Two women at a vintage Parisian outdoor cafe, sharing a quiet moment

**First Date** QT: A Paris Street @justrob *Boulevard Saint-Michel, 1958* Irène had arrived too early. It was a mistake. It gave her time to become acutely conscious of herself: her hands around the cooling cup, the scrape of wicker chairs, the murmur of nearby conversation, the waiter’s glance, the uncomfortable conspicuousness of a woman waiting alone for someone who might, after all, not come. Twice she considered leaving. Then Nora arrived, composed and unhurried, as though she had never once doubted the afternoon. "You look as if you’re about to bolt," she said. "Maybe I shall." "Then I shall have to be especially interesting. To captivate you." Irène glanced down, betrayed by a smile she hadn't meant to give. When she looked up, she felt the exquisite shock of finding Nora watching her with mischievous pleasure — as though Nora knew she already had.