Serafina Gallo (echoesinflames) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-09-28 00:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-06-16, isaiah |
Well make sure to build your home brick by boring brick cause the wolf's gonna blow it down.
Who: Isaiah and Fina
Where: The Court
When: Evening
What: Going for a ride and reconnecting
It had been a good day. Sunny, warm. She was happy. When she pulled up to her apartment, she climbed out of her beaten up, bright yellow Jeep and headed to the trunk to pull out her guitar. Now that he was restrung, she was hoping she could actually find the inspiration to sit down and write something new. It had been ages since she'd written a song and Mike had been poking her to do so. Plus, she had a blog entry to get up before she went to do. Full plate for the evening and yet she knew it would be completely possible to get distracted and forget something.
Hearing the roar of a motorcycle broke her from her thoughts and she turned, wondering where it was coming from. There. A man, sans helmet riding up to park near her. Well, that was interesting. And that bike was hot.
It felt so good to be on the bike again. Not that Isaiah didn't appreciate his mother's offer to let him use her car to get groceries at Whole Foods, he did, but it was a car. Cars didn't go fast enough for him and he'd missed his motorcycle the whole time. He'd even taken the long way home from his parents' house, cruising the roads, always on the lookout for cops. Another speeding ticket and he'd be struggling to pay both rent and insurance this month.
It wasn't a substitute, though. Tonight, after he worked on the fruit tarts, he'd go for a fly. That would take the edge off, for sure, and it had been a couple days since he'd last been in the air. Isaiah didn't like going that long between flights, but his work schedule made it hard sometimes. Even a falcon needed sleep.
Pulling into a parking space, Isaiah killed the engine and got off the bike, slipping his keys into his pocket. Just then he saw someone else looking over at him and he waved, wondering why her face looked familiar.
He waved at her. Fina blinked and looked closer. "Oh, my God. Isaiah, is that you?" She rested her guitar against her Jeep and took a couple of steps towards him. Yes, it was indeed Isaiah Williamson. Wow. It had been ages. Not that they were the best of friends in school, but everyone knew who he was. She suddenly realized he probably had no idea who she was, but that didn't stop her from smiling at him. It had been a good day, after all.
Either way, she certainly recognized him. He took a couple steps forward, trying to get a good look at her face. After a moment, he asked, "Fina? Serafina Gallo?" They'd gone to high school together, but he couldn't say he knew her well. Just a flash of colored hair as he passed her in the hallway. But Scarlet Oak was a small town and everyone knew of everybody, even if in passing. "Hey. Didn't know you lived here."
She grinned. He did remember. That certainly boosted her ego a little. "Just moved in about a month and a half ago. Lived in LA for a while, but that wasn't working out for me." Fina's bright red air was currently held back by her yellow sunglasses, despite the late hour. They made an excellent headband. "Nice ride, by the way. It's the second great bike I've seen today, though the first rider wasn't such a daredevil. No helmet?" she teased.
Isaiah never left Scarlet Oak, and really didn't have much ambition to. It wasn't that he was a townie, far from it. He just had too much to leave - his family, the restaurant. "From LA back here? You're sure you didn't find anything interesting to keep you there?"
Then the topic shifted back to his bike and he grinned. "You've seen better?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "The Shadow here is my baby. And helmets keep you from feeling the wind."
She laughed. "Yeah, it didn't agree with me. Too hot and expensive." The latter part of that being the actual reason she'd come home. Hard to live in a city like that without a job. Fina moved towards him, checking the bike out and avoiding checking him out at the same time. She ran her finger tips over the handlebar and looked up at him, smiling. "It's pretty sweet. Think yours beats out the one I saw earlier."
Fina looked at him. "Helmets also keep your head from getting all bloody should something happen to you and your pretty bike, you know," she said, unsure of where her concern was coming from. Maybe it was not wanting to read about him dying in a terrible motorcycle accident and having to be like, 'Oh, God, I know him!'. She hated being upset and crying.
"And crowded, I'd think the city would be crowded." Isaiah couldn't handle that. His senses were sharper than an average human's, yes, but the idea of that many people in one place freaked him out. So did flying between high buildings. He just wanted the open sky.
The corner of his mouth turned up in a small, sad, almost smirk. "You sound like my ex," he muttered, shaking his head. "I know the risks. And I do own one, in the apartment. I'm good at high speeds, don't you worry."
"It was very crowded," she agreed. It wasn't something she had loved, but she'd dealt with it. She was one of six children after all. Fina could handle it, even if it did try her temper every once in a while. Okay, who was she kidding? It tried her patience all the time, but she wasn't about to admit that out loud. That would be while she was living at the Court.
Fina held up her hands. "Didn't mean to drudge up bad feelings there. Just stating a fact. Like how I tease my coworkers when they go out for a smoke break." Seems this ex of his had hurt him and she felt a little bad. "I'm going to take your word for it. Personally, I've never been on one. I just take my Jeep and take the top off and ride around in that." She nodded back towards the yellow vehicle behind her.
"More power to you for living out there. I couldn't do it, if you want the truth. Even if I thought I could quit my job and leave everything behind for a while." Isaiah was very tied to his family, to this place. He knew it was in part to the falcon - they picked territorial grounds, and he and his father both had Scarlet Oak. In nature it was their place to nest, have their children. His father had done that. Isaiah hadn't.
Isaiah just gave a small shrug. "No offense taken." He was looking into dating again, anyway; Paige shouldn't be on his mind this much. It was a year later, for crying out loud. "It's amazing," he said, "one of the best feelings in the world. Your Jeep looks nice, but I'm the kind of guy who would take the top off and the doors and then take it out into the mud."
"I went to UCLA. School was amazing and I learned so much but the city, it got to you sometimes. Suppose I had the right temperament for it." Fina shrugged. It was hard, but she liked it, liked being around all the different cultures. It had opened her eyes and expanded her a little. Being home though, it had mellowed her out a little and she was less ill tempered.
She eyed him when he mentioned driving around in the mud. "Maybe one day I'll let you." Fina had never been a girly girl and that actually sounded like fun to her. "And maybe one day you could give me a ride on the Shadow here."
College, another step Isaiah had not been cut out for. He'd gone from graduation straight to the Nest, and woudn't trade a second of it. "UCLA? What did you study?" Fina was someone he knew from high school, yes, but he didn't know her. That in itself was becoming more and more apparent, but he was intrigued. There was a world outside of his job, after all.
Isaiah laughed. "I could, but I probably wouldn't. Won't go fast enough for me." In a heartbeat, his decision was made, and the words were out before he could stop them. "You want to go now? I've got some free time, could take you for a spin. You can even wear my helmet."
She crossed her arms loosely in front of her. "Music and music production. It was definitely an experience." Fina smiled up at him. "I learned a lot. Started a band. Gave it up." She shrugged. LA had been different and, though she missed it, she was home now. Time to focus on the future. She had given herself a year to try and make something of herself in the city, but when that didn't work, she came home. Time for plan B. Whatever that might be.
"Now?" She looked at him curiously. "Sure. Why not? Let me just put my bag and Remy in my apartment." He was even going to let her borrow his helmet. Very gentlemanly of him. She appreciated that. So much for her blog post.
Music? "What kind of band did you have?" There was a part of him that felt sad for her, for a moment. No one should ever have to give up a dream, though she seemed okay with it now. At least Isaiah, for the most part, had the career and the life he wanted.
"Sure, I'll be right here." After all, he was just making fruit tarts tonight and as he didn't have to be at work at the ass crack of dawn, he could stay up late in the kitchen. "And who's Remy?"
"We were kind of punk, kind of alternative, kind of rock. We didn't get very far." She shrugged. It was hard, when you didn't have a definitive focus for your music. That was likely the reason why the band hadn't done well to begin with. "Doesn't matter now. My brother, Alex and Mike," she said, knowing she needed to clarify with five of them. "We just started one up now that I'm home. We'll see what happens."
Fina was excited about getting to ride on his bike. "Remy's my guitar." She moved back to her Jeep and opened the case, showing him the newly restrung, polished acoustic guitar sitting in his case. "He's a beauty. I love him. Wrote some good stuff with this baby."
Now that was a handful of genres to cover in one band. Isaiah had always been a fan of the classics. AC/DC. Led Zeppelin. The Stones. "Still going in the same direction with the new band?" he asked, trying to remember how many brothers she had. All he knew was there was more than one Gallo kicking around the high school.
"Do you mind?" He reached out and ran his fingers over the strings. "Kind of cool that you write your own music. Maybe you'll play me something someday."
She laughed. "No, definitely not. It was too much. Possibly punk with a classic rock influence. The guys want to do a cover, but we haven't been able to pick one yet. One person want Journey, another Kansas. My money is on Bad Company but we'll see." Fina smiled. Being both the youngest band member and the only girl did have it's perks. She was always the deciding vote. Happened that way at home too, when she'd lived at home.
"Go ahead." She trusted him not to hurt her baby. "Maybe I will," Fina said, smirking at him. Though, it wasn't a bad idea. "I'm working on something now. When it's done, maybe you can give me your thoughts before I play it for the guys?"
"Journey's only good if you're doing 'Don't Stop Believing,' because otherwise it's not worth it. Bad Company could be good too." Finally, music Isaiah knew something about. It was the kind they played on the line, while he was working, because classic rock was something everyone could (usually) settle on.
Isaiah didn't take the guitar out of the case, but nodded appreciatively. "Sure. It's not like I live far, after all." He did wonder what kind of music she wrote, what the lyrics contained. It was something he'd never suspected her to be capable of when he knew the girl in high school.
She grinned. "'Don't Stop Believing' was the idea that was thrown around. My vote is for 'Bad Company'. It's definitely classic." Fina had debating tossing a little AC/DC into the mix, but there were enough choices and they would undoubtably be another time for a different cover. "Great. I could use a fresh set of ears."
Fina closed the case. "I'll be back in a second. I'm looking forward to that ride." Winking, she bounced into the building, her bag hitting her hip as she headed inside and up to her apartment, dropping her bag on the couch and pushing aside the curtains that separated her bedroom from the rest of the apartment, propping Remy's case up against her bed. Glancing in the mirror, she smoothed back her hair and debating putting it in a pony tail but where was the fun in that. Depositing her sunglasses on her dress, her tucked her wallet in her back pocket and hooked her keys on her belt loop before heading back down to Isaiah and his bike.
"They're both classics. I'd enjoy either one, to be honest, but I'm a big classic rock kind of guy." He really only blared it when he was cooking at home in his apartment; there wasn't a point in music on the bike and the silence gave him time to focus on the wind, the speed underneath his hands. "Sure. I'll be here."
He took the time while she was gone to run into the apartment and grab his helmet. Isaiah could have bothered to check his appearance, but didn't; it wasn't going to mess up his hair and he already had everything he needed. The fruit tart from Whole Foods was waiting to be dissected and he grinned. When he got back, that was first on his list. Fina found him resting against the bike, holding out the helmet to her. "Ready?"
He looked like he belonged on the bike, leaning there like that. "Oh yeah." She took the helmet and put it on, glad she hadn't done the pony tail. That really wouldn't have work out. "Promise you're not going to let anything happen to me?" she teased, knowing he wouldn't hurt a fly. She remembered that much about him. Fina waited for him to climb so she could get on too. This was going to be fun.
Isaiah swung onto the bike, adjusting his sunglasses on his nose. He knew exactly how he looked on that bike, and he relished in it. Deep down he was a softie and anyone who knew him was aware of it, but the image was nice for first impressions. "As long as you don't tell me to go slow," he shot back, grinning as he started the engine.
Fina laughed and climbed on behind him and slipped her arms around his waist. "Going slow would defeat the purpose of being on bike, right?" she asked, grinning. This was definitely going to be fun and she was already in love with the sound of the engine.
"Exactly. Hold on tight, kid." And with that, Isaiah backed out of the parking spot and took off. Being on the bike was almost - almost - as good as flying and it was a different feeling to have someone riding with him. He wouldn't take her far, just in a quick loop around the surrounding streets. She didn't know it, but it helped take the edge off him, keeping him from feeling like he needed to fly.
It was a rush, as she knew it would be. And Fina had no problem holding on tight as she could. The air rushing around her felt amazing. She let out a little whoop of pure joy, loving the feeling of being on that bike, rounding corners. "This is incredible!" she said, despite the fact that she was sure he couldn't hear her.
Isaiah heard her all right. One, she'd shouted practically in his ear. And his hearing was better than most, being a were (which Fina didn't know and he didn't know if he'd ever tell her, such things were best kept to himself). "Damn straight," he said, taking the first left he could, whipping the bike around as he did so.
He took the turn faster than she's expected and she laughed, enjoying this a lot more than she thought she would. And Fina knew she was going to like it. Unconsciously, she pressed against him to better feel his movement, so she knew when to shift if he was turning. Glancing to the side, she saw the trees and buildings rushing passed them and she grinned.
Fina was pressing against him and that was something Isaiah didn't expect. Sometimes he took his sisters for rides - Lizzy more often than Jocelyn, since she was bigger and the helmet he had didn't exactly fit his baby sister. This was different, closer. Like flirting during the ride.
Then, his enemy approached - a red light. Isaiah came to a stop, the engine idling as he waited. "You like so far?"
She looked at him and smiled. "God, yes! This is amazing! I have no idea why I've never ridden one before!" Fina was thrilled. Her body was heated, the adrenaline pumping. It was such a rush, such a high. "You might have to take me for rides more often."
"Maybe, if you ask nice." He winked at her behind his sunglasses, but wondered if she'd be able to see it. So far, Isaiah wouldn't be opposed. He'd managed to discuss two of his three loves in life - food and the motorcycle. The other love, the open sky, was something he'd have to keep to himself. The light turned green and the only warning Fina had was a grin as he took off again, heading back in the direction of the Court.
Oh, she'd ask him nice. That much was certain. Hell, Fina was half sure she'd pout to ride this bad boy again. Without any real warning, he peeled off and she gripped him again, closing her eyes. This was close to what it felt like to skydive and she almost felt like she was flying. It was amazing and she didn't want it to end.
This was so different from when he'd taken Paige on the bike. She'd been terrified of it, clutching at his jacket the whole time, half-screaming in his ear when he took off from a stop. At least Fina wasn't doing that. If she thought this was like flying, it was a pity she couldn't experience the real thing. They were approaching the Court, the ride coming to an end, and Isaiah could feel the jitters leaving him a little. He'd still go for a fly later, but this helped for now.
He was slowing down and she did nearly pout. It was definitely something she wanted to do again. Fina's hold body felt electrified and she wanted to bottle that feeling, same as when she reached the ground after skydiving.
A minute later he pulled back into his parking spot and shut off the engine, glancing over his shoulder at her. "So?" he asked, grinning, a cocky smile. "You like?"
The second he pulled into the spot, she pulled off the helmet, not caring if her hair was all over the place. "That. Was. Amazing! Thank you!" Fina grinned at him. "We definitely have to do that again."
"We might be able to arrange something." Isaiah took the helmet from her, glad to see she was so enthusiastic about it. Definitely a change from Paige. "Now you know why I refuse to own a car. Don't get the same adrenaline rush."
"Definitely not. You kicked my poor Jeep's butt with this gorgeous machine." She climbed off and looked at it appreciatively. "So much fun." Fina smiled.
"The Jeep tries. It's just not a motorcycle." Isaiah shrugged, tucking the helmet under his arm. He didn't have anything against cars, not really. They just weren't the vehicle for him and no one was ever going to change his mind about that. "Yeah. I've had this one for a few years now. Wouldn't trade it for anything." Except maybe for another, newer Honda Shadow.
She laughed. "I know what you mean. Before your bike, I loved my Jeep unconditionally. Just don't tell him I was cheating on him. He might get mad." Fina winked at him. "But a Jeep makes sense for me. I have to cart equipment around all the time and a bike isn't going to do that well. Speaking of, how does one get groceries when they own a bike?" she asked curiously.
He held a finger to his lips, as if saying, "Shhh." "Won't tell a soul, I promise. Your Jeep did see me take you away on this, though, might be hard to explain." He chuckled, shaking his head. "I usually wear a backpack if I know I'm going to have to carry stuff home, and I buy less things more often. If I need to make a big trip for something, I can borrow a car." He never said he couldn't drive a car. He just preferred not to.
(done)
"Ah. Well, you're welcome to come with me sometime, if you'd like," she offered. Fina moved over to her Jeep and gave him an affectionate pat, smiling at Isaiah. "Hey, I know it's random, but are you doing something right now? Cause maybe we could hang out or something."
Isaiah inclined his head. "I'll keep that in mind." And he would, though it was just as easy to leave his bike at his parents' house and take his mother's car. At least she drove a convertible, which kept the caged feeling he got in a car at bay. "I've got some things I need to do later, but I've got a few minutes."
She too had things to do, chief among them her blog, but she was willing to push that back in favor of company. "If you want, come on up. Maybe I'll play for you." Fina smiled. Sure, it didn't compare with a bike ride, but it was something she could do.
"Sure." How long had it been since he'd been invited to a girl's apartment? Too long. Isaiah wasn't going to turn it down. Besides, he was curious to hear if she was any good or not. There was a lot more to the girl, more than he'd seen when he was in high school. But that was the way of it - everyone got older, grew into who they were supposed to be.
Smiling she led him inside and up to her apartment, unlocking it and letting him inside behind her. Fina pulled the sweatshirt and denim jacket that were currently sitting on her couch. "Sorry. Little messy in here." In reality, it wasn't that bad. She'd done laundry a couple of days ago, but when she got home from work or rehersal, she usually tossed her jacket where ever and didn't think about it again. "You want something to drink?"
She thought this place was messy? Apparently she never needed to see his bedroom, then. Isaiah didn't really believe in folding, or in closets. Most of his clothes lived on his floor. Unless, of course, his mother was coming to visit, then he tried to move things into piles. "I don't think I can call this messy," he said, taking a seat on the couch. "Water's fine, if you're getting something. If not, don't worry about it."
Being that it was only one room, she tossed the jackets on to a chair in what served as her dining room before grabbing two bottles of water from her fridge and tossed him one. "It's not terrible. It's been worse." She shrugged. So she was a little messy. Wasn't a big deal to her. Fina sat down on the couch, Remy resting next to the arm of it and she opened her bottle, taking a swig.
Isaiah caught the bottle, seemingly without even looking, his arm moving a little faster than normal. It didn't seem like Fina had seen it, however. "You've never seen my apartment," he said, shaking his head. "The only place I manage to keep decent is the kitchen." He spent too much time in there to let his dishes get nasty, so he'd gotten in the habit of washing them before he left for work, or the night before, if he opened the next day. "Thanks for this, by the way," he said, holding up the water.
Fina grinned. "I can be neat when I want to but between work and practice, I get a little lazy." That was an extension of the truth, but she wasn't going to say that out loud. She shrugged off the thanks for the water. "No prob. So, shall I serenade you now?" she said, teasing.
"I was never neat to begin with, so I won't bother to lie about it." He cracked open the water and took a long sip, letting it slide down his throat. "Yes, please. Serenade me." Isaiah set the water down on the coffee table and leaned back, hands folded in his lap, grinning.
She shook her head a little at that grinned and pulled Remy out of his case, clearly caring for him lovingly. "Okay, so I don't have a title for this. But I'm hoping the guys like it. Maybe we can work on it and play it for a gig, if we ever get one that is." She strummed the strings, testing the new ones and finding it perfect. Grinning, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and started to play. "</i>She lives in a fairy tale somewhere too far for us to find</i>," she sang, thinking of when she started writing this, when her life in LA wasn't working out.
Isaiah wasn't going to say anything at first. But he watched her face as she sang, then her fingers as they danced over the strings. Fina was talented, and it was a pity the LA thing hadn't worked out. She wasn't going to get as noticed here in Scarlet Oak, if that's what she was looking to do. The idea of fairytales struck him; he realized it was a metaphor, of course, but deep down he'd always wondered if they were true. That there was such a thing as a happy ending.
"You built up a world of magic because you're real life is tragic," she crooned, eyes closing as she let herself get lost in the music, almost forgetting how personal this was for her, how much she really did bury herself in this magic little whole were everything worked out. Life wasn't a fairy tale but that didn't mean she didn't stop believing in happy endings. Hers would come one day, but Fina wasn't sure if this was place. At the moment, though, she was happy to be near family again, be someplace family. "Go get your shovel and we'll dig a deep hole to bury the castle, bury the castle" She strummed out the end of the song, pleased she hadn't made too many mistakes and she looked up at him and rested her body against her guitar.
Isaiah waited for her to finish. "That was beautiful," he said, smiling a little. The song was personal, he could guess that much. "Think your music career would be better suited for LA, if you could stand the city. LIfe can't all be tragic, you know."
She blushed a little. "I know it's not. When I started writing this, I really wanted to stay in LA, but I'm happy now. I'm good here. I've got to sort things out and save some money." Fina set Remy back in his case and crossed her legs so she was sitting Indian style on the couch. "Things work out for a reason, right?
"I'll agree with that. Money - it makes doing everything else harder, no matter how determined you are." Isaiah had been lucky. His job paid well, and he had the career he wanted, doing what he loved. It was his personal life, not his professional one, that could use the help. "If the boys don't like that, there's something seriously wrong with their hearing."
Money, it made the world go round and it sucked that it did. Sometimes it hindered the creative process. "Yeah, I'll agree with that." Fina took a sip of water and smiled. "Thanks. When we get a gig, I'll let you know. Maybe you can stop by." See, she was being optimistic. There would be gigs in her future again.
He went for the water too, half the bottle disappearing in one sip. He didn't realize how thirsty he was, and now that he thought about it, hungry. Thank god he'd gone shopping that day, his fridge full and happy. "I'd like that. Get some of my friends to go, tell them there's this band they should know." Granted, Isaiah had a lot of friends, but only a few he talked to on a regular basis. A gig would be good for Fina, get her name out there.
She grinned. "That I would really appreciate." Fina fiddled with the cap and glanced over at him. "So you know about what I've been up to, what about you? Does your dad still have that restaurant?"
He chuckled, running a hand over his hair. Like the Williamsons could ever give that place up. "Yeah, the Owl's Nest. I'm working there now, as a chef. Sometimes the manager, learning the ropes from my dad." From the way he was talking, it was obvious how much he loved the place, his job, everything about it. It was where Isaiah had grown up, as much a part of him as Scarlet Oak itself was.
She pulled her leg up to her chest, resting against it, arms wrapped around it. "Sounds like you're pretty happy there. That's good. Nice that you've got something like that. Bet its not easy running a place like that." Fina smiled and rested her chin on her knee. She had nothing to compare to the Nest, other than music, but that didn't really compare much, except that she was currently playing with her brothers.
He knew the restaurant, the closeness he felt to it, being with his family and his extended family, those who worked there, every day, wasn't something everyone experienced. Isaiah wouldn't trade it for the world. "I love it, seriously. And it's challenging, yeah, but I'm figuring it out." Someday the Nest would be his, and whenever that day came, Isaiah would be ready for it.
"Very cool. So what kinds of things to you cook?" she asked curiously. She wasn't a terrible cook, but she much preferred baking. Fina like the warmth of the oven, the way everything in the apartment smelt of it and how delicious anything was straight out of the oven.
"Everything?" He laughed, knowing that wasn't the answer she wanted. "I'm a big fan of pasta. My signature dish is a bangin' chicken alfredo. Better than my father's even. And bread, I'm good with bread." It was what he did when he needed to think, to get out his frustrations.
She nodded. "I'm impressed. I'm a baker, if anything. Though I can cook. Mom made sure I knew how to do that." Something about having so many people to cook for that made her mother happy. Fina liked cooking when there were people to cook for. When it came to cooking for herself, she was simpler.
"I'm okay with pastries and desserts, but better with meals." After all, it was what he did for a living and, not having that much of a sweet tooth, it wasn't like Isaiah was going to make himself a bunch of cookies and eat them himself. "Everyone should know how to cook. Not necessarily fancy stuff, but the basics."
"Oh, I can boil water, cook most meats, grill. I love grilling." What fire wouldn't? Open flames cooking what she was going to eat. It was perfect. The only draw back to her studio was lack of a patio area for said grilling, but there was always her parents' house and food there was free.
"Grilling's pretty awesome too. I can make some mean steaks." Isaiah did eat his rarer than most, though, on account of the falcon wanting to eat things while they were still alive. Yes, he would go hunting in bird form, but not all the time. Not when there were so many good culinary creations he could make himself.
She grinned. "It's my favorite thing to grill. Get some vegetables on there, make some pasta. Toss the vegetables with a little balsamic vinegar and the pasta. Delicious." It had been a big hit with her bandmates in LA and her brothers when she moved home. Definite crowd pleaser. "Simple but a big hit."
"Sounds good." At that, Isaiah's stomach rumbled, just a little. He picked up on it because one, it was his stomach, and two, he was a were, his hearing was better than hers. "Now you're making me hungry," he teased, finishing off his water.
Laughing, she took a sip of her water. "Sorry. I'm sure I could dig up a snack if you're seriously hungry," she offered. Her mother always taught her to be good to guests and she supposed it stuck. Plus, he was an old friend, kind of. Maybe they would be better friends now. Fina wasn't sure but she was open to the possibility.
He shook his head. "It's all right, I've got plenty of food back at my place, I'll make myself something quick." As he was going to be in the kitchen for most of the night, it wasn't like he'd starve. Speaking of which, he should probably be heading back soon anyway, get started on figuring out that fruit tart recipe.
"Figured I'd offer," she said, setting her water down on the floor beside the couch. "I'd imagine a chef to have a well stocked kitchen. Don't be surprised if one day I stop by to borrow a cup of whatever you making," she teased.
Isaiah laughed at that. "Be aware, though, that I'm also a bachelor. I may have flour but ask me for milk and you may be out of luck." He worked a lot, bought groceries when he could. The kitchen was the best spot in his apartment, but he couldn't kid himself, he wasn't perfect.
She grinned. "Gee, I would have thought a chef would have everything in his kitchen," she teased. Fina herself wasn't much better. She tried to make sure she had the basics, but milk was usually the one forgotten about, especially if she didn't always drink it.
"My definition of what I need and when probably differs from yours," he shot back, shaking his head. He shopped often enough that he'd probably have everything, but one never knew. Standing up, Isaiah stretched his arms above his head. "Thanks for playing for me, by the way. Maybe I'll be able to make it out to a gig of yours sometime."
"Suppose but I'm pretty sure milk falls into the category of a staple." Fina watched him stand and, after a moment, she did the same. "Thank you for listening. It's nice to have another set of ears listening to what I'm working on." She smiled. "I'll be sure to let you know when we have one."
"And it's one of the things I tend to forget." Isaiah drank his coffee black and he used heavy cream more in his cooking. There was milk in his fridge now, but only because he'd gone to Whole Foods earlier in the day. "Sounds good to me, on both counts," he said, referring to the gig and her music in general. "So I guess I'll be seeing you around, then? I only live a few apartments over, after all."
"I'm sure you will. Let me know if you ever want company on that bike of yours again. Wouldn't mind another ride." She grinned, clearly having loved that part of it. "Have a good night."
Isaiah grinned, liking that she liked the bike. Hopefully she understood now why he was so partial to it. "You too - I'll be around." Still smiling, he gave her a wave and left, headed back to his place. Who knew Serafina Gallo lived in the same complex as him?
Well, that was certainly an interesting turn of events. As tired as she was, Fina walked over to the door and locked it after him, turning to her laptop. "Alright. You and me, we have a date and this blog is going to get done, whether I like it or not." Moments later, earbuds blasting, she was typing away, trying to put together some kind of cohesive blog entry and trying to keep her neighbor and his bike off her mind.