Closed; Is It Valentines Day?

[daphne_x]

Something had shifted out in Barcelona with Cormac and it was so faint, so subtle, that Daphne barely even noticed until it happened. After that first night their weekend went on as planned, long days spent rolling around in the sheets with quiet lulls and stolen, softer moments. It was exciting but also extremely comforting, sharing a piece of her

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[mclaggenator]

As Daphne worked at the buttons of her coat, Cormac stepped behind her, his broad hands moving to remove the coat from her shoulders. His eyes took in how busy it was, the chaos hovering in the waiting room as the two of them stood there. His brows furrowed, knowing full well it was a Friday night, but never seeing it this bonkers. He handed her coat and his own to the coat check with a polite nod before turning back to Daphne.

"Brilliant," he said, offering her a warm smile.

He had begun to see her in a different light since Barcelona. Somehow, their quiet conversations in bed had taken his curiosity with her to a whole new level. She was just so mind-blowing- in every sense of the word.

"It's a bit busy in here, isn't it?" he asked. "Don't think I've ever seen it so crowded-"

[mclaggenator]

"Me?" he asked, laughing, feeling properly silly about this whole thing. "You're the one who brought us here-"

Valentine's Day Central, it seemed. Still, it was one of the best Fench restaurants in the city and one he favored when he could make it. It had been an odd coincidence when she suggested it. Even if it was only originally a means to a end with the two of them.

But now, well, it sort of seemed like kismet.

"Not that I'm complaining-" he told her, smirking.

[daphne_x]

"I brought us here without even glancing at my calender," she assured him, still rather shocked that she had made such a careless mistake. Daphne was somebody who live by her appointment book, scheduling out her day was like an art form. It seemed that ever since Cormac had stepped into her life that had fallen under her radar, the days passing by quickly and with out so much stress.

Nobody had ever really been able to pull her from that before but Terry had certainly tried.

"And look at us, still the best pair here-"

Though that didn't seem to be much competition when she thought back to the young and under dressed couples in the lobby.

[mclaggenator]

"I'll agree to that-" he said, lifting his glass again playfully before taking a long sip.

To be fair, Cormac didn't think he'd ever genuinely liked his Valentine before. Sure, he had a slew of birds he took out every year, one rotating between the next, but they were mostly bodies to him, something to distract him from the fact that ultimately, there wasn't a single girl out there that truly caught his eye.

Until now, of course.

"Though, I'm sure you're quite used to being the best in the room-"

[daphne_x]

Daphne had never really understood what all of the hype was over the "romantic" holiday, seeing mostly as an excuse to remind men that they weren't paying enough attention to their women, whether that be girlfriends, wives, sisters, or daughters. In the last few years Valentine's Day had done exactly that for Daphne and Terry, putting more stress on them than anything else as they argued or let their minds wander back to their respective offices.

Though, her opinion on the entire holiday were quickly turning around now that she was in much better company.

"Best female, yes," she agreed, throwing him a knowing look from behind her champagne glass.

"You seem to understand just as well what it's like to be the best-"

[mclaggenator]

He chuckled.

"We're just going to sit here all night and compliment each other, aren't we?" he asked her, wriggling his eyebrows.

Not that he minded. It was amazing just how much Daphne and Cormac had in common, the two of them raised in a way that led him to feel more comfortable around her than he typical did with women. He didn't have to hide who he was and he certainly didn't need to use it in a way to impress her.

[daphne_x]

"Isn't that what we're supposed to do?" she asked him, resting her forearms on the table as she leaned in, an amused smirk pulled on her lips.

It was easy to keep things light with Cormac, despite the fact that they had fallen into an incredibly romantic situation, sharing the best table in one of London's finest restaurants. It amazed her that he hadn't even skipped a beat at their server's comment.

[mclaggenator]

"I can think of other things-" he said, grinning. "And not just the dirty kind that immediately jumped into your head-"

He had to admit, he was actually rather hungry, and he was more than interested in the idea of a nice dinner with Daphne- the two of them actually out in public instead of holed up somewhere on their own, either her office, or his flat.

"Though, I'm also looking forward to that, as well."

[daphne_x]

"The dirty kind that jump into my head?" she gasped, feigning shock and insult as she pulled back. "Are you going soft of on me now that it seems we've found ourselves on a proper date?"

Their interactions had certainly evolved in the last few weeks since they had started to see each other, little moments that made her question what was going on between the two of them. The spark hadn't faded, not by a long shot, but other feelings had begun to develop.

Just then their server came back with their raw bar display, two tiers of oysters, clams, muscles, and shrimp with a complimentary dish of garlic and butter escargot which happened to be Daphne's favorite.

[mclaggenator]

"Not possible, Miss Greengrass-" he said.

Just then, as the server returned with the raw bar, Cormac's stomach growling just slightly at the sight of food, he had to laugh. The whole thing was just absurd- the two of them here, not even realizing what day it was, ordering a bloody tray of aphrodisiacs like it was nothing.

"This is rather something," he commented, a wicked smirk tugging at his lips as he gestured tot he platter. "You do know what they say about oysters, right?"

[daphne_x]

Daphne grinned, her eyes passing over their spread before meeting his gaze, an amused glint on her dark brown eyes that matched her grin.

All things considered, the night was turning out to be the perfect Valentine's Day celebration: upscale restaurant, the best table, wonderful conversation, and now oysters. She hadn't even thought twice about any of it. It was all laughable, really, for an event planner to have such stress over her own dating life and the one day she goes with the flow everything falls perfectly into place.

"You know, I never did like to take anyone's word for it," she mused, giving him a knowing look. "I'd much rather like to find out for myself-"

[mclaggenator]

"Which we will, obviously-" he said, grinning.

His passion for Daphne had been hot from the moment he saw her, the way she walked, the way she talked- the way she tucked her hair behind her ear. He couldn't get enough of her. It was getting to know her that made it all the more worthwhile.

He reached for the shellfish in front of him, putting a few assorted things on his plate before holding up one oyster up as a sort of toast.

"Cheers?"

[daphne_x]

Daphne did the same, pulling her favorite items onto her plate in neat little rows, which was a habit she had picked up when she was younger. Her mother said that it was important to clearly see everything that a lady had on her plate, it made it much easier to stay in control of how much you ate.

"Cheers," she repeated, holding up an oyster against his, fingers brushing in a way that sent a little shiver down her spine.

It still amazed her that Cormac had such an intense effect on her, every touch and glance sending her head spinning.

"To a wonderful evening, no matter how cheesy or typical that may sound-"

[mclaggenator]

"No- it's perfect-"

There was no use getting around the idea of it, the two of them initially wanting a bit of a bite before heading back to his place had suddenly turned into a very romantic holiday dinner.

And he found that he wasn't complaining one bit.

"Has it been busy at the office? Or is my event taking up all your time?"

[daphne_x]

The heat rose up in Daphne's olive cheeks, happy to have a bit of color this winter to hide whatever uncharacteristic blush had spread. She never would have used the word perfect to describe the relationship that they had fallen into but it fit. There was no obligation, no fighting, no judgments between them and she hadn't been this happy with somebody in a very long time.

"We've been quite busy actually, ever since the music benefit," she explained, pulling herself from whatever mushy thoughts had found their way into her head.

"But I have made your event my top priority, I promise."

[mclaggenator]

"I trust you-" he said, casually, before bringing the oyster shell to his lips.

He did, too- strangely, even though they hadn't know each other all that long. But she had something about her that he could sense was secure, that she was serious about the work she did.

And what he had seen so far proved that.

"Will you be there?" he asked, suddenly. "At the party?"