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Anna was a bit nervous.

When she agreed to go out on a date, she didn't think about anything, she just said yes. Now was she regretting anything? No. But what if…She sighed and shook her head to focus. Everything was going to be fiiiine she was going to have a great time with Quinn and not think about work for once. Having him pick her up was something she wanted to kick herself for. She could’ve driven there herself, but noooooo….Ugh now she was stuck waiting but also making things so inconvenient.

Next time she was driving.

Everything was great, he had everything planned and good to go. It was the weekend, so no work issues would interrupt, or rather they shouldn’t, and he even made sure that there were no functions he had to worry about. Honestly, his whole weekend was his to do with what he wished. Which was good because he ‘wished’ to take Annalise out on a date. A real date. Not one where he ‘rescued’ her from a horrid tinder match.

Quinn pulled up in front of Annalise’s store in his car, a basic Honda CRV. Nothing fancy or insane but in pristine condition. Not even a speck of dirt on it. The man hopped out of the car and presented his date with a bundle of flowers and a light kiss on the cheek. “You look fantastic.”

Anna was not expecting such a realistic car. She didn't think Quinn would show up in anything super fancy either, since he seemed to like being undercover, something she appreciated. There was no way she could see herself going on a date with someone very well known, her nerves would be shot to hell and back. The flowers he gave her smelled amazing, and she did need to replace the ones he gave her earlier. “Thank you~ I was trying to go for a more holiday vibe” and still keep herself decent is what she didn't add. The kiss was gladly accepted, “You look fantastic as well.” She did give him a flirtatious once over, continuing, “So, where are we going?”

He chuckled, gave an exaggerated pose and said, “Oh this old thing,” before tossing her a wink and presenting his arm to escort her to the passenger side. “I wanted to make sure I looked presentable for my date, I hear she has fantastic taste so I didn’t want to disappoint her.” Quinn was teasing her, keeping it light, but he really had spent quite a bit of time choosing just the right slacks to go with the muted burgundy sweater thing, and the shirt under it had to be the right shade of cream. A perfect casual but nice looking outfit that surprisingly worked well with her festive ensemble.

Quinn helped her into the car… truck?.... Mini suv? Vehicle. He helped her into the vehicle before going back around to get into the driver’s seat. “This little Italian place that I found a while back. I’m sure you will love it,” He replied as he strapped in and got them going. “It's a family owned restaurant, apparently the dishes are all based off of ‘the old world’ if you can believe it. They are using ‘Nona's’ recipes so I guess that's where that comes from and they have a little bit of everything as far as I can tell.” Outside of eating in Italy it was some of the best Italian that he had found in a long time. He hoped Annalise liked it as well.

Anna giggled and tried not to cringe at how….Young she sounded. Her dress style usually falls along the lines of business casual and she thought that Quinn managed this well. Stepping into the vehicle, Anna made herself comfortable, taking in the interior. It was pretty standard, but that was nice since he seems like the type to be undercover. Anna didn't know if she would be able to handle dating some one that was over the top about their wealth. The thought of Italian food made her stomach grumble. Most of what she's had so far has consisted of takeout since she’s been putting in a lot of work hours lately. She looked at Quinn with moderately wide eyes, “You're Italian too?”

“Nope. My ancestry is stupidly old American, or at least that's what I’ve always been told,” Quinn shrugged and pulled them out into traffic. It wouldn’t take them too terribly long to get to the restaurant, honestly getting parking was going to be a bigger challenge but he planned for even that. “So I guess you could say I'm of British heritage. Likely some central European as well. I’ve never really had to do a DNA test since, at least on my mom’s side, they have all that s**t written down. Personally I like to think of myself as 100 percent, FDA approved, Grade A, American since the rest is so much history it doesn't really matter to me.” Since his mother’s side really could trace their tree back to the first settlers, his dad was a bit more of a mixed bag but even though the company was like three generations old it was still considered ‘nouveau riche’ “What about you?”

Anna laughed at the stupidly old American bit, nodding when Quinn said that he did not really think about it all that much. Her own heritage was a bit of a mixed bag but she knew some things, “I am a mixture of Italian, Caribbean, and general African. Nothing all that exciting or exotic sadly. I can speak moderate Italian and I know more Caribbean slang than I care to admit.” She wasn't entirely sure where which bit went to which parent except the Italian which could be traced back to her pop pop. Thinking about genes almost made something else pop up in her head but she quietly stomped it down mentally. Not now….

Quinn smiled, glancing over at her before returning his attention to the road. “I think some of the first words that most people pick up in other languages are slang and curse words so you're all good. I’m eh at a few languages myself but I typically rely on reliable translators. Local dialect and slang can really change a phrase around that's for sure.” He knew learning English was hard but damn, sometimes it felt like he was the dumbest person in the room. Especially when he was sitting in on work meetings overseas.

None of that really mattered right then since Quinn spotted their turn. It was a parking lot for a small-ish strip of stores and restaurants. A very ‘small town’ vibe for the area. He would have called it a strip mall but that felt too… urban. This was very much built like a small town shopping street but with no cars out front, just a promenade with planters and seating and other such accents. He pulled in and parked the car before hopping out and helping Annalise out from her side. “The restaurant is down towards the end, apologies on the walk.” The apology wasn’t really much of one since he wanted to walk with her tucked close, for body warmth of course. Them meandering down the walk, window shopping as it were, chatting and just generally enjoying each other’s company just a little while longer before sitting down for food.

The whole small town vibe resonated with Anna since she came from a small town in New York. Once they stepped out of the car, she did come close to Quinn, snuggling close while enjoying the sights. “No apologies needed. Reminds me of home actually.” She did eye a couple of things that she might want to stop and pick up later, eyeing a nice winter scarf that she would DEFINITELY get before their dinner was over.

“Oh? What was that like?” Quinn asked as they strolled leisurely from window to window. He too eyed the items that were on display, there were several things he could see that would be perfect for work gifts. Little things to pass to the employees he worked closely with, something to show his appreciation, other than the year end bonus that is. Stuff like that. Nothing big or ostentatious. But even though he was absently noting a few things he wanted to get he still caught a particular glint in Annalise’s eye. Something had her interest, he would bet that there was something in this store that was going to be in her possession before the night was through. Chuckling Quinn urged her away from the window, “We will come back, I promise, but let's get you fed first ok?”

The restaurant was just two store’s down, their little sidewalk scattered with outside seating. Since it was too chilly the tables were empty but even from where they were standing Quinn could see the flow of people inside. He was really glad that he had made a reservation.

The urge to pout was pretty strong, which Anna gave in and actually looked up at Quinn with a playful pout, “But sir I would really like to go buy that scarf.” Granted she was just teasing, she could wait, but a part of her did want to see his reaction. In the end she did allow him to pull her away from the window, linking her hand with his unconsciously while they continued to the restaurant.

She shivered at the chill, regretting not bringing a proper puffy jacket. This was the price she paid for trying to be cute….

The man couldn’t help it, he just laughed and tugged her closer. “Later Annalise, later,” He murmured this into her ear, not entirely talking about the scarf. Oh, they would get the scarf, maybe a few extras as well, but not all of them would be used for the cold weather if he was lucky… or she was. “For now we have a reservation and you can't shop on an empty stomach.” With that he hurried them into the lively restaurant, holding the door open for her and letting the delicious smells waft out into the night air.

Once inside they were quickly shown to their table, a cute little table for two situated by the back of the restaurant. It had a pretty view of a courtyard. More tables were outside, again empty due to the cold, but fairy lights were strung up everywhere, making the space much more magical then it would have been otherwise.

As soon as Anna walked through the opened door, the first thing she noticed about the restaurant was the smell and boy was it heavenly. “True….” It smelled just like her grandparents' home would, which brought back fond memories. Their table was so cute that she had to take pictures before they sat down. The view outside was captured as well. “Quinn, this place looks amazing!” She sat down quickly giving Quinn the biggest of smiles.

“Their food is even better!” He returned her smile with one of his own. It didn’t take long at all for orders to be taken and drinks to arrive. Their waiter warned that the kitchen was busy but he would bring their food out as soon as it was ready. In the meantime there were fresh rolls, spiced oil for dipping, and they each had a small salad that came with their meals. Quinn assured the man that they would be fine and to take their time, he was perfectly A-Okay just sitting here talking to Annalise. “So tell me more grandparents. They sound like fascinating people.”

Anna thanked the waiter, taking a small bite from her salad. She chewed and swallowed, “They really were amazing people. Pop pop made the best dishes, unsurprisingly his spaghetti was my favorite. There was something about his homemade spaghetti that just ruined my palette.” Thinking back, she should see how pop pop was doing, give her mom a call as well. “Nana was quiet but brilliant. Some of her designs are so complicated that I haven't mastered them yet.”

She took a sip of her drink, “Whenever me and my cousins would misbehave, she was the one that disciplined us. Most people assume it was pop pop.”

“Ah, well I can’t say that the food will be better than your pop pop’s but I have it on good authority that the most, if not all, of their pasta dishes are freshly made pasta. I think there are one or two that take a day or the like but even those are made by hand.” Quinn informed her. To him it was fascinating to listen to how one grew up, the twists and turns of a larger family. He loved his family, he did, but it always seemed to be just his folks and him. No additional close relatives around to pester them, although most of the staff were like family. But it wasn’t the same, no matter how much he adored the head housekeeper as an auntie figure… more like a ‘grandma’ but saying that to her face would get his head swatted so ‘auntie’ it was.

Quinn chuckled and added, “It's not all that surprising really. I know plenty of families where grandma runs the household with a slipper in her hand, and a cookie in the other.” His wasn’t like that but he did see lots of other things as he grew up. There was quite a world out there and in almost all of the places the elders were the ones who kept a firm reign on their wide and extensive families.

The fact that the pasta was homemade is what Anna started smiling about, she knew how to make pasta but was admittedly rusty, so having spaghetti that was homemade? This might become her favorite place to eat for a while if the dish is done right. Nothing can replace her pops cooking but that didn't mean there couldn't be anyone that could get close. “What about you? What is your family like?” If he didn't want to talk then she could talk more about her family she didn't mind in the slightest. But surely with a family as old as the Quinn, there was bound to be some stories….

He shrugged and took a sip of his water, “Nothing really surprising really. It was just my folks and I when I was growing up. I have no memory of any of my grandparents even if there are some pictures of me with them. Dad was pretty busy with the company but he was mostly around for important things like birthdays and holidays and school plays, those kinds of things. Mom was the one who was there for me, she kept everything moving smoothly and without issues. Overall pretty standard stuff if you don’t factor in the house, the staff, and you know… rich people s**t.” Quinn pretty much brushed off the fact that he grew up privileged. He never really felt like it, to him it was just the way his life was, but he also wasn’t stuck up and he knew quite well what it was like to struggle since he did his best not to rely on family money during college. It just didn’t have the same bite for him since he knew there was that safety net behind him. He knew if he ever got tired of cup ramen he could get a real meal at home. The fear wasn’t there. “My family has always tried to instill in me the value of a person and their hard work. Money isn’t everything, but being a good person is. Things are different now but those values are still very much prominent in the house.” Quinn very much glossed over some of the darker sides of the family history, both past and present. It wasn’t something to share on a date, it would bring down the mood quite a bit.

Luckily he didn’t have to explain since their food was brought out. Fantastic timing really! “It looks great, thank you.” Quinn thanked the waiter and turned to Annalise, “Lets eat.”

If Anna had any less class she would have belched, undone the button of her skirt and sat back to rub her belly. But since she knew better, she stood up and stretched for a bit, sitting back down afterwards. “That was….Wow! I think I've found my new lunch spot. Thank you Quinn~” she wanted to get up and walk but wanted to make sure Quinn was done as well. They had shopping to do and there was an idea forming in her head that she would like to give a try. The thought of what she was going to attempt to do made her flush but it was the holiday season, she liked Quinn and wanted to do something special.

The food had been fantastic… and plentiful. He had never eaten at this place and left hungry that was for sure. Honestly if they didn’t flat out refuse to do catering he would use them for, like, all his corporate events. Hands down. But sadly, no go. So it was only a treat when he could get the time to come over here. A good breather from work honestly. So, once again, he was here with a stuffed belly and the urge to just take a nap but rather than give in Quinn just grinned at his date. “You're quite welcome.”

Soon the bill was paid and they headed out into the chilly night air with full stomachs and a ‘treat to enjoy at home’... a to-go box of some sort of desert that was pressed upon them by the waiter who insisted with a ‘compliments of the chef’, aka the owner. Quinn took it with pleasure and let the young man know that his dad’s food was still the best in the city. It was a family owned and run restaurant, pretty much everyone here was related in one way or the other. Quinn wasn’t quite a regular but he was well known by the staff since he did come in fairly frequently…. And typically leaves a hefty tip. “So, which stores did you want to stop in?” He asked Annalise as they started to stroll back down the little shopping street towards the parking lot. He expected to spend some time shopping before they headed over to the bar for some dancing and a few more drinks.

Anna instantly looked over to the shop where she saw the scarf. “There first if that would be alright?” She needed to get a coat and some mittens since she forgot hers at home. Maybe some extra clothes as well. She thought back to what her finances looked like, estimating that 2.5k would do for this date if she considered shopping, a potential hotel stay, and anything miscellaneous. There was also another store that she wanted to go to, but she would have to “sneak” into it so Quinn doesn't see what she buys. “We could also go to a couple clothing stores as well.”

“Certainly! That store actually had a few little things that I think would be perfect for acquaintances.” Quinn grinned at her and happily led her to the store that they had lingered at before they headed in for dinner. There were a few stores he wouldn’t mind stopping in and their night was quite young. It was also Friday night, no work scheduled for the weekend… the whole weekend was free. And with luck… well, he might need to pick up a few things for himself as well. He did toss a very small bag into his car but didn’t want to presume anything so other than a few things like toiletries Quinn would be out of luck in the clothing department.

After shopping, the next step was this nice bar at a pretty modern hotel. Anna looked at all the games to play in addition to the nice tables they can sit at. The place seemed like a fancy mini Dave and Busters. She quickly spotted a pool table and thought this would be a great game to start with while they waited for drinks. She grabbed his hand, pointing, “Fancy a game of pool Quinn?” She was surprisingly good at pool and hoped Quinn was as well, otherwise she was going to make him look like a pretty bad player.

Quinn had happily followed along on the mini shopping spree they had gone on, Annalise wasn’t the only one who spent money on various things, he had done so as well. Once their gifts and various bags were tucked away into the car they made their way over to the next point of his date itinerary, a bar. Well it was more like a fancy adult arcade. They had several games, the bar, and a pretty large dance floor that already had several people dancing along to the ‘classic’ hit that he would have sworn was something that was new when he was a kid. Damn, it kind of made him feel old.

His mental detour from the music was yanked back when Annalise grabbed his hand and happily pointed out a pool table. “Sure, should we make it interesting though? How about a bet? Winner buys the next round?” He would have suggested something a bit more spicier but well, they were in public, but that didn't stop him from pulling her in closer and grinning at her. “Then again we can always change the bet to something else if you would prefer.” He definitely wasn’t planning on losing, that's for sure.

A bet hummmn?

Anna raised an eyebrow, leaning in to whisper, “How about we do both? Loser has to buy drinks and do whatever the winner wants for the night.” She pulled back with a cheeky grin on her face, leaning in just a bit so that their lips would almost touch, pulling away to sashay over to the pool table to grab her stick. She wanted to win so she would pull out all the stops to do so.

Quinn grinned, wide and bright. Annalise had no idea what she was getting herself into. He honestly wasn’t a big pool player but he grew up with one in the game room at his house. It was a thing that he had played with his father and puttered around with his mother. He honestly preferred video games but he wasn’t bad at pool. “You're on,” He laughed and happily watched her sashay away from him. “Oh, you have no idea just how much danger you're in,” Quinn quietly muttered, his green eyes not leaving her for a second as she leaned over the table to set everything up.

Anna thought it would be nice to start off with the colored balls so she could get first shot, splitting the triangle with a nice shot to the white ball. She figured this was a good head start, bending at a particular angle that Quinn should be able to see easily since she was at the foot of the table. She was glad there weren't many people in the games part of the place, all having to opt out being on the dance floor. After she managed to hit one solid color ball in the hole she looked at Quinn with a smirk.

“Your turn Mr. Quinn~”

His brow went up at her obviously teasing tone, he had been watching her play…. Well, he was watching something at least. He had enjoyed the view quite immensely, the only issue with Annalise’s plan of distraction was that he wasn’t going to lose. Of this he was determined, the same kind of stubbornness that had gotten him through so many late nights and boring meetings. Besides, he knew she would enjoy the night regardless of who won. With this in mind Quinn sauntered over to the table and lined up his shot, an easy bank, and took it. The striped ball rolled neatly into the pocket, a second one followed the first, but the third one glanced off of a solid color and sent that one into a pocket. “Well, it looks like we are tied.” Quinn looked at Annalise and leaned on his cue stick a bit, “Your table my dear.”

Well….She was impressedI.

Anna smirked and walked along the table to decide what angle she wanted to play at, spotting an easy shot where she could maybe get two solids in the hole. Leaning down to line up her pool stick, Anna realized a little too late that she gave just a tiny bit more force than she meant to, which caused one ball to go in, but not the other. It rolled just shy of hitting a striped ball, and she counted her lucky stars, sticking her tongue out just slightly when she went for her next shot. The white ball hit at the perfect angle to send the orange ball close to the intended hole. Well….She could try again on her turn. She gestured to the table, “Your go~”

Quinn couldn’t help it, her focused face was just too cute, he stood there grinning at her as she went about her shots. They were no longer tied, he was behind by one ball, but that would be easy to correct. three to two… four balls left on her end before she could go after the 8 ball. If he wanted to win he would have to pick up the pace, then again. Where was the fun in that? He sank another striped ball, three to three, but was unlucky since he scratched on his second shot. “Damn, just a bit too much force on that one,” He shrugged and backed off after handing Annalise the cue ball. “Here you go.”

Anna laughed and smiled, picking her position, lining up her pole to take a risky shot that should get her two in one. Except, that was not how it went for her. The first colored ball missed, which was alright. But the second….That one missed and tapped a purple ball, which was just enough for it to tap the 8 ball into the hole instead. Anna pouted and laughed, “Well Quinn I think this means you won?” She laughed again, the one time she needed to win was the one time she managed to lose in the silliest way. Either way a deal was a deal, which meant she was buying drinks. Anna leaned in to whisper, “Well, I am all yours later~” she pulled away, “What would you like to drink?”

Quinn laughed and shrugged, “It happens.” Hitting the 8 ball in was sad but it happened. His smile shifted to a more… hungry one when she leaned in and whispered that she was all his. Annalise pulled away before he was able to reply, as if she would be anything else… as long as she was willing that is. “A coke is fine,” He gave his drink order as he quickly sank the rest of the balls, no longer caring about order or anything. “Do you have another game you would like to play or do you want to dance after we drink?” There were several other games they could challenge each other on, it was up to her if she wanted to dig herself a deeper hole.

Anna came back with drinks in hand, sipping on a virgin daiquiri and handing him his coke, “We can dance, I'd rather not try my luck twice with pool.” She laughed once more, making her way out to the dance floor. She was glad the shoes she had on were not heels since she recognized the song playing, hips already swaying to the beat. Anna turned to face Quinn, making the come hither motion with her free hand. “Dance with me?”

Quinn recognized the song as well, he just sucked at dancing anything other than more formal dances, and yet she asked. He took the soda and after taking a deep drink, mostly so he wouldn’t make a mess with it, he followed her onto the dance floor. “I’ll try at least,” He grinned at her even as he tried to keep swaying to the music, his head bobbing slightly to the beat. They weren’t the only ones on the dance floor so he did his best to keep by her, and not accidentally run into someone else.

Anna moved fluidly with the beat, noting how Quinn was a little stiff. She would make it her mission to show him how the key to dancing is just letting go and moving with the flow later. For now the next song was coming up, which caused her to laugh at the nostalgia. Ricky Martin was always a dance favorite, you could never go wrong where he was concerned. Her body started to move to the faster paced beat, throwing in some cheesy dance moves here and there for fun.

He watched as she moved in time, perfectly at ease with the beat. Quinn got a bit better when the next song started, that was one of his favorites as a kid. He still wasn’t moving anywhere near as good as Annalise though. As Ricky Martin faded away the familiar bars of a ballad came on, giving him just enough time to snag her glass and deposing both of their glasses on a nearby empty table and spinning her into his arms just as Steven Tyler started to sing his heart out. It might not have been the best song to more or less slow dance to but Quinn still treated the rock ballad as one, holding Annalise close as song played. Quinn wasn’t Ben Affleck but he was a spaceman… kind of.

Anna rested her head onto Quinn's shoulder while they danced, having watched the exact movie the song belonged to. It made her ugly cry even to this very day. By the time the song ended, one that was more familiar came up, which made her smile and blush at the same time given the lyrics. As they swayed she rested her face onto his chest, listening to his heartbeat.