Lie Ren (strongsilentype) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-09-23 11:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, tiffany maxwell, wall-e |
Woah... Where did you learn fancy moves like that?
Who: Tiffany and Wally
When: First Half of September
Where: Out
What: Wally’s taking Tiffany on a date
Rating/warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete
Wally showed up at Tiffany’s place and knocked on the door. He was wondering if the rest of her family in the main house could see him, and for a moment it made him feel self-conscious. But he didn’t care that much. He was more concerned for Tiff’s sake. He wanted her to feel comfortable, no matter what.
He waited for her to answer the door, trying not to think of the time he’d found her sobbing, or her kicking him out.
When she answered the door, she was dressed a little more conservatively that the first time they’d gone out. Her midriff was covered, at the very least. She couldn’t help but look a little va-va-voom in everything she put on, being shaped like she was.
But truthfully, Tiffany was going for something a little more serious this time around. The fact that she and Wally were going out again, after everything that had happened, meant there was more to this than a casual fling. He had definitely made his feelings known and she knew she felt… hopeful.
Wally was hopeful. He was terrified, wasn't sure he could handle being kicked out again, but he was hopeful, too. He lit up at the sight of her there, as men in love often do. His love hadn't faded at all in time, as much as he'd wanted it to. "You look amazing," he said, his voice breathy and sounding slightly surprised.
Now that she was standing on the front step, Tiffany felt shy in his presence, which she hadn’t expected. Her knees even felt a little weak. She was nervous. She did that cliche thing where the girl awkwardly tucked some hair behind her ear. “Thanks. You look good. As always.”
“Thanks.” Cliche or not, it was endearing. And the motion made Wally smile a little brighter. He stepped forward to tap a kiss against her cheek, wishing that he could do more. His arms wanted to hold her, his mouth wanted hers. But he kept things shy, polite, gentlemanly. “Ready to go?” He asked, offering her his hand.
“Uh, yeah,” he said, once he’d pulled back. She took his hand and they started to walk to his car. Her heels clicked along the driveway and her mother’s shadow passed behind one of the windows.
Wally didn’t notice the clicking or the shadow. He was too wrapped up in how beautiful she was. How lucky he was. He opened the car door for her, then moved around to his side once she was in. “I thought… you like dancing, so… there’s this place. I googled.” It was sort of a question. His voice went up a little at the end, as if to ask if that was all right with her.
Tiffany wasn’t exactly confused by his weird phrasing, but it was difficult to know how to answer. Was there an actual question in there somewhere? “Uh, yeah. Sure, that sounds good.” She was giving him the reigns on this one. She wanted to make sure not to steamroll anything, as she tended to do.
“Okay, good.” Wally gave her a smile, turned on the car, and pulled away from the curb. There was music on the radio--some pop station that he barely paid attention to. He enjoyed listening to the morning talk shows when he could, but it was hard as he worked so many morning shifts. “Dinner first?”
Truthfully, the nervousness hadn’t faded quite yet, and her stomach was in knots. She swallowed. Before speaking, she tapped the power button on the radio and the music cut out. “Okay, but first… I just want to say… that I think it’s really impressive that you still want to do this. For real. After everything. Because I really was a total bitch to you.”
Wally kept his eyes on the road, though his face was a little surprised. He chanced a glance at her, but then turned his eyes back to the road, frowning just slightly. “I meant what I said,” he commented quietly, after considering it for a moment. In his mind, feelings like that just didn’t fade away because of a little pain. She wasn’t going to make him stop loving her by being a ‘total bitch’ to him. It just didn’t work that way.
Tiffany settled back into her seat, a little of the tension within her dissipating now that she had spoken. Lately, the idea that Wally loved her didn’t make her skin feel as itchy as it had before, though she didn’t know what that meant.
It wasn’t a long drive, and the silence didn’t feel all that uncomfortable to him. He debated reaching for her hand a couple of times, but decided against it. He didn’t want to push things, didn’t want to force anything. That may have been the problem before.
They pulled up to a little restaurant with a dance floor and a live band. It had wonderful reviews online, and Wally had made reservations for the two of them. It looked like it was popular, so that was a good sign.
What the place looked like was that Wally was really trying to make a good impression with this do-over. Tiffany took it in with a slow smile. It wasn’t so much the place itself, but the thought behind it, the attention to detail. She stepped out of the car and gave him a look that couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than appreciation.
Wally pretty much considered the last time they’d done this to be a disaster. He felt like he’d done everything wrong, and was really trying this time to do everything right. It was good that she noticed, that she appreciated. Wally broke into a grin at the sight of her look, and nodded once as he met up with her on her side of the car. “...shall we?” He offered her his hand.
“Yeah,” Tiffany said, she wanted to say more, but her voice caught. Dammit, was she getting emotional, now? She blinked her eyes until her vision cleared, and then walked forward, alongside Wally, toward the music.
The two walked into the restaurant and were seated at their table. It wasn’t too close to the live band, so they could talk over dinner. In as few words as possible, Wally ordered some wine. Then he turned his attention to the menu. This was a nice place. He wasn’t surprised by the prices or the selection, as he’d seen it all online. The specials of the day looked good, too. He hoped she was impressed.
Tiffany looked and the prices and her eyes flicked briefly to Wally. But rather than feel embarrassed that he was willing to spend so much money, what she felt like like a stirring within her chest. This was all meant to be a gift. She was more moved than impressed.
Wally decided on the special, and said as much. Then he closed his menu to look at her without it between them. He thought she was the most beautiful woman in existence, and it was probably written all over his face. "What should we talk about?"
Tiffany dropped her menu, too, and drummed her fingers on the tabletop. “How’s work?” she asked. She still didn’t have a job to replace the one she’d lost. “Hey, if you find something really interesting, do you ever keep it?”
Wally smirked softly. "There's almost never anything really interesting." He said. "But if there was... I don't see why not." He shrugged. "Are you looking for something?"
“No,” she said with a little shrug. “I just figured good stuff might slip through the cracks.”
Wine arrived. The server came for orders. Food arrived. It progressed just like a normal date. The conversation was slightly awkward here and there, considering what they’d been through and Wally’s penchant for not saying much.
The food was good, even if the conversation lagged here and there. Wally was thankful for the wine. After two full glasses he was smiling more and talking almost as much as a normal person. When the plates were empty, Wally turned to her. "Do you want to dance?"
Tiffany nodded with an Mm-hm, her lips pressed together in a smile. She’s been sneaking sideways glances all night, looking forward to when the time would come to hold one another again. They were both better at that kind of conversation.
Wally stood and offered her his hand. He led her to the dance floor between songs, and then hesitated for a moment. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, hold her tightly against him, simply sway to the music. But he’d been watching videos online, trying to learn how to dance. He wanted to be a good dancer, wanted to impress her. Of course, watching videos and practicing in his living room were a far cry from actually dancing.
The music started up again, and he stepped forward to take her into his arms. It felt like coming home.
Tiffany was a good dancer, both intuitively and because she took classes. So there wasn’t much Wally could do that could trip her up. Except when she realized he’d been practicing. His motions were more fluid, they came without her having to take the lead. Her eyes were intermittently wide and fluttering as she leaned against his shoulder.
The wine helped more with the dancing than with the conversation. He was more at ease, calmer. He was happy to be there with her, nervous he might do something wrong, but mostly he just felt lucky. Lucky she gave him another chance. She gave them another chance. He stated to him along with the music, then spun her out away from him and back in again.
“Woah,” she said, just loudly enough so that she could be heard above the music. She nearly missed a step, she was caught by such surprise. “Where did you learn fancy moves like that?”
Wally chuckled, his hand tightening around hers as she nearly missed a step, but pulled her back in against him. He was trying to go with the flow, trying to keep up the dance, though he felt awkward an inexpert at the whole thing. “...YouTube.”
Tiffany came to a halt, as if the needle had just been pulled of the record in comical fashion. A silly smile had formed on her face. She tried to pick up dancing where she’d left off. “Seriously? That’s hilarious.” And apparently very effectual.
Wally gave a little nod, his cheeks pink with embarrassment. Or was that the wine? Either way, he continued dancing with her. “...it’s not bad, is it?” He asked, though he thought he knew the answer. She seemed happy, impressed, flattered. And that’s what he was striving for--he wanted her to know that she inspired him.
It didn’t matter if it as good or bad--although, for the record, it was impressive for YouTube. What mattered was that he’d taken the time to learn it. “No. It’s terrific. Really.” She danced a little closer to him, looking up into Wally’s eyes.
Wally held her close. He looked down into her eyes, finding the girl there he was head over heels for. He wasn't able to stop himself, though he didn't try that hard, and leaned in to tap a kiss against her lips. Gentle, quick, shy.
She’d wanted him to kiss her. There was no denying that. But even so, and even though the chemistry between them was strong, it still caught her slightly off guard. Wally was just so effing sweet that it threw her again and again, kinda like his spin move. She liked it. A lot.