Taste of Thai, Wednesday Evening

[steel_not_glass]

Cindy had taken care to dress nicely for her office hours, since she had planned to head directly to the restaurant after she closed up her office. "Table for two," she told the hostess on duty. "I made a reservation for Perrault

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[one_who_goes]

Henry raised his eyebrows when he spotted Cindy with the hostess. He hoped there wasn't any problem with the reservation.

He hadn't bought flowers this time, but he had changed his tie after work, and put on a jacket even though the air was still warm. He figured that counted as making an effort.

"Is everything ready for us?" he asked Cindy.

[one_who_goes]

"But even in real life, people never want to just sit down and talk to each other," Henry offered. "I've seen the hoops people will jump through so they don't have to ask a question they don't want the answer to. It's mind-boggling."

[steel_not_glass]

"Just so we're clear, Henry, if you ever book a date with me and someone else for the same night," Cindy said with a laugh, "just me know, okay? Don't try to attend both at once. I'm going to notice."

[one_who_goes]

"Not even if there are literally two of me right then?" Henry asked, just to clarify.

[steel_not_glass]

Cindy pretended to think about it for a moment. Then discarded the first thought that came to mind, which was decidedly naughty. "Is my Henry going to appear naked randomly at the beginning or vanish halfway through?" she asked instead.

[one_who_goes]

"I can honestly say that that would be decidedly counter to my interests," Henry said, waving for a waiter. "Though I can't say it's never happened."

[steel_not_glass]

Cindy paused to give her order to the waiter and allowed him to fill up her glass, before replying to Henry. "I promise to be as understanding as I can should that occur," she said lightly. "Though I get to demand another date if you vanish and leave me with the bill."

[one_who_goes]

"I wouldn't do that to a lady," Henry protested, mock-shocked. "I'm not quite that boorish. Promise."

[steel_not_glass]

"There are many things I am, Henry," Cindy said with a laugh. "But a lady is hardly one of them."

Ex-princess, sure. But never a lady.

[one_who_goes]

"My mistake," Henry said. "Does that mean I should start belching and slapping your ass?"

[steel_not_glass]

See? Now Cindy was going to have to try not to just crack up at that image so the other people in the restaurant wouldn't think she was having some kind of hysterical fit.

See Henry? See what you made her do?

"Ass-smacking is one of those fourth date things," she said eventually. "And only if I get to smack yours, too."

[one_who_goes]

"How many dates is this?" Henry wondered. "We keep -- starting and stopping and getting distracted, don't we?"

[steel_not_glass]

"Are we counting the sushi dinner in the beginning?" Cindy asked. "The one that was studiously Not A Date? Because without it, I think this is the second real date. Maybe."

It was hard to say. Things were...complicated.

"Things keep getting shuffled about, yeah," she agreed.

[one_who_goes]

"The whole Clare thing doesn't help," Henry acknowledged, toying with a spring roll. "It's hard to date when you still feel married. I clearly have the wrong personality for adultery."

[steel_not_glass]

"That's not a bad thing, Henry," Cindy said. "Speaking from experience on the other side of that? Adultery really sucks."

Fucking Charming.

"It's not all you, either," Cindy admitted. "I can be a little distant sometimes. Or more than a little, even. I'm a little...gun-shy, maybe? Once burned and all that."

Plus the spy thing. Really, it was mostly the spy thing.

[one_who_goes]

"And -- I like it here, but it's not like either of us is looking at Fandom as a place to get old," Henry expanded. "Probably it's better to keep it casual. Even if it does mean it takes me longer to get to slap your ass."