Melanie was seated cross-legged in the center of her bed shuffling some playing cards out of boredom. She was wearing a red, long-sleeve mini dress which at the moment was barely covering her thighs. Her hair fell past her shoulders in soft waves in an attempt to cover the thick bandage on her neck, although it wasn’t doing a very good job. She wore a little bit of make-up, just enough to mask her pale lips and hide the dark circles around her eyes. When she heard a soft knock on the door, Melanie immediately shuffled out of bed, slipping on her black shoes before she rushed to the mirror to check her appearance. After she was satisfied, she took a deep breath, then slowly walked to the door.

“Jonas, hi!” They greeted each other, but their quick hug made Melanie flinch from the pain. Jonas pulled away with a worried expression, his hands resting on her shoulders as he examined her.

“Melanie, what happened to your neck?”

“It’s a bit of a long story,” she replied. “I met with an inmate in the brig and things got a little bit out of hand. I was all an accident, but before I knew it I found myself on the wrong end of a taser—“

“What?” 

“It’s okay,” she interjected, putting a hand to his chest as if she were preventing a fight. She then the door behind her and grabbed his hand. “I’m fine, really. The issue is already being handled by the security department. They were prompt with their response, so there’s no doubt in my mind that we can trust them to get the job done. Now,” she continued, pulling a reluctant Jonas in the direction of the Hub in order to get their night started. The sooner Melanie could put her long day behind her, the better, “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. And you [i]did[/i] promise me the best meal out in town, did you not?"

Jonas smiled at that, finally in the right mood for the evening. “Glad you didn’t forget.” 
[hr]Not much time passed before the couple arrived at Jonas' bar. Melanie gave him somewhat of a confused look, wondering why they were stopping there.

"Do you have to get something done before we go or...?" 

"You'll see," he replied, unlocking the side door before pulling her inside. Melanie relied on Jonas as he guided her through the pitch-black room with ease. Once he opened another door, Melanie finally caught on to what was going on. The bar was empty, and all the tables were cleared from the main floor except for one which sat in the center. One table, two chairs, two plates of food, a bottle of wine, and a small candle. She couldn't help but smile. His kind gesture was her way of knowing that he had put effort into their date, regardless of what the outcome may be.

“Very impressive.” 

“Well, I thought you may appreciate the privacy like I do. After dealing with drunks nearly every day, you start to hate big crowds” He guided her to their table and pulled out a chair for her. “But tonight it’ll be just us, if that’s fine with you.” 

“That’s more than okay with me. Although…” she looked to the side, somehow a bit embarrassed to be bringing up the topic.

“Melanie, no, I don’t mean it like that,” he replied, taking his seat directly across from her. “I genuinely enjoy your company, and I’d be an idiot to ruin that.” He grabbed her hand to give it a light squeeze. “Remember, this is about both of us, not just me. Now…are you ready for some mind-blowing food?”