First Date Jitters (Aislinn)

[Mason Broderick]

(Because I missed these two. )

Mason was a nervous wreck. No matter how many times he tried to convince himself that it was just "dinner with a friend," it still felt like a date to him. And besides, he'd never actually had dinner with a friend, either, so this was still a new experience for him. And Aislinn was so pretty.. he half expected that she was going to realize that he was out of her league and tell him to forget about it. But that morning in the coffee shop, when he went in to get his morning coffee, she was just as friendly as before. She'd made a point of reminding him that she was looking forward to dinner that night. It didn't seem like she was going to change her mind.

Mason had no idea what to wear on a date. It sort of made him long for the days of Keats and Shelley, because the clothes that the men wore back then were so much more elegant and dapper than the clothes everyone wore today. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to wear jeans or dress pants. Or maybe he should wear a suit. He tried on pretty much everything in his wardrobe at least 6 times, and finally settled on a pair of casual black pants, a crisp white shirt, and a light sports jacket to finish off the look. He agonized over shoes for another half an hour, and finally selected a pair of loafers that he'd only worn twice.

Finally, he was ready, and he took a few calming breaths to steady himself before he went to pick up Aislinn. Along the way, he passed a flower stand, and impulsively decided to buy a single red rose. That was romantic, right? Or was it too romantic? What if she didn't think of him that way? What if he was making the wrong assumption and this wasn't a date at all? He changed his mind and bought a yellow rose instead. That was supposed to mean friendship, or so he'd read.

With all of his indecisiveness, it was a lucky thing he started getting ready early, because he didn't want to be late. And he wasn't. He walked through the door at the coffee shop at exactly 7:00.

[Aislinn Dean]

If Mason was nervous about dinner, Aislinn was just as much. Her father had given her money to go get an outfit for dinner. Aislinn and Chase had spent at least two hours shopping. If it had been up to Aislinn they would have been done in an hour if not less, but thanks to Chase, she had tried on numerous outfits in several different stores. They had both settled finally on a simple casual black dress and a pair of shoes to match that happened to be low heel.

Rushing back to the shop, Aislinn ran up to her room and started to get dressed, after all it was 5:00. Granted she had two hours and already had her dress picked out, Chase wanted to pick out any make up she wore. After Aislinn was finally able to start putting her make up on, which she wore very light makeup so that it almost looked completely natural, she started to make a fuss with her hair. Usually she wore it up, but tonight she couldn't decide if she wanted it half up or completely down. Thanks to Chase, her hair was worn half up.

Seeing that it was now 6:30, Aislinn dressed and took one last look in the mirror proud of how all the fussing and long decision making turned out. Then the thought hit her that she wasn't sure if this was an actual date or not. Her thoughts were turning and she didn't even hear what Chase was telling her. Finally, she got a push out of her room by Chase, saying something about that she was going to be late. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Aislinn quickly said bye to Chase as she ran downstairs to meet Mason.

As she reached the coffee shop, only a few customers were inside. She didn't pay any attention to them because she found Mason, who had just gotten there before she came downstairs. Aislinn smiled, feeling the nervousness all over again. "Hey Mason," she said taking in his appearance and deciding that he wore the casual look extremely well.

[Mason Broderick]

Mason's cheeks felt hot when he saw her walking into the shop from the stairs in the back. He smiled, feeling somewhat stupid as he tried to think of the words to say to her. She looked so pretty, she literally took his breath away. He bit down on his bottom lip and held the rose out to her.

"H-hi, Aislinn," he said. "I-I b-brought this for you. Y-You l-look really p-pretty."

How was it possible that just seeing her made his knees feel weak? He almost wanted to sit down until his legs felt steady again, but he took a few calming breaths and soon he felt himself relaxing again. It had been so easy the other day.... all he had to do was hold onto that feeling and talk to her like a friend. He could do this.

[Aislinn Dean]

Aislinn blushed at Mason's comment. "Thank you," she said with a hint of shyness in her voice. She looked at the yellow rose that he was holding, and she smiled as she reached for it. "My favorite color." Yellow really was her favorite color. She remembered when she went through a phase when she was little when pretty much everything had to be yellow while most other little girls wanted pink.

Once she held onto the rose, she smiled again as she met his eyes. "You look really nice yourself." There was still a hint of pink on her cheeks. Aislinn reminded herself that she didn't have to be shy around Mason. After all, yesterday's conversation and the one they had this morning came easy. There was no reason for conversation tonight to be hard.

[Mason Broderick]

Mason broke into a smile. He wasn't quite relaxed yet, but he definitely was starting to feel more at ease already. Her smile seemed to do that to him... it was like looking at a rainbow.

"I-I'm g-glad," he said. "I a-always l-liked the y-yellow ones, too. They r-remind me of sunshine."

So did she, actually, but he didn't say that. Maybe one day he would get up the nerve to say all the sweet things that went through his head when he looked at her, but he wanted to take it slow. They were just friends right now... it was better to start that way. His mother and father had been friends before they fell in love, and they swore that was the best way to build a lasting relationship. Not that he was thinking about that now, of course...

"Uh... So, sh-should w-we go?" he asked, suddenly feeling nervous again.

[Aislinn Dean]

She noticed that Mason seemed a little more relaxed. Aislinn didn't think that there was really anything to be nervous about. They were just going to go do what they did every morning, but this time it was later and over dinner. That was it. Nothing was different, or at least that's how Aislinn was looking at it.

Once Mason asked if they should go, she noticed that he became nervous again. Aislinn wanted to make him feel at ease. "We should," she said. For the time being, Aislinn was just going to have to swallow any nervousness she felt and try to be more confident. If she could do that, maybe it would help ease Mason's nervousness. Without thinking, she looped her arm through his as she walked them out of the coffee shop.

She thought she would start off with an easy topic. "How'd class go today?"

[Mason Broderick]

He'd be all right once they got to the restaurant. He knew the place well enough, and they'd be able to sit down nad talk to each other. What he was worried about was the walk to the restaurant. Should he hold her hand? What would they talk about while they walked? He was afraid that the conversation would come to a halt as they walked.

And yet, there was one good thing about walking with her. Whenever he tried to walk and talk at the same time, his stuttering seemed to stop. The speech therapist he had seen when he was 16 said that it was something about the differences in breathing patterns. Singing also helped, although unfortunately, Mason was tone-deaf. So walking and quoting literature were the only things that really helped.

"So, I was thinking," he said as they walked. "M-maybe we could go to a movie after dinner. I mean... if you wanted to."

[Aislinn Dean]

Aislinn immediately noticed that Mason's stuttering had pretty much stopped. She wondered why for a quick moment, before she felt her cheeks burn after the question he asked. A shy like smile spread across her face as she turned to look up at him, seeing that he was still just an inch or two taller than her. "I'd love to," she responded. It had been awhile since she had been to the movies. The last time she had gone was with her father for a father/daughter night. However, since the coffee shop started to stay open a little later than it first had and since they had found other things to do for any father/daughter nights, they hadn't returned to the movies.

"I have no idea what is playing now, but I'm willing to watch almost anything."

[Mason Broderick]

Mason didn't go to the movies all that often, either; it had just seemed like something he should ask her. That was what people did on dates, right? Dinner and a movie... that is, if this even was a date. But he liked old movies, the classics in black and white. The old movie stars, like Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart... they all seemed so cool. And the women were always so beautiful and classy. Aislinn reminded him of those old-time movie stars, like Rosalind Russell or maybe even a young Elizabeth Taylor.

There happened to be an old movie theatre a few blocks from the restaurant, where they played old classics. Usually, whenever he did go to the movies, this was where he went. He didn't know what was playing there right now, but he was sure it would be good.

"D-do you like old movies?" he asked. "Th-there's this th-theatre a few blocks from here... They only pl-play old movies. I-I don't usually like the modern movies."

[Aislinn Dean]

"I do like old movies." Aislinn liked the drama in an old movie. There wasn't anything like the classics. One of her favorite films happened to be Gone with the Wind. "I'm always up for older movies. They're always more dramatic, but I like it." Clark Gable,Cary Grant, and Elizabeth Taylor were just a few of her favorites. Recently, she watched a couple James Bond films and Sean Connery was also going on her list of favorites.

The more Aislinn thought about it, the more this night seemed like an actual date. She didn't know if he thought about just being friends, but the more Aislinn talked to him, the more she she found herself liking him. She heard other girls talk about their dates and going out for dinner and a movie seemed like a common date thing. However, she wasn't going to over think things she was going to let them play out.

"What are some of your favorite older movies?"

[Mason Broderick]

Mason smiled. He had worried that things would be awkward between them this time, or that the wonderful conversation they'd had the day before just couldn't be repeated. But it was easy to talk to her, just as it had been before.

"W-well, I-I like a-anything with Jimmy Stewart. He--he kind of has a stutter sometimes, and I-I sort of i-i-identify with him because of that. H-Have you seen the Philadelphia Story? Oh... and Harvey. He-he's r-really good in that one."

[Aislinn Dean]

Once someone took the time to talk to her, Aislinn was a fairly easy person to talk to. She was a great listener, and could insert a few tidbits every now and again when it was necessary. Talking to Mason came extremely easy. Usually, she found herself not knowing what to say to a guy, but Mason was a completely different story.

"I don't think I've seen Philadelphia Story," she said. "Maybe we could watch it one day." Aislinn liked the idea of going with Mason places in the future. She didn't mind if they were just friends. She liked his company.

[Mason Broderick]

Mason felt a blush creep up on his cheeks and on the back of his neck. The date--or whatever this was--had barely even started, and she was already open to the idea of doing something with him at another time. This was a good sign, right?

"I-I'd like that," he said, smiling shyly. "W-we could w-walk to the movie theatre a-after dinner a-and see what's pl-playing, i-if you wanted."

He wished he had thought of it sooner, so he could have checked it out ahead of time, but it didn't matter. It didn't seem to matter if they didn't really plan ahead.

"Th-the restaurant is just a-ahead on the n-next block," he said, pointing. "I-I... um, I m-made a r-reservation, just in c-case it was crowded..."

[Aislinn Dean]

"That sounds perfectly fine to me," she said. Aislinn knew that her father wouldn't outright ask her about her 'date' but he would ask the question with his facial expressions. So far, she was having a great time. She wasn't in her room for once, writing or reading. She was out, like other people would be.

When Mason mentioned he made reservations, Aislinn blushed. Sure, it was a simple thing that he did, but in a way it seemed more like this was a date-date, than just a friend thing. That was just her line of thinking, but she didn't want to get her hopes up too high, just in case.

"That's sweet," she commented with a smile as she turned her head to look at him.

[Mason Broderick]

It felt like a date to Mason, too, but he was trying very hard not to think about that. If he thought of this as a real date, instead of just as two friends having dinner and maybe seeing a movie, it put extra pressure on them both, and he wasn't sure how to handle that. He just wanted to focus on her, making her smile and laugh and not boring her to tears with his rambling talk of poetry and literature.

But the way she blushed and told him he was "sweet" for making the reservation, he couldn't help but feel nervous again. He stumbled slightly in his steps, but luckily, he was able to keep from actually tripping. "I-I-I just w-wanted to m-make sure we'd be a-able to get in," he said, blushing.

They reached the restaurant and he quickly opened the door for her. That was what guys were supposed to do, right? He was pretty sure he'd seen Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart do that in movies before.

"A-After y-you," he said, smiling.

[Aislinn Dean]

Her smile brightened as he opened the door for her. She bit the inside of her cheek just as she felt the warmth on her cheeks. "Thank you," said Aislinn as walked through the door. She took a look around as she waited for him on the other side of the door.

The restaurant was fairly crowded. There was a few families that she saw, as well as friends and dates sitting everywhere. She was sure that the sound should have been louder, but she didn't hear anything really over a muffle. Aislinn sort of tuned the sounds around her out, which wasn't all that difficult, and focused instead on Mason. Her only worry really was that she might miss something he said.

[Mason Broderick]

Inside the restaurant, Mason felt more nervous than he had when it had been just him and Aislinn. He felt like he stuck out here with her, like people were going to look at him and wonder what a dork like his was doing with a beautiful girl like Aislinn. This odd feeling that all eyes were on him, judging him, made him falter as he approached the hostess station, and he had a very difficult time getting his words out.

"I-I h-have a r-r-r-reser...v-vation..." he began haltingly. "I-It's under B-Broderick..."

[Shelby Galligan]

(Taking the opportunity to use Shelby, lol...)

Luckily for him, Shelby herself was working the hostess station that night. She liked to do this sometimes, leave the kitchen in the capable hands of her sous chefs while she worked out in the restaurant among the people. It helped her to better get a feel for her customers' needs this way. Sometimes she waited tables, other times she worked as a hostess, and sometimes she just walked around the restaurant, asking people how they enjoyed their meals.

She gave Mason a friendly smile and waited patiently while he stammered through his words. The last thing she wanted to do was make her customers feel self-conscious in any way, so she didn't attempt to prod him on, despite the fact that another group had entered the restaurant and were waiting behind him.

"Oh, yes," she said when he finally got his name out. "Broderick. Here you are. Right this way, please." She made a quick note on the book in front of her, then took two menus from the shelf and made her way to the table. "Here you are. Please let me know if you need anything or have any problems. Your waiter will be right with you."

[Aislinn Dean]

Aislinn wasn't exactly sure why, but as they were standing at the hostess' podium, she linked her arm through Mason's. Maybe it was because she sensed that he became more nervous for some reason. She smiled at the hostess in greeting. She didn't pay any attention to the people around her.

She still had a light touch on Mason's arm as they reached a table. Letting go, she took her seat. "Thank you," she told Shelby. Aislinn looked back to Mason with a smile. "This place is really nice."

[Mason Broderick]

Mason was feeling terribly nervous now, and this worried him. When he got like this, he got clumsy. The last thing he wanted to do was knock over a glass of water or something. When the hostess left them, Mason was acutely aware of the fact that Aislinn's hand was still on his arm. He stared at the table for a second, thinking that he should probably offer to help her into her seat... but this had the makings of a disaster. He was too jittery right now, and there was too much of a chance that he might somehow knock her off her chair or push her in too far or something.

Luckily, she sat down before he had the chance to do anything, and he let out a breath in relief. Taking his seat across from her, he immediately began fiddling with the napkin, which was wrapped around the silverware.

"Th-thanks," he said haltingly. "I-I hope y-you'll r-really like it..."

He had to get a grip. It was stupid to be so nervous. She wanted to be here with him. This had been her idea. And the rest of the people didn't matter... he shouldn't let them get to him.