Author's Note: A new word, ergo, a new part. The word for this part was 'gourmet', which worked perfectly XD Ahem… thanks for the reviews so far.
PART FOUR: I'M ON MY WAY
Ray thanked the waiter as he took the plates away, looking to Abby briefly afterwards as she put her used napkin on the table, from where it had rested on her lap while they'd eaten. She smiled at him, and he returned it, before calmly finishing the rest of his drink. Now that dinner was out of the way, he felt a little more at ease, but there was still that little knot in his stomach. It was either nerves, or the pizza retaliating… both were likely possibilities, though he really hoped it was the latter all of a sudden.
"Not bad," Abby commented idly, and Ray looked to her a little too quickly, perhaps wondering what she was talking about, even as he managed to save his glass from taking a nosedive down to the floor, where it would have no doubt smashed spectacularly.
"Pardon?"
"The food," she laughed, and Ray almost slapped himself in the face for being so stupid; of course she had meant the food. She wasn't rating him… was she?
Oh, I hope not.
"Oh, yeah," he chuckled. "Not exactly gourmet, but it's pretty decent." He almost cringed when he saw the waiter beside him, and offered a small grin to the man, who put down the bill for them. Again, he almost smacked himself… or let his head plummet to the table.
Tactful…
Pretending nothing had happened; Ray paid for the meal, and looked to Abby as the waiter took the money away.
"You should have let me pay for half," she said to him, furrowing her brow almost in confusion, but not darkly. She seemed almost pleased or amused by something all of a sudden, and her companion was somewhat nervous to find out which, and why.
"It's fine. I said I was taking you out to dinner, so…" He shrugged lightly, not sure what else to say on the matter.
Short, swift and to the point. Classic Barnett.
Ray frowned.
Dammit… I don't want 'classic Barnett' tonight.
"Something wrong?"
Ray quickly destroyed the frown, and smiled as he looked at her. "Nope. I'm fine."
Abby nodded. "Okay." Moving her napkin further across the table so it didn't get in her way, she looked him in the eye across the short distance. "So… a movie?"
How is it that she can make this sound so formal?
"Sure… a movie's good."
I did not just say that…
Abby laughed quietly; that light, almost sweet sound that made him smile. He didn't hear it enough at work, so he was determined to get a healthy dose of it during tonight's…
Yes, this is a date, dammit, whether you like it or not… and whether she likes it or not. Even if she doesn't know it. Okay… if she doesn't know it, this is stupid.
"So, what do you wanna see?"
Please don't say a chick-flick… wait… shut up; see whatever she wants. Trust me.
Ray quickly decided his brain was doing way too much talking; a heck of a lot more than his mouth, actually, and more eloquently. He also decided he should stop that; switch it around, perhaps. He was being a little too quiet and bumbling for his liking, but Abby hadn't rolled her eyes yet… so maybe it was a good thing he wasn't acting like his normal self at all.
"Well, how about we head over to the theatre, and see what's on? We can decide when we get there." Her tone was suggestive and soft, and he liked that. It was an offer… he definitely liked how this was going so far.
"Sounds good to me," he agreed confidently, but not overly so. Standing, he waited for Abby to follow, a little unsure about pulling her chair out for her, hence why he hadn't done it. She didn't seem aggravated by this fact, at least, so he didn't let it bother him. It had seemed a little too forward a gesture, and he didn't want to give her the wrong idea. As they moved for the door, one of the staff thanked them for coming, even as Ray donned his jacket again, only helping Abby with hers when she couldn't find her second sleeve. As he slipped it on for her, their eyes met over her shoulder, and after a moment, she smiled.
"… Thanks."
"Welcome…"
Abby was the first to go out of the door, and as she did, Ray let out a slow breath. Giving his head a brief shake, he followed.
For a moment there, he thought he had seen something in her eyes…
To Be Continued
