WHO: Adam Young and Marina WHAT: Having coffee WHEN: Sunday morning WHERE: The Attic WARNINGS: Nah STATUS: Closed/Completed Gdoc
It had practically become a ritual for Adam and Marina to meet for coffee almost every week. Marina had come to look forward to these times very much. They usually only chatted about nothing terribly important, but just being in his presence, just being near him warmed her heart in a way that she couldn’t explain.
Was she falling for him? Maybe. But there was so much that was uncertain, and so much fear in her heart that she wasn’t ready to admit that yet...although she was moving closer every day. Ever since the music festival, when his music had moved her so, things had been different. She couldn’t explain in words how exactly, but they were.
Today, Marina arrived first, and secured their table in the back. It was quieter here than at Starbucks, which made it a better place to talk.
***
Adam arrived a few minutes after Marina. He went to the back, to find her at what was their usual spot. He smiled when he saw her, and it warmed his features. There was just something about her. He was falling for her, and he knew it. He wasn’t ready to declare love or anything of the sort, but he was definitely interested, and they were past the initial ‘getting to know you’ stage.
“Hullo,” he greeted her. “You look beautiful,” he stated. He thought it important to give greetings and compliments. That had nothing to do with the fact he liked her a lot, and everything to do with common courtesy. He had a different outlook than most, partly because he’d had the option, and the potential, to destroy the world. He’d chosen instead to preserve it, for better and for worse. He didn’t regret it, but he felt it his duty then to spread positive cheer whenever he could.
It was easy with Marina. He didn’t have to stretch the truth. He felt she really did look beautiful.
***
When she saw him, she stood and went to him, giving him a warm hug. It wasn’t really more than you would expect from a good friend, was it? Good friends hugged all the time. That’s what Marina was telling herself, anyway. She had put a little more effort into how she looked this morning - she always did with Adam. She knew that he didn’t judge her on what she looked like, but she also knew that he was a guy, and she wanted him to like what he was looking at. That was just normal. They were young people, after all. And even though neither of them was exactly human, this was something that was simply universal.
“Thank you,” she blushed. “I ordered your favorite.” Yes, she’d gotten to the point that she knew his favorite drink - tea, of course. And with the exact right amount of cream and sugar.
***
“You’re awesome,” Adam said. He grinned. They were very good friends, indeed. Adam was beginning to wonder if there might be something more between them, but he had yet to act on it. He sensed that Marina wasn’t ready for that, and he was not going to push. He was a guy, though, so his thoughts strayed and he imagined things like kissing her, touching her, taking her to his bed…
But there was no rush. No reason to put those things to her before she was ready. He’d know when she was, and until then he was content to fantasize and wait for her to catch up to him. He was certain she would. He could feel the potential, but there was no shame in taking time and getting to know each other better before adding complicated strings to the relationship.
He sat down and picked up the tea, took a sip. “It’s perfect.” He grinned.
***
“I pay attention,” she said softly. She paid attention to everything he did, from the way he dressed to the way he talked, to how he took his tea. She liked to watch him, and learn about him. It was nice. He was nice. And he warmed her inside like she hadn’t been warmed in a long, long time.
“How have you been?” As far as she knew, he hadn’t been seeing anyone that he met at Speed Dating, so hopefully there wasn’t anything there to make her force her feelings to the front before they were ready.
***
“Quite all right,” he told her. “Rhi demands a lot of my time,” he admitted. He loved the little dog dearly, but caring for a bull dog was a lot of work. She demanded more of him and his time than Dog ever did. He didn’t mind, though. It was simply a point of fact.
“I’ve been thinking of redecorating my flat. Or rather, decorating it, as i is not at all decorated to begin with.” He had a fe ideas, but interior design was not his forte.
***
“Yeah?” She asked, curiously. “How did you want it to look?” She didn’t know much about decorating, either. She’d never really lived anywhere long enough to go to the trouble of making it look nice. What was the point when you might have to leave in the middle of the night, on a moment’s notice?
“Or did you want to put up Christmas lights?”
Marina liked Christmas lights. They made her happy.
***
“I’d like to put up some Christmas decorations, to start. And then after that, I’m not sure.” He had a month, he supposed, to think about it. And even then he didn’t have to make any quick decisions. “Most of all, I want it to feel like home. Not just a place to lay my head, you know?”
Decorating for Christmas would be fun. Especially if Marina wanted to help. They could make a day of it. Decorate his place, and hers too if she wanted.
***
“Yeah, I do understand.” Never having had that, she understood better than most. “I could help, if you like…” She wasn’t sure exactly why she’d offered that, but she definitely meant it.
***
“Would you?” Adam could of course snap his fingers and have his apartment redone in a way that would please him without any effort at all. That was blatant abuse of his powers and he wouldn’t do it. He much preferred to figure it out on his own, to work for it, and make it happen with his own hands. Or with his hands and Marina’s hands too.
“And then we can also give your place a make over if you’d like.”
***
“Well, we’d have to ask Sam about that,” she smiled. She liked living with Sam. He’d helped her so much since she’d arrived here, and part of her felt really bad she just couldn’t bring herself to have feelings for him. He was such a nice guy. But she’d always only seen him as a friend, because back home, he’d been entirely Six’s.
“But it sounds fun. We can fix dinner afterwards. Maybe watch something on TV?”
***
“Sounds like a perfect evening.” Adam grinned. Because it really did sound like an ideal way to spend a day. Decorating, and then relaxing together. He couldn’t ack for anything more than that.
“Hopefully Sam won’t mind.” It would be unfortunate, if he did. “But either way, we can decorate my place. And then have dinner and a movie.”
***
Marina agreed completely. It sounded like an absolutely perfect evening to her, too. She sipped her drink, watching him over her cup as she did. There was just something about him that made her feel...at peace. And it had been a very long time since she’d felt any of that.
“Can I taste your tea?” She asked suddenly. It was an odd question, maybe, but she knew how he liked it...but not how what he liked tasted.
***
“Of course,’ he said. He didn’t think it an odd request. Maybe slightly odd. But it wasn’t something that made him wonder if there was something wrong with her. He knew that being with him gave her peace, and he was grateful for that. He didn’t have to use his powers to make it happen, he wouldn’t in any case. But it was an unspoken connection between them that had been present from the first time they met.
“Tea is like coffee, though,” he continued with a smile. “Everyone has their own preference. I won’t be offended if you don’t like it,” he said as he held the cup out to her to take and taste.
***
She took the cup carefully, not wanting to spill any of the hot liquid on him or on herself. Bringing it to her lips, she took a small sip, and then took a moment to think about it before passing it back to him.
“It’s...nice,” she said honestly. “I’d like a little more sugar myself, but it’s nice. And maybe you just don’t need to be any sweeter.”
She blushed, but smiled at the same time.
***
“Too much sugar changes the taste for me,” he told her. He decided not to comment on her last statement, figuring she would blush more if he did. He didn’t want to outright embarrass her.
“But I like it less sweet than most.” He knew that. And it was okay. Everyone had different tastes.
***
“Well, too much, yes. Have you ever had Southern Sweet Tea? You can hardly taste the tea at all. It’s just like...syrup. Way too sweet for me.”
It was just one of many things Marina didn’t like about the south. The others weren’t worth remembering at the moment.
“Would you like to taste mine?” It was only fair, after all, since she’d had a taste of his. “Maybe you’ll like sweet coffee.”
***
“I’ll taste it.” He wasn’t sure he’d like it. He was fairly sure he wouldn’t particularly care for it. But he’d take a sip. He took the cup from her and raised it to his lips. He drank just a small sip, then passed the cup back to her.
“I’ll stick with my tea,” he said with a grin.
***
“Too sweet?” She said, her eyes twinkling. It was one of their sweeter drinks, so he didn’t blame him for not liking it, especially if he wasn’t used to it. “To each their own.” She loved it. It warmed her inside which wasn’t easy to do.
“I...like these times we get together.”
***
“Yes,” he nodded. It was entirely too sweet for him. But that was okay. They didn’t need to have the same tastes to be friends. He smiled and nodded when she said she liked when they got together. “I enjoy it too. It’s the highlight of my week.”
He meant that sincerely. He had other friends, but he particularly liked spending time with Marina.
***
She didn’t say anything for a long moment. She didn’t feel that anything necessarily needed to be said, either. Just sitting here with Adam was...nice. Comfortable. Safe. She didn’t feel that every moment needed to be filled with words, and that was nice. Sometimes she just enjoyed the quiet.
“I hope you know,” she said finally, after a long time. “How much you mean to me.”
***
Adam smiled a soft, sincere smile. “The feeling is mutual, Marina.” He trusted that she knew his words were sincere. He cared for her very deeply, and without any expectation. They were friends, and while he hoped someday they might be something more, he wasn’t going to rush that. It would happen naturally, if it was to happen at all.
***
She was happy for that, too. Someday, maybe, she would want more. But right now, she just couldn’t. She wasn’t there yet. She had too much baggage and too much pain to work through. Her heart was still too guarded after being broken by Eight’s death.
“Would you like to go for a walk by the river?”
***
“I’d like that very much,” Adam said. He reached over to clasp her hand before he stood up. He let go of her hand and drank the remainder of his tea in one gulp. He didn’t want to carry it with him on the walk.
***
She smiled and let him finish his tea, then without saying a word, she took his hand again, and they headed out the door.