A First Time for Everything
[Continued from the Tag Someone New meme]
Jane had debated for the better part of an hour whether to actually go out with Jack. Yes, their meeting had seemed ideal, and he seemed like a great guy. But appearances could be deceiving.
After talking with Darcy she decided to go through with it - with Darcy's tazer in her purse. She texted him the ( Read more... )
Jane had debated for the better part of an hour whether to actually go out with Jack. Yes, their meeting had seemed ideal, and he seemed like a great guy. But appearances could be deceiving.
After talking with Darcy she decided to go through with it - with Darcy's tazer in her purse. She texted him the ( Read more... )
"I hope my choosing will be of equal success. It was nice dressing up and going out though I'm more of a casual creature," he said as they walked. She really had chose a place close to home. It couldn't have been but a few blocks or time was flying because of the fun he was having. Jack loved that Jane never released his hand until they approached her building.
His brow arched at her laughter but Jack kept a smile. A taser would have hurt plenty--even a man of his stature. His military training had taught him how to work through it but Jane really had nothing to fear. Hopefully her instincts said as much. He really did have good intentions. "Is it bad to have the old women in a tizzy? I expect it brings color into their lives," he said through a smile.
He would have met a similar fate if some of his neighbors saw him bring a woman home. More of them tried setting him up on dates, none of which were women he wanted to bring home or go home with them. Attractive on the outside but not for him inside. And really, those dates were once or twice a year.
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"The problem is that they've all been trying to fix me up with their sons and grandsons for weeks, and I kept saying no. Now they'll want to know where you came from and why I went out with you when I told them I didn't want to date while working on my masters. That kind of thing."
The ride was short, and they were soon stepping out of the elevator and down the hall to her modest apartment. She opened the door and led the way inside, turning on a lamp by the door so she could see to turn on the rest of the lights.
"It's nothing fancy, but it's home for now. I didn't plan for you to be seeing it, so don't look in the bedroom because the entire contents of my closet is strewn across the bed." As she turned on more lights he would see that the living area was adjacent to a small galley kitchen. Furnishings were few but tasteful and all that she needed - a couch, coffee table, a few lamps and a rug. The walls were covered in pictures she had taken herself through the high-powered university telescope and her favorite shots from the Hubble telescope.
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His eyes glanced around the surroundings in both the elevator and the walk from it. The building was newly renovated or just newer in general. Jack liked--no, loved the older architecture. That was his thing while the stars were hers. He believed they would meet somewere in the middle as time went on. Jane didn't seem too taken by her apartment and he couldn't help but laugh at her explanation.
"I didn't have plans on the bedroom, no worries! It's very homey. Not the sterile modern touch I've seen in some buildings like this one," he complimented. Maybe not the most obvious of compliments but it was one from Jack. This was probably why his romances were unsuccessful. He continued following Jane with kind eyes, waiting for her to direct what happened next.
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"Thanks. I spent most of the summer living in a tiny trailer, so when I moved here I realized I didn't have enough stuff to fill the space. I've worked really hard to make it comfortable. That's what drew me to this building of all the places I looked. Everything was glass and chrome and industrial pipes. Not my style at all."
She gestured for him to follow her into the kitchen, where she retrieved two plates from the cabinet to put the dessert on. "Do you want coffee, or wine?"
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The building only stood five floors but was only small by skyscraper standards. All the floors but the top (where Jack lived) had reasonably high ceilings without an industrial look. His apartment, however, had exposed rafters and ducts among old crown molding and brick. It was a little too soon to think of living arrangements but the thought crossed his mind regardless.
"I wouldn't expect anything less," he commented warmly with the matching grin to her explanation of her taste. "Coffee, please." Jack felt a little obtrusive in the quaint kitchen but wanted to remain where Jane requested. He enjoyed being in close proximity and wasn't one who necessarily liked being waited on in a different room, given his upbringing.
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"Oh? You can tell I'm a nature girl already?" She was partial to natural beauty over man-made. It came from the hours upon hours she spent camping and hiking with her father growing up. It permeated all aspects of her life - from her choices in furniture and accommodations to the fact that she wore very little makeup, if any.
She popped a filter into the coffee pot, measured out the grounds, then filled the reservoir with water before tapping the 'on' button. The maker started its typical clicking and popping. The mugs were conveniently in the cabinet under the bar, so she turned in his direction and knelt down to get two for them.
"Are you a night owl like me?"
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Jack washed his hands and started to plate the dessert as Jane busied with the making of coffee. He stood off to a side, leaning against the counter while following her with his eyes. "I'm afraid not." His smile waned slightly into a hesitant look of his eyes. "I sleep about six hours a night but I'm usually out cold come midnight, I'm afraid."
His routine had him up at six in the morning and out for a run or some kind of work out before a shower, breakfast and early to work. Some swore he had spent more time in the military with how scheduled he could be. It was the family trade that had him accustomed to living on a set timetable before his days in her Majesty's army.
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She talked while she gathered the sugar bowl and a container of half and half from the refrigerator. "Given what I do I don't really have a choice but to be up all night and then sleep most of the day. Coffee keeps me going by around 3 am." The amount of coffee she consumed on a daily basis was probably bordering upon unhealthy but she didn't worry about it.
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It was only their first date and day together. In time, he expected they'd read each other properly. Jane seemed sure of herself...for the most part. Maybe it was her intelligence that gave her the air of confidence he saw. At the moment, he was the one who started to feel unsure. Was he appearing over eager? Jack genuinely liked her and never had met a woman like her. He was sure he never would.
"I drink a good bit of it through out the day to keep me going. It isn't good to feel even slightly drowsy with what I do whether it's drawing a plan or up on a scaffold. ...I hope we can at least meet in the evenings," he ended somewhat timidly. Jack hoped Jane wasn't put off by their differences. He would surely attempt to stay up on occasion with her when he wasn't working the next day should she want.
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Jane picked up the coffee carafe as soon as it was finished brewing and filled their cups, adding just a little sugar to hers before picking up her mug and one of the cannolis and moving over to the couch. She felt mostly certain he would join her without her having to ask. She took a small sip of coffee before placing the mug on the coffee table so she had her hands free to dig into the cannoli.
"Trust me, even if you've had cannolis before, you've never had one as good as these."
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"Practice," he answered through a small smile at her comment about construction workers standing on scaffolding. Jack had been on beams once or twice that belonged to skyscrapers with no harness. He didn't recommend it to anyone. Neither did he recommend rock climbing without gear though he had done that in the past as well.
He followed her to the couch and sat comfortably close to Jane. Jack skipped a sip of coffee and took a large bite of his dessert, cream remnants left over the stubble on his lip and chin after. He nodded and moaned appreciatively while chewing. "Mmm...that IS good. Now I wish I would've gotten a couple of extras," he uttered after swallowing his bite.
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"I've heard it makes perfect." She tried hard not to giggle at the remnants left behind on his face after taking his first bite but failed miserably. Tragically without a napkin to give him, she went with her first impulse - which was to make as big of a mess of her own face. She picked up her own cannoli and took a bite, accidentally on purpose smearing the filling on the corner of her mouth. She then proceeded to act like it wasn't there.
"That was all part of my devious plan to get you back here again. I can lure you with the promise of more dessert."
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Jack set down his dessert and used his thumb to reach for the corner of her mouth, gently wiping off the cream then licking it off his finger. His words had been as teasing as hers. His grin had grown wider--he had the advantage of having already finished his bite of dessert. He still was unaware of the cream on his own face as he reached to pick up his coffee and finally take a sip.
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"You've got a little left there," she said with a crooked grin before focusing on taking a smaller, daintier bite of her dessert.
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Only when she spoke, did he understand what Jane had done and then his cheeks were the one with some color. Jack held his own crooked smirk as he used the pad of his thumb to wipe where she had touched him. He didn't give it much effort, knowing he wanted to finish the tasty dessert. She may have taken a smaller bite but he couldn't help himself.
"I'll just have to wash up once it's all gone. It's too good!" Jack said before another bohemoth bite.
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"Now you're saying I'm a witch? Vampires compel people but witches cast spells. Maybe I slipped a potion into your drink at the restaurant." She sipped more of her coffee and watched out of the side of her eyes as he continued to eat. She was very full and could not handle more than three bites of her dessert. She decided to offer it to him when he was done with his own.
It made no sense, how comfortable she felt with him. She teased and flirted without worry, something about his demeanor and the sweet look in his eyes making her feel like she could do just about anything and not be judged. It was amazing.
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