Who: Lilo Pelekai & Will Graham When: 7/1 Where: A restaurant in Laguna Hills What: A date with their dogs! Rating/Warning: PG Status: Complete
Lilo and Will had agreed to meet at a restaurant in Laguna Hills - not too populated, but not the middle of nowhere, either. He’d arrived a little early and parked, clipping Winston’s leash on as he headed for the restaurant. He was a little nervous, but surprisingly calm - Lilo had shown herself to be remarkably patient with his quirks. There was no reason to think that would change. And this would be good for Winston, too; to spend time with a dog outside the pack would be good practice.
Lilo walked from the parking lot around the same time, grinning and waving when she spotted Will. Daisy had been to the groomers two days before and still smelled sweetly of dog shampoo. She was also sporting a big pink bow on her collar. “Hi,” Lilo smiled. Will looked painfully handsome, even more so because he seemed a little nervous.
He heard her hail before he saw her, and blushed as she came over. “Hello.” Will managed a smile; she looked fresh and clean and really quite lovely. “And hello, Daisy.” He offered the mastiff a hand, which she sniffed perfunctorily before turning to Winston. “I see where her interest lies. How are you, Lilo?”
“Daisy, you hussy.” Lilo grinned at Will, taking that hand and squeezing it. She was interested in him even if her dog wasn’t. She couldn’t help but smile around Will Graham; he was just so sweet. “I’m good, how’re you?”
“Not bad. I may have found a home for Monster.” Will smiled. “Maybe. A nice couple that lives up in La Habra want him, but I have to look at their home and yard and all that. I won’t let him go somewhere without enough space.”
“Really? That’s amazing!” Lilo had actually been debating asking Will if she could have Titan, as he and Daisy had got on well during their last visit. Smiling, she watched Daisy licking Winston’s ears while Winston’s tail thumped steadily. “He deserves all the room in the world to run around and be a dog.”
“That’s what I think.” Will nodded. “They’re really nice people, but they were actually up front about the fact that their yard might not be big enough. I’ll check it out.” He smiled a little as well, watching the dogs. “At least they’ll be happy while we eat. Do you know where this place is?” He had his phone’s GPS if she didn’t. He wasn’t much of a technology person, but his phone was the exception.
“That’s good of them. I was actually thinking I could take Titan. You know, if you were okay with it. And it’s a block or so down the road, not far at all.” Lilo grinned when Daisy spotted a baby carriage and her tail went double time. Daisy loved babies.
“Oh? You could handle two big ones?” Will figured it would be fine, if she had the room. “I mean, if they get along, I don’t see why not. Two happy dogs don’t eat much more than one.” Will saw Daisy’s tail start jumping, and couldn’t help but be amused. “They do get along, and I have a whole beach to go running with them.” Lilo smiled at the nervous mom, knowing that Daisy was an intimidating looking dog. “Oh, she just loves babies, she likes to sniff their heads, but she won’t jump up, promise.” The mom paused, amused by how well mannered the dog with the pink bow was, and Daisy looked up at her mother. “Gently,” Lilo grinned.
Moving toward the stroller, Daisy nosed around the baby, sniffing and tail wagging. After licking the baby’s head gently, Daisy sat back down with a doggy grin on her face. “I think it’s the baby powder,” Lilo shrugged.
“Likely.” Will was outright smiling by then. The baby looked confused, but it wasn’t upset, and neither was the mother. “Good girl, Daisy,” he said, holding out a hand for her to sniff before scratching her ears.
Daisy smiled up at Will, tail still thumping. Lilo felt a happy lump form in her throat. “Would you believe that she was abused as a puppy? I only got her when I moved to Cali.”
“She’s been so open and kind. It’s a tribute to those who trained her,” Will said gently. “Titan was a fight dog, so they’d have that in common, fortunately or unfortunately.”
“I think it’s a good thing they’d have that in common. They can bond over how lucky they are to not be there anymore.” Lilo leaned down and wrapped her arms around Daisy’s neck, hugging her and chuckling when the dog wagged her tail so hard she nearly fell over.
Will grinned - something he didn’t do often - and scratched behind Daisy’s ear. “Careful, Winston’s looking put out.” He turned back to his dog and scratched a point right near the back of Winston’s head - the retriever immediately started thumping his leg.
Lilo managed to see Will’s grin and she couldn’t help but return it. “Oh, I’m sorry, Winston. You know I’d never forget you.” Lilo moved to cup his cheeks, putting her fingers in perfect scritching territory. “Here, you liked this before.”
“Well done. I think you found his switch again.” The sun peeked out behind a cloud as he spoke, and Will winced, narrowing his eyes. “Why don’t we get going. Hopefully we can get a table by the outside fence, so we can keep an eye on the dogs.” The restaurant where they were going had an outdoor patio with a roof.
Lilo nodded, standing back up and taking Will’s hand. “Let’s go, before you think I only like you for your puppies.”
He liked that gentle hand-hold. “All right.”
It wasn’t far to go, in truth, and Will tied Daisy and Winston to a tree near the outdoor fence. He gave his name to the waiter. They were conducted to a table outside, under the patio roof, where they could see the dogs, and Will smiled, pulling out Lilo’s chair. “This works out.”
Lilo beamed and giggled as Daisy and Winston proceeded to lay down and put their heads on each other. She smiled at Will, squeezing his hand again under the table. “This is really nice. I’m glad to see you again, by the way.”
“Likewise.” Will nodded, blushing at the gentle hand squeezing. “How have you been? Has the surfing been good?” He sounded awkward, but he was genuinely curious.
“The waves have been kinda mellow, alas. If I really want to practice, I need to find someone to help tow me out.” She flipped open her menu, studying it for a moment. “Honestly, I’ll probably look online and see if anyone wants to help.”
“Tow you out?” Will echoed. “I’m afraid I don’t know what that means. Tow you with what?” He liked learning, even if it was about things that he would probably never indulge in.
“A Jetski or a boat.” Lilo smiled, grabbing a pen and paper out of her purse and drawing a quick diagram. “Here’s the shore. I’m limited by how far I can swim out before I get tired.” She drew a point about midway across the paper. Three fourths of the way, she drew a circle. “This is where the prettiest waves are. This is where I want to be. But I can’t swim there. If I have someone there to tug me out a little more, I can get the big ones, the hundred footers, and it’s also a first aid measure too. Just in case.”
“Oh, I see.” Will nodded. “Because a jet-ski or something like that can also ride the waves if necessary as well? Just water, please,” he said to the waiter, who had appeared at his left.
Lilo smiled, ordering a mango juice from the waiter, if only because she was a slave to wasabi. “Exactly, they can ride in and grab me if they have to. So it gets me there, and it can claim me back if it has to.” She grabbed her smart phone and then tapped a few times, going to YouTube. She pulled up a video of her surfing a hundred foot wave and handed it to Will so he could see her being towed out and surfing it.
Will took it, watching. It was rather pretty. “I see what you mean about being towed, but I also am surprised at how pretty it is. It worries me that you’re good at this.” He smiled, hoping she understood he was joking.
“Oh, free diving is way more dangerous,” Lilo grinned. “And I love surfing, I’ve been doing it since I was about three. I get to this weird zen place when I surf. I don’t think about anything, I just ... do. It’s a freeing thing to have something to focus on in its entirety.”
“I can understand that.” Will nodded, keeping one eye on the dogs, who seemed to be sleeping on top of one another. “That’s a bit how I get when I fish.” At least until a fish bit, obviously. “I love fishing, too. How do you? There’s a couple secret awesome fly fishing spots around here, though if you go up to Washington, it’s amazing.” Lilo smiled at the dogs when she figured out that was where Will’s eyes kept going.
“Mostly lake fishing, around here. A few times I’ve gone up to an acquaintance’s cabin on Puget Sound and done some there. It’s very nice, actually. I haven’t made any new lures in some time; maybe I ought to start again.” Will cocked his head. “You like to fish, like sit on the shore for hours? Forgive me, but I wouldn’t have expected that of you.”
“I can’t always be moving. Sometimes a body just has to sit and reconnect with the earth. Mom was a witch, so that helped, probably.” Lilo chuckled, shaking her head. “Well, that’s what I called her. She always told me she put love into her food, and that her element was earth which was funny ‘cause she was Hawaiian - she talked like one. I used to make up fairy tales about everyone I knew when I was a kid, so my mom was the good witch of the island.” Lilo blushed a little; she hadn’t told anyone about that in years. She also had never told anyone that she still did that. Will? Totally Galahad.
Will didn’t quite know what to do with all that information. He didn’t necessarily believe in witches, either, but he could tell she did. He smiled. “You were clearly an extremely imaginative little girl. I bet that made you happy.” Something he’d learned over the years was to state the obvious positives. Even if they didn’t necessarily mean much in the grand scheme of things.
Lilo smiled brightly. “I know, I know, witches aren’t real, but I like the fantasy. I like coloring outside the lines. Truth be told, it’s nice to do it even now.”
“I can understand that.” Even he ‘thought outside the box’ at times. “If you just let your mind wander, sometimes it surprises you.”
She smirked. “I’m not telling you who you are, though. You’d blush.”
“Who I am?” Will echoed, smiling, though he didn’t quite understand. “In what context?”
“In the fairy tale I make up about my life in my head, silly.” She was blushing a little, but was saved by the waiter who came with their appetizers.
Will raised an eyebrow, oddly charmed. “I never met an adult who did that. I mean, it’s not bad. Just ... never met anyone else who did that.” It was sweet, somehow. Innocent, almost.
“I know it’s not real, but sometimes I wish I could give people the happy, easy things that I see for them in my dreams. You’d look handsome on a horse, you know?” Lilo bit her lower lip, wondering if she was painting herself as the crazy oddball girl too soon.
“Would I?” He didn’t think it was strange; he’d just never considered it. “I’ve never been. Maine is more about the water than the land.”
“Do you know much Arthurian legend? You’re Galahad when I daydream about you. Not that I daydream about you ... okay, except I totally, obviously do.” She went to look at the dogs again. Dogs were safe.
Will blushed at that; he knew enough about Arthurian legend to wonder if she was thinking maybe a bit too highly of him. But he was also flattered. It was a compliment. “I don’t know what I did to have you think so highly of me,” was all he said, following her eyeline and watching Winston snore.
“You’re kind? You’re funny and you’re ... chivalrous. There’s no other word,” Lilo shrugged. Will was a do-the-right-thing no matter what sort of guy. As she was thinking of an example, their food arrived, and Lilo clapped her hands excitedly for sushi. “Let me put it this way - Monster. You’re doing the right thing by him and you don’t even realize how good you are.”
“What do you mean, in training him?” Will shrugged. “It’s what I do. I train dogs. Monster wasn’t going to go to a home until he was trained.” He looked over the plate, curious about what everything was. He was somewhat picky in terms of spices, but fish, he’d eat.
“In making sure he has a good home.” Lilo smiled to herself, shaking her head. “You’re committed without realizing it.” She took some tuna sashimi and dipped it into soy sauce before popping it into her mouth.
“I don’t see that as needing praise.” Will said, but figured he should elaborate. “I just mean, it’s the right thing. We shouldn’t need incentive to do the right thing.” He tried what looked like hamachi, sampling it in a nori roll and making a pleasantly surprised noise.
“And that, Will Graham, is what makes you wonderful.” She smiled and tried not to blush at his happy noise. It was really fetching, and she wished it wasn’t quite as nice as she thought it was.
He blushed at the compliment, and decided to talk about the sushi. “I would suggest trying the hamachi; it’s not spicy, so you can really taste the fish’s flavor.”
“Only if you try a bite of uni,” Lilo replied. She put one of the rolls onto his plate and then tried one of her own hamachi ones. “Umpf,” she purred.
“What is uni again? I confess I’ve forgotten.” It wasn’t as though sushi was very common in Maine; it was a taste he’d acquired after moving out here.
“Sea urchin roe.” Lilo smiled. “It’s like butter, almost. I’ve had it made into a sauce and served over pasta. If marrying food was legal, I’d have done it.” She waited, wanting to watch Will try his first bit.
“Ah, right.” Will tried a hesitant bite and blinked. “That is ... really good. I agree, it’s buttery.” A very velvety taste; it felt nice going down.
She just beamed. “So, I’ve been having these weird dreams, lately. Super realistic ones.” She figured it was as good a conversation topic as any.
It was a strange leap in conversational topics, but Will could at least answer. “I’ve had those, as well. I dreamed of being a cop in New Orleans. I’ve never even been to New Orleans.”
“Huh. I dream of being really little back home, only my parents died then so my big sister had to take care of me.” Lilo sighed, shaking her head. “I’m glad they passed when I could take care of myself. I was a handful back then.”
‘How little?” Will was curious. “I mean, I apparently went into the police academy right after college, but do you mean like a child?”
Lilo nodded. “I’m six in my dreams.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Nani was still in her early twenties. Long time ago.”
“Oh, wow.” Will raised an eyebrow. “I wonder why it took you back to that point.” Most of the people he’d spoken to were still adults in their dreams. “What do you remember about them, if it’s okay to ask?”
“My parents? I remember a lot about them. I remember how in love they were. My dad used to serenade my mom sometimes before bed. We’d all be laying in our rooms, lights out, and the windows would be open because it was December and it was nice enough to do that. And I’d hear Dad on his guitar singing Elvis at Mom, even after thirty years.” Lilo smiled fondly at the memory.
“Is it the same in the dreams?” He was glad she didn’t seem to mind the questions. He was curious about her, but also about what an actual family life would have been like.
“In the dreams, yeah, they’re basically the same. They’re performers in my dreams, but instead of dying a couple of years ago like they did in real life, in the dreams they die when I’m six in a car accident.” She did like that her parents were madly in love in every universe.
Will nodded. “I see. Almost nothing is the same in my dreams, except that my father left when I was older.” He barely remembered his father in real life.
Lilo squeezed his hand again. “Are they awful?”
“Not awful, no. Grim is the word that comes to mind.” He told her a bit about them - the beat, getting stabbed when he couldn’t shoot back, grad school, the crime lab. “I’m happy with the work, though. It’s fascinating.”
“Are you going to try to do it here? You’d be a great cop.” She just would hope that he’d actually shoot people in self defense.
“You know, I don’t know.” Will hadn’t honestly thought about doing it for real. “I mean ... I’d have to go through the academy, I assume. I doubt beat experience from one’s dreams counts for real.” Still, it was an interesting thought.
“Probably not, but how hard can it be? You’re one of the smartest people I know, and I’m sure you’d pass the physical fine.” Not like Lilo had been ogling Will or anything.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think so.” Will shook his head. “I can’t imagine they want developmentally disabled police officers.” He raised a sardonic eyebrow, but it was at the situation, not necessarily at her.
“But you’re ... not.” Lilo blinked. “I mean, unless you are, in which case you present as way more Aspie than anything else I read a lot of psych books I’m not trying to diagnose you from an armchair please don’t be mad.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. Why did she talk?
Will blinked. “I’m just surprised you know.” Not many people knew anything about it - he got a lot of distrust, a lot of unease and misinformation. “You ... it doesn’t scare you?”
“Why would it? It’s a mental difference, but I think everyone’s different than everyone else.” She shrugged. “One of my best friends in high school was on the spectrum. I just learned how to ... speak Kyle, and bam.”
He was blushing, but it was a pleased kind of blushing, as odd as that might sound. Will looked down. “Most of the time, people are either uneducated, ignorant or just plain mean. But either way, it probably would prevent working as a beat cop.” He was smiling shyly, almost not sure if it was okay.
“Well, you wouldn’t know until you tried, right? And if you do, you’ll be in the same position you’re in now.” She liked his smile, and she leaned forward to kiss him lightly. She just wanted him to stay smiling, just like that.
He liked that. It was light and nonthreatening - he wasn’t quite ready for more yet - but she was still here. She was still optimistic. He might have just fallen in love with her a little.
When they moved apart, Lilo was smiling brightly. Her cheeks were a bit pink, and she resumed eating. “I think you’d be a great police officer. I feel safe around you. So does Daisy.” She pointed out their dogs, who had formed a large pile of snoring dog.
“Well, I wish that were the only criteria.” Will smiled. He tried a little more hamachi, pleased at the texture. “Do you have the yellowfin over there?”
“I do.” She passed him over a couple of yellowfin sashimi and sushi rolls, smiling as she nibbled one herself. “Umpf,” she moaned. “I love tuna so much.”
That noise was ... interesting. Will blushed. “It’s delicious. I still prefer sushi to sashimi, but both are very pleasant.”
“I grew up eating raw fish, so yeah, I’m used to it. You should pick the restaurant next time.” She was still thrilled that there was going to be a next time.
“Maybe I will. I’d try to be elegant and say I’d cook, but you don’t want that.” He could cook fish, but they’d just eaten fish. “Does Daisy like fish?”
“She loves fish. What about Winston?” She smiled at the dogs who seemed very much like an old married couple.
“All my dogs like fish. Except, weirdly, Aggie.” Will shrugged. “Maybe it’s because she lived with a very spoilt woman before I took her. Her name was Muffy.” He wrinkled his nose.
“That’s not a name,” Lilo laughed. “Is Aggie short for Agnes? I love that name.” Lilo tucked a leg under her body. “How’d you get her?”
“No, I just liked the sound of Aggie. She’s rather ... tomboyish, for a pomeranian.” Will ate one more hamachi roll before replying further. “Aggie’s owner wanted me to train her not to jump on the furniture. I did that, but when I brought her back to the house to demonstrate the training, the woman got mad about something and drop-kicked Aggie in a fit of pique. I picked her up and made to leave, refusing to return the dog.”
Lilo’s eyes went wide. “She doesn’t deserve the privilege of taking care of another living thing.” Lilo looked back at Daisy. “When I took Daisy in... it’s a covenant. I’m taking care of her until one of us passes. It’s more serious than marriage, for crying out loud.”
“That’s what I think, really.” He wasn’t sure about the more serious than marriage bit, but only because he’d never really contemplated anyone’s marriage. “She had me arrested - I have a misdemeanor on my record - but I don’t regret it. I saved Aggie.”
“You have a very sexy misdemeanor.” Lilo blushed at even saying it out loud, but it was true.
That got Will’s eyebrows raised, and he chuckled. “I don’t think I’d go that far; it isn’t the kind of record that women like.” Hopefully the humor translated.
“Oh, I don’t normally like a record on guys at all, but yours is ... well, it proves you’re sweet. And you’re good.” She bit her lower lip. “I just like you.”
He wasn’t entirely sure how to handle that, but he wasn’t scared, just awkward. “I just try to be a good person,” he finally replied, smiling awkwardly.
“Well, you succeed.” She wiped at her mouth with the napkin, stretching her arms overhead. “Want to take the dogs on a walk for a bit?”
“Yes, that’d be good. I intended for Winston to get some exercise, not to find a new favorite pillow.” He smiled fondly over at the dog pile.
“To be fair, Daisy is really comfy. That’s how we watch TV at home.” Lilo grinned. “Do they sleep with you? The dogs.” Not that she was imagining Will sleeping now.
“Only the small ones. Aggie and Roger sleep at the foot of the bed; the rest sort of know they’re too big.” Will reached for his wallet. “You saw their beds down by the fireplace.” Sometimes after a night terror, Winston would sleep in the armchair in Will’s room, but that was rare.
That made Lilo smile. “Daisy sleeps in the bed with me.” The dog nosed under the covers and tended to whimper until Lilo wrapped her arms around her. “I’m an indulgent owner, I admit.”
Will chuckled. “It clearly hasn’t hurt her any. She still is very well behaved, from what I see.” He put enough money on the table to pay for the meal, turning to her. “Let’s go collect the dogs.”
She nodded, taking his hand and grinning. “I’m going to get the bill next time, though.” She made her way over to Daisy and Winston, chuckling when the dogs’ tails started to thump double time.
“Agreed.” It was an egalitarian way of doing things, which Will preferred. They left via the patio gate, and Will smiled when Winston got up and sat, as he’d been trained. “Good boy.” He scratched the top of Winston’s head before clipping on his leash. “Walk?”
As soon as he said the W word, Winston barked, just once, and Will was curious if he was trying to tell Daisy something. The whole thing was amusing.
Daisy responded with a low bark that was a tell-tale sign of Mastiff Joy. Lilo chuckled, taking her leash in hand and clucking her tongue twice. Daisy sat down, waiting for instructions. “Where to?”
“Probably just around the block ought to work.” They were inland, so no water’s edge. Will had to smile at Winston’s behavior. “He usually doesn’t care much about walks. I think he’s excited to have the company.” “Daisy is a pretty girl. And she went to the groomer’s yesterday, so she smells awesome.” Lilo took Will’s hand, smiling when the dogs went just the tiniest bit ahead of them so they could walk shoulder to shoulder.
“Winston, you cad.” Will couldn’t help but laugh.
Daisy gave another low pitched woof, almost a doggy chuckle, and Lilo couldn’t help but grin.
They fell into an easy pace, walking briskly but not fast, letting the dogs walk instead of amble. “I’m glad it’s good weather. It was really hot recently.” Will didn’t consider that small talk; it mattered to both him and the dogs.
“I like the breeze. It means better waves for me, and Daisy’s nose goes nuts. It’s the cutest thing in the world when the shnozzle starts going.” Lilo smiled at Will, just enjoying how easy their friendship was.
“The what?” Will had to laugh. He definitely did more of that when she was around.
“Her nose and the muzzley area! You know, shnozzles!” Lilo laughed too. Will’s smile was lovely, and Lilo couldn’t help watching him for a few moments longer than was strictly polite.
“I’m not acquainted with that word.” Will shook his head, still smiling. “But apparently it is one, so I’ll bow to your superior know-how.”
“It’s not really, but I’m going to say it is?” She grinned at him, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.
Will blushed, but it was a good feeling. She clearly liked him, and if he could manage to avoid embarrassing himself, hopefully it would continue. He just smiled at her, walking in companionable silence.
Silence was good, especially when it was Will smiling quietly. She grinned at the way Daisy smiled every time Winston’s tail brushed hers.