Since that fateful evening they spent together it had been a while before they could see each other again. Valeri was a good boy and kept calling Other despite the fact that neither could arrange a time to be together. If it wasn't one thing it was the other. Val often had to meet with clients at all hours of the day over something or another for a website or some nuance of graphic design or Other's own schedule couldn't allow for the pair to get together and spend time. At the very least, though, he could call and talk to her. If he couldn't see her he liked to hear her voice. It wasn't until one day when Val got a bright idea and scheduled a date with Other a week in advance and informed her, in no uncertain terms, that if she volunteered to work that day he was going to come kidnap her.
Granted that a date meant that Miranda couldn't also see Other but perhaps he could bring her along another time or ask Other if she had time to spend with the girl in general just the two of them. He was certain his daughter would love it. Until that day Val arranged an evening of babysitting with his sister. With everything arranged all that had to happen was for the day to arrive, which happened rather quickly.
Val dropped off Miranda, greeted his niece and nephew, bothered his brother-in-law, and gave his sister a hug before he wandered off to go meet Other at the appointed restaurant. They had agreed to 'meet in the middle' at a charming little place that served authentic Italian dishes. Val arrived on time and took a moment to see if he could spot Other amongst the people that were coming up to the door as he paused and leaned on his cane trying to look nonchalant.
Yes, the phone would do. As long as she kept in contact with Val in some way she wouldn't worry she'd done something wrong or rushed things by sleeping with him, which made her extremely happy. She really did love him. She just felt so bad because her schedule was often because Other would volunteer to help even when it was supposed to be her day off at the cafe, or there were rehearsals to attend and a concert to get ready for. Val's voice would suffice for now, and Miranda's whenever the girl stole the phone. Eeeee she was so cute! She missed her! They would definitely have to see each other again soon; she would make sure of it.
Other was thrilled when Val proposed their date, having been fairly surprised to hear his threat to kidnap her. Would he really? Just...come to wherever she was and escape with her? Could he? ...Her coworkers and Mr. Klaus would probably enable him to do so. The idea was amusing, but she'd be a good girl and refrain from helping extra hours.
Waiting for the day to arrive was pleasant enough, but the day before she began to feel a bit...off. Other couldn't quite explain it, but she was feeling lightheaded and having a bit of trouble falling asleep. How weird! It was probably just stress, or even excitement for the date. It wasn't until she threw up right before bed that she got worried; was she getting sick?! N-no! She couldn't! She had a date! Gaaaaaaah! But it was just that once. The next morning she felt just fine! Except she did stumble at work a bit, but that may have just been because she didn't eat as much as she usually did for breakfast. The thought to eat had made her sick to her stomach. Ugh, she just hoped she got better for their date.
As per usual Other fashion she was early, she didn't want to risk making him wait at all! Annnd she was a little more than excited to be with Val. She had been convinced by the hostess to wait inside, sitting on the bench along the wall and staring expectantly out the windows in search of her boyfriend. It was almost the time he'd said they'd--oh! There he was! Other gasped with delight and stood up, hurrying around another party to get to him. "Val~!" She called out happily, hugging his arm when she reached him.
He was gazing about until finally saw her coming toward him. Val's face broke into a bright genuine smile as she came hurried over and then hugged onto his arm. Val uttered a small laugh, "Other~!" he replied in a quiet tease before he quietly leaned down to plant a small affectionate kiss upon her forehead. Apparently she had already been here before he arrived, had he been late? No he arrived on time but still he couldn't help but feel a small ounce of guilt if he had kept her waiting for very long. He swallowed down the guilt for the moment.
Val shifted his stance a bit to start moving forward with the woman latched to his arm, "I didn't keep you waiting did I?" he asked casually as he moved forward. "How are you feeling today? Everything good?" It was genuine curiosity about her wellbeing and not that he had sensed something was off already within the first few minutes of seeing her; he was good but not that good. When they reached the door entering into the restaurant he had opened it for Other and let her in first.
Other smiled and closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead, glad that their show of public affection didn't have to change because of..other things changing! It was honestly something she worried about, if the next time they were together they'd have to be that way again; not that she didn't like it she just wanted it to be...special whenever they did that? That made sense to her for now. She hopped up onto her toes to kiss his cheek with a happy little sound, more than a little excited to be able to be with him like this again. It'd been so long since they got to go on a date! When he asked if he kept her waiting she blinked and shook her head, nuzzling her head against his arm. "Uh uh! I just got here really early!" Other didn't tell him it was in case she got side-tracked being sick though, he'd probably feel bad she wasn't feeling well and call off the date. No! That was bad! Ooh but then he was asking how she was feeling...should she tell him? But that wasn't anything men liked to hear, right? But Other couldn't bring herself to lie...gah! She smiled sheepishly and let go of him with one hand to rub the back of her neck, slipping away from him so she could walk into the restaurant and wait for him. As soon as he was inside she held his hand.
"Uh...I've been okay, I guess." She chuckled shyly. "I've been feeling a little sick lately, but I feel fine now! It's nothing, really~!" He didn't need to know the details, right? Even Other didn't want to know the details but that may have mostly been because she was, well, living them. Oh no! Was it obvious? He'd asked how she was feeling not just how she was doing! She was feeling fine at the moment though! Really! "How about you? And Miranda?"
Sure there were many reasons to change and modify his behavior but instead of showing less affection he felt compelled to show more, which for him was an encouraging sign that his feelings weren't entirely off but the talk with his friend had also helped a great help but this just seemed to concrete the whole thing. The fact that she kissed his cheek and he still felt those familiar flutters whenever she did that even helped him feel more confident in how he felt for her. Sure telling her that he loved her on the phone but it seemed different when you were there in person and able to show it. Val came to a sudden realization that he missed her a lot since the last time he had gotten to see her. He listened to her talk after she had kissed his cheek and nuzzled her head against his arm and gave a small laugh, "Well that's good I guess," he said amiably. "Did you get us a table already?"
Val tilted his head a bit at her confession as to how she was doing he frowned just a little as his expression took on one of concern, "Well if you're okay now, that's fine. Just let me know if you feel sick we'll take it easy or whatever," he trusted her to be honest with him as to how she felt. Details were details but all that mattered is that she seemed and insisted that she was okay. Now it was his turn to answer, "I'm pretty okay, just real busy with work," he sighed a bit. "Miranda is good, she misses you a lot, was wondering if you wanted to take her for a day or something."
At Val's inquiry about whether she'd gotten them a table yet or not Other nodded proudly, smiling and walking up to the host with him. "Mhm! I was outside waiting, but the host said I should wait inside soooo I asked him if we could have a table for when you get here~!" Other was quite proud of that, she'd been extremely nervous asking for that favor but at least she'd done it! She tilted her head to rest it against Val's shoulder, closing her eyes and sighing contently. Talking to him on the phone was fine and all, but it was these sweet touches of physical affection that she missed most about not being around him. Her heart was beating wildly just from holding his hand! The host looked up to see that the shy young lady from earlier was standing in front of him with a man, and he smiled as he gathered up two menus and led the couple to a table he'd had cleared for them.
"Mhm! Okay!" Other answered honestly, hopping up to kiss his cheek again. "I'll be okay; I think I might just be tired from work or something." She shrugged. There was no reason to suspect it to be anything else, and why would there be? It was just a little dizziness and some nausea, everyone felt this way every now and then! She squeezed Val affectionately as he answered her, letting go of him so she could sit down at the table they were taken to. "She does?" Other's face seemed to light up at Val's offer, nodding eagerly as she untied the ribbon around the knit sweater she was wearing to drape it across the back of her chair. "I'd love to! I really miss her too! I'd...have invited her along for whenever you've come over lately but," Other blushed. "I-it might not have been a good idea." Especially last time. She blushed more as she thought about it, playing nervously with a lock of hair.
"That's my girl," he said cheerfully without seeming patronizing or degrading because that isn't how he meant it. It was genuine praise for her doing something that seemed unlike her or something she wouldn't normally do. He nodded to the Host as they approached and followed quietly after them with Other pretty much attached to him and he didn't mind at all. It felt very natural to be this close with her even still it was very good that none of this felt awkward he had secretly feared that it would.
Valeri nodded when she agreed to tell him if she felt off and leaned slightly toward the kiss on the cheek, "Good you should take it easy, then. You're only one woman and I want to keep you around for a bit longer," he teased lightly chuckling softly as he gave her a brief hug of his own before they had to part and sit down in their own seat. He nodded his thanks to the retreating Host when the menu was placed down and gazed over at Other when she spoke in answer to his offer about letting her take Miranda, "She asks for you a lot and I think she was okay with spending time with her Aunt and cousins but she wanted to see you as well." Val said simply with a small smile, "So, I think she'd adore a 'girl's day' with just you. It is only fair, right?" He couldn't have his daughter accusing him of hogging her 'Mami' all to himself.
Other was super excited to hear Val's praise, smiling big as she fixed the small scarf she had around her neck. She'd take it off but..it was cute! And she didn't get to dress like this a lot! It was rather surprising to see how comfortable she was in the dress she was wearing even with it being strapless and all, but that could've been because she chose to wear the dress and not someone else. "Y-you do?" She blushed more at his teasing, her heart fluttering. It may have been teasing but it was still really nice to hear.
Miranda really asked for her? Aww! She really wanted to see her again; it'd been so long since she last could. Other nodded in agreement to his question, picking up her menu but not opening it yet. It was only fair, Other had been asking for only Val so many times lately and taking her Papi away from her, it wasn't that she didn't want to see Miranda just...if she could she would have! "I'd love to have a girl's day with her! Anything she wants! A-and any day she wants too!" Other suddenly blinked and stared at Val. He smelled really good today, and she'd never smelled him from this far before but..it wasn't one of those overpowering smells. It was a good smell! But was it really him? It was so weird that she could smell it from across the table. "A...are you wearing cologne?" She finally asked, blushing. He was going to think she was so weird now! But she couldn't help it!
He nodded a bit, "I really do," the teasing was gone and replaced with sincerity. He really did want Other around for a good long while so she could enjoy life with him amongst other things. It was hard to enjoy someone when they were not around or even dead. Valeri gave her a small smile and then turned his head down toward his menu and began to flip it open in order to look through it while mostly paying attention to Other when she spoke up again.
"Oh totally, next time she steals the phone you two should arrange it," Val chuckled softly with a small shrug, "it'll make Miranda feel grown up and in charge of things if she makes her own plans or something. Plus we both know she'll steal the phone from me again, she usually does," totally not because he lets her, nope, not at all. Valeri blinked at the question about whether he was wearing cologne or not and then nodded slightly feeling self-conscious about now, "Y..yeah did I put on too much?" If she could smell it all the way over there he must have! Oh no...He drenched himself like a common male whore, he knew it.
During this time the waiter came up, "Can I start you two off with something to drink?"
Val glanced at the waiter and seemed thoughtful for a moment before he placed his drink order, "Just a glass of iced tea would be great."
Then the waiter gazed at Other.
His answer made her heart flutter pleasantly and her breath caught, releasing it moments later in a soft, breathy laugh as she blushed even more. "Me too!" Other told him honestly, watching him with pure adoration. It was probably something to expect after all the 'I love yous' but it was still amazing to hear. "I love you." She suddenly said, still smiling. She always meant it, and now was definitely no exception. Oh but was she saying it too much? She hoped he didn't! Other just had sudden, unexpected urges to tell him every now and then. She was still adoring him when he continued onto the subject of Miranda, being tugged a bit from that train of thought to instead focus on that. Aw, that sounded so cute!
"I find it so cute that she does that! She's such a big girl!" Naturally she meant maturity. "I-I hope I can entertain her! I've never spent a day with just a little girl before." No, no! Don't put pressure on yourself and fret, Other! Silly girl. Stop being silly. Val was always telling her not to be silly, and while that was merely teasing for times she really was being silly they were true! Baaah. O-oh no! She made him self-conscious now with her question! Other gasped and shook her head quickly, the action making her dizzy for a moment but she tried her best not to show it. She...she was just brushing hair out of her face! She wasn't holding her head! "N-no I...I like it! It's just I've never...noticed it from this far before...m-maybe it's my sweater!" Yeah! The scent had merely rubbed off him and onto her coat seeing how she'd been clinging to him and all. It made sense, right? It really did smell good though. Other glanced over her shoulder at her sweater for just a moment before the waiter came up and asked for a drink. Other made a tiny 'geep' of surprise and turned back to face forward and look up at the waiter, then the back of her menu where they kept drinks that weren't alcohol. Ooh, they had iced tea! She loved iced tea!
"Iced tea for me too, please!" Other chirped, watching the waiter nod and walk away to get their drinks. She turned to Val when he was gone. "I didn't know you like iced tea too~!"
Valeri smiled amused at her laugh and her blush. He didn't mind that she spontaneously sprouted out her love for him, in fact it made him happy to be so loved by someone, it also helped that she was so sincere and earnest about it each time she said it. He could never tire of something that never lost meaning to her (or him). He might not have said it as much but he felt the same way and always returned the sentiment much like he did now, "I love you, too," with a small honest smile. Most of the time he usually wasn't the first to say 'I love you' and that was fine for him so long as she never thought he felt otherwise.
"I'm sure you'll do fine. Miranda isn't all that demanding," he laughed a bit and shrugged, "I'll send her up with a game or two as well so I am sure you girls will have fun." Val seemed confident in Other's ability to keep a small girl happy and occupied. He looked relieved when Other informed him that he hadn't totally drenched himself in cologne and her explanation seemed to make sense and so he simply nodded with a small smile. "Was scared I was over doing it or something."
The waiter nodded and took down the drink orders, "I'll be back to take food orders shortly~," and then the waiter disappeared off to get the drinks.
Val nodded a bit, "I like any tea, really. My favorite is green tea."
It was fine that it was usually Other that said it first, she figured men found it a bit awkward to constantly say it. Possibly? Maybe? Ehhh? She keened happily as he returned her affections, glancing down at her menu now to see what she wanted. The truth was she would eat everything here if she could! But since she started getting those random bouts of sickness certain foods that she normally loved repulsed her. Soup? No, soup was the worst. Fish? No, that came in close second to soup. Sigh! She usually liked those, too! Soup was something she would eat in her current state! Oh well. She sniffed quietly when a delicious smell caught her attention, were she really the mouse she was often compared to her whiskers would have wriggled and her ears would have perked as she turned her head to eye something on the plate of a nearby table. That. Looked. Awesome. Oh! And its picture was right here. Dinner was decided, yay!
"Oh?" Other looked up, closing her menu. Ooh, games! She had games too in the closet in her living room! "Does she like Candyland?" She loved Candyland! Not that she wasn't excited before, but now she was even more excited and a bit less nervous to have a Girl's Day with Miranda. So she wouldn't disappoint her? Okay! That was great! She'd probably spoil the girl as well by accommodating to her every whim. Oh dear. She shook her head at Val's worry. "Uh uh! Y-you always smell nice!" She blushed again. Did that sound weird?! That sounded weird, didn't it? Augh! It totally did! Silly, Other, why did you go and say such a thing? She ducked her head a little as if to hide herself from her own mental scolding, looking sheepish until Val went on to talk about tea. Oh, yay! A subject change! Thank goodness!
"Green? I like that too, but my favorite is Oolong!" Good, good. Conversing about things like tea was safe. It didn't make her so nervous. How could she still be nervous with Val? It's been almost a year now! She was getting better about it until she confessed to him she loved him, now it was like back when they first started dating. Maybe she could make him tea later! I-if they went to his apartment or her house together.
"U-um...Val? Is...is Miranda staying the night at your sister's?" Other asked quietly, incredibly shy as she moved her menu so it covered most of her face up to just under her eyes. She was just curious! She wanted to make tea for him a-and spend as much time with him as she could because it'd been so long!
He was busily gazing at his menu and thus didn't notice her way of deciding what to order. Val soon decided to just go with chicken parmesan as he folded up the menu and placed it down on the table and then waited for the waiter to return as his gaze settled back on Other.
"She loves that game. I can pack it in her bag when she comes to visit, unless you have it already?" He smiled a bit and shrugged, "She really enjoys any game so long as it is interactive and challenging," Val said simply as he reached up and scratched at his chin. "She may ask to stay the night." He also pointed out just to make Other aware that his daughter really, really intend to spend an entire day at Other (and no boys allowed). He blushed slightly when she complimented him on his scent, "W..Well good," he smiled a bit and chuckled.
"Oolong is pretty good," Val agreed glad that there was a subject about tea. Not that he felt awkward or nervous but it certainly gave him more insight about the woman across from him. They just never really asked or talked about drinks they enjoy, it seemed far too random and hard to just slip into conversation. Speaking of questions he blinked a bit but nodded, "D..Did you want to come over and hang out at my place tonight?"
The waiter came and placed their iced teas before them, "You guys know what you want?"
Valeri blinked a bit but nodded, "I'll take chicken parmesan for me," he said simply.
The waiter nodded and scribbled down the order and then looked toward Other.
"I do have it, actually! I have a few games." Other made a mental checklist of what she had that fit the description of games Miranda liked, giggling with glee at all the ideas that came to mind. Oooh! She couldn't wait! She paused a bit when he mentioned she'd probably want to stay the night. Really? No one had ever stayed and slept over except for Val before, as far as she knew Sally didn't come back after she was asleep and her parents had yet to use the rooms that had been designated as 'theirs'. Hmm...but sleeping in one of those rooms would probably be lonely or boring. Sometimes her mom let her sleep in her bed! Oh, but would that be awkward? "U-um that's okay! You get to, so why shouldn't she? It's only fair." Other nodded as she repeated what Val had said before. "Would it be okay if she slept in my room? I..I mean I have two extra bedrooms but I...i-if it's not okay she can just use one of those!" She really didn't want to overstep any boundaries, but it sounded like playing 'Mami' could be...a lot of fun. It gave her a pleasant feeling in her chest whenever she thought about it now, whereas before it'd made her extremely nervous. How weird! Maybe it was just because it'd been so sudden and so early in their relationship?
She was tugged out of her thoughts on being a mother-figure by the compliment on the tea she liked, smiling. "Yeah! I had white once, but that's really hard to come by so I haven't had it since that one time." Other sighed mournfully. It'd been right before a concert, it was extremely cold that day so tea and coffee and hot chocolate had been brought in to warm the musicians. Man, she really missed that tea. "If that's okay." Her smile turned shy, tucking her hair behind her ear and watching him over the top of her menu. They always went to her house, so a change of scenery would be nice, right? It'd be fun to be there not to move furniture around! "I, um, just was curious how long we could be together tonight." Because if Miranda was waiting on him she'd feel a bit bad. She was less startled this time as the iced tea was set in front of her. Chicken parmesan sounded really good, but something wasn't allowing her to change her mind for any reason. Huh.
"The um..!" She flipped open her menu for a refresher on the name. "Baked Neapolitan Macaroni, please!" Other chirped up at the waiter. She'd never had it before, but if her stomach wanted it her stomach would get it. It'd never betrayed her before!
Valeri nodded slightly, "That's good then," he smiled lightly and then watched Other for a moment as she seemed to suddenly be thinking something over. He blinked a bit at her question, "Fine with me, Other. I don't see why it wouldn't be," he chuckled a bit and shrugged, "she sleeps about anywhere." Val pointed out calmly, obviously not thinking it'd be overstepping any sort of weird boundary just because his daughter slept in his girlfriend's bed. Why would it? He couldn't really conceive of any real reason.
He made note of her talk about the white Oolong she had sometime back and resolved to get her a tin to enjoy on her own. Valeri nodded, "Of course it's okay. You could even spend the night if you wanted," he said casually, he had nothing in mind beyond just enjoying her company for the night, "Squishy is staying with her Aunt the entire night, she insisted on it," Valeri shrugged with a small chuckle. "So you pretty much have me to yourself for the entire night," he blushed slightly but smiled.
The waiter nodded and flitted off to get the orders in so it could start cooking.
Really? It was okay? Other smiled and nodded. "Okay then~!" It just kept getting better, the more they talked about it the more she looked forward to it! She blushed a little after that, suddenly wanting to make him talk more. Other really loved hearing him talk, but now she'd have to come up with just anything that would make him do so. Tell him she loved him? No, no, she already had just a few minutes ago.
Had she known of Val's intentions to get her white tea she would be ecstatic, but insist that he didn't have to because he'd already given her so much! Like that gorgeous necklace that she wore every chance she got! Other still had to find a gift to give him; she didn't want to be the only one getting spoiled. "I-I can?" She asked with a bright smile. She'd never spent the night there before! Other would just have to get a few things together, she couldn't sleep in what she was wearing now...ooh but wearing something of Val's sounded really nice. Would he be okay with that? It felt too awkward to ask that kind of thing. "Squishy? Oh, Miranda...that's a cute nickname." She giggled, tentatively reaching across the table after their menus were taken to hold his hand. "I like that..." Wait a second, why was he blushing? That was weird! Normally it took a lot to make Val blush, at least a lot more than it took her. "Wh-why're you blushing? Was it something I said?"
Which is probably why he didn't tell her his intentions to begin with, it would be sprung on her in such a manner she wouldn't be able to say no. He nodded at her question, "You can. I mean why not, right?" Valeri smiled lightly as he watched her. He let her take his hand and even turned his hand up so he could grasp her hand in return. He liked holding her hand it felt nice, he should do it more often he decided.
"Y..Yeah, we were watching Finding Nemo and it just kinda stuck when that line came up," Valeri chuckled and shrugged, "it makes her happy."
When she pointed out his blushing he shifted his shoulders and laughed a bit uncertain how to explain, "I..It felt nice to say that, I..guess," he shrugged lightly unable to explain it any other way. He'd never said that he belonged to anyone before even for an evening. He'd never really 'claimed' anyone as his before either. With Other it was different and even the thought of someone else trying to take her up from under him made him feel ... jealous and protective over what he felt was his, especially now more than ever. He couldn't quite put a finger on as to why this was nothing had changed.
..Well one thing changed but it didn't use to affect him this way.
"Y-yeah!" Other squeezed his hand with a happy little hum, listening to his explanation behind 'Squishy'. Aw! That really was cute! She knew what scene he meant too, she had the movie. That was one of the sweetest things ever! "You're such a good daddy." As far as she knew she didn't have any special petnames her parents had just come up with on their own. It made her wonder for a moment what it'd be like to have a baby with him, blushing and mentally shaking that thought out of her head and into a tightly sealed box where it couldn't escape and return to her. Th-that was a silly thought! She'd given him her virginity before they were married, b-but they couldn't have a baby it was much too early for that!
She was still blushing at herself as he answered her question as to why he was blushing, giggling shyly. "It felt nice to hear." Other said quietly, nervously twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "I...I really do like sleeping with you." She smiled, suddenly blushing even more and gasping, the hand that she had been playing with her hair with flying to her mouth and covering it. "I m-meant sleeping...a-actual...n..not that I didn't like...that too b-but..." Other raised her shoulders and ducked her head much like a turtle trying to retreat into her shell. Oh, man, she'd never imagined she could possibly think something like that. Never ever! She really did just like sleeping with Val, even if it didn't involve making love. Just being around him was enough though, really.
He squeezed her hand back, "I try to be a good daddy," Valeri laughed a little, "I'm a little scared of screwing up sometimes." He admitted quietly with a small sigh. The man was actually deathly afraid of messing up. That he'd do something to mess Miranda up or something would happen and she got so badly hurt that she'd get taken away because it was his fault. Val tried his hardest but sometimes things happened that were beyond the control of anyone involved, himself included.
Valeri watched her as she blushed and even as she still blushed and giggled and told him it felt nice to hear. He still watched as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger that was always adorable. It was odd that those small habits sometimes get noticed at equally odd times. He blinked at her words and felt his own blush deepen in spite of himself, he understood what she meant by what she said. "I...It's okay," Val said softly with a small laugh. "I just enjoy being with you in general sleeping or otherwise," he said carefully. Making love, sleeping together, eating dinner, no matter what he enjoyed her presence. Being with her was always good she had an effect on him a soothing one even if she seemed always so nervous and jittery but she wasn't always like that thus it all evened out.
"You look beautiful tonight by the way," he said simply, bluntly because that is how he truly felt. Other could probably wear a burlap sack and Valeri would probably still find her highly appealing.
Other blinked and tilted her head a little as he admitted to being afraid he'd screw up. Screw up? Like how? She'd never say to take her parents' examples, but certainly they had 'screwed up' but she was still the way she was today. It was possible to screw up parenting? Huh...how odd! "I think you're doing fine. She's happy and healthy, right?" And at the end of the day as long as the child was happy, healthy and safe then that meant you were doing a good job! A waitress walked by with someone else's order, whoever it was had gotten soup. Her stomach was suddenly on the verge of threatening to empty itself despite her not eating anything yet, just the smell for some reason repulsed her to the point of nausea, so she picked up her glass and settled it down with some iced tea. Ahhh she felt much better now! It didn't feel like she was going to have to run desperately to the bathroom. At the very least she managed to keep the discomfort off her face for the most part. "An-and from the sound of it she loves you dearly." At least what she'd gotten from their conversations on the phone.
"Really?" Other seemed to brighten up at that, sitting forward a little on the edge of her seat. She'd be happy just being in the same room as him! It made her so happy to hear he enjoyed being with her too. "I do too! It...gets kind of lonely not having you around." Other admitted with a deeper blush. It probably didn't help that she lived in a house probably built for a whole family all by herself.
"Thank you. You look very handsome tonight yourself~!" She chirped, complete sincerity in her words. "I-I tried to fit in the necklace you gave me too, but it didn't look right with this dress." It seemed even Other cared about her appearance sometimes, at least when it came to dressing up nicely. She could have chosen another dress but the ones she had were either too casual or way too formal and meant mostly for concerts and things like that.
Valeri smiled a bit and nodded, "That means a lot, Other," he said in an appreciative tone. It was good that someone had confidence in his parenting skills when he had next to none at the moment. Taking care of a random little girl or his niece and nephew was one thing because in either case both went off to their parents at the end of the day. Miranda was around him pretty much twenty-four-seven and so he had to be more conscious of his choices as far as she was concerned.
He nodded a bit, "Of course I do, you make my day a lot better," Valeri said openly. He didn't mean to get so weird and sappy but it was true. Even if it was a simple phone call at the end of the day she managed to make things a lot better if things went a little sour when meeting with a client. Val smiled a bit at Other's confession and blushed a bit in spite of himself; no one had ever said those things to him before. Then again he had never been in a ...serious relationship before. "I feel the same," he said honestly with a small smile. Though he wasn't sure he could justify moving in with Other just yet much less uprooting Miranda from a home she had just gotten used to and so any offer for either of them to move got swallowed up before it could be spoken.
He laughed a bit as she complimented him, "Really? Thank you," Valeri said sincerely as he watched her with some amusement. She tried to wear the necklace he had gotten her with that outfit? That was kind of silly it definitely was too extravagant and fancy for what she was currently wearing, "Another time, another occasion," Val said with a small smile and a nod. "It isn't like it is going anywhere any time soon."
Soon dinner arrived at the table. The waiter set each meal in front of the person that had ordered them before the waiter left they had checked the drink situation, refilled, and then left to attend other tables.
Val's appreciation made her blush, smiling softly as she played with a lock of hair some more. "I-it's nothing, just what I've seen." Other said with a tiny giggle. She knew parenting wasn't easy at all easy but Val seemed to be going well from what she'd seen and heard so far! She finally stopped messing with her hair, she didn't want to mess it up or anything. Val may not mind how she looked at any given time but Other wasn't a fan of ruining her look, surprisingly. At least as far as her hair was concerned.
Other's face lit up when he told her she made his day better, her eyes widening. "I do? I..no one's ever...th-thank you, Val! You make mine better too!" And he really did. She was always happy to cheer him up if a client or someone got him annoyed. She glanced down at their hands for a moment, and then lightly brought them up to press a kiss to his hand. Aww! He was blushing again! For some reason it made her giddy to know she was making him blush, putting their hands back down on the table. "I'm glad." She told him softly, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. The thought to ask him to move in did cross her mind then but that seemed too selfish of her; Val had his own place that he was comfortable and settled into, and then Miranda had just settled in as well and taking a child from a home they'd only just gotten used to sounded almost cruel. She pouted a little at that thought but she didn't let it last, looking back up at Val with another smile and a nod.
"Mhm! I have other things, and I've worn it to every concert since you gave it to me!" Haha that was right, necklaces don't just get up and walk away. Other moved her arm a bit so her plate could be set down in front of her, reluctantly letting go of Val's hand so they could eat. This pasta looked so good, she was extremely grateful to her stomach that it wasn't telling her she couldn't have this. She was hungry. She picked up her fork and began to eat, taking that first slightly cautious bite and...not feeling like she was going to throw up. Eeeee! And it was delicious! Now she was incredibly pleased at herself for picking this.
"Well your observation made me feel a whole lot better," he laughed a bit and it was true. Valeri felt a whole lot better about his parenting at least for now, until he and Miranda have their first major disagreement or anytime in between then. For now he felt okay and that he'd continue doing okay especially since Other had faith in him it made it a lot easier. His family had been supportive about his adopting Miranda but Other just seemed to make it seem more encouraging.
He blushed more when she pressed a kiss to his hand it was more the thoughts that suddenly rushed into his mind while she did that. Very not innocent thoughts that included Other and a few less clothes. Val determinedly locked those away with a smile and a nod to try and keep it looking like he wasn't thinking pervert-thoughts and replied, "Glad I can make you feel the same," in a sincere tone. Valeri never wanted the young woman across from him to feel unwanted or unappreciated by anyone most of all him because she meant so much to him. She had appeared when quite obviously he needed her most and stuck around after certain things of his past were revealed. Yes, she was a keeper.
..A keeper. A thought began to form within the young man's mind, an inkling of something to come.
"I noticed," Val said with a small smile, "it looks lovelier on you than I imagined it would, too," for various reasons he wasn't able to tell her this in person after each contest, but he always made sure to attend each concert in which Other played. Even if Valeri couldn't see her after the concerts he had flowers sent to her along with small but sincere notes of praise and encouragement. He loved hearing her play even if he had to be a part of a larger audience to do so, Val usually pretended she played only for him no matter how selfish that seemed. Valeri began to eat his food and found it magnificent he glanced at Other to see her enjoying her meal as well. Good.
Well that was...odd. Why did he blush more when she kissed his hand? Was it because they were in public? But...but they'd kissed in public before! Why would that change? She didn't ask about it this time but it was very clear by the look on her face that his struggle to stay composed did not go unnoticed by her, but she was merely curious as to why he was suddenly that way. It would seem that even after finally getting to that level with Val thoughts like that were still quite far from her mind...at least the majority of the time. She continued to watch him with curiosity as she ate. Well, whatever had been bothering him appeared to have moved on. Still, it was odd to see him like that. "It'd be silly to think otherwise~." She told him with a smile. Surely it had to be obvious how happy he made her even to someone just walking by, right?
It was Other's turn to blush, ducking her head a little as she was complimented. "Thank you, Val." At first it had been odd to get used to a necklace when playing, but Other got used to it rather easily. She always loved the flowers and the notes he had sent to her, and while the flowers unfortunately didn't last at least she kept all the notes in her diary...a fact she would try her darn hardest to keep secret incase that was weird. "..If you want, I could play for you tonight! We'd just have to make a quick stop at my house to get my violin." And things for her to stay the night at Val's. But it wasn't any problem at all for her; she loved playing especially for him!
Other ate a few more bites of her pasta, surprised she was eating as much as she was. Weird! Was she that hungry? ...Oh, dear...she wasn't sure she could finish this now. B-but she had to! There was still a lot left! It would be rude for her to not finish. Other paused to sip at her iced tea in hopes that it would settle her stomach, trying her very best not to let it show on her face. She was fine! She could totally finish! Other could...could wait until Val wasn't around, or until he was asleep. No one wanted to sit and wait while the person they were with vomited, right? That sounded uncomfortable to say the least. Hm..the iced tea seemed to be helping. She resumed eating, albeit a tad bit more cautiously.
Even if Other had asked Val would refuse to explain what was going on in his mind because it was a little embarrassing to talk about at least in a public place where people might hear, not that he was prudish or shy by any means but it was more for Other's sake than his own if the truth be told. He nodded a bit, "Yeah, silly," he confirmed with a small smile, the blush gradually fading from his cheeks.
He smiled as she reacted to his compliment, he couldn't help but admire at how humble she always seemed to be and she was so beautiful, at least to him. Valeri blinked a bit at her offer and couldn't help but nod a bit excitedly in spite of himself, "That'd be great!" he always loved to hear Other play. No matter. It soothed him to hear her play even if he was one among many in an audience; it was special to him that she would offer to play just for him back at his apartment when they got to that point in their evening. Valeri found he was anxious to end the date and just go pick up the violin and go back home, but no he wanted to take her out properly.
Valeri ate his meal with no lack of slow down but not wolfing it down either. He watched her curious as she attacked her meal with vigor only to slow down just slightly. Maybe she was eating too fast and it made her sick? That was probably it, "Does it taste alright, love?" he asked curiously as he continued to eat his own meal. It was a little odd to see her behave like that with her food, was it just him or did she look a little green around the gills?
...Oh no was she having a relapse in her illness? He hoped not. Val awaited the answer as he lifted his own glass of iced tea and took a sip.
It was a good thing Val kept it to himself, and that Other didn't ask what was wrong, because she really would have been embarrassed. Not because she was ashamed but it was still a bit odd for her to think of those kinds of things. She still got giddy just kissing him; anything more practically turned her into a blushing, babbling mess of nervousness.
Other smiled at Val's enthusiasm to hear her play just for him, blushing again and giggling. He was so excited! It was...it was cute! She never thought she'd ever think of Val as 'cute'. He was handsome, and dashing, and amazing, and attractive but cute was a new one. "Alright! Uh...do you play anything at all?" Even a little? It was fine if he didn't she was just curious what he did during the day, or to entertain himself. He said he played video games and then he had to deal with clients and he even had Miranda to take care of and entertain during the day...oh, maybe that was all. Hm. She ate another careful bite of her pasta, feeling a tad bit better now. It seemed the wave of nausea had subsided for now. Erf, okay maybe not.
"Hm? O-oh, it's delicious!" Other said honestly, picking up her glass to sip a bit more at her iced tea. It was so good! She couldn't figure out why her body was telling her she needed to go get rid of it right now. No! She could fight it! She was going to keep it in as long as she was with Val! Hmph, take that body! "What about yours? It looks really good~." She ate a little more of her dinner after that, feeling a bit like she was forcing it down. Ehhh...well, she was. But she was so hungry, she had to do this or she'd starve!
Did he play anything? Oh right, instruments. That's what she meant right? He didn't really look thoughtful in fact his face suddenly went blank for a brief moment as he seemed to try and pull at an old memory before finally noted, "I used to play piano up until I was like thirteen..." he didn't mention whether or not he was any good at all just that he played the piano it was amazing, at this juncture, that he remembered he'd almost forgotten. It'll be more amazing if he remembered how to play at all, he thought. Valeri shifted in his seat and shrugged, "No big deal I guess," he murmured and went back to eating. Didn't matter if HE played anything, Other played violin and would be playing for him, at his apartment. Eee giddy-times.
"Good, I'm glad," he said with a small smile as he watched her eat and drink somewhat carefully. Valeri couldn't help but feel guilty somehow or at least the need to take some pressure off of her somehow, "You know if you can't finish eating that we could get a to-go container and take it home and you can finish it then if you get hungry," or he'd eat it for her later either way it wasn't going to go uneaten as far as Val knew. He didn't mind the idea if finishing the food that Other couldn't consume. "Oh yeah, mine is pretty good...Want to try?"
He did have a thought to take her to an Autumn Festival that was going on nearby but somehow he got a feeling that it didn't seem like the best idea ever. Val carefully kept this to himself and continued to work at eating his meal.
"Wow! Really?" Other gasped, perking up a bit and looking a little less sickly. That was amazing! Pianos always sounded so beautiful, and this was Val so he had to be amazing at it! It was a rule; he was perfect at everything in Other's eyes. But why did he stop? How odd! Other briefly wondered what it'd be like if she'd stopped playing violin, but she shrugged it off after a moment since...well she had no interest in quitting before, now or anytime in the future. "No big deal? I think it's amazing! Do you think you could still play if given the chance?" Because Other would love to hear Val play if he still could. Ohoh! And they could play together! That would be so much fun!! Eeeeee now Other was the giddy one, but she seemed to show it more than the apparently humble Val.
Val's suggestion made her blush once again, Other might as well just never stop blushing at this point. She had totally forgotten about to-go boxes in her mission to finish her dinner like a good girl, oops. "Right. I-I forgot." She admitted with a shy smile. Well, if she could finish it later then now would be a good time to stop torturing herself, right? Other reluctantly pushed the plate away from her so she wouldn't be tempted to keep eating, instead nursing little by little on her glass of iced tea. Her stomach turned when Val offered for her to try it, not because of the act or even because she didn't like that food because she did! She really did! She wasn't sure why she suddenly had these strange food aversions. She had a moment of internal panic, because she didn't want to offend him but...but she just couldn't stomach anymore food. Other smiled and shook her head. "N-no, thank you. It looks really good, b-but I couldn't eat another bite." An honest confession if a bit sugar coated. Though now she did feel a little awkward sitting here not eating when Val still was.
"So, um, after this...do you have anything else planned~?"
"Errh, sure," Valeri said with a small chuckle and he shifted his shoulders, "I might be a bit rusty and all been several years since I last played the piano," he murmured a bit. When he compared himself to Other, at least musically, he felt that she likely had an upper hand on him. Val pushed his food from one side of the plate to the other for a moment before he took up the food filled fork and ate it with a small nod, "If we come across a piano I can give a try at playing for you one day," he promised. He couldn't rightly recall why he stopped other than the fact that he had gotten sidetracked with other things at the time and no one forced him to play anymore so...He simply didn't.
He nodded a bit, "We'll ask for one when the waiter comes back to check on us," he smiled a bit and watched as she pushed her plate away without attempting to finish it anymore. Valeri simply nodded, "That's fine, you're full," and ate the next bit of food, it didn't take long until he was finished with his meal and was now nursing his iced tea for the moment while he waited for the waiter to return.
Valeri shifted a bit in his seat when asked about his plans and after a brief moment he decided to be honest about it, "Yes," and continued on further, "but now I just wanna go to your place, pick up your stuff, and go home and relax and listen to you play," also not a lie, in the end he really didn't lie at all even for her sake. Valeri really did want to go home and listen to her play now instead of taking her to the Autumn Festival.
"I'm sure you'll do great! I really would love to hear you play sometime." She chirped encouragingly, smiling proudly at Val. Amazing! He wasn't the first boyfriend she'd ever had to play an instrument, since she had dated mostly boys from the band when she was in high school, but she certainly hadn't been as excited to hear them play as she was with Val. Probably had something to do with the fact that she loved him or something, or that he possibly would actually play for her and not just show off like some cocky hormone-drive teen. Or both! It was most likely and definitely both. The music store she went to had grand pianos on display that people were allowed to touch and play, even if they really had no idea what they were doing and sounded awful just smashing down on random keys...she'd have to lure Val there sometime. But not tonight, unfortunately they were closed at this hour.
Other nodded to Val's suggestion, feeling better now that she didn't need to force her food down. She still felt ill but less ill. She was also happy that Val was fine with her declining his offer, sighing softly with relief and finishing her drink. There was still ice! She could drink the water as it melted! Thank goodness. Other set her glass down and watched Val as he answered her...oh, dear! Did she make him uncomfortable with her question? She hadn't meant to! She was only curi--oh. Other blushed deeper and giggled shyly at his new plans, playing with the scarf she had wrapped loosely around her neck so her shoulders weren't so naked. "O-oh! If you're sure." She smiled, honestly flattered. "Okay...I...I think I know what I'll play too!" Most of what she had been practicing lately had been ensemble pieces that sounded odd when played alone, but there was a solo piece she had been practicing! Val could be the first to hear her play it. "It's a surprise~." She told him after a moment, winking and smiling sweetly. There, now he couldn't ask what it was. She liked surprises.
Granted that a date meant that Miranda couldn't also see Other but perhaps he could bring her along another time or ask Other if she had time to spend with the girl in general just the two of them. He was certain his daughter would love it. Until that day Val arranged an evening of babysitting with his sister. With everything arranged all that had to happen was for the day to arrive, which happened rather quickly.
Val dropped off Miranda, greeted his niece and nephew, bothered his brother-in-law, and gave his sister a hug before he wandered off to go meet Other at the appointed restaurant. They had agreed to 'meet in the middle' at a charming little place that served authentic Italian dishes. Val arrived on time and took a moment to see if he could spot Other amongst the people that were coming up to the door as he paused and leaned on his cane trying to look nonchalant.
Yes, the phone would do. As long as she kept in contact with Val in some way she wouldn't worry she'd done something wrong or rushed things by sleeping with him, which made her extremely happy. She really did love him. She just felt so bad because her schedule was often because Other would volunteer to help even when it was supposed to be her day off at the cafe, or there were rehearsals to attend and a concert to get ready for. Val's voice would suffice for now, and Miranda's whenever the girl stole the phone. Eeeee she was so cute! She missed her! They would definitely have to see each other again soon; she would make sure of it.
Other was thrilled when Val proposed their date, having been fairly surprised to hear his threat to kidnap her. Would he really? Just...come to wherever she was and escape with her? Could he? ...Her coworkers and Mr. Klaus would probably enable him to do so. The idea was amusing, but she'd be a good girl and refrain from helping extra hours.
Waiting for the day to arrive was pleasant enough, but the day before she began to feel a bit...off. Other couldn't quite explain it, but she was feeling lightheaded and having a bit of trouble falling asleep. How weird! It was probably just stress, or even excitement for the date. It wasn't until she threw up right before bed that she got worried; was she getting sick?! N-no! She couldn't! She had a date! Gaaaaaaah! But it was just that once. The next morning she felt just fine! Except she did stumble at work a bit, but that may have just been because she didn't eat as much as she usually did for breakfast. The thought to eat had made her sick to her stomach. Ugh, she just hoped she got better for their date.
As per usual Other fashion she was early, she didn't want to risk making him wait at all! Annnd she was a little more than excited to be with Val. She had been convinced by the hostess to wait inside, sitting on the bench along the wall and staring expectantly out the windows in search of her boyfriend. It was almost the time he'd said they'd--oh! There he was! Other gasped with delight and stood up, hurrying around another party to get to him. "Val~!" She called out happily, hugging his arm when she reached him.
He was gazing about until finally saw her coming toward him. Val's face broke into a bright genuine smile as she came hurried over and then hugged onto his arm. Val uttered a small laugh, "Other~!" he replied in a quiet tease before he quietly leaned down to plant a small affectionate kiss upon her forehead. Apparently she had already been here before he arrived, had he been late? No he arrived on time but still he couldn't help but feel a small ounce of guilt if he had kept her waiting for very long. He swallowed down the guilt for the moment.
Val shifted his stance a bit to start moving forward with the woman latched to his arm, "I didn't keep you waiting did I?" he asked casually as he moved forward. "How are you feeling today? Everything good?" It was genuine curiosity about her wellbeing and not that he had sensed something was off already within the first few minutes of seeing her; he was good but not that good. When they reached the door entering into the restaurant he had opened it for Other and let her in first.
Other smiled and closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead, glad that their show of public affection didn't have to change because of..other things changing! It was honestly something she worried about, if the next time they were together they'd have to be that way again; not that she didn't like it she just wanted it to be...special whenever they did that? That made sense to her for now. She hopped up onto her toes to kiss his cheek with a happy little sound, more than a little excited to be able to be with him like this again. It'd been so long since they got to go on a date! When he asked if he kept her waiting she blinked and shook her head, nuzzling her head against his arm. "Uh uh! I just got here really early!" Other didn't tell him it was in case she got side-tracked being sick though, he'd probably feel bad she wasn't feeling well and call off the date. No! That was bad! Ooh but then he was asking how she was feeling...should she tell him? But that wasn't anything men liked to hear, right? But Other couldn't bring herself to lie...gah! She smiled sheepishly and let go of him with one hand to rub the back of her neck, slipping away from him so she could walk into the restaurant and wait for him. As soon as he was inside she held his hand.
"Uh...I've been okay, I guess." She chuckled shyly. "I've been feeling a little sick lately, but I feel fine now! It's nothing, really~!" He didn't need to know the details, right? Even Other didn't want to know the details but that may have mostly been because she was, well, living them. Oh no! Was it obvious? He'd asked how she was feeling not just how she was doing! She was feeling fine at the moment though! Really! "How about you? And Miranda?"
Sure there were many reasons to change and modify his behavior but instead of showing less affection he felt compelled to show more, which for him was an encouraging sign that his feelings weren't entirely off but the talk with his friend had also helped a great help but this just seemed to concrete the whole thing. The fact that she kissed his cheek and he still felt those familiar flutters whenever she did that even helped him feel more confident in how he felt for her. Sure telling her that he loved her on the phone but it seemed different when you were there in person and able to show it. Val came to a sudden realization that he missed her a lot since the last time he had gotten to see her. He listened to her talk after she had kissed his cheek and nuzzled her head against his arm and gave a small laugh, "Well that's good I guess," he said amiably. "Did you get us a table already?"
Val tilted his head a bit at her confession as to how she was doing he frowned just a little as his expression took on one of concern, "Well if you're okay now, that's fine. Just let me know if you feel sick we'll take it easy or whatever," he trusted her to be honest with him as to how she felt. Details were details but all that mattered is that she seemed and insisted that she was okay. Now it was his turn to answer, "I'm pretty okay, just real busy with work," he sighed a bit. "Miranda is good, she misses you a lot, was wondering if you wanted to take her for a day or something."
At Val's inquiry about whether she'd gotten them a table yet or not Other nodded proudly, smiling and walking up to the host with him. "Mhm! I was outside waiting, but the host said I should wait inside soooo I asked him if we could have a table for when you get here~!" Other was quite proud of that, she'd been extremely nervous asking for that favor but at least she'd done it! She tilted her head to rest it against Val's shoulder, closing her eyes and sighing contently. Talking to him on the phone was fine and all, but it was these sweet touches of physical affection that she missed most about not being around him. Her heart was beating wildly just from holding his hand! The host looked up to see that the shy young lady from earlier was standing in front of him with a man, and he smiled as he gathered up two menus and led the couple to a table he'd had cleared for them.
"Mhm! Okay!" Other answered honestly, hopping up to kiss his cheek again. "I'll be okay; I think I might just be tired from work or something." She shrugged. There was no reason to suspect it to be anything else, and why would there be? It was just a little dizziness and some nausea, everyone felt this way every now and then! She squeezed Val affectionately as he answered her, letting go of him so she could sit down at the table they were taken to. "She does?" Other's face seemed to light up at Val's offer, nodding eagerly as she untied the ribbon around the knit sweater she was wearing to drape it across the back of her chair. "I'd love to! I really miss her too! I'd...have invited her along for whenever you've come over lately but," Other blushed. "I-it might not have been a good idea." Especially last time. She blushed more as she thought about it, playing nervously with a lock of hair.
"That's my girl," he said cheerfully without seeming patronizing or degrading because that isn't how he meant it. It was genuine praise for her doing something that seemed unlike her or something she wouldn't normally do. He nodded to the Host as they approached and followed quietly after them with Other pretty much attached to him and he didn't mind at all. It felt very natural to be this close with her even still it was very good that none of this felt awkward he had secretly feared that it would.
Valeri nodded when she agreed to tell him if she felt off and leaned slightly toward the kiss on the cheek, "Good you should take it easy, then. You're only one woman and I want to keep you around for a bit longer," he teased lightly chuckling softly as he gave her a brief hug of his own before they had to part and sit down in their own seat. He nodded his thanks to the retreating Host when the menu was placed down and gazed over at Other when she spoke in answer to his offer about letting her take Miranda, "She asks for you a lot and I think she was okay with spending time with her Aunt and cousins but she wanted to see you as well." Val said simply with a small smile, "So, I think she'd adore a 'girl's day' with just you. It is only fair, right?" He couldn't have his daughter accusing him of hogging her 'Mami' all to himself.
Other was super excited to hear Val's praise, smiling big as she fixed the small scarf she had around her neck. She'd take it off but..it was cute! And she didn't get to dress like this a lot! It was rather surprising to see how comfortable she was in the dress she was wearing even with it being strapless and all, but that could've been because she chose to wear the dress and not someone else. "Y-you do?" She blushed more at his teasing, her heart fluttering. It may have been teasing but it was still really nice to hear.
Miranda really asked for her? Aww! She really wanted to see her again; it'd been so long since she last could. Other nodded in agreement to his question, picking up her menu but not opening it yet. It was only fair, Other had been asking for only Val so many times lately and taking her Papi away from her, it wasn't that she didn't want to see Miranda just...if she could she would have! "I'd love to have a girl's day with her! Anything she wants! A-and any day she wants too!" Other suddenly blinked and stared at Val. He smelled really good today, and she'd never smelled him from this far before but..it wasn't one of those overpowering smells. It was a good smell! But was it really him? It was so weird that she could smell it from across the table. "A...are you wearing cologne?" She finally asked, blushing. He was going to think she was so weird now! But she couldn't help it!
He nodded a bit, "I really do," the teasing was gone and replaced with sincerity. He really did want Other around for a good long while so she could enjoy life with him amongst other things. It was hard to enjoy someone when they were not around or even dead. Valeri gave her a small smile and then turned his head down toward his menu and began to flip it open in order to look through it while mostly paying attention to Other when she spoke up again.
"Oh totally, next time she steals the phone you two should arrange it," Val chuckled softly with a small shrug, "it'll make Miranda feel grown up and in charge of things if she makes her own plans or something. Plus we both know she'll steal the phone from me again, she usually does," totally not because he lets her, nope, not at all. Valeri blinked at the question about whether he was wearing cologne or not and then nodded slightly feeling self-conscious about now, "Y..yeah did I put on too much?" If she could smell it all the way over there he must have! Oh no...He drenched himself like a common male whore, he knew it.
During this time the waiter came up, "Can I start you two off with something to drink?"
Val glanced at the waiter and seemed thoughtful for a moment before he placed his drink order, "Just a glass of iced tea would be great."
Then the waiter gazed at Other.
His answer made her heart flutter pleasantly and her breath caught, releasing it moments later in a soft, breathy laugh as she blushed even more. "Me too!" Other told him honestly, watching him with pure adoration. It was probably something to expect after all the 'I love yous' but it was still amazing to hear. "I love you." She suddenly said, still smiling. She always meant it, and now was definitely no exception. Oh but was she saying it too much? She hoped he didn't! Other just had sudden, unexpected urges to tell him every now and then. She was still adoring him when he continued onto the subject of Miranda, being tugged a bit from that train of thought to instead focus on that. Aw, that sounded so cute!
"I find it so cute that she does that! She's such a big girl!" Naturally she meant maturity. "I-I hope I can entertain her! I've never spent a day with just a little girl before." No, no! Don't put pressure on yourself and fret, Other! Silly girl. Stop being silly. Val was always telling her not to be silly, and while that was merely teasing for times she really was being silly they were true! Baaah. O-oh no! She made him self-conscious now with her question! Other gasped and shook her head quickly, the action making her dizzy for a moment but she tried her best not to show it. She...she was just brushing hair out of her face! She wasn't holding her head! "N-no I...I like it! It's just I've never...noticed it from this far before...m-maybe it's my sweater!" Yeah! The scent had merely rubbed off him and onto her coat seeing how she'd been clinging to him and all. It made sense, right? It really did smell good though. Other glanced over her shoulder at her sweater for just a moment before the waiter came up and asked for a drink. Other made a tiny 'geep' of surprise and turned back to face forward and look up at the waiter, then the back of her menu where they kept drinks that weren't alcohol. Ooh, they had iced tea! She loved iced tea!
"Iced tea for me too, please!" Other chirped, watching the waiter nod and walk away to get their drinks. She turned to Val when he was gone. "I didn't know you like iced tea too~!"
Valeri smiled amused at her laugh and her blush. He didn't mind that she spontaneously sprouted out her love for him, in fact it made him happy to be so loved by someone, it also helped that she was so sincere and earnest about it each time she said it. He could never tire of something that never lost meaning to her (or him). He might not have said it as much but he felt the same way and always returned the sentiment much like he did now, "I love you, too," with a small honest smile. Most of the time he usually wasn't the first to say 'I love you' and that was fine for him so long as she never thought he felt otherwise.
"I'm sure you'll do fine. Miranda isn't all that demanding," he laughed a bit and shrugged, "I'll send her up with a game or two as well so I am sure you girls will have fun." Val seemed confident in Other's ability to keep a small girl happy and occupied. He looked relieved when Other informed him that he hadn't totally drenched himself in cologne and her explanation seemed to make sense and so he simply nodded with a small smile. "Was scared I was over doing it or something."
The waiter nodded and took down the drink orders, "I'll be back to take food orders shortly~," and then the waiter disappeared off to get the drinks.
Val nodded a bit, "I like any tea, really. My favorite is green tea."
It was fine that it was usually Other that said it first, she figured men found it a bit awkward to constantly say it. Possibly? Maybe? Ehhh? She keened happily as he returned her affections, glancing down at her menu now to see what she wanted. The truth was she would eat everything here if she could! But since she started getting those random bouts of sickness certain foods that she normally loved repulsed her. Soup? No, soup was the worst. Fish? No, that came in close second to soup. Sigh! She usually liked those, too! Soup was something she would eat in her current state! Oh well. She sniffed quietly when a delicious smell caught her attention, were she really the mouse she was often compared to her whiskers would have wriggled and her ears would have perked as she turned her head to eye something on the plate of a nearby table. That. Looked. Awesome. Oh! And its picture was right here. Dinner was decided, yay!
"Oh?" Other looked up, closing her menu. Ooh, games! She had games too in the closet in her living room! "Does she like Candyland?" She loved Candyland! Not that she wasn't excited before, but now she was even more excited and a bit less nervous to have a Girl's Day with Miranda. So she wouldn't disappoint her? Okay! That was great! She'd probably spoil the girl as well by accommodating to her every whim. Oh dear. She shook her head at Val's worry. "Uh uh! Y-you always smell nice!" She blushed again. Did that sound weird?! That sounded weird, didn't it? Augh! It totally did! Silly, Other, why did you go and say such a thing? She ducked her head a little as if to hide herself from her own mental scolding, looking sheepish until Val went on to talk about tea. Oh, yay! A subject change! Thank goodness!
"Green? I like that too, but my favorite is Oolong!" Good, good. Conversing about things like tea was safe. It didn't make her so nervous. How could she still be nervous with Val? It's been almost a year now! She was getting better about it until she confessed to him she loved him, now it was like back when they first started dating. Maybe she could make him tea later! I-if they went to his apartment or her house together.
"U-um...Val? Is...is Miranda staying the night at your sister's?" Other asked quietly, incredibly shy as she moved her menu so it covered most of her face up to just under her eyes. She was just curious! She wanted to make tea for him a-and spend as much time with him as she could because it'd been so long!
He was busily gazing at his menu and thus didn't notice her way of deciding what to order. Val soon decided to just go with chicken parmesan as he folded up the menu and placed it down on the table and then waited for the waiter to return as his gaze settled back on Other.
"She loves that game. I can pack it in her bag when she comes to visit, unless you have it already?" He smiled a bit and shrugged, "She really enjoys any game so long as it is interactive and challenging," Val said simply as he reached up and scratched at his chin. "She may ask to stay the night." He also pointed out just to make Other aware that his daughter really, really intend to spend an entire day at Other (and no boys allowed). He blushed slightly when she complimented him on his scent, "W..Well good," he smiled a bit and chuckled.
"Oolong is pretty good," Val agreed glad that there was a subject about tea. Not that he felt awkward or nervous but it certainly gave him more insight about the woman across from him. They just never really asked or talked about drinks they enjoy, it seemed far too random and hard to just slip into conversation. Speaking of questions he blinked a bit but nodded, "D..Did you want to come over and hang out at my place tonight?"
The waiter came and placed their iced teas before them, "You guys know what you want?"
Valeri blinked a bit but nodded, "I'll take chicken parmesan for me," he said simply.
The waiter nodded and scribbled down the order and then looked toward Other.
"I do have it, actually! I have a few games." Other made a mental checklist of what she had that fit the description of games Miranda liked, giggling with glee at all the ideas that came to mind. Oooh! She couldn't wait! She paused a bit when he mentioned she'd probably want to stay the night. Really? No one had ever stayed and slept over except for Val before, as far as she knew Sally didn't come back after she was asleep and her parents had yet to use the rooms that had been designated as 'theirs'. Hmm...but sleeping in one of those rooms would probably be lonely or boring. Sometimes her mom let her sleep in her bed! Oh, but would that be awkward? "U-um that's okay! You get to, so why shouldn't she? It's only fair." Other nodded as she repeated what Val had said before. "Would it be okay if she slept in my room? I..I mean I have two extra bedrooms but I...i-if it's not okay she can just use one of those!" She really didn't want to overstep any boundaries, but it sounded like playing 'Mami' could be...a lot of fun. It gave her a pleasant feeling in her chest whenever she thought about it now, whereas before it'd made her extremely nervous. How weird! Maybe it was just because it'd been so sudden and so early in their relationship?
She was tugged out of her thoughts on being a mother-figure by the compliment on the tea she liked, smiling. "Yeah! I had white once, but that's really hard to come by so I haven't had it since that one time." Other sighed mournfully. It'd been right before a concert, it was extremely cold that day so tea and coffee and hot chocolate had been brought in to warm the musicians. Man, she really missed that tea. "If that's okay." Her smile turned shy, tucking her hair behind her ear and watching him over the top of her menu. They always went to her house, so a change of scenery would be nice, right? It'd be fun to be there not to move furniture around! "I, um, just was curious how long we could be together tonight." Because if Miranda was waiting on him she'd feel a bit bad. She was less startled this time as the iced tea was set in front of her. Chicken parmesan sounded really good, but something wasn't allowing her to change her mind for any reason. Huh.
"The um..!" She flipped open her menu for a refresher on the name. "Baked Neapolitan Macaroni, please!" Other chirped up at the waiter. She'd never had it before, but if her stomach wanted it her stomach would get it. It'd never betrayed her before!
Valeri nodded slightly, "That's good then," he smiled lightly and then watched Other for a moment as she seemed to suddenly be thinking something over. He blinked a bit at her question, "Fine with me, Other. I don't see why it wouldn't be," he chuckled a bit and shrugged, "she sleeps about anywhere." Val pointed out calmly, obviously not thinking it'd be overstepping any sort of weird boundary just because his daughter slept in his girlfriend's bed. Why would it? He couldn't really conceive of any real reason.
He made note of her talk about the white Oolong she had sometime back and resolved to get her a tin to enjoy on her own. Valeri nodded, "Of course it's okay. You could even spend the night if you wanted," he said casually, he had nothing in mind beyond just enjoying her company for the night, "Squishy is staying with her Aunt the entire night, she insisted on it," Valeri shrugged with a small chuckle. "So you pretty much have me to yourself for the entire night," he blushed slightly but smiled.
The waiter nodded and flitted off to get the orders in so it could start cooking.
Really? It was okay? Other smiled and nodded. "Okay then~!" It just kept getting better, the more they talked about it the more she looked forward to it! She blushed a little after that, suddenly wanting to make him talk more. Other really loved hearing him talk, but now she'd have to come up with just anything that would make him do so. Tell him she loved him? No, no, she already had just a few minutes ago.
Had she known of Val's intentions to get her white tea she would be ecstatic, but insist that he didn't have to because he'd already given her so much! Like that gorgeous necklace that she wore every chance she got! Other still had to find a gift to give him; she didn't want to be the only one getting spoiled. "I-I can?" She asked with a bright smile. She'd never spent the night there before! Other would just have to get a few things together, she couldn't sleep in what she was wearing now...ooh but wearing something of Val's sounded really nice. Would he be okay with that? It felt too awkward to ask that kind of thing. "Squishy? Oh, Miranda...that's a cute nickname." She giggled, tentatively reaching across the table after their menus were taken to hold his hand. "I like that..." Wait a second, why was he blushing? That was weird! Normally it took a lot to make Val blush, at least a lot more than it took her. "Wh-why're you blushing? Was it something I said?"
Which is probably why he didn't tell her his intentions to begin with, it would be sprung on her in such a manner she wouldn't be able to say no. He nodded at her question, "You can. I mean why not, right?" Valeri smiled lightly as he watched her. He let her take his hand and even turned his hand up so he could grasp her hand in return. He liked holding her hand it felt nice, he should do it more often he decided.
"Y..Yeah, we were watching Finding Nemo and it just kinda stuck when that line came up," Valeri chuckled and shrugged, "it makes her happy."
When she pointed out his blushing he shifted his shoulders and laughed a bit uncertain how to explain, "I..It felt nice to say that, I..guess," he shrugged lightly unable to explain it any other way. He'd never said that he belonged to anyone before even for an evening. He'd never really 'claimed' anyone as his before either. With Other it was different and even the thought of someone else trying to take her up from under him made him feel ... jealous and protective over what he felt was his, especially now more than ever. He couldn't quite put a finger on as to why this was nothing had changed.
..Well one thing changed but it didn't use to affect him this way.
"Y-yeah!" Other squeezed his hand with a happy little hum, listening to his explanation behind 'Squishy'. Aw! That really was cute! She knew what scene he meant too, she had the movie. That was one of the sweetest things ever! "You're such a good daddy." As far as she knew she didn't have any special petnames her parents had just come up with on their own. It made her wonder for a moment what it'd be like to have a baby with him, blushing and mentally shaking that thought out of her head and into a tightly sealed box where it couldn't escape and return to her. Th-that was a silly thought! She'd given him her virginity before they were married, b-but they couldn't have a baby it was much too early for that!
She was still blushing at herself as he answered her question as to why he was blushing, giggling shyly. "It felt nice to hear." Other said quietly, nervously twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "I...I really do like sleeping with you." She smiled, suddenly blushing even more and gasping, the hand that she had been playing with her hair with flying to her mouth and covering it. "I m-meant sleeping...a-actual...n..not that I didn't like...that too b-but..." Other raised her shoulders and ducked her head much like a turtle trying to retreat into her shell. Oh, man, she'd never imagined she could possibly think something like that. Never ever! She really did just like sleeping with Val, even if it didn't involve making love. Just being around him was enough though, really.
He squeezed her hand back, "I try to be a good daddy," Valeri laughed a little, "I'm a little scared of screwing up sometimes." He admitted quietly with a small sigh. The man was actually deathly afraid of messing up. That he'd do something to mess Miranda up or something would happen and she got so badly hurt that she'd get taken away because it was his fault. Val tried his hardest but sometimes things happened that were beyond the control of anyone involved, himself included.
Valeri watched her as she blushed and even as she still blushed and giggled and told him it felt nice to hear. He still watched as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger that was always adorable. It was odd that those small habits sometimes get noticed at equally odd times. He blinked at her words and felt his own blush deepen in spite of himself, he understood what she meant by what she said. "I...It's okay," Val said softly with a small laugh. "I just enjoy being with you in general sleeping or otherwise," he said carefully. Making love, sleeping together, eating dinner, no matter what he enjoyed her presence. Being with her was always good she had an effect on him a soothing one even if she seemed always so nervous and jittery but she wasn't always like that thus it all evened out.
"You look beautiful tonight by the way," he said simply, bluntly because that is how he truly felt. Other could probably wear a burlap sack and Valeri would probably still find her highly appealing.
Other blinked and tilted her head a little as he admitted to being afraid he'd screw up. Screw up? Like how? She'd never say to take her parents' examples, but certainly they had 'screwed up' but she was still the way she was today. It was possible to screw up parenting? Huh...how odd! "I think you're doing fine. She's happy and healthy, right?" And at the end of the day as long as the child was happy, healthy and safe then that meant you were doing a good job! A waitress walked by with someone else's order, whoever it was had gotten soup. Her stomach was suddenly on the verge of threatening to empty itself despite her not eating anything yet, just the smell for some reason repulsed her to the point of nausea, so she picked up her glass and settled it down with some iced tea. Ahhh she felt much better now! It didn't feel like she was going to have to run desperately to the bathroom. At the very least she managed to keep the discomfort off her face for the most part. "An-and from the sound of it she loves you dearly." At least what she'd gotten from their conversations on the phone.
"Really?" Other seemed to brighten up at that, sitting forward a little on the edge of her seat. She'd be happy just being in the same room as him! It made her so happy to hear he enjoyed being with her too. "I do too! It...gets kind of lonely not having you around." Other admitted with a deeper blush. It probably didn't help that she lived in a house probably built for a whole family all by herself.
"Thank you. You look very handsome tonight yourself~!" She chirped, complete sincerity in her words. "I-I tried to fit in the necklace you gave me too, but it didn't look right with this dress." It seemed even Other cared about her appearance sometimes, at least when it came to dressing up nicely. She could have chosen another dress but the ones she had were either too casual or way too formal and meant mostly for concerts and things like that.
Valeri smiled a bit and nodded, "That means a lot, Other," he said in an appreciative tone. It was good that someone had confidence in his parenting skills when he had next to none at the moment. Taking care of a random little girl or his niece and nephew was one thing because in either case both went off to their parents at the end of the day. Miranda was around him pretty much twenty-four-seven and so he had to be more conscious of his choices as far as she was concerned.
He nodded a bit, "Of course I do, you make my day a lot better," Valeri said openly. He didn't mean to get so weird and sappy but it was true. Even if it was a simple phone call at the end of the day she managed to make things a lot better if things went a little sour when meeting with a client. Val smiled a bit at Other's confession and blushed a bit in spite of himself; no one had ever said those things to him before. Then again he had never been in a ...serious relationship before. "I feel the same," he said honestly with a small smile. Though he wasn't sure he could justify moving in with Other just yet much less uprooting Miranda from a home she had just gotten used to and so any offer for either of them to move got swallowed up before it could be spoken.
He laughed a bit as she complimented him, "Really? Thank you," Valeri said sincerely as he watched her with some amusement. She tried to wear the necklace he had gotten her with that outfit? That was kind of silly it definitely was too extravagant and fancy for what she was currently wearing, "Another time, another occasion," Val said with a small smile and a nod. "It isn't like it is going anywhere any time soon."
Soon dinner arrived at the table. The waiter set each meal in front of the person that had ordered them before the waiter left they had checked the drink situation, refilled, and then left to attend other tables.
Val's appreciation made her blush, smiling softly as she played with a lock of hair some more. "I-it's nothing, just what I've seen." Other said with a tiny giggle. She knew parenting wasn't easy at all easy but Val seemed to be going well from what she'd seen and heard so far! She finally stopped messing with her hair, she didn't want to mess it up or anything. Val may not mind how she looked at any given time but Other wasn't a fan of ruining her look, surprisingly. At least as far as her hair was concerned.
Other's face lit up when he told her she made his day better, her eyes widening. "I do? I..no one's ever...th-thank you, Val! You make mine better too!" And he really did. She was always happy to cheer him up if a client or someone got him annoyed. She glanced down at their hands for a moment, and then lightly brought them up to press a kiss to his hand. Aww! He was blushing again! For some reason it made her giddy to know she was making him blush, putting their hands back down on the table. "I'm glad." She told him softly, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. The thought to ask him to move in did cross her mind then but that seemed too selfish of her; Val had his own place that he was comfortable and settled into, and then Miranda had just settled in as well and taking a child from a home they'd only just gotten used to sounded almost cruel. She pouted a little at that thought but she didn't let it last, looking back up at Val with another smile and a nod.
"Mhm! I have other things, and I've worn it to every concert since you gave it to me!" Haha that was right, necklaces don't just get up and walk away. Other moved her arm a bit so her plate could be set down in front of her, reluctantly letting go of Val's hand so they could eat. This pasta looked so good, she was extremely grateful to her stomach that it wasn't telling her she couldn't have this. She was hungry. She picked up her fork and began to eat, taking that first slightly cautious bite and...not feeling like she was going to throw up. Eeeee! And it was delicious! Now she was incredibly pleased at herself for picking this.
"Well your observation made me feel a whole lot better," he laughed a bit and it was true. Valeri felt a whole lot better about his parenting at least for now, until he and Miranda have their first major disagreement or anytime in between then. For now he felt okay and that he'd continue doing okay especially since Other had faith in him it made it a lot easier. His family had been supportive about his adopting Miranda but Other just seemed to make it seem more encouraging.
He blushed more when she pressed a kiss to his hand it was more the thoughts that suddenly rushed into his mind while she did that. Very not innocent thoughts that included Other and a few less clothes. Val determinedly locked those away with a smile and a nod to try and keep it looking like he wasn't thinking pervert-thoughts and replied, "Glad I can make you feel the same," in a sincere tone. Valeri never wanted the young woman across from him to feel unwanted or unappreciated by anyone most of all him because she meant so much to him. She had appeared when quite obviously he needed her most and stuck around after certain things of his past were revealed. Yes, she was a keeper.
..A keeper. A thought began to form within the young man's mind, an inkling of something to come.
"I noticed," Val said with a small smile, "it looks lovelier on you than I imagined it would, too," for various reasons he wasn't able to tell her this in person after each contest, but he always made sure to attend each concert in which Other played. Even if Valeri couldn't see her after the concerts he had flowers sent to her along with small but sincere notes of praise and encouragement. He loved hearing her play even if he had to be a part of a larger audience to do so, Val usually pretended she played only for him no matter how selfish that seemed. Valeri began to eat his food and found it magnificent he glanced at Other to see her enjoying her meal as well. Good.
Well that was...odd. Why did he blush more when she kissed his hand? Was it because they were in public? But...but they'd kissed in public before! Why would that change? She didn't ask about it this time but it was very clear by the look on her face that his struggle to stay composed did not go unnoticed by her, but she was merely curious as to why he was suddenly that way. It would seem that even after finally getting to that level with Val thoughts like that were still quite far from her mind...at least the majority of the time. She continued to watch him with curiosity as she ate. Well, whatever had been bothering him appeared to have moved on. Still, it was odd to see him like that. "It'd be silly to think otherwise~." She told him with a smile. Surely it had to be obvious how happy he made her even to someone just walking by, right?
It was Other's turn to blush, ducking her head a little as she was complimented. "Thank you, Val." At first it had been odd to get used to a necklace when playing, but Other got used to it rather easily. She always loved the flowers and the notes he had sent to her, and while the flowers unfortunately didn't last at least she kept all the notes in her diary...a fact she would try her darn hardest to keep secret incase that was weird. "..If you want, I could play for you tonight! We'd just have to make a quick stop at my house to get my violin." And things for her to stay the night at Val's. But it wasn't any problem at all for her; she loved playing especially for him!
Other ate a few more bites of her pasta, surprised she was eating as much as she was. Weird! Was she that hungry? ...Oh, dear...she wasn't sure she could finish this now. B-but she had to! There was still a lot left! It would be rude for her to not finish. Other paused to sip at her iced tea in hopes that it would settle her stomach, trying her very best not to let it show on her face. She was fine! She could totally finish! Other could...could wait until Val wasn't around, or until he was asleep. No one wanted to sit and wait while the person they were with vomited, right? That sounded uncomfortable to say the least. Hm..the iced tea seemed to be helping. She resumed eating, albeit a tad bit more cautiously.
Even if Other had asked Val would refuse to explain what was going on in his mind because it was a little embarrassing to talk about at least in a public place where people might hear, not that he was prudish or shy by any means but it was more for Other's sake than his own if the truth be told. He nodded a bit, "Yeah, silly," he confirmed with a small smile, the blush gradually fading from his cheeks.
He smiled as she reacted to his compliment, he couldn't help but admire at how humble she always seemed to be and she was so beautiful, at least to him. Valeri blinked a bit at her offer and couldn't help but nod a bit excitedly in spite of himself, "That'd be great!" he always loved to hear Other play. No matter. It soothed him to hear her play even if he was one among many in an audience; it was special to him that she would offer to play just for him back at his apartment when they got to that point in their evening. Valeri found he was anxious to end the date and just go pick up the violin and go back home, but no he wanted to take her out properly.
Valeri ate his meal with no lack of slow down but not wolfing it down either. He watched her curious as she attacked her meal with vigor only to slow down just slightly. Maybe she was eating too fast and it made her sick? That was probably it, "Does it taste alright, love?" he asked curiously as he continued to eat his own meal. It was a little odd to see her behave like that with her food, was it just him or did she look a little green around the gills?
...Oh no was she having a relapse in her illness? He hoped not. Val awaited the answer as he lifted his own glass of iced tea and took a sip.
It was a good thing Val kept it to himself, and that Other didn't ask what was wrong, because she really would have been embarrassed. Not because she was ashamed but it was still a bit odd for her to think of those kinds of things. She still got giddy just kissing him; anything more practically turned her into a blushing, babbling mess of nervousness.
Other smiled at Val's enthusiasm to hear her play just for him, blushing again and giggling. He was so excited! It was...it was cute! She never thought she'd ever think of Val as 'cute'. He was handsome, and dashing, and amazing, and attractive but cute was a new one. "Alright! Uh...do you play anything at all?" Even a little? It was fine if he didn't she was just curious what he did during the day, or to entertain himself. He said he played video games and then he had to deal with clients and he even had Miranda to take care of and entertain during the day...oh, maybe that was all. Hm. She ate another careful bite of her pasta, feeling a tad bit better now. It seemed the wave of nausea had subsided for now. Erf, okay maybe not.
"Hm? O-oh, it's delicious!" Other said honestly, picking up her glass to sip a bit more at her iced tea. It was so good! She couldn't figure out why her body was telling her she needed to go get rid of it right now. No! She could fight it! She was going to keep it in as long as she was with Val! Hmph, take that body! "What about yours? It looks really good~." She ate a little more of her dinner after that, feeling a bit like she was forcing it down. Ehhh...well, she was. But she was so hungry, she had to do this or she'd starve!
Did he play anything? Oh right, instruments. That's what she meant right? He didn't really look thoughtful in fact his face suddenly went blank for a brief moment as he seemed to try and pull at an old memory before finally noted, "I used to play piano up until I was like thirteen..." he didn't mention whether or not he was any good at all just that he played the piano it was amazing, at this juncture, that he remembered he'd almost forgotten. It'll be more amazing if he remembered how to play at all, he thought. Valeri shifted in his seat and shrugged, "No big deal I guess," he murmured and went back to eating. Didn't matter if HE played anything, Other played violin and would be playing for him, at his apartment. Eee giddy-times.
"Good, I'm glad," he said with a small smile as he watched her eat and drink somewhat carefully. Valeri couldn't help but feel guilty somehow or at least the need to take some pressure off of her somehow, "You know if you can't finish eating that we could get a to-go container and take it home and you can finish it then if you get hungry," or he'd eat it for her later either way it wasn't going to go uneaten as far as Val knew. He didn't mind the idea if finishing the food that Other couldn't consume. "Oh yeah, mine is pretty good...Want to try?"
He did have a thought to take her to an Autumn Festival that was going on nearby but somehow he got a feeling that it didn't seem like the best idea ever. Val carefully kept this to himself and continued to work at eating his meal.
"Wow! Really?" Other gasped, perking up a bit and looking a little less sickly. That was amazing! Pianos always sounded so beautiful, and this was Val so he had to be amazing at it! It was a rule; he was perfect at everything in Other's eyes. But why did he stop? How odd! Other briefly wondered what it'd be like if she'd stopped playing violin, but she shrugged it off after a moment since...well she had no interest in quitting before, now or anytime in the future. "No big deal? I think it's amazing! Do you think you could still play if given the chance?" Because Other would love to hear Val play if he still could. Ohoh! And they could play together! That would be so much fun!! Eeeeee now Other was the giddy one, but she seemed to show it more than the apparently humble Val.
Val's suggestion made her blush once again, Other might as well just never stop blushing at this point. She had totally forgotten about to-go boxes in her mission to finish her dinner like a good girl, oops. "Right. I-I forgot." She admitted with a shy smile. Well, if she could finish it later then now would be a good time to stop torturing herself, right? Other reluctantly pushed the plate away from her so she wouldn't be tempted to keep eating, instead nursing little by little on her glass of iced tea. Her stomach turned when Val offered for her to try it, not because of the act or even because she didn't like that food because she did! She really did! She wasn't sure why she suddenly had these strange food aversions. She had a moment of internal panic, because she didn't want to offend him but...but she just couldn't stomach anymore food. Other smiled and shook her head. "N-no, thank you. It looks really good, b-but I couldn't eat another bite." An honest confession if a bit sugar coated. Though now she did feel a little awkward sitting here not eating when Val still was.
"So, um, after this...do you have anything else planned~?"
"Errh, sure," Valeri said with a small chuckle and he shifted his shoulders, "I might be a bit rusty and all been several years since I last played the piano," he murmured a bit. When he compared himself to Other, at least musically, he felt that she likely had an upper hand on him. Val pushed his food from one side of the plate to the other for a moment before he took up the food filled fork and ate it with a small nod, "If we come across a piano I can give a try at playing for you one day," he promised. He couldn't rightly recall why he stopped other than the fact that he had gotten sidetracked with other things at the time and no one forced him to play anymore so...He simply didn't.
He nodded a bit, "We'll ask for one when the waiter comes back to check on us," he smiled a bit and watched as she pushed her plate away without attempting to finish it anymore. Valeri simply nodded, "That's fine, you're full," and ate the next bit of food, it didn't take long until he was finished with his meal and was now nursing his iced tea for the moment while he waited for the waiter to return.
Valeri shifted a bit in his seat when asked about his plans and after a brief moment he decided to be honest about it, "Yes," and continued on further, "but now I just wanna go to your place, pick up your stuff, and go home and relax and listen to you play," also not a lie, in the end he really didn't lie at all even for her sake. Valeri really did want to go home and listen to her play now instead of taking her to the Autumn Festival.
"I'm sure you'll do great! I really would love to hear you play sometime." She chirped encouragingly, smiling proudly at Val. Amazing! He wasn't the first boyfriend she'd ever had to play an instrument, since she had dated mostly boys from the band when she was in high school, but she certainly hadn't been as excited to hear them play as she was with Val. Probably had something to do with the fact that she loved him or something, or that he possibly would actually play for her and not just show off like some cocky hormone-drive teen. Or both! It was most likely and definitely both. The music store she went to had grand pianos on display that people were allowed to touch and play, even if they really had no idea what they were doing and sounded awful just smashing down on random keys...she'd have to lure Val there sometime. But not tonight, unfortunately they were closed at this hour.
Other nodded to Val's suggestion, feeling better now that she didn't need to force her food down. She still felt ill but less ill. She was also happy that Val was fine with her declining his offer, sighing softly with relief and finishing her drink. There was still ice! She could drink the water as it melted! Thank goodness. Other set her glass down and watched Val as he answered her...oh, dear! Did she make him uncomfortable with her question? She hadn't meant to! She was only curi--oh. Other blushed deeper and giggled shyly at his new plans, playing with the scarf she had wrapped loosely around her neck so her shoulders weren't so naked. "O-oh! If you're sure." She smiled, honestly flattered. "Okay...I...I think I know what I'll play too!" Most of what she had been practicing lately had been ensemble pieces that sounded odd when played alone, but there was a solo piece she had been practicing! Val could be the first to hear her play it. "It's a surprise~." She told him after a moment, winking and smiling sweetly. There, now he couldn't ask what it was. She liked surprises.
