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[lexiepedia]

If asked, Lexie would say that she isn't nervous about this. Of course she isn't nervous. It's a date; she's been on plenty of them before. Despite this, though, and despite her hypothetical insistence to the contrary, she's spent the past two weeks quietly freaking out, torn between thinking it's a terrible idea and wanting to make sure it's

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[cibosity]

If she's trying to put up some air of levity, it isn't working. The way that her cheeks are dusted with pink and the way her lips are spread in a wide smile, it looks eager and shy all at once, which gives Sawyer the very sudden, cutting impression that he doesn't deserve a girl like that. Frankly, he probably doesn't. But if there's something he's learned from all his time on both of the islands, it's the fact that what's more important than what people deserve is how people feel, perhaps. Better than having someone 'good' enough for her might be having someone who can make her happy, in the way that just seeing that smile already warms something in his own heart, his chest swelling with a warm contentment as his gaze dips down for a second to let him collect himself.

The fact that he's the one who needs a moment, and the humor of that, doesn't escape Sawyer at all

[cibosity]

"See, that's why I ain't ever gone to med school. Or law school. Actually, I never... well," Sawyer gestures with his hand, his smile a little tighter, though he can't for the life of him figure out why he's embarrassed now. He's never been embarrassed by his lack of formal education before, because in the end, he's pretty sure that's not what matters in life, and it's not what pushes on further along. It's sense. And sense, Sawyer's got an abundance of, even if sometimes he doesn't use it as well as he should. "Tell you the truth, I ain't ever been to college, either, so I guess I just fit the redneck stereotype down to a T. Hopefully that don't disappoint too much. I still make

[lexiepedia]

It is surprising, but not necessarily disappointing. College-educated or not, Sawyer doesn't strike her as an unintelligent kind of guy, and that's of more consequence than whether or not one has a degree. Lexie files the information away to ask about later, still knowing hardly a thing about him, including what it is he did do, but it's easier, now, to focus on the food he's prepared. Maybe they haven't talked about it, but she, at least, is intent on doing this right, which involves taking it slow, to an extent, not doing things backwards like she did with Mark. (And still, it always comes back to him, which is part of the reason for it; this has to be as different as possible for it to be fair to Sawyer

[cibosity]

There's almost a sigh of relief on his lips as it really does look like Lexie isn't the type to judge. Normally, her type would be, he's pretty sure. Grown up in a household where almost everything is provided by parents who are capable of doing so, in a class where college is expected, and lack thereof frowned upon as not having met standards. Granted, even for his backwater town, Sawyer has to admit that dropping out of the ninth grade is pretty early, but at least there, earning an honest salary (which he did for a brief while) at that kind of age is respected enough. And more than that, intelligence. Book and street smarts aren't always comparable, but it takes some of both to float. Either way, he doesn't blame certain people for not being able to see that, given that everyone has a limited perspective

[lexiepedia]

"Who, me?" Lexie lets out a laugh, nose wrinkling, before she shrugs, a little more thoughtful. "I can follow microwave directions well enough, but no, the hospital kept me way too busy." At least she isn't as bad as Meredith, can manage some decent things without making the whole building smell awful, but she isn't about to pretend like she's better than she is, especially not when he's gone all out like this, not when there are better things to be thinking about. "I think as far as cooking goes, you've definitely got me beat. Just for using a cookbook at all, actually."

[cibosity]

"Hey, microwave directions, that's somethin'. It's the first step toward cookin' in the big leagues," Sawyer points out, and he does think that it's true enough. While some recipes are all about the gut instinct and require very careful observation with one's own eyes, there are a lot more semi-prepared meals these days that are all about boiling water and sauteing meat lightly in a pan. After cutting out a fair portion of lasagna, he holds it out for Lexie and breaks off a piece of the bread, probably one of Shari's many loaves, and just sits back a bit to stare at her with a small grin on his face before even starting on serving his own.

With a chuckle under his breath, he shakes his head, exhaling and letting out a breath he'd lost track of in the excitement. "Playin' twenty questions or 'Never Have I Ever,' is that a little too juvenile for you, Lex?"

[lexiepedia]

Briefly, Lexie is reminded of a comment she made once, half-drunk, about not remembering what people her own age do for fun. Even here, that's held true, when she has few friends and sunbathing gets really dull, really fast. Hearing his question now, she can't help but think that, maybe, that's exactly the kind of think she's supposed to be doing. Besides, given how much older than her he obviously is - which isn't to say old, but she's young and she knows it - there's no way she could find it too juvenile. Maybe juvenile is good, in this instance.

"No, we can do that," she says, with a smile that just barely borders on teasing. Without waiting for a response, she takes a bite of lasagna, then, figuring she shouldn't keep him waiting. If it were her, she'd be freaking out, hoping she did okay. When she adds, "Wow, this is - this is really great," she means it entirely.

[cibosity]

Although Sawyer knows full well, perhaps even better than the average man does, that compliments directed at things like cooking are truly rather a result of conditioning and societal expectations, it's still nice to hear. Still nice to see that her face doesn't pull into the pained expression that people so often wear when lying through their teeth, especially people like Lexie, who are earnest and just aren't made for dishonesty. Only then does he take a bite of his own lasagna, noting in the back of his mind that it generally tastes like it's probably safe, but doesn't really register it much beyond that. Food is a secondary concern right now.

"Alright then," he chuckles again, opting not to repeat the word for word following of high school icebreaker games like he did. Maybe because it makes him think of a different kind of woman, the kind that goes by Kate or Lucy. "So, where you from originally? I get general American suburbia from your accent."