Terry Boot (toboot) wrote in fourteenshades, @ 2014-08-17 15:34:00 |
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Oh, he knew he was in the doghouse and Sally-Ann didn’t even know not to put him there. It was dangerous to play with a woman’s feelings on any birthday, holiday, or anniversary, but Terry was pretty damn sure that his gamble was going to pay off as he walked up the pathway to her house with a jauntiness of a man who had a plan. He was dressed well, better than he usually was outside of work: gray jeans with a soft maroon tee and a black blazer that was casual. In his hands were a bouquet of dried flowers and a box of chocolate in a box made of chocolate. He knocked on the door, waiting for Sally to answer and see that she was not allowed to spend her birthday alone, moping or counting the birthday candles on her cake.
No, Terry Boot had a plan. Gifts, dinner, dancing, and probably a late night movie that ended with either a trip to the pub or Terry carrying her home over his shoulder. Maybe both. Probably both, if he was being honest.
Sally Ann really never made a big deal out of her birthday, but that did not mean she didn’t secretly have expectations. Small ones of course. A happy birthday here and there from her closest friends, maybe a card, but not much more. What was the point? If she were looking at history, she had only had a few years of really solid birthdays, and that was when her stepdad was in the picture, before he died. After that? It wasn’t until Sally’s later adult life that she really even spoke of her birthday. Instead when the day rolled around, she usually got as sloshed or drugged up as possible in celebration and called it a day. Sad, but true. Maybe if she was feeling extra celebratory, she would ask the day off work, but it really depended. Sally usually needed the money too much for that to happen.
Her last birthday in the village thought had been decent. She had spent time with friends, she had gone out, and she was pretty sure she had drunk herself silly too as per usual. And this one hadn’t been bad either. A lot of well wishers, some gifts from those she expected. It was nice. Well, except one anyway, and that surprised her. Terry hadn’t even made an attempt to talk to her, and she had no idea why. She was pretty sure he knew what today was even when she didn’t make a big deal out of it, and it was a strange feeling to think he forgot, or just didn’t care. She tried not to get mad though. Why should she expect anything less out of her life?
As the evening rolled around, she was actually in the mood to go upstairs and get in her pjs when she heard a knock at the door. Making a face and wondering who it could be, she walked to the front door and pushed back her curious dog to see who it could be.
“What the…?” Sally stopped though, leaning in the doorway, crossing her arms, and letting a smile spread across her features. “Well now… and here I was, thinking you had forgotten all about me.” Looking at the gifts, she couldn’t help but laugh. “I knew I loved you for a reason.”
Terry grinned as he saw her smile, leaning over and kissing her cheek before pushing her gifts to her and getting down to pet the dog on his knees with a stupidly affectionate look on his face as he scratched the ears and asked the dog a serious of questions.
“Who has the cutest punim? You do! Sally’s a close second though, a very close second. Which is why she’s going out dancing with me! Yes it is! I promise I’ll bring her back though,” Terry informed the dog, before looking up at Sally and smiling wider. “I highly suggest you get yourself ready for dinner and dancing, Ms. Perks. I plan on taking you on a well deserved friend date tonight, and I haven’t gone dancing in a long while so I’m looking forward to it now,” he informed the blonde, standing up right with one hand still scratching the dog’s head. He was more than expecting Sally to be anything but dressed for a night out, and so he’d actually smuggled a thin book in his jacket to read while she prepped.
There was always the possibility of being dragged up and told to help her get ready, which was fun but so out of his wheelhouse it wasn’t even funny. He was gay, but fashion and makeup had always been something that out of his reach or interest sphere. He could dress himself- mind you, he wore tweed to work.
“Dinner and dancing? And how did you even know I would agree to such a thing with you?” she questioned jokingly, raising her eyebrows and cocking her head. “After all you did wait so long to acknowledge my birthday.” Giggling though, she shrugged and looked towards the stairs. “Alright, alright, dinner and dancing it is. You’re lucky I like you, Boot.”
So running up the stairs, she quickly rummaged through her closet and grabbed a pair of stilettos, a little black dress, a red clutch and a few jewelry items for her overall outfit and went into the bathroom. It didn’t take her long at all to get dressed, but what took the bit of extra time was her hair and makeup. Lucky for Terry though, Sally Ann was damn good at making herself look camera ready quick. A skill you learned quickly when you were a model, after all. So once she was finished, she looked at herself overall in the mirror and was satisfied with what she saw.
Walking back downstairs, she cat-walked into the living room, did a little spin and looked over at Terry with a mischievous smile. “So, how do you like my look for the evening?” Style was something she had been so used to back home, but for some reason here she had been getting out of the habit of keeping up on the latest fashions. She needed to do some shopping therapy and remedy that situation soon.
“I feel like I was straight for about the five seconds you twirled,” Terry joked, taking her hand and helping her through the door. He had been back on his knees, petting her dog and telling it ridiculous things like how handsome and/or pretty he and/or she was (given that Terry didn’t know the gender, he’d covered all bases) and asking if he and/or she was ready to party while Mom was away for the night. He offered Sally-Ann his arm as they walked out of the house, leading her towards Beau Mangerie for a good meal. He’d basically eaten nothing but Michael’s food since arriving, and what they’d had in the cabins.
He wasn’t going to ask Sally if she had recovered from the anxiety inducing trip to cabin fever. Because this was a night meant for fun and being together and getting to let off some steam. He was pretty sure she hadn’t indulged herself like this, and with no boyfriend to deal with, Terry could give her a fun night that maybe no one else would have thought to do.
“So, I understand there is a nightclub here. Any good?” he asked.
Laughing back at him saying she turned him straight for a few seconds, she rolled her eyes. Though it was rather cute to see him acting so sweet with Bia. She loved attention probably more than she loved food. And she especially liked to hear how pretty she was. “Keep talking to Bia like that and she’ll want to go home with you permanently,” she joked, walking over and bending down to give her pup a kiss on the head. She barked happily and wagged her tail before getting up and walking off into some other part of the house. At the very least, Sally was happy enough the dog could keep herself entertained for the most part. Plus, they had spent almost the entire day outside enjoying sweet freedom after being cooped up so long. She had never seen an animal so happy to run around in her entire life.
“It’s really not too bad,” she responded with a smile. “Actually I could probably consider it better than that since there are no creepy blokes trying to feel you up on the dance floor. You know, besides you of course,” she finished with a wink. She was kidding of course, but giving him a hard time was one of her specialties.
Taking his arm and starting out the door, she was happy enough that it was a decent night. “Thanks for this Terry, really. I needed it.” She was sure he was more than aware of that too.
“I am a very creepy bloke,” Terry said, helping her down and out of the house. The air was nice and fresh, and he was certain they’d have a nice night together. And yes, it did seem like Sally needed a little TLC right then. Because she had been stuck in the house, and he knew that she’d been a little down about her birthday. Because, like Terry, birthdays had sucked at home. Well, his had until the Goldstein family and then they’d improved by ten fold.
“I’m happy to do it, Sally. And honestly, I needed something like this. I mean, it’s not home here. Not yet, but you’re here and we have fun and that will make it more like home,” he told her, meaning every word.
“You can say that again,” she teased softly, taking in a breath of fresh air and appreciating being outside. The air in those cabins… it was probably just her anxiety, but everything had seemed to stale. Even with the windows open, half the time she still felt like she was suffocating. Being free again, well it was an amazing feeling.
“You’re happy to do it, because otherwise it means you forgot my birthday. And whether I like my birthday or not, that is a big no no for you, Terry Boot,” she joked, bumping her elbow into his side and giving him a playful smirk. At his mention about home, she couldn’t help but smile in the slightest and look up at the sky. She really did miss it sometimes, but then again, she wasn’t exactly sure how keen she was on going back either. It was a confusing set of emotions.
“Anywhere my friends are is home, nowadays,” she stated matter of fact, coming up on the restaurant. She quickly bolted out in front of him, holding the door open in a little reversal of gender roles. She knew he would probably be the slightest bit annoyed, but she found stealing his job a bit amusing. “After you, my dear.”
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Terry didn't know his way around the village yet, but he had gone to the restaurant to make reservations earlier in the day and to ask for the nicest table in the place. He didn't know the drastic turns that living in the village would give him- a child, Peter Pettigrew, friends from different eras. This was by far the most normal thing he'd done since arriving, which was why he felt so relaxed as they got the restaurant and were led to a table for two.
Terry did pull her chair out for her, because he could be a gentleman before taking his won seat and asking for two glasses of water and a bottle of good red wine for them to share. He wanted Sally to feel like she was getting the attention she deserved on her birthday. And more than that, she was the only friend that was near to his own age that didn't have a totally settled life here. Michael had a business, a kid, someone to love.
"So. How long have you been here again?"