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 Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 10:49 am
"We're fine," Bell said with a nod. Bell had no clue what Jamie had planned for Tal after he stole her away, but Bell was pretty sure she'd be getting a call or text later. If for no other reason than to explain about the lacy white undergarments Bell had selected as Tal's birthday gift from her. And there wasn't a bit of shame. ...From the gift-er.
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 12:54 pm
Tallulah hadn't yet opened any of her gifts and so didn't have any reason to get a sense of foreboding about the look Bell gave her as she left. Instead she waved happily to her friends as they headed to catch a cab, and turned to her boyfriend, a perplexed smile on her face.
"I think my dad's past the part where he's afraid you're a serial killer," she said, reaching up to brush a stray strand of hair away from his face - the wind was kicking up. "What's up, Jai?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 1:20 pm
"Really? He never gives me that impression." he admitted. Angus tended to radiate a consistent level of hostility toward Jaimie, which wasn't making him feel any better about this.
"Anyway, I figured I'd just take you for a nice walk before we headed home, you know?" He suggested, offering her his arm to hold onto, the wind picking at the edges of his coat, the way it had mussed his hair.
"We don't get a lot of time when we're not doing other stuff, you know... School and... what not."
By which he of course meant their other lives as Regulus and Europa, which became increasingly unclear, at least for him, which one they should consider their 'real' life.
He started down the street, with her arm hooked casually around his. It was pretty but it was cold, and he was glad that the male equivalent of 'dressing nicely' contained more long options than girls did. No wonder fur coats were popular for so long. He'd have wanted one too if he had to go outside in winter time with a cocktail dress and stockings.
He had his other hand in his coat pocket, hand on his hidden gift as they walked.
"And things keep getting more complicated by the day, so I'm being kind of selfish and stealing some quiet time while it's available."
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 1:37 pm
Tallulah nodded, looping her arm around his. Her head found a natural place to lean against his shoulder, and she considered the comments on her father. "Dad's all bark and no bite," she said. Maybe there hadn't been a public change in opinion, but privately within the confines of the Cowden household Angus was starting to warm to the idea that yes, in fact, his daughter had a a boyfriend and he wasn't going away any time soon. "I think you really won him over while I was in the coma."
From what she could tell at least, Angus had been impressed by Jaimie's commitment. And so had Tallulah.
"I don't think it's selfish at all," she answered, brushing snow off the skirt of her borrowed dress. "I mean, I hardly remember what my life was like before all this - do you?"
Well, she did remember. She remembered, at least, that it had been Boring with a capital B. Once you'd tasted super powers, she couldn't see anyone willingly going back to being a normal human. Even if it was less complicated. While part of her longed for a simpler life, another part would be equally disappointed when it was all over.
"Never mind," Tallulah added with a blush. "It was a stupid question."
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 1:53 pm
Jaimie ducked his head and grinned. "Yeah I remember it. I was a shitty delinquent kid and that was about it." Until he'd gotten followed by a little orange tabby.
Cats. Sheesh.
"Kinda hoping tonight is memorable though." he added, pausing under a street lamp. A few snowflakes had started drifting down, making it feel as though they were falling, or flying, through a private galaxy. Space travel for the highly imaginative.
"I did get you a present." He added, clearing his throat, and reaching into his pocket. He took her hand carefully and pressed a small, square, felt covered box into it, but kept his hand over hers, to keep her from opening it immediately.
"Comes with an bad speech." he warned, clearing his throat again. Nerves made him feel like his voice would crack at a moment's notice. "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, or the day after, or a year from now, but I do know one thing. Out of everything and everyone, you're the best thing that's happened to be since...ever. So I decided the best thing I could do was to make a promise."
He paused again, hands more numb from nerves than cold. She was the more practical, rational one. He wasn't always sure she felt the same way he did. It was like dating your best friend.
"I promise to be there as long as you want me, whenever you need me, whatever the reason. If I can crawl to you, I'll do it."
He let this hang, awkward, trying to put the right words together, since everything he'd planned sounded stupid out loud.
"It's not an engagement ring, it's more of an... really flashy going steady ring. They're called promise rings." He finished, numbly, still afraid to hear her reaction.
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 2:31 pm
Tallulah breathed a visible sigh of relief when he clarified that it wasn't an engagement ring. For a moment he'd had her worried - she understood this was a war, but at the same time that she was effectively a child soldier in a struggle older than modern civilization, she was also a modern girl with plans for college and maybe even veterinary school before she agreed to be someone's forever and always. Yet there was the temptation...
But, she reminded herself firmly, he'd said promise ring, and so the pressure was off. Tallulah smiled up at him and opened the felt box with shaky fingers. "It goes on my right hand, right?" she asked, giggling. "Because I know we were joking about freaking out my dad and all but he would actually, seriously kill you if I came home with a ring on my left hand."
She was exaggerating, as best Jaimie could hope.
This said, she held out her right hand for him and stepped closer. The snow swirled around them. It felt like a scene out of a movie. "Well then," she whispered. "Brave Sir Regulus."
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 2:55 pm
"And the Lady Europa." He flashed her a smile, feeling relief that she'd accepted... and that he'd gotten things out without stuttering as he took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger.
It was definitely on the expensive side for an 'going steady' ring. Three diamonds in white gold. He'd chosen it partially for practicality, the bezeled setting wasn't as traditional as the pronged setting of an engagement ring, but it would be considerably safer. No delicate gold prongs to come loose and pitch a stone.
"Yeah I'd really prefer not to get killed by your father."
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 3:03 pm
Tallulah was beyond questioning any of the financial matters that came out of what she was beginning to think of, in rather archaic terms, as the House of Leontyne. That said, she was beginning to feel that far too much money had been spent on her over the course of this birthday, although to say that would seem ungrateful. Instead, she whispered, "Wow, it's beautiful."
Because it was.
Unfortunately kissing in the snow didn't generate enough body heat to really stay there for more than a few minutes without starting to feel like you were getting hypothermia.
"I think," said Tallulah, blushing bright red, "That maybe we should go find a taxi now."
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