Freddie watched as she busied herself looking for a vase and then putting the flowers into the one she'd found. Trust her to have one already even if the room still looked unlived in. His looked like he'd been here a while, books, new chess plays, at least three boards active at any one time Had to keep the mind working. It was as much a muscle as any in the body, he'd told Florence that often enough. But she'd only sometimes listened to him, in between the rows, in between the anger. But there was no time for any of that tonight. Tonight was all about making sure she felt admired, and wanted. And about putting the past behind him, hard as it was to forgive the betrayal.
"We'll have to get you something more for here to stop it looking like a damn hotel. You do it everywhere you go and its about time it stopped. Even if I plan to have you spend a lot more time in my apartment from now on." he added figuring that wouldn't be a whole lot of trouble to have happen. She was already happy with how things had begun, he could see it just by looking at her. He knew her better than she thought he did. And tonight he was going to prove that to her. When she returned to his side he took her hand again, bringing it to his lips to kiss it softly before wrapping her arm in his again.
She wanted a gentleman, well he could do that too. He could do the whole thing, dinner, manners, no hysterics, no dramas. And he didn't see why there would have been around her. It was different now. Maybe it was the year he'd spent here, maybe it was the things he'd seen, or maybe it was just a world without Global, without Walter, without most of the reasons he'd played the press game, made them hate him, like that tennis guy... What the hell was his name?
"How do you feel about French Food?" he asked, not trying to go for more than just the kiss to her hand as he walked her out the door, pulling it closed with his free hand behind him.
"Far as I remember you liked the food we got in France, remember that little cafe with the view of the Seine?" he asked, "Table just outside. You were sitting there with one of your people...this ever so prim and proper Brit and he was trying to teach you some ridiculous defense move that'd never have worked for where his queen was? So I came over and told him so. Pretty sure he thought it was bad etiquette or something?" he remembered. He'd been pretty sure Florence had been more amused than she'd let on that day. Once again he'd confused her and she'd liked it.