who ? phillipa flint and terence higgs when ? friday evening where ? a restaurant what ? higgs is taking his favourite flint out for dinner status ? complete
As Higgs had been getting ready that evening for his dinner with Pippa, he realised that this would be the fourth woman in less than three weeks that he was taking out. For someone who wasn’t really looking to date anyone but his wife, Higgs felt he was doing really quite well. It did also help greatly that all the women he did choose to take out were fantastic company, each in their own right. Besides, Higgs did feel that it had been far too long since he had actually had a chance to spend time with Pippa.
There wasn’t a great age difference between Higgs’ best friend and his younger sister, which meant that there wasn’t one between Higgs and Pippa, seeing how he was the same age as Marcus. Higgs’ own sister was roughly the same age as Pippa, which placed Marcus’ sister in the strange position for Higgs where it was very easy to think of her as a friend, but also as a sister. Then again, he did sort of think of Gemma like that, too, so perhaps it made more sense than not.
Higgs knew that his relationship with Gemma was not the same type of brother/sister relationship as Marcus had with Pippa, which perhaps was why Higgs got on so well with Marcus’ sister. Besides, they had grown up together, the same way Higgs and Marcus had, or the same way Marcus and Gemma had. Their families were quite interlinked if only by the virtue of all of them being close in age and having all been into Quidditch at school, even if some of them took it further than others. Thus, Higgs not only found it easy to be around Pippa, but did very much enjoy her company. Now that he was back for good, Higgs reminded himself to make sure to ask Pippa out more. And Gemma, too.
At exactly 7pm, Higgs knocked on Pippa’s door. Having spent 10 years in the military really did teach one how to show up to things precisely at the time given. When she opened the door, Higgs smiled at her. “A sight for sore eyes,” he told her, before leaning in to press a soft kiss against Pippa’s cheek. “I trust you’ve been keeping well,” Higgs said more politely than much else, they’d have plenty of time to discuss whether she actually had or had not been keeping well. “I have booked us a table for quarter past,” he informed her. They would be able to apparate near the restaurant as it was a Muggle establishment, but Higgs had heard many good things about it.
--
Phillipa was always up for being taken to dinner, but especially when it was by someone who she cared for deeply. There weren't a whole lot of those, but enough to where it wasn't the rarest event. She hadn't been the fondest of the fact that Terence had gone off to the military for so long, or at all, really, but he was back and that was the important part. Then there was the whole pesky business of him being married, which she'd thought was over, but then again that was the whole reason for the dinner in the first place.
Dressed well for their dinner, she was glad when she heard the knock on her door right on time, not that she was expecting any less. She opened the door and couldn't help but smile at the sight of him, leaning in and returning the kiss against his cheek.
"As well as can be expected," Phillipa replied, slipping out into the hall and locking the door to her apartment behind her. She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and gave him a nod. "Well then shall we go?"
-
Higgs nodded at her question, before holding a hand out to apparate them near where they were going. It wasn’t a long walk, a few minutes from where they apparated before they reached the restaurant. Once he had given them his name, both Higgs and Pippa were showed to a table by the window. The restaurant wasn’t very busy but it was hardly empty either. Higgs presumed they must have gotten there before the rush, because it was Friday night, which meant that people tended to eat later, prepare themselves for a night out.
Once they were seated, Higgs ordered them a bottle of wine, thanking the waitress for the menus she handed them. The recommendations for the place had clearly been good, because the food on offer looked excellent. It was strange to Higgs, how there were things he really struggled with rejoining the civilian life, and then there were things he really didn’t struggle with. Rather fancy restaurants fell in the second category. He hadn’t grown up in a rich family but it would be very hard to describe the Higgs’ as having being poor. There were particular things you learned when half of your family was pureblood, then mixed with his mother’s Muggle family it made an interesting mix.
“So do tell me, Pippin,” Higgs urged as he filled their glasses with wine. “How have things been with you?” Higgs felt quite bad because he didn’t really know much about Pippa’s life, not really. He was eager to learn more, however.
--
Phillipa gladly took his hand and let him apparate them to wherever they were going. It seemed a nice restaurant, once they got there, and she definitely appreciated the table by the window rather than one out in the middle of the floor where it hardly seemed private at all. Their table was cozy, not too close to others, and came with a view - though she was more than content with the man in front of her being what she was looking at for the evening. Especially because he was already plying her with wine.
"Things have been fine," she replied, murmuring a thank you once her glass had been filled. "Nothing too exciting, I suppose. Still writing for Witch Weekly, though I may be taking on a new column soon, we'll have to see if that pans out."
She took a sip of her wine and reached across the table, lightly resting her hand on top of his. "What about you, Terence? I feel as though I've a lot to catch up on with you since last we spoke."
-
“A column about what?” Higgs asked, genuinely interested. Something about the way he was, meant that Higgs could care and express actual interest in things that perhaps would made others struggle to fake interest. Higgs had a great appreciation for the way different people were and the way they lead their lives, there was an actual fascination in him to learn more about others. Saying that, he didn’t greatly know what Pippa wrote about now, apart from fashion. He had no doubt that whatever it was, fashion or otherwise, Pippa did a fantastic job at it. She was very engaging, which must have showed in her writing, too.
He glanced down at her hand on top of his, but made no efforts to even attempt to move it. It probably did look like they were on a date, but then, it was hardly as if Higgs was going to complain about being thought as dating a beautiful woman. He sighed at her question, not quite sure where to start with an answer to that. Higgs also didn’t want to bother her with his problems, it seemed rather rude. “I wasn’t lying when I said I’m fine,” he said finally. It wasn’t like he was not okay, which obviously automatically meant that he was, in fact, fine.
“Whilst I realise that perhaps saying that I plan to get back together with my wife may sound like something to report, quite honestly there isn’t much to it,” Higgs told her. It wasn’t that he didn’t think it important that him and Alicia had agreed to see if they can fix things between them, he just wasn’t sure how to express it in a way that someone other than him and Alicia might care about it. “There’s a lot between us. There always has been,” he settled on. “It’s going to take time,” because it really was. Still, Higgs smiled, a genuine, deep smile as he looked back up at Pippa. “I look forward to it, though,” and wasn’t that the truth. Yes, it wasn’t going to be easy but Higgs felt that the reward at the end would be worth it.
--
"An advice column," Phillipa answered, smiling softly at the thought of it. She loved writing about fashion, but there wasn't always something to write about to keep her busy. At least with two things to focus on, she would stay valuable to the publication and keep from being bored to the point of not enjoying it anymore. "But if it happens it won't be under my name, so you'll have to keep it secret you know it's me."
She pursed her lips when he said he was fine, but she wasn't about to question him about it. If he said he was fine, she would believe him - and it wasn't as though 'fine' was unbelievable. Had he said great, that would be a different story. Where she didn't believe him was that he didn't have much to say in terms of him and Alicia, because that seemed like quite the topic to her. If he didn't want to talk, she couldn't do anything about that, but that didn't stop her from being curious.
"I'm glad you're looking forward to it," she replied softly, taking in his smile for what it was - honest. "And that you have no disillusions that it will take time to work through... whatever has been going on." She gave his hand a light squeeze before pulling her own back. "You know you can talk to me though, right? I have brothers, I'm used to it."
-
Higgs nodded when Pippa said that she might start writing an advice column. “You’d be good at it,” Higgs told her sure of his words. Quite honestly, if Higgs had any idea of what sort of advice he might need, he would ask Pippa, she had a particular logic to the way she thought that Higgs could certainly understand. “And I shan’t say a word,” he assured her. It wasn’t like Higgs had many people to say it to but even if he did, Higgs could see the point of writing such a thing anonymously, especially seeing how small the wizarding world was.
“Yes,” he replied honestly when she asked if he knew he could talk to her. That wasn’t an actual issue, Higgs wasn’t a secretive man, so he had no problems talking about things, especially not to someone like Pippa who Higgs considered almost family. The problem was that he didn’t know what he should be talking about. A lot of the issues between him and Alicia were as much hers as they were his and it felt unfair to discuss them with someone who didn’t know Alicia very well. Ashleigh was easier to talk about it to, since Ashleigh knew Alicia as well, if not better, than Higgs did.
“Used to it,” he repeated her words back, grinning at her as he did so. “You have Marcus often come and ask you for advice in regards to his love life?” Whilst it was a joke, as Higgs said it he realised he did want an answer to that. Marcus had a very different view on relationship than Higgs did, for where Higgs was willing to risk getting hurt in return, Marcus never seemed to. Not that Higgs could necessarily blame him, the getting hurt bit wasn’t a particularly nice experience. “Or has little Lucas finally started dating?” Higg asked as an afterthought and then felt a bit guilty for Lucas being an afterthought. The boy had always just been so much younger that Higgs never felt like he knew him particularly well.
--
Phillipa preened slightly when he said she would be good at giving advice, because of course she thought so but it was good to hear it from someone else. She took a slow sip of her wine, smirking against the rim of her glass before setting it down on the table, glad she had swallowed the wine before his last comment for fear of choking on it otherwise as a huff of laughter escaped her.
"No," she replied, rolling her eyes. If Marcus did come to her, she would be more than happy to advise him to the best of her abilities, but that didn't happen. Then Lucas... who she loved dearly, but didn't see dating anyone in the near future. "I more meant that I am used to being talked to about things by boys who are somewhat silly on their own but whose best interest I care about very much. And also, did you not just say I would be good at it? You could easily be getting advice from someone who will soon be paid to dish it out, all free of charge."
-
Higgs laughed at her reply. Somehow it wasn’t shocking that neither of her brothers came to Pippa for advice. Higgs and Marcus had managed to go for many years being best friends without talking about most things that bothered them. Not to say that they never talked about their feelings, but it wasn’t exactly something that happened very often. Marcus had been the person Higgs had told everything about what happened between him and Alicia, had told him how much it had hurt and shaken him, but that had also been much more important than majority of the problems they managed to encounter between them in their individual love lives.
“I think the problem, darling, is that, I don’t actually have anything I need an advice with,” Higgs replied honestly, even if his smile was teasing. It wasn’t that everything was easy and smooth going in Higgs’ life, it was more that he honestly felt that he could manage. With most things, at least, and those he couldn’t manage, Higgs did not want to talk about, especially since they had nothing to do with his love life and everything to do with--not that this was very important. So instead he sipped his wine and gave his food order when the waitress appeared.
Once she had left again, after taking Pippa’s order as well, Higgs tilted his head slightly at Pippa. “How is your love life?” He asked her instead. “Less dramatic but more exciting than mine, I hope,” he added with amusement that perhaps he should not have felt at the state of his marriage.
--
Phillipa scrunched her nose slightly at his response, because even if he didn't need advice he could tell her things. If he didn't want to, he wouldn't, but she had been expecting to hear more details over the course of their dinner than she was getting. Then again, it was still early. She glanced at the menu for the first time when the waitress came by, quickly finding something she would enjoy and giving her order to the waitress before passing up her menu as well.
"My love life?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She generally operated on the thought that her love life, so to speak, was best kept from the knowledge of her brothers and people who might as well be one of them. "I do tend to favor the excitement over the dramatic when it comes to that sort of thing. Varied, fun... nothing too detailed to report, but it does exist which is the important part, right?"
-
To be honest, if she had asked for more detail, Higgs would give it to her, the problem was that he wasn’t too sure what kind of information would be interesting to Pippa. Then again, Higgs himself wasn’t too sure what was currently happening between him and Alicia. There had been quite a lot of crying over another man, which when said out loud probably sounded rather questionable, but Higgs did have sympathy for Alicia, she had clearly cared a lot for Weasley, still did. Higgs thought that perhaps he should worry more about that than he did, seeing how Weasley had been rather instrumental in the push for Higgs’ marriage falling apart the first time around, but again, this wasn’t quite something Higgs knew how to put into words.
Higgs smirked at Pippa when she said her love life was varied and fun. “I’m not really the sort of person who’s going to object to you having sex, Pippin,” Higgs told her with a laugh. He did like to think of himself as a rather liberal man. Higgs himself, despite his on-and-off marriage, had slept with plenty of people. Obviously never during his marriage, but before meeting Alicia, Higgs hadn’t exactly been... shy. “Nor am I going to be off to gossip to your brother about it, “ he added. Higgs didn’t really understand what the big fuss was about when it came to brothers and sisters. He would never dream of objecting to whatever Gemma chose to do, didn’t feel it was his place to demand she acted a particular way. Also, Higgs was more than sure if he did object, Gemma would set him straight rather quickly.
--
Phillipa grinned softly and settled back into her chair, keeping her wine glass in her hand. She didn't expect judgement from Terence, of all places, so she was glad it didn't come. And she hardly expected what she did behind closed doors to be a topic of conversation between him and her brother, because how would that even be brought up? She took a sip of her wine and shook her head, offering him a shrug. "Well good, because if you did object you'd be rather disappointed."
She paused, considering him for a moment. "That's what my advice column would be about, by the way - sex, dating, relationships. I mean, I haven't had much of the latter, but I like to think I have sense enough to know what I'm talking about. Which is why you should talk to me," she prodded with a smirk, leaning in to reach across the table and poke him in the chest firmly with her index finger. "Even if it's not because you need advice. I want to know what's going on."
-
Higgs was sure he would be disappointed if he had any intention to object to anything Pippa chose to do. Like majority of the women in Higgs’ life, Pippa was too head-strong to be told what she was allowed or not allowed to do. There was a reason why Higgs made friends with women like that, though. It was liberating not to be in a position to be careful in everything he thought and said, especially since Higgs wasn’t always the best person at pretending. Whilst there were certainly things in his life he did pretend about, those tended to be his own personal issues rather than social interactions. Higgs disliked not being able to be honest to people, which made him make friends with people who weren’t offended when he did speak the truth.
At Pippa’s words, Higgs sighed dramatically. “Should I now?” He asked playfully. It made him think, though, about what he could tell her. He certainly had experience with sex, dating and relationship, hell, you could even throw experience with marriage in there, if you wanted to be very generous. “I guess, perhaps, I’m somewhat petrified of making the same mistakes I did before,” he said slowly. It wasn’t untrue, that genuinely was the biggest worry Higgs had about him and Alicia getting back together, or trying to get back together, whatever. There had been plenty of problems between them, as it turned out, the problem was that Higgs hadn’t realised there were until it was too late.
--
Phillipa hummed in response at his dramatic sigh, taking another sip of her wine and waiting. When he did speak again, she took in what he said and mulled it over. It made sense, not wanting to make the same mistakes, but the interesting thing about a second chance with the same person was that he would be aware of what had happened before - if he already knew what it had been. She let her thumb trace idly along the bowl of the wine glass in her hand as she tilted her head in thought.
"That's fair," she started slowly, her gaze flickering up from her wine to him. "You certainly don't want to follow the same path that led to things going downhill before. I'd think you have an advantage going into it this time, though. You know there were mistakes, you know what to look out for, you'll be extra sensitive to making sure things don't start down that path... at least, I'd assume so."
-
“I’d assume so, too,” Higgs replied, before having some of his own wine. The problem wasn’t as much as being aware of needing to pay more attention, it was mostly that he feared he wouldn’t be able to. Still, it was nice to hear her assurances, if only because Higgs would have said exactly the same to someone in his position, but it was very hard to give oneself an advice like that. “It should also help that I’m not away for six months at a time, only to return for two and leave again,” Higgs said honestly. That had been part of the problem and one which Higgs was actually aware of, even if he had become aware of it too late the first time around.
Making Alicia an army wife hadn’t been easy on her, but at least this time around they weren’t going to be facing that. Even if they probably had a completely new set of problems to think about. “There’s a lot to be said for neither of us expecting this to be easy, I think,” Higgs said, his thumb playing with the wine glass in his hand. That had to be something that was a good knowledge to enter a relationship with. From having witnessed others fail and struggle, Higgs was sure that majority of relationships failed because people weren’t willing to acknowledge that sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, things were not easy.
--
There was a lot Phillipa knew she couldn't understand about his situation, especially from a standpoint of experiencing it. She had never been in a proper relationship, and he was married. Even if she had been, the thought of only getting to see the other person for two months before they were gone for six - it was wholly unappealing. She could understand why things had fallen apart, but that didn't change the fact that they were trying to come back together again, and she had seen the way Terence had smiled when he talked about it before.
"I think both those things will help," she replied softly, her tone earnest. "Having the time to work on it without the imminent threat of leaving for half a year, and the both of you knowing that it's not going to be easy, yet both of you are wanting to take it on. I hope for nothing but the best for you, both with Alicia and otherwise."
-
“Thank you,” Higgs said, a smile on his lips. “It means a lot for you to say that,” he added. It was funny, really, how few people there were who did wish him or them the best with their relationship. Higgs could forgive Marcus for his reservations, since Higgs probably would not be very happy with Alicia if the roles were reversed, but others? Higgs wasn’t too sure anyone else had the right to really think anything at all of the relationship between him and Alicia, apart from wishing them luck because why not.
The food arrived then and Higgs thanked the waitress as she laid the plates down in front of them. Once she had departed again, Higgs grinned at Pippa. “I’m absolutely starving,” he told her, sure that at least that was something she would have heard from her brothers before.
--
Phillipa had meant it, too, which she knew he knew because she wasn’t the type to say such things for the sake of saying them. Perhaps she had not anticipated thinking so at the beginning of the evening, but it was the way he’d smiled that had won her over. Alicia was lucky, in her opinion, to have someone like Terence who was willing to do the hard work to try things again - a second chance most people never got. Her attention was pulled away from the matter at hand when the food arrived, and she murmured her thanks to the waitress.
“Of course you are,” she replied, rolling her eyes slightly. “Are you ever not?” From her experience, with both her brothers, the answer was most likely no. She was hungry, certainly, but didn’t think she’d ever reached the same stage of ravenous she’d witness from Lucas, or Marcus, at times. “Bon appetit, mon cher.”