Bang! The door unintentionally slammed shut behind them as he released it. From out of the strong wind she had stooped in, under his arm, and before she even had a chance to do it herself, he helped her out of her coat and hung it on the coat rack together with his. With a protective hand against her lower back – his hand felt surprisingly warm through the thin fabric of her T-shirt – he led her inside. She decided that later when they left, she would hold the door open for hím.
A friendly employee guided them to a table for two in a quiet corner at the back of the bistro, where they had a good overview, but also some privacy. They arrived just in time: by now rain was clattering against the nearest window. She laughed when both of them ran their hands through their windswept hair at the same time.
As a matter of course, they pushed two chairs close together and sat down. He beckoned the waiter and ordered a cup of tea for each of them. When it was brought, she made clear with a subtle gesture that later on the bill would be hers. Her companion raised an eyebrow about that, he probably wasn’t used to it. They chatted lightly about things that had been in the news that morning. While she talked, he discreetly placed the biscuit that he had been given with his tea on her saucer, but when she shook her head with a smile, he blushed and put both biscuits in his own mouth.
When they had finished their tea, and she had ordered them a cold drink and had spread the documents from her bag on the table, they pushed their chairs even closer together, until their shoulders touched. In the past week they had already prepared the topic via e-mail and text messages, so their discussion went well and they came up with a plan of action fairly quickly. He left it to her to work it out, he said, and promised to support her in everything. After she had put the papers away, he leaned against her in confidence again as he proudly showed her pictures of his growing children on his phone.
He blushed when his driver discreetly tapped the window from under a black umbrella. To their surprise, an hour and a half had already passed. He had to go. His busy schedule called to him. New people had to be met, new places visited, new agreements made and new ribbons cut. They had a hard time saying goodbye, cordially. She first got a firm handshake, then a hesitant kiss on her cheek, followed by a heartwarming hug.
Go on, she said, and he went.
When she got home an e-mail was already waiting for her, in which he told her how much he had enjoyed their meeting and in which he gave her best regards from Máxima.
(Máxima is the wife of King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands.)