Nathalie sent a text message to Kim as soon as Raven had left the room. It said, “She wants to take me out to dinner tonight!”

She got up, placing her phone on the table. Her blouse felt a little damp between her shoulders. This meeting room turned into a sauna whenever the sun was out, blinds down or not. Nathalie hated it.

The heat wasn’t the only thing making her skin flush, though. Raven had taken Nathalie by surprise with her invitation. Nathalie’s heart rate had shot up immediately, and it hadn’t come back down.

The only problem was that it was Monday. Every single one of Nathalie’s favorite restaurants was closed today. She had told Raven as much and had suggested maybe tomorrow was a better day for dinner, but Raven had insisted on tonight.

Nathalie also wished she was wearing something less suffocating. She tucked at the blouse where it stuck to her back and grimaced. This is not how she wanted to spend time with Raven.

Maybe she could go home to change first? She could also do with a shower. Maybe put on some perfume. But going home meant missing out on precious time with Raven.

“I have to call Bart again too,” Nathalie thought. Her boss had not answered any calls and texts today, and she was super pissed off about it.

Her phone chimed. Nathalie picked it up.

Kim had typed her first words in all caps. “ALRIGHT. WOOHOO! She’s not that angry at you after all?”

Nathalie grinned. “It was awful at first, but better now. I’m not sure what changed. Do you know a good restaurant that’s open on Monday?” she typed in a hurry. Raven would be back from the bathroom soon.

The three dancing dots announcing Kim was typing popped up. Nathalie bounced on the tips of her toes as she waited for the message to arrive. “You’re the local!” Kim had typed.

Nathalie rolled her eyes. “I know,” she tapped, “I just can’t think of a good place that’s open today!”

It didn’t take Kim long to respond. “Want something romantic, huh?”

“SHUT UP,” Nathalie sent back in all capitals, adding “HELP. ME.” soon after. She looked up to check if Raven was back. Luckily, she was nowhere to be seen yet.

A new text from Kim appeared on the screen. “What about your place? You can cook and you’ll have some candle-lit privacy.” There was a purple emoticon of a grinning devil at the end of the message.

Nathalie’s eyes widened. “Are you insane?” she typed, shaking her head.

But Kim was on a roll now. “And your bed is nearby just in case. You know, for dessert.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Nathalie laughed out loud.

“Excuse me?” Raven said, stepping back into the meeting room.

Nathalie straightened. “Sorry,” she said, holding up the phone. “I was talking to my best friend.”

“I see,” Raven nodded, quirking a dark eyebrow.

“I was asking if she can think of a good place for dinner,” Nathalie explained, glancing at her screen. Much to her horror, she saw that Kim had sent a GIF of two women kissing. Blushing, Nathalie quickly lowered the phone.

“And?” Raven asked, pulling her chair back. “Does she know a place that opens early? I could really use some fresh air.”

“Right, yes, it is way too hot in here,” Nathalie said, feeling the skin under her mask itch. She resisted the urge to scratch.

“I can only think of coffee places with bagels or donuts,” she said apologetically after thinking for a moment.

Raven’s eyebrows dropped in disappointment. “Okay, I guess that’s fine,” she said. “Food is food, after all.”

Nathalie looked down at her hand. “Give me just one more second to look something up. Maybe…” Her voice trailed off as she unlocked her phone. The conversation with Kim was displayed again.

“Seriously!! Just invite her!!” was her best friend’s latest message.

Nathalie’s throat tightened as she considered the suggestion. Raven had insisted on buying her dinner. She couldn’t do that at Nathalie’s place. But wasn’t buying someone dinner just a way to spend time together in the first place?

Nathalie pursed her lips and glanced up shyly. Raven had closed her laptop. She was studying the files in front of her, her finger tapping on the paper. Nathalie saw that her temples were glistening with perspiration.

“You know what,” Nathalie said. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Raven met her gaze and smiled. “Found a restaurant?”

Nathalie pulled at the cable that was hooked up to her laptop. “I think I have an idea, yeah.”