Feeling Something... [Roderich & Braelyn-Complete]

On another occasion, Braelyn would’ve taken her time to look around the bar as she had entered. She would have noted the relaxing ambiance, appreciated the low murmur of talking and perfect volume of music, and she would’ve declared that she liked the place. Though, of course, this would be the case if were any other day. Today, her attention was completely on the man at her side, Dr. Roderich Edelstein. Around him, she couldn’t keep a smile from her lips.

They chose to sit at a booth-- Braelyn secretly thought perhaps it was because he still felt guilty for hurting her and that her wanted them to be comfortable-- and she asked him as to what he would like. His look of confusion prompted her to explain.

“Well, as I do recall, the reason we are sitting here is because I offered to buy you a drink. You seemed upset when I saw you during the day and when you rushed into the Staff Area and, well, my offer still stands. What would you like?” She couldn’t help the concerned look that seeped into her casual expression, faltering her smile. She had been worried about him; she still was, though she hoped that by her bringing it up hadn’t made him feel uncomfortable or anything.

Roderich tapped a nervous finger on the table, resting his chin in his hand and looking away from Braelyn's concerned expression, across to the bar counter backed by rows of colorful, well-lit bottles. He still felt some lingering anxiety from his recent panic attack, bolstered by the fact that Braelyn had to some degree witnessed it. He hadn't known her very long, and she was quite amiable and pretty, and the last thing he wanted was for her to think him unstable--or at least unprofessional.

And of course, there was the guilt over hurting her. His glance kept flickering back to her bruised arm uncomfortably. It wasn't bad, and it would surely heal quickly, but all the same, he felt bad about it. He really should be the one paying here, to make it up to her...

"Um," he murmured, thinking. He hadn't had beer in a while--he was more accustomed to wine, really--so maybe he'd have a glass of that for a change. "A Warsteiner, if they have it."

Lucky me, Braelyn thought, I made him uncomfortable. Glancing between his tapping fingers and his constant tendency to look away from her, it was looking like this outing was turning more awkward by the minute. She opened her mouth to say something, but shook her head and simply got up to get the drinks.

Leaning against the counter, she told the bartender what she wanted, a Warsteiner and Rum Screwdriver, and while she waited she couldn’t help but notice the two men who were gesturing towards her from the other side of the bar. Ignoring them, Braelyn played with her braid as she thought of her day. She went over her patients, testing her memory with their names, and so on. Also, she thought about what had happened between her and Roderich and the fact that they were here together. It confused her and she sighed deeply, closing her eyes. The bartender made her look up and he winked at her as she paid and took the drinks; she gave him a sweet smile in return.

She carried the drinks back, careful not to spill, and placed them down on the table. “Your in luck, they have your brand” she said lamely, sitting down as she did. Grasping her glass and wrapping her fingers around the perspiring glass, Braelyn looked up at Roderich. I might as well say something, she thought.

“So, umm… when is your next concert?” she inquired, hoping maybe the mention of music would make him relax a bit.

It did--it was a safe, unembarrassing topic that he enjoyed, after all. His features brightened somewhat.

"The end of next month. Right now the orchestra and I are working on Borodin's second symphony as our main piece and an orchestrated version of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2. We have a few small quartet pieces as well--I'm doing the first violin part in one of them." He took a sip of his beer, pausing a moment to judge the taste, then mentally deemed it acceptable and went on. "It's a lot of work, but I truly enjoy it. And I took lessons for both the piano and violin for many years, so that helps."

His eyes darted briefly to her bruise again, but a resurgence of guilt was blocked by a sudden thought that came to his mind. Hmm, should he tell her? He didn't tell many people, but she did love music, so she wouldn't look down on him for it...

"You know," he said, "I entered college planning to be a music major. I changed my mind after the first year, though. I supposed it wouldn't be as well-paying or stable enough as a career in medicine. Or as helpful to society, to look at it from a wider perspective..."

Braelyn looked Roderich in the eye and said,” The end of next month? Well if it doesn’t interfere with my recital, I would love to attend and see you play.” It took a moment for her to realize what she had said. A blush warmed her cheeks whilst she hastily added, “Well, ah, not to see you personally but to see the orchestra. I have been wanting to go to a concert for a while now and it would be a nice change to be able to listen and enjoy to the music instead of dancing to it.”

Looking down at her drink, swirling around the ice in her glass slightly, Braelyn failed to notice his glance towards her sore arm. It was only when he spoke again did she resume eye contact. Listening to him, she couldn’t help but notice the subtle change in his tone.

“Well I understand what you’re saying; that with medicine you had a better chance to make a difference and to make your mark in the world, so to speak. Through medicine, you change peoples lives everyday, while your own life becomes hectic, stressful, but with the sense of accomplishment and achievement at the end of the day. I respect your decision; life is about choices after all, and with those choices you make life your own.”

Pausing to take another sip, Braelyn couldn’t help thinking of her own decisions, why she had followed medicine for a career. She thought of her inspiration… the thought made her lower her eyes. Perhaps it was the coaxing of the alcohol, that loosened her lips towards a topic she rarely spoke of, because Braelyn said quietly, “I’m in medicine because my father was a doctor, a cardiologist to be exact. After a few years of being a nurse, I’m going to become one also, to be like my father.”

Not wanting to end on such a note, Braelyn looked up at Roderich and smiled and finished her drink.

"It should be on the twenty-sixth," he said, feeling his face heat too in response to her blush, though not altogether uncomfortably. "At seven in the evening, provided nothing changes. I'll let you know if something does."

Another sip, and: "Admittedly, it wasn't the desire to help others that brought me into it initially. It was more of my own interest, the job security and pay, and the sheen of respectability about the profession. The 'helping' part only truly became important once I was actually working with patients."

As did the part of the job that drove him into awful mental states sometimes--the guilt and anxiety--but surely she understood that well herself. No need to touch upon that.

Mild surprise crossed his features upon hearing of her ambition. "Really," he remarked. Somehow, he hadn't pictured her as the type to want to go that far in her career. "That's an interesting field. Is your father going to be much to live up to? Mine was in medicine as well, actually--he was a rheumatologist. He retired only two years ago, as a matter of fact."

And yes, that sort of parentage had had some influence on Roderich's decision, though certainly he hadn't wanted to be like his father exactly. He had brought the profession to Roderich's attention, though, as well as all of its perks, due to his being a well-regarded figure in the medical community back in Austria.

Looking down into her empty glass, Braelyn wished she hadn’t finished it so quickly. It wasn’t his fault, how was he supposed to know? In this country, no one really knew of her past and especially not of her father. Knowing that she had walked into this, she tumbled the ice in her glass as she looked up at him and said in a voice that was soft, “My father died in a vehicular accident when I was young.”

She watched his expression change and before he could utter the apology she had a feeling his lips wanted to utter, she placed her hand on his and said, “Please don’t worry about it, Roderich, you didn’t know. Besides, it happened a long time ago and it has made me the kind of person I am today; a person that would have made my father proud. To be completely honest with you, I don’t speak of him often so you must be some kind of special.” A small laugh made her smile again and with a raised brow, she continued, “And to answer your question, yes I have much to live up to! Harvey Leveque was a great doctor but, I accept my father’s legacy and make it my own. I love myself a challenge!” Braelyn finished with a wink and she gave his hand a slight squeeze before removing her own.

Odd. This was the first time she had spoken of her father with a smile on her face and instead of feeling sad, she felt rather relieved and happy. As to why that was so, she could only begin to guess. Perhaps it was for the same reason she had brought up her father to Roderich in the first place, because she felt a sense of ease around him. Yes, very odd indeed.

Indeed, he'd been all set to apologize, but in an instant her hand was atop his and he was abruptly cut off by the feel of her soft, rather cold fingers. His usual thoughts of pathogens flashed through his mind, but he quickly quelled them with the fact that she was a nurse and certainly knew how to wash her hands.

Absently, he shifted his fingers a little against her palm as she referred to him as special. What had he done to make himself seem a good confidant? Did he just look to be the sort of person one could tell personal things to? He'd been friendly to her, yes, and they shared some interests, but he couldn't see how she'd decided that about him...

"Just don't follow his footsteps so closely that you lose some of yourself in the process," he advised. "It would be a shame."

A shame, he thought, to see her like himself--weighed down with enough stress that her cheery, playful demeanor would be dampened. Her smile was catching, and he was smiling as well as he spoke.

And when she pulled her hand away, he felt a slight tinge of disappointment. He wasn't sure why, but then again, he wasn't sure why he had begun leaning across the table a bit, either. Catching himself, he leaned back, resting against the seat of the booth, folding his arms on the edge of the table. No need to start acting irrationally, now...

Hey eyes widened a bit and her smile broadened at the man’s statement; Braelyn stiffed a small chuckle with her fingers gaily at the thought. What a contradiction this man has stumbled upon, she thought, considering that I still have to finish finding myself before I can even begin to misplace pieces of my being. Amused, she daintily placing her elbows on the table. Braelyn then laced her fingers together, before gently resting her chin upon them. Her eyes sparkled with playfulness and her smile was sweet.

“I appreciate the concern, Roderich and I will keep that in mind. I will try my best to remain true to myself in the years to come.” He tone was soft, thoughtful. She honestly did value what he had said; it corresponded with her morals agreeably and well. Half closing her eyes as she thought this; subconsciously moving her head back and forth slightly, rubbing the softness of her lips against her cool hands. Braelyn finally looked up when she felt eyes on her. Blinking a few times, she raised her brow in question and lifted her head about an inch. Why was her looking at her in such a way?

Feeling the threat of blush against her complexion, she lifted her head and rested her hands midway upon the table, caressing her fingers against each other softly. Finding interest with her empty glass again, Braelyn, nonchalantly, inquired, “Would you mind sharing with me something about yourself?” before she dared to look return eye contact again.

There were things about this situation that were quickly becoming harder and harder to ignore--particularly the thoughts that were flashing through his mind as he watched the movements of her head. He felt his gaze fixate on her lips, and he couldn't help thinking...

No. Why, that--their relationship wasn't like that, at least yet. And no, he shouldn't be thinking about the 'yet'. He didn't have time to deal with--

Her question made him think. Besides about his music, he didn't talk much about his personal life. Work wasn't the time and place for it, and among his colleagues in the orchestra, it just didn't come up all that often. What was there that he could say that was actually interesting and not awkward...

"I live almost an hour from Axis Memorial an a suburban part of town, mainly because I don't like the standards of cleanliness most apartment complexes are kept in. I have a small, one-story house outfitted with air and water filters, and..." Oh, wait, sounding obsessive again. Um. "...a music room with a grand piano, and I recently had my kitchen re-done. I enjoy cooking, actually. Not that I get much opportunity to, what with my schedule as it is, but..."

For some reason upon hearing of Roderich’s house, Braelyn couldn’t help but notice the man’s falter between the mention of filters and his music; it made her giggle slightly. The laugh was not to be mockingly however, it was due to the fact that his description of his house reflected so much of what she already knew of him. Though, the mention of cooking took her by surprise.

“Vous aimez cuisiner?” She spoke with interest in her tone; an idea was forming in her mind. “The man who is a successful doctor, is active in the musical world, likes to cook, and still has time to go out and have a drink with me… even with your busy schedule.” Ending with a wink, Braelyn had been using hand motions for enthusiasm, though her tone said it clearly enough that she was impressed, Braelyn winced in surprise from a sudden pain in her arm.

Confused, she touched the area-- only to wince again—realizing only after that she had forgotten about her bruise. Though the bruise and pain distracted her momentarily, she still caught the change of Roderich’s facial features and his attention on her bruise. Blinking a few times, slowly the truth dawned in her mind; she had a good feeling that this wasn’t the first time he had stared at it guiltily.

Sighing, Braelyn looked at Roderich pointedly, with her brow raised, until he met her gaze. In mocking seriousness, though the smile tugging at her lips slightly ruined the façade, she said "Roderich, please stop feeling so guilty, it’s only a bruise, and accidents happen! But, if you truly feel bad still, then I give you three options.” Holding up her finger accordingly, Braelyn continued, “One: you accept my forgiveness and we can laugh about it. Two: you offer to buy me another drink. Or, three: you offer to make me dinner so that I can see you cooking skills myself! Choose now, monsieur” Her plan in the open, and unable to keep a straight face no longer, Braelyn began to laugh delightfully.

He shrugged, half-smiling. "I'm good at time management." And indeed, he kept a pretty tight schedule, neatly taking stock of everything on his phone's calendar. Heck, going out with Braelyn was probably the first major thing he'd done in some time that wasn't expressly written on said calendar. It probably didn't hurt to make his life a bit more spontaneous...

It did hurt, though, to see Braelyn in pain again. The concern washed over his features before he could help it. She should have kept that ice pack on longer...

But her laugh was as catching as her smile, and everything she proposed was tempting. Even though the latter two would force him to admit some aspects of his feelings for her, he couldn't otherwise see a reason to refuse. He might as well take the plunge.

"Can I choose all three?" he asked, and felt the smile break fully across his face.

As the heat of the blush increased in her cheeks, so did Braelyn’s smile. Her left hand quickly went to the tip of her braid to begin playing with it; she hadn’t expected that answer. She had considered it of course, a wishful fiction that she had thought of fleetingly, but she never thought it to be reality!

Realizing that he was still waiting for an answer to his unexpected question, Braelyn giggled nervously before she said, ”Well of course you may choose all three… I do not see a problem with that, not at all.”

Lame though it was, her answer was out and her nervous giggle turned into one and pure joy. Why did he make her feel so happy? Possibly because he made the loneliness that she always seemed to feel fade away into nothing. What she liked more then his answer Braelyn found though, was that she couldn’t look away at his smiling face. He was so… handsome and she noticed this now more than ever.

It was then that a thought came to her mind and she froze her braid playing. “Est-ce à dire que nous allons sur une la date?”

Her eyes widened in surprise with herself; she hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Braelyn really didn’t know what was happening between her and Roderich, nor did she know that he could understand French, but she did know that she was really starting to like him. “Surprise me with the drink, Roderich."

He understood her, of course--and could hardly hide the fact, as the blood immediately rose to his cheeks. He dipped his head, gazing at his drink as though it were incredibly interesting, but of course she had seen, apparent by the way her eyes had gone wide.

"I don't know," he mumbled. "This probably qualifies as one."

Why did she have to say it out loud? Surely it was true, and he knew that, but he felt so awkward now...probably because it'd been years since he had gone on a date. It had been...yes, not since he had stopped going out with his former fiancée, which was nearly six years ago. He'd hung out with women at times, of course, but not one-on-one like this, and not with the undertones this had.

"So you want me to surprise you further?" he said, forcing himself to glance back up at her. "...Very well."

He rose, walked over to the bar, and returned a minute later with a pina colada topped with a cherry. She'd had a fruity drink before, so she might very well like that, he figured.

She stared blankly at his back as he walked away, totally dumbstruck. Roderich knows French? She hadn’t known that and now she was pretty sure that she had embarrassed him. Staring down at the table, her smile gone, Braelyn went over what he had said before he left, more especially how he had said it. Leaning against the table, Braelyn sighed, closing her eyes; why did she have t be so awkward sometimes? True that the last time a boy had asked her out, she had agreed because she thought her needed help studying. It wasn’t till after he had tried to kiss her and she had freaked out with a torrent of French that she had realized his true intentions. She was not good with these kinds of things,

Mentally kicking herself several times, Braelyn failed to see Roderich return and she only opened her eyes at the thud of glass on the table. Blinking a few times at the drink, it took her a second to remember that she had asked for it. “I did not know that you knew French…” she said, tearing her gaze from the drink and forcing her attention back to him. Parting her lips to say something more, Braelyn hesitated and sighed, leaning back against her seat. She might as well be honest.

“Roderich… forgive me for being so blatant, I’m not really used to doing this.” She motioned bewteen the two of them and again, her attention returned to the drink. Quite the interesting choice, she thought, I haven’t had one of these in forever. The thought of Roderich choosing the stereotyped “girly” drink for her was suddenly very amusing. The thought coaxed a smile to her lips as she glanced back at him, her eyes sparkling again.

She grabbed the cherry and brought it to her lips, hesitating long enough to say, “Like I said, I’m not really used to this but if you don’t mind me saying, I really enjoy our time together. Merci beaucoup, monsieur.” Before plopping the cherry in her mouth.

"I studied it in school," he said, hesitating beside the table, rubbing his hands together out of nervousness. "It was too long ago for me to still speak it well, but...yes, I can understand it much of the time. I probably should have told you earlier."

He almost gave a snort of a laugh at her comment. That made two of them.

"Me neither. It's been a long time, for me. But I...I enjoy it as well."

Realizing he was only accentuating his current frame of mind by hovering and fidgeting over her, he took his seat again, taking a gulp from his drink. After a few moments of simply exchanging glances, he cleared his throat, thinking he probably ought to make conversation.

"Did you know that alcohol-based hand sanitizers have been proven to generally be more effective than handwashing? Provided the alcohol content is 60% or above, of course. One of the only things they don't work well against are the rhinoviruses." He looked about the bar. "And, um, do make sure to wash your hands after this. The cursory wiping they give the tables and counters wouldn't be enough to clear off those and other contact-spread viruses. Goodness only knows what organisms have been brought in from the restrooms, too..."

Braelyn managed to swallow what she had taken from her drink before her mouth fell open slightly when Roderich began to speak. A grin spread across her parted lips and her eyebrows rose in interest and amusement. This was probably the most she had heard from him at one moment. The more he spoke, the more tempting it became to ask him for some hand sanitizer; she didn’t. Instead, before he could continue, she reached across the table and clasped his hand as before.

As she had presumed, he immediately ceased speaking, though she had grabbed his hand, not to shut him up, but to redirect his attention back to her. Her expression was a sweet one, far from mocking or teasing, when she said, “Are you saying that you are uncomfortable here?”

Removing her hand just shy a few inches from his, she took anther sip of her drink. Considering again what he had said, she looked down at her drink skeptically. The possibilities arose in her mind. Looking back at Roderich with her eyes only, she laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. “Because if you are, how about some fresh night air?” It was just a suggestion, after all. Perhaps in a more open environment, Roderich would relax more, she thought.

He cut off as she touched him, realizing that he had been rambling. The fact that she was not looking concerned for his mental health in response was a bit comforting.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "I just...I consider these things often. I'm sure both of us have healthy immune systems, so provided that we don't expressly assist pathogens in entering our bodies, we'll be fine."

He took another gulp from his drink. "Besides, I know I at least am vaccinated for a lot of the particularly debilitating pathogens that may be present. ...And many that wouldn't be, admittedly. Such as rabies. Though, there have been reports of rabid skunks in this area, so that one does have some worth." He smiled, hoping that an amused look on his part would diffuse whatever anxiety he had stirred up. "The smallpox one, on the other hand, I suppose I have no good excuse for."

“Well I’m glad to hear that, monsieur…” I wonder why he is talking so much… is he still nervous? Her thoughts were beginning to wonder towards the fact that she was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

She listened to him, taking turns between taking sips from her drink and playing with her braid. She wasn’t bored… perhaps the alcohol was beginning to take effect on her energy level. That bath still sounded pretty good. She watched his facial expressions as he spoke, she frowned when he smiled... it seemed a bit off, and by the time he was mentioning smallpox she knew she had to interfere. Taking a large sip of her drink, Braelyn leaned forward, caressed her hands together, and looked at Roderich until he was completely looking at her.

“Écoute, Roderich… “Braelyn trailed off, not really knowing where to go from there. She admitted to herself, she liked the guy and she wanted to get to know him more but the current topic that he was discussing was putting her out of ease. How could she change the subject without hurting his feelings? Tapping her fingertips together, she was beginning to feel nervous and had to look away from him. How did this happen? A few minutes ago they had been laughing and, dare she think it, flirting. Now… she had to break this awkwardness! Plus, the stuffy air of the bar was starting to bother her.

Swallowing the rest of her drink, Braelyn stood up beside the table, smoothed out her shirt, looked down at Roderich, and outstretched her hand as she smiled. “Dr. Edelstein, I know that you said that you were fine about staying here but the smoking in here is beginning to bother my asthma. Care to take a walk with me?”

All right, so there was the boundary. There was the point where he stopped looking germ-conscious and started looking obsessive, or slightly delusional, or...perhaps he shouldn't have told her those things at all. Perhaps he was ruining this date, putting her off. His smile faded, and he considered apologizing, then figured that might make him look weak and uncontrolled. Gosh, since when was he so terrible at holding conversations outside of a professional setting...

Her standing spared him an answer, and strangely enough, her calling him by his title steadied him a bit. He quickly finished off his drink, climbing to his feet and taking her hand.

"...I wasn't aware you suffered from asthma." No, no, awkward. She was not his patient and she hadn't been required to tell him that. Come on, something normal he could say... "All right. Would you like to go up the block? There's a small park there we could stroll through."

Shouldering her purse, Braelyn looked over her shoulder as she led his hand towards the door. “Oui I have asthma, since I was young. Chronic asthma actually though it only really bothers me when I’m really nervous or any other extreme emotion really, along with dust, smoke, and chemical fumes. I’ve learned to control it slightly by maintaining my emotions as to not trigger a attack.”

Usually Braelyn didn’t like bringing up her condition, she considered it something rather private; a human tendency to hide a weakness. Though she found with Roderich, she didn’t mind so much as she had found with others. The truth in this was very odd to her indeed; Braelyn admitted that she had many things to ponder when she got home. She released his hand to open the door and stepping out into the humid night air, Braelyn took a deep breath and sighed in relief. “Beaucoup meilleur…”

The smell of salt from the ocean laid heavily upon the wind, it made Braelyn smile softly; she missed the shores of her Monaco. Lost for a moment in memory, she blinked in surprise when something brushed her hand. Looking up to meet his eyes, she smiled and gestured towards the sidewalk. In a soft tone she said, “Lead the way, Roderich”.

"Ah." Well, she'd likely enjoy coming to his house for that promised dinner, then. What with the filters over every ventilation shaft and all the vacuuming he did, the air was ridiculously dust-free. Heck, he could probably start a clinic for immunosuppressed patients in there; that's how clean it was. Someone with asthma would have no problem at all.

There was something he was really liking about holding her hand. After she'd released her grasp, he'd unconsciously sought it out again, brushing his palm against her knuckles. Her glance and smile seemed permission enough, so he curled his fingers around her hand, squeezing it lightly.

Nodding, he took her up the block, stepping in front of her when passing pedestrians kept them from walking side by side. The street was busy, packed with late traffic and gleaming with the glow of brake lights, but aside from the rush of passing cars and the chatter of groups of people from time to time, it was relatively peaceful for the city. The park was nearly empty at his hour, as its usual hordes of children and pet owners had since gone home. It was well-maintained, crossed by a winding cement path flanked by lampposts, and while it wasn't set far from the roads, the tall trees helped to give the illusion of being cut off from the metropolis.

Once there, Roderich slowed his pace and tried to think of some topic of easy conversation, but...perhaps it was the warm night air, or the fact that he was touching her, but he couldn't think of a thing. He remained silent, occasionally casting a fond glance towards her as they went along.

Entering the park, the noise of the street and traffic muffled by the trees around them, Braelyn probably looked more relaxed than she felt. Completely conscious of how close she was to him, plus the fact that he was holding her hand, made her both happy and confused. She went over the course of events that had happened between them in the past few days over in her head but ended up getting distracted mid-thought by the warmth of his hand around hers. She wasn’t really used to such contact.

Questioning herself as to how such closeness came to be so fast between them seemed illogical and irrational when she considered how happy she was and how much warmer she felt when she caught one of his glances. So, in the end, she simply accepted it and held his hand a little tighter; she could think about it later but not now.

A moment or two later, Braelyn became aware of the quite that was stretching between the two of them since they had left the bar. Although, the silence was not an uncomfortable one, not at all. With that in thought, she found herself with a slight dilemma: of not wanting to the break the silence by saying something awkward or that might ruin whatever peace they had yet she could think of nothing to say.

Sighing softly, she glanced over towards him only to meet his eye. Thinking it was now or perhaps later, she stopped and waited till he paused too to look at her. Closing the small gap between them to a few inches and looking up at him, she hesitated before she said, ”So when were you thinking that we should have dinner?” Wow… how lame was that, she thought as Braelyn began to laugh warmheartedly, squeezing Roderich’s hand as she did.

"Uh..." He reached for his phone, fumbling in his right pants pocket with his left hand, so as not to have to let go of hers. Pressing the touch screen a few times, he opened his calendar, skimming the following week. "I'm free Monday and Friday after work. Tuesday and Thursday are orchestra practices, Wednesday I'm hosting a sectional at my house, and this weekend I'm going out of town for a conference, so..." He shrugged. "Next weekend is free, though, if you'd like to do that. I'm not sure what your hours are at the moment..."

"And of course you'll have to let me know what you like to eat," he added as an afterthought. Hopefully not seafood, he thought. He'd have to prepare something different for himself, were that the case, since he'd read so many articles on seafood toxins...

It was about then that Braelyn fully came to realize what was being discussed; she was actually going on a date with this man. Well, she thought slowly, perhaps second date… Were they on a date now? Damn she was bad with these things. Taking a step back away from him, she thought of her own schedule. Besides from work and ballet, she didn’t do much either than being at home or spending hours at the beach.

Shrugging, she finally said, “Next weekend could work out; I work till nine on Friday then ballet till twelve. I’m off Saturday and Sunday.” Besides, the distraction would be nice. It was getting close to around that time when she usually received a letter from he family; an event that always put her into a rather bad mood. The sudden thought of another bachelor made her shiver violently, familiar disgust churned her stomach. Something that resembled guilt made her turn her head from him; the heat of a blush hidden in darkness burned her cheeks. Pretending to be distracted momentarily by the shadow cast by a lamppost, when she gazed back at him again, her smile was softer than before. “You may have the honor of surprising me, if you so wish, in regards to the meal. I have had a little bit of everything from everywhere so I am not fussy.”