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She'd felt him stiffen, but she'd attributed it to surprise. Never did it cross her mind that it could simply be unwanted physical contact. "I wish I had a kitchen of my own." she smiled. "Not that I'd be able to use it. And Fallon is a wonderful chef. She makes some of the most delicious- mm." the noise was one of pleasure as she thought of this unnamed treat that the dark-skinned young woman made. "Unfortunately, I won't have my own home until sometime in June, most likely." Her father was in the process of picking out a suitable location for her home, and then she would get to pick out floorplans and decorations. "Hopefully just in time for graduation. And my parents home is.... well..." she made a thoughtful expression, nipping at her lower lip. "You might have to fight Cook just to step foot in there and then my mother would pitch a fit."

"Maybe you could teach me what you know?" she glanced up at him. "I mean, it would get you some practice." she looked back at the treats, picking out a few small items. "Speaking Italian, that is?" Strawberry crepe? She hadn't even noticed that yet. It looked absolutely fabulous. And there were even some small strawberry-filled tarts. The thought of the adorable little cupcakes were left behind in lieu of her favorite fruit. As Marlo was passed the crepe, he may have caught her watching him from the corner of her eye like an attentive little puppy. Would it be delicious? Did she want one? Would he eat it all? (If he didn't like it, she'd eat it, strawberry could never be bad!)

"Oh that's right." mention of his brother made Jada suddenly remember that she didn't have Marlo's number. "The napkin I had your numbers on was sto- misplaced. So I don't have your number." She pulled out her cellular phone, curls falling over her shoulder, getting brushed back impatiently. "I got Elzo's from a mutual friend, but I've been too busy to think about calling." A few treats were pointed out to the salesman. "May I have your phone number, Marlo? I promise not to lose it this time. After all, I still owe you a nice dinner for what happened last time we met, and I always pay my debts." Balance in full.

"I think everyone has some pretty unique families." she took the strawberry cupcake she'd gotten in her free hand, everything else boxed for later. "I am going to regret this when I can't finish my dinner. But it smells delicious." the heiress licked a small bit of the pink frosting off the top of the cake, tasting it. Mmmm! "So good." she sounded quite happy. "I can't believe I never thought to explore these little places sooner. I always thought they'd poison me with grease or something." she grinned, taking a delicate bite of her cupcake. Unfortunately, when the cupcake was pulled away from her lips, she missed the fact that a little spot of icing had hit the tip of her nose.

"Definitely meant Italian." she slipped her phone back in her pocket, grinning at him. "I'll take anything I can get, basics or not. I'm hardly needing to be a professional speaker. We could meet at the library for that? It is nice and quiet there, I'm sure we could find a corner out of the way." she looked hopeful. He blushed, and she couldn't help but wonder why.

"Technically, I got his number from someone else." she grinned at the younger Xanis. "Maybe subconsciously I didn't want to get hit on, so I waited." she gave him an innocent look. "You know, if you can't eat all that..." violet eyes drifted over his crepe. "I have some room in my box. I do want to get an actual meal at some point."

She didn't catch the light dot of pink on her nose, though she wiped her lips neatly with a napkin. The pink disappeared as she neatly wiped at her nose, however. Thank goodness. "So tell me." she threw the napkin away, glancing up at him, "Other than cooking and saving helpless young women at the mall, do you have any other hobbies?"

Jada was positively gleeful. She knew bits and pieces of a few different languages, enough to say 'hello' and 'goodbye' but not much else. A native speaker- no matter how rusty- was a chance she wasn't willing to pass up. "I'll look at my schedule next week, if that's good for you. I have a few hours of tutoring that I promised, but overall, I should be yours just about anytime you want me." she pulled her phone back out, flipping through the dates that she'd stuffed in there.

Tuesday was out, but the rest of the week...

She looked back up at him, however, when he mentioned some of his hobbies. "You ride horses?" Jada looked about as happy as she felt, almost beaming at her companion. "That's perfect. What about Saturday?" Fallon was sick, so Jada didn't have a riding partner. "I board my mare at one of the stables on the outskirts of town, and they rent out. We could enjoy a ride and we could have our first study session." She bit her lip, pale cheeks flushing. "You could pick me up on your motorcycle?" she'd never ridden one. She wanted to. She'd heard they were fast. "If you want to."

She was going to milk it for all it was worth.

Then Marlo offered his crepe. Jada went a little still, glancing between the treat and his eyes, before laughing and offering her phone. "I'm not ashamed." she decided. "I'll make that deal." She was winning on all counts.

He passed over the crepe.

He passed over the crepe.

Marlo Xanis was a softie.

Jada took it with a smile, almost beaming at the delicious treat, and proceeded to take a single bite. Only one; it was a small bite, because ladies never shoved food into their faces, no matter how delicious and strawberry strawberry... strawberried it was. They did, however, close their eyes and contemplate the mysteries of the universe that strawberry crepes showed them, a look of mild euphoria on their faces.

She opened her eyes at last, giving him a smile and accepting her phone back, offering up the strawberry crepe, only one bite smaller than he had passed it to her. "Well, I normally get up pretty early on Saturdays. How about we meet around 10? The picnic idea sounds great." She laughed. "There is a small kitchen, a fridge and microwave, at the office at the stables; I'm sure I could convince them to let us use it if you bring something that tastes good reheated." This would be fun! "Thank you for the crepe." she pressed two fingers to her lips, almost as if checking for crumbs left behind.

"I don't wear skirts to ride." she looked almost scandalized, her hand going to her hip. "The one place in the world a lady will always look best in blue jeans is a horse stable." she made a small noise and reached out for him, to tug him away from the confectionery stand. "So, which of these... you called them grease traps? Which one should we patronize for supper?" she slid the small box in her bag. "What's left in the box can be dessert, if you're willing to spend that much time with me."

Mr. Xanis was smirking at the crepe, not eating it. That delicious strawberry goodness was going to waste in his hand so she reached out, gripping his hand, pulling it closer to her. Neatly, she stole another bite of the crepe, giving Marlo a pleasant smile once she'd chewed and swallowed.

"Well, we ladies may look good in anything, but one does have to consider the situation when picking an outfit. It's tough being a woman. Be glad you aren't one." It was expensive to be a woman sometimes, too. She tilted her chin to get a better look at him as he scooted a little closer. "Indian works." she agreed. "And I'm surprised you remembered my preference. But didn't you have your own vehicle?" she hadn't even thought about it.

His next words made her smile, duck her head. Purple eyes glanced up at him through her own dark lashes. "That's very kind of you to say, Marlo. You're not that bad yourself. Spending time with you always proves to be an educational experience."

"Some would say women only dress for other women. It isn't the men they have to impress." she gave a slight shrug. "I appreciate the beauty of other women just fine without the side-effects of testosterone." Jada watched her companion's face carefully, trying to gauge a reaction from him at the comment. And a true comment it was, for all that she'd let a little imp control her mouth.

Her eyes closed as they turned the corner and she could smell the food coming from the carts. Jada made a small sound of disappointment. "If it weren't for all the bags, I could get you to give me a ride home tonight." she was almost mournful. She knew what a hubbub something like that would start. Bright eyes followed his nod to a garish cart covered in bright lights. "What is it with the food carts?" she couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled up. "Giant lit taco hats, christmas lights, I think that is a giant bratwurst." she pointed at one of the other carts.

But in one, fell swoop, Marlo stole back her full, undivided attention. Or rather, the crepe did, when he lowered the remainder of it towards her almost teasingly (to her.) She licked her lips, visibly debating. Then she leaned in, eyes on his face, and neatly nipped off another bite. Her lips brushed over where his fingers were closed over the crepe, startling her. As she pulled back one of her hands went to her mouth, two fingers covering her lips as she chewed and swallowed. "The rest is yours." she said finally. "Or I won't have room for dinner!"

"I'd like that." Jada was probably beaming at him like a loon. She hadn't noticed any lack of composure at her playful little comment; over all, that was mildly disappointing. "I can't wait for Saturday. So exciting!" Now she knew she was beaming like a loon. "Normally on Saturdays I ride with my friend Fallon. But she's been ill." She did need to go visit her friend in the hospital. She'd heard Fallon had been attacked.

The thought of one of the taco hats made her laugh. "I have a little brother. He'd probably adore the hat. I don't think I have anything I could wear it with." She watched him lick away a small bit of filling that had fallen to his hand, unaware of the small bit on her cheek.

She'd die if she knew.

"I'm thinking Masala dosa, if the cart sells it." she said finally, turning her attention to the Christmas-decorated cart. She pushed a lock of her hair back, off of her pale cheek. "Have you eaten at this cart before? Or is this your first time?"