Casey Martin (fabiturbestia) wrote in genome_project, @ 2010-04-18 01:57:00 |
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Entry tags: | april 2010 |
Who: Casey and Max
What: Their date
When: Wednesday evening
Where: Dinner and movies
Rated: PG
Status: Completed
Getting ready for a date that Casey was actually excited for was something that she hadn’t done for so long that she worried that she didn’t know whether or not she was doing it right. Was it even possible to do it wrong?
She ran a hand through her hair before she twisted it up, sticking it back in a ponytail and looking at herself in the mirror. The purple off-the-shoulder top she was wearing scooped down low enough that she had just the right amount of skin on display and, with not a small amount of effort, she unhooked the straps of her bra (because unless wearing a spaghetti strap top, there was never an excuse for someone being able to see bra-strap).
Dropping them on the sink beside her make up bag, she put the finishing touches to her pale make up, letting the light, natural colours accentuate her eyes and lips.
The hair wasn’t going to work, though, she tugged the band out and let her hair fall loose around her shoulders again. It had a curl to it, natural from where she’d blown it dry and decided that was probably a better look. A little less... like she was trying too hard.
Taking a couple of steps back so she could see herself completely in the mirror, she wondered if the tight fitting jeans were something that maybe looked like she was trying too hard but then decided that they made her butt look great and if nothing else, she was going to look good there, and she finished off the outfit with the flat (because she didn’t like heels when she was wearing jeans) boots that were sat by the door. They were comfortable and stylish and by a brand called Animal and she loved them dearly. They wrapped around her calves and, after another couple of critical moments of squinting at her reflection, Casey moved out of the bathroom to wait for Max.
It was just about seven. She was nervous. Normally - the last date she’d had anyway - she would have spoken to Grey before she left, listened to the cat telling her that she was an idiot and that the cat didn’t understand why she was making such a fuss. She’d felt the lack of animal quite keenly the last few days.
It would be good to see Max again though, conscious this time. She’d been in touch with him but hadn’t wanted to end up getting lost in the masses of people that cared about Max and were undoubtedly doing just that, all the time.
Tapping her feet on the linoleum of her kitchen floor, Casey checked that she had everything she needed in her bag: Wallet? Check. Id? Check. Lip gloss? Check. House keys? Check. Cell phone? Check.
Okay. So she was ready to go. Her palms felt a little sweaty. What if he didn’t turn up? Don’t be stupid, Casey, of course he’ll turn up. He asked you out didn’t he? Kind of? So he’ll be here. He’s not a flake.
Of course, mentally chiding herself didn’t help much because she kept looking between the clock on the wall and her front door, waiting for something to happen.
Dating, quite the unfamiliar concept to Max. Especially as it had been a while since he'd last gone on a date, mostly because he had little to no self confidence when it came to himself and women being interested in him and not in him to get to Evan. Thankfully, Casey had never been one of those girls, she'd always been there for him and had on more than one occasion told Evan what an ass he was making out of himself.
That was one of the many reasons Max liked her. She was fun, spirited, smart, independent and completely unafraid to be who she was. It was a rare find, somebody who was so comfortable in their own skin that you could take one look at them and know exactly who they were and if they could be trusted.
Smart wasn't really in Max's wardrobe considering he opted for casual more than anything else. Tonight, however, he made an effort. He had on a pair of hip hugging smart jeans, a black shirt with a long white sleeved top on underneath, a dark jacket and his very best pair of Converse. Hopefully he looked okay, he wasn't entirely sure if he'd managed it considering he looked like he'd gone several rounds with a professional boxer. Max was very aware of where the sutures were and how it felt like his right eye was several sizes too big.
Taking a deep breath, Max pulled himself away from the spot he'd inhabited for the last ten minutes, and stopped at the door. "Here goes nothing." He curled his hand and rapped his knuckles against the wood.
Casey felt her heartbeat triple when there was finally a knock at the door. She wet her lower lip and then had to reapply her lip gloss because she'd ruined it. "Coming!" she called before she fluffed a hand through her hair and moved towards the door.
Well, this was it. Max was here and she needed to pull herself together. She felt kind of like her inside had just given birth to a million butterflies and they were trying to escape via her throat with a direct path through her heart. It was a weird simile, but it worked for her purposes.
She unlocked the door and chewed the inside of her lip as she opened the door to see Max. She felt the familiar lurch in her chest that occurred whenever she saw Max and she pushed her hair back over her shoulder and offered him a small smile.
"Hey you," she greeted softly, stepping forward and kissing his cheek. "You clean up nicely," she teased. Her eyes did drift to the bruise around his eye but thankfully it didn't linger, instead she tipped her head. "So do you wanna come in or shall we just head straight out?"
Max had his hands in his pockets and was resisting the urge he had to fidget, looking up rather sharply when Casey opened the door. Wow, she looked... incredible. Just like the party, only he didn't get the chance to tell her because, yeah, he went and collapsed.
He returned her kiss to the cheek and gave her a brief hug, hand lingering on the small of his back. "Yeah, you look amazing. Really." Max scrubbed at the back of his neck and gestured. "We should probably head out, wouldn't want to miss the movie."
Casey hugged back, feeling the point of contact of Max's hand like she was being burned. She leaned back when he did and reached up to touch his cheek. "You okay?" she asked, and it was the one and only time she was going to actually make any allusion to the party.
Her thumb very gently brushed over the bruise, barely touching. "God, you scared me so much," she breathed, leaning forward and hugging him again, pressing another kiss to the edge of his cheek, next to his ear.
She glanced at the time and reluctantly agreed that they should get on their way. "Mm, movies," she murmured, chuckling before she figured maybe she should lean back. But Max smelt good and he was okay, and she just kind of wanted to hug him for a minute.
Max took this moment to shuffle awkwardly as he did whenever somebody asked him about his health be it mental or physical and just nodded his head, barely resisting the urge he had to lean into her hand. "Yeah, I'm doing okay. Good days, bad days, no big."
His eyes closed at the kiss and there was definite leaning in this time around, arm going back around her to curl in the material of her top. "Sorry about that, I really- Never meant to scare anyone."
"Yeah, movies. I hear this one is quite good."
Casey didn't pull away, she just breathed in softly against his neck and took reassurance from the fact that he was actually there, holding her and curling his hand in her top. Wait, what? A slight shiver ran through her.
"It's okay," she said finally, reluctantly leaning back again and cupping his cheek once more. Maybe she was touching him too much. He didn't seem to be complaining. "Just don't do it again, deal?" It was softened with a smile.
She untangled herself from Max with a final squeeze of his upper arm before she moved to grab her bag and picked up her keys from the pot by the door she kept them in. "Let's go see if this movie's as good as we've been told." She - in a rather brazen move - took Max's hand once she'd shut and locked the door. She laced their fingers together and glanced up at him almost like she was checking that it was okay.
"Trust me," Max muttered with a small smile. "I don't intend on doing it again." He rubbed at the back of his neck and felt a steady flush spread from his neck to his cheeks as she locked her door and took a hold of his hand. Oh for crying out loud, Max, pull yourself together and try to be a man about this whole thing.
He squeezed her hand to let her know that it was okay to have his hand and together they headed out of the house. "Apparently according to the reviews the chemistry between the actors is to die for, but I don't know how valid those are. I'm pretty sure half those reviews were like some hyperactive teenagers considering the use of capital letters and exclamation marks."
Casey's cheeks coloured a little and she ducked her head when Max squeezed her hand back. She chuckled and squeezed his hand again, leading Max down the path and onto the street. "Well, we'll see." she paused, adding a second later, "I'm looking forward to this." It was accompanied by a smile, soft and warm in Max's direction.
"Guess we're doing dinner after the movie?" she asked, "Since it starts soon?" A cursory glance at her watch told her they had twenty minutes before the movie started, and she noticed the presence of goosebumps on her arms. Oh, attractive, Casey.
Max turned his head in time to notice the goosebumps on Casey's arms and immediately pulled his jacket off, offering it to her. "Here, should keep you warm." He offered a smile and then nodded his head. "Yeah, I figured it's probably better to enjoy a meal when you're not worrying about making the movie or not."
"I hate rushing food."
"Works for me," Casey said quietly, catching her lower lip between her teeth. She took Max's jacket and held it for a second before she tipped her head at him. "Are you sure? I can't believe I forgot my jacket. Stupid." She wrinkled her nose at herself and a breeze brushed along the back of her neck and across the bare skin that was on display and she pulled the jacket on and then took hold of Max's hand again. "Thanks..."
She squeezed his fingers, lacing them with hers again as they continued walking. The cinema wasn't too far away from her house, but then nothing was in this town. It was maybe the one thing that was good about the place being so small; everything was close together.
Max's jacket was warm and smelt like him. It made her stomach flip. Oh grow up.