearing a cute dress and gone to so much trouble to look so nice? All of her girlfriends had teased her, especially after prying what little bit of information they could from her. (She really needed more witch friends in her life.) And why had she even painted her toenails, bought new earrings, and decided to wear perfume. Perfume- not body spray- there was a difference.

As such, when she opened the door, hopping into her shoe and smiling brightly at Dante, the ridiculousness of this whole evening hit her and she had to fight like hell to prevent her smile from faltering. She was determined to enjoy this evening at this restaurant Dante had read about in the paper. She was certain that it was going to be delicious, they would have fun, and she would not continue to shove her foot down her throat. Candice had quickly grabbed a warm coverup from the peg by the door and was ready to go. No need to keep him waiting like some girls- because it wasn't a date. They were going out as friends.

And then she had found herself fidgeting at the table, not sure what to say, casually stirring her (non alcoholic) drink with her straw. Small talk could only go so far, and after leaving her flat and getting to Hogsmeade, it had run out. "We'll have to get a doggy bag for Conner," she commented as she flipped a page of her menu. "He would like that."

This was not a date.  He told himself that for the millionth time since Friday evening as they entered the restaurant.  He still owed her for the dinner she had bought him and the meals she had sent him at work.  There was a part of him that knew his fragile male ego was ridiculous, but he couldn’t help it.  When he saw the review of the restaurant in the paper he thought it sounded nice, and perhaps something Candice would approve of, but it was not a date.  That was why they were there on a Sunday…Sunday was not a ‘date’ night and this was not a date.

He was somewhat relieved when she answered the door quickly and was ready.  There were though, certain things he had to figure to ignore.  The dress, which he had to admit looked lovely, the initial smile, and the perfume which he quickly picked up on.  That was not the scene she usually wore…not that he had spent a lot of time smelling Candice.

Looking over the menu, he tried not to notice her fidgeting.  He wanted the evening to be enjoyable, but he had been sensing her nervousness since her smile faltered back at her flat.  There was nothing to be nervous about as this was, once again, not a date.  She ordered something non-alcoholic and he had quickly decided on a drink that including a good, stiff shot of whiskey.

"We'll have to get a doggy bag for Conner.  He would like that."

“He likely would,” he replied.  “I’m not sure how he’d react to going back to kibble after though.  He’s been fairly good about eating what he’s supposed to…most of the time.”  Of course he was trying not to mention the book the puppy had confused with a chew toy.

"A little treat now and again won't hurt him or dissuade him from his kibble..." she commented, finally closing the menu and putting it off to the side. She tucked a stray bit of hair  behind her ear, and peered across the table at Dante. This was, undoubtedly, the most awkward dinner she had ever gone out to. Candy could tell it wasn't just her, either. The problem was that they had been so clear on this not being a date, that she didn't know how to behave! If it had been a date, she could have laughed and flirted and giggled with ease. But it wasn't. And how did one act if they were going out to dinner with a male friend? Candice didn't go out with her male friends... Not that she had very many of them. Granted, she and Declan had hung out a few times-but that had not been this awkward.

Candice wondered, idly, if that meant something? She had been attracted to Declan, no doubt. She'd had a school girl crush on him, and Candy still thought he was incredibly cute. But, then again, if they ever went out they never tried to define what they were doing. And their ages were similar. What did you talk to a real man about? He was her mother's age, give or take a few years, and the things she talked about with her mother would certainly not be appropriate.

The waitress came back again, refilling Candice's drink and then pulling out her little pad to take their order. "I'll have the Parmesan Crusted Bistecca*," she told her. Candice had spent a long time picking out what she wanted. She didn't like to be that person who went out to dinner with someone and chose the most expensive thing on the menu. But, on the same token, you couldn't go out and get something that was inexpensive or the other person might get offended. Dante was a lot of things, but she had a feeling that cheap was not one of them. And he was probably glad to not be eating at the Leaky Cauldron for once.

Dante ordered, and the woman left, and Candice inhaled half of her drink again. There was nothing else to do, when she couldn't figure out what to talk about... "I never get appetizers," she finally stated. "If you have an appetizer and dinner, you never have room for dessert. Dessert is always the best part of going out to eat. I always pick out what restaurant I want to go to based on what desserts they have and whether or not they're any good." Wow, that made her sound like a fatty. "Well- I mean, the food is important to. You can't go somewhere with good dessert if the food is terrible but... well... yeah." A soft blush crept across her cheeks and she dropped her gaze to the table again.

Candice decided, that regardless of what Dante Ward had told her and what she had told him that this was most certainly a date. If it was truly not a date, there was no way she'd feel so weird and have the bubble guts... Bubble guts did not happen on not-dates! But why would a date with Dante give her bubble guts? She wasn't attracted to him, was she? He wasn't bad looking- he was quite handsome for his age. But he was just so much older, and his personality was so rough and gruff. It made sense for her to like Declan. A fellow Hufflepuff, very cute, sweet, and gentle- his personality was a good mirror of hers. Dante's was basically everything she wasn't. (Though she had a feeling Conner was helping to smooth out some of those rough edges. Puppies were great for that.)



*Grilled 8 oz center cut sirloin topped with parmesan-herb breading, baked golden brown. Served with garlic parmesan mashed potatoes and asparagus drizzled with balsamic glaze.