He sat,and waited, and pulled nervously at his tux once more. She was late--and she was never late. Maybe she just didn't want anything to do with him anymore. It was a possibility--since it had been so long since they last saw each other. He never really got to say goodbye, truth be told. Maybe--
"Tony?" A soft voice called out from behind him and he quickly turned his gaze towards the voice. He took a quick relieved breath and flashed her a smile, standing up to greet her.
"Hi, Pepper." He whispered, his heart seemingly lighter than it had ever been. Pepper gave him a small, reassuring smile and took her seat across from his, looking around at the restaurant.
"You always pick such extravagant places to eat at." She told him, and only then, could he really see the weakening, tired Virginia Pepper Potts.
Tony, without saying anything back to her, ordered a bottle of wine -- Domaine Romanée-Conti -- Pepper liked this one, if he remembered correctly.
"I'm sorry about your..." Tony spoke up, not knowing how to put it in euphemistic words.
"Divorce?" She finished his sentence, a small, worn-out scoff following her word. "No, I guess I brought it upon myself. I never should've left the company--especially..."
It was his turn to finish her sentence. "Without telling me? Eloping with my chauffeur?" He asked, the harsher, cold, and rather smug Tony Stark coming into play. Pepper's face flushed as she let out a deep sigh. Neither of them said anything for the next few moments, because quite frankly, there wasn't much to be said.
The dinner was quiet and quick. When they were done, Pepper immediately stood up, wanting to disappear once again from this man's life. He hadn't changed a single bit, she could see.
"Where are you going?" Tony called out to her, holding her purse up.
"Dammit, Tony," She whispered softly under her breath, coming back to retrieve the purse.
"Doesn't answer my question." He pulled it back, keeping it out of her reach.
"I'm staying at a hotel, all right? Now give it back, it's all I've got at the moment." She confessed, her eyes tearing up once more. And once again, the famous Anthony Edward Stark had nothing to say to her.
"Stay at my place, you can have your old room. It'll be a whole lot better." He told her, knowing this was one offer she couldn't refuse at the moment. She simply couldn't--she had nowhere to stay, with only a limited amount of money.
"No."
"No?"
Pepper sighed, once again frustrated. "Fine. One night."
Tony hid his internal smile and held his arm out, which she took hesitantly. They both knew it wasn't going to be just tonight she was going to spend at his place.
"You know, if you want, you can have your old job back. It's been hard getting by without you." He admitted, once again, making her an offer she couldn't resist. She was silent for the longest time, causing Tony to frown in worry. Had he been much too straight forward with her?
"Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" She asked, staring up at him with her larger-than-life eyes as he assisted her into his car.
"That will be all, Miss Potts."