It was early evening and sounds crept into Natalia’s mind as she stepped out of her car. She didn’t even want to be there at the bistro and preferred to hide under the blankets and stay in bed. Instead she waited for Mason in front of the bistro. All she had to do was wait out a few hours and she could go home. While she waited though, Nattie stared at herself in the side window; the circles and bags hadn’t disappeared from under her eyes, her hair in un-brushed layers. Jaded and miserable, she was a burnt out girl with nothing left who wanted to strangle her thoughts. Not perfect. Underserving. Why bother?
            Twenty minutes passed before Nattie saw Mason walk toward her. She noticed that Mason wore the shirt she bought him last year. Smile and fake. Maybe he won’t notice. Mason walked over to Nattie; she stood on her toes and kissed Mason’s cheek.

            “Ready babe?” Mason said.

            “Yeah, let’s eat,” she said. It would have been easier if we stayed at my place and ordered takeout.
            Outside, the bistro was Mediterranean in design, but inside it was American themed with its décor and food. Curtains separated the back booths, sconces decorated the walls, and teardrop lights hung over the tables. To the right was a café section and in the back was the kitchen, with doors that kept opening and closing. The maître d desk was in front, but the restaurant was a sugar-coated shell, full of people who wore different faces than what they showed in private.
           Nattie frowned, all life’s shallowness bothered her and it lived inside her. Mason gave the maître d his name and reservation at the front desk, and the man led the couple to a booth in the back. He handed them both menus and wished them a nice dinner. Nattie opened it and glanced through the options. So the only option I have involves food. This is how low I’ve sunk. A waiter came around, brought them each a glass of wine, and asked if they were ready to order. Nattie ordered rigatoni, Mason ordered meatloaf. The waiter wrote down their orders, took their menus, and walked away. Nattie took a sip of wine. 
         “You really went all out tonight didn’t you?” Nattie said.
           “Of course. I wanted this to be special.”   
          “Special?” 
          “It’s a surprise.”
           “What?”
           He smiled and said, “You’ll find out later.”
           Mason knew that Nattie didn’t like surprises. So what did he plan?
            The waiter returned and handed them their meals. They ate in silence and occasionally Mason would ask if she liked the food, Nattie either said ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or she nodded. She worried if her act had slipped, if what she said seemed forced. It didn’t help that kept looking at her like he was analyzing her answers.
            “What would do if you never met me?”
            “What kind of question is that?”
           “Answer it,” she said. “You’d be with a pretty girl, a girl who could make you happy. One that was worth something.” 
         Mason tried to place his hand over Nattie’s hand; she pulled her hand away before he could though. “Where is this coming from?”
           Nattie shook her head. “It’s nothing. Forget I said anything.”
           “Tell me.” 
         “I said drop it. It doesn’t matter.” Nattie looked away and played with her food. “Sorry. I don’t feel well today.”
           “Do you want to go home? I’ll take you.” 
          “No, I’ll make it. Let’s just change the subject.”
           “Okay. Whatever you want.”
           “You can’t give me what I want.”
           Another waiter came with a tray of deserts in front of him. Every flavor of cakes, flaming deserts, ice creams, mousse, all of it looked delicious and sweet. The waiter took a couple slices of cheesecake and handed a piece to both of them. She knew that Mason hated strawberry cheesecake. Why would he eat it? She took a bite out of the cake.
            “Yummy! My favorite, and with extra strawberries. You’re breaking up with me aren’t you,” she said.            Her eyes sparkled with hope that she hadn’t felt in awhile. Mason laughed and pulled out a jewelry box from his coat pocket. He slid the box over to her side of the table.
          “I wouldn’t do that. Just open the box.”
          Nattie scrunched up her face and put down her dessert to open the box. She inched open the box by centimeters; his surprise might not be so bad if she took her time. Mason just smiled and ate the cheesecake. Inside the jewelry box was a ring she pushed away. Nattie didn’t expect this or what her boyfriend said next.            “Nattie, will you marry me,” he said.
           Her cheeks turned red and burned. She tilted her head and blinked a few times; the ring was still in front of her and still proof that Mason proposed. None of it felt real. He didn’t ask her to marry him, did he?
            “What did you say?”
           “Marry me, Natalia.”
           It still didn’t register in her mind.“You want to marry me?”
           “Yes.”Before Mason could speak another word, Nattie excused herself from the table to go to the restroom. She had never been this nervous before. She paced back and forth, kicked the stall door, and made herself dizzy in the process. Nattie combed her fingers through her hair and pulled sections of it against her face. She rubbed her eyes and sank against the wall. She blinked back tears and felt a lump in her throat. Nattie curled up in a ball and hit her forehead against her knees. Now to fall apart.
           Nattie let her sobs choke her words and let her tears blur her vision. For these minutes she’d let her emotions tumble out and she’d show her real face. She wouldn’t hide behind a lie while she was in this restroom. Nattie could be herself.Finally, she stood up and walked to one of the sinks to splash some water on her face. The mirror showed a young woman staring back at her. I look like a hot mess. Wonder why the owner even let me in here? Smudged eyeliner made her eyes look swollen. They were poisonous green that spread fear and anxiety throughout her body. Her hands shook as she got out an eyeliner from her purse and reapplied her makeup. She gave herself another look over. At least she could go back into the restaurant now. 
      “He shouldn’t marry a stupid girl who pushes everyone away.”
        She leaned against the sink; her hands gripped to the edge and sighed. She couldn’t stay in there forever. He’ll know something’s up if I don’t come out soon. And I can’t say anything to him that would make him feel better. God, what am I going to do?
            Nattie spun around, dug through her purse, and searched for a pen and paper. Instead of a pen she used what was left of her eyeliner and an old receipt for her note. In a hasty script she wrote out her note; she hoped Mason would understand. 
          She stepped out of the restroom and walked over to the maître d’s desk. She cleared her throat to get the man’s attention.
         “Yes miss?”   
      “After I leave can you give that man over there this note?” Nattie handed the maître d the note and pointed towards Mason. “I don’t want my date to worry.”
       “Sure. Do you need a taxi? I can have one called for you if you need one.”
        The maître d was understanding when he took the note.     
      “Thanks, but I have my phone with me. Just give him the note after I leave,” she said.   
     “I will. Have a nice evening.”  
      Nattie gave the maître d a smile and left the restaurant. She hoped she wouldn’t cause Mason much pain. The words she wrote burned into her mind; she thought about how Mason’s face would look when he read the note.         
           Mason.
           Sorry. You should marry someone else.
          Love,  
          Nattie   

Other things that my CW(II) class liked:

• It doesn't drag like it did last time. So pacing is better.

• Showing and telling is good. I've found the right balence.

• From the beginning they wanted to know what happens next.

• The internal dialogue of Nattie is good

• The middle dialogue was good(The part right before Mason asks Nattie to marry him).

• They really felt sorry for Mason.

• They wanted to know more why she couldn't marry him.

• Is there another way that Nattie could have acted instead of in this cowardly way? Couldn't she have been like, "You know, fuck you. I'm not marrying you."

• Is Mason an ass hole who doesn't care or does he really do care about Nattie and thinks he can take care of her and make her better by being with her?