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Post by Austin Hancock on Jun 28, 2009 12:05:42 GMT -5
Austin left his apartment after finishing half of a new song that he was working on. He was having writer's block once he reached the third verse, so he just stopped before he became too annoyed with himself.
Standing up from the couch, he thought about Paige. It had been a little while since he had seen her. Giving her a little time was what he thought she might have needed. She had found a way to creep into his thoughts from time to time. Although, Austin wasn't complaining. Sometimes it was a good distraction, like now for instance.
He grabbed his cloak and headed out the door. He should pay her a visit. Austin wasn't sure where she lived but he did know where she worked.
On the way to the Daily Prophet, the florist caught his eye and he walked to the blue flowers. Austin wasn't one that knew what type of flowers these were. He just knew that they sort of reminded him of her. Picking up a bouquet of them, he payed the woman at the counter and then continued his walk to the Daily Prophet office.
Entering the building, Austin asked where Paige worked and the nice lady at the front desk directed him in the right direction. When he reached the area she worked, he found her desk. Walking up to it, a smile grew on his face.
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Post by Paige Owen on Jun 28, 2009 14:03:30 GMT -5
Paige was having a rough week. First there was the funeral of Roland Ferrera, and now she was getting a report that someone had tried to kill Riley Neves in the middle of the Ministry, and that the Imperius Curse may have been involved. It was the latter story which was giving her trouble, because the Ministry was refusing to comment on the story or give her any details. St. Mungo's was being equally tight-lipped, which meant that she was going to have to post a vague sounding story with anonymous sources. She hated doing that; it made her look like she was making things up.
When she heard someone approach her desk, she looked up, prepared to tell the person off. But the first thing she saw was a bouquet of tiny blue flowers.
"Forget Me Nots," she said, breaking into a smile as she raised her eyes further to see Austin standing there. "They're beautiful."
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jun 28, 2009 14:15:30 GMT -5
"So that's what they're called," Austin said with his smile. He stopped in front of her desk and extended them toward her for her to take. "I saw them and thought that I should bring you some." He wasn't sure if he should have mentioned they reminded him of her. If he did then he would have to explain how more than likely, or either she would look at him funny. Austin wasn't sure if he wanted either of those to happen so he kept the comment of the flowers reminding him of her to himself.
"Been working hard lately?"
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Post by Paige Owen on Jun 28, 2009 14:28:04 GMT -5
As it happened, forget me nots were her favorite flower. It seemed somewhat surprising to her that of all the different kinds of flowers--many of them much bigger and more showy--he should happen to choose these. Boys had sent her roses, tulips, daffodils, and peonies, but no one had ever brought her forget me nots.
She bit her lip hesitantly, then took the flowers from him. "Thank you," she said. "I love them."
She had a vase on her desk filled with silk flowers, and she immediate removed them and placed the forget me nots inside, arranging them carefully before she took out her wand. "Aguamenti," she said, and a jet of water began to fill the vase.
Once this was done, she sat back down and looked at him. "Yes, well, you know how it is. The news never sleeps," she replied.
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jun 28, 2009 15:51:42 GMT -5
He had done something right. The look on her face had said so. That made him feel a little better. It was a good thing that he hadn't picked up the tulips or roses that sat near the forget me nots.
"At least you're doing good," Austin commented. He felt slightly awkward and to attempt to counter that feeling, he crossed his arms across his chest. "I haven't seen you in awhile, so I thought that I'd come by to make sure you're not slaving yourself too hard over your work." He pretended to look her over carefully. "By the looks of you, it looks like you deserve a good break."
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Post by Paige Owen on Jun 29, 2009 0:29:02 GMT -5
Paige leaned her elbows on her desk and peered up at him with her chin on her hands. "I've been working like crazy, actually," she admitted. "We're down one reporter since Bambi Ackart was killed. I'm on the Ferrera case, which just keeps getting weirder and weirder, I swear."
She sighed, not wanting to dwell on business. "It's good to see you, though. And you're right. I could use a break. Want to go out for a burger or something?"
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jun 29, 2009 7:08:06 GMT -5
"And that right there is all the more reason you deserve a break." Austin knew she didn't really want to talk about work, and he didn't really blame her. Everything going on, it had to be pretty stressful.
"It's good to see you too." Seeing her had put his wondering mind at rest for the time being. "And a burger it is. There's a nice place in London. Nothing fancy at all, just a little muggle place. Great burgers and fries. Their onion rings aren't too bad either." Austin gave her a smile. "Although I'm not going to rush you. I haven't anything else to do today, so just take your time."
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 5, 2009 1:32:27 GMT -5
Paige gave him a smile. Truthfully, she was more than a little surprised that he had showed up here today. After their last encounter, when she ran out on him, she didn't really expect that he'd want to talk to her again. And yet, here he was. And she had to admit, after the day she'd had, she was glad to see a friendly face.
"That sounds great," she said. "Perfect, actually. I've kind of hit a dead end with this story... no one's talking. A little break couldn't hurt. And I'm starving. Let's go now."
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 5, 2009 15:47:01 GMT -5
Persistence. Austin could be very persistent man when he wanted to be. He wouldn't ever deny that he was one. Paige was bringing out that side of him.
"Well, we can make up our own story as we go get something to eat. Plus, it would be far less stressful than what you're working on." Austin smiled. He stood up and offered her his hand. "There's something that you should know before we leave." A serious look crossed his face. "I'm a very messy eater, especially with burgers." The serious look didn't stay on his face that much longer before he started to laugh.
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 6, 2009 21:19:41 GMT -5
Paige stared at him for a minute, then laughed. She just didn't know what to make of him. He was funny and sweet and what did he want from her? She was used to guys trying to get into her pants. And she was used to letting them. Normally, when a guy turned on the charm like this, there was only one thing that they wanted. And yet, when she'd offered it, he hadn't wanted it.
"OK," she said, smiling in spite of herself. "I'll consider that a warning. How are you with French fries?"
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 6, 2009 21:35:26 GMT -5
Her laughter made him feel better about being around. Yes, he had denied her when she offered herself to him. He had also denied her the first time he met her as well. Austin wasn't wanting an one night all night sleep over. He was really wanting a lot more than that. A relationship was more of what he was wanting. Something stable he could hold onto. Although, Austin was going to take it slow. There was no need to rush and he didn't want to scare her off.
Paige's smile made his remain on his face. "Good. As for French fries, I'm OK. I don't smother them in ketchup so you don't have to worry about seeing ketchup dripping everywhere from them." He looked like he was analyzing her for a moment but it was teasingly. "Now, do you have anything you should warn me about? You look like the kind that could scarf down a burger in about 2 minutes."
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 6, 2009 21:43:42 GMT -5
Paige's cheeks felt warm. It was an unexpected feeling for her. She was used to flirting with guys and having them flirt with her. But this felt different. And although she didn't want to let herself like it, she had to admit, she kind of did.
Taking her purse out of her desk and slinging it over her shoulder, Paige stood up and gave him a coy smile over her shoulder. "No... I used to be a dancer, remember? I'm used to eating like a bird. But... I do have a weakness for French fries. And I'm defiantly anti-ketchup, too. I like them plain, in all their salty, greasy goodness. Although I will confess to enjoying a good, gooey cheese fry on occasion..."
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 6, 2009 21:51:07 GMT -5
"You don't have to eat like a bird around me," he said. Austin didn't eat nothing like a bird. He didn't have a problem with loading his plate down and eating it all. "At least you do have a weakness for French fries. That is something we have in common. I could live off of them." His smile grew wider. "And today, we're going to get you to splurge a little on food. We'll get you a nice greasy burger with cheese, pickles, ketchup, and chili. If you want, we could leave off the ketchup but you have to try the burger. Don't worry, I'm not going to judge you on how you eat or anything like that. You have nothing to be shameful of around me." He gave her a wink.
"And if you want, we can get you those cheese fries too. This place has the best cheese fries."
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 6, 2009 22:01:32 GMT -5
Paige had always been the girl who ordered a side salad and convinced the boy to order a platter of fries, which she would then steal. As a dancer, she had to keep her weight down. She had to be fit, and she only allowed herself a few small indulgences. One of them was French fries. The other was ice cream, but she was going to wait to admit that one to him.
"Well, I'll try the burger this time," she said with a smile. "I'll just have to work out a little extra tonight. A burger and cheese fries... If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to fatten me up."
She led him out of the building, shuddering as they passed the spot where Bambi had been murdered just a few days before. She was lucky that she had been out on assignment at the time... it could have been her. It was a sobering thought.
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 6, 2009 22:11:10 GMT -5
That was one thing that he didn't understand. Everyone seemed to watch what they ate and tried to stay really small. Well, he wasn't going to tell her not to do what she wanted.
"I wouldn't really say fatten you up. I would just say, I'm trying to help you expand your tastes." Austin laughed. "And I'm proud of you for going with the burger and cheese fries. I like mine all the way with all the chili and ketchup dripping out. To me it seems the messier it is, the better." His wide smile made another appearance.
Noticing Paige shudder, he reached out and took her hand. He wasn't completely sure as to why she did but it just felt natural for him to take her hand in attempt to make her feel better. "Now, I suppose you would want to get a water with your order. I'm not going to stop you from that but they have cherry coke there. If you haven't ever tried it before, you could always take a drink out of my cup and see if you like it."
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 6, 2009 22:24:12 GMT -5
Paige laughed. "Oh, now you want me to add sugar into the mix, do you?" she teased. "I could go on and on about how sodas are just empty calories, but... what the heck. I'll probably put on five pounds when all this is done, but I have to live once in a while, right? Although... they wouldn't happen to have milkshakes in this place, would they? Or rootbeer floats? Those are very popular in America..."
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 7, 2009 7:16:47 GMT -5
"But empty calories can be quite good," he said teasingly. "And if you put on five pounds, I'm positive it wouldn't even show." Austin wouldn't care if she just ordered a whole bunch of food then ate it all. He would probably attempt to eat as much.
"As for milkshakes, I think they do. Rootbeer floats, I'm not so sure. I don't ever remember seeing them on the menu but they might and I just didn't see them." They reached the restaurant. "I believe it is an American couple that actually run this place." He led her into Finley's and took his usual booth not too far from the counter.
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 7, 2009 11:28:26 GMT -5
Paige sat down, the smile still not fading from her face. "Well, maybe I'll even add in a milkshake, but if I do, it's going to be salad and water for me for the rest of the week. Just because I'm not a dancer anymore, doesn't mean I should let myself go."
She leaned forward, resting her elbows against the table. "So tell me, if you eat like this often, what do you do to stay fit? Do you exercise or something? Or do you just have one of those metabolisms where you burn off all your calories as soon as you eat them?"
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 7, 2009 11:39:40 GMT -5
"Well, that's a deal. At least you get to have a day full of good food and not have to worry about how much calories is in something." Paige was being pretty agreeable and he liked that.
"What is this exercise you speak of?" Austin gave a laugh. "I do have a pretty high metabolism. I get it from my mom. Although I don't just go home and lay around with a full stomach and sleep. Remember how I told you there was someone that lived next door to me? She's an older lady. Her husband died awhile back and it's just her, her dog, and two cats. Since she can't really get out and do things I go over and take her dog for a run almost every evening. Other than that, I walk just about everywhere."
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 7, 2009 14:05:37 GMT -5
Paige gave him an appraising look. "An animal lover, huh? I can totally see you with a dog. And they are great exercise... it's nice of you to do that for your neighbor."
He really was just too perfect. Good looking, charming, funny, polite, helpful, kind to animals and the elderly... The only discernable flaws she could seem to find were the fact that he was kind of messy and that he had some poor eating habits. And he liked her. But that wasn't bad, was it?
A waitress had come to the table, and Paige looked at Austin, indicating that he should order first.
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