Red, Red Wine, Part 1

Posted on Sun 22nd Dec, 2019 @ 1:26am by Lieutenant Commander Andrew Eberstark

1,284 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Resolution
Location: Eberstark's Quarters
Timeline: MD 4, 1720

"Computer, dim lighting two levels," Andrew ordered as he quickly moved around his quarters cleaning up anything he felt cluttered the place. The computer acknowledged his order as he picked up a couple PADDs and hastily put them in a drawer. He chided himself for waiting until the last minute to tidy up, but conceded that he never would take the initiative until the actual time of his date arrived.

Standing back to take a quick overview of his quarters, Andrew gave a mostly satisfied nod at his work and made his way over to the replicator. Promising nothing to Serena, he made sure she was aware he was not going to be cooking. That would be too much of a risk for the evening, and he didn't want to add an unstable element to the mix. Touching a few buttons, he made sure the meal was queued up and ready to be served upon Serena's arrival. Realizing he had a few extra minutes, Andrew sat down at one of the chairs positioned at the dinner table and straightened his white, long sleeve, collared shirt. He remained still for only a few minutes before his mind forced him to adjust the arrangement at the dinner table.

Serena and Andrew had been dating for months, so she assured herself there was no reason to be nervous about a evening spent in his quarters. She checked her red dress one more time. Was it too clingy? The soft fabric moved when she did, and the skirt had enough extra fabric to swirl around her knees as she walked. Maybe she should have chosen the golden cheongsam ... but it was too late now. She turned away, slipping into comfortable black flats with decorative white stitching across the toes.

"Just go already," she muttered and headed for her door. Andrew was waiting, patiently, she was sure, but she didn't want to be late.

Hearing the chime at the door, Andrew tweaked the place setting one last time before composing himself with a sigh and straightening of his shirt again. Approaching the door with a smile, he called out, "Come on in."

Tentatively, Serena reached a hand toward the door and it slid back, allowing her to walk across the threshold. Her eyes took in Andrew's white shirt, and it occurred to her that she rarely saw him out of uniform. She flicked glances around his quarters, and smiled. "Nice. I half expected a disheveled apartment, but I should have known better."

Andrew tilted his head and feigned being upset, knowing how his place looked just a few hours before, "Do I seriously give off the vibe of someone who would be a messy person?"

Giving a moment to see her face, Andrew smiled, "Just teasing. I scrambled to clean up at the last minute, per usual." He extended a hand to guide her over to her seat at the table. "Your dress looks beautiful by the way. Red is my favorite color. Not sure if I've told you that before or not."

Laughing, Serena sat as she said, "Sure, change the topic. But thank you. It's one of my own designs, so I'm especially pleased that you like it." She sniffed the air, and added, "What is it that smells so wonderful? I had no idea you were a cook, on top of all your other good qualities! You've been holding out on me. What else don't I know about you?"

Raising his hands in defense, Andrew said, "Oh, no. I dabble, and I stress the word dabble, in actually cooking. This is all replicator to ensure everything tastes as it should. And, well, most of the food I ate growing up was on the heavier side. Your steak and potatoes, red cabbage, that sort of thing. I wasn't sure if this evening called for something like that, so I programmed the replicator to make a lighter dish that my mother made on special occasions."

He lifted the lid on the large bowl that sat between them in the center of the table. "I hope you enjoy pasta," he said, glancing slightly in her direction as he continued. "Short description is pasta in a 'homemade' tomato sauce topped with some cooked eggplant, chopped garlic, parsley and grated cheese. There are some chilies mixed in with countless types of herbs and spices, that I can never remember without checking, to give some extra flavoring. Hopefully nothing in that description scares you away."

"Oh, not at all! In fact, it smells enticing, and your description makes it even more so. Just one thing," Serena said, looking at him seriously. "It doesn't matter what you cook, I came to see you. If you had made ketchup sandwiches, I would consider it a feast in your company."

She laughed away the moment of seriousness before he could respond. "But given a choice, I would choose this over that any day! Is everything ready? The smell is making me hungry!" At that moment, her stomach gave a little growl, and she laughed again. "You've been warned!"

As he readied the serving tongs, he gestured to the strategically placed bottle of unopened wine placed next to the bowl. "If it came out correctly, it does pair well with an Earth red wine, if that interests you at all," adding, "No pressure but it is the real deal. Been saving it for a special occasion."

Touched beyond words, Alia just smiled at Andrew. "Thank you for choosing this occasion to be special."

Andrew smiled warmly, "Of course." Placing a full plate in front of her and where he was to sit, he joked, "Besides, I think anybody who can tolerate this much one on one time with me deserves some recognition, don't you think?"

He turned to open the bottle and realized that he wasn't sure if she actually agreed to a glass, "Sorry. Was that a yes to my wine offering?"

"Um ... maybe half a glass?" she said, not explaining why she rarely had anything even remotely alcoholic. "And is it alright if I get a glass of water, too? I heard the word chilies in there, and I think I'll probably need it!"

Returning to a previous topic, Serena said, "I don't have any brothers, but my best friend was the only girl in a family with six boys, so I know how their rooms looked when we were growing up. Thankfully, they all found wives to keep them straight. But wait, you don't have any brothers, either, do you?"

Andrew nodded and fulfilled her requests, "Coming right up." As he began to pour two glasses, one, half of the standard pour, and one slightly more, he answered, "I do not. Just one younger sister." Motioning to the wine, he said, "Actually, this was from her. I'll have to tell her I finally used it. But back to growing up, we were both kept pretty well in line by my father, so I think I was just instilled to keep a regiment at a young age," shrugging and giving a smile. "Although, every now and then, I slack off in the cleanliness department of my quarters. Nobody's perfect."

Placing the glasses at their respective locations, he shifted to the replicator to order a glass of water, "No need to worry about the chilies. I dialed the recipe back a bit, so it shouldn't be too spicy." After setting the water glass next to her wine glass, he playfully asked, "Can I get you anything else this evening, ma'am?"

"Ummm ... maybe later you can peel some grapes for me," she teased back. "For now, this looks fantastic, and smells like a street in Italy."

 

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