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Post by Meghan Meyer on Sept 1, 2009 22:46:15 GMT -5
Meghan walked out of the S-bend to find another girl, leaning against the door and seemingly panicked. Nevermind that Meghan didn't know the girl, she felt she had to help this perfect stranger. She grabbed a paper towel and stood in front of her, holding it out. "Here you go sweetie," Meghan said. "What's wrong?"
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Post by Paige Owen on Sept 3, 2009 21:49:35 GMT -5
Paige looked up at the other girl, a little surprised. She hadn't realized that she had company in the ladies' room. She might not have spoken aloud if she had known.
She sniffled and accepted the paper towel from the girl, who seemed younger than Paige. "I... I don't know, actually," she said. "I'm here with a really great guy... But I don't know if I believe it. I mean... how can a guy be that cute, and yet actually be caring and respectful and interested in my thoughts and have a good sense of humor.... there has to be something wrong with him, right?"
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Post by Meghan Meyer on Sept 6, 2009 2:11:26 GMT -5
Meghan thought of Jasper. She only knew one flaw that he had and she knew he was trying to fix that. She looked at the girl who was crying and patted her back gently. "I'm sure. Everyone has flaws. But why are you looking? Why not just enjoy the fact that you have found the women's holy grail?" she asked curiously.
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Post by Paige Owen on Sept 9, 2009 16:13:10 GMT -5
Paige sighed and leaned back against the door, closing her eyes. "As far as I can see, his only flaw is that he likes me. And maybe.... maybe I don't really deserve it, you know?"
When it came down to it, that was her true problem. It wasn't that she didn't trust Austin. She didn't trust herself. What if she wasn't good enough? What if she didn't deserve to be loved?
She had been in a number of relationships before, and maybe a couple of times, she thought she was in love. But really, it had never been true love... one or both of them had always been holding something back. Austin... he didn't seem to hold anything back. He was open and honest and real.... and she was just pretending. She put a face on to the world, and she had absolutely no idea who she really was anymore. With Austin, she was finding that she wasn't pretending nearly as much as usual, and it scared her. She put the face on for a reason, because what was underneath, the true person inside, was too fragile, too easily hurt. And maybe it just wasn't good enough.
"He wouldn't really like me if he actually knew me," she finished.
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Post by Meghan Meyer on Sept 14, 2009 0:22:11 GMT -5
"Why wouldn't you let him know you?" Meghan asked. "For the risk of sounding like a school councellor or something, but honesty is the best policy, don't you think?" Why would anyone not be themselves was a mystery to Meghan, but she knew that some people were like that. "And how do you know? Come on sweetie, have some confidence and show that beautiful smile I am sure you have." Meghan smiled positivly.
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Post by Paige Owen on Sept 14, 2009 21:53:57 GMT -5
(You know, I kind of love how the quote I put in your sig fits Meghan's character so perfectly. That was an actual quote from Amanda Bynes herself, too!)
Paige knew that, to a certain extent at least, she had mostly been herself with Austin. She had joked around with him, flirted, and had even told him about her favorite movies. But there was that other side, the vulnerable side, that she was afraid to show. That side of herself was needy, clingy, self-conscious, uncertain, and damaged. If he saw that side of her, he surely would want nothing to do with her.
"If he knew the real me, it would drive him away," she said.
Or he would stay. And she would fall for him. And maybe that scared her even more.
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Post by Meghan Meyer on Sept 28, 2009 1:35:04 GMT -5
"Or would he stay?" Meghan added. "I guess what I'm going at here is you never know. Sometimes guys are jerks, but the way you described the guy you're with tonight makes him sound amazing." she laughed a little. "I mean, if I didn't have a boyfriend I'd ask you to introduce me," she laughed again.
"Go out there, give it your all," Meghan said. She smiled at the girl in front of her.
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Post by Paige Owen on Oct 1, 2009 14:10:00 GMT -5
Paige tried to smile, but it looked more like a painful grimace. She knew the girl was right, but she was still terrified for reasons she couldn't quite name. "I think I need therapy," she said with a nervous laugh.
When it came to business--whether it was dancing or reporting--Paige was confident and in control and pursued what she wanted with fierce ambition. Her personal life, however, was a mess. She had a twin sister that she didn't get along with, and she flitted from man to man, using them and cutting them loose before they got too close. Now here was Austin, and she didn't need him for anything. And the one thing she knew how to give him, he didn't even want yet. Which meant that he wanted something more... something she didn't know how to give. It was no wonder she was terrified.
But if she stayed in here much longer, Austin might think she'd slipped out the back. Maybe... maybe she could just take it slow.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded and got to her feet. "You're right. I... I should get back out there. Did my mascara run?"
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Post by Meghan Meyer on Oct 12, 2009 23:31:02 GMT -5
"No it didn't, you look great," Meghan reassured her. She smiled at this girl and felt a bit of acomplishment. She liked that she could help this complete stranger. "Now get on out there before that guy thinks you ditched him," she smiled. Meghan held open the door for her and smiled. "I'm Meghan by the way," She said, decideing that it was appropriate to now give her name.
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Post by Paige Owen on Oct 18, 2009 12:35:03 GMT -5
Not that she didn't believe the girl, but Paige went to check the mirror anyway. Her mascara hadn't run, but her eyes didi look a little puffy, and it was fairly apparent that she had been crying. Quickly, she splashed a little water on her face and dried it with a paper towel. Then she took out her wand and charmed away the puffiness.
"Thanks, Meghan," she said at last, turning to the girl. "I'm Paige. if I can ever return the favor, just let me know. I work at the Daily Prophet."
She smiled once more, despite the uncertainty that was still burning inside of her. She was afraid, but she could take things slowly. That seemed to be what Austin wanted to do, anyway... she just wished it didn't sound so scary.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the bathroom door open and headed back out into the restaurant, where Austin was waiting. She was simultaneously relieved and panicked to see that he was still there, waiting for her.
"Hey, sorry about that," she said as she approached the table. "I think I might have had one too many cheese fries..." She smiled nervously as she slipped back into her seat.
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Post by Austin Hancock on Oct 18, 2009 16:30:43 GMT -5
During the time that Paige was gone from the table, he sat in the booth, twiddling with his thumbs. He wasn't sure what was taking her so long. Part of him was worried that she just left and he would be left sitting there for an hour or so until he figured out that she was gone. Although, he did have a feeling that she wouldn't just up and leave just like that without saying anything. Her sudden exit that she made a few days ago kept replaying in his mind. Austin did his best to just push those thoughts away.
While he was waiting, the waitress had come and asked if he wanted the ticket. Austin paid for their meal while he waited on her. His mind wondered a little more while he sat there. It had been a while since he liked someone. Austin was the type that wanted to take things slow. Of course, that had chased a couple girls away because they thought that he wasn't going fast enough. He wanted to make sure he was able to get to know the girl. Her actions were a big part of getting to know her. According to the way Paige had acted before, she was scared. That was one reason Austin liked to go slow. It gave them both time to just ease into something. There wasn't any pressure.
Relief hit him whenever Paige returned, but he made sure his facial expressions didn't show that he wondered if she was really coming back. Austin smiled as she slid into the sit. "Don't worry about apologizing." He gave a shrug. Leaning back against the booth, Austin put a hand to his stomach. "To be honest, I'm not sure I can eat anything else unless of course you want dessert. If you did I believe I possibly could have a little more room."
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Post by Paige Owen on Oct 22, 2009 22:56:11 GMT -5
Paige quickly shook her head. "No... no, I don't think I could eat anything else, either," she replied. "Like I said, I don't really have the biggest appetite. But... maybe I could take a raincheck on the dessert. I absolutely adore ice cream. Another time, maybe? And we're still on for the movies tomorrow, right?"
What was she doing? Was she making two dates with him while still on one? Or was this a date? Her hands were fidgeting again, and she grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and began ripping little pieces off of it.
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Post by Austin Hancock on Oct 23, 2009 8:19:20 GMT -5
"Ice cream does sound good. We'll go for it one day soon, unless of course you want to go for ice cream before we go to the movies, or even after." Seeing that she grabbed a napkin and started to rip it, Austin moved his hands across the table and put them around hers. Instead of making a comment about her tearing the napkin, he put a light smile on his face. "I'll come pick you up around 7 tomorrow night? We could go to the movies and then go for ice cream, or we could go to the movies then go for dinner, or we could just go to the movies."
He thought that it was alright giving Paige options if she wanted to do something else. "There's a few really nice places to eat, or it could be somewhere simple, that is if you wanted to go for dinner first."
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Post by Paige Owen on Nov 4, 2009 23:27:25 GMT -5
She jumped slightly when he reached over and grabbed her hands. No one had ever done that before when she was fidgeting like that. A few guys had made fun of her for her nervous habit, but none of them had ever tried to stop her by taking her hands. It was such a simple gesture, and so touching. So why was she terrified?
"Um..." she said uncertainly. She appreciated what he was doing, giving her options. That was something else most guys didn't do. "Maybe let's just do the movies, and then if we feel like it afterwards, we could get ice cream."
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Post by Austin Hancock on Nov 5, 2009 10:50:10 GMT -5
Austin knew that he would have to take it slowly because he didn't want Paige to just run away. Easing into something would be a lot better, especially seeing the way she acted a few days ago at his apartment. He wanted to make her uncertainties disappear and have her be confident. The only way he knew to do that was go slow. Her other 'relationships' rushed into things and he wanted to show her that it wasn't always going to be that way.
"Sounds like a perfect plan to me." He didn't want her to feel like he was forcing her to do a specific thing, which that was the main reason he gave her options. "So tomorrow, I'll come pick you up around 7. We'll go to the movies, then whatever after."
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Post by Paige Owen on Nov 5, 2009 15:01:04 GMT -5
It all sounded so sweet; like an old-fashioned date or something. She could almost imagine herself as a shy, innocent teenager making a date with the cute boy on the football team. But she was anything but innocent, and she was having a hard time wrapping her head around the idea that anyone would want to go out with her just for the pleasure of her company. Instead, she wondered if this would be the night he would charm her and romance her and they would wind up in bed together, then he would slip out and never call her again.
But even if that was what was going to happen, well at least she would know for sure that there was no such thing as a prince charming. And she wasn’t going to get her hopes up about anything else, not yet. She was, sadly, a pessimist, and never really allowed herself to hope for too much of anything.
She gave him an uncertain smile. “That sounds great,” she said. “I’ll make sure I don’t stay late at work tomorrow night.”
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