(Oop, true that! We can decide it later!)
Thaddeus had, admittedly, been far too nervous to sit down. He'd tried at first, really he had, but after awhile his fluttering chest and stomach had forced him out of his seat and pacing around the cafe at a fairly lingering pace. He kept close to the restrooms to keep up the appearance of perhaps waiting on someone, or waiting for it to open, or simply loitering. He'd burned under a few awkward looks from various waitresses and waiters.
Arriving so early had been a mistake, he was sure. Thaddeus ducked into the restroom, knowing that he had a little over five minutes to spare before she arrived (and that was simultaneously too little time to relax but too much time to go back to the appointed table). He glanced at himself in the mirror, at his greying lavender hair (from stress, he told himself, not from age, surely) and dark red turtleneck sweater that felt a little too tight. It was somewhat old, but it was one of the nicer pieces of clothing he owned. Peering at his watch over his square-frame glasses, Thaddeus sighed through his nose, then drew in a steeling breath. This would be fine. This date would go just fine, he told himself mentally.
He exited the bathroom, eyes darting to the table--and his heart dropped to the floor in alarm.
She was already there! How long had she been waiting? Oh, dear. Thaddeus cleared his throat of the anxious tightness to it, and came closer. It was then that he noticed the rather festive hat on her head (though not exactly festive for the current holiday, save for maybe the color), and he felt a touch of curious humor replace some of the nervousness in his chest.
"Um, hello there," he said as he approached, offering her a shy smile, apologetic.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't here on time, ah... w-well, I was, too early, but then I sort of got distracted, and..." He trailed off and looked at his watch. No, he was in fact
right on time. Oh. Well then. Blushing in embarrassment, Thaddeus sat down across from her and hunched his shoulders with a smile. Gosh, she was pretty, too. Santa hat notwithstanding.
"It's nice to finally meet you. Y-your name is Elie, right?"