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 Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:54 pm
She had left him on the campus, with the promise to return in a hour. As she got home, she went about cleaning and straightening up. She pulled out candles. Auguste had wondered what she was doing and she had shoo'd him out, promising him tickets to Colin's shows, hang outs and anything else to get him and Pasha out.
Don't get her wrong though, she adored her boys, but...Lorne was feeling something. And she respected that, but wanted to expand. Was that terrible of her? She didn't think so.
The hour was easily spent, and she smiled. His clothes were in the dryer, the loft was straightened enough. She had text everyone that she was busy tonight and that was that.
When she returned to the school, she was parked in the 15 minutes closest to the entrance of DCU. Her eyes were shaded behind her sunglasses.
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 8:51 am
An amendment needed to be made: physically speaking, yes, Lorne was surprisingly good at keeping himself in check. Mentally? He was a terminal over-thinker, and he was pretty sure his girlfriend knew that better than anyone else bar maybe Colin.
It wasn't about not being 'ready', not exactly. Nadia was light years beyond his last relationship in terms of comfort levels, for one thing. Then there'd been Colin, sitting him down and explaining some of the ways being intimate with a woman very much differed from being intimate with a man (although the more they talked, the more Lorne realized his last relationship hadn't really been typical in any way), and even dealt with all his blushing and stammering the whole way through.
Having all the pieces to a puzzle did not a picture make. What if the last time had been bad not because of his ex, but because of him? What if he was boring? What if - there were a lot of factors to physical intimacy, and he just wanted to be - he wanted Nadia to be enjoy him. He wanted to enjoy her, too, even if he couldn't say it.
Something was going to happen, that's what he'd thought to himself earlier. When he was with Nadia and kissing her, the weight of whatever he felt was - it was more than nice. An hour away from her, flipping through textbooks and pen, had done a number on his nerves, thoughts tumbling in and out of his head a mile a minute.
He only started to relax again when he saw her, although his heart pounded hard in his chest, reminding him if nothing else that he was alive. 'This is it', he thought to himself, and then realized how severe it sounded. Like a death sentence, not like he was about to go try to be intimate with his girlfriend, which was ridiculous because seriously, look at her.
He ran his fingers idly through now-dry hair and then over his sweatpants - which were about as sexy as a burlap sack and he wished he'd thought to run home and change into something better - and with his shopping bag in tow, he approached. "Hey there, " and he'd been determined to give her a warm greeting, and even if it was lame, at least he said it. His smile was a little shy, but still very much there.
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 11:51 pm
Her smile bloomed as he came to her, and she looked over at the bag in his arms. So he had gotten everything he needed! That was good. The black sweat outfit did nothing to sate the hunger of hers. Lorne looked good in just about anything, but perhaps it was cause she was bias and she thought he looked handsome...all the time. No matter what.
Ah her heart, she brought her hand up to it and sighed. How it ached sometimes, just looking at him. Her attraction never seemed to waver, and only grow the more time she was with him. The more time she had with him.
"Missed you." She reached up and kissed him up on the cheek. "I thought we'd stop by the store and get something for dinner, if you like." Because she wasn't going to take him home and just jump him. "did you get everything you need handsome?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 12:14 am
Seeing her smile like that, it just made his own wider and warmer - it was the kind of smile few people ever got the chance to see from him, almost all traces of his usual shyness gone. He shut his eyes for a second as she kissed his cheek, his heart pounding harder, and if his arms weren't filled with books he probably would have taken her hand.
The way she looked at him, too ... he'd never totally understand it, although he loved it all the same. "I missed you too, " he breathed out, and meant it. It was really a bit stupid and probably obnoxiously clingy, and he was trying to fix that, but he just felt like... more when she was around. Like he didn't usually feel like much of a knight, honestly. But with Nadia, he felt like maybe even if he wasn't there yet, he could be.
His eyes brightened cheerfully at the mention of dinner; it really didn't take much to get him excited, but Nadia making anything was high on his list, okay. Lorne was capable of cooking too, of course, just - her food was actually tasty and good. His just sort of was. (Kind of a sad reflection on their powered lives, really.)
"I do now, " and he realized she might or might not know what he meant, and his cheeks burned, a sheepish chuckle escaping him. "I mean, have everything - because you're - I'll stop now, " and he laughed again. (Was he ever going to get better at that?)
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 12:24 am
"Good." She laughed, "Then it isn't just me." She waved her hand and then opened the car door, waiting till he followed suit. Before she slipped in, she gave him a wink at his comment and then laughed as she fell into the drivers seat.
"Oh Lorne. I love when you get all flustered, saying all the romantic lines to me." She laughed again, "You are the most endearing man I have ever met." It was really not hard to believe why Mont Blanc was so popular among the saturn brothers. He was sweet, caring. Everything, she liked to think, that Colin and herself needed. As their family grew, she was excited to see him grow.
"We'll make it quick. I was thinking swedish meatballs. Homemade. Is that something you'd like?" She tipped her sunglasses back on, zipping out of the student parking lot to the local market, in all honesty, a ten minute drive at most. "Do you like wine?" She was particularly fond of it with dinner, but she had yet to ask Lorne what he liked. She whipped into a parking space, dragging the giant with her and started gathering everything for meatballs and the sauce.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 12:46 am
She just knew what to say to fluster him - although no, this wasn't done to fluster him, really. He knew that. This was different from teasing touches or sultry things whispered in his ear. It was just simple, sweet praise from his girlfriend, and though he blushed no less, he knew it was different. "Hardly - I can name at least five people more endearing than me, " and he held up a hand to prove his point, laughing softly.
"I happen to love swedish meatballs, " he declared, although softly, and as he leaned back in the seat for the ride, Lorne couldn't help but watch her out of the corner of his eye like he often did - just - appreciating her in his own way. There wasn't a day that went by where he didn't.
Lorne was, as always, more than willing to allow himself to be tugged around. For all his height, he never really offered any resistance. "Red, " he answered simply in response to the wine question, because of course he did - a wine a day did wonders for health, his father had always boasted. Lorne hadn't had much since he'd come back from France, but he did enjoy it. (Not to mention Lorne, of all people, could probably use something to take the edge off his nerves.)
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 1:02 am
"At least five, handsome?" She laughed at the specific number, and wondered what five people could be more endearing then the cutie with her now? Ash maybe? Auguste? But they were endearing in the fact that they were so precious. Like her little babies!
"Do you? Fantastic! I am fond of them and they don't require a lot of prep work." She winked, "You could help me, we can get our hands all dirty together." She thought of the grueling task of molding them. It'd be worth it though. Ingredients went into the basket she held, and once she had everything, she moved over to the wine selection.
She hummed and hawed for almost five minutes before settling on a 2010 Casamatte red wine. She wasn't sure if the plum and cherry hints would be bad, but red wine always tasted the best with pasta. Of all forms.
"I think that's it!" She waited and then her eyes widened. "Chocolate!" She moved to the candy aisle and grabbed two bars of the richest chocolate AND THEN she headed to checkout. They were in and out after twenty moments, and up in her loft cooking in ten.
"I've got your clothes folded up on the dryer." She pointed off to the laundry closet. "If you want to take a shower or anything, I can start on dinner. You know where the towels are?" He didn't have to, but she figured he'd want to get out of the wet underwear and stuff. While he decided, she bustled around the kitchen, bringing out pots and seasonings and preheating the oven.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 1:25 am
"At least five, " he echoed again with a determined nod. The list went something like: Nadia, Colin, Ash, Auguste, and - and someone else that was not him okay. So there.
Lorne wondered for a second if he was missing some sort of innuendo with 'dirty hands' (because he was either too aware or not aware enough of innuendo and rarely did he ever fall neatly in between), but he decided to assume it wasn't and smiled. "I'd love to help you." He held out his hands. "You'd be surprised how many tiny balls these big hands have made."
Really, Lorne didn't mind at all how long she took - she was rather precious like that, checking labels and dates with a critical eye. It wouldn't have mattered to him which one she chose, simply because she was the one to choose it... although he was pleased with her choice. When it came to the chocolate, he was trying very hard not to laugh, or at least hide it. He failed miserably at both. "You're adorable, " and the praise slipped from his lips unbidden, and he blushed lightly, but didn't really seem to regret saying it.
As for the offer of a shower - he nodded eagerly along, because yes, yes a shower would be nice. "Thank you, " he breathed out, and he went over to sneak in a kiss on her cheek as she bustled around the kitchen before he ducked into the bathroom.
Not long after, he was wiping the steam off of the bathroom mirror - the door was locked and his towel hung limp in his hand as Lorne looked at himself, all of himself. Usually he didn't look at all. It wasn't that he thought he was hideous or anything, just... what on earth was so special about this? He half-turned, angling himself to a side to glance at the thin red line across his back - it was mostly healed by now, of course, but it was still angry against his otherwise pale skin. A constant reminder of how lucky he was - they were to be alive.
Others hadn't been. Others would never have a night like he'd have with Nadia, filled with laughter and warmth.
Lorne sighed and grabbed his clothes, carefully tucking himself into his tight jeans (no wet underwear meant no underwear for him period, and what a way that would be to kill this night before it ever started) and toweling his hair one last time before he re-emerged. "Okay; what can I do to help?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 1:45 am
While he had been in the shower, she had laid out candles and lit some around the room, dimming the lights. Soft music flowed out of a large boombox, her windows were opened to let in the night air and to help filter some of the smell of food out.
Pasta was boiling in the stove, and she had finished making the sauce, letting it simmer. As he emerged, her hands were wrist deep in hamburger and seasoning, mashing all of it together. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, swaying over her back and she looked focused.
Then she looked up and smiled at him. No shirt Lorne? How unfair was it that her hands were currently covered in slimy meat juices and seasonings? He was such a tease! He didn't even know it but...
"How does it feel?" She referenced the wound. Unlike her saturn bros, Nadia had walked out of the death planet with scratches and bruises. All of them healed with tender care by herself, Colin and Lorne combined. They didn't speak of it often, but she knew it was on the back of their minds. How easily they had been taken. How easy it had to kill, or stand back and watch them be killed.
"You can help by rolling some meat balls with me..." She smiled, "They'll go in the oven for a couple of minutes and then we can dish up." She'd need a glass of wine though, because she was pretty sure without dinner to distract her, she was going to fall back onto nervous energy. Was she moving him too fast? Moving him too slow?
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 1:59 am
Everything, all these little details, kind of took Lorne by surprise - not in a bad way at all, just the opposite - the lights were dim, music was playing, candles were lit. It hadn't been like this before, and - it was romantic. Really, really, very much so. A slight hue of pink crept onto his cheeks, but it wasn't due to embarrassment. All of this effort for him?
He was snapped from his thoughts at her question, and this time, his blush was embarrassment, because it'd been a silly wound and he really should have been more careful. (Really though, wasn't he lucky that this was the worst he'd gotten?) "It doesn't hurt, " he said with a sheepish smile and a light shrug of his shoulders. He was a little worried though - not about the wound itself, but - he didn't really want it to scar. If he had to see a reminder of what'd happened etched on his damned body --
It was too soon to tell yet, though. For all he knew it'd fade in a few more months. Only time would tell.
"Okay, " he said simply, stepping up beside her to help, stealing glances at her out of the corner of his eye. He bit his lip. Ran his tongue over his teeth. And, finally, "I like the candles, " and it was the best way he could subtly say in his own way how much he appreciated everything she was doing, and it really wasn't enough.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 12:49 pm
She didn't let the thoughts dwell much longer on the death planet. Thinking of such a thing only made her depressed and fidgetty. She had, she thought, an amazing man in her kitchen, with an amazing night to be happy about.
She handed over the bowl in between them, taking a hand full and forming it into the small ball, then depoisted it on the cooking sheet she had out for it. She did it again. Her shoulder bumped against him, and even though he was stealing glances...She was looking up and admiring everything about it.
"I like them too...." She tilted her head. "They are calming. Light." She whispered, "Seductive." Then she waggled her eyebrows at him, even though her hands were mid roll of meat balls.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 9:37 pm
He caught her gaze, looked away, and caught it again - the first time, his eyes were nervous and a little shyly self-conscious - but each time he looked back, a small smile began to take root on his lips and blossom. It took a moment, yes, but as he reached for the meat, he even returned the favor, lightly but playfully bumping her back.
The way she spoke at first gave him a tiny thrill, and the goosebumps were even more obvious with his shirt gone, but at the eyebrow waggle and the meat hands - Lorne couldn't cover his mouth like he usually did when he laughed, a blush still lighting his cheeks and he was just - relaxed. Happy. And a little secretly thrilled by all the trouble he knew she'd gone to for him. Small things, yes, but they made all the difference to him.
It was kind of silly to compare - but really, Lorne only had one other relationship to draw on. It'd just been so different with his ex. There hadn't been any candles or music or fanfare. There'd been a movie, a straying hand, some persuasive words, and then a bed. And it hadn't been wrong, exactly. Plenty of people got physical that way, and Lorne knew it. No, it hadn't been wrong, but it'd been wrong for him. He just hadn't known it then.
He wished he had. Seeing this, seeing Nadia, laughing with her, being comfortable with her - Lorne had danced around it before in his own head, but never really faced it. For the first time, when he thought about his first relationship, the weight of regret tugged at his stomach, subtle and sad in spite of how happy he was.
Yes, this - Nadia - was now. Lorne just wished it'd been first.
"I've said it before, but, " and he smiled as he made another ball and deposited it on the tray. "I'm really... glad I met you, you know. I know I keep repeating it, but, " and he leaned over, resting his cheek lightly on top of her hair. "I am. I'm so glad Nadia."
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:29 pm
she continued to bump shoulders with him, teasing him with looks and faces. They settled into a nice quietness, only broken by giggles and laughs while they made the rest of dinner. It was, she thought, probably one of the best evenings of her life thus far.
She hadn't been joking though, between the music, wine, candles and Lorne, she felt very light and airy. The food smelled fantastic, she felt, the most relaxed she had, in her whole time from becoming a senshi.
"And then we drop them in the oven." She waved her hand as they finished nuzzling up to his neck, and then popped the meatballs in. Moments later, her hands were washed and she was swirling a nice glass of red in her hands.
"That's good. I plan to make you even happier as the night goes along." She smiled. "Would you like a glass?" She smiled, "A snack to hold you over till dinner?" She licked her lips.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:17 pm
One thing Lorne could say without a shred of shame or embarrassment: this was one of the best, if not the best, date he had ever been on. - and all of the best had been with her, and that made this one even more precious to him.
When she nuzzled into his neck, he shut his eyes and quietly relished her warmth, the feeling of her breath on his skin. And she talked about making him happier, a sentiment that warmed him and chilled him all at once, but affection and adoration would win out over insecurity and fear tonight.
Still.
"Yes, please, " because wine never exactly hurt in the battle field, now did it? And somehow, although his cheeks burned faintly, he reached deep within and found the words, dragging them out through too many layers of second-guesses until they bubbled to the surface: "Maybe... only if... it's something sweet, " with the kind of a playful smile before his eyes dropped, a gentle, warm hand trailing down her arm.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:38 pm
She poured him a glass, handing it over for the man to drink. Then she watched him.
For a solid five minutes, she took in everything about him. The fact that he was much taller then her, that his hair fell in a certain way, that he pursused his lips, stole glances at her with his topaz like eyes. Those things, she thought, made him attractive. Under it all, he was a warm fuzzy teddy bear. She wanted to curl up too.
Among other things.
"Sweet you say?" She set her glass down, easing her way into his space, between him and the counter top, resting her arms back on the solid granite. Her head tilted up and she gave him a teasing teal gaze. Even as his arm teased down hers, making goosebumps in its wake, she still was calm under him.
"You can take whatever you want...." She raised a brow, "For a snack."
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