She didn't know what she was expecting, but this beautiful house wasn't it. The SUV looked expensive enough that she thought he had to be living in an apartment cause those car payments have to be expensive. Now she found herself wondering just what on earth this man did for a living. Green eyes widened in awe at the sight of the kitchen and just the interior of the house in general. She chuckled with him, picking out water, “The best selection, obviously.” Looking around, she briefly wondered if she should take off her shoes. “So what exactly do you do Idirian?” Was it rude to ask on a first date? Sure. But she had to know how he balanced out raising an eleven year old and just being an adult. She wasn't sure of his age, but he really couldn't be that much older than her.
He handed her a bottle of water and took one out for himself as well. Next, he pulled a bowl down for the popcorn along with a butter spray and different flavor powders. He gestured for her to choose one while he opened the bag and poured it into the bowl. Ah yes, the inevitable question about how he made his living and took care of Ainsley. “I’m…independently wealthy. My mom had a trust set up for me that matured when I turned eighteen. I learned how to invest and it keeps me and Ainsley comfortable,” he told her as he buttered the popcorn. He didn’t like talking about money, mainly because it always made him think of his mom.
Hummmmn….So a smart trust fund baby? Interesting. She decided not to pursue the curiosity any more since that could lead to what she does for a living. Her car did not look like it would belong to someone that only worked at Ross, but past experiences taught her that sharing her actual occupation tended to sour the mood. Instead she picked a ranch flavor for her popcorn and waited for Idri to lead the way. “So, that aside, tell me more about you, Idirian…I'm sure you're more than all black and combat boots.” Otherwise she wouldn't waste her time. Noa had a feeling that Idirian was…Something, and she was dying to figure out what.
He snorted softly as he put the ranch over the popcorn and led her into the living room. “Make yourself comfortable,” he told her as he set the popcorn down and unlaced his boots. “I'm honestly not sure what I can tell you, Noa.” He took a seat on one side of the couch after kicking his boots off and leaving them on the side of the couch. “Ainsley takes up a lot of my time.” Not that he minded. He would do anything for his little sister. “I like to build things. I've been thinking about getting a fixer-upper and remodeling it. I built a fire pit/barbecue in the backyard.” He gave her a small smile as he waited for her to get comfy. He wanted her to sit next to him, hoping she would, but on a first date he didn't want to push his luck.
Was he already thinking about asking her out again? Yeah, he definitely was. He felt drawn to her for some reason, aside from the obvious fact that she was gorgeous. He hoped he was making a better impression than his first one.
Noa followed Idirian to the living room, unzipping her boots and setting them beside his, sitting beside him but at a respectable distance. She didn't want to get in his space on a first date, that would seem desperate and that was something she was not. Her socks followed after and she curled her legs to the side, wriggling her toes with a smile. “You could tell me literally anything. I'd ask for your favorite color but I assume it's black, just based on the hints.”
Oh…So he was a handyman? Well that was interesting. Especially the thought of him in a black wife beater, in the sun, working on a project, all sweat and muscle…Noa shook her head and sighed.
Down girl.
Leaning back, she reached over to take some popcorn, “You should totally show me your firepit next time~” How fun would it be to make smores!? She could do that with Ainsley as well.
He watched as she sat near to him but not too close. He held the popcorn bowl in his lap and snorted at her guess of his favorite color. “Believe it or not, you would be wrong. My favorite color is green.” Like her eyes.
Stop it, he told himself. You’re getting too far ahead of yourself.
When she suggested he show her his firepit next time, he smiled. “I can definitely do that,” he said before turning the television on to find Seven. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Uwaaaa!? I was wrong? Say it ain't so!” She laughed and gave him a smile, “Well that's a good thing. Here I thought you were all black, darkness, and knew only two moods, brooding and anger.” She wriggled her fingers at him to create a “spoopy” atmosphere. Reaching for more popcorn she tapped her chin, “I have a lot of favorite colors but if I had to break it down….Pink, purple, and black.” Noa usually tries to incorporate a bit of her favorite color in most of her outfits and her nails.
Deciding that she wanted to take a bit of a chance, Noa scooted a bit closer, then just went for it by resting her head on his chest while he pulled up the movie. “Sorry, I'm a movie cuddler.” Which was true, anytime she's watching anything, she usually has a friend or one of her stuffed animals to cuddle into.
Yeah, he thought he could get used to the sound of her laughter. “To be fair, you’re mostly right. I do have the full emotional range, however,” he teased gently. He made a mental note of her favorite colors, noticing her nails as she reached for more popcorn. He liked that they were long, and wondered how they would feel digging into his skin.
He was just pulling the movie up when scooted closer. She laid her head on his chest just as he was pushing play. Idly, he wondered if she could hear the change of his heart beat. “No problem,” he said quietly and put his arm around her shoulder.
If he had asked, then she would have confirmed that yes, she could hear his heartbeat. But she wasn't about to comment on the change, smiling to herself while she got comfortable. The movie started and Noa slowly found herself growing more and more comfortable, growing heavily absorbed in the movie as it went on and even covering her eyes at some points. For someone that has watched the entirety of the SAW franchise as well as all the paranormal activities, the conjuring universe and everything in between, Seven was pretty tame.
When another particular scene came, it startled her and she practically jumped into Idri’s lap, holding her chest. “Oh got damn it!” She started to make herself comfortable, pulling up her legs while glaring at the screen. “It wasn't even scary!” She was so into the movie, not really realizing what she just did, settling back in and making herself more comfortable against Idirian who was extremely warm. Kind of like having a personal furnace.
Though Seven was one of his favorite movies, his attention was mostly on Noa. He enjoyed seeing her reactions to the movie, chuckling softly when she covered her eyes. He knew for a fact that Seven wasn’t as scary as some other movies she had mentioned earlier, but watching her get so into it was absorbing.
He laughed out loud when she jumped, noticing the cutest little squeaking noise when she did. She ended up damn near in his lap, not that he minded in the least. She seemed to make herself comfortable against his chest so he relaxed further and held her a bit closer while they watched the movie.
Noa was absorbed all the way till the end, looking up at Idri with a goofy grin, “What's in the box Idriiiii!? Oh comonnn what's in the boxxxx?” She couldn't contain her laughter now that she finally understood the meme from that movie, it made it all the more funny. Memes aside, the movie was a blast and she wouldn't mind continuing their time together.
He smiled when she turned to him at the end of the movie, laughing softly. He was really enjoying this time with her, and didn’t even mind her using his nickname. With her so close, it was incredibly tempting to kiss her. He glanced down to her lips and hesitated for a moment before leaning down to press his lips to hers.
”Dragon Berri”
