Numair jumped into his old, lemon of a car (no one said that there was a
lot of money in the book business) and sped off as quickly as he could to
meet Daine. The pair was meeting at Schwartz's, a casual little Italian
restaurant where they both enjoyed eating. Tonight, they were celebrating
their four-year anniversary, which Numair took to mean he was getting laid
tonight. He was still amazed that he could get a girl like Daine. She was
young, beautiful, smart, funny... everything that he had ever wished for.
She made his life seen better than he ever thought it could possibly be.
It was so hard to believe that it had been four years and they hadn't even
moved in together, but Daine had said that she wanted to take it slow and
Numair was ok with this until he found out how slow she meant.
The restaurant was a calm, quiet place near the park on Main Street. It was
run by a family Daine had known all her life.
Disenchanted lullabies,
Sing me yours I'll sing you mine
Sing with me now what's a boy to do
What's a boy to do?
Sing along for yesterday
Sing along my soul to take
Sing along another song for you
What's a boy to do?
Numair got out of his car, locked it, and headed into the diner. Despite how dilapidated it looked from the outside, the inside was fairly nice- looking. He spotted Daine immediately. She was sitting at a table in the corner furthest away from the door. She was wearing a strapless black dress that fit her slender figure perfectly. Her shoulder length, curly brown hair was pulled back, exposing her narrow shoulders. As Numair made his way over to her she looked up from the spot she was staring at on the table and smiled at him. " You're late". "Only by a few minutes," he stated in his defense. Daine snorted. "Try thirty." Numair grinned apologetically. " Things were a little... hectic at the store today. Things always are always shorthanded when Neal takes a day off. But for some odd reason Joren was in a good mood today so he helped as much as possible." " Why haven't you fired him already?" " What? With the way things were today, I was thinking of hiring an extra set of hands, not firing one of workers." " Yes, but", Numair hated the dreaded "but". It meant that she was about to disagree with him completely, despite the yes. "Yes, but he ruins your working environment. He is the reason I hate to visit you at work. Every time I walk in there I can feel him judging me. You know, I bet he is an animal abuser." Numair laughed. Daine worked at a small vet clinic right outside the city, so that was probably the worst insult that she could give someone. " I'm not quite sure how you managed to do it but you got on his good side. He likes AND trusts you. Whenever I talk to him he looks at me pityingly like he feels ashamed by my lack of intelligence. But, I have to admit, when he looks at me with one of those gorgeous blue eyes..." They both laughed. Daine often joked about leaving Numair for Joren. At first, her saying this had worried him because he knew that his twenty- three-year-old, blonde haired, blue eyed employee was closer to Daine's own age and was obviously better looking than he was. Thankfully, Daine hated Joren, so his worries were immediately put to rest.
Whisper with me pass the time
Whisper for the days gone bye
Whisper with a voice inside of you
They went through dinner normally, talking and joking throughout the meal. In fact, it was a completely normal date until they were walking through the nearby park and one of those dreaded "discussions" started. "Numair," Daine stopped walking as she broke the silence. " We have been dating for four years. And you haven't asked me to move in with you or.anything along those lines. I know when we met I said we should take things slow, but I never meant this slow."
He was at a complete loss for words. He hadn't even had inkling that she was unhappy about their relationship; he assumed that he was the only one not exactly satisfied.
Daine continued. " You know, I think I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands. Here" she said as she handed him a small black box. "Now, get down on one knee"
Numair laughed and did what she said.
With this ring you will be mine
With this ring I'll multiply
With this ring surrendering to you
What's a boy to do?
"Now, repeat after me, 'Daine, will you marry me?'"
"Daine, will you marry me?"
Daine grinned. "Now, put the ring on my finger". Numair did as he was told and replied, " Now you repeat after me "Of course I will"
I may be scattered
A little shattered
What does it matter?
No one has a fit like I do
I'm the only one who fits you
She was grinning uncontrollably now. "Oh my God! I have to go home and call my mom! Thank you, thank you! I'll call you tomorrow!" And she ran back to her car, got in and drove away, leaving Numair in a state of shock.
It didn't look like he was going to get any tonight.
Back at the Emperor Mage Joren was trying to lock up and keep the box of files that he was balancing in one arm from falling onto the sidewalk. He managed to complete both tasks, get in his car and drive home. That was, until he was almost hit by a small, black BMW.
"Watch where you're going, asshole!" he yelled and flicked the guy off. Joren stared in disbelief once he realized who the driver was; that's right, it was the bastard from the bookstore. What was his name? Oh yeah, Jonathon. "This guy is out kill me! First he tries driving me insane and when that didn't work he tries to run me over with his fucking car!"
Remembering the asshole from earlier, he realized that he forgot to mention to Numair that the guy was asking for him, which prompted him to take the street that would get him to Numair's house instead of his own. But the memory of what happened last time he went over to Numair's without calling first immediately popped into his head. He remembered seeing a whole lot of Numair and a whole lot of Daine. Together. On the couch. Ok, that was enough of that. He really didn't want to remember that day. Regardless, he got out his car phone and called Numair. The phone rang once, then twice, and by the tenth ring he hung up. By this time he had reached Numair's apartment building and decided to walk up to his apartment, just leave a note on his door, and talk to him about the guy tomorrow. Looking back on it, Joren could remember a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach as he climbed the stairs to Numair's apartment, but at the time he just ignored it.
Numair heard a knock on his door. Before he could make it to the door, the person knocked again, this time more impatiently. When Numair opened the door he was shocked to see a person he had prayed never to lay eyes on again. " Jonathon. Wh- what a surprise." The nerves were making Numair stutter and he suddenly wished he had never opened that door. " Bet you never expected to see me again" Malice had taken over Jonathon's voice now. He shook a shocked Numair's hand. " I came here to tell you that what happened between us happened a long time ago and that I have finally come to terms with myself and forgive you."
Numair breathed a sigh of relief. "You don't know how great it is to hear you say that. Although I have changed so much in the past twenty years, not a day goes by that I am not horrified and ashamed by what I did back then." Jonathon, now safely inside Numair apartment, patted Numair on the shoulder. " Change is constant; people change from day to day. And you are a different person, Aram."
When he heard that name, he knew he was in trouble. Jonathon would not leave his apartment without him dead. Joren knocked on the door to Numair's apartment and when no one bothered to answer the door yelled, " It's Joren. I brought the files. "No answer. " I'm coming in. He opened the door and the first thing he saw was the top of Numair's head over the back of a chair. " Why didn't you answer?" Joren asked. " I mean I knocked and..."He stopped suddenly when he got a good look at Numair. "Fuck" he added in a barely audible whisper.
I may be scattered
A little shattered
What does it matter?
No one has a fit like I do
I'm the only one who fits you
AN: The song in this chapter is Disenchanted Lullaby by Foo Fighters, who I recently got to see in concert. Dave Grohl is a sexy beast! Anyway, please review! Oh, and next chapter will introduce Kel, Alanna, and others!
Disenchanted lullabies,
Sing me yours I'll sing you mine
Sing with me now what's a boy to do
What's a boy to do?
Sing along for yesterday
Sing along my soul to take
Sing along another song for you
What's a boy to do?
Numair got out of his car, locked it, and headed into the diner. Despite how dilapidated it looked from the outside, the inside was fairly nice- looking. He spotted Daine immediately. She was sitting at a table in the corner furthest away from the door. She was wearing a strapless black dress that fit her slender figure perfectly. Her shoulder length, curly brown hair was pulled back, exposing her narrow shoulders. As Numair made his way over to her she looked up from the spot she was staring at on the table and smiled at him. " You're late". "Only by a few minutes," he stated in his defense. Daine snorted. "Try thirty." Numair grinned apologetically. " Things were a little... hectic at the store today. Things always are always shorthanded when Neal takes a day off. But for some odd reason Joren was in a good mood today so he helped as much as possible." " Why haven't you fired him already?" " What? With the way things were today, I was thinking of hiring an extra set of hands, not firing one of workers." " Yes, but", Numair hated the dreaded "but". It meant that she was about to disagree with him completely, despite the yes. "Yes, but he ruins your working environment. He is the reason I hate to visit you at work. Every time I walk in there I can feel him judging me. You know, I bet he is an animal abuser." Numair laughed. Daine worked at a small vet clinic right outside the city, so that was probably the worst insult that she could give someone. " I'm not quite sure how you managed to do it but you got on his good side. He likes AND trusts you. Whenever I talk to him he looks at me pityingly like he feels ashamed by my lack of intelligence. But, I have to admit, when he looks at me with one of those gorgeous blue eyes..." They both laughed. Daine often joked about leaving Numair for Joren. At first, her saying this had worried him because he knew that his twenty- three-year-old, blonde haired, blue eyed employee was closer to Daine's own age and was obviously better looking than he was. Thankfully, Daine hated Joren, so his worries were immediately put to rest.
Whisper with me pass the time
Whisper for the days gone bye
Whisper with a voice inside of you
They went through dinner normally, talking and joking throughout the meal. In fact, it was a completely normal date until they were walking through the nearby park and one of those dreaded "discussions" started. "Numair," Daine stopped walking as she broke the silence. " We have been dating for four years. And you haven't asked me to move in with you or.anything along those lines. I know when we met I said we should take things slow, but I never meant this slow."
He was at a complete loss for words. He hadn't even had inkling that she was unhappy about their relationship; he assumed that he was the only one not exactly satisfied.
Daine continued. " You know, I think I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands. Here" she said as she handed him a small black box. "Now, get down on one knee"
Numair laughed and did what she said.
With this ring you will be mine
With this ring I'll multiply
With this ring surrendering to you
What's a boy to do?
"Now, repeat after me, 'Daine, will you marry me?'"
"Daine, will you marry me?"
Daine grinned. "Now, put the ring on my finger". Numair did as he was told and replied, " Now you repeat after me "Of course I will"
I may be scattered
A little shattered
What does it matter?
No one has a fit like I do
I'm the only one who fits you
She was grinning uncontrollably now. "Oh my God! I have to go home and call my mom! Thank you, thank you! I'll call you tomorrow!" And she ran back to her car, got in and drove away, leaving Numair in a state of shock.
It didn't look like he was going to get any tonight.
Back at the Emperor Mage Joren was trying to lock up and keep the box of files that he was balancing in one arm from falling onto the sidewalk. He managed to complete both tasks, get in his car and drive home. That was, until he was almost hit by a small, black BMW.
"Watch where you're going, asshole!" he yelled and flicked the guy off. Joren stared in disbelief once he realized who the driver was; that's right, it was the bastard from the bookstore. What was his name? Oh yeah, Jonathon. "This guy is out kill me! First he tries driving me insane and when that didn't work he tries to run me over with his fucking car!"
Remembering the asshole from earlier, he realized that he forgot to mention to Numair that the guy was asking for him, which prompted him to take the street that would get him to Numair's house instead of his own. But the memory of what happened last time he went over to Numair's without calling first immediately popped into his head. He remembered seeing a whole lot of Numair and a whole lot of Daine. Together. On the couch. Ok, that was enough of that. He really didn't want to remember that day. Regardless, he got out his car phone and called Numair. The phone rang once, then twice, and by the tenth ring he hung up. By this time he had reached Numair's apartment building and decided to walk up to his apartment, just leave a note on his door, and talk to him about the guy tomorrow. Looking back on it, Joren could remember a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach as he climbed the stairs to Numair's apartment, but at the time he just ignored it.
Numair heard a knock on his door. Before he could make it to the door, the person knocked again, this time more impatiently. When Numair opened the door he was shocked to see a person he had prayed never to lay eyes on again. " Jonathon. Wh- what a surprise." The nerves were making Numair stutter and he suddenly wished he had never opened that door. " Bet you never expected to see me again" Malice had taken over Jonathon's voice now. He shook a shocked Numair's hand. " I came here to tell you that what happened between us happened a long time ago and that I have finally come to terms with myself and forgive you."
Numair breathed a sigh of relief. "You don't know how great it is to hear you say that. Although I have changed so much in the past twenty years, not a day goes by that I am not horrified and ashamed by what I did back then." Jonathon, now safely inside Numair apartment, patted Numair on the shoulder. " Change is constant; people change from day to day. And you are a different person, Aram."
When he heard that name, he knew he was in trouble. Jonathon would not leave his apartment without him dead. Joren knocked on the door to Numair's apartment and when no one bothered to answer the door yelled, " It's Joren. I brought the files. "No answer. " I'm coming in. He opened the door and the first thing he saw was the top of Numair's head over the back of a chair. " Why didn't you answer?" Joren asked. " I mean I knocked and..."He stopped suddenly when he got a good look at Numair. "Fuck" he added in a barely audible whisper.
I may be scattered
A little shattered
What does it matter?
No one has a fit like I do
I'm the only one who fits you
AN: The song in this chapter is Disenchanted Lullaby by Foo Fighters, who I recently got to see in concert. Dave Grohl is a sexy beast! Anyway, please review! Oh, and next chapter will introduce Kel, Alanna, and others!