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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 7, 2009 14:48:27 GMT -5
"Mrs. O'Donnelly feeds me at least twice a week so it's only fair I take her dog out for a run." Austin wasn't a cook. The simple stuff he could do OK on but anything more than frozen pizza or mac and cheese, that was usually out of the question.
He did have more flaws than what she thought. Sometimes his temper could get the best of him, he usually did things on impulse and not even think about them. If someone ever said that he couldn't do something, Austin would do whatever he could to prove them wrong. Of course, Paige hadn't really seen much of that yet. He wasn't perfect.
"Hello Mary-Ann," Austin greeted her. He was pretty much a regular. "I'll just have the usual burger with cheese fries this time and a cherry coke." He smiled then gave a gesture in Paige's direction. "And then whatever the lady would like."
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 8, 2009 1:11:14 GMT -5
"Oh, I see how it is," Paige said, giving him a sly grin. "You know all the waitresses by name, don't you? I'm surprised you didn't just come in and say you want The Usual."
She laughed, then turned back to the waitress. "I'll have the burger, and a vanilla milkshake, but I think I'll just mooch off of his cheese fries." She smiled sweetly at Austin. "You are getting a large order of cheese fries, right?"
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 8, 2009 7:15:09 GMT -5
He laughed again. "Yes. I do know them by name and I usually come in and say the usual but today is a little different. I usually get a burger, chili cheese fries and a regular coke. There are a few times when I like to change it up a little."
Austin was watching Paige. He was loosing his current focus as his mind drifted elsewhere until she smiled at him. "Of course," he smiled. "Thanks Mary-Ann." The waitress smiled politely at them and then she walked away toward the kitchen.
"You know, I think that's the first time I ever heard anyone use the word mooch," said Austin jokingly.
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 8, 2009 14:51:30 GMT -5
Paige let out a laugh. "Well, I was in the States for a while, I guess I picked up a few things. You know how the Yanks are, they have their own way of saying things."
She paused to look around the place. It had a bright, casual feel to it, like the kind of places where young people would hang out in a 1950s TV show.
"This place feels very American, actually," she commented. "I'm taking you at your word with the food, you know. If it's authentic American style, it should be greasy, salty and disgusting... which is just what I want."
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 8, 2009 15:09:44 GMT -5
"I think that's why I like coming here all the time. It's like you're not really in London anymore. The place is nothing fancy, just simple. And the greasy, salty, disgusting goodness is the best part." Austin smiled.
He liked the idea that she didn't give a second thought to going out to lunch with him, nor did she try to find a way to talk herself out of eating a good burger. Austin had a feeling that she was not going to be eating nothing like a bird today.
"Maybe I should invite you over whenever Mrs. O'Donnelly cooks. She cooks just about anything really. Her desserts are pretty amazing. And speaking of desserts, you should try the apple or peach cobbler here."
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 8, 2009 18:15:05 GMT -5
Paige raised an eyebrow at him. "Now I know you're just trying to fatten me up," she teased. "It's a slippery slope, you know. You start with one greasy cheeseburger and an order of cheese fries, then it's apple cobbler, and before you know it, you're having chocolate cherry cheesecake for breakfast."
She laughed and picked out a sugar packet from the little cup in the corner of the table. For some reason, she felt the need to play with something, to keep her hands busy. It would be easier when their drinks arrived.
"Well, I'll tell you what. I'll just see how I feel when I'm done eating. I have a feeling that after the burger, the fries, and the milkshake, I won't be able to eat another bite. You'll probably have to roll me out of here."
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 8, 2009 19:11:20 GMT -5
"I've been there before," he said honestly. "I'm going to admit, I don't really cook. The simple things, I'm OK at. Usually for breakfast I have cereal but the couple of mornings that I didn't have any cereal I ate what dessert Mrs. O'Donnelly gave me." Austin gave a sheepish grin. "And chocolate cherry cheesecake does sound delicious."
He gave a laugh. "And I'm not really trying to fatten you up. I'm just helping you explore new things." Austin looked at her amusingly. "Well, as for that, I wouldn't have a problem carrying out if I have to."
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 8, 2009 21:51:57 GMT -5
Paige shook her head disapprovingly. "Tsk, tsk. That is a terrible habit, Mr. Hancock. I'm sure your mother would not be pleased."
She laughed while her hands began twisting the sugar packet into a spiral shape. "Anyway, it's not like I'm much better. I can't cook anything other than canned soup or the occasional scrambled egg. And I don't really do breakfast... just a cup of coffee."
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 8, 2009 22:01:20 GMT -5
"I'm sure she wouldn't be either. For that reason she is not going to find out. Goodness knows she'd send me more food than I'd know what to do with."
Austin's eyes were drawn to her moving hands but then he looked back up to her. "Well Ms. Owen, that does it right there. You are definitely coming over when Mrs. O'Donnelly cooks. You can risk another day not eating your salad. I promise you won't get fat." He was grinning. "Since you like coffee and all, would you like to go get a cup tomorrow or sometime later this week? I'm sure I can manage getting up early enough to meet you for coffee."
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 8, 2009 22:19:27 GMT -5
"That's sweet," Paige said. "I wish my mother was like that. No, she actually kind of encouraged me not to eat very much. When Chloe and I were little, I was kind of the fat one. Well, that's what she said, anyway. Chloe was always so perfect and pretty, but I was a little heavier. I wore glasses, too. My mother was sure I'd turn out to be the egghead or something, and she was always yelling at me to take more pride in my appearance and to not eat too much... she was the one who forced me to take dance lessons. Luckily, I liked it."
The sugar packet was shredded by now, scattering grains of sugar all over the table. She tossed it aside and got a new one. "Coffee sounds good," she said, involuntarily biting her lower lip. Why did she suddenly feel so shy?
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 9, 2009 7:53:39 GMT -5
"I think you would look adorable in glasses and I'm sure that you weren't fat. Besides, there's nothing wrong with that if you were and I'm sure you have always been pretty. Appearance isn't everything, or at least that's what my mother always told me." It seemed like their families, well their mothers, were complete opposites. Austin's mother always made him eat because he was so skinny.
"Good. We can go tomorrow if you're not busy." He seemed to sit up a little straighter. "Do you always play with sugar packets until they break?"
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 10, 2009 14:35:27 GMT -5
Paige looked down at the twisted sugar packet in her hands and blushed lightly. "Sorry... Nervous habit, I guess. I don't really think about it or anything, but I need to have something to do with my hands. I probably wouldn't have done it if our drinks were here. Sometimes I play with straws, too. I tie them into knots. And this one time, I ripped this napkin into tiny little shreds."
She laughed uneasily, wondering what he thought about her silly nervous habits. He probably thought she was crazy or something.
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 10, 2009 15:13:53 GMT -5
"You're nervous around me?" Austin's eyebrows rose. "There's nothing to be nervous about." He made sure that he spoke in a voice that said he wasn't judging her. About that time, their drinks arrived and Austin tore open his straw paper.
"Speaking of straws, did you know you could take straw paper and tie it, then pull it apart and if the knot breaks then someone is thinking of you?" He changed the subject a little to make sure that she didn't feel awkward. "At least that was I was told anyway. I sit here and go through straw paper tying them and pulling them apart but that's usually out of boredom."
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 13, 2009 20:48:41 GMT -5
"It's not you," Paige said quickly. "Or at least, I don't think so. I do this kind of thing a lot. It's weird, I know. I'm sorry."
It was a relief when their drinks came and she was able to wrap her hands around the glass. She's never really stopped to think about her weird habits, but she knew that she always had to keep her hands moving. When she didn't have something to do with her hands, she got fidgety and anxious.
"I hadn't heard that about the straw paper," she said. "I don't imagine anyone's thinking of me right now, except for you. Does that count? If the person's actually with you at the time?"
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 13, 2009 21:02:47 GMT -5
"Oh, so you think I'm thinking of you at the moment, hm," he teased. Austin pulled his straw out of his paper and put it in his glass. "I guess it still counts. I haven't had my paper break but once or twice but then again no one had been with me." He gave a shrug. "You could always try and see if it would break, that is of course if I'm thinking about you." Austin winked at her. "Although I think if I wasn't thinking about you a couple of guys in here would be."
At that, Austin felt a small pang of jealously. Other people really thinking about her. Of course, she was free to do whatever she wanted. It wasn't like they were dating.
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 13, 2009 21:29:45 GMT -5
If he had mentioned feeling a little jealous, it would have had an interesting effect on Paige. She had never had any guy who was moved to jealousy because of her. Even the ones she had dated for a little while, they hardly seemed to care if she looked at another guy, or if another guy looked at her. This was usually because they were already looking around at the other girls. It wasn't very often that she had a guy's full, undivided attention. So the idea that a guy might be jealous of the looks she received from other guys would have made her feel special.
Picking up her straw, she tore the corner of the paper and slid the straw out, dropping it into her milkshake. Then, smiling, she tied the straw paper into a knot and pulled on each end. After a moment, it broke apart, right at the knot.
"Well, how about that?" she said. "Someone is thinking about me! Who do you think it is?" She glanced around and spotted a good-looking guy sitting by the window, who just happened to be glancing in their direction. "That guy, maybe?"
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 13, 2009 21:44:47 GMT -5
He watched her pull her straw paper and nearly laughed at the look on her face. Although that near laughter faded pretty quickly while she glanced around. For once Austin didn't have a quick and charming type of answer. He followed her eyes and stared back in the guy's direction for a minute.
Looking back to Paige, Austin gave a shrug. "Maybe so. He is looking awfully hard." Putting on a smile he didn't even bother pulling his paper apart. He just balled it up between his fingers before letting it fall onto the table. Austin put his hands around his cup and pulled it to him before taking a drink from the straw.
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 13, 2009 21:58:13 GMT -5
Paige noticed the minute his demeanor changed. His smile faded, and he seemed to get very quiet. She watched his face as he stared at the other guy, and she had never seen an expression like that before. But something about it made her stomach turn a somersault.
She kind of liked the feeling.
Reaching across the table, she put one hand on top of his on the glass. "Hey," she said. "I'd rather it was you who was thinking of me."
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Post by Austin Hancock on Jul 13, 2009 22:11:57 GMT -5
Was his expressions too obvious? It wasn't like he was really trying to hide it in the first place but he didn't really want it to be completely evident.
Austin was looking down at the contents of his glass when he felt her small hand over his. His eyes met hers and he didn't have to put on a smile for that one. Maybe she did take notice when his expressions changed, her voice did seem like it was trying to reassure him of something or maybe he just read too much into it.
"You're hard not to think about," he said with a charming like smile.
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Post by Paige Owen on Jul 13, 2009 22:21:29 GMT -5
When the smile returned to his face, Paige's heart gave a funny little jump in her chest. Suddenly shy, she pulled her hand away and stared down at the table, biting down on her bottom lip. What was happening to her? She was never shy. But the moment suddenly felt too intimate, too close. And it scared the hell out of her.
"Thank you," she said, a warm feeling creeping up on her cheeks.
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