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Aphismet felt rather hurried with the soup after that blushing, awkward thank you he'd offered. He small bowl drained itself fully after a few more moments, and the white-haired man put his spoon down to wait for the waitress' return. In the meantime, he could watch the window and the view outside, or he could watch Alex in all her pretty-hairdo, gorgeous-dress glory. It was rather obvious what he (or anyone) would pick.

The brown-eyed chef smiled at the praise, blushing slightly still and shrugging a shoulder. "Ah, it's kinda weird how I ended up here; it's all Beauregard's doing, actually. He flew in here and caused some damage so I had to work as a busboy to pay it off, and then I was hired as a prep cook and then time passed and like I said, I just kind of fell up through the ranks when positions opened; lucky timing." The blush was gone now, replaced with fond memories as the man glanced at the kitchen doors. "So like, two or three years now? Probably two. A-as for looking dashing, ah-... I d-don't know about that." One pale hand lifted to run through white hair, a nervous habit. At least he'd managed to keep his eyes locked onto hers as he spoke, instead of darting them down like he kept wanting to do!

"Ohhhh, god." Aphi laughed at Alex's subsequent questions, rolling his eyes and sitting back in his chair. "Aww man did they EVER give me a hard time. Not with the teasing, they were rather supportive, but MAN. Shopping for this outfit was like-... like some kind of nightmare." And Aphismet was NOT about to admit that there was photographic evidence of this nightmare, definitely not! "And yes I do cook at home, I like to cook quite a lot. Here I make the same stuff over and over, and while it's still fun to get to do that, it's much more fun at home to make whatever I want to. ...Why so nervous about that little question?" Aphi asked with a soft smirk, tilting his head. He'd been talking about himself way too much, and he wanted to try and turn the tables... B-but he had no idea what to ask!

"I see you've enjoyed the soup!" Suzy suddenly interjected as she approached, smiling at the two patrons. "Allow me to take these bowls away? I've brought out your third course; lemon and mango sorbet to clear the palate for the main dish that will be coming next. Here are water glasses as well, and I will take your leftover wines-... a new one will be brought out shortly." Everything was switched onto and off of the trolley, and then Suzy extricated herself quickly to leave the two alone.

"Ah... Wow, I never knew that felt like such a whirlwind. Oh! Uhm... Ah." Aphismet had thought of a question to ask, but then realized it sounded rather... awkward? Prying? Embarrassing? Well, he'd made too much of a verbal show of it now, he HAD to ask something. "S-so I was only wondering, since you were talking about giving a hard time about tonight and all, uh... D-do you do this often? Dates, I mean? J-just that if you did then Zul and whoever probably doesn't ah, give you much of a hard time. Right? You're so pretty and outgoing and fun that you probably get asked out a lot... Ah, I mean-... Mh." Again, red to his ears, Aphismet spooned half the small ball of lemon sorbet into his mouth to prevent more words from tumbling out of there.

Aphismet, by some miraculous explosion of awareness he didn't normally possess, noticed that Alex's talk all seemed to point to her thinking that he meant she was pretty TONIGHT. When he'd really meant ALL THE TIME. Add to this the shock of hearing that Alex simply never had dated before, not even once! AND that she'd never dressed up for anyone else!

...Was it really alright for Aphismet to believe that maybe, just maybe, Alex was really treating him as m-more than just a friend? A real, honest-to-goodness potential b-... bo-...

Okay, he was getting a little ahead of himself. Blushing just as dark as Alex was at this point, the chef chuckled lightly, clearing his throat as he finished the last of the mango sorbet. "I can't believe no one asked you out before. You must indeed have only met idiots so far." Another chuckle, and this time accompanied by that nervous hand-through-hair gesture. "I'm so incredibly flattered you agreed to this, then. And you dressed up for me! It-... Don't get me wrong," Aphi clarified, raising a hand and looking sheepishly serious (if such a thing were possible), "you're always pretty, but this whole... it... You dress up incredibly well," he concluded with a shy smile. "And while this is VERY gorgeous and, uhh... a-attractive... I have to say that tanktop and jeans is just as attractive because you look so cute and comfortable in it."

Suzy's giggle was unmistakable as she approached to take the empty palate-cleansers away, replacing them with the Main Dish. She'd over-heard that, and could clearly see how red in the face both diners were. She cleared her throat softly and spoke with a wide grin as she placed the new wine glasses and bottle on the table. "Main dish: Medium-cooked filet mignon with peppercorn-brandy sauce, accompanied by rustic vegetables and rose-water-and-saffron-infused rice. A robust red wine is served to compliment the sauce. Enjoy." Aphismet was sure he could hear her giggling still as she rolled the trolley away quietly.

Aphi sat up and cleared his throat, straightening his tie sheepishly. "A-and just so you know, I don't-... This is new to me too, this." He motioned to his outfit. "Never been on a date quite this fancy before. Knowing that you went through all that with your brother picking on you and you having to dress up... Knowing that is the best compliment anyone ever gave me. So thank you." The chef managed to smile without looking too sheepish or shy, trying to be honest and heart-felt. He couldn't help it that his cheeks still flushed slightly.

Aphismet's smile stayed on his face and the blush kept on his cheeks at first when Alex reached for his hand. As time went on and Alex spoke, the blush diminished until there was no sign of it, only the smile remained. There was so much he could have answered to that; told her that he didn't think she'd been a nitwit at all, or that he was so flattered she thought he was the sweetest person she'd ever met, or that he was stunned and happy beyond words at being called special.

If the table hadn't been in the way right then, with its tall vase and candle and bottle of wine and meals with sauces that would mess up their clothes, Aphi would have leaned over to kiss Alex right then and there. The moment was so perfect, and who knew if this would happen again later! But he couldn't really think of a way to pull that off without getting to his feet and walking over there and making much too big a scene, so instead the white-haired man only sighed and chuckled breathlessly, looking down at his plate.

"I'm very happy you're enjoying the date, Alex. Very happy. Maybe there can be more? Not always so fancy I'm afraid, but-... I'd like to see you more." He smiled easily, sitting up with a bit more ease and infusing his words with an easy-going quality that he hoped conveyed his sentiments: You don't have to say yes and have it mean anything if you don't want to. Even if this was as far as their relationship ever managed to get, Aphi would be glad he at least got to spend time with the green-eyed Italian. Of course he hoped Alex would agree to being more than friends in the future, perhaps...

"Ahrm." The chef cleared his throat slightly, lifting the wine bottle to pour them both a fresh glass. "The wine is very good, I think. A good year or something like that. And the food is filet mignon with peppercorn sauce. One of my favorites! Ah, but we've been talking about ME almost all night! Tell me something about you!" Dark brown eyes glittered with interest as Aphismet took his first bite, washing the morsel down with a sip of wine and smiling at the taste.

Aphismet grinned widely as Alex agreed to see him again, chuckling at the mention of dresses in her closet. It was still a shock every time she mentioned it; she'd gone through all this trouble for him, trouble she'd never put herself through before! It floored him every time! Thankfully his mind was distracted from thoughts of being unworthy of such effort when Alex brought up the things they might do; a day at the beach sounded wonderful, especially with summer nearing. Meeting half-way between both their homes for brunch was such a specific idea that Aphi laughed a little, tilting his head. Was lunch and dinner not acceptable then? Or perhaps brunch was Alex's favorite meal? There were so many little things for Aphi to learn, and he wanted to know it all!

The woman's reaction to the steak was just as priceless as everything else this evening, and Aphismet beamed as though he'd cooked the thing himself. "You like steak, then?" he asked as he cut himself a piece, eating it with raised eyebrows. Who'd cooked this? Grill was usually Aphi's station, so someone was covering for him tonight... Was it the chef himself, or an underling? Whoever it was, that person needed to be praised. The meat was delicious! The sous-chef cut himself another piece and chewed as he shifted all his attention back to Alex. She'd asked what he wanted to know, but there was nothing in particular that he could think of! Aphi tried to hurry and swallow his food so he could say something, but his green-eyed date took the initiative and answered on her own, listing off a bunch of facts about herself that the white-haired man drank in with a smile.

The thought of her letting him meet her aunts sent a small shiver of anxiety up the man's spine. H-had she meant anything by that? No, no surely not. She was only saying that as a generality, like they'd like anyone who smiled. Not that they'd like any guy Alex brought along as long as he smiled. But no matter how the Italian meant it, Aphi firmly planted that notion in his own brain: When meeting Alex's relatives, SMILE.

"Your family sounds very warm, that must be where you get it, hm?" The man said once he managed to down that mouthful of filet mignon. "And I would be very flattered to taste your cooking someday. We can trade days! One day I'll cook for you, and one day you'll cook for me? And if you cook at my house it won't matter about the huge portions since I have so many mouths to feed it to." Brown eyes glittered with amusement as the last bite of steak disappeared from his plate. That was over way too soon.

"Loving your job is a very great thing, so rarely do people end up being able to claim the same. I'm glad! It certainly sounds interesting, and you get tons of fresh air... Every day's an adventure!" The scrape of a fork on the plate signaled Aphismet was finished with his meal, taking a sip of the wine before continuing. "I do remember you mentioning you were interested in art, but I didn't recall it being ceramics. I thought you painted! Ceramics sounds so very interesting! Have you done any pieces lately? And don't worry about being interesting or not, I happen to find you fascinating. Any little detail is fun to learn! Like, what's your favorite color. What kind of food do you prefer. Are you a winter-person or a summer-person? Are you scared of ghosts, do you even believe in them? All those things are really interesting, and I'd like to get to know!" Aphi grinned, starting to feel rather excited about discovering new things. He didn't know where all this confidence was coming from; he'd never been able to ask all this to a girl a few years ago! Perhaps he was finally growing up!

Aphismet was elated with everything. Alex was smiling so widely now, looking like she was so thoroughly enjoying herself! She'd finished the last bite of her meal and answered Aphi's questions, even the rapid-fire ones the chef had only asked as examples. He hadn't expected her to remember every single one, thinking that she would pick a few and answer those. To get all these answers was exhilarating, and Aphi reclined in his chair as he watched the Italian twirl that dark curl in her fingers, then move that hand down to smooth the table-cloth. Aphismet made a mental note to get more flowers to fit into the vase Alex had made.

"You'll have to remind me of the questions later, then; I doubt I'll remember them all. But since it's still my turn, let's see what else I can think of-"

Suzy insinuated herself into the pair's field of vision, sporting a large grin and pushing a trolley. "All done?" she asked as Aphi turned dark eyes towards her, acknowledging her presence grudgingly. With a pleased, nearly smug smile, the waitress took the empty plates and offered instead two smaller dishes, daintily arranged with decorative leaves and flowers. A small flan-type dessert rested in the middle, its sauce spilling down over a pair of strawberries. "Maple Syrup flan with fresh berries. Mint leaves provided to refresh your palate afterwards if you'd wish. This is the last course, enjoy!" As she spoke, Suzy also took the red wine away, replacing it with a delicate, bubbly rose wine. As she rolled the empty plates away, Suzy gave Aphi a slight wink of encouragement.

Aphismet snickered softly once they were alone again. "I swear, they're all so over-eager to impress you it's almost like you're THEIR date." By some miracle, Aphi simply didn't find it embarrassing anymore. It was more amusing than anything... He was finally becoming more comfortable around Alex, that had to be it. He smiled at her and picked up the dessert fork (the last one left on the table, not giving much of a choice), poking at the flan as he thought up more questions.

"Ah, okay, I have a few more for you. What's your favorite movie? What kind of music do you prefer? Do you watch any television?" He grinned, waiting for the answer and taking the opportunity to scoop up a small forkful of the dessert, tasting it.

Aphismet's brows had lifted happily at the dessert's taste, enjoying it thoroughly. Then again he always did have a thing for maple flavor. Grinning and taking another bite, Aphismet could now focus fully on Alex's answers.

He laughed as the woman warned him about seeming like a tomboy. Her movie of choice was a pleasant surprise, although it seemed to fit. It would have been too strange to hear her say "Pretty Woman" or some other cliché girl-movie. Besides all that, the look she gave the white-haired man as she admitted this was simply priceless, painting Aphismet's grin wider on his face. Her preference for music was rather eclectic, another pleasant surprise. From dance to orchestra to jazz... Alex was just FULL of surprises.

"Oh, I suppose your work doesn't leave you much time to watch television, right... Hahah, I'm not much of a TV watcher either, actually. I just watch whatever Riv or Isi happen to be watching when I run out of other things to do... So we're on the same boat there, with the "being behind the times" thing." He finished the last bite of flan and pointed the fork at his date playfully, swallowing before he continued. "And there's nothing wrong with liking Boondock Saints! It's a good movie! Fun that we have the same tastes, I prefer action stuff too. MY favorite movie would have to be either Snatch or Fight Club. Not EXACTLY the same type of stuff as yours, but still in the realm! Maybe that means we can both be happy with whatever movie we pick later, instead of one of us agreeing to it but not really wanting to see it... Which I'd been rather afraid would happen."

Realizing that he was rambling a little, Aphi put down his fork and sat back, smiling at the Italian. "I can't think of any other questions at the moment. Did you want to ask me some, or do you have other things you'd like to confess?" He winked teasingly, tilting his head just slightly.

Aphismet blinked at the Italian's question about them going to the movies. Ah, they'd not really said if they would or not, had they? And while Aphi was quite content to spend more time with Alex this evening and go to the theatre, did that little comment mean that Alex was getting a little tired? ...This Dinner WAS taking a long time, they'd been here the better part of an hour already! Perhaps it would be best to just leave it at this for tonight? Aww, the thought of their date ending so soon was disappointing, but like Alex said, they were already making plans for their next get-togethers! The chef's mood couldn't fall when he thought of that!

"Well, if you'd rather, we could end it after the Dinner and simply meet for a movie on another day. It's true we'd kinda stick out in these clothes... And I definitely will show you the movie Snatch when we meet up next! It's rather a fun watch, I think." Aphi leaned forward again as he spoke, one elbow on the table and his other hand toying with the glass of wine before taking a small sip. He chuckled at Alex's admission that she'd tell him if she didn't like something; yes, that was very much Alex-like. More so than just meekly accepting something, at least. She was so outspoken! So unlike-...

Before the man's thoughts could wander too far down that way where it had no business anymore, Alex launched into a slew of strange, out-of-left-field questions after muttering about her blushing. The chef laughed and sat back, running a hand through his hair and leveling the green-eyed woman a raised-eyebrows look. "Wow, you really know what to ask, don't you? Let's see, now... Dancing. I do like to dance, although I confess I'm not very good at it." Aphi chuckled, recalling one party in particular where he'd been roped into doing "the robot" with Chloe... "Weather, I prefer bright, sunny days that are not warm. Mostly spring and autumn days. They're the most comfortable, I think. Singing in the shower-... ah..." Now it was Aphismet's turn to blush, glancing aside and quirking his lips up in a meek grin, self-conscious. "Y-yeah, I do that. It's so stupid. I, uh... I sing old cartoon credit songs from when I was young. Like "transformers" and "carebears" and stuff. Don't laugh!" He warned, although he was already laughing himself.

The last question was more of a doozy, and it took a moment even after Aphismet's laughter had died down for him to come up with an answer. "You know, I never really thought about it before. Where I'd go. I mean, I never had the means before, and then I had Rivener and Isikoro to keep an eye on. So I guess I have no big plans... I'd go to Gambino, I think. I really do like the beach. And besides, I could see you. Hahah, okay, that was a little corny. I was going for bonus points... Did it work?" Trying to play it off with a laugh made the blush a little more bearable.

Aphismet could have argued quite vehemently that Alex would be getting just as many "long glances" as the sous-chef, if not more! Why was the Italian always so quick to dismiss how completely stunning she looked tonight? Before Aphi could mention anything on the topic, they'd moved on to his questions and he had lost the opportunity to say anything. Oh well, he'd just have to make sure she knew how pretty she was through his answers, that's all.

Alex's off-the-shoulder comment about remembering Aphi's singing-in-the-shower thing sent the mild fllush coloring the man's cheeks into overdrive for a short moment before he cleared his throat, settling himself down. He had the distinct mental image of Alex spending the night as his place, waiting for her turn in the shower and listening with an impish smile as Aphismet sang the G.I.Joe theme song...

Thankfully, Alex launched into the next set of questions, muttering softly about Aphismet succeeding at earning those brownie points he'd wanted. All in all it was more than enough to distract the chef from the blush-inducing thoughts.

"I do like video games, but I'm not a big player. I play when Riv ropes me into a game, and I do enjoy it, but most of the time I'd rather do other things, like painting." The next question made Aphi raise an eyebrow, tilting his head. "Bodily scars? That's an odd question. Are there people who are bothered by them? ...Well, I suppose there's all kinds out there, but I honestly never gave scars a second thought. I mean, I don't have any of my own anymore, they've all healed nicely since it happened when I was so young, but I used to have a huge burn scar all over my left arm." Aphi motioned to the arm in question, pointing from his elbow to his shoulder. "I don't remember much about how I got it, I was so young. It's all gone now, but I remember what it was like to have it: it was completely normal. So scars don't bother me in the least." Aphi smiled, glad that the random question had allowed him to share a little bit more about himself. "As for my favorite sweet, hmmmm... That's a good question. I think my very favorite would be apple pie. I just love apple flavor in general, so really anything with apples."

The chef smirked, recalling that Lorenzo would enjoy any sweet at all, even if it was dry and past its expiration date and growing fuzzy mold on it. "I don't think the Gwee's opinion should be trusted, although I'm sure your sweets are very delicious. I myself have to admit I'm only so-so at baking of any kind. I'm more of a meal-maker, not a dessert-maker."

Suzy carefully stepped into their peripheral, not wanting to interrupt what sounded like a very animated conversation. "My apologies, I'll just take your empty dessert plates. Feel free to enjoy this after-dinner aperitif," she offered as she place two small glasses of mint liqueur on the table. "The cheque will be waiting at the Maitre D's counter when you are ready to leave. Please take your time, and thank you for your patronage this evening. ...See you tomorrow, Aphi!" The girl added the last with much less professional poise, grinning at the sous-chef with the promise of many teasings later.

Aphi chuckled as he watched the waitress roll the trolley away. "Well, that's enough of her interruptions," he said, turning brown eyes back to Alex. "Just tell me whenever you want to go; I'd be comfortable staying here for hours."