Summary- Arthur's judgmental mother comes to town and he plans to take her to dinner. The only problem is his lack of girlfriend. Ariadne is happy to fill in, and by the end of the night, they might not be pretending anymore. Rated T for kissing scenes. Hopefully this ends fluffy but has some meat to it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inception!
A/N- Been working on this one since before school started and finally I get some time to post it! I'm really excited for this one because I like how it turned out. PLEASE review because I really want feedback from this one. I have all the chapter done on this story, but I really want to upload it one chapter at a time because I feel like there's nice logical breaks between each section. There will ONLY BE THREE CHAPTERS. Just letting you all know that know :D
It was a quiet Wednesday in the warehouse that day. Everyone had a job to do, and they were all busy at work doing it. No one had much to say to anyone else, and for the first few hours, Ariadne had to remind herself that she wasn't the only one if the office. This is why it surprised Ariadne so much when Arthur walked over to her station and sat down on her desk. She looked up from her model, and saw him sitting there.
"Can I help you?" she asked in mock annoyance. It really didn't bother her, but she liked to pretend that it was a huge inconvenience whenever Arthur needed something. It was a joke they shared, and she expected Arthur to roll his eyes and smile slightly like he usually did. Today, however, he looked worried and rather annoyed.
"Ariadne, you know that I would never ask you to do something I didn't think you should have to do unless I really, really needed you, right?" he asked. She lifted an eyebrow. Arthur wasn't usually one to ramble.
"Yes…?" it was a statement but also a question. He sighed and continued.
"My…mother is coming to town. I'm taking her to dinner tonight and it would mean a lot to me if you would come with us," he spoke quietly. Ariadne was intrigued.
"Why do you need me?"She asked him. The man in front of her was the point man. He barely ever needed help from anyone, and yet here he was asking for her help. Once again he sighed, and ran his hand through his hair mussing it a little bit.
"My mother is somewhat of a perfectionist. She wants the best for me, but of course, on her own terms. Which, apparently, includes a girlfriend. Something I happen to lack," He finished. Ariadne's face contorted into a smile and she willed herself not to laugh.
"Let me see if I understand. You need me to pretend to be your girlfriend so you can impress your mother?" she clarified. He nodded and gave a small smile.
"It sounds pretty stupid. But yes. That's the gist of it." He replied. At this, she finally allowed herself to laugh. After composing herself, she spoke again.
"I'm sorry. I'm done now. Yes Arthur, I would love to be your date tonight," she told him. He smiled.
"Thank you Ariadne. It means a lot to me," he said, and started to stand up.
"Arthur, wait," she called after him. He stopped and turned around.
"Yes?" he asked.
"What should I wear?" she asked. Arthur turned around.
"Something nice. It's an..elaborate restaurant," He hinted gently. Looking down slightly, he added, "but…I'm sure you'll look lovely in whatever you wear," he told her, and started to walk away. She smiled to herself and bit her lip, basking in the glow of the compliment that Arthur had given her.
The rest of the day passed slowly. Ariadne spent most of it worrying about the dinner date with Arthur's mother. To keep herself from thinking about it she worked intensely on her most recent model, and before she knew it, it was time to leave. In fact, she wouldn't have noticed the time if she didn't feel Arthur's hand on her shoulder.
"I'm going to go. I'll pick you up around 7, if that's alright," he told her. She turned her gaze away from her work and faced him.
"Okay. I'll see you tonight," she replied, and watched as he left. She sighed, and cleaned up the rest of her space. Wordlessly, she waved goodbye to Cobb and walked out the door. It was 5:30 now, which gave her about an hour and a half before Arthur arrived to pick her up. She drove home in the rain, which had just started falling. Despite the grey clouds that had hung ominously throughout the whole day, the rain hadn't decided to fall until just now, a fact that Ariadne resented as she hadn't brought an umbrella with her that morning. When she finally arrived home, she ran through the rain to enter her building, and rode the elevator up in silence.
By the time she was safely alone in her house, it was 6. That gave her one hour to get ready completely. She walked into the bathroom and examined her face. The make-up she had applied that morning was rubbing off and the redness that lined her nose and cheeks was showing through. Her hair was frizzy from the rain, and hung limply at her shoulders. With a sigh, she turned on the hot water in the shower. There was a lot of work to be done if she wanted to be presentable to Arthur's mother.
At 7'oclock, almost on the dot, Arthur drove up to Ariadne's apartment building. He parked his car and took a deep breath before walked into the building. The rain had let up by then, but deep puddles lay by the sidewalks, and Arthur had to step over one in order to stay dry. He walked in and took in the environment in which Ariadne lived. It seemed like a nice enough apartment building. He noted to himself that it wasn't quite as extensive as the one in which he lived. However, it suited Ariadne nicely.
He rode the elevator up, lost in his thoughts. His mother was known for her judgmental disposition. She had never been the loving kind, and it seemed like the only thing she ever did when she was around him was judge. He hated to subject Ariadne to her. Nothing would be safe from his mother's sharp opinions.
As he rang her doorbell, he had the smallest fleet of a worry that Ariadne wouldn't have dressed formally enough. The thought however, disappeared as the door opened. She stood in front him in a knee length black dress that framed her well. A single necklace dangled from her neck, just large enough to add some brightness to the dark dress. The sleeve came to her upper arm, and her hair rested just below her shoulders. She had straightened it, and it made her look elegant. He couldn't speak for a few moments. He had never doubted Ariadne's beauty before, but tonight she looked more than beautiful. She looked stunning, refined and…truly gorgeous. Her smile completed the look, and her whole face lit up when she saw Arthur at the door. Somewhere, a voice in the back of his head told him that he wanted to lean forward and kiss her cheek. He didn't though, and simply listened as she spoke.
"Hey! I'm glad you're here, I hope this is alright. Is it too casual?" she asked. He couldn't stop from grinning slightly at the sight of her, at her worried tone.
"You look…beautiful," he told her, allowing himself to smile. She smiled again too.
"Thank you. I was pretty anxious," she chuckled.
"Well you didn't need to be," he told her, and held out his arm. She smiled and took it, closing the apartment door behind her.
As they walked to the car, Ariadne took in Arthur. She was used to seeing him in suits, but tonight he wore a grey tuxedo. His hair was still slicked back as usual, but it looked nicer tonight for some reason. He smelled the same, except with a hint of cologne. It wasn't overpowering but it was enough that Ariadne wanted to lean into him and breath his scent She didn't, of course. She did however keep her grasp on him until they got to the car. He let her in first, and then walked around to the other side to slide into the car.
"So I was meaning to ask you. How…close does your mother think we are?" she asked him as he put his keys in the ignition and revved the engine.
"I just told her that my girlfriend would be joining us for dinner. She probably expects more than what she'll get," he told her. Ariadne smiled.
"Well we should give her what she wants," he suggested. He looked at her briefly, and would have stared if he didn't have to keep his eyes on the road. She continued. "If she expects us to be in love, we'll pretend. But that means that you're going to have to kiss me," she spoke. Arthur couldn't be sure if she was speaking more to him or herself. He nodded regardless.
"Yes, I suppose so," he replied.
"And you should probably hold my hand," she added, running through a mental list of things that couples did.
"Of course," he answered back. Finally she sighed.
"Arthur, just…don't be afraid to get close. If we're going to pull this off...well, I'm sure you've had a girlfriend before. You know how you just…touch, without thinking about it? When one of us speaks, the other needs to look at them with love in their eyes. We need to complement each other too." She instructed. He nodded. In truth, Arthur had indulged in various flings, but he couldn't say that he'd ever had a girlfriend. Arthur was indeed a man, and sometimes enjoyed the pleasure of a woman. His style was, however, one of first dates that ended in bed, and then ended all together. He really couldn't afford much more than that in the particular job he found himself in. He had never experienced having true feelings for a woman. This worried him now that Ariadne had brought it up.
"I'm sure that we'll be fine," he told her, and admittedly, himself. She raised her eyebrows.
"Arthur…I don't mean to impose but…look at you. You're so tense. You need to relax. We should take this opportunity to get closer. Here, take my hand," she told him. She held her hand out to him, and he took it hesitantly.
"Oh come on Arthur. It's like you've never done this before. Here, like this," she said. She pulled their hands apart and guided his hand so that their fingers interlocked. They sat that like for a few seconds.
"That's good. But, you should try moving your fingers. Use your thumb to stroke mine. And then I'll use my thumb to rub your finger. There, that's good," she complimented him. He continued to stroke her thumb. He saw her smile softly.
"That's nice," she almost spoke the words so quiet that he couldn't hear, but still he did. Abruptly, snapping out of her daze, she blinked a few times and sat up again.
"Now, you should probably call me Ari. All of my friends do, it would make sense for you to," she told him.
"Ari," he spoke, testing the word. She nodded. He nodded himself. They were silent for the rest of the ride, until they got to the restaurant. They parked, and Ariadne waited for Arthur to unlock the car. He didn't at first, but sighed and then started to speak.
"Ariadne, you should know that my mother…is incredibly judgmental. She'll find something about anything to complain about. And I'm sorry that I'm asking this of you. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, please just…" he tried but he stopped when Ariadne put a hand on his shoulder.
"Arthur, if I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be. It's fine," she told him with a smile. He nodded, and sighed again. He unlocked the car and they got out. Before Arthur could start walking, Ariadne grabbed his hand.
"Are you alright?" she asked him. He nodded.
"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked her.
"Because you're so stiff. Relax, it's alright," she told him. She took his hand, and started to rub her thumb over his this time. He took deep breaths.
"That is very calming," he agreed. She smiled. They walked through the night and were silent until they reached the door. Arthur made a move to go in, but Ariadne's hand pulled him back.
"We should get this over with now. Arthur, kiss me." She spoke hurriedly, anxiety pulsing through her.
"I have kissed you before, Ariadne," he reminded her. She rolled her eyes.
"Arthur, kiss me like I'm your world," she told him, putting it as eloquently as she could. His eyes widened and returned to normal almost instantaneously. He took a breath, and leaned forward. She followed suit. Their lips touched, and he was left dazed by the softness of hers. He couldn't think, but was aware of her lifting his hand and putting it around her waist so that he could draw her closer. She wrapped her hands around his neck and danced her fingers around the bare skin. It sent shivers through him. The shivers opened his mouth and she slipped in her tongue, happy for the advantage.
When enough time had passed, she removed her hands and parted her lips from his. His face was slightly bewildered, and hers was blank, if not slightly confused.
"That…will convince your mother." She told him. He nodded, thinking to himself that it had almost convinced him. She fiddled with her hair for a second before finally dropping her hand for him to take in his, the proper way, and they walked into the restaurant, both of them more befuddled than they had been before.