Cold Case

The muffled chatter of people, the sound of glasses clanking, and the soft piano melody mingled in the restaurant atmosphere. The delicious scent of food and expensive wine mixed up, reaching Daven, sitting in the midst of this harmony. Looking around, he skimmed the surroundings with his sky blue eyes and slightly nodded as if pleased with his choice. Sliding his hands down the light grey suit clasping his body, Daven kept observing the surroundings with voracious curiosity. Mirror Maru. The high ceiling looked like hand-carved wood, the ornaments lining the smooth surface. The huge chandeliers seemed relic, with their candle-like bulbs and dangling silver, brightening the place in a yellow light that twinkled on the walls. But the mirrors that hung on them were the strangest yet most attractive part of the restaurant – every wall had its own massive round mirror in golden frames. Also, each table was accompanied by one square, French-style oval mirror. They reflected the grand central hall, already filled with people, and doubled their amount, making Daven feel like their bodies melted in each other. As the artificial light hit the mirrors, it created a small dancing aurora above the customers’ heads. For a moment, he sank into the magical atmosphere the room held, feeling like he had stepped into a fairytale.

“It’s really a beautiful place.” The girl’s deep yet soft voice snapped Daven out of his train of thought. “You have a nice taste.”

He looked at her, sitting across him with her hands neatly placed under her chin. The blonde curls fell on her shoulders, glistening under the light. Her pouty lips were colored in crimson, marching her dress – the sheer red layers hugging her lean frame.

“Thanks, Katherine,” Daven smiled and ran his fingers through his chocolate brown hair, cherished with boyish pride.

“Oh, come on,” the girl giggled and waved her hand. “No one calls me that. Call me Cathy.”

Daven nodded, feeling nervousness seeping inside him. He had been on dates but not often enough to feel comfortable, unlike Cathy, who looked like a fish in the water. With her eyes depleted of any anxiety, she kept smiling and flipping her hair. Her eyes sparkled as her smile widened, forming small dimples on her creamy white cheeks.

Suddenly the waiter appeared wearing a white shirt and a black tie, preparing to take the order. He clicked the pen on his tiny notebook and beamed at Daven and Cathy with a forced, professional smile.

“Good evening,” he started with a formal voice. “Have you decided what to order?”

Daven glanced at Cathy, realizing they hadn’t touched the menu, and picked it up, his eyes scanning the glossy paper. He ran into the headline: “Dinner to die for, one cannot say the words Mirror Restaurant without saying: Delicious. You can choose between a three-course dinner prepared by our head chef with fresh ingredients every day.” Daven chuckled at the catchy, ambitious text. Without hesitation, he quickly pointed at the first item he could find and closed the menu.

“I’ll have Mussel chowder,” he emitted.

“Great choice, sir,” the waiter replied and swiftly wrote down the order, his pen speedily moving on the paper.

Cathy’s eyes still kept searching while she bit her lower lip as if unable to make a decision.

“I’ll go for the beef salad,” she said dubiously but then shook her head. “No, I recently had that.” She looked up at the waiter with wide eyes like a kid asking for candy. “What do you recommend?”

“Well, the Halibut is our fresh catch of the day,” the waiter emitted loudly, cheered up by the possibility to show off his skills.

Cathy flopped the menu close, grinning nonchalantly. “I’ll have that, and can you please add some chips to the side.”

A smile rose to Dave’s lips, realizing the girl didn’t know what she’d ordered. The server nodded and silently walked away as if vanishing into thin air.

Cathy sipped her Bloody Mary and licked her lips to hinder the drop of liquid dribbling down her chin. There was something so childish about her even though her expression got more and more cunning. It might have been her soft features or her unapologetically careless manners. She acted as if she was alone. Daven envied it – a boy who always lived by the rules and restrictions he’d built for himself.

“Thank you for asking me out here,” said Cathy, her lips curving up, still wet from the drink.

Daven smiled at her and recalled how long he’d wanted to do it, and finally, after a lot of hesitation, he had approached her in the schoolyard and asked her. To his surprise, Cathy had agreed immediately, and he’d caught sparks of happiness in her eyes.

“I used to come here a lot,” Daven said and looked around. “When I was with my family.”

“Really?” Cathy’s eyes enlarged. “It’s a really fancy place.”

Nodding, Daven glimpsed through the window. The snow kept covering the city with thick layers of white blanket. Reflecting the bright moon her beams. The bare branches had lowered from the weight, and every creature had retreated in their warm shelters. The shimmering snowflakes kept piercing the night sky, dividing darkness and complete whiteness from each other. The outside seemed beautiful yet rough, pushing people to shut themselves into the comfort of their homes. Only a minute under the snowfall and your nose and hands would turn red. But the fireplace cracking in the restaurant hindered the freeze from sneaking inside, spreading the warmth to every corner of the room. Sinking into the scenery, Daven thought that the outer world was in contrast with the inward one, just like him and Cathy.

“So, when thinking of our future, I mean like…next year with studying and everything,” Cathy started, drawing his attention. “Have you decided what you would like to do?” she stirred the straw in the partly empty glass.

“That’s a really good question,” Daven replied and leaned in, scratching his head from embarrassment. “To be honest, I don’t completely know yet.”

“But you at least have a vague idea what you want to study, right?” she asked, charmingly tilting her head. Her curls fell to one side. “Or are you going to get a job right out of high school?”

“No, I’m not,” Daven shook his head, lowering in the chair. “I’m going to study but don’t know exactly what. I would like to study something like law, for example, to be working as a lawyer or a judge.” He watched how Cathy slurped the drink till the last drop.

“Really?” Cathy asked, but Daven noticed tones of discomfort in her voice as if something bothered her.

Daven continued, slowly getting immersed in the narration. “But it isn’t like you often see in the movies where…” Suddenly, the sound of Cathy’s chair being pushed back on the wooden floor interrupted her.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” she muttered. “Sorry, it’s very interesting, but I have to go real quick.” Daven, with his hand frozen in the air and his mouth still open, watched how Cathy scurried, her heels cutting through the chatter. As she disappeared, Daven leaned back, unable to contain the laughter, still amazed how honest Cathy was – leaving the table in the middle of the conversation. Shaking his head, Daven kept chuckling, realizing he liked the girl more and more.

The waiter appeared with two plates, placing them on the table before Cathy sat back at it.

“Sorry, I just,” she started, but Daven wiggled his hand.

“No need to apologize,” he replied, feeling his smile growing from ear to ear. “I haven’t had such a niec laugh in a while.”

Satisfaction replaced confusion on Cathy’s face, and her cheeks blushed in light pink.

“I’m glad I made you laugh,” she said, now both of them tittering together.

Daven slid his fork in the Mussel and slowly swallowed the bite. Quiet moans left his mouth.

“This is definitely an experience to remember,” he let out. “Like their advertisement says.”

“Yeah, it’s tasty,” Cathy chewed her fish and clicked her tongue. “But I can make better.”

“You can?” Daven laughed, leaning in and staring into Cathy’s playful eyes. “I doubt that.”

“Ugh, you little brat!” Cathy furrowed for a second and then burst into laughter. Thinking their voices overshadowed any other in the restaurant, Daven kept on guffawing. For the first time, he didn’t care what other thought.

After hours of talking, with delicious food and overpriced, nonalcoholic cocktails, Daven and Cathy stepped outside. As the crisp air hit his flushed cheeks, Daven shivered and tried to zip his jacket. The snowflakes falling on his face felt a touch of reality. The cold breeze slipped through his hair, and goosebumps covered his torso.

“Come on, let’s get in my car,” he said and held Cathy’s hand, who staggered.

“We should’ve had some drinks,” Cathy complained, following Daven like an obedient puppy.

“We aren’t of drinking age,” he replied, already annoyed by the zip of his jacket.

“Well…” Cathy snickered and opened her bag. “They wouldn’t let us drink there, but we can drink outside!” she exclaimed and pulled out a bottle of whiskey, shaking it in the air.

“How did you get that?!” Daven gasped, watching the huge, expensive bottle. “You stole it?”

“Yeah, duh,” Cathy rolled her eyes, her pale face already turning rosy from the cold, but she didn’t seem to notice. Her blood-red lips shone in the gloom. “But no one saw it; it’s all good,” she said, noticing Daven’s worried face.

Sighing, Daven shook his head.

“Oh, stop acting like my mom!” Cathy pushed him with a giggle. “C’mon, we weren’t going to call it a night, were we? They’ve got plenty of this stuff. Do you really think they are going to care if they miss one single bottle?”

Daven looked back at her, and as he gazed at her sly, enthusiastic expression, his annoyance faded. Cathy walked up to him, already standing at his car.

“Let’s go somewhere,” she murmured and looked up at Daven, her subtle scent of lavender reaching his nose. “Do you know a place where we can go?”

Daven glanced at the empty street as if searching for the answer. Looking back at Cathy, he opened the car door.

“Yeah, I know a place.”