Erik would have dropped his phone, had it not been for the initial shock that quickly wore off once he realised what Rosaline had just confessed to. Erik was elated to say the least, but by some strange force he found himself tongue tied and at a loss for words. Luckily from him, Rosaline chose that moment to speak up.

"Erik. I'm sorry I shouldn't have..." Erik didn't want Rosaline to finish that sentence, if it meant ever having another chance of seeing her.

"Please don't apologise, if anyone should be sorry it's me. But at the moment, I'm just relieved to know that you might be feeling something for me also. So please whatever you choose to say next, just don't make it be that you regret what you feel for me."

"I could never." Rosaline quietly admitted.

"I was just going to say that I shouldn't have run off on Saturday and leave you like that. It was wrong." She added.

Erik found himself shaking his head in disagreement before he could stop himself.

"Rosaline, you have nothing to excuse. That was entirely my fault, as I not only put you in an uncomfortable position but put unnecessary pressure on you."

"Still, I feel partly responsible knowing this whole situation could have been avoided if I had only stayed and talked to you." She glumly said.

"Regardless of that, how would you feel if we put it behind us?" Erik proposed.

"I think that would be best."

"And how would you feel, if I suggested that we spend some time together?"

"I would like that." Rosaline replied after a brief second.

Despite not being able to see her, Erik knew just by the sweet tone in her voice that she was smiling when she answered him. After speaking with Rosaline for a few minutes longer, he promised to call her soon with an invite to dinner. Unlike their lunch together last Saturday, Erik was quietly confident that their next affair would be much more pleasant. To guarantee that at least the food and view would be a winning success, Erik booked a rooftop reservation at The Bad Apple, which just happened to be one of the most highly esteemed restaurants in all of Dalmerlington. Although Erik was almost certain that Rosaline wouldn't be too interested in having him impress her with five star quality courses, Erik made the booking nonetheless because he thought Rosaline was the type of woman who deserved to be wined and dined. Whilst Erik knew that he still had a lot to learn about her, he was beginning to feel that for the first time he and Rosaline were finally on the same page.

The remainder of the week passed by with an endless whirlwind of work to attend to, but even with his busy schedule Erik was positively beaming by the time early Friday evening had arrived. He had offered to pick Rosaline up, but much to his dismay, she insisted that she meet him at the restaurant instead. Erik could only assume that having her car there meant that if things between them happened to go south, she had her getaway vehicle waiting for her just around the corner. For that reason alone, Erik swore to himself that he would be cautious and polite when speaking to Rosaline tonight and would try his absolute best to hold off on any of the flirtatious comments he was sure to want to express. Erik arrived at The Bad Apple ahead of time and was quickly escorted to his table outside by a middle aged maitre d'. Fortunately, Erik barely had time to order a glass of wine before Rosaline swept through the balcony doors. The sun was slowly setting behind her and as she approached him, Erik could hardly take his eyes off her and the white cocktail dress she was wearing. She wore a shy smile on her peach coloured lips and tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear, as she came to stand in front of him.

"Good evening." She nervously smiled.

Erik couldn't wipe the smile off his face, even if he wanted to because it pleased him to realise suddenly that Rosaline was still very much shy in his presence, despite admitting to him on the phone days earlier that she had some feelings for him.

"Rosaline, you look positively stunning." Erik confessed while swooping in to place a soft kiss to both of her rosy cheeks. Erik could tell that Rosaline wasn't expecting him to kiss her quite so early on into the night, but he was hopeful that judging by her facial expression she wasn't opposed or insulted by the gesture either.

"Thank you." She blushed, before taking a seat opposite him.

It was at that moment that the waiter decided to join them and took down their orders. In relaying each of their dishes, Erik insisted that the chef pair each course with one of his choices of fine wine. Rosaline was about to protest that she wasn't too fond of drinking wine, when Erik noticed and make sure to order extra water for the table.

"How did you know I wanted water?" Rosaline questioned.

"Intuition I guess." Erik thoughtfully responded.

"And what else might your intuition be telling you?" Rosaline bravely asked him.

Erik had to take a minute to evaluate her question, because no doubt a part of him thought he detected a small ounce of flirtation in her voice. Without wanting to get ahead of himself, he instead chose to keep his answer brief but honest.

"With no hesitation, it's telling me that I'm one lucky man who has been given the privilege of redoing our last meeting and hopefully I'll be smarter this time and won't do anything that might jeopardise this."

Rosaline stares at Erik after he's finished speaking, but ensures to give as little away in her expression as possible. Erik is beginning to have a sinking feeling of panic settle within him, when Rosaline's lips begin to quirk up at their sides. In seconds, she's revealing her pearly whites and is smiling very prettily at him.

"I think it's sweet that you're so worried about this going wrong, but I can assure you Erik I won't run this time." She willingly tells him.

Erik didn't realise he was holding in his breath, until Rosaline admitted that to him. Without processing any of the potential consequences, Erik slides his hand across the table and holds his palm out facing upwards. He continues to observe Rosaline silently and waits to see if she will take his hand in hers. After shifting her gaze from his eyes to his hand, Rosaline makes her decision and lifts her hand to gently place in his. Erik gently squeezes her hand and smiles as he chooses his next words carefully.

"You have no idea what that means to me, thank you."