901_freeatlast (901_freeatlast) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-03-28 15:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, spencer hastings, toby cavanaugh |
Who: Spencer and Toby
When: Mid Februaryish
Where: Baxter's Bakery
What: Buying coffee?
Rating/Warnings: Low/None?
Status: Complete when posted
So, Spencer wasn’t sure what she was expecting from this coffee date with Toby. This was a bit outside of her realm of imagination. She dressed cute. Not super fancy dress, but not something she’d be embarrassed to be seen in, either. And, okay, she dressed for Toby a bit, too. Because as much as she couldn’t imagine what this was all about today, she also… she was a little excited about it. It was a date... right?
Once she was dressed and ready to go, she moved down to the sitting room off the front entryway. Her mother was around, and Spencer wasn’t sure she wanted to share this with her family yet. She didn’t know who she wanted to know about this yet. It didn’t seem fair until she knew what she was doing. What was she doing?
Toby had spent perhaps too much time thinking about what this meant, but he hadn't spent as much time worrying about what he wore. Coffee didn't require anything fancy, so he'd gone with jeans, a white t-shirt, and a red plaid shirt over top. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows to keep them from getting in the way. He was pretty sure that it was an acceptable outfit.
Then came the matter of driving to get her. Which he wasn’t sure about. He had a beat up truck and it was good for work, but he wasn’t sure if it was good for dates. Was he going to have to start borrowing his dad’s car? Well, if he was, he wanted to be more sure of what was happening because he didn’t want to answer all of the questions that would come after asking. So for today he was there...in his beat up truck and he hoped it was okay.
Once he got there, he sat in the truck for a couple minutes before forcing himself to get out and make his way to her door. He was picking Spencer Hastings up for a date. An actual date. He didn’t know what he was doing, but he hoped Spencer wouldn’t get one look at him and his truck and decide she’d changed her mind.
Spencer pulled the door open and actually flushed a little at the sight of him standing on the doorstep. Toby Cavanaugh was on her doorstep, picking her up for a date. A coffee date. Or whatever. Spencer hadn’t been on that many dates. A few, here and there. She hadn’t had a steady boyfriend since… well, maybe ever. The ones in middle school didn’t really count. She was a grown-up now, looking for a grown-up relationship. Kinda. Spencer liked her freedom, and there was a part of her that worried she was too fucked up for real relationships. That was neither here nor there.
“Hey, Toby.” She said, blushing a little, thinking about the time she’d been to his house. Around Halloween. When she’d felt drunk even though she wasn’t drinking, and ended up kissing him. And kissing him. And kissing him. She left the door open and stepped over to where her purse was sitting on the edge of the sofa. “Ready?”
Toby caught himself staring a little, but he quickly forced himself to snap out of it. He really didn’t need her thinking he was creepy or something. Even if she did look really pretty. It wasn’t actually that surprising to him, though. Spencer was always beautiful. As far as he had been aware. He just never really paid attention to it the way he did now.
“Hey, Spencer.” There was a fluttering in his stomach that he tried not to pay too much attention to. He hadn’t forgotten what happened at his parents’ house on Halloween or really any of the things that had happened with Spencer. “Yeah.” He got a glimpse inside before stepping back. “I’m ready. Don’t mind my truck. It’s a little messy, but I use it for work, so...I hope that’s okay.”
“That’s fine.” Thankful that she’d worn pants instead of something short and sweet, Spencer locked the door behind them and followed him out to his truck. She was in slim, black pants and a blouse that was practically-see through. With a lacy, black bra underneath. It was the epitome of fashion, and sexiness. Okay, cute-ness. Spencer didn’t think of herself as sexy. (Actually, she thought Hanna would have been very proud of her outfit today.)
“I get a glimpse into the life of Toby the Carpenter.” She gave him a smile as she climbed up into the truck.
Spencer in that shirt was...well, Toby liked it, but he felt uncertain about it. Like he probably really shouldn’t stare or focus too much on the shirt. It was practically like looking at her boobs and that felt a little too much for him at that moment. So he was keeping his eyes on her face and he’d deal with the rest of the awkwardness later.
“Toby the Carpenter. It’s not a very glamorous life, but I guess that’s not that important.” Part of him was okay with being a carpenter forever, but another part of him thought about making furniture. He wasn’t sure that would pan out, though. “But welcome to it.” He shut the door behind her and walked around to climb in on his side, starting the truck.
“It’s… a little smelly.” Spencer teased him, grinning softly. The truck smelled like sweat and dust and of something that Spencer thought might be oil or grease. It was warm, though, and comfortable. “It’s great.” She said. Honestly, it was Toby, and there was something about him that she really, really liked. Not that she could put her finger on it.
“So, coffee, right? That was the plan?” Spencer turned her eyes to the road, trying her best not to fidget. She had inexplicable nerves fluttering in her stomach.
Toby felt his face heat up almost instantly in embarrassment. “Sorry.” He hadn’t thought it would smell. At least not enough for her to notice. Ugh. He was never going to forget this. “I’ll remember to get an air freshener.” Or never bring girls on dates in the truck. Or maybe he’d never take anyone on a date ever again. He probably should just never date.
“Yes. Coffee was the plan.” He started to drive. “Did you have somewhere in mind or should we just pick a place?”
Spencer had been kidding. Mostly, really. It was a little smelly, but he was a guy. That’s what guys did. Spencer’s car still smelled like it was brand new, but that was Spencer. It’s what she did.
“You have a favorite place?” She asked, giving him a small smile. “Just… take me somewhere you want to go. You decide.” Yeah, no pressure there, Spence.
Did he have a favorite place? She was asking him to choose the place. He felt like he was going to die. The list of things that Toby had relative certainty about did not involve places with coffee that was up to Spencer’s expectations. Except that they had met somewhere once before that involved coffee. So maybe he could just go where he already knew she liked. “I don’t know if I have a favorite place,” he admitted. “I mean, I’m no expert on coffee, but I think I can find somewhere that’s not awful.”
“Sounds good.” Spencer didn’t have any kind of agenda for today’s date. She didn’t have any preconceived notions, didn’t have any plans. Really, this was about getting to know Toby a little better. And putting him on the spot was actually a pretty good way of doing just that. She felt a little guilty for it, though. “Anywhere would be fine.” She added. “So long as we can sit and talk.”
Toby made his way to Baxter’s Bakery because that was basically the only place he actually knew. But he didn’t think that was really a problem. It had good drinks and he had a reasonable feeling that they could sit and talk there. Once he parked, he got out of the truck and made his way around to open the door for her. “I hope this is okay.” He wasn’t really sure what to do if it wasn’t okay.
Spencer didn’t really need him to open the door for her, but she let him. It was kinda romantic. She climbed out of the truck and waited for him to close the door, then slipped her hand through the crook of his arm, letting him lead the way into the bakery. Baxter Bakery was a favorite of Spencer’s. She had a “usual” here. Very safe.
“Of course it’s okay. I love this place.” She said, giving him a smile. “Best place to study when midterms are on.”
Well, that was a relief. He hadn’t officially failed. That was probably a good thing. Her arm around his made him feel warm. He still couldn’t quite believe that he was there with Spencer and not just sort of existing near her. She’d asked him to come with her and he’d said yes. This fact alone was...well, surprising. But he was happy for it, too. “I usually come here if I’ve got a job around. It’s pretty good when you need a break and none of the other guys tend to frequent coffee places. At least not like this. They sort of prefer diners, I think.” He could imagine a few of the guys going here, though. Maybe some of the girls. But he also couldn’t claim he knew them all that well. Just enough to get along with them on the jobs he worked.
“So what do you normally get here?” Because it would let him see a little bit into her drink preferences and possible food preferences. Also it might give him a better idea of whether or not trying something new was possible.
“It’s perfect for studying. I think a diner might be too busy, too crowded, too noisy. This place is warm and relatively quiet, and it always smells like fresh bread and cinnamon rolls.” Spencer’s eyes sparkled a little bit, and she grinned at that. “I can see how you guys might want to go to a diner, though, after a hard day’s work.” She stepped inside and into the line leading up to the register, and brought her eyes to the board overhead that listed the menu.
“Wet Cappuccino. I like bear claws, too.” She said, nodding. “What do you usually get?”
It was pretty easy to tell that Spencer liked it there. Really, it would have been difficult to miss it, but some people could miss even the simplest of clues. “Yeah. That's us. Diner people. The pancakes are usually one of the best parts.” But then he liked the shepherds pie, too. It depended on what he felt like most.
He'd honestly never heard if a wet cappuccino and if he had, he probably forgot about it. He couldn't even fathom what that meant. “Just coffee. I'm not really fancy. The food depends on the day and how I'm feeling.” Because sometimes he didn't really want anything sweet or sometimes he needed something sweet to get through the rest of the day. “Is there anything you haven't tried that you've thought about trying for whatever reason?”
Spencer was about to ask him how he felt today, but then he asked her something else. She turned to look at the pastry case, thoughtfully. Her eyes moved over the cinnamon rolls, the raisin buns, the scones. She glanced briefly at the sugar cookies now decorated with hearts and flowers, and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t think I’ve ever thought about trying the things I haven’t tried. But if you’re feeling adventurous, the woman who owns this place makes these experiments that she sometimes insists people try. Maybe she’ll be back there today.”
Toby considered her answer for a moment. “We could always try something on a whim and if we don’t like whatever it is, I’ll admit defeat and buy whatever you’d have ordered in the first place.” He had no idea if the woman that ran the place would be there or not. “Or we can ignore me and just get whatever you want. Either way.” He felt awkward the more he went along with this whole plan.
His words brought a smile to Spencer’s lips. She looked over at him, standing awkardly there in line beside her, and paused for a moment. He wasn’t your stereotypically handsome guy, but his eyes were fantastic. And he was unassuming and gentle, softspoken and surprisingly kind. Okay, so maybe she was starting to harbor some feelings. Feelings that were growing. Feelings she was a little terrified of, but even more excited by.
“That sounds like a deal.” She nudged his elbow with her own.
When they reached the front of the line, the redheaded baker was behind the counter. Audrey brightened at the sight of them. “Spencer! And… oh, gosh.” She brought her fist up to her forehead, as if that would help her remember his name. Like a vacuum. “Is it Tod? Teddy? I’m so sorry, my memory is shot after the babies.”
Toby really couldn’t have guessed at the idea of Spencer Hastings having feelings for him in any universe, but he was glad that he was here with her right now. Even if he felt like an awkward, bumbling idiot for the most part. He knew he liked her, but he wasn’t sure if she felt the same. Even with the kissing. But that had been some weirdness and she’d run out almost immediately after.
There was a hint of a smile. He wasn’t surprised his name went missed. He wasn’t anywhere with coffee as often as Spencer. “It’s uh...Toby, actually. It’s fine. I’m - It’s fine.” He had wanted to say that he was easily forgotten, but he thought that it was better not to. After a moment of thought. So instead of that, he asked for suggestions about her concoctions and ordered something. When they went to get a seat, he pulled the chair out for Spencer before taking a seat himself. So far he hadn’t messed it up, so he felt like the rest of the date should go just fine.