Another chap... In two weeks i'll be on summer holiday and i'll try to update also love hurts and the cartoon analysys on FictionPress... If you haven't read them, take a look: the username is always fiddler jones. Bye

The titans moved slowly to the restaurant: they tried to create a pleasant atmosphere, but Raven and Beast Boy's anger was so thick that they could cut it with a knife. Raven was opening the group of young heroes: her pace was fast and quiet at the same time. She was alone, but she didn't seemed bothered of this. Behind her there were Cyborg, Robin and Starfire, who were trying to regroup, but either Raven and Beast Boy were too proud to walk side to side. Beast Boy was closing the group: he was with Terra, and they were whispering and laughing, ignoring everybody else. Finally they arrived to the restaurant, with the cold atmosphere they were carrying; they chose a table and sat down, Beast Boy and Terra far from the others, and Raven half hided in a dark corner. Nobody was talking, even Terra and Beast Boy were shutting up, looking all around the table the faces of the others Titans; then Beast Boy spoke:

"Hey, we're supposed to be happy, we're here to celebrate Terra's return, remember?"

Some embarrassed smile came from his audience, and Beast Boy looked more angry than first. He was about to shout, when, fortunately, the waiter arrived: he was a tall boy with deep blue eyes and shoulder length black hair: his eyes were sad and far away from the heroes sitting at the table, even if he was smiling.

"What can I bring..." he said then he stopped abruptly "Raven! Hi! I haven't see you!"

Raven wished to disappear, but it was too late: she had seen him approaching, and she had tried to hide, but he saw her anyway. It was the boy of the bar, he was his no more mysterious admirer.

"Oh, hi" Raven replied with the lowest voice she could do, with her cheeks blushing violently. The others looked the boy and Raven for a while, then Robin asked:

"I suppose you must be a friend of Raven, but we never met... I'm Robin, the girl next to me is Starfire, then we have Cyborg, Beast Boy, and our new entry: Terra. And you are...?"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't introduce myself: I'm Paul, pleased to meet you. I've heard a lot about you guys..."

"Nice to meet you too, Paul... I hope they talked about us positively..." said Robin with a smile.

"Oh, that's sure... You're heroes!"

Beast Boy didn't seemed to be pleased, he was quite annoyed in fact: he asked unkindly:

"Yeah, I'm pleased to meet you, but now I want my pizza, do what you're paid for!"

"All right, don't get angry... What pizza you want?"

"A vegetarian one... With a lot of tofu on it..."

"I'm sorry, but we have finished tofu... May I suggest our pizza with broccoli?"

"No! I want tofu! It can't be finished! No one except me eats it!"

"It may seems strange but, somebody else likes it, as you do... So we're out of tofu. If you want there are some alternatives, like the broccoli, or you can just stood up and go somewhere else..."

"Yeah? That's what I'll do, then! And don't expect me to come again in this restaurant!" replied Beast Boy, shouting.

"Shut up, and be quiet, B.B. We're here to celebrate Terra's return, you already forgot that? Can't you just take the pizza with broccoli for once?" said Robin firmly, as if it was an order than a suggestion.

Beast Boy sat down, looking Paul with anger in his look, and grumbled:

"I'll take the broccoli, then..."

The others ordered their pizza and Paul went away, giving a last, long look to Raven. As soon he disappeared, all the titans looked Raven full of curiosity, but nobody asked. She simply looked around, full of embarrass, and said:

"I need to go to the restroom... excuse me..." and she left the table.

"Damnation! Why I had to meet him right here, right now? I was embarrassed the last time and I was alone, imagine with all my friends around listening!"

She was so busy in her thought that she didn't noticed Paul's back, he was waiting for the pizzas at the counter and neither him saw Raven coming so they crashed and fell on the ground. Raven immediately stood up, blushing violently, and asked him quickly if everything was alright. He simply smiled and replied, talking on the ground:

"Hey, If you wanted to talk to me you could have asked..."

"I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts... are you all right?"

"Yes, don't worry..." he said, giving her his hand. Raven took it and helped him to stood up: they looked each other in the eyes for an embarrassing moment than Paul said:

"You're friend are nice... except the little green one... I think he's angry with me, but I don't know why... It's the first time we meet..."

Raven simply nodded. It was hard for her to talk with her friends, what she could have said to a stranger?

"You don't talk very much, don't you?"

"No... you're right... And don't worry for Beast Boy, he's just angry with me, you're an innocent victim..."

Paul smile enlarged.

"So... For that café... are you free on Wednesday?"

Raven eyes widened in surprise; for a moment she hoped he would haven't asked her that. She sighed and tried to invent an excuse but a voice behind her said:

"So, if you have finished your flirt, please can you honour us with your presence?" Raven knew who was before turn: it was Beast Boy. He was looking her with a sarcastic smile, and she hated him with all her strengths.

"Excuse me, but we were talking, can we finish? I'll steal you her just for another moment..."

"Hey, pizza guy, nobody asked you nothing, just shut up!" said Beast Boy, in a rude tone of voice.

"Listen, I don't want to fight with you, just give me a minute to talk to Raven, will you?"

Beast Boy said nothing, just stared at the boy like he was thinking what to do. Finally he turned his shoulders and moved a pace towards the table, then stopped. In a fraction of second, he turn back again and hit Paul with a punch. Paul fell again on the ground, touching his bleeding nose with an hand.

"Beast Boy, what are you doing? You're crazy?" said Raven, encaging him in a dark sphere made thanks to her powers "stop it!"

Beast Boy morphed into a goat and tried to escape from Raven's sphere, but it was too thick to destroy it; so after a while he calmed and just sat down, angry as if he has taken the punch. Meanwhile, Raven had helped Paul another time to stood, up. He smiled her again, and said, with is blood running down his hand:

"It is destiny for me that you help me today... thanks again..."

"Nothing... I do apologize for him.... Let me take a look to your nose, maybe I can heal it..."

"I didn't know you were also a nurse..." said Paul, trying to laugh.

"I can heal people too, sometimes." Said Raven, touching his nose. Immediately, it stopped bleeding, and it seemed like new.

"Thanks, for the third time, today..." said Paul "you're all dirty with my blood... Let me take you a wet handkerchief..."

"Thanks..."

Raven waited a little Paul, ignoring Beast Boy's cries and staring at the white wall of the restaurant, thinking. Finally Paul came back and gave her the handkerchief. She cleaned her hands, looking her feet, and when she finished she looked Paul straight in his eyes, and she gazed a soul similar to hers. She smiled and said:

"Wednesday is perfect for me... Three o'clock in front of "Dark Rose Café"?"

"Sounds great" said Paul with a smile.

A tear ran down Beast Boy's face in the black sphere.