RP: First Date Who: Alex & Manny What: A first coffee date When: 27 February 2028 Where: Higher Grounds Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete
First dates could be a bit intimidating, if Alex were being honest with herself. She didn't think she was very good at dating, prone to jumping right into relationships that are far too serious far too quickly without taking the time to actually get to know the guy first. She hadn't gone halfway across the world to make that same mistake again, though, which was why when Bennie and Dagny had encouraged her to get on the dating app, she'd decided to go for it. If nothing else, it would encourage her to take things slower, possibly even meet several different men for casual dates before choosing who she would like to date more exclusively.
Arriving at Higher Grounds a few minutes early, not wanting to seem overeager by getting there earlier or rude by being late, Alex ordered her coffee and glanced around. Not spotting Manny, and she rather thought she would be able to pick him out of a crowd with as much as she'd looked through his pictures, she picked a table. After setting her coffee down, she shrugged out of her jacket and draped it over the back of her seat, adjusting her shirt before sitting down.
In a move that wouldn't surprise anyone who knew her, she pulled out a book to read while she waited. Manny had changed into a jumper and jeans before leaving the hospital. He spotted Alex right away but noticed she already had a coffee so went and ordered himself a black tea - served plain - before making his way to her table, where she sat reading - okay, that was adorable.
“Alex?” he asked, somewhat softly, not wanting to startle her from her book. He didn’t sit just yet, not wanting to be presumptuous. When she heard her name, Alex glanced up, her lips curving in a smile when she saw it was Manny, though she did her best to ignore the butterflies that erupted low in her belly. God, he was even more attractive in person, if that were possible!
Slipping her bookmark in place, she closed the book and stood, one hand stretched out toward him. "That's me. Manny?" She pulled her lower lip between her teeth briefly to keep herself from blurting out how freaking gorgeous he was. "It's good to meet you." And she was glad he'd actually showed up, though she didn't think it would look great for her to say that out loud. He smiled - his teeth dazzling, a part of his health routine, he always figured - and took her hand softly. “May I?” He asked, indicating the free chair at the small two-top. His gaze didn’t waver from her beautiful face, though, and he held her hand maybe a moment too long. Her hand was soft and lovely - there was something delicate about her. There was something warm in his gaze that did nothing to still the fluttering, and she found herself nodding mutely at his question. She sat back down, feeling ridiculously out of place across from him. There was no doubt about it, he was way out of her league. "So… you're a healer?" she prompted curiously, hoping that maybe he wouldn't realize he was dating beneath his status by going out with her. Manny sat and gave her a happy nod at her question. “I am. Pediatrics. Kids. I’m second in the Ward, basically until my boss decides to golf year round instead of just for eight months of the year.” He chuckled and sipped his tea, his eyes not leaving her lovely face. He noted the perfect sprinkling of freckles across the porcelain skin of her face, and her smile seemed... tentative, but very pretty. He wondered what she looked like when she didn’t seem so... nervous.
“And you?” he asked - he’d heard that you should ask more questions of your date than you answered about yourself. He was definitely out of practice with this...
“It’s really nice to meet you.” He hadn’t seen her freckles in her pictures, and out of a total lack of ‘moves’ he added, “I didn’t realize you have freckles,” his face warm and admiring. It didn't escape her notice that he seemed to be looking at her appreciatively, and she wondered if maybe she had more of a shot with this guy than she'd initially thought. It didn't sound as though his job would leave him with much time or energy to build a relationship, but what did she know? Maybe her past relationships were such train wrecks because she'd spent so much time with them. Maybe having more of a disconnect would allow a relationship to flourish.
Alex had been about to answer about what she did when he pointed out her freckles, and she flushed, simultaneously embarrassed at having them pointed out and relieved that it might spare her from talking about what she did for a living, which seemed far less important that pediatrics healer. "Oh! Yeah, my mom likes to joke that I got all the freckles meant for my whole family." And she wasn't hiding them behind her glasses today, having opted to wear her contacts. “They’re lovely,” he answered, honestly, his voice just a touch soft. She seemed to not know it, which felt just very wrong to him.
“I’m sorry, though, I interrupted you,” he shook his head and gave her an apologetic, close-lipped smile. Her flush deepened at the compliment, but she resisted lifting a hand to fan herself. That would be ridiculous and immature, and that was hardly the sort of impression she wanted to make with him. "Thank you," she said instead, lifting her cup to her lips to give herself a moment to compose herself.
"Oh, it's okay. I don't do anything as impressive as healing. I've done a lot of odd jobs while I work toward my long-term goal. Right now I'm waiting at the Leaky Cauldron." Alex knew women were often encouraged to not give out details like that, but she wasn't the best at putting best safety practices into use. "It's my dream to be published someday, though. I've made it a goal to finally finish a novel while I'm here." “You’re writing your own novel?” He asked, his face lighting up at the thought. “That’s so cool,” he said, feeling like it made him sound completely stupid, but he really did think it was cool. “What kind is it?” He wasn’t sure if this was the right kind of ‘first date’ conversation - if this was even a date - but he liked talking about what people found interesting. The blush spread over her cheeks again at his enthusiasm. As much as she tried to be open about the fact that she was a writer, she wasn't actually any good at talking about her writing. "Um, yeah," she said, lifting a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear and wishing that she'd opted for her glasses. Sometimes she had a tendency to hide behind them, she knew.
"It's kind of fantasy, I suppose. Adventure, a dash of romance, and a big evil to defeat. I've always got plenty of ideas, it's just a matter of fleshing them out and tying them together into a cohesive narrative, and that's what's always tripped me up. Though I guess it's not that crazy that I haven't published anything yet. I am only twenty-four," she admitted, hoping that he wouldn't be put off by her age, though she couldn't guess at his. Maybe around thirty? Oh, had he embarrassed her? But that blush was... It did things to Manny. “It sounds like it’s got everything,” he replied when she had explained it.
“Oh, you’ve got plenty of time. Part of me wishes I’d taken some time to figure out some other things - adventures, the like - but I went straight into Mungo’s from school.” Then he realized something and added, “I’m 28, by the way,” would she think that was too old for her? Four years wasn’t that big of a gap, right? Then again, he and Dani were the same age. In fact, he and Dani were the same in many aspects - would Alex think they were too different? Would his family think...? No. That was a road too far. "Well, I hope it'll be a solid, entertaining read when I finish it," she said, her smile still this side of bashful. But she gave herself credit for saying when, not if. So far, the UK had been good for her and her muses, and she'd made decent progress on the novel, even managing to plot out a bit of an outline in between writing bits of scenes.
Twenty-eight seemed like a solid age, Alex thought. Older than her, but not so much older that they would be out of touch with one another socially. There would already be plenty of cultural gaps to figure out if they decided to see each other again, after all. "Yeah? What kind of adventures would you have wanted to go on?" she asked. “It sounds like a book I would definitely make time to read,” he said, and he wasn’t just flattering her - he was pretty sure even if this didn’t work out, he’d add it to his reading list the moment it was published.
Her question surprised him and he realized that as many times as he’d thought about what he’d do outside of St. Mungo’s, the details had never really been a part of that. He admitted as much saying, “You know, honestly, I don’t actually know. I don’t know that my fantasies ever got that far,” he gave her a wry little self-aware smile. “I will say that Healer training doesn’t leave much time for thinking about anything, though, even fantasies.” His life had been - in a way - simple. He had training, the hospital, the kids, and home with Daani, who was also knee deep in her own career. And in her own worries, it turned out. No. That was not something he would dwell on here.
“So, you’re a talented writer, a world-traveler, and utterly gorgeous - how is it that you’re turning to a dating app to meet people?” It seemed like she would have friends and potential dates just banging down her door, especially working at the bar. The pressure was definitely on to write an amazing debut novel with as much as she'd been talking about it lately, and she hoped she could deliver. She believed she could, and so she would, right?
"Okay, well let's word it differently, then?" she suggested, reminding herself not to get lost in his gorgeous accent and smile and miss the conversation. "Let's say you've got a mandatory two-week vacation from the hospital. Your family and friends are too busy to fill the time with things with them, so you decide to take the opportunity for adventure. What do you do?" she asked, hoping it might stir up ideas for him and give her more insight into who he was.
That question was loaded and flustered her ridiculously. He made her sound so amazing and desirable! "I've only been here a couple months, but a couple of my friends suggested it would be a good way to meet people. It seems to be working out for me so far," she said, lifting her coffee in a small, mock toast toward him before taking a sip of it, her stomach fluttering ridiculously as she thought he'd be able to see through her bravado flirtation easily. His smile widened at her more detailed question, “You know, I like the idea that I could climb a mountain or something, but I also don’t know that I actually could,” he chuckled. “Maybe something completely out of left field - Disney World? Or lying on a beach in Singapore? Something... random, I think. Not much of my life has been that way. My little sister - Penny - is very good at that, being spontaneous, and it was sort of my defacto attitude as the oldest to be the steady one. Her and my younger brother - Rhys - have always been a handful.”
He immediately felt bad, though, as it seemed he’d said the wrong thing. But then she recovered impressively and he decided he wouldn’t press the issue. Goodness knew he had his own romantic demons, after all. That he was familiar with Disney World surprised her just a bit, not necessarily because she was in another country, but because a lot of magical folk were ignorant about no-maj amusement parks. "Oh, yeah, Disney World is somehow both overrated and definitely worth visiting once," she chimed in.
The bit about his siblings was interesting, and the name of his brother rang a bell in her head. Rhys couldn't be that common of a name, could it? Was it possible that two brothers had managed to flirt with her on the app around the same time? It was such a strange, yet flattering thought. She wasn't about to ask about Rhys, though. Instead, she focused on Disney while also imagining him stretched half naked on a beach somewhere. "You're familiar with Disney, then?" “Overrated doesn’t make something bad,” he observed. It was true, to him at least - people probably over-hyped things like Disney World or George RR Martin, but he liked those things. Well, he assumed he’d like Disney World, having never been. It just seemed... Nice. He liked nice things.
“Are there people who aren’t? We may be magical, but we don’t live under a rock - well, not anymore. I know when my parents were kids, the magical world was much more insular, and while we’re still a private community, I feel like we... mingle? A lot more. Well, we have a lot more contact with the muggle world now, at least,” he mused out loud. “Sorry, I’m rambling now, seems I do even outside of text,” he said with a small laugh at himself and a shy smile sent her way.
“You’ve been, then?” He wondered if she liked it. Manny could be far too self-serious, nearly all the time, and he liked the idea of... lightening up? A bit, at least, outside of work at least, and wondered if meeting someone who was a bit more fanciful would be good for him in that aspect. He thought maybe it would be. "Touché," she agreed with a grin. He was surprising her, her impression of him over their messages being that he was the more serious sort, and she quite liked the thought that there was more to him than being a workaholic healer.
"You don't need to be sorry! I believe this is how conversations are supposed to work," she commented, lightly teasing. "But yeah, I mean, I know the line has become a lot less clear, but you never know for sure how familiar anyone is with Muggle things, right?" Had she committed a faux pas? He didn't seem to be annoyed with her, so possibly not.
Alex nodded at the question. "Oh yeah, but just once." It was on the tip of her tongue that it was ridiculously expensive, but she didn't necessarily want him to know she was poor right off the bat. Would he even want to see her again if he knew? "I went with a group of friends the summer after we graduated from Ilvermorny." Because group discounts made lots of things possible. “You’ve probably already deduced that outside of work, I am a bit rusty at ‘conversing’,” he said, even jokingly doing the air quotes with his hands, and then chuckled. He liked how easy it was to joke with her, to laugh a bit, it felt... different.
He nodded. “Good point, I think living and working in London the line gets a bit more blurred, so I’m probably just seeing it through my own lens.” She was right - he was being myopic, a bad habit of his.
He smiled, cocking his head a bit, imagining a 17-year-old Alex oh-ing and aw-ing at the sites. “Did you meet the big Mouse himself?” he asked, a light joke sparkling in his eyes. He liked the thought that she’d gotten to do something so whimsical as her matriculation celebration. “Do you miss your friends?” He couldn’t imagine just up and moving to a new country - his parents had told him how the family had come to live in Britain, and it sounded so... Hard. And a little bit sad, to start over completely, leave behind everything you’d ever known. Alex was enjoying his company more than she'd thought she would. She still thought he was way out of her league, but she was relaxing into the conversation, that thought not quite at the forefront of her mind anymore. "I think it's completely normal to frame things from your perspective. The challenge is in pushing out of your own experience to consider other facets of things. Empathy and all that." Which she imagined he had in spades considering he was a pediatrics healer.
Chuckling, she nodded. "Oh yeah, we stood in line for almost an hour and each got a picture with Mickey and then did a group pic. Good times. He was the only character we bothered with, though. Did you know that the whole park has a massive network of anti-apparation charms? We had to actually walk the whole thing," she told him, exaggeratingly dramatic about it. She never minded walking, though she didn't consider herself particularly athletic, and it wasn't as though any of them had been experts at apparating at that point, anyway.
Her head tilted a bit at the question about her friends. "It's funny you ask, because a couple of them actually live here. We all scattered after school–the US is so big, y'know? And Ilvermorny isn't the only school, but it is The School, like Hogwarts is here, so we were from all over anyway. But yeah, I have some friends back home that I miss. Thankfully, tech makes it really easy to keep in touch with them, and I'm really liking it here so far." She hadn't decided definitively whether or not she would stay here long-term, but she was leaning in that direction. “That is funny, actually,” he said with a happy smile for her, “It must be so nice to reconnect. I can’t imagine, to be honest, I’m pretty sure my entire Hogwarts class is still in or around London, let alone scattered through the small nation that is Britain,” he chuckled.
Laughing and chatting with her was so easy. Was it supposed to be easy to like this? Were all dating app dates like this?
He sipped at his tea and wondered if she was feeling the same.
“You are very beautiful,” he said out of nowhere after a comfortable lull in the conversation. He was being truthful - he loved her slightly red hair, and her freckles were... everything. He didn’t even know he liked freckles until meeting her. "It is! They gave me a bit of grief because I didn't warn them I was coming here, but it was fun to tell them via Winstagram once I was in the country," she admitted, a bit of mischief shining in her eyes. Bennie and Dagny hadn't been upset with her, at least not seriously.
Alex flushed at the compliment that came from nowhere, pressing a hand against her warm cheek, her palm half-hiding her sheepish smile. "Thank you. I mean, it goes without saying that you are ridiculously handsome," she said, her tone practically screaming that it was obvious. If the Rhys she'd talked to on the app really was his brother, there was no question that Manny had gotten the superior looks. "And… I'm really enjoying getting to know you," she added hopefully, wondering if he might be interested in a more formal sort of date. “They sound great, actually. Other than family, I don’t remember the last time I was... social... You know? I’m working on that, though,” He worked too much, but even when he wasn’t working, he was with his family or just at home. He read a lot. He went to museums on his rare off day. He did a lot of laundry considering it was just for himself.
He couldn’t help but cock his head curiously when she said that - it was obvious he was handsome? He hadn’t realized, though if he thought about it, he knew he wasn’t a Troll or anything. Maybe it was because he’d been a brown face in a sea of white - not just at school, but in his internship and his cohort at the Hospital even now. He’d really only ever dated Daani, who came from the same cultural and ethnic background. His younger siblings were stunning and outgoing and charming and constantly had any romantic prospects they wanted - he hadn’t bothered. “I...” He wasn’t sure how to reply. “Thank you? I... Wait. And I’m not fishing for compliments,” his face belied his honesty on that point, “I am?”
“I’m really enjoying being here with you, too,” he added with a beatific smile. Alex hoped he was serious about working on that, because she could admit to liking him quite a bit already, but she didn't think things could work out for her with a workaholic. She appreciated a strong work ethic–hell, she had one herself–but she needed balance between work and life. "Good," she said, her lips twitching to fight back a smile, her cheeks hinting at her dimples.
How could he not know he was gorgeous? Like, seriously. "I mean… duh? Like, objectively speaking here, your facial features are proportionate, you've got those amazing apple cheekbones–" She didn't know how else to describe them. "–and when you smile, your eyes do too." Not to mention how attractive she found the scruff that didn't fully hide his own dimples. Or how soft his lips looked. Oh yes, she was wildly attracted to him. Manny full on blushed at her description. “I... Thank you...” he said, honestly unsure how to respond.
He decided a change in topic was needed before he made a total fool of himself. “So... being that we’re getting to know each other, is there anything in particular you’re curious about? About me?” He wasn’t sure exactly how to ask the question, but thought maybe if she had any burning questions, it was better to get them out of the way, right? Alex completely understood the need for a change in topic, but he'd asked and so she'd answered honestly. She couldn't understand how he wasn't aware of how attractive he was, but she supposed a lack of vanity wasn't a bad thing.
"Oh, I'm sure there are lots of things, but…" She paused, tapping a finger against her lips as she thought. "Okay, so, obviously I'm white as can be and you're not. What kind of cultural upbringing did you have?" And would it be an issue for his family and friends that she was white as can be if they did date and become serious? Though it felt a bit too soon to ask that level of question. She assumed if it was a huge issue, he wouldn't have wanted to meet up with her. Oh. That was a question. A good one, but a complicated one to answer. “Well, I’m Indian British, somewhat obviously,” he said with a laugh. “We were raised mostly like any other British family, though we’re Hindu and Sikh, though not entirely practicing. As a family we do the holidays, like Holi coming up, but we might best be described like... Christmas Eve Catholics? You know, the ones who go to the big deal events but that’s about it? I’ll admit, I’ve never dated a white woman, but I don’t think it would be an issue, as long as whoever I dated was respectful of my family and our traditions. But I think that would be the case in any relationship, right?” He wasn’t sure he was making a ton of sense. He felt... Well, he felt British, more than he felt Indian. Some of his family members felt the other way, but they all melded in a way that worked for them.
“What about you? Does your family have any cultural traditions or anything?” He wasn’t sure of her background, other than white and American, and so felt it was a fair question. Alex listened with interest as he explained that little bit about his upbringing, thinking it fascinating. She didn't know much about Eastern religions, but–especially as a writer–she found it interesting and decided she would dedicate some time to learning more about both the Hindu and Sikh faiths. It was bad enough she was poor, she didn't want to be seen as ignorant, too.
"That definitely makes sense. My family was never religious at all, and we didn't seem to have any major, identifiable cultural ties except being part of the maj community. Like, even though the States did away with Rappaport's Law what seems like forever ago, there's still a lot of hesitation about mixing the communities. It's those puritan roots, that even though the risk of persecution feels smaller these days, there's so much history of it. So, like, religion is really divided between the communities, too, if that makes sense?"
She swirled her coffee in the cup, thinking for a moment. "I guess there are probably some things that have seeped through, though? We did seasonal celebrations, especially for winter and spring, but they weren't religious. They coincided with religious celebrations, but I think that's just human, because cultures all over the world have developed them in whatever form made sense for their people," she mused. Her explanation of her family and culture in the States made sense to Mandeep - he didn’t really know of one prevailing ‘culture’ in the US, after all. He couldn’t help his exhale of an almost-chuckle at her last bit, though, “Alex, my family does Christmas, too,” and then he grinned, not really ribbing her (it would be understandable if she assumed otherwise) but maybe ribbing her a little. “And Boxing Day,” he added, with a small, light hearted smirk.
“So, religious and cultural worries out of the way,” he continued, it seemed like - while his family had a bit of more defined cultural traditions, neither of them were all that wed to any one faith or another - they matched up for the most part on that. “Any other burning questions? Why slave my life away at a hospital? Do Healers really never need sleep?” He asked the questions with a playful glint in his eye, actually enjoying how... carefree he felt in the moment, speaking to her. Alex chuckled at that, nodding her head a bit to the side. "See, but my family absolutely refused to call it Christmas. Goes back to those puritan persecution roots," she reminded him lightly. "We celebrated the winter solstice and spring equinox, and they always referred to them like that, so it felt like an important distinction." Maybe she was over-explaining. Maybe she would scare him off with her crazy family. Or maybe he would enjoy the level of thought she put into things.
It was comforting to know, or at least that it seemed, that religion and culture wouldn't be major roadblocks should they decide to pursue something serious. But his bringing up his career again reminded her that religion and culture weren't the only possible concerns here. "I mean, you asked them. You should definitely answer. Inquiring minds, and all," she quipped teasingly. "Do you have to be on call all the time, or is your role a strictly scheduled one?" she asked curiously. “I can see that,” he said, adding thoughtfully “Persecution can make one want to be proud of their history, and it’s pretty remarkable to hold on to that.” He found it rather... brave. Sort of like the non-Western families around the globe that held to their beliefs and religions despite colonization and genocide, witches and wizards had been dealt their own blows for their lifestyles and beliefs.
He struggled with how to answer her next question, though, and it showed on his face as he thought. “Well, yes and no,” he knew that wasn’t an answer, though. “I’m not on call all the time, but it’s not a strictly scheduled role, either. There are some days I’m at the hospital for a literal twenty-four hours, but those are under extraordinary circumstances, and due to the nature of my work, those instances do tend to take precedence over my other obligations...” He didn’t want to sugar-coat it, or lead her on. If she couldn’t understand the importance of his work, then maybe he’d make a good friend out of this, but anyone he was romantically linked to would have to know what they were getting into, too. “And to answer the other... Yes, Healers do need sleep, though caffeine is a way of life.” He took another sip of his tea, mock toasting it to her, realizing it had gone cold as they’d been chatting, something that actually made him happy; that he’d been so caught up. Alex was relieved when he seemed to understand the point she'd been making about culture and religion, and she smiled at him, her cheeks dimpling a bit.
As he explained a bit more about his schedule, she bit her lower lip, one hand coming up to play with a bit of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, see, that's about the only thing about you so far that's made me go 'hmm, tread with caution.' Not because it's a red flag–a strong work ethic is amazing, and what you do is so important. But just like, a work and life balance is so important to me. I think I believe that you're serious about finding a good balance there, though, so even that sense of caution is flimsy at best."
Was she being too honest? God, there was that fluttering in her belly again. Apparently, she really cared about whether he'd want to see her again. She hadn't expected to genuinely like the first man she met off the dating app as much as she liked Manny. Oh wow. Her dimples. And the way she bit her lip like that. He couldn’t help the thought that flit across his mind that that was a sight he could get used to. She was lovely, but when she smiled like that, there was something innocent and... different about her, and he liked it. He felt his heart thump just a tad harder in his chest at the sight.
His face dimmed a bit at her first point, but then he smiled brilliantly at the last bit. “I am, and I’m grateful that you take me at my word on that. I struggled with the thought of signing up for a dating app, or really attempting to date at all, but... It’s time. Professionally, it’s time for me to find that balance, and personally... It’s time.” He didn’t want to get into his relationship with Daani, or rather, the dissolution of said relationship, just yet. That was a deeper conversation for another time. If they made it that far.
“I can’t lie and say I’m not brand new at it - the making a balance - and I can’t say I won’t screw it up sometimes, as I learn, but if given the chance, I would like to learn.” For her? He didn’t quite know that, yet, but he had a feeling that if she let him try for her, he certainly would. The bit of hair she’d played with had come loose and he gentle reached across the small table to tuck it back behind, realizing (more in the way his chest felt tight than in his mind) that it was the first time he’d touched her except for their first formal handshake. Even as she spoke, she noticed the way his expressions shifted, how he wore his emotions so openly. That was an extraordinary trait, in her opinion, having spent far too much of her adult life with men who lied and hid their emotions. Somehow, she got the impression that he would never intentionally hurt her the way she'd been hurt in the past.
Then again, she'd thought that before.
But now wasn't the time to get stuck in her head about what could happen. Not when life was right there in front of her, waiting to be lived.
The way he said that made her wonder what he'd been through in her personal life before, that he'd taken such a long break from dating, that it was definitely time to get back into it. Those conversations would come in time, she thought, if they got to the point of comfort and intimacy to talk about their past relationships.
Before she could organize any of her thoughts into words, he reached across the table, and her lips parted on a soft exhale at the touch, her head leaning into it, goosebumps breaking out on her arms and legs. It was such a simple touch that she felt ridiculous for having such a strong response, and yet she couldn't deny that there was chemistry there. She could only hope that she wasn't the only one feeling it.
"I'd really like to see you again," she told him once she was able to find the ability to speak again. He didn’t miss the parting of her lips, the little exhale, the way her head leaned into his light brush of a touch. It was... Goodness, could that even be erotic? But it created a battering in his rib cage that might have worried him if he wasn’t a Healer himself.
When she spoke so bluntly, he licked his lips and smiled, “I’d really like to see you again, too,” he said earnestly, holding her gaze with his own. Then again, if he kept reacting to her like this, he wouldn’t want this date to end - he’d just want to see what they could do next and then next and then next, instead of having to wait for another one. Alex chewed on her lower lip again at his words, said so earnestly. "Great," she said. "But I also don't have anywhere else to be today." Was there a little too much eagerness in those words? She didn't want to come off like some eager puppy, but there were sparks there, and she was confident that she wasn't the only one feeling them. It was as if she had read his mind. “You’re not a Seer by any chance, are you?” He gave her a cocky grin as he asked, reassuring that he was only joking. “I was just thinking the same thing, actually,” sure, he’d just finished an over night at St. Mungo’s, but he’d been awake for far longer stretches before, so he wasn’t worried. Plus, there was an energy about her that made him feel awake and excited and energetic. She had an effect.
“Have anything in mind? Besides caffeine?” Even if she just wanted to sit here all afternoon, he thought he’d be fine with that. Her head tilted at the question, one eyebrow curving upward, though she chuckled under her breath when he explained. "I'm not, no, but I do pay attention," she quipped, implying that he'd expressed the desire without saying a word about it. "But hmm… I'm the foreigner here, so do you have any favorite places? I wouldn't mind a little exploring."
And she rather thought it would give her some fantastic insight into who he was. And if it provided them the opportunity for a bit more touching, no one could blame her for it, right? “Am I that obvious?” Oh goodness, was he coming across too strong? Too eager? That wasn’t something he had even worried about, coming into this with so few expectations.
He thought, then, of what he might like to do with a free afternoon. He might sit and read at Victory Park, at the intersection of Diagon Alley and Victory Road, or people watch there. But the thought of Daani coming from the Ministry and maybe running into her... Well, that was discomfiting. And then he had a thought. “How do you feel about warming charms?” He asked, a sly smile gracing his face as a plan came together. Alex laughed softly at the question, shaking her head. "No, not really. Maybe it was just wishful thinking," she offered, the smile absolutely refusing to slip from her lips. Her cheeks would hurt before long if he kept her smiling like this!
Her eyebrow curved up at the question, not even close to being able to predict where he was going with that. "I'm aces at warming charms," she answered. She'd had to be! Between Ilvermorny at nearly thirty-five hundred feet and Boulder at over five thousand feet elevation, winters were often harsh growing up. "What do you have in mind?" she couldn't help but ask, images of apparating to some snow-covered peak and cuddling close popping in her mind. He liked that she might have been hoping the same as him, as her reply alluded. He felt some of the nerves in his chest calm and be replaced with a sort of pride.
“I’m not too bad at them myself,” he answered, “but some people really don’t like them at all - you’d be surprised what you learn about people as a Healer.” He laughed. “But it’s a bit chilly out today and...” He stood, cast a warming charm on himself, and held out his hand for her to stand as well. “Hyde Park is gorgeous and rather empty this time of year,” he loved just wandering - walking was something he did when he couldn’t sleep and couldn’t work, and Hyde Park was a personal favorite. “Care to join me for a walk?” It seemed cheesy now that he said it out loud, but he hoped, maybe, she wouldn’t mind some cheesy. Her eyes tracked his movement as he stood, her hand slipping into his when he held it out to her. Standing as well, she said, "I'd love to." His hand was warm, and she felt silly for the butterflies that the contact had erupting in her belly.
She let go of his hand so she could put her jacket on, slipping her book into one of the expanded interior pockets. And then, she reached for his hand again and nodded toward the door. "Shall we?" Alex wasn't sure how they would get to Hyde Park, a place she'd heard about plenty but hadn't taken the time to visit yet, but she felt safe to go on this adventure with him. When she reached for his hand again, Manny could have blushed - but he took hers, happily, and the strange feeling and thought of taking a stroll with a lovely young woman, holding hands, made him nearly giddy.
When they stepped outside of the coffee shop, he explained to her that there was a secluded, approved apparation point not far from the muggle park, and asked her permission to side along her. Once given, he wrapped an arm around her - another giddy, strange feeling - and apparated them to a near walking distance from Hyde.
They wandered for a bit, he pointed out some of his favorite places, including a nice little fountain that made for great people watching in the summer. Alex felt surprisingly comfortable and safe with the idea of him apparating them both to the approved point he knew, and she slid an arm around his back as his wrapped around her, the butterflies erupting in a frenzy at being so close to him.
Walking around the park was peaceful, and she enjoyed hearing his little stories about his favorite parts. As they walked, she told him a little bit about her favorite haunts in Boulder growing up, her mind jumping ahead of things by imagining what it would be like to take him there and show him around. It was too soon for those thoughts, but while she knew that logically, she also knew that it was entirely like her to jump into serious way too fast.
As they stopped at the fountain, she gave his hand a little squeeze, breathing in the cool, fresh air. "It's so beautiful, this little pocket of serenity in the middle of the city," she commented, looking up at him with a small smile. It seemed like the perfect moment for a first kiss, her writer's mind scripting it out without her permission. When Alex looked up at him like that, he looked down into soft eyes, the cool breeze blowing stray strands of her hair - more red than dark in the sunlight, he’d noticed - and couldn’t help the way his eyes darted to her lips. He was more nerves than calm bravado in this morning, but he moved almost imperceptibly closer to her, as if his body were overriding his mind. Should he kiss her? She looked welcoming, but he also couldn’t be sure what was on her mind. And so he took what little bit of courage he had when it came to such things, took a breath, and asked (his cheeks embarrassingly warming underneath the warming charm, like he was some ridiculous fourth year), “Alex, I don’t mean to presume, but...”
He hesitated, his eyes darting from her own to her lips and back up again, “May I kiss you?” Of course, maybe this was still a get to know each other coffee meet up for all he knew... He wouldn’t be upset if she said no, of course, he would fully accept and understand her answer either way but—He really hoped she said yes. If it were possible, Alex would have sworn her heart was about to gallop from her chest. It was like she was the heroine in one of the thousands of romance novels she'd read over the years, with the gorgeous Healer looking at her as though his next breath depended entirely on the opportunity to kiss her.
Her tongue flicked out to moisten her lips, vibrant blue eyes focused on his darker ones. "Yes, please," she answered, feeling ridiculous as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Had she really just said please to a kiss? Eve would die laughing at the odd placement of manners, she was sure, and yet she couldn't seem to care as long as he followed through and kissed her. Her own body leaned into his, her chin tilting up in invitation. At her answer, he first thought maybe he’d misheard her, but no, she’d said yes, and then leaned her face up like that, inviting him so perfectly. His hand came up to cradle her face gently, the other moving around her to grasp her waist and pull her closer to him. He angled his face down and brushed his lips lightly against hers, feeling sparks. He deepened the kiss slightly, his tongue reaching out to brush against her lower lip, seeking entrance, his arm holding her securely against his body. Tingles seemed to start where their lips touched and burst out, spreading from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, goosebumps standing the hairs on her arms upright. One hand rested on his chest, the other sliding up to cup the back of his neck as her body arched against his. Her lips moved against his, parting to welcome his exploration, her tongue brushing firmly against his.
Images of inviting him home flashed through her mind, but rather than indulge them, she let herself revel in the kiss. There was no rush, no reason to not just enjoy the moment.