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 Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 6:30 pm
Bingo, baby. He knew all too well the tell-tale signs of flushed cheeks and deliberately shifted, vague conversation, and foot shuffling - all of which were quite indicative of exactly what Ian had thought they were - and that was Abbi had a crush. Abbi most certainly had a crush on one Ripley Crowell and it was delightful.
Ian didn't, of course, let any of this show, Ian just giving a slow nod of his head, a calm and collected look on his face as he said casually, "Mentioned anyone how? You mean like an old girlfriend or an old flame? Can't say I've heard anything at all, though I haven't seen him in a while."
He still didn't say anything further, but gave Abbi a very knowing smile.
"A picnic would be something he'd enjoy," said Ian thoughtfully, changing the subject back to his first date with Shiloh. "He comes from the countryside, if I remember right; he probably likes outdoorsy type stuff, open air, you know, all of that."
Ian winked at her. "Thanks. And yes, you are very cute, so don't forget it, okay? Embrace the cute that is you!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 9:04 pm
Initially, the girl continued to stare down at her feet, half hoping someone would give her an answer she could handle. It was a dangerous game, this business of asking people in the know. Someday, one all too soon she was sure, an answer would be placed before her she didn't want, or one that hurt her more than she thought it might. As it happened, Viveca was the one to whisper this as she curled unseen fingers around the space between Abbi's ears. She pulsed soft warnings that did nothing to improve the teen's predisposition to worry which was only assuaged when Ian began to speak again. Wide eyes turned up to peer at him and the girl flushed a little more. "N-no, not really... I-I meant something more... More like... Someone here." Why was she asking this, this was only going to make things worse, why was he smiling like that aaaahhhhhhhh Up on her toes once more, the girl leaned forward a little. "Ooooohhh? Really, from the country? That's so cool! Was he American? Where was he from? Where are you from?" She laughed and jumped into the air again. "I think a nice date outside would be great! Especially given this weather we're having..." A frown was given to a nearby window that showed the rain had only picked up, a rumble of thunder punctuating her words. The frown was next turned to Ian along with a show of crossing her arms. "You're just sayin' that cause you're nice." She wasn't fooled! She knew he thought she was the Little Sister type and not cute enough to date! Bah!
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Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 9:33 pm
Ian abandoned all pretenses and went straight for the kill (figuratively speaking, of course).
"If you like him, why don't you just tell him?" he asked with a laugh, shaking his head affectionately as he reached out to gently tap a finger against the top of Abbi's head. "He's a good guy, Ripley. Much more so than a lot of the guys here, so if you had to pick anyone to have a little thing for, it's a good thing to have picked Ripley, because he's definitely one of the good ones."
Ian bent over to set the books he'd been carrying back on the ground again (his arms had started to ache). When he straightened again, he was smiling.
"He's Canadian...I think," he answered, some of the smile slipping, just a fraction. Had he even ever asked Shiloh what nationality he was? He supposed he should have, or he might have, but his brain must have slipped. "I'm from Canada too, Toronto area.
"And I don't just say things," Ian replied delicately. "What I say is what I think, so if I say you're cute, than you're cute. Sheesh, what is it with people and that word? Shy hates it when I call him that too..."
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Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2014 8:59 pm
At first, Abbi stood there and stared at the man, partly shocked that he would have said it out loud just like that, but mostly trapped in a paralyzing state of disbelief because how could he have known?! For the next few seconds there was that awkward moment where the teen considered just turning tail and running. Besides! Its not like she lived on a secret island with a pretty small population that had little in the way of off island transportation to those without full Hunter status! It was totally and 1000000% feasible that she could completely avoid Ian for the rest of her life! But at the same time... He was such a cute guy! With such a cute boyfriend! Maybe he had some dating tips for her! And he did know Ripley and all... Two more seconds passed where Abbi stood there, totally red and breathing heavy before she dropped her face into her hands with a very loud whine. "Because he kinda already knows!?" She said all in one quick rush, dancing from one foot to the other for a few moments before she threw her hands out in exasperation. "Because he kissed me and I kissed him and then we took a nap but we haven't talked about it and he hasn't come to find me and I mean ok yeah sure I totally haven't gone looking for him but yanno I just thought maybe he would say something or text me or I-D-K I did not expect my life to be a sad rom-com where the girl gets ditched after one kiss like maybe a full date but not just a kiss!" Huffy and still flushing she let herself slouch before she gave the man her best smile. It wasn't good, but it was the best she could do given the circumstance. "Wooooooow. There are so many Canadians here! Is that why you and Ripley and Finn and Shiloh are all good friends? Because like... You have the Canada scent you can sniff out?" That was a thing right? Maple leaves and Tim Hortons? But she dimmed once more when he referred to her as cute and, as much as she hated to be the bearer of bad news, Abbi would do it. With a deep breath, and a good twist of her hands to show her lack of enthusiasm of the subject, she began. "Because cute isn't special. Its not as nice as pretty or handsome and lacks any sort of indicator... I'm cute because... Because I'm small? Shiloh's cute because his hair is pink?" She did her best to keep her voice free of the taint of a lifetime from being referred to as cute. "When you call him cute, you mean endearing. Precious, because he's done something that makes your heart flutter. Sweet, because he's probably really nice. Cute is... A puppy or a kitten or a girl you can't find anything better to call because she's really boring. Not ugly or mean or anything just... Not really much of anything." A sigh left her before she jumped up to look at him once more, eyebrows crumbled together. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be a downer or anything I just... Have a lot of feels about being called cute... Sorry... Um..." Bye new friend, it was nice knowing you. She would take her books and leave now to keep from bringing you down further unu
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Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2014 9:17 pm
Inside of his head, Ian ticked down the seconds while Abbi struggled internally with how much to say to him, jaw dropped, her eyes wide with shock. He waited patiently, however, and in due time she would decide whether to trust him, or whether to just claim innocence and change the topic.
Fortunately it was the former, not the latter. Ian hid a smile.
"Your life isn't a sad romcom where the girl gets ditched after one kiss," he said with a laugh. "Is Ripley a chicken? Maybe he's just too nervous to call you. He's kind of a dork that way, maybe he's giving you space so that you can figure out what you're looking for. Maybe he's trying to be a gentleman."
Ian reached out and patted Abbi's head affectionately. "You should drop by, or text him," he suggested, this time not bothering to hide the smile. "Maybe he's waiting for you to make the first move after all."
He pulled his hand away and ran it through his own hair, grinning a little. "That's definitely it," he said. "We've bonded over the Canadian brotherhood. Next thing you know, we'll be starting an all boy band called The Five Moosekateers."
He hadn't expected such a complex answer about the cute thing. Ian's mouth was slightly agape when Abbi finished, staring at her with astonishment. After a few moments of floundering in which he tried to figure out just what to say, he finally closed his mouth.
"Okay, so cute is out," said Ian slowly. "No cute."
A pause, and then,
"I didn't mean you're cute because you're small, or that Shy is cute because his hair is pink," Ian said gently. "I didn't mean endearing either, I don't think. I mean I think you're fun and you're bubbly and you're cheerful, and to me those are all good things, great things. I've called a lot of people cute, but I never mean it negatively or patronizingly."
He cracked a smile. "But I'll stop calling you cute."
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2014 12:48 pm
Quite certain it had been a major mistake to spill her poorly guarded secret like that, Abbi could only stand there a little longer and bemoan her lot in life. What terrible thing had she done to be so poorly considered? What wrong had she committed that she was never allowed good things? "He's always a gentleman... Maybe he's just too nice to tell me 'no'." She mumbled with a forlorn frown at the ground. Maybe him being too nice was what got her in this mess, she had wrongly assumd how he felt and pushed him into a corner. It was easy to spin the situation so the fact that he had been the first to initiate anything was nothing more than just a mistake, or some other scenario that fit in line with her justifying her sadness. But... Somehow making the first move was an idea that wiggled past all the sadness and struck the girl. For a moment she looked down at her feet, considering it before she peeked up through orange bangs at Ian. "You don't think.... I mean like... Making the first move would be ok?" He was a cool guy with a cute boyfriend! He totally would have good dating advice, right?! Thankfully the joke about Moosekateers perked her up and she giggled with the image of it. She hopped into the air, gesturing toward him excitedly. "That would be so funny! An-and you all have tow ear the hats! The plaid ones with the uh the little ear flaps and the fur!" An honest grin broke her sadness, but only for a few moments. Abbi immediately felt bad when Ian looked so surprised with her rant and she quickly began to fret, her hands raised so she could counter what she'd said. A sigh left her first and she shrugged. "No its not that cute is bad its just..." Once more she sighed, dropping her gaze. "I'm sorry. That was mean of me I just... Cute is good. Cute is nice. I guess I just... I-D-K I'm being a butt, I'm sorry." Her eyes squeezed closed and she bowed, as though that were something normal people did. "I'm really sorry! You can keep calling me cute!" Maybe now would be a good time to run away... Well, except... "You think I'm... Bubbly and fun and cheerful?" Was she sparkling at him?
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Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 7:24 pm
"You never know until you try, right?" said Ian, in what he hoped was a reassuring sounding voice and not a condescending one. "I was pretty damn certain Shiloh didn't think of me that way - actually, I was pretty damn certain he was into girls, for that matter - but then one day I just sorta...went for it."
He shrugged a little, his cheeks slightly pink. "And here we are, dating," he said, and the word still sounded strange on his tongue, foreign almost. "It's taking a bit of getting used to, but, you know, we make it work as best as we can, and that's all you can do, really."
When one of us isn't dying, that is, came the unspoken thought, and Ian hastily pushed this away, out of sight and out of mind. "He's ridiculously good to me, I'm not sure why, since I've already demonstrated I'm not worth it," he added with a laugh.
Abbi's suggestion about the ear flap hats was almost one that Ian took into serious consideration. For a few few seconds he tried to imagine stuffing one onto Finn and Ripley and Jack's heads, and this thought was so entertaining that the consideration soon became a must, not that Abbi would know. Ian grinned at her.
"Sounds like an excellent plan," he said to her.
He hadn't meant to make her feel bad as much as she hadn't meant to make him feel bad. "You weren't mean," Ian said gently. "Shiloh's reprimanded me for close to the same thing, and he's my boyfriend. I should have listened the first time, but I clearly didn't."
Reaching out, Ian tugged playfully at a strand of her bright hair. "Thanks for setting me straight," he said with a wink.
A short pause.
"Well. In one sense of the word," he added innocently, though there was a devilish smirk on his face. "And yes, I do think you're bubbly and fun and cheerful."
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