Dick sighed nervously as he pinned up the sleeves of his dark blazer. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but he was feeling anxious about his date with Kori. He was feeling excited but he was anxious; he was worried whether or not it would go well. He knew they hit it off well at the tavern but he wasn't sure if she was into him very much. He hoped that she was because he couldn't deny that he liked Kori more each time he thought of her.
Garfield smirked as he wandered past Dick, chips in hand. He stuffed a handful of tortilla chips into his mouth before spluttering, "Dude, I could smell your hair gel from the kitchen,"
Vic cracked up laughing and high fived Garfield as he took a seat on the edge of Dick's bed. Dick rolled his eyes, "You're so funny." He said, sarcastically.
"I try pretty hard," Garfield replied, clearly not understanding Dick's use of sarcasm. Wally grinned and folded his arms over his chest before sitting up straight,
"Now, now children. Dick's just moody because he wants to impress Kori." Wally stated, a playful glimmer to his eyes.
"Shut up." Dick deadpanned, still fixing his appearance in the mirror. Wally's grin maximised as he knew his teasing was having an effect on his best friend.
"Aren't you guys seeing the girls tonight?" Dick wondered, hoping to get off the touchy subject of him trying to look good for Kori. Vic waved his hand,
"A bit later, yeah." Vic paused, "We're watching the game in the tavern and they said they'll be up for visiting."
Dick nodded in the mirror's reflection to them. Garfield wrung his hands nervously, "Hey guys?" He began, "What'd you think of Rachel?"
Wally shrugged, "She's everything that's Goth with a hint of hot. Why?" He queried,
Garfield shrugged in an attempt to look nonchalant but it didn't exactly work. Wally and Vic hit realisation around the same time as each other and smirked, "OH!" They howled,
"Does grass-stain have a crush on Rae-Rae?" Vic cooed, jokingly. Dick couldn't help the smirk that crossed his features as he continued to look over himself in the mirror.
"What!? Pft... Pft... N-No!" Garfield stuttered,
"Yeah, I'm really convinced, Gar." Wally chuckled,
"You can admit it, dude. I'm pretty sure all of us are crushing on one of the girls." Vic paused and grinned, "I mean, Karen is Fi-ine! I have no problem in admitting that I like her."
"We could tell." Garfield stated,
"What'd you mean?"
"It was obvious that you like her considering you were sucking each others' faces by the end of last night."
Vic crossed his arms over his chest, "And what?"
Wally laughed and slapped his knee for extra emphasis, "I like Jen; no doubt about it." Wally admitted,
"As in, you'd like to get her into bed or you actually like her?" Dick wondered,
"No, as in, I really do like her man. It's weird... Y'know... 'Feelings' and all that junk." Wally explained, using his index fingers to indicate the quotation marks. Dick smirked.
"She was getting a tattoo done today..." Wally said, absentmindedly,
"What of?" Garfield asked,
"A voodoo doll," Wally responded,
"Awesome!" Garfield exclaimed. Vic said nothing but made his reaction clear through his use of uncertain facial expressions,
"Man, Jenny kinda scares me..." Vic informed him,
"I know... Isn't it great?" Wally replied,
"Sure?" Vic answered, unsure. He shot Dick a look through the mirror and Dick bit his lip to stop himself from bursting out laughing.
Dick sighed and knew he was going to regret asking his next question but he needed confirmation. He turned to them and stood up straight, "Do I look okay?" He asked, perplexed,
"Honey, just add some heels and you'll be good to go," Vic teased. Dick quietly growled as they all broke out into chuckles and chortles.
"You've never cared for opinions on your clothes before... You must really like Kori, huh?" Wally assumed,
"Yeah... I do... I don't know... There's just something about her..." Dick trailed off,
"AWH!" The three of them mocked him simultaneously. Dick now knew he was right about regretting asking them.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want but keep it up and I won't tell you where I've put the rest of the beers." Dick grinned, triumphantly. Vic, Garfield and Wally all gasped like girls.
"He's a madman!" Wally squealed. Dick rolled his eyes but smirked nevertheless.
"Anyway, I'm gonna get going which means you guys need to get." Dick told them.
"And I just got comfy!" Garfield groaned. Dick shrugged and walked out the door with them before locking the front door behind him. While Vic and Garfield walked up ahead of Wally, he hung back to give words of encouragement to Dick.
"Dude?" Wally started,
"Yeah?" Dick responded,
"Just to let you know, I'm really happy that you're trying to date again... After the whole... Babs thing..."
Dick nodded slowly, remembering the painful memories of his own personal issues, "Thanks. Let's hope Kori isn't the same, huh?"
"I don't think she will be."
"Me neither..." Dick replied, "Later dude."
Wally nodded and saluted him with his index and middle finger before turning and stumbling up behind Vic and Garfield.
Dick shook his head at the ways of his friends. He inhaled a deep breath before he retrieved his car keys from his blazer pocket as he wandered over to his sleek, black car. He slid into the driver's seat and made his way across the site to Kori's cabin.
When Dick pulled up outside of Kori's cabin, he inhaled shakily. He glanced up at his mirror to check his appearance for a final time. Assuring himself that he looked okay, he reached over and grabbed the single red rose upon the passenger's seat. He softly smiled at the rose. He hoped that Kori liked it. Dick himself loved roses; he thought they were an elegant type of flower. He had never had the chance to buy flowers in the past. His ex girlfriend, Barbra hated flowers. She told him they always died really quickly so there was no point buying them. Dick rolled his eyes at the thought of Barbra.
Nervously, he got out of the car and slowly made his way up to Kori's door. He gulped and raised his fist before lightly knocking against the smooth wooden door. He waited a few moments before the door opened to reveal Jenny; looking perky and pink-haired as always. He was slightly disheartened that it wasn't Kori to answer the door but he just assumed she was finishing getting ready.
"Hey Jenny... Is Kori ready?" Dick asked,
"I'll check! Come in!" Jenny offered. Dick nodded and wandered in, holding the crimson flower behind his back slightly. He chuckled lightly as Jenny scurried into Kori's domain. He bit his lip a little as he glanced around her cabin. His eyes caught Rachel and Karen peeking out from the kitchen. He grinned and nodded to Rachel who mirrored his actions, minus the grin. Karen smirked, "Hey," She greeted,
"Hey," He responded. Suddenly, Jenny hurried out of Kori's room with a small smile. She ambled past Dick and joined Karen and Rachel in the kitchen. Dick chuckled at the three of them but then his expression sobered immediately as his eyes fell upon Kori. She slowly strolled out of her room with her hands timidly placed in front of her. Dick felt like his jaw was hanging a lot lower than it actually was. Kori was wearing a purple dress that ended just above her knees and hugged her body perfectly. It had a minor scoop in the chest area and had simple cap sleeves. She wore black wedges which gave her appearance the delicate addition of grace. To finish the outfit off, she wore a light black cardigan over her shoulders.
Kori wasn't sure how to respond to Dick remaining completely silent. She bit her lip and held her arm shyly. Her brows furrowed and she looked away from him. Kori began feeling self conscious after years of being told she could dress better from her ex fiancé. She had a sudden and unwilling pang of realisation that she needed to tell Dick about Xavier really soon.
"I am aware you informed me to dress almost formally, yes? Please, is my appearance... Suitable?" Kori spoke quietly as her stomach began to knot.
Dick shook his head to draw himself out of his thoughts. He smiled sweetly and gazed up at her face, rather than her body, "Kori... You look... Amazing..." He breathed as he searched for the perfect word to describe how good she looked.
Kori instantly brightened and she couldn't fight the girlish smile that made its way onto her face. Her cheeks became a red hue and she fluttered her eyelashes slightly, "Thank you..." She replied, pushing some hair behind her ear.
Suddenly, they both heard an outburst of an, "Awh!" that erupted from Jenny and Karen. Dick chuckled whereas Kori simply rolled her eyes. She refocused her green gems on Dick,
"Shall we depart?" Kori queried. Dick nodded but stopped as she got closer to him.
"Oh! Um... I got this for you..." Dick informed her, shyly handing her the rose. Kori gently took it from him with a gasp,
"Oh! It is beautiful..." She whispered, allowing her eyes to rake over the beautiful red rose, "Thank you..."
Dick shrugged in the most nonchalant way that he could. Kori giggled and leaned forward. She gave him a light peck on the cheek and Dick had a lopsided grin fixed against his lips. Suddenly, Rachel emerged from the kitchen with the smallest of smiles on her own face, "Shall I put it in water for you?" Rachel questioned. Kori smiled at her best friend and nodded whilst mouthing, 'Thank you'.
Rachel disappeared back into the kitchen and Kori turned to Dick with bright emerald eyes. Dick offered her his arm in a gentleman like manner. Kori giggled and graciously took his arm without question and they left the cabin.
Dick gently took Kori's soft hand, as they walked inside of the restaurant that they were registered to eat at. Kori tuned out completely as Dick mentioned his reservations to the man behind the podium by the door. She couldn't help but notice how elegant and glamorous the whole place was. There was a deep brown colour scheme running throughout the restaurant and the lights were lowly lit for the obvious ambiance of romance. There was a big crystal chandelier in the middle of the whole room and directly below it stood a round stage where a smartly dressed man was playing a saxophone. The music he was emitting was simply lovely; it was a mix between classical jazz and blues and gave the atmosphere a calm and controlled aura. She closed her eyes as she became intoxicated with the music.
Dick lightly tapped her arm to regain her attention. She shook her head and blushed after realising she was miles away. She ducked her head shyly, causing Dick to chuckle.
He led her through the large area and they sat within a booth. Kori was thankful for his choice in seating. As much as she liked the tables that were in the open, she much preferred booths; they held so much more privacy than that of a table. They were immediately able to dive into casual conversation with one another.
After their meals had been placed in front of them, their conversation seemed to steer more so towards personal affairs. Kori felt her heart thump within her ribcage as she considered telling Dick straight out about the real reason she and the girls had come on their getaway.
Dick could sense the fears and concerns chasing Kori by the look on her face. He gently reached over and placed his hand over hers. Kori instantly softened and glanced up at him. He smiled softly at her,
"Everything okay?" Dick asked, the tone of his voice light. Kori stared at Dick with no readable expression for a minute. Then, she sighed,
"Richard... I believe I need to tell you the true reason for my being here on this getaway with my friends..." Kori announced. Dick tilted his head to the side, calmly waiting for her to continue,
Kori inhaled deeply, "A couple of days ago, I was standing within a church, waiting to marry a man with whom I thought I was supposed to be with. However... minutes before the ceremony was meant to start, my sister informed me that... She had been having an affair with my fiancé, Xavier. So, learning this... I obviously cancelled the wedding and made it clear to everyone by punching Xavier in the face... Karen then suggested that we needed to get away and... Here we are..." Kori paused and looked up, "I thought you ought to know as we are on the date and we are sharing more about our lives..."
Dick squeezed Kori's hand, "That's a horrible thing for someone to have to go through Kori... It's worse because you trusted Xavier, right?" Dick said, earning a curt nod from Kori, "... This doesn't affect the way I think of you though. I still think you're awesome and that Xavier guy was an idiot for allowing himself to get caught up in meaningless lust."
Kori softly smiled at his kind words,
"Sides, I don't know why he would have to cheat when he already had a girl like you on his arm..." Dick mumbled, his face instantly reddening as he realised he spoke aloud. Kori giggled at him becoming flustered. She found it quite endearing, strangely enough.
"Thank you, Richard. Truthfully, I was concerned about telling you about all of this in case you did the running of a mile?" Kori stated, unsure towards the end.
"Well you don't have to worry about that," Dick chuckled and straightened up, "Actually... Since we're sharing... I do have a similar reason to you for being here."
Kori blinked at him curiously. Dick inhaled a deep breath,
"Well... I was with this girl for about 3 years. Her name was Barbra and I thought she was 'the one' y'know?" Dick began, earning a nod from Kori as a response,
"Well, I was completely wrong about that. I already told you that I'm a police officer, right? So about 2 weeks ago, I came home early one day and was ready to surprise Babs about getting a pay rise at work. We had been planning on moving out of our tiny apartment for a long time so I was stupidly happy. But as I got to our room and threw open the door... I wished I hadn't." Dick darkly spoke the end sentence. Kori's eyes softened and she made a small gasp like noise.
"She wasn't..." Kori breathed, hoping his story had a happier twist than her own.
Dick gave her a sad type of smile, "She was... With this guy from the place she works at. His name is Terry. I even met him a couple times. Funny, huh?" Dick shrugged,
"I do not find her actions humorous at all. I believe she is a klorbag." Kori huffed, angered for Dick being treated so badly by his ex girlfriend.
"What's a klorbag?" Dick chuckled, momentarily forgetting himself.
"Oh... It is tamaranian for... Uh... Whore. I believe." Kori answered, quietly. Dick laughed in spite of the downbeat mood surrounding their storytelling.
"Yeah well, I won't be seeing her anytime soon." Dick stated,
"What did you do when you caught her with him?" Kori wondered,
"I threw Terry out and threw his clothes out the window. Fortunately, they fell into the pond below the apartment." Dick smirked while Kori giggled at the 'other man's' misfortune, "Then me and Babs had a big argument and considering I was the one with my name on the apartment lease, I told her to leave. She left and we haven't spoken since. But, Wally told me he saw her in town the other day with Terry so y'know..."
Kori shook her head, "That is not right." Kori announced,
"What'd you mean?"
"It is not right that the person who did the wrong thing is the one who is now seemingly happy. It is not fair..."
"I guess but... What can you do? I mean that's why the guys dragged me out here; to meet a girl. Wally's hoping I find Mrs. Grayson on this trip." Dick chuckled. Kori giggled behind her hand.
"And have you found a girl that you have taken a liking to?" Kori queried, smirking a little.
Dick brushed his thumb against her hand, gently, "I think I may have, y'know." Dick replied, a little more seriously. Kori blushed a light pink and cleared her throat. Dick grinned at the effect he had on her at that moment.
They continued to speak of personal things and the mood of their stories did not lift very much. Dick told Kori about the tragic death of his mother and father when he was 9 years old and how Bruce adopted him as his own son. Kori wondered how Dick was still so hopeful and cheerful after suffering in such a way at such a young age too. Hearing about the death of Dick's parents prompted Kori to explain her father's death to him in return. She told him with less sadness than he had when he explained the death of his parents. She had loved her father of course but she never felt like he was actually a father to him. She felt guilty as she remembered the day that he died. She had been at work at the time and she had simply said, "Okay," and she had put the phone down, blinked and continued working. No tears fell from her eyes the entire time that she was supposed to be mourning.
Dick found comfort in Kori. Although she wasn't close with her father; she still understood what it was like to lose a parent. He was happy that he could connect with her that way as there were no other people who understood what it was like to lose a parent, in any way whatsoever.
There was a brief silence between them as the depressing aura began to seep in and suffocate them. Dick smiled and sat up, tugging Kori up by her hand which was still securely beneath his own.
"May I make a suggestion, Miss Anders?" Dick asked, smirking,
"You may, Mr Grayson," Kori giggled, subconsciously leaning slightly closer to him. She may not have noticed how much closer she got but Dick certainly did and he didn't intend on wasting the moment.
"I suggest we move on from the depressing topics," He almost whispered,
"I could not agree more!" Kori informed him, smiling at the thought of talking in a more positive way. Dick chuckled and once he had sobered, his eyes fell upon Kori's cupid bow lips. The light-hearted atmosphere still heavily lingered but he practically desired her in that split second. He desperately wanted to kiss her but he wasn't sure if she wanted that.
Suddenly, he noticed that they were both moving in closer and his heart raced as he anticipated the kiss which was sure to follow.
But that didn't happen.
They both sprang away from each other as they heard a crashing sound from within the kitchen. Their heads turned towards the kitchen with shocked and confused expressions.
"What was that?" Kori asked, squinting her eyes a little,
"I bet it was plates," Dick determined. Kori turned to him and narrowed her eyes playfully at him,
"Pots." Kori estimated. Dick smirked and they returned their attention to the kitchen where they saw the chef open the door to reveal many cracked and broken plates.
"Yes!" Dick whooped,
"How did you know that?" Kori quizzed,
"Well if it was pots, it would sound more like-" Dick was cut off by the sound of roughly 3 pots smashing to the ground. Dick cringed and smiled at Kori,
"-That..." Dick finished. Kori giggled and placed her fingertips against her lips. Dick bit his lip and tilted his head at her,
"You wanna go?" Dick questioned,
"Okay," Kori agreed.
They paid the correct amount for their meals and made their way out into the parking lot. They got into Dick's car and were back on the road in minutes.
It was quiet in the car. They did not say much to each other but they did not exactly need to either. There was the light tune of whatever radio station Dick had put on and the soft humming of the engine. Kori gave into a small smile as she looked out of the window.
Dick pulled up outside Kori's cabin and he walked her all the way up to the door. Dick felt bold as they stood there, staring at each other. So, he gently took her hand in his. Kori liked his forwardness and squeezed his hand in return to assure him it was okay.
"Thank you for a lovely evening, Richard. It was truly wonderful," Kori gushed,
"I'm glad you had a good time, because I know I did." Dick responded, grinning. Kori smirked at him and they both knew what they wanted to do.
Dick slowly moved in to attempt to kiss her again but fate was dealing him terrible cards this evening. There was a crash like noise from inside Kori's cabin and she squeezed her eyes shut and her lips transformed into a thin line.
"I hope they are not breaking things in there..." Kori sighed, rolling her eyes.
Dick chuckled and the moment was somewhat lost so they stood on the porch simply staring into each other's eyes. Kori's cheeks became a pink hue and she placed some hair behind her ear,
"I should... Probably get inside... Goodnight Richard," Kori stuttered. Dick nodded as Kori turned to open the door. Before she could even get her key in the lock, she felt a tap on her shoulder,
"Hey, Kori?" Dick began,
Kori slowly turned back around to face him, "Yes-" she was cut off as Dick rested a hand on her waist and rested his other at the base of her head and softly pressed his lips against hers. Kori was slightly surprised at first but Dick realised she wanted it too considering she lightly gripped his upper arms to kiss him back. There was minor use of tongue; Dick didn't want to push it into a make out session and ruin any chance he had with her.
When they parted, they both had red cheeks and they timidly smiled at each other.
"Will I... Be seeing you tomorrow?" Kori asked, quietly,
"God, yes." Dick answered, not even caring if he sounded eager to see her again. After all, he was.
Kori giggled and Dick released her but kissed her knuckles before completely letting go of her. He waved to her as he got back into his car. With a content sigh, Kori opened her door and closed it behind her. She calmly strolled past her awaiting friends who stood ready within the kitchen to hear every single detail of her evening.
"So? What happened, Kori!?" Karen burst, bouncing into her bedroom. Kori remained silent as she changed into her pyjamas.
"You're killing us, Kor!" Jenny whined, as Kori coolly sat cross-legged on her bed. She opened her bright green eyes and allowed the girly freak out to begin. She told them about the kiss and how much they had in common and how well they got along. Kori sighed like she was a loved up teenager and she fell onto her back with a gleeful squeak.
The following morning, the boys had decided to wander around the beach at mid-day. They had just begun to get bored of strolling around the beach when suddenly 4 specific girls caught their eyes and became the reason they wanted to stay.
They noticed that all of the girls had their eyes closed and they were all either sunbathing or sleeping. Wally grinned and tiptoed closer to Jenny who had her bare stomach exposed. He silently twisted the cap off of his water bottle and daringly splashed some against her flat stomach.
Jenny's eyes immediately widened and she squealed in shock. Wally practically fell over, laughing until Jen got to her feet. He gulped and began to run as fast as he could away from the pink haired beauty.
Garfield learned from Wally's failed strategies and calmly wandered over and sat by Rachel. He smiled brightly at her when she looked up from her book. His heartbeat became faster when she raised an eyebrow as if mentally asking him why he was there. He scratched the back of his head nervously. Rachel may have been a dark beauty but she certainly didn't falter in being scary.
Vic knew exactly where he was heading and he strutted over to Karen who instantly recognised his whistling. She sat up and they pretty much did what they were always doing. Making out and whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears.
Dick watched his friends with a content smile on his face. He spotted Kori on a pool style lounge chair and wandered over to her. He sat on the edge of her chair and noticed she was napping. He smiled softly at how peaceful she looked while she slept. He noted the pink fuzzy blanket that was covering her and smiled; she liked pink. What a surprise.
He carefully pushed some stray hair out of her face and pushed it behind her ear. Suddenly, she woke with a start and threw her wrist in his direction. Dick caught it with ease and waited as the red headed girl slowly opened her eyes. He smirked down at her as she rubbed her eyes in an attempt to become less disorientated. She gave him a sleepy smile and sat up to stretch, resulting in the blanket to slip.
Dick gulped and felt his neck heat up suddenly as he observed the revealing green bikini she was wearing. Although he would never want to come across to Kori as a typical guy, he had trouble not staring at her; she really did have a perfect body.
He shook his head and cleared his throat as Kori became more awake.
"Richard!" Kori exclaimed, smiling and throwing her arms around his neck. Dick chuckled against her shoulder and returned the hug. His hands found nothing but soft bare skin. He enjoyed the fact that she smelled of peaches and mangos and other tropical fruits.
As they pulled away from each other, Dick was unsure whether or not to kiss her. He faltered and simply kissed her cheek. Kori, in return, smiled timidly at his actions.
"Can we talk about... Where we sort of... Are with each other now?" Dick stammered, unsure how to word it,
"Yes... I believe that would be a good idea." Kori responded,
"Well... How would you feel if I asked you... To... Y'know... Be my girlfriend?"
"I would likely say yes."
Dick's eyes shone, "Awesome!" He declared, "Um... So do you wanna...?"
Kori nodded and she laughed at how nervous they were being with each other. Dick then allowed himself to softly peck her lips. It was nothing like what Karen and Vic called kissing. It was quick and sweet; all that was needed.
"I wanted to do that since I got here." Dick admitted. Kori smirked and tilted her head at him. Dick's eyes fell upon Garfield and Rachel. Dick hoped Garfield would pluck up enough courage to eventually ask her out. Anyone could see that the little dude was praying for her to take interest in him.
Kori grinned and nudged Dick lightly, "Stop staring. They will think you are weird." Kori pointed out, playfully. Dick chuckled and gave Kori all of his attention,
"So, what time did you girls get out here?" Dick queried,
"I believe we got here at 9am," Kori responded,
"What!? You've been out her for 3 hours? I only woke up like 30 minutes ago."
"The difference between you and I, Richard." Kori chortled. Dick gave into laughing about it too.
In the midst of their laughing, they almost missed Rachel storming up to them. Kori grew concerned. Rachel looked angry yet also embarrassed.
"I'm sorry but I need you to come back to the cabins with me... Like right now." Rachel stated,
Kori blinked and looked from Rachel to Dick to back at Rachel who was now already marching down the beach. Kori shook her and stood up, wrapping the blanket around herself securely.
"Uh... I'll see you later?" Dick hoped,
"Yes... Apologies... I wonder what has happened..." Kori trailed off as she picked up her bag,
"By that reaction, I wouldn't imagine it to be anything good." Dick replied,
Kori sighed and leaned down to peck his lips quickly. He smiled and watched her run down the beach to catch up with Rachel.
He breathed in deeply and glanced over at Garfield who looked like he had been sown to the sand. Dick shook his head and got up to go and speak to him...