AN: At last – the first date! I hope you like it :) Thanks to my beta Liz for her help with the chapter
Same old, same old – I don't own anything relating to The 100
Chapter title from "Just a Kiss" by Lady Antebellum
7
Just a Touch of the Fire Burning so Bright
Clarke unlocks the door and opens it to reveal Bellamy on the other side, a bouquet of flowers in fall colors in his hand. A smile spreads on his face when he sees her and despite the fact that she knew it would be him, she feels her stomach do a little flip.
"Hey," he says, holding out the flowers. "You look amazing."
"Thank you," she replies, taking them from him and stepping aside to let him into the apartment. "Let me put these in water. Do you want a quick tour before we leave, or do we need to hurry?"
He passes her and steps into the hallway that's a sort of anteroom before you get into the apartment proper. Since it's so open, Clarke wanted to have some sort of divide so you didn't step right into it. Plus, she's always hated arriving at someone's home and being directed into a bedroom to drop her jacket.
"I'd love a tour, I've been curious about this place."
She gestures at him to go ahead of her and watches his eyes widen when he takes in the open living area.
"Wow…" he says, looking around. "You have the whole floor?"
Clarke nods. "Yeah. When my grandpa bought the place, it was all one open space. He wanted most of this to stay open but didn't want the elevator to go into the actual apartment, so he just put up a wall along the whole floor to make the hallway outside and the cloak room in here. When I moved in, I had some work done out in the hallway too, so half is a sort of storage room now."
The whole floor is about 3,600 square feet, though 600 of those are the hallway and storage area outside the actual apartment, and the open plan living area takes up about 2,000 square feet. The kitchen is in the middle, against the only wall, though it's open on three sides. The other side of the wall, which faces the Brooklyn side of the building and the entrance, where they're currently standing, is lined with book cases. On this side, there's also a secondary living room with a bunch of cozy, winged armchairs grouped around a fire place with an electric fire, and a sort of home office, with a huge desk with Clarke's computer. The kitchen is state of the art, even if Clarke doesn't cook much – gleaming appliances and wooden work tops over white, high gloss cabinets line the wall, and the kitchen island stretches along the entire space, dividing it from the main living room. On the side facing Manhattan, which is glittering in the distance at the moment, there's a large dining table, seating ten, in the middle and to the left of it, the huge, comfy U-shaped couch that Clarke practically lives on at times, complemented by a 65 inch TV hidden away in an entertainment center. To the right, where there are windows in two directions, is her 'work corner', with a currently empty easel as well as a few shelves for her supplies. A couple of paintings in various stages of being finished are leaning against the wall.
The left third of the apartment is taken up by the two bedrooms. The guest room is first, with windows facing the building across the street, and has a walk-in closet and a bathroom that can also be accessed from the main living area. Clarke's own bedroom is next to it, with windows on two sides and, in her opinion, the best view in Brooklyn.
She leads Bellamy along the left wall, letting him peak into the bedrooms, before continuing into the living/dining room and then the kitchen, where she finds a vase in one of the cupboards. She fills it with water before arranging the flowers in it and putting them on the dining table.
"Didn't you say you had a cat?" Bellamy says, looking around the large, open space. Clarke mimics his movement before shrugging.
"She's not very social, it takes her a while to warm up to new people," she explains. "She's probably hiding somewhere, she usually does when there's someone at the door. Want to get going?"
He nods and follows her back out into the entryway.
"And I thought your friend Raven had an amazing apartment," he says as he waits for her to put her boots on. "This… this is… I don't even know. I'm not sure how, since it's so huge and open, but it's cozy somehow."
That's the feeling she had been going for when she had the place renovated earlier in the year, before she moved back in for the first time since she left New York last time, just before the turn of the millennium. She's rented the apartment out during the nineteen years since – she hates to leave it empty and loves being able to let other people, who might not be able to afford a place like this normally, get a taste of this kind of life.
"Thanks," she says with a smile before locking the door behind them. "It's my… escape, I guess you could say, from the hustle and bustle of the city. A safe haven, sort of."
"I can definitely see why."
They take the elevator down to the lobby, where Clarke waves to the night doorman, Mike, before they step out into the cold November evening. Bellamy leads the way right and then around the corner, before stopping by the passenger side of a beat up truck and opening the door for her.
"You actually managed to get a parking spot?" she asks when he's rounded the car and climbed into the driver's seat. Her phone buzzes in her pocket and she checks it to find a text from Raven – a thumbs up and an emoji with an erupting volcano, which she assumes means Raven approves and she looks hot. Of course, knowing Raven, it could have a completely different meaning with more sexual connotations.
He laughs as he starts the engine. "Yeah, I was thinking of stopping and buying a lottery ticket on the way or something, that just doesn't happen."
"Exactly," she agrees. "So… are you going to tell me where we're going?"
He glances at her out of the corner of his eye. "Can't wait another fifteen or twenty minutes?"
"So somewhere in the city," Clarke concludes.
"Your powers of deduction are extraordinary."
She tries to wheedle him a little more but gives up by the time they cross the Manhattan Bridge. It's a clear night, so she can see the lights on the Williamsburg Bridge further up the river. The moon, almost full, hangs heavy in the sky above them, illuminating the night in its silvery glow. The lights of the city make the stars almost invisible though, she can only make out a few.
"You give up?" Bellamy asks next to her, and she turns from the window. His eyes are on the road ahead, but she can see that his mouth is quirked up a little in a half-smile.
"I know when to quit," she replies with an exaggerated sigh, and he laughs.
"You're not great with surprises, are you?"
Clarke shrugs. "Let's just say I've had some… not great experiences with surprises in the past."
Bellamy frowns and glances at her. "Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed. I can tell you if it would make you feel better?"
"No, no." She shakes her head. "It's fine. It's just a hang-up, I'm being silly."
They've passed Broadway by now and Bellamy indicates to take the exit.
"We're almost there, so you won't have to put up with not knowing for much longer," he assures her, turning right onto Canal before taking a left onto Eldridge.
Somehow, there's an open parking space between Grand and Broome, and Bellamy quickly pulls the car into it and turns off the engine. Clarke immediately jumps out, scanning their surroundings and trying to figure out where they're going.
They're not technically in Chinatown anymore, but there are a couple of Chinese beauty salons on the other side of the street, and on the side they're on, there are a couple of restaurants.
"We're headed this way," Bellamy says, nodding in the direction they came from.
Clarke loops her arm through his. "Lead the way, Mr. Blake."
He chuckles as they take off down the street. It's almost eight in the evening on a Wednesday, but there's still a lot of people out and about, probably since tomorrow's a holiday. Little old ladies hurrying along with their shopping, young couples strolling in the cold but beautiful evening.
They stop again after only twenty yards or so, and Bellamy glances at the façade of the building to their left. She turns her attention to it, reading the name of the place.
"Paniq room… we're going to an escape room?"
The excitement in her voice must be obvious, because he laughs as he nods. "I take it this is a good surprise then?"
"I've been wanting to go to one of these again for ages," Clarke replies, which is true. "Me and Raven and a few other friends did one in San Francisco a couple of years ago, and we've been talking about doing it again since then but never gotten around to it. I didn't even know there was one here, how did you find it?"
"My job's actually just a couple of blocks from here, so I sometimes pass it if I grab lunch in Chinatown or Little Italy between deliveries," he explains as he holds the door open for her and they enter the building.
Bellamy's booked a crime puzzle, and Clarke can honestly say that she hasn't had this much fun in ages. There's a family in the room with them, two teenage boys and their parents, and they manage to solve the murder well within the time limit. The kids cheer as they're let out of the room again, and Clarke can't keep the smile off her face.
"That was so much fun!" she gushes as they leave.
"Good first date?" Bellamy asks, slipping his hand into hers and interlacing their fingers.
"Great first date," she replies with a smile. "Eight out of ten."
"Only eight?"
She shrugs. "Well, no date's complete without food, wouldn't you say?"
She can feel him relax next to her. "Any preferences?"
"Not really." Clarke shrugs. "How about we stroll around and see what catches our fancy?"
They turn right onto Grand Street and talk about the escape room as they pass through the recreational area that stretches between Chrystie and Forsyth Street. There's loud cheering and laughter coming from their right, where there seems to be a full blown soccer game going on.
Neither of them seem to be interested in the restaurants serving Chinese food that they pass, and it's not until they've reached Little Italy – the iconic sign lit up in the darkness – that Bellamy pauses.
"This looks nice."
It's a classic Italian restaurant, the only thing missing the red and white checkered tablecloths. They're given a table by the large windows overlooking the street outside, and left alone to decide what they want.
They both settle on pasta – spaghetti carbonara for Bellamy and risotto finghetti for Clarke. When the waitress has taken their orders and left, Bellamy leans back a little in his chair and meets Clarke's eyes, a small smile on his face.
"What?" she asks, returning the smile.
"Nothing," he replies, shaking his head. "I'm just glad you're here."
Clarke can hear what he's not saying and realizes that he was probably at least partly expecting her to come up with an excuse to cancel tonight.
She wants to reassure him, but they're seated opposite each other and the glasses and flower vase on the table would make it awkward to reach over it, so she has to settle for making her smile speak for her.
"So am I."
His smile widens at her words, lighting up his entire face and – for the first time today, she realizes with a jolt – drawing her attention for a brief moment to his Number. 248.
She quickly forces her eyes back to his, determined to not let the reminder destroy her good mood.
"So," Bellamy starts, "do you have any big Thanksgiving plans tomorrow?"
"Not big plans, really," she replies. "Raven and I usually celebrate together, when we can, so I'll just head over there in the morning, watch the parade, 'help'…" she makes air quotes, "… with the food and then some other friends will be over later in the day to eat and basically lounge around."
"What's with the air quotes?" he asks with a chuckle.
"I'm not really a great cook," Clarke admits. "I'm usually on chopping duty, Raven won't let me near the stove since the Thanksgiving incident of… 2012."
She hopes he doesn't notice her slight hesitation – the Thanksgiving in question was in reality back in 1964, and she had to quickly figure out when it would be logical that she and Raven spend Thanksgiving together based on their supposed age. She figures she would have been in college six years ago, so it's not out of the question.
"What did you do?" Bellamy asks amusedly.
Clarke rolls her eyes with an exaggerated sigh. "I might have almost set the turkey on fire… but it wasn't my fault, there was something wrong with the oven!"
She can tell that he's trying very hard to keep from laughing. "Uh-huh, I'm sure there was."
"What about you? How's your Thanksgiving looking?" she asks in an attempt to switch the attention from her lack of cooking skills. "Do you usually get Thanksgiving off from work?"
He shakes his head. "We never close, even if our capacity isn't that high on holidays, so unless someone volunteers, which doesn't happen that much, everyone gets two holidays a year. I worked New Year's Day and Fourth of July this year, so I get the other holidays off."
"I guess that makes sense," Clarke notes. "So what're you doing tomorrow? Is your sister in town to celebrate with you?"
A shadow crosses Bellamy's face and he quickly shakes his head. "No, she's… out of the country right now, and she couldn't get back for this. I'm going with Miller and Jackson to Miller's parents' place. I've known Miller since we were kids and I've spent holidays with them before, they're practically family, so it'll be fun."
"That sounds nice," she agrees. Again, she has the feeling that there's something he isn't telling her. Maybe he and his sister had a falling out but he doesn't want to talk about it. She decides not to push, but files the information away for the future.
"Yeah, Miller's mom makes the best mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie I've ever tasted, and she always sends the leftovers with us, so we probably won't need to cook for a week."
They both laugh for a moment, before Clarke continues. "That's not usually a problem at Raven's place, Jasper never leaves any food no matter how much there is. I have no idea how he stays so skinny, I suspect he's secretly into the dark arts."
"Which one's Jasper?" he asks. "Assuming he was at the Halloween party, of course, if not I'll have no idea."
"He was the bartender, actually."
Bellamy's eyes narrow for a moment as he tries to remember.
"Right, the mad scientist," he finally says, making Clarke frown in confusion before she remembers that Jasper had been wearing a lab coat and a pair of goggles on Halloween.
"That's him," she confirms as the waitress arrives with their food.
"So you must be pretty close, if you spend Thanksgiving together," Bellamy notes when the waitress has left, taking a bite of his food.
She shrugs. "I guess so." It's not like she can tell him that she's known Jasper and Monty since the roaring twenties in San Francisco, Maya for almost fifty years, ever since she acted as the other girl's mentor during her first few years as a Keeper, and Harper for almost as long as Raven, or how exactly they know each other. "There's a bunch of us that met during college and then somehow ended up in New York. Whoever's not going home, or doesn't have family to go home to, are welcome at Raven's." She pops some of her pasta into her mouth – heaven.
He nods thoughtfully at that. "I guess that's what the Millers were back in Paterson," he says. "Miller's dad was the police chief, still is, even though he could have retired years ago, and his mom was an accountant, so they were pretty well off. Lived in the nice part of town, unlike us. Octavia and I usually ended up there for holidays when my mom had to work, or if she… didn't have enough money to do something special."
Clarke has a feeling that he had been about to say something else than what he ended up saying. She already knows that he and his sister didn't have the best childhood, based on what he told her on Halloween, but she wonders if there's not more to it…
She wants to ask him, wants to know every little detail there is to know about him, but this isn't the time or the place for that. She has to let him open up in his own time.
"I'm glad you guys had somewhere to go," she just says. "And family isn't just blood, it's who you choose. I might not have any close relatives, but Raven's like a sister to me, and I know that Zeke and Jasper and Monty, maybe even Murphy, would fight over who got to defend my honor if they thought it was necessary."
Bellamy chuckles. "Was that a subtle warning?"
"Oh, no," she exclaims, eyes widening as she realizes how he interpreted it. "That's not what I meant at all."
"Relax," he tells her. "I was just kidding. Besides… they have nothing to worry about."
His words hang heavy in the air between them, their eyes locked together. Clarke feels her heartrate pick up and wonders if Bellamy is having a similar reaction.
The moment's broken by the rattling of dishes as the door to the kitchen swings open, and they both look down at their plates.
"How's your food?" he asks after a beat.
"It's delicious," she replies with a smile. "Yours?"
He nods. "It's really good."
They eat in silence for a few minutes before he clears his throat.
"So, you suck at cooking," he says with a half-smirk.
Clarke rolls her eyes. "I told you it was the oven."
"Right. So in reality you're an iron chef?"
"I didn't say that," she grumbles reluctantly. "Fine, I'm a terrible cook. I've seriously burned water once."
Bellamy chuckles at that.
"So if you offer to cook for me, I should run the other way?"
"I never would offer to cook, so you don't have to worry about it," she assures him. "Why would I, when there are so many amazing restaurants in this city? And that deliver, too."
"Good point. So that's how you survive – take-out?"
Clarke shrugs. "Mostly that and frozen meals. Sometimes Raven or another friend takes pity on me and invites me for a real home-cooked meal. But I mean, take-out's not just pizza anymore, there's a lot to choose from, especially here. It's not like I'm at risk of developing scurvy or something. What about you? Something tells me you're a good cook."
"I guess," he says. "I cooked for myself and my sister when we were kids, since our mom worked a lot, so I've picked up a few tricks along the way."
"What's your piece de résistance?" she asks, pushing her empty plate to the side and leaning her chin in her hand.
Bellamy finishes off the last of his own food before answering. "Well, my dad was from the Philippines originally, and the only food he apparently knew how to cook was chicken adobo. Mom said it was his mother's, so my grandmother's, recipe. She taught me to make it when I was twelve, so I've had time to perfect it over the years."
Clarke has a vague memory of eating something with chicken when she, Wells, Raven, and Zeke were in Manila back in the early nineties, and the name does sound familiar.
"I think I've had that," she says, and Bellamy's eyebrows shoot up.
"Really? I mean, there are a couple of pretty good Filipino restaurants in the city, but it's definitely not as popular as some other cuisines."
Can she just tell him that she's been to Manila? Maybe, but she remembers that they talked about traveling at Halloween, and she'd tried to downplay it a little – it's just not normal for someone in their mid-twenties to have visited most of the countries in the world.
"Raven and I went on a bit of a gastronomic journey through New York a couple of years ago," she half-fibs. They did, actually, or tried to, at least, back in the nineties when they both lived in the city last time. Normally, though, they remembered the idea after an all-nighter out at a club, which meant they were far from sober, so apart from a couple of horrible experiences and finding an amazing Thai restaurant that has unfortunately closed since, Clarke honestly doesn't remember much. They might have tried Filipino food, but she has no idea. She's not even sure there was a Filipino restaurant in New York back then. "I think that's what I had, anyway, it was a chicken dish with rice and vegetables."
He nods. "Yeah, the basics are really just chicken marinated in vinegar and soy sauce, but apart from that, everyone makes it in their own way. I usually make it with onions, garlic and jalapeños and serve it with rice."
"That does sound delicious."
Their conversation is interrupted when the waitress returns to take their plates.
"Would you like to see the dessert menu?" she asks with a blinding smile directed at Bellamy. He raises an eyebrow at Clarke in question.
"Why not?" she says with a shrug, and the waitress disappears for a moment before returning with the menus.
"OK, there are too many options here," Bellamy complains after a minute.
Clarke chuckles. "When in doubt, go with chocolate has always been my strategy," she replies. "I think this is one of those situations where I need to apply that."
"But there's more than one option with chocolate," he counters. "However will you chose?"
She scrutinizes the menu for another moment before deciding and snapping it closed. "I'm going for chocolate fondant cake. I've made up my mind."
"That does sound good," he agrees. "I think I'll go with the cheesecake with strawberries, can't go wrong with cheesecake."
They put in their order and get their desserts quickly. Clarke takes a bite of her chocolate cake, her eyes sliding closed as the taste explodes in her mouth.
"Good?" Bellamy asks, and she opens her eyes to find him watching her, a bite of his own cheesecake halfway to his mouth.
"Amazing," she replies. "You planning on trying yours or just watching me enjoy mine?"
He raises the fork to his mouth slowly, closing his lips around the prongs before pulling it back out.
Yeah, Clarke can definitely see the upside of watching someone else enjoy a delicious desert.
"Good?" she echoes.
"Really good." He picks up another bite with his fork. "Want a taste?"
The way he's watching her, eyes intense and lips slightly parted, and the way his voice drops on the question makes her swallow hard before nodding and leaning forward. Their eyes stay locked as she opens her mouth and takes the bite of cheesecake from the fork he holds up, letting her tongue dart out to lick a few crumbs off her upper lip. It's hard to tell with Bellamy's dark eyes, but she's almost positive she sees his pupils dilate.
She chews in silence for a moment. "That is really good," she then agrees, voice slightly shaky. She clears her throat before scooping up some of her own dessert and holding it out for him. He copies her movements from a moment ago, leaning forward to accept the fork. Clarke bites her lip as she watches him chew and swallow, and for a moment she thinks he's going to lean further over the table and kiss her.
"Is everything OK over here?"
The waitress's cheerful voice interrupts the moment, and they both lean back in their chairs.
"Just fine, thanks," Clarke says. "Could we have the check when you have a moment?"
"Of course!"
She flounces off again, throwing a final smile over her shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen.
They finish their desserts in silence – a comfortable silence, though. The waitress returns just as Bellamy's swallowing the last of his cheesecake, putting down the little leather folder in front of him. Clarke quickly reaches over and snaps it away.
"Hey," he objects.
"Nope," she says, shaking her head. "You paid for the escape room, I've got this."
He looks like he's about to argue, but apparently thinks better of it and nods. "Fine, be all modern."
Clarke just rolls her eyes as she gets money from her purse. The waitress, again, appears out of thin air and takes the money with a fake smile.
"Time to get out of here?" Bellamy asks, sounding reluctant, and Clarke sighs and glances at her watch. Just after eleven.
"Probably a good idea," she agrees. "I do have to get up kind of early tomorrow."
He gets up and hurries around to be able to pull her chair out and she has to smile – it's been years, maybe decades, since anyone pulled out a chair for her.
He helps her put her coat on and then holds the door open for her as well, and soon they're back in the November evening, where the temperature has dropped further. She can see her breath as she exhales and pulls her sleeves down over her hands to keep them warm.
Bellamy loops his arm through hers and they set off at a leisurely pace in the general direction of where they parked earlier.
"So, you had a good time?" he asks when they've crossed Mott Street.
"I had a great time," she assures him, squeezing his arm.
"Did I manage to get a perfect score?"
She's pretty sure he's at least partly joking.
"Eleven out of ten," she concludes, making him chuckle.
"And a gold star?"
"Absolutely."
They walk in silence for a while, and soon Bellamy's truck comes into view. He unlocks the car and holds the passenger door open for Clarke to climb in.
The cabin's cold, and he cranks up the heat as soon as the engine's on. "It takes a little while to warm up, the heater's not the best," he apologizes.
"It's fine, it's not that cold," she replies, scooting over in her seat to be able to lean her head against his shoulder as he pulls away from the curb. He shifts a little so he can put his arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer, or as close as she can get with the console between them.
There's about as little traffic on the streets as there ever is in New York, and it's not long before they've left Manhattan Bridge behind and are turning onto Clarke's street. Bellamy parks just outside her building, next to a fire hydrant where there's not technically a parking spot, and jumps out of the car before she's even unbuckled her seatbelt. He opens the door for her again and helps her get out of the car.
They cross the sidewalk and she stops outside the doors to her building, turning back to him and trying to figure out how to invite him up without it sounding too much like a sexual invite. Which it is, obviously, but still. You don't have to be obvious about it.
"I had a great time," he says before she's managed to come up with anything.
"Me too," she agrees with a smile.
He nods, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat, and his eyes drop down to her lips for a moment before he meets her gaze again.
"Hope you have a good time at Raven's tomorrow," he continues. "I should probably head out, let you get some sleep."
"Um…" Clarke starts, a little confused, but before she can say anything more, he gives her a quick kiss, much more innocent than she was hoping for, and takes a step back.
"Night," he says with a half-smile and turns to go back to his car.
She's frozen in place until he pulls away with a wave through the passenger window and disappears around the corner. Then she snaps out of the daze, pulls her keys out of her pocket and unlocks the door to the building.
She waits until she's closed her own door behind her before she rummages around in her purse, finding her phone and calling Raven.
"Hello?"
"He kissed me goodnight," she exclaims, voice probably more annoyed than the situation really calls for.
There's some ruffling on the other end before Raven's voice returns. "Clarke? Why are you calling me at a quarter to midnight? And aren't you supposed to be on a date?"
"I was. We had a great time, there was a ton of sexual tension, then he drove me home, walked me to the door of the building, kissed me goodnight – and not even a proper kiss, just a peck, really – and drove away!"
"Riiiight…" Raven drags the word out. "Let me just get something straight here. Zeke told him that you were still getting over a bad breakup to explain your disappearing act on Halloween. I assume you went along with that?"
Clarke kicks off her shoes and manages to get her coat off without putting the phone down. "Well, yeah. I mean, I told him it's not that I wasn't over Lexa, just that it felt like things were moving a little fast and that I was overwhelmed."
"Lexa, not Wells or Niylah?" Raven notes.
Bastet comes up to wind around Clarke's legs and she picks the cat up with one hand, depositing her on the couch before flopping down on it herself. "Wells and I are still friends, and Niylah and I ended things amicably, I figured it was better to use the actual bad breakup. What's your point?"
"Just… did you consider that maybe Bellamy's just trying to take things slow, to not scare you off again?"
She didn't, no. Which… OK, it makes sense.
"Why are you always so smart?"
Raven chuckles. "I'm on the outside, babe, it's always easier to be objective in that position."
"I suppose… so what should I do now?"
"I guess that depends on what you want. If you want to hurry things along, you might just have to make the first move yourself. Or you could let him take the lead and take things slow."
It's not like she's a stranger to taking things into her own hands when it comes to her sexual relationships. She can do that now too. But at the same time… she sort of wants to get swept off her feet. She wants him to show up at her door, push her up against a wall and tear her clothes off.
She might have a problem.
"Babe?" Raven's voice reminds her that they're still on the phone.
"Sorry, spaced out. I guess I'll have to figure out what I want then."
"You do that. See you in the morning?"
"Yup. Thanks for talking me down. Love you."
"Love you too."
Clarke hangs up and hovers over the message app for a moment, before opening her conversation with Bellamy. It's only been fifteen minutes since he left, so he's not home yet, but she types out a message anyway.
Let me know you get home OK?
Then she leaves her phone in the bedroom before going into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
She's just finished a chapter in her book when her phone buzzes on the nightstand.
Home now :-) hope I'm not
waking you up.
She smiles.
Nope, just reading a little.
Drive OK?
Fine, barely any traffic at all.
It's not a sentence that invites a follow-up, really, and Clarke's stumped for a moment, not sure what to say. Before she can come up with something, the speech bubble appears again.
I just realized that I forgot to ask
you something.
Huh.
And what's that?
Do you have plans on Saturday?
She feels the smile making its way back onto her face and quickly checks her job app before responding.
She has storytime at the library from ten in the morning until eleven thirty, and then a Transfer in the early afternoon.
Free from around three
What did you have in mind?
The bubble pops up and stays up for a while before a response comes in.
I thought maybe I could cook for
you? All that talk about chicken
adobo today made me realize
it's been ages since I made it, but
it's no fun to just make for myself…
save me?
Well, cooking would mean going to his place, or have him come here… definitely more intimate than going out. Maybe she won't have to make a move after all.
Well, you did make it sound
absolutely delicious… fine, I'll
save you ;-)
Thank you so much :-P my place?
I have no idea what kind of stuff
you have in your kitchen, but
considering your cooking expertise
I'm not holding my breath.
Shut up!
But yeah, probably not
everything you need… time?
Seven-ish? I can pick you up
if you want?
She remembers that he lives with Miller… but maybe he won't be home? Can she ask? No, that would be weird…
I can just take an Uber, don't
want you to have to drive all
the way here and back again
If you're sure… let me know if
you change your mind.
Will do. Should probably sleep
now… have a good Thanksgiving!
You too! Night :-)
AN: I was in New York back in September-October and we actually passed by the escape room, and of course strolled around both Chinatown and Little Italy, so that was kind of fun!