Tabula Rasa

Chapter 56

As they crossed the threshold into the Rainbow Room, Matt felt Calina pause as she took in the venue. After a moment of stunned silent, she let out a single sound. "Oh."

And it was all Matt needed.

He didn't have to see the splendour of the room. He didn't have to see the view outside the windows, or the lights of the night sky. That soft, wondrous noise told him everything.

And it more than justified Foggy's bragging from this morning. He really did owe his friend big time.

The hostess showed them to their table and he could sense Calina still gazing around the room. She shook her head in amazement. "How did you manage this? This place must be really hard to get in to."

Matt shrugged. "I have friends in high places."

"Like who, the Mayor?"

He laughed. "No. Foggy helped me out."

"That was nice of him. This place is really fancy, Matt - I told you I'd be happy with a greasy diner."

He made a move, as if to get to his feet. "We can leave then, if you want."

"No!"

He laughed and settled back in his chair. "Didn't think so."

"Well, I just figured, we're here now. We might as well check out the food."

The food, unsurprisingly, was delicious. Matt chose the prime tenderloin for his main and it was melt-in-the-mouth tender. Served with creamy, peppery mash and honey-glazed parsnips, it was heaven. Calina was enjoying her choice just as much, given the small moans of pleasure escaping her lips.

"Good?" he asked with a grin.

"Mm-hmm!" she replied around a mouthful of sea bass.

When dessert was finished, and the plates cleared away, they both sat back and enjoyed the rest of the bottle of champagne that he'd ordered. "I like this," Calina commented.

"The champagne?"

"Yeah. I think I prefer it to Vodka - but don't tell my sisters. They'd be horrified at me betraying my Russian roots."

Matt laughed softly. "But you must have had champagne before. During one of your...missions." He didn't want to bring up any bad memories about her time working for the Red Room, but he was still so curious about her. He wanted to know every facet of her. Every detail, no matter how small.

"Yes, but it was different then," she replied, thankfully not sounding upset about the direction of the conversation. "I think because the serum blunted my emotions so much, food and drink didn't taste the same. It was just sustenance. Without the feeling of pleasure that came with eating and drinking, everything was just...bland."

"I'm sorry."

"It just means that I get to experience everything fresh now." She shrugged. "I'm trying not to dwell on the reason that I'm so...inexperienced...about the world. I'm focussing on how much fun it will be to catch up with everyone else."

"So what do you want to 'catch up' on next?" he asked, loving her outlook on life. Her wide-eyed wonder at the world had been one of the things that had made him fall in love with her. But that wonder wasn't a reflection of naive, innocence. It was a testament to the steely resilience at her core. She'd been through hell; but rather than letting it shape her into someone hard and cynical - she'd emerged from the other side willing and able to see the beauty around her.

She constantly left him in awe.

Unaware of the depth of his thoughts, Calina ran down her list. "There's already been a lot of catching up today - the champagne, this date, shopping with Karen earlier-"