Saint Michael the Archangel | Dt. Michael Angel (the_sacred_fire) wrote in nevermore_logs, @ 2011-04-08 14:06:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | saint anthony, veronica reppyi |
Who: Veronica and Anthony
What: Dinner!
When: Friday evening
Where: Restaurant
Warnings: Extreme amounts of adorableness?
Note: Reposted as a favour, originally posted by Anthony and Veronica
Meeting Veronica on Tuesday had really been fun for Anthony. It was easy to talk to her, and she was a really sweet person. She'd given him her number before they'd parted ways, and he'd spent most of Wednesday staring at the digits before finally giving her a call. He would definitely be the first to admit he was kind of socially awkward, and he'd told her as much. They'd arranged to meet for dinner Friday, and he'd hung up the phone, his stomach doing flip-flops. He was looking forward to it, but there was no denying he was nervous as well. He'd thought about posting asking for tips on what exactly one does on a first date, but then he figured he'd look like a total idiot if it turned out that wasn't what it was.
He arrived at the restaurant before her, and got seated at a table. He sat there sipping some water, waiting for her, his foot tapping out a nervous rhythm on the tiles.
It seemed her new acquaintance had taken her 'get out of your office' suggestion seriously. She hadn't expected him to call her, but it was nice that he had. And honestly she hadn't been on a proper date in ages.
Knowing her son was with his father, despite being nervous as hell about that, she knew she could let her hair down. At least sort of.
When she'd arrived she'd asked for him, and smiled as she walked to the table. She raised a hand in greeting, "Hi there. You look nice."
He stood up as she approached, mirroring the gesture. "Well thanks very much, so do you," he replied, smiling.
He walked around to the other side of the table, pulling out a chair for her. "I didn't know what you might want, so I got us both some water to start with," he said. "I hope that's alright."
"Thank you," She'd been about to sit down when he pulled out her chair. She didn't think people still did that. "You keep surprising me." Smiling she nodded, "no that's more then fine." She double checked her phone before sitting down. "I'm glad you took my suggestion."
He gave a little embarrassed shrug. "It's just habit, I guess," he said. But he was still a little pleased.
"I am too, actually," he said, sitting back down. "I think it'll do me some good to remember there's life outside my office once in a while."
"So how've you been?" he asked.
She smiled and took the menu, scanning over it. "This is a habit I'll encourage. I don't see why so many people are so angry over it." She grinned then, "yes. Life is short. Enjoy it a little. All you have in your office are dustbunnies, and I'm a little bit more entertaining."
She sighed, "short version? Father of my boy canceled plans last weekend, giving me barely any notice, and I think my cousin's gotten addicted to something bad." She gave a smile, "so I'm hoping you've been better."
"Then I will do my very best to keep it up," he replied with a smile. "And yes, you are infinitely more entertaining than dustbunnies."
He blinked once, but recovered quickly. "Well that really sucks, on both counts," he said finally. "Anything I can do?"
"I've been pretty good," he said. "The stacks in my office don't seem like they're multiplying overnight anymore, which can only be a good thing. Honestly, sometimes I think I should hire an assistant or something. But other than that, nothing terribly exciting."
She grinned happily, "Well I'm glad you help me feed my ego." It wouldn't hurt to flirt a little. He was cute and that was what the entire evening was for after all.
Sighing she shook her head, "thank you but no. Unless you know how to take asshole out of people I doubt theres much you can do. I appreciate it though." She smirked and set the menu down on the place where she knew she'd pick from. "You should, allows the rest of us to have you all to ourselves."
He grinned in return. "I once took an oath to always tell the truth," he said solemnly, but his eyes were twinkling. "Ego-feeding is a nice bonus." And she was really pretty when she smiled like that.
He nodded in sympathy. "I'm sorry you're having to deal with that," he said. "I could try and see if some of my caffeine-fueled cheerfulness would rub off on him?" He smiled to show he was only half serious.
He laughed. "Well then I'll have to look into it," he replied. "And Lord knows I could definitely use the help.
She laughed then, "suddenly I know who to take shopping then if you're always so honest." She grinned, "I am so going to have you feed me grapes and fan me and tell me I'm the prettiest girl ever ,why yes I am." She was teasing though, she'd never do that to anyone. "If I ever rule the world I know who will be my cabana boy."
She set her hand on his and smiled, "thank you. Every family has their issues right?" She smirked, "no Kyle, my cousin, is one of those eternally cheery people. He doesn't need more of that."
She winked then, "see, already giving you good ideas."
He laughed. "I'll tag along, but even I know that the only correct answer when a woman asks, 'Do I look good in these jeans?' is 'Yes'." He grinned. "I saw a woman and her boyfriend doing that once, he said 'No', and the look on her face could've frozen magma."
"And hey, if you had me do that, I wouldn't even be lying," he said with a smile. "Though I reserve the right to negotiate the terms of my cabana boy contract."
He'd always thought of the Saints as his family, and yes, all of them definitely had their issues. He smiled and said, "You're quite welcome. And they definitely do," he agreed. "I'm pretty sure it's par for the course." Her hand was warm on his, it was nice in a way totally different than anything he'd ever felt. But he liked it.
"Then you don't want to put us in the same room," he said, nodding wisely. "We'd probably make it explode with our combined cheerfulness."
"You're just chock full of them," he laughed.
She laughed, "poor guy. I almost feel sorry for him but he knew what he was getting into with that answer. Although it's not entirely fair. I mean if I didn't look good in something I'd want people to tell me rather then make a fool of myself."
She grinned and released his hand to place her order, making sure to get some wine for herself. "Fine I suppose I can relent on that as long as theres some sort of clothing optional clause in there."
"True. At least we're not in a soap opera. I'd be pregnant again and you'd be my formerly deceased half brother with a shady past that I can't but moon over." She smirked, "probably not. It's good though. I tend to be pessimistic at times. I could use some cheer."
"I'm chock full of something, not always good ideas. I did get myself pregnant."
He nodded, smiling. "I can definitely see both sides. But it's better to be upfront then to have someone say something rude later."
He put in his order as well, figuring one glass of wine couldn't hurt, so he ordered one as well. He wasn't much a drinker, but this was a special occasion. He figured he could loosen up a little bit.
He couldn't help but laugh, the whole fictional plotline was pretty hilarious. "See, that's probably why I don't watch soap operas. Or if I did, I'd be laughing too hard to actually follow the plot." He wasn't even going to touch the 'formerly deceased' bit, it was a bit scary how right she was."
"I am very good at spreading cheer," he said, beaming. "Give me a cup of coffee, and I will smile at the world forever. Or give them hugs."
"Alright, perhaps you're right on that count, but you got your son out of that, so that's good, right?" he said "If he's anything like you, he's probably a great kid."
"Exactly my point. But not everyone's the same I guess." She shrugged, "I can only speak for myself." The wine came soon enough, and she knew herself. As long as she kept it light she wouldn't get into trouble.
"I don't have any more time, thank God, but my mother was addicted to them. So while I was pregnant I was forced to watch them for nine months. I'm always so baffled by those script writers. I mean, nothing makes any sense in soap operas, ever." She shook her head, "it's just so out there."
She smiled, "well, now I know who to go to when I'm feeling down. Just bring you some coffee and ask nicely." She sighed, "he is and I love him dearly." She shrugged, finding it hard to explain, "we grow and live I suppose. But here I am going on and on about myself which makes me sound so full of myself. Tell me about yourself. You said you were from Portugal? Do you still speak the language? I have a thing for other languages."
The wine arrived, and he sipped at his, reacquainting himself with the taste. It had been a really long time, after all. "If everyone was the same, the world would be extremely boring," he replied. "At least that's my opinion."
He laughed. "There's an older woman in my building like that, she calls them her 'stories'. I always know when Days Of Our Lives and As The World Turns is on, she keeps the TV up so loud you can usually hear it through the door. And from what I understand, it usually involves a lot of betrayal and drama and I just...don't get it, I guess." He shrugged.
He beamed. "I like making people smile. Makes me feel like I did something right that day." He nodded as she continued speaking. "We really do, we grow and change, for good or ill."
"It's OK, I really don't mind," he said with a small smile. "But alright. Yes, from Portugal originally, though I spent some years in Italy too. Picked up a little Arabic too, but it's only conversational."
He cocked his head to the side, stringing the words together. They rolled off his tongue easily, all that knowledge flooding back. "Principalmente, sim. Isto tem sido um tempo que eu tenho tido a oportunidade de falar, embora." He switched to Italian. "Mio italiano รจ piuttosto bene, un sacco di gente nel mio quartiere parlano. Rende per meravigliosa pratica."
When he spoke in the different languages she temporarily forgot almost everything. In stead she just giggled, then blushed. She set her hands on her mouth before taking her wine and sipping from it, trying to go back to 'mature'. It took a bit. "sorry, you could have told me I looked horrible, or had something in my teeth. Other languages are, well..." she giggled again, "well honestly my instinct is to always go 'I don't care what you said, just ravish me'."
She cleared her throat, "sorry. I'm mature again. And yes a world full of all the same people would be kind of dull, but the more I watch people the more it's like everyone does like being like everyone else."
She grinned then, "but they're so addictive. I swear the days I spend in the hospital with Bernie I called my mum to ask her what had happened on the soaps. Fortunately a new baby is more important and I kicked the habit." She sipped from her wine, "well you've certainly made me smile a lot tonight."
When the food came she focused on that. For her the night went by fairly well. She was relaxed, and he was nice to talk to. At the end of it, she'd had three glasses and was glad she'd gotten a cab. Anything more then one always warranted that. Her son would kill her if she got hurt because she'd been silly.
Anthony couldn't help it, he could feel himself turning bright red. But he was smiling. He'd never been more grateful that he'd kept up the languages. Truthfully, he was fluent in all three, but explaining how a man who didn't look much older than 30 mastered all three languages would probably be tricky. And that was leaving out Latin, but announcing you could speak Latin tended to draw stares.
"Rest assured, I didn't say anything like that," he said. "Just simple things, like how the people in my neighborhood speak Italian, and it's great practice. I could teach you a little, if you want. Wine is 'vino', son is 'figlio', and beautiful is 'bello'." He flushed again. "Those were the first three I thought of for you."
He smiled and took another sip of wine-his second glass, and it was helping a warm feeling of contentment spread through him. "Maturity is vastly overrated," he said, with the air of one confiding a state secret. "But you're right, I've seen herds of teenage girls on the street, and they all dress alike, the only variation seems to be in colors."
He smacked his forehead into his hand. "And now I have to watch at least one episode, just so I can make an intelligent comment. Or just to boggle for a little bit."
He beamed a little at her comment. "Then tonight has been a good night. Not that it wasn't before, I mean."
Their food arrived, and he settled in for a proper meal. He usually just grabbed a sandwich or something and ate it at his desk, but now he could take the time and actually enjoy his food, instead of making it something that only got half a thought. Good food, good wine, even better company-he was so glad he'd called her.
The fact that he was blushing send her into another round of giggles and she only stopped because another guest was giving her looks and she figured he thought she was drunk. But really, her date was adorable. She was seriously questioning why he was single.
At his compliments she blushed herself, "oh hush. You know for someone who hides in his office and pretends he's not the most adorable thing ever, you sure do know how to flatter a girl. And no, I'll be horrid at it. I'd just giggle a lot and try and flirt with you. It'd be very distracting." She winked at him and set her glass aside. "Well others don't agree but I do."
Laughing she went to set her hand on his wrist, "oh no don't. Then I won't see you again and I'd have to hunt you down. And I know what you meant. I'll let you have that one."
When the food was gone she sat back and downed the last of her wine wondering how good the idea was to ask him to walk her home.
"That seems to be a theme, people telling me I'm adorable," he said with a tiny grin. "Not that I really mind."
He laughed outright at that. "Would you believe me if I told you I was winging it? It's all kind of new to me."
"There are worse things to deal with when you're teaching someone," he replied. "And it's not like I'd really mind. Though giggling tends to set me off, so we probably wouldn't get very far." He grinned.
He moved his hand just slightly so he could lace his fingers with hers. "Well we can't have that," he said. "I suppose I could sacrifice them in favor of not being hunted down. Small price to pay," he finished with a smile.
The effects of the food and wine were taking their toll, and a happy, contented feeling was washing over him. He almost didn't want to leave, he felt like once he stepped outside it would be like the evening never happened.
She chuckled, "oh trust me. I'm willing to say it a lot." She gave him a look, "been a while since you dated? Not that I have much to say in that regard. It's been ages since I've had this much fun."
She raised an eyebrow, "oh love, I think you didn't get the part where flirting equals getting in your lap and ravishing you." She smirked. She didn't know why she was flirting so heavily, but she assumed it was to get him to blush again.
Chuckling she toyed her fingers along his, going to say something but then thinking wiser of it. "You're setting me up for something there. I'll let you slide." She smiled again using her free hand to brush her hair from her eyes, "so, want to walk me home? Don't live to far and I kind of like talking to you."
"Ah, now who's doing the flattering?" he asked, eyes twinkling.
"Yeah, you could definitely say that," he said with a rueful chuckle. "I've fallen out of practice, although I'll be the first to say I wasn't very good at it in the first place."
Was it hot in here, or was it just him? He really wasn't used to being the center of someone's undivided attention, although he had a feeling he could get used to it pretty quickly. Saint he may be, but he was still human.
Oh, a response might be good. "Well how could I say no to that?" he replied.
"I would never," he said with a cheeky grin. "Sure, I can definitely do that. I like talking to you too, I had a really great time tonight."
She gave a coy smile and shrugged, "what can I say? I'm a charmer." She grinned, "oh you lie. You're wonderful at it. You're nothing but flattering and adorable. And hot."
She chuckled to the reply, "I'm very convincing when I have my tongue in someones mouth." Winking she released his hand to grab her purse. She wouldn't mind paying her share. Every guy was different about that.
"Well then. I do have handcuffs." Smiling she checked her phone, "good I don't want to let you go just yet. And a walk will do me some good..
He laughed. "Well you're very good at it." He gave an embarrassed smile. "If you say so. And I'll have to take your word for it on the 'hot' bit. This coming from the prettiest woman I've talked to in a long time."
Well that brought his brain to a screeching halt. "I'll bet," he finally said. He saw her reaching for her purse and said, "Oh no, it's on me. I insist."
Having to suppress a bark of laughter at what Michael might say in a situation like this, he said instead, "I'll keep that in mind." He laid some cash on the table, and stood up, offering his hand. "Shall we?"
She didn't stop him from paying. It was nice to be treated and spoiled every so often. Smiling she got up and put on her coat, taking his hand afterward. "We shall."
Once outside she let out a breath, "Spring's on the air." She began to walk then, taking her time with it. She found that making this evening last a bit longer was a nice thought.Maybe it had been a bit too long since she'd had company.
"It is hard to argue then," she smiled starting the old conversation up again. And you're a terrible flatterer, so by all means keep it up. I enjoy it."
They walked outside, and the cool air swept over him. "It is," he agreed. "And it really couldn't have come soon enough for me. I got spoiled by the warmer weather, I think."
At this point, he was pretty much floating on a cloud of good feelings and good company. He was starting to hope the walk took longer than it might need to, he really enjoyed being with her and talking to her.
He couldn't help but grin. In only a couple of hours, it had become almost like a running gag for them. "Hmm, let's see..." he said, pretending like it was so hard to think of other things to say. "You're an excellent conversationalist with a great sense of humor. How's that for starters?"
Smiling she laced her fingers with his as they walked. She wondered how much of a social faux pas it would be to try and get a good night kiss from him. "My grandfather used to say that all the time. Then, for some reason, the weather always turned a little better." She smiled to the memory. "So I keep saying that, hoping I inherited that."
She smiled to the compliment, "It's a good start. All women like being charmed." She'd rather not talk about weather so she found it wasn't a bad silence when she lapsed in it. She felt comfortable. After dealing with Poseidon it was a relief she needed.
"He sounds like a very wise man," he replied. "Maybe if you say it often enough, spring will be here in a week. Which is something I am definitely in favor of."
"Well alright then, I'll keep it up," he said with a smile, making a mental note. He was happy to keep up a stream of meaningless chatter, if that was what she needed.
"Let me see," he rallied. "You don't find me boring. Which is a plus for both of us, I suppose. And you're making me a bit more extroverted. Which can only end up being a good thing."
She smiled again, "he was. I miss him some days. I suppose he's happy with his God though. I'm just happy he lived long enough to see his great grandson and namesake born. Can't ask for more can you?"
She chuckled and bumped her hip against his, "you're silly. You don't need to feed my vanity you know." Smiling she nodded, "probably yeah." She glanced up then, "I think we're here."
Pausing she looked to him, before stepping forward and taking a light kiss from him, "I had fun. Let's not have me chase you down for a second date?"
He gave her hand a little squeeze. "I'm sure he is," he said softly. "And no, I guess you really can't."
"Maybe so, but I'm good at it," he said with a cheeky little smile. "And hey, the more I get out, the less my friends forget I exist. Win-win."
He glanced up at the building. "I guess this is goodnight," he started to say, but was cut off when she kissed him. Whoa. Definitely not expecting that, but also, so not complaining. When she stepped back, he said, "Me too. And no, definitely not. We have to do this again really soon."
Smiling she bit her lip, setting her hand on his shirt, "And next time you'll owe me a real kiss." She winked and walked up the stairs, glancing back once she was at her door. She was awfully tempted to invite him in, but she figured that was going too far.
She sighed, "do remember to call alright? I'll be terribly disappointed if you forget." He really was something. And after everything she was forced to deal with a nice reprieve.
He huffed out a quiet laugh and gave her a small smile. "I'll be sure and pay up next time."
He drew an 'X' shape over his chest. "Cross my heart. I'd be terribly disappointed in myself, too."
He watched her walk up the steps, waiting until she was safely inside before turning and starting for his apartment. It took a lot of self-restraint to not skip down the block, but he managed it. It had really been an awesome night.