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 Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 12:42 pm
Paris didn't bother to let Chris know that he'd already gotten his last name when they'd entered the restaurant, seeing little reason to point out how much more observant he apparently was than Chris. The more the guy talked, the more desperate he seemed. Paris almost felt sorry for him. What in the world had he done or been through that made him so awkward and over-enthusiastic about the prospect of dating someone? Chris was hot! Why should he even have to worry about things like that? He certainly hadn't been in short supply of pretty girls at the party.
He kept his silence as their waitress came back with their food, poking at his small salad and taking a few bites as she refilled their drinks. Once she walked off again, Paris consented to answer Chris's question. "Actually, Friday night is a perfect time. Prom is for people who can't find a better party elsewhere, so I won't be going. I don't interact much with people at school anymore anyway, so there isn't really much of a point in me showing my face."
He didn't care of it was supposed to be some sort of rite of passage or an opportunity to make memories. He didn't want to make any more memories of high school than he had to and the rite hardly interested him. It was merely a chance for people to get together and compliment one another for their choice of clothing while listening to bad music, before culminating in an unnecessary contest of popularity. He could always crash it and try to make it fun, but that would require more effort than he felt like giving to something he had no interest in in the first place.
"We can still go out to dinner and keep things slow," he said. "There's a difference between going out for the fun and company, and going out with the intention of making something out of it. I didn't come out with you today because I'm looking for some sort of relationship. You're a good guy and I had a good time with you before. I wouldn't mind going out every so often, and if a relationship happens later, then fine. I just don't think that's something we should concern ourselves with when we're just starting out. You can't force things like that."
He knew one thing for sure; he was going to have fun leading Chris along and waiting to see how long it would take him to figure out that he wasn't everything he seemed to be. Did he feel guilty for it? Maybe a little bit. But he'd never claimed to be nice, and he could use the distraction. It'd been a while since he'd played this game, and he'd never had this sort of participant before. This could end up being very intriguing.
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 7:54 pm
Yeah, thanks... that was nice of him not to mention that he wasn't all that observant. Thanks. Really.
Chris blinked and almost sputtered when Paris agreed to go with him to dinner, having to hold back a sigh of relief at his good luck. Or, maybe she was just doing it to be nice...? Either way, she'd agreed to go with him to dinner. "Okay," he said, doing his best not to stutter in his slight shock. He did grin lightly in amusement of Paris's take on prom. Yeah, there were reasons he wasn't going, too, but not because he could find a better party elsewhere. He just... was done with high school. And certain people he knew in high school.
"Sorry," he apologized, feeling like an idiot for jumping in to things. He'd meant what he said, but he realized that he probably should have backed off and taken things slower. "Right, sorry. Just having fun and good company is fine with me. I didn't mean to make things awkward for you." Especially since in doing so, he made things awkward for himself. "No relationship business. Just friends, okay? I promise," he told her, poking at his sandwich on his plate and taking a few moments to actually pick it up and take a bite.
At least she was honest with him. She didn't let him say all that ridiculous stuff and then just go along with it. She actually told him how she felt, and he really respected that. Sure, he felt like he was stupid, but he got that feeling every so often, anyway. Now it was just a matter of not digging himself into an even deeper hole.
"How is your salad...?" he asked, trying to take things back to a more casual approach. That was okay, right?
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 8:12 pm
He could be even more honest, but that would ruin his fun. He could have dashed Chris's hopes and dreams by telling him that he didn't have any intention of developing a relationship with anybody -- no matter who it was, what they did, when it occurred, or why he was with them. Even though Chris relented and seemed to agree with him, Paris still had a feeling he was beginning to expect things. He could go along with it, of course, play pretend simply for the heck of it, and he intended to to some degree but, at the same time, he was determined that this wouldn't go too far.
He took a few more bites of his salad before answering Chris, though it was a small salad to begin with and didn't take him long to finish. "It's good. Kind of surprising for just watermelon and mint."
He set the plate aside when he was done with it in order to dig into his pork, cutting it up into small, dainty bites so he wouldn't seem like a slob while he was eating. He even made sure to swallow before speaking again. "Do I intimidate you?" he asked rather suddenly. He wasn't sure if he cared or not, but in observing Chris's reactions the question had come to mind, and he was a bit curious as to how he would answer.
"Don't worry if the answer's 'yes.' I won't be offended. I have a habit of making people feel uncomfortable, apparently." Most of the times he did it on purpose, but there were a few occasions when it wasn't his intention but somehow it happened anyway. "It's just that from a distance you seemed like such a confident guy, and now it sort of seems like you're worried or anxious or uncomfortable about something."
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 8:40 pm
Chris coughed, nearly choking on his tea when Paris asked her sudden question, obviously not knowing how to respond to that. What brought that on?? Oh, his seeming to be confident and then being anxious and stuff like that.
He quickly wiped at his mouth with his napkin, though he didn't shake his head, thinking about it for a few moments. "A little," he admitted, though only because she told him she wouldn't be offended. "I think it's because you're so honest with me," he tried to explain, hoping he wasn't coming off as lame, once again. He shrugged lightly, trying to play it off as not that big of a deal, but he hadn't really been in the dating game for a while, so this was all new for him...
"Do I seem confident?" he wondered, laughing lightly. "I mean... thanks... I guess I can be confident about some things, but I haven't had the best of luck where dating is concerned," he told her, though quickly shaking his head, not wanting her to think that he was some weird psycho or something like that. "Just... drama, really. So I stayed away from it. And now that I'm trying to get back into it, it's just... a little awkward for me. So... I'm sorry I'm dragging you into this, with me."
Did he feel guilty about being so awkward with dating? Of course... he'd always feel guilty and think he wasn't doing something well enough. Why else would he bring her to this nice restaurant for lunch?? Well, his brother had suggested it, but he didn't want her to think he wasn't worth the time. It was an ego thing... Or something like that...
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 10:24 am
Flaunting wealth could, in a lot of cases, be very annoying, but there were correct and appealing ways to do it and Chris seemed to have found it. Paris was, of course, capable of paying for himself. He liked to think he was largely independent seeing as he'd spent much of the last seven years taking care of himself, though what money he had came in the form of a credit card from his mother, so he was still forced to rely on her in certain respects, but he didn't need anyone to guide him along. He had his pride.
That didn't mean he didn't like it when people paid for him. It was all in the attitude. Chris's was kind, generous, not arrogant or deliberately boastful; he wasn't trying to show off, or at least it didn't seem so. Paris could accept that gladly. Besides, it might be nice to have someone spoil him -- and want to -- even if he was only being spoiled by means of good food.
"You're not dragging me into anything," Paris reassured him. "You're not forcing me to go out with you. I could have said 'no.'"
The drama he didn't need to hear about. He had enough of his own. Everyone did. He assumed Chris had either made some tough choices in a previous relationship or been wronged in some way that made him hesitant to try again. It was simply further proof that romantic relationships were best avoided -- crappy things happened even to the nicest people; eventually, everything fell apart.
Yet Paris could not help but feel somewhat self-satisfied that he was apparently worth Chris trying again.
He ate the rest of his lunch in between easy conversation. They talked a bit about school again, mostly about Chris's classes and activities. When questions were asked of him, Paris made sure to keep the act going, discussing Crystal with enough knowledge to make it seem as if he really did go there -- mostly thanks to his nighttime foray onto the campus with Ladon -- always lacing his comments with some level of truth. It was so simple, and practically seamless, and Chris seemed all too willing to believe.
The waitress eventually returned to take their empty plates, and soon brought out dessert as well. Paris ate his strawberry shortcake with pleasure, occasionally taking a bite out of Chris's dessert and sharing a spoonful of his as well. It was, perhaps, not the most exiting "date" he'd ever been on, but it was relaxing, and he thought the change from the norm might serve him well.
He allowed Chris to pay without any further argument and rose to walk with him back outside. He smiled once they paused out in the front of the restaurant, pleasantly full and satisfied. "Call me when you decide what you want to do on Friday," he said, in some ways looking forward to it, if only because it would be a nice break from the stress of his life.
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 3:44 pm
While Paris had strawberry shortcake, Chris had tiramisu. He had a thing for the taste of coffee, even if he didn't drink it all the time. And of course he was going to pay for lunch. He'd told Paris at the beginning that he would, so he was obviously going to.
Chris offered Paris a smile when they were about to part ways. "Yeah, sure... I'll call you no later than Tuesday, okay?" Because he wanted Paris to at least have some time to get ready to go to... wherever it was he could get a reservation. And his mother always told him that he needed to make a date at least three days in advance as common courtesy. Hopefully there will be some places left available after everyone going to prom already made reservations.
"Thanks for meeting me for lunch. I had fun," he told her with another smile. "Where are you heading to, now? Back home? Do you need a ride?" He didn't know what her plans were, but he thought he should offer, anyway. If she didn't need a ride, then they would just part ways. But if she did, then he had his car parked a little ways away.
While he didn't want to revisit the drama of his past relationships, he was at least very grateful that Paris would give him a chance, especially since he was apparently awkward and desperate... Great... He didn't mean to come off that way. Hopefully he wouldn't be the same when they go to dinner.
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 3:57 pm
"Oh, no, I don't need a ride. I can get by on my own. I'm just going home, maybe head to the studio for a little while. Thanks, though," Paris gracefully declined. He wouldn't mind being chauffeured home, but he thought he'd put Chris through enough for one afternoon. Too much of anything was never a good thing, even if that anything was him.
"I'll see you on Friday, unless you get lonely and decide you can't wait a week to see me again," he teased with a wink. He leaned up to kiss his cheek, lingering a little longer than he had the first time. "Don't miss me too much," he joked as he pulled away.
He turned with a grin and a flirty wave, prancing off down the sidewalk and feeling quite smug. Things hadn't gone quite the way he'd expected and the situation was a bit different than he'd originally imagined, but he could have fun with it. The more time they spent around one another and the longer they talked, the easier Chris seemed. Maybe whatever drama had happened to him before would be beneficial in some respects.
The poor fool...
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