Thomas Corvin ♖ Jest (jesting) wrote in dunhavenic, @ 2019-02-03 16:13:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log, * jeanne, * terri, c: calliope corvin, c: thomas corvin |
WHO: Thomas Corvin and Calliope Pemberton
WHEN: April 2012
WHERE: Thomas' DC apartment
SUMMARY: Calliope comes over to Thomas' house for their third date, so as to avoid parental and public oversight. (Part 2 of 2.)
WARNINGS: ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
BINGO PROMPT: The Big Damn Kiss
It still felt strange to him that she had held such affection or admiration for him for such a long time, but- as things now stood- Thomas knew he shouldn't question it anymore. Not aloud, anyway. If she had hoped for something like this, even if he hadn't known it, he just needed to be glad that he'd been able to see it through. Her touch left goosebumps in its wake. Thomas didn't mind. As Calliope turned away to retrieve their dinner, Thomas quickly rinsed off the skillet she'd been cleaning before all of the, er, kissing. (It was the last dish- before they started the meal, anyway.) Turning back toward Calliope and the oven- wiping his hands on a towel- he smiled, brightly. "That looks amazing. And if it tastes half so good as it smells, we're in for a treat." He pulled down two plates from a cabinet, handing one over to Calliope. "Probably better to serve ourselves in here. There's not really room for all the food dishes out on the table, sorry." He'd already set silverware and napkins out on the table, though, and there was a container of serving utensils on the counter nearby. -- “It does, I swear,” Calliope promised with a grin, happily taking the plate that he offered, “No need to apologize for that. It’s less work for us this way anyhow.” There was already a spatula to dish up some of the vegetables from where they’d needed something to turn them earlier, but she scooped up a spoon for the stuffing and something to serve the chicken which would both make it easy to put the pieces on the plates and secure some of the gravy along with it. It didn’t take long before she had her plate fixed up properly. She didn’t take meager portions like she might have if others had been present, but she waited there until they both had their plates filled. She picked up her glass of water before going to the table and choosing a seat. It didn’t really seem to matter which one, given the place settings, though maybe she should have asked if he had a favored spot. “Make sure you save room for dessert,” she advised with a smile. -- He believed her, of course, but Thomas was still eager to try it all for himself. He followed her through the process of dishing out his own servings, and followed her to the table. (He had no favored spot, since the table itself had never been used before, here.) "Dessert?" Thomas asked, curious, even as he started to cut up some of the chicken so he could taste the benefits of their earlier efforts. "Not complaining, of course. I just don't remember seeing anything for dessert on the shopping list you'd sent me." A bite, a taste. And, at last, a smile. "This is amazing, Calliope," he praised, easily. -- “I brought some cupcakes. I figured it might be a little much to cook dinner and dessert all in one night, but I have a sweet tooth so I couldn’t resist. They’re in that white box that was with the seasonings.” She thought maybe they could have them with the sparkling cider that he had bought for them, “It was really the least I could do after you not only hosted, but bought all the groceries for dinner.” She had eaten her first bite as well, satisfied that everything was cooked just so, and smiled, flushing lightly at his praise, “I’m glad you like it. It’s my favorite part of cooking...when someone else enjoys it.” Of course, he had helped rather significantly so she wouldn’t take all of the credit, but that made it even more special. They’d created this meal together, and she hoped they’d have many more evenings of trying new recipes. -- "I love cupcakes." But who didn't? Well, her parents, probably. "Which you probably knew, since I fawned all over that nutella one you brought me at the end of last term. Thank you, though- preemptively. For indulging our mutual sweet tooths." Sweet teeth? "I get that," he added, after a few more bites of his own. "It's… probably something similar to the feeling I get when I can see a student really latch on to a concept for the first time. That light bulb moment, you know?" -- “I wasn’t sure if it was just the particular cupcake or not, but I’m glad that it goes beyond that,” she smiled and wondered what his favorite flavor combinations were, and if she could make the perfect cupcake for him. She’d like to try, “You’re very welcome. It’s partially self-serving, but I really hope you like what I picked this time, too.” She had tried a bite of everything and found it all to be to her standards. She could be one of her toughest critics, really. Calliope didn’t really know if that was just in her nature or if her parents had made her that way, “That sounds about right. You’re sort of holding your breath, wondering if everything turned out right, and then it’s this mixture of relief and gratitude and happiness that it’s not inedible or something.” She laughed at herself a little, savoring another bite. Teasing a little, she asked, “Did you think the light bulb was ever going to turn on for me last semester?” -- "A bit of both, perhaps." Now that he'd been reminded of it, Thomas wanted to ask where she'd bought the sweets, but perhaps that should wait until he had a moment to write the answer down. "I'm sure I will. If we've learned anything tonight, it's that you have impeccable taste." Thomas gestured to himself with his fork, though this was mostly meant as a facetious comment. Her question gave him pause, and Thomas considered. He didn't want to insult her intelligence, of course, but she had also very deliberately played it off, last semester. "Not without some sort of intervention more divine than my own," he offered, finally, hoping his smile deflected any potential (unintended) insult. "When I saw your 100% on the final, I nearly changed my major to religious studies." -- “I really do,” she agreed easily even as he pointed the fork to himself. Whether they were talking about sweets or him (or both), Calliope was certain even if he meant it jokingly, it was true, “I should learn to trust my own intuition. It hasn't guided me wrong so far.” Calliope took no offense and even had a small smile on her lips when he confessed he figured she would need divine intervention. Even if he wasn't serious about the thought of changing his majors, it earned him a laugh, “I'm glad that I could help you bear witness to a miracle, anyway.” She grinned over her plate and took another bite before she added, “I don't even know why I thought it was a good idea at first, and then…I was committed to the act. I would apologize, but…it still worked in our favor?” -- "Not always as easy as it sounds, I know, but… an admirable goal, for us both, I'd think." Thomas was, admittedly- even if this was their third date- still getting accustomed to, well, to being liked. Getting past those little voices that told him how unworthy he was, was... more difficult than he wanted to admit. But if her intuition had brought her this far, then maybe he could retrain his, too. He really did like her laughter, though. Bright, genuine. Thomas glanced to her when he heard the sound, his own smile echoing hers. "No need to apologize," he insisted, even if she'd already said that she wouldn't. "Learning that you can't help every student is one of those lessons that every future teacher has to grasp, no matter how difficult. Even if I learned it, last semester, through a bit of… Calliope-shaped subterfuge, it was well-earned all the same." A pause, a drink of water, then, "Though, for the record, I much prefer this version of you." -- She knew that things with their relationship may not always be perfect. Though he hadn’t seemed put off by her family thus far, it took thick skin to be around them at all. She had hopes that maybe she could bring them around eventually, but her mother was convinced she would decide how Calliope spent her future. Now that she was an adult and making some of her own decisions, that was likely to change and the growing pains wouldn’t be pleasant...especially because Calliope still hated to disappoint her parents. That was something she was also going to have to contend with. “I’m glad to have broadened your experience as an educator,” Calliope was grinning as she said it, though she knew he was early on in his teaching experiences and would have likely learned the same eventually with a student that was actually more challenging than her, “I’m glad that you prefer this version of me because it was surprisingly difficult pretending to be dumb. The number of excuses I had to make up in the moment was ridiculous, and it took a lot of planning to figure out what I needed to ask and how I should excuse not already knowing...or not grasping it.” She sighed a little at her own antics and shook her head, “It would have been much easier just to ask you out...but I was nervous. And once I started that charade, I wasn’t sure how to stop it.” The lies in the end had been relatively harmless. It had just...taken up quite a few of his office hours over time, mostly with her listening to him talk about science. -- He'd heard stories about her family- and he did believe them- but that was still different, perhaps, than direct exposure. Not that Thomas had any particular desire to amend that, any time soon. "Experience seems to show that, even if you had asked me out, then, I wouldn't have noticed it. It's probably nothing short of a miracle that I even thought to ask if I could- hypothetically- kiss you." (Still, he couldn't help smiling at the reminder of being allowed to kiss her.) "Let's just hope that's not a method of pursuit that anyone else attempts. Now that I… have a- a Calliope, I mean." -- She laughed gently, though she was glad that they’d pushed past the uncertainty of whether or not they were together or casually dating or allowed to kiss. Now that those things had been established, she was at ease, “If you hadn’t asked about the kiss, I probably would have. If not tonight then...soon. I didn’t want to push. You’d been so adamant about your intentions in inviting me over, I didn’t know if a kiss would break some kind of rule,” she grinned. She could still remember vividly what it felt like with his lips on hers and his hands eased at her waist, and it was...better than just good. She took a few more bites to distract herself, as a means of convincing herself she needed to stay in her own seat. “You do have me,” Calliope smiled and offered, “If anyone else tried that method, I might have to fuss at them for copyright. It took a lot of dedication.” Here, she managed a small wink, though she didn’t think Thomas would be interested in seeing anyone else. At least, she hoped not. -- Thomas smiled at the wink, glancing back to her. "We'll be sure to put through your patent papers soon enough." He had been adamant- Thomas wouldn't deny that- but it hadn't been about kissing, specifically. Even if he hadn't said as much, then. "I'd only meant..." He could feel the flush to his cheeks, but he pushed past this. They were adults. They could talk about things, no matter how awkward. (Right?) "I just didn't want you to think that I was expecting some sort of... sexual favors, in return for having you over." -- To her credit, Calliope just blushed at his confession, though she didn’t shy away from the topic. It wasn’t something she was used to talking about by any means. She knew a lot of girls her age had already experimented, but she wasn’t one of them, “I know that we’re still getting to know each other, but I wouldn’t have thought that was your expectation. Even if you hadn’t clarified or insisted otherwise before.” She hesitated just a moment before she admitted, “I haven’t…been with anyone before. I’ve only even kissed one other person, and that wasn’t particularly memorable.” She could feel even her ears turning pink, but if they were going to be together, it was important to know these things and have open communication. At least, that’s what she had read, “I don’t have any religious hang ups or anything. I’ve just - obviously - not been close enough to anyone before to take that step...” -- "Well, thank you," he offered, trying for another smile, though this one wasn't quite as bright as his others had been. "For not thinking I'm some sort of lecher, anyway." He tried to play off his worries with a joke. Her further confessions weren't expected, no, but Thomas understood Calliope's reasoning for wanting to say it- and he could return that favor, at least. "I have. Been with someone else, I mean. Er- a woman," he added, in case she had any wonders on that particular front. "I've only had two girlfriends, before you," he continued, after a pause for another drink, and having now set his fork down. "One was in high school, senior year. She was on the chess team with me. We only dated for two months or so. She and her wife live in Alaska, now." "The other was here in DC, when I was a freshman. I met her at Midnight Mug," where he'd had his first 'date' with Calliope- though this wasn't a particularly unusual meeting spot, for students. "We dated for... nearly eight months, I suppose. She was the first- only- person I've ever slept with. I... wasn't her first, though, and I... she never seemed to be very... into it, I suppose, with me." His mind had supplied all kinds of reasons as to the why of that, in the years since, but he didn't need to go into them aloud, now. "But she went home for summer break that year and I... never heard from her again." Thomas gave a defeated sort of shrug. "Thus ends my tale of woe." -- Though she hadn’t really anticipated this conversation, it was (technically) their third date and they’d agreed they were a we. Maybe it was better to get these things out in the open now, rather than waiting a few months down the line and wondering why it had never been discussed before. At least then any wonderings would be satisfied. She wasn’t particularly surprised that he was more experienced than her. He was a few years older, after all, and if Calliope thought him handsome, others surely had in the past. She smiled a little when he clarified who he had been with was, indeed, a woman, though she hadn’t really thought otherwise. Maybe that was naive. She had more or less finished her dinner, so she took a sip of water and put aside her utensils, listening instead to his own experiences. There was a soft frown on her lips by the time he stopped speaking, but it wasn’t because it sounded like his first experience wasn’t a fantastic one. It was because, “It seems pretty rude of her to just leave for break and...disappear. If you ask me, it sounds like you’re better off without her...and that’s not just because that goes in my favor.” She reached out across the table and put her hand over his, squeezing gently, “I can’t guarantee how things will work out with us, Thomas. I don’t have the capability of seeing off into the future any more than anyone else does, but...I can promise to always be honest with you. We’ll take things at our own pace, but I don’t want our story to be a tale of woe.” -- "Oh- well. Yeah, I am," Thomas nodded his agreement. "I wasn't as... nonplussed about it at the time, but I don't- I try not to- waste any time thinking about her, anymore. The only time it's been sure to come to mind is when my mother asks me if I have," he cleared his throat, and used air quotes to add, "'anyone special' in my life." Taking her hand as it was offered, Thomas laced their fingers together. There was, still- somehow- that... spark of connection, even for so simple a gesture. "Honesty is a better base than just about anything else I could think to ask for, Calliope. And you have mine, too." -- “Well, now you do,” Calliope said with a small smile, pointing to herself, though maybe it was a little presumptive to think he would tell his mother about them any time soon. After thinking about it a moment, she added, “You don’t have to tell your parents right off if you don’t want. I...well, I’m not. With mine. I’m the opposite of ashamed, but...from the little I’ve told you, I think you can imagine why I don’t want them to know immediately. It’s better for us that way.” She felt that warmth start in the connection of their fingers and run all the way through her. Calliope never felt that way with anyone else, “I think we’re off to a pretty good start, then.” She grinned and suggested, “Are you ready for cupcakes and sparkling cider or do we need to take a moment between dinner and dessert?” They could finish cleaning up the kitchen if he wasn’t quite ready...or distract themselves in other ways. She wouldn’t complain either way. -- "That I do." His agreement was easily given, and without a shred of doubt. "Maybe after date… six," he chose the number more or less at random, "I'll tell them, then. Though, fair warning, this will involve my being required to send my mother at least a dozen pictures of the two of us together, and to tell her everything I know about you." This might have been a slight exaggeration. "And… I don't mind that you're not telling them. I'd rather like to finish out my junior year without a price on my head." A faint smile, as he hoped she took that comment with the lightness in which it was intended. He considered, looking at the plates left between them, and then with a glance to the kitchen. "I think," Thomas decided, finally, trying to hide his smile, "that if you give me a kiss, I might have just enough energy to clear our dinner and bring out dessert for us both." -- “That should give us some time to take several photos together and for you to compile enough information to write a decent essay about me,” Calliope agreed with a small smirk, though she secretly hoped that his mother would be more excited than her own. If they had at least one supportive set of parents, maybe that would be enough. She was admittedly relieved that he wasn’t upset about her unwillingness to disclose their relationship to her parents. It really wouldn’t do them any favors. In fact, this early on, Calliope was afraid her mother would do something to run Thomas off completely before they ever really had a chance. Not that she thought he frightened easily, but her mother could be...persuasive, “I’ll go as long as I can without putting us on their radar.” With his terms given, a slow, easy smile grew on Calliope’s lips, “Is that so?” His bargain for a kiss was one she would easily and willingly comply to. In lieu of trying to lean across the table, Calliope stood from her chair and stepped up beside his. She leaned in, her fingers grazing against his neck, and pressed the faintest of pecks to his lips. It was a tease, and she started as though she were going to move away, but leaned back in to kiss him properly instead. -- "You jest, but my father would probably appreciate an essay. I'll see if I can just get by with photos, though. For the sake of not wasting our time together." Realistically, he couldn't expect to be in a relationship with someone and never meet any of their family members. But if it could be avoided until they had some time under their belt, at least, that would hopefully be... more helpful, in the long run. It had been a tentative ask, perhaps, but Thomas brightened when Calliope seemed to take him up on it. He turned toward her as she moved next to him, and his eyes had drifted closed even as her fingers brushed against his skin. But that first kiss nearly brought a frown- of confusion- and another look back up to her... Just in time to catch her proper kiss. His hands found her waist more easily this time, and Thomas straightened in his chair, leaning up toward her. It was several longer moments before he pulled back- though his hands remained. "Thank you. I feel positively rejuvenated." -- “Is it really wasted time if you learn my entire life story while you’re compiling research?” The question was mostly a joke and it showed in her tone, “Maybe just a very organized list would suffice.” She didn’t really need him to write down everything about her to relay to his parents, but she wanted to be supportive of the acknowledgement that they would at least probably want to know about her. Though she couldn’t have bent there too long without seeking some support, she was happy to do so for that moment. His hands against her waist made her heart race a little again, and she was struck by the notion that she could be very happy doing just this for the foreseeable future. Still, they had dessert to enjoy, too. “I’m happy to help sustain you,” she agreed with a smile even as she stood up a bit straighter. As they stayed close there for those few moments, her fingers played gently through his hair at the nape of his neck, “Should you require another energy boost, I’m here to provide additional re-charges.” -- "Hm, perhaps not. But then, I'm a bit biased toward... extra learning opportunities, anyway." Even if the one they were talking about was somewhat less than conventional. He really did like those gentle touches, the new ways they were finding out about one another. "I may well take you up on that, Calliope. But for now..." Thomas stood, and- as promised- he started to clear the dishes from the table. (He did press one more kiss, just to her hair, as he passed by.) It didn't take Thomas long to have everything cleared away, and he found the dessert box that Calliope had brought- even if he hadn't noticed it, originally. The cider, too, was retrieved from the fridge. (Their water glasses had been emptied and would be reused, for the sake of... not having anything else to drink out of except coffee cups.) Back at the table, Thomas set the pastry box in front of Calliope, their glasses back down, and then unscrewed the top of the glass bottle of cider with as much flourish as he could manage. (It wasn't champagne, but probably tasted better than that, anyway.) "A little table-side service for you," he added, pouring their drinks before he sat back down. -- As Thomas gathered their plates and went back into the kitchen, Calliope settled back into her previously occupied chair and grinned as he stopped to brush that kiss to her hair. It was almost a distracted sort of move, but it was welcome. She wondered when all of those little things became normal instead of new, would they still make her heart skip? She waited patiently for him to return and was pleased when he appeared with the pastry box and cider in hand. His showmanship earned a little laugh out of her, and a grin that crinkled the edges of her eyes. “Thank you. The presentation is very important, you know.” She smiled and then turned the box so that he could see. She stood halfway from her chair, pulling the top flap back on the box and then slowly pulling the tabs to make the front release, revealing two decadent cupcakes, “Black Forest Cupcakes...chocolate with cherry filling, chocolate buttercream, and a hint of cream with chocolate shavings.” She pushed the box towards him a little so that he could pick one, nodding towards them encouragingly, “They should both be just about the same.” -- With the pastry box turned toward him before Calliope opened it, Thomas got the first glance inside. His eyes widened in almost gleeful anticipation. "Those look amazing." He reached carefully for one of he cupcakes, trying not to nudge the other as he did. He was... mostly successful, coming away with just the tiniest bit of extra frosting on the side of a finger, which he promptly licked away, without a second thought. Nudging the box back toward Calliope so she could take the other confection, Thomas' attention was, admittedly, drawn to his own. He unwrapped it, slowly, and then looked the whole thing over- as if to decide how best to start on it. Eventually, he must have decided, because he just took a bite. The flavors she'd described were all there, of course, one melding into the next seamlessly and perfectly. Thomas' eyes drifted half closed, and he gave an involuntary sort of mmm sound, even as he swallowed that first bite. "This one may be even better than that nutella one," he offered, finally. "I'm going to have to beg the name of this bakery off of you, one way or another." -- Few things brought Calliope as much unadulterated joy as seeing someone enjoy one of her cupcakes. Maybe that was why she smiled so widely when he praised just how they looked. She flushed just a little when she watched him lick that icing from his finger because that was...alluring, if she was being honest. She picked up the cupcake he had nudged back towards her, but even as she held hers in her hands, she was watching him. He seemed to assess the dessert and finally take a bite. Watching him react was even better, if more temptation. She shivered just a little, grinning to herself, happy that he seemed pleased. She had just taken her first bite when he said that it was better than the nutella cupcake, though she smiled a little with a half shrug when he insisted the name of the bakery, “It doesn’t have a name. Unless you want to call it Calliope’s Kitchen. I made them...the nutella one, too.” She took a second bite, trying to be humble, though it really was a delicious cupcake. -- Thomas had just been about to take another bite when Calliope admitted the source of the sweet treats was, well, her. Blinking, almost dumbfounded, he set the remainder of his cupcake down on the wrapper just for a moment. "And you're not in culinary school?" he asked, almost incredulous. "You could be selling these things in any bakery in the city, I'm sure of it. I'd line up for hours for one." -- She drew the corner of her chocolate dusted lip between her teeth for a moment when he questioned her choice in secondary school. The truth wasn’t flattering to her or to her parents, though little really was when it came to anything about their relationship with each other, “I would have liked to have gone...but my parents barely tolerate it as a hobby. Mother would have a fit if she knew how many of them I actually eat.” She wasn’t supposed to eat any of them. Even taste testing was frowned upon. Severely. Calliope set the precariously balanced cake back in the wrapper and shrugged her shoulders once more, “My parent’s chef taught me a little a few years ago, but I’m mostly self-taught. It’s fun, and I really enjoy baking, but even Georgetown is mostly a show in my parent’s eyes. They restricted a few majors that I could choose from, but aside from that, they didn’t even care because it’s not supposed to be utilized. To them, it’s not...for a career. It’s prestige. It’s being able to say that their daughter goes to Georgetown or use it to pair me off with someone of their choice. I brought culinary school up to my mother about a year ago and you would have thought I said I wanted to run off and join the circus or something. She laughed.” She continued with her confession, though her intention wasn’t to turn the mood, “The horrible part is I don’t even know if I really belong at Georgetown either. My parents are both alumni and mother made this big deal out of making certain I knew they made a donation just so I could go there...so I don’t even know if they bought my way in or if I’d have been accepted otherwise.” Her mother was quick to remind her that she didn’t have very many redeeming qualities...that she wasn’t very smart or very pretty or even charming. She kept thinking - hoping - she could do something to actually make them proud, but it never seemed to happen and she was tiring of trying, “So...you may be one of the few to ever really get to enjoy my baking. Most of what I make usually ends up going to waste, really…” -- Thomas admittedly hadn't expected that their conversation would take this turn, but they had promised honesty to one another, and this was it. He didn't pick up his cupcake again, though he noted with a faint frown that Calliope had discarded hers, too- after mentioning that her mother didn't want her eating them. How sobering, to see that sort of control, exerted even from afar. "I'm not privy to your school records, of course, but I can at least tell you that you earned every good mark you got, in Chemistry last semester. Maybe your parents did… influence your admission," she wouldn't be the first, and surely not the last, "but they don't hold sway over the entire academic staff." They couldn't possibly… Right? As to using her degree's prestige to earn her a romantic match, well, Thomas wasn't really certain he wanted to think of those implications. The two of them- their we- was still so new… "I always did like the circus," he offered, instead. "We should go. And you should eat your cupcake." -- She nodded softly when he assured her that she’d earned her grades, even if not her admission, “I’m not an effortless academic like some. I study. I’ve always tried really hard. I went to Georgetown Day School, and you don’t just stay in the program without maintaining some academic talent.” She had played far dumber than she really was in her efforts to talk to him last semester, but it didn’t mean that his talks hadn’t helped her, too. For some things, she really had learned what she hadn’t fully grasped. Just like that, he took the heaviness that was starting to settle over her shoulders and made it vanish into thin air like some sort of magician, “We’ll go the next time there’s one close by.” Calliope looked down at the partially eaten cupcake and his voice drowned out any others that were telling her to leave it on the wrapper. She picked it up and took another generous bite, the rich chocolate seeming to lift her spirits a little more as well, “I’m sorry...that was probably a little too much Pemberton Family Drama. I wish...that I had better stories.” They were all mostly just like that one, though...if not worse. Her parent’s love and approval was elusive and fleeting, and she craved it even if she knew just sitting here with him eating this cupcake was a blatant act of rebellion. -- "You don't have to apologize, Calliope," Thomas insisted, quickly. "I mean, I understand the impulse. I do. But you haven't done anything wrong." He finally picked up his cupcake again and took another bite. "I can't fix your parents, of course. Maybe no one can. But that doesn't mean that I need you to keep all of that inside. Last I checked, Calliope Pemberton was my girlfriend. So if that comes with Pemberton Family Drama, so be it. She's worth every bit. You can tell her I said so," he added, almost playfully. -- She was glad that he did understand the impulse because she had to bite her tongue to not apologize for her original apology. She took a steadying breath and nodded, “OK.” It did her some good to see him return to eating his own cupcake as well. She wanted him to enjoy it, and not let the conversation turn that decadence sour. As he spoke, however, Calliope felt like her heart may be liable to burst. She knew that she had chosen well with him, but she was still grateful...and happy that he’d chosen her, too. It was probably some kind of miracle that she didn’t get up from her seat right then and kiss him senseless, but she was trying to be courteous enough to let him finish dessert, “I’ll pass on the message. I think she’ll be really pleased.” Her grin wasn’t able to be contained, but she finished off the last of her cupcake, licking the last bit of frosting off of her fingers. -- No conversation could turn him off of these cupcakes. Thomas may not have been certain of much, in the universe, but that was a truth undeniable. "Good. I've got a lot of good things to say about her, really. This is just the beginning." He was momentarily distracted by her fingers and her lips and… Thomas finished his cupcake in one final bite. A bit of frosting on his thumb was quickly removed, too. Then, "Did you want to… maybe go relax on the sofa? If you're not in a rush to go, I mean. I can put a movie on, if you'd like, or we can just talk. And… and kiss, I think, either way. If you'd like." -- “Your observations and insights are welcome,” she agreed with a grin, though just the idea of having someone that was really in her corner instead of just rooting for the idea of her…that was something. Another bright smile bloomed across her lips at his suggestion for how they spend the rest of their date, “I'm not in a rush, and I don't have anywhere else to be.” She took a drink of the sparkling cider that he had poured. It was sweet and a good finish to the cupcake, “I'd like that, Thomas. Maybe a movie? One...we don't have to pay super close attention to?” Because she did plan to kiss him. Quite a bit, actually. She felt like she'd talked a lot, and maybe she'd revealed enough truths about herself tonight. -- "I think I've got a copy of the Pride and Prejudice movie around," Thomas offered as he stood from the table, reaching a hand down to Calliope. "The plot should still be fresh in your mind, anyway, if we happen to get... distracted." Back in the living room, watching a movie entailed moving his laptop from the desk to the small storage chest that normally sat under the window. Now, Thomas pulled it over in front of the sofa, sat down, and started to queue up his movie collection. "Make yourself at home," he added, just in case. -- When he offered that he had the film version of the book she had just read - had she even realized a film existed? - Calliope was both excited about the movie and still planning to allow herself to be somewhat distracted. She took his hand willingly and gave it a small squeeze, “Absolutely. We’ll see how they compare.” As Thomas began to prepare the laptop for the movie, she couldn’t help smiling. She kind of liked that he hadn’t invested in the idea of a television in favor of more shelf space for books. It was easy to imagine them having hundreds of nights just like this one. It was a good date, even if they hadn’t been anywhere at all. She settled on the couch cushion next to him, close enough that it would be easy to touch him, but not so close that she crowded him while he finished the set up. He said to make herself at home, so she went so far as to toe her shoes off and curl her legs beneath her on the cushion, figuring that was better than putting her shoes on his sofa, “There. I’m sufficiently comfortable.” -- Thomas wasn't avidly anti-television, he just... didn't want the distraction. Or, rather, on his list of distractions he did like, television was fairly far down on the list. A propped up laptop might not have been the most elegant solution, all things considered, but it would do the trick for now. It was dark outside by now, and once the movie had been selected to play, Thomas got up from the sofa and switched off the living room light. There was still a decent glow from the kitchen and hallway, but the darker living room would make the screen easier to see. (He had no untoward motives. He'd already discussed that.) Returning to the sofa, he also removed his shoes, though as he sat down, he kept his feet on the floor. Still, an arm slipped around Calliope's waist, encouraging her to cuddle in close with him. It was a romantic movie, after all. No reason that life couldn't imitate art. -- Calliope liked just watching him move. He was more graceful than she thought he knew, and she had a pretty nice view. As the beginning music filtered into the living room, he got up to turn off the lights. She tried not to stare, but her gaze still shifted from the movie to him. She was smiling when he returned to her, and all it took was that one gesture to entice her closer. Calliope cuddled into his side, their thighs, hips, and sides all touching. She lasted approximately two minutes before she kissed him. They watched the best parts of the movie, at least, when she heard a line that indicated a scene she wanted to see or when Thomas directed her to some particularly fantastic moment of the film. The end, while sweet, left her hoping for one big kiss from Darcy and Elizabeth. Realizing she wasn’t going to get that as the credits started to play, she just grinned and turned back to Thomas. She couldn’t change the movie, but she could share with him the kind of kiss she had wanted to see, and that, perhaps, was even better. |