"Here, let me get that for you." Phil dives in to save Audrey at the last second, as usual. She bats his hand away from the handle of her cello case and grins.
"Phil, I've been carrying this all over town since middle school. I think I can handle it for tonight."
He stands up and smiles. "Well, you played your heart out tonight. I thought your fingers could use a rest." It's lame, he knows, but they've been going out for three months now and she's become used to his cheesy lines. Her smile grows wider and she brushes her hair out of her face.
"Alright Phil," she relents as she hands him the case, ignoring the grunt as he realizes just how heavy the cello actually is, "but just for tonight."
They walk outside to Phil's car and Phil awkwardly maneuvers the instrument not the back seat before placing himself behind the wheel and beside his wonderful girlfriend. As they drove away from the university and through the streets of Portland, they discussed their lives. It had been two weeks since they had seen each other (all Coulson could say about his latest mission was that it involved something in the Atlantic), so they were both eager to catch up. Phil talked about how things were going with wrangling Tony Stark, about how they had contained the giant green rage monster in New York, and that they still weren't sure about what happened in New Mexico. Audrey talked about the orchestra's new conductor, the stray cat she'd adopted, and her sister's upcoming wedding.
"It's a Valentine's Day wedding, of course, she's always wanted to have one." She paused. "I'm...okay, I don't know if we're at that stage yet, but would it be alright if I ask you to be my date?"
Phil's a bit surprised, but keeps his composure. Mostly. "Uh, sure. Sure! That would be great."
Audrey smiles. "Oh, great. That could have gone wrong so easily."
Phil eases up again. "No, it's a great idea. I'd love to go. I'll even book the day off so that they can't call me in."
"Really? Not even if the world's ending?"
Phil resists the urge to quip that the world is probably facing the apocalypse every day, and instead just asks wear it is.
When they get to Audrey's house he walks her to her door. She tells him to wait just a moment and runs inside. Soon after she's back carrying a small box. "I got you something just in case you said yes. So it's probably a good thing that you did." She hands it to Phil, you opens it up and finds a lovely new silk tie.
"Wow. This is quality material." He presses it against his own tie. "It's beautiful. Thanks!"
He leans in and they kiss in her doorway. After a minute she invites him in for some coffee and "other stuff".
