Lorelei was a little anxious during the week leading up to, well she couldn't call it a date, but day out with Sean. The spicy dream she had was still at the forefront of her mind. It was causing her to question if Sean Renard was indeed her soulmate. It may explain why he seemed to go out of his way to interact with her. It couldn't be just because she was the younger sister of one of his detectives. Lorelei couldn't recall if dreams played a role in helping identify your soulmate. She had explored the section on soulmates in the library and had found that some people did dream about their soulmates. However, there was conflicting information about whether that was due to the soulmate bond or if it was a coincidence. The only definitive way to identify one's soulmate was by comparing marks. Lorelei did recall a classmate stating her attraction to her soulmate was instantaneous, that she was drawn to him. Another classmate noted that he and his soulmate did not get along at first. He found her attractive, but it took some time before the romantic attraction had started. They had known each other for a few years before anything happened between them; and it wasn't until they started dating when they discovered they were soulmates. Lorelei decided to see what happened before her and Sean. It was possible they were not soulmates, and he simply liked her as a person. Her dream could just be a manifestation of her attraction to him.
Lorelei did find herself distracted, when Nick called her. He was filling her in on a case involving wesen and some ancient coins. He also told her about Farley Colt, who according to him had been engaged to Aunt Marie before their parents died.
"Aunt Marie was engaged to a wesen?" Lorelei asked in surprise. Her aunt had been single the entire time Nick and Lorelei had lived with her. She had never mentioned being involved with someone or a past engagement. Let alone to a wesen.
"Apparently." Nick replied. "Although I'm not sure how much I trust this guy. Something about him seems off."
"Probably wouldn't mind getting him hands on the coins himself." Lorelei commented and Nick hummed in agreement.
It was a couple of days later when Lorelei heard from Nick again. He updated her on the case, including the fact he was now in possession of the coins, hiding them away so no one could get their hands on them. Apparently, they had briefly ended up in the hands of Sean Renard. Nick believed their influence was why he had decided to announce to the press his plan to crack down on crime in the city. Lorelei was concerned to hear that Sean was assaulted for the coins in his possession. After hanging up with Nick, she had reached out the Sean to check up on him. He had a mild concussion but was otherwise fine. Lorelei had offered to put off their plans, however the captain had insisted he was fine. Lorelei begrudgingly accepted that, even though she thought Sean could probably do with some rest. No idea what other impact those coins could have had on him. The pair finalised their plans for Saturday, with Sean insisting he could pick Lorelei up from school.
Come Saturday morning, Lorelei found herself fluttering around her dorm, trying to decide what to wear. Sean had advised her to wear something comfortable but hadn't provided any more information about what they were doing. She tried on several different outfits before deciding on a pair of black jeans, a camisole and green long-sleeved shirt. They would pair nicely with a pair of her boots and black jacket. She added some light makeup and decided on leaving her long hair down. Lorelei was finishing up her hair when she heard a knock on her door. He must be here. "Coming." Lorelei called out, double checking her hair before she hurried over to open the door. Lorelei couldn't stop the smile that crossed her face when she saw Sean standing at her door. She was surprised to see him wearing such casual clothes, a knit sweater and pair of dark pants.
"Sean, hey! How are you feeling?" she asked, making out some faint bruising on his face.
Sean returned her smile. "Hello Lorelei, I'm fine. As I told you, it was a mild concussion."
"Please come in, I just have to put my shoes on." She told him, turning around to find her shoes. "Now, what did I do with them?"
Lorelei spotted the boots she wanted sitting by her desk. She picked them up, trying to steady her racing heart. Lorelei was taken back to her dream, where Sean had come to her room late at night. 'Nothing like that is going to happen, calm yourself. Don't make things weird' she chided herself. She grabbed her boots and sat down on the sofa, quickly putting them on and lacing up the straps.
"So, what are todays plans?" Lorelei asked him, as she finished tightening up the laces.
Sean, who had been glancing around her room, looked over at her "Have you had a chance to visit Pittock Mansion yet? He asked.
"No, not yet. I've been wanting to." Lorelei told him, she went to grab her jacket, where it was sitting over the end of the sofa. Sean quickly grabbed it, holding it open for her. Lorelei felt her cheeks warm up, there was something very intimate about the action. She allowed him to help her into the jacket, directing a thanks over her shoulder. Lorelei finished zipping up her jacket and grabbed what she would need for the day.
"I remember you mentioning you liked history. I thought you would appreciate the history behind the mansion." Sean commented.
Lorelei offered him a wide smile. "Your thoughts were correct. As I said, I've been wanting to see it."
The pair left her dorm and headed outside. Sean surprised Lorelei again, when he opened the passenger side door for her. Lorelei hadn't been on a date before, but it seemed to be date-like behaviour. Did Sean intend for this to be a date? No, he was just being a gentleman. Trying to stay out of her own head, Lorelei asked Sean how long he had been in Portland for, as they left the campus.
Sean glanced at her. "Around sixteen years," he replied. "I moved here in 1995 when I joined the academy."
Lorelei nodded. "Wow, it has been a while." She noted. "The longest I ever lived somewhere was Baltimore. We moved around a lot when I was younger but when I started college, Aunt Marie decided to settle in Baltimore until I finished." Sean hummed, to acknowledge he was listening "Where did you live before Portland?"
Sean let out a breath. "Much like yourself, I moved a lot when I was younger." He told her. "I was born in Europe. My mother and I moved to the US when I was twelve."
"Oh wow, Europe huh?" Lorelei commented. Sean hummed again, his eyes on the road. "I…" Lorelei trailed off as her phone let out a tone. "Excuse me." She said, pulling it from her bag. Lorelei glanced at it briefly before returning her phone to her bag.
"Is it important?" Sean asked.
Lorelei shook her head. "Nah, it's just Nick." She told him. "I'll reply later."
"Does Nick know you are spending the day with me?" Sean enquired.
"Nope. I think he might get a little weird about me hanging out with his boss." Lorelei replied. She was afraid Nick might have a problem with her spending time with his boss. He might also assume the pair were dating and go all overprotective brother on Sean. Lorelei didn't know what was happening between her and Sean, but she didn't want her brother involved.
Sean glanced at her as they left the city centre, the buildings becoming far and few between as more greenery emerged. "Do you think it's weird?" he asked her.
Lorelei laughed. "No. I mean, you're not my boss." She stated.
Sean smiled. "No, I am not." He agreed.
Lorelei continued to observe the scenery, pointing out the Japanese Gardens and expressing her desire to visit them when the weather warmed up.
"I would suggest waiting. They are even more beautiful in the spring." Sean told her. "It is one of my favourite places in Portland."
"You'll have to give me the tour then. Spring break starts at the end of March. If you are free, then?" Lorelei said,
"I will make time." Sean told her. Lorelei felt herself blush again, she seemed to be doing that a lot today. A busy man like Sean going out of his way to make time for her, a grad school student.
They arrived at Pittock Mansion, and once again Sean opened the car door for Lorelei. They headed toward the mansion. Lorelei was looking around it awe. It was a beautiful old house. Sean paid for their tickets and began leading her through the house and the surrounding grounds. Lorelei felt a desire to get to know the police captain more, so between his history lessons, Lorelei instigated a game of twenty questions. Sean's favourite colour was blue, favourite food was French, he could speak French, German, and Russian fluently as well as some Latin, Greek, and Arabic. She also learned he had an appreciation for classical music and the finer things in life. Once they finished up at Pittock Mansion, they headed back into the city to have lunch.
The restaurant wasn't fine dining, but it was certainly upmarket. Sean once again surprised Lorelei, by helping her into her chair once they arrived at the table.
"Any suggestions?" Lorelei asked Sean, as she looked over the menu. Everything looked amazing, she was having a hard time deciding.
"Their pappardelle mimmo is the best in the city." He answered. "As is the aragosta."
"Hmm, so many choices." Lorelei said, looking over the menu again.
The waitress returned with their drinks and to take their food order. Lorelei was surprised when Sean poured some of the wine he ordered into the wine glass in front of her. She raised an eyebrow, and he shot her a smile. "I won't tell if you won't." he said in a low voice. She returned the smile and reached for the glass.
"Mmm, that is lovely." Lorelei stated after trying some. "It beats the stuff I tried at the last party I went to. Nasty stuff." She shook her head, recalling what had been available at a frat party she had attended.
Sean laughed. "Ah yes. I had my fair share of awful booze during my college years." He told her. "Do you attend many parties?"
Lorelei shook her head. "Not really. I went to a few when I first arrived, but it's not really my scene." Lorelei considered herself an introvert, she didn't mind the odd party but she preferred smaller, more intimate gatherings.
The appetizers arrived and as they ate, Sean asked Lorelei about her future career plans. She outlined career plans, as well as her plans for her Masters project.
Sean raised an eyebrow, looking impressed. "Oh, you're already making plans for that."
Lorelei nodded and explained that her work supervisor was also a supervisor for research projects at the college. She provided some more information about her plans for the project when he asked, trying to refrain from nerding out on him. Lorelei was aware that not everyone would be as interested in her plans as she was, but Sean had asked, and he didn't seem to mind listening.
"I look forward to hearing more about it." He told Lorelei, who blushed slightly again.
"Sorry, I can nerd out a bit about this kind of stuff." She said, fiddling with her fork as she glanced down at her plate.
Sean laughed. "No need to apologise. It's something you are passionate about. Feel free to 'nerd out' whenever you wish."
Lorelei couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. Sean was really different from other people. Most people weren't overly interested in the same things that she was and although Sean was not well versed in the topic, he seemed to want to hear more.
"These cannolis are amazing, but that tiramisu looks great." Lorelei commented. Sean had insisted on desert and Lorelei had caved. Lorelei was surprised when Sean scooped up a spoonful of his tiramisu and offered it to her. "Are you sure?" she asked and after Sean assured her, he was, she leant forward and took a bite, very aware that the spoon previously been in his mouth. "Wow, that is the best tiramisu I have ever had." she stated, hoping Sean wouldn't notice her breathy tone.
"I agree." Sean said, his gaze intense before it returned to his desert.
Lunch was followed by a visit to a nearby art museum, one Lorelei had already visited but was eager to see again. Sean was interested in what it had been like growing up with Nick and Lorelei shared some stories.
"Despite being older than me, he never seemed to mind hanging out with me." Lorelei had told Sean. "Never complained about having to take me to school or pick me up. Never complained about having to babysit me when Aunt Marie was at work. I've met some people who complain about having to do that, but Nick…he never made me feel like I was an annoyance. He's always doted on me, treated me as child when others seemed to forget that."
The deep and meaningful conversation shifted towards funny stories. After one story, Lorelei noticed that Sean seemed to have been distracted by his own thoughts, his face hardening slightly.
"Are you ok?" Lorelei asked him, tentatively placing her hand on his arm.
Sean shook his head slightly, bringing himself out of his head. "Ah yes. Just thinking about my own brother."
Lorelei was surprised. "Oh, you have a brother as well."
"Yes. I have a half-brother. We do not get along, not like you and Nick." He told her.
Lorelei nodded in understanding. "I am lucky." She acknowledged. "I knew a girl who had an older brother. Similar age difference to me and Nick. He pretty much ignored her existence. It used to bother her a lot."
They continued through the museum before leaving. Sean navigated his car back towards the campus to drop Lorelei off. He questioned if she would be living in the dorms next year and she confirmed she planned to move off campus. She was expressing her desire to get a pet when Sean pulled up in front of her dorm. They finished up their conversation, and Lorelei glanced outside, feeling disappointed that the day was over. She had a great time; Sean was very knowledgeable and a great conversationalist.
"Well, this looks like my stop." She looked back at Sean. "Thank you. I had a great day. You are a great tour guide."
Sean smiled down at her. "You are most welcome. It was a great day. And Portland is a big city. Plenty more to see." He said, giving her a look. Hoping she was right, Lorelei mentioned he should call her when he had some free time.
There was a moment of silence and Lorelei could feel Sean's intense gaze on her. She found her own gaze drop down to his lips, feeling the urge to lean across the centre consol and kiss him. Catching herself before she acted, Lorelei spun around to open the door before she did something she could regret.
"Thanks again Sean. I'll see you later. Have a good night." Lorelei quickly exited the car and made her way to the front doors of her dorm building. She could feel Sean's eyes on her and glanced back at him, offering a quick wave before she continued inside.
Lorelei quickly rushed toward her room, returning the greetings of some people she was friendly with. Once inside, she dropped her bag and flopped down on her bed, letting out a long breath. Lorelei had never felt such an intense urge to kiss anyone before. Thankfully she was able to stop herself before doing something she may have regretted. She liked Sean, even if he wasn't interested in that way she would like to keep him as a friend. And making a move that could be one-sided could ruin that.
