Chapter Three: "First Date"

I bit down on my lip as I stared at Paine from across the table. She was fumbling with a menu and her eyes were scanning everything in the café. It was so funny, but I had to hold in my laughter. It's like the chick is uncomfortable anywhere where she couldn't kill something.
That is so cute, in a disturbing sorta way.

OoO

"...And to top off my order, I'll have the special."

"Will that be all for you tonight, ma'am?"

"Yep. Oh no, wait! I want...yeah, I want the fruit cup too. I love fruit!"

The waiter gave me an up-and-down glance, (I know I'm cute, but sheesh, you don't have to be obviously checking me out) and then he turned to Paine, who was shifting in her seat. The waiter posed his pen on the paper. "And what'll you be ordering?"

Paine picked up the menu from the table and skimmed over it again. "Why the hell do you guys have so many drinks to choose from? For five pages, you have nothing but drinks. What a waste."

A vain popped out on the waiter's head. "Ma'am, I'd appreciate it if you just ordered."

She sighed and began to read off of the menu. "Spiran Strawberry?"

"Is that what you wish for, miss?" He scribbled the drink name down on a paper.

She shook her head.

"Oh, this looks like a good one - how about Braska's Berry? Or maybe Seymour's Sweet Smoothie?"

I giggled. The café was" famous" for naming every single one of it's drinks after a person or fiend in Spira. Paine named off at least two pages worth of drinks, and by the time she came up with a choice, the waiter was bright red. Balls of paper that the waiter had written on were spread out on the floor.

"Are you done, ma'am?"

Paine smiled and placed the menu on the table. "Why yes, I think I am."

"What will you have then?"

"...I think I'll just have water."

I snorted as he wrote 'water' on the paper so hard that the paper ripped. "Thank you, miss." He stormed off.

I burst out laughing as soon as he left. I stole one of my sneaky glances (I am a thief, anyway. Us thieves are sneaky at everything) She was grinning ear-to-ear. I'd never seen Paine look so happy...or cute.

OoO

When my motherload of food and drinks and Paine's tall glass of water arrived at our table, I was already friggin' starving. I dug into my food, shoving fruit into my mouth and washing it all down with my drink. Paine gaped at me with her mouth in an 'O' shape while I stuffed my mouth silly.

"What?" I asked her, even though it kinda turned out to be, "Mmmf?"

I could've sworn that she wanted to crack a smile. Paine's a really bad actress.

She sipped her water and banged it down onto the table. "Look Rikku," she started. I took my eyes off my second plate of food for a second to meet eyes with her. We looked into each other's eyes for a moment before she burst out laughing.

"Rikku, your cheeks are both filled with food. You look hilarious. But anyway...what I'm trying to tell you is..."

I tried to grin with two food-filled cheeks. Which wasn't really a smart idea, 'cause then I started to choke.

Paine stopped herself in mid-sentence and hopped out of her seat faster then Yuna backed out of her marriage with Seymour. She jumped around nervously, watching me choke and try to spit out the food.

"R-Rikku!" She hopped on her left foot, then her right. I continued to choke (since when did you just stand there hopping when your date is choking?) until I pointed to her water. Paine grabbed it and gave it to me, and I swallowed the whole glass in about ten seconds. But I was still choking.

"Shit!" Paine pulled me out of the booth and placed me in front of her. She wrapped her arms around me (Ooh...) and started to squeeze lightly somewhere on my stomach - I wasn't paying attention to where. Finally, after a small crowd had formed, I spit out the nasty looking gobs of food.

I groaned in pain(e). Paine sighed with relief. The small crowd cheered and then went back to their booths.

I sat back down in the booth while Paine went to the bathroom to...do whatever. I didn't care. But I was too busy recovering by drinking up every cup on the table, and then thinking about what Paine had just done.

It was so sweet. (I'm a sappy person, but so what?)

OoO

When Paine got back from the bathroom, we both just sat there in this weird silence. She fumbled with her empty glass and I slowly (and CAREFULLY) ate the rest of my food. I wanted to bring up two things; one, what she was going to bring up before I nearly died; and how freaking sweet her act was to me.

I finished up everything and pushed all the plates to the side, and then folded my elbows on the table and rested my chin in my hands. "So...Paine." she looked at me. "I just wanted to say that was really sweet!"

She looked skeptical about my gratitude. (Nice vocabulary, huh?) "Rikku, anyone in Spira would do the same to you. Especially the men."

I giggled. "But that was still really sweet. Don't you have pride? It just, ya know, disappeared when you saw I was in danger."

Paine didn't crack a smile. In fact, she didn't do anything after I said that. Just looked blankly at my chest. So I got up out of my seat and went to her side of the booth. She backed away a little from me, but I pulled on her arm and made her look at me. She didn't want to look at me. Like she was feeling embaressed, shy and happy at the same time.

Hm.

"Painey," I started. I knew she hated that name, so she looked at me. (Yep. It always works.) "Thank you so much. I woulda died if it wasn't for you."

She smiled a little. "Y-Your welcome...I guess."

We hugged, kinda awkwardly.

Well, that was a nice way to start a date.

After a LONG time, there was the third chapter. That's it? Only three real chapters after five months? Sorry. Ah well. You could thank me for this by reviewing, though.