Who: Romilda Vane & Kimberly Baker Where: Dinner after work When: 5:31 pm, October 27 What:Dinner A Date. Rating: PG Status: Private/Complete
Kimb shouldn't have been as nervous as she was, but when she considered everything that had happened between them, she was surprised she hadn't called the whole thing off and been a bloody chicken. She was intrigued by Romilda. She liked her as a friend but she was also attracted to her and the weird part was that the attraction and the need for something more with Romilda was now outweighing any reservations Kimb was having. They were still reservations, but seeing Romilda at work and thinking about her new knickers beneath her skirt and imagining that and more (and less) was pushing Kimb to take a chance. It wasn't just sex anymore, either. She was imagining simply kissing and cuddling and falling asleep in her arms and it was scary and exciting to think on it.
Kimb had been staring at her clock since five, watching the minutes tick by, pretending to work when she'd been done since half past four. She stilled when the minute hand finally marked half past five and she bit her lip nervously, looking up in a startled manner, afraid Romilda might already be at her door. When Kimb saw she wasn't there, she stood and slowly put her things in her person - but even then it barely took a minute and at 5:31 she was stepping up to Romilda's desk and smiling down at her a bit nervously.
"Are you ready?"
Romilda looked up and smiled. She'd been killing time by reading through her journal, and the last few minutes had seemed to drag by and then speed up in the way time does when you're waiting for something.
"Yeah, let me just..." She gestured vaguely and tucked her journal into her purse before closing a file folder on her desk and standing up to reach for her leather coat. She pulled it on and picked up her bag, meeting Kimb's eyes and smiling again before she could help it.
It was odd to be going on a real date with another woman. Everything she'd ever done with women had been spur of the moment or purely sexual and this was strange in a way. Then again, her last date had been with Royden over a week ago and that had ended up being little more than a booty call, and she had a feeling this was much more than that, or at least she sort of hoped so. Her conversation with Dennis was still heavy in her mind, about how he'd said she didn't know what she wanted and that she was too busy whoring to see what was right in front of her. What if what was right in front of her was Kimb?
Her eyes went over Kimb's outfit and she raised an eyebrow. "You look nice," she teased. "Going somewhere special?"
"I have a date," Kimb replied, embarrassed when she flushed despite herself. She bit her lip and waited until Romilda was ready before heading to the door. She held the door open for her, immediately feeling silly but wanting Romilda to know she was taking this seriously.
"Did you have a restaurant in mind?" Kimb had looked up several good Italian restaurants since they had decided on the type of food, but she didn't want to step on Romilda's toes if she had a particular place in mind - nor did she want to seem to eager. She hadn't dated (successfully) in a while, and she wanted to make sure she was doing it right.
Romilda shook her head as she pulled her hair out of her coat collar and stepped out the door, the two of them heading for the lift. The sound of their shoes was loud in the empty halls of the museum and part of her wished maybe she hadn't said this was a date. Would her heart be hammering in her chest quite so much if it wasn't?
"No, there's that place just off Diagon, but if you have someplace in mind, let's go there. As long as they have good food. And wine. Wine is essential with Italian." She gave Kimb a little smile and the two of them stood in the lift as it started to move, one of their coworkers, the little gnome like fellow from Art of the Ancients sharing space with them. Romilda moved a little closer to Kimb her hand just brushing the other woman's side, feeling a little thrill that they were doing this.
Kimb moved instinctively into Romilda's warmth (not to mention Archie creeped her the hell out. He was short and had smaller hands than Kimb did herself, and she was small enough. Things that were smaller than her and not legally a goblin, dwarf or a child were against the laws of nature and made Kimb cringe.)
"Well, there was this Muggle restaurant near my flat, if you'd like to go there. It's quiet and authentic, from what the reviews say - and they have a good wine selection." Kimb shrugged softly and gazed up at Romilda with a little smile. "I just want us to both have a good time." Kimb was glad to get off the lift and gladder still to be out of the museum. It had never made her feel so stifled before. The cold air of the outdoors made her feel instantly better and she stepped in closer to Romilda as they walked.
"I think we could eat cold pizza out of a box and still have a good time," Romilda said, looking over at Kimb as she slipped her hands into her pockets to keep them warm. This jacket had some nice heating charms on it.
The light was just starting to fade on the streets, and they crossed the square and ducked up the side street that would lead them in the general direction of Kimb's flat. By the time they reached the restaurant, Romilda could feel how cold her cheeks were and she was glad for the warmth of the restaurant as they were shown to a little table on one of the side walls.
"It's nice to live so close," Romilda said. "Not that Harry's house is that far, but I still can't walk in."
"I was living with my family for a while before I got my flat," she'd almost said after she had broken up with Oliver, but she refrained. Now wasn't the time. She settled at the table, her foot brushing Romilda's. Kimb smiled over at her shyly before biting her lip and glancing down at the menu. "And I still need to come see where you live," Kimb said with a little smile and a shrug. "Tell Harry that I promise not to divulge it's location to Skeeter."
Kimb couldn't believe she was acting so natural when she was shaking like a leaf inside. Maybe it was Romilda. There was something about the other girl that soothed Kimb, that drew Kimb to her. She constantly found herself wanting more of Romilda's laughter, more of her smiles, more of her friendship. Kimb let her eyes dart back down to the menu once more - they had strayed back up to Romilda - but they couldn't focus on the menu for long and she soon found herself gazing back up at her again.
"I'll tell him. He'll appreciate it, I know. I got a big lecture when I moved in about not bringing anyone untrustworthy to the house." She twirled a strand of hair around her finger as she considered the menu before looking up to see Kimb watching her. Her lips parted in a smile.
"Wine, right?" Kimb nodded and forced herself to shift her gaze back to the menu. She flushed slightly, her hurt jumping to her throat at Romilda's smile. God, she wasn't sure when the last time a smile made her feel so light and aflutter. Kimb bit her lip as she read the menu, her finger dancing along the lines as she did. "White or red?" Kimb asked, looking back up at Romilda. She wasn't going to let herself act so childish. She'd made a date and it was going to be a bloody good one. She needn't be ashamed of eye contact and so she smiled at Romilda, blue eyes meeting brown - and as if to prove her point, she brushed her ankle against Romilda's affectionately.
"I'm glad you came. I've missed getting to hang out with you."
"Red. And me too. That's one of the things I like about you, we can just have fun." There wasn't the groping or the neediness of men or the guilt trips or the using. All the not so fun things she was starting to realize had characterized almost all her relationships.
She moved her own foot so it brushed over Kimb's and then casually moved her chair just a little closer. "You do know whatever you order to eat you're going to have to let me try it," she said. "The menu looks too good, I'm not sure what to order."
They placed their orders and the wine came. It was a nice, fruity red and Romilda took a long swallow before looking back over at the other woman. "So it would be bad then, if anyone found out? Not that there's much to find out yet but well, you know."
"And vice versa," Kimb agreed before settling on a meal and wine. They placed their orders and Kimb glanced back over at Romilda, a little smile crossing her face. However, Romilda's last words caused the smile to falter a bit.
"Just at work, I think." Kimb glanced down at her hand in her lap, watching her fingers clench around her napkin. "I mean, they'd make me move you to a different department," and that was at best. Worst come to worst, Perkins would fire one of them, or both. Kimb frowned a bit before reaching across the table and taking Romilda's hand in hers. She instantly regretted doing it, afraid it was too forward (despite the fact that her hand had been more intimate places.) And although she didn't let go of Romilda's hand, she sighed softly, glancing down.
"I don't think other people knowing would be too bad," she admitted, wondering suddenly if Romilda meant she didn't want anyone to know. "I like you," she continued, looking back up at Romilda. "There's nothing wrong with that, right?"
Romilda felt her skin warming as Kimb took her hand, and she looked down, suddenly feeling a little more self conscious than she usually would. Sex or dancing in a club was different than this. It made her feel a little exposed, but at the same time it felt good.
"I don't think it would," she said carefully. "But I'm a bad one to ask, I've barely even been in any kind of relationship that I could admit to anyone. But.. I don't mind people know we're going out or..." Her eyes lowered to their hands as well. "Doing things."
She swept her thumb along the side of Kimb's hand in a little caress. "It might be bad for work though. Honestly, it would probably not be a big deal if it were a proper relationship but I suppose fraternization is probably frowned on." She did need her job too. If it was hard to get this one, how would it look if she tried to find another one after being sacked? "I suppose for now we can just see how it goes. We're just having a good time, getting to know each other and... I like you too." Her eyes went back up to Kimb's. "You're definitely five million steps up from alot of the men I've dated and infinitely hotter." That was said with a little half smile.
Kimb smiled when Romilda's eyes lowered. She didn't mind that people knew if they went out or did things either. Kimb turned over Romilda's hand so that it was facing palm up and held it in both of her hands in the middle of the table.
"I promise I'm not just saying that because I'm scared or losing my job," Kimb said quietly. "I'm strangely not scared of this at all, but maybe I should be. You're a vixen," Kimb said with a smirk, refraining from adding in bed to the end of that statement. She laughed softly to let Romilda know she was joking, but she flushed bright at Romilda's compliment of her appearance. She didn't avert her gaze though and kept smiling up at the younger woman before her. That Romilda thought she was 'infinitely hotter' pleased her greatly.
"I have to agree. Men can be such ridiculous meat heads and not nearly as sensual." Kimb pulled her hands away so they could eat, but kept an ankle pressed gently against hers.
"Not nearly." Her breath caught in her throat a bit as just the feel of their limbs so closely intertwined made her feel a deep sense of want inside. Suddenly, lasting through a meal seemed very difficult to do. It was surprising, a bit. Not because she didn't like sex, but because it had always been so much like a game. Enjoyable, yes, a tool to get things she wanted. But she wasn't used to feeling lust run through her so much she couldn't breathe.
Their wine arrived, and she raised the glass to her lips barely wetting them to taste before taking a larger swallow. Then she held out her glass to Kimb, one eyebrow going up.
"Well then, here's to sensuality." She paused. "And to both of us being vixens."