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Post by Milo Chevalier on May 5, 2011 18:34:41 GMT -5
"I don't think she is," he said with a light twitch of his lip. Milo didn't really like the idea of Ricki being serious with anyone, but then again what say did he have in it? It wasn't like she was sending him messages or anything. After all, he should be able to see the signs if she liked him.
"Or at least she hasn't mentioned anything about anything serious." He made a mental note to bring something about her dating up today at work. Surely she would mention to him something if anything was serious.
At Joe's suggestion, Milo thought for a moment. He didn't want to really intrude on any relationship if he wasn't asked to do a case. However, this was Ricki. Milo didn't deny it to Joe that he was in love with her. If she wanted someone else, it would be the right thing for Milo to check up on the person, right? Just to make sure she wasn't dating a serial killer or anything. "You know," he said, "that's not a bad idea. I might start a background check on him today. After all, I have to make sure he checks out okay."
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Post by Joe Dean on May 6, 2011 23:25:52 GMT -5
Joe just couldn't help himself. Milo might have thought he was good at hiding his feelings for Ricki, but it was actually really obvious. The fact that Ricki had somehow missed it still puzzled Joe. If she could have seen the way Milo's lip had twitched at the suggestion that Ricki might be getting serious about someone, surely she couldn't have remained clueless.
"Yeah, you owe her that much, don't you think? You wouldn't want her going out with some creep or weirdo or something, right?" Joe said, just barely managing to smother a laugh.
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Post by Milo Chevalier on May 7, 2011 22:24:07 GMT -5
For a second, Milo was completely oblivious to the fact that Joe was doing this to get a kick out of it. His mind was too wrapped up around Ricki at the moment, that he didn't notice what was going on. "Of course, I do. However, I can't let her know I'm doing it. She would probably have my head if she knew I was spying into her love life." A love life that didn't include him. That was the major thing that got to him.
It was unexplainable why Milo just didn't tell her his feelings. If he could just get it out there and let it go, life wouldn't be as stressful as it was. However, he didn't like the idea of getting hurt and losing someone close to him. Although he and Ricki weren't together, and they were just work partners, he liked to think that Ricki was probably the only woman who had gotten that close to him. She was actually closer to him that Katie was.
Once Milo came out of his thoughts for a moment, he looked at Joe. Although his friend managed to smother a laugh, Milo raised an eyebrow because he could see the amusement in his friend's eyes. "What's so funny," he asked.
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Post by Joe Dean on May 7, 2011 23:35:10 GMT -5
If Milo hadn't taken that exact moment to notice that Joe was fighting back laughter, the subject would have probably dropped, with Milo remaining quite in the dark. But he did notice, and Joe didn't have the heart to keep him in the dark any longer.
"Do you even realize how crazy you are about her?" he asked. "It's obvious to just about everyone but you... so when are you going to do something about it?"
It might have helped, of course, if Joe had mentioned that he also suspected Ricki felt the same way about him. But women could be hard to read, and Joe didn't want to speak for her.
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Post by Milo Chevalier on May 8, 2011 6:46:46 GMT -5
Milo looked at his friend curiously. Was it that obvious? He didn't believe that he was that obvious. Besides, if he was that obvious, Ricki would have already noticed that he was crazy about her. However, if she knew, then would she still be as close to him as she was? If that was the case, then how was he obvious? Milo didn't even think that maybe Ricki was in the same boat as he was.
"I know I like her," he said. "As for being obvious, I'm not so sure. She would have noticed and would probably treat me a little differently, but nothing has changed." If Milo only knew. "And I don't know about doing anything about it. She seems content in dating other men right now, and I don't want to ruin our business relationship..."
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Post by Joe Dean on May 8, 2011 9:54:44 GMT -5
Well, at least he could admit it. That was a good start. If he couldn't even admit it, or, worse, if he didn't even realize it, Joe might have had to pour his coffee over Milo's head. But there was still work to be done.
"What if," Joe began carefully, "she likes you, too, and is just dating other men because she thinks you're not interested in her? After all, you date other women, don't you? Maybe she thinks those other women are more the type you like, or maybe she's just waiting for you to ask her out. She's British, you know, stiff upper lip and all that. Maybe she's too polite to say anything, and she's waiting for you to make the first move. And if you're not careful, she might find someone else and you'll have missed your chance."
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Post by Milo Chevalier on May 8, 2011 20:25:44 GMT -5
Milo just couldn't process the thought of Ricki possibly liking him in return. "She's never gave me indication about her possibly liking me in return," he said with a shake of his head. Of course, Milo was probably one of the blindest people in the world. Everyone else could see the mutual feelings, but them.
"As for dating these other women, I've mentioned to her intentionally that they haven't worked out." In all honesty, the never did work out. They were usually boring, and Milo continued to be charming and nice to them out of respect. "And Ricki's probably the most open person I know. She'd tell me if something was going on I believe." After all, she had told him almost everything else that had been on her mind, why wouldn't she tell him something like that?
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Post by Joe Dean on May 8, 2011 21:59:30 GMT -5
Joe felt like beating his head against the table. Somehow, he had to get these two idiots together, whether they liked it or not. How was it possible for two people to be so smart and observant and yet completely miss something so obvious?
"But have you ever given her any sign that you liked her? I mean, I've seen you flirt shamelessly with other women, and you never flirt with her. Don't you think it's possible that you're both doing the same thing... pretending you're not interested when really you are?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on May 9, 2011 7:55:33 GMT -5
"I haven't really flirted with her because I don't want her to think that she's just like those other women." Milo just simply couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that their feelings where mutual. If he would have noticed, however, he did sometimes flirt with Ricki in a different way than he did other women.
Trying to take in what Joe said, he just didn't see it. How could he miss something that was right in front of him? "But she usually tells me what is on her mind. Wouldn't she have already given some kind of clue if that was the case?"
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Post by Joe Dean on May 9, 2011 22:34:39 GMT -5
How was it that Milo, the supposed ladies' man of the two of them, could be so dense when it came to women? Or at least, that particular woman? Joe was beginning to regret even bringing the subject up in the first place, because Milo kept arguing them in a circle.
"Because sometimes a woman wants to be swept off her feet," Joe said. "But OK, for argument's sake, let's say you're right and she hasn't thought of you that way... don't you still think she deserves to know how you feel about her, so she knows what her options are? What if she really gets serious about some guy... can you handle the idea of losing her because you were too chicken to say something to her?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on May 10, 2011 9:13:18 GMT -5
Milo gave a defeated look for a moment. What if she really did find someone she was serious about? Why couldn't he just tell her what he wanted to tell her? He actually did almost tell her one time before, but he was able to cover up what he was about to say.
"Yeah, she deserves to know." Milo wasn't sure if he could handle losing her completely. Sure, there was the whole 'I'll be happy, if she's happy', thing, but Milo knew that wasn't exactly true to an extent. He liked to see her happy and he was happy when she was, but he didn't know how true that would be if she did end up being serious with someone.
"But my only thing is, if she doesn't feel the same, will that cause our business to go down hill if things get weird?" Of course that wasn't what Milo was really worried about. He was more worried about her reaction if he said it.
Milo let out a sigh and rubbed one of his eyes. "I'll have to come up with a way to tell her sometime."
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Post by Joe Dean on May 10, 2011 17:59:27 GMT -5
"You're not worried about the business," Joe said shrewdly, now turning serious. "Ricki's a professional, and so are you... No matter what happens, the business won't suffer. What you're worried about is that you'll ruin your friendship if she turns you down. And OK... I can't blame you for that. But settling for friendship with Ricki when you want more than that isn't a good idea. What if she gets involved with some guy who isn't comfortable with her having a guy friend? Especially if he sees you and realizes how you feel about her... You could lose her completely."
Joe sighed. It was all very easy for Joe to sit here and tell Milo to tell Ricki how he felt about her, but he couldn't deny that he would probably be doing the same thing as Milo, if their situations were reversed. After all, he was the guy who hadn't really had a serious date since his wife died. It was scary to put your heart on the line like that, especially for someone who had already loved and lost once before, like both Milo and Joe had. Of course, Ricki had been married once before as well, but not even Milo knew the details of that relationship or its end--only that it had been bad and that Ricki refused to talk about it.
"Let me ask you something," Joe continued, hoping to further encourage his friend, "why do you think Ricki decided to drop everything and go into business with you? She was still young, she was doing well in the Auror department, and she came to you, wanting to join the agency? You had only worked together a couple of times before, why do you think she would have followed you if she didn't possibly have feelings for you?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on May 10, 2011 18:31:29 GMT -5
This was a reason why Joe and Milo were good friends. Sure, anyone could see what was going on, but Joe could tell him outright and Milo wouldn't get mad about it. What his friend was saying was completely true. He didn't want to lose Ricki, and he didn't care about the business. The business would always take care of itself.
"You're right," he said with a sigh. What if Ricki ever did get serious with someone? That would hurt Milo more than he would like to admit, but then again it would be his fault if he did get hurt. He listened as Joe continued.
Joe did pose an excellent question. Milo had never stopped to think about the answer to that question. He never really thought about it, because he was glad that Ricki decided to join him. However, why did she join him? Milo knew how much Ricki liked her Auror job, so why exactly did she stop? He knew why he retired, but why did she?
There was a puzzled expression on Milo's face. "I don't know," he replied. Was it really possible that Ricki could have feelings for him?
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Post by Joe Dean on May 11, 2011 23:51:21 GMT -5
Joe could have laughed at the puzzled expression on Milo's face. Clearly, it was a question that Milo had never asked himself--or Ricki. But to Joe, it was a very important question. Ricki had wanted to work with Milo for a reason, and it seemed pretty obvious why. She wanted to be close to him.
"Think about it for a while," Joe said. "Maybe even ask her. You might be surprised by her answer."
Joe took another sip from his coffee, then decided to change the subject. He had given Milo enough to think about for now. "I was thinking I might have a little dinner party soon," he said. "That's a British sort of thing to do, right? You and Ricki could come, and Aislinn could bring her new friend. I might even see if Shelby Galligan would be interested in coming... what do you think?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on May 12, 2011 22:24:47 GMT -5
That might very well be a question he brought up to her today. Joe had him intrigued. Milo never thought about why Ricki joined him, but he wanted to figure it out. Plus, he knew he could get some truth out of her, considering he usually could tell when someone was lying or not telling the whole truth.
The change of subject was a good idea. Milo's brain was still going around and around. "A dinner party," he repeated. "I guess it is a British sort of thing. You know they've always had an odd way of doing things." Of course that would be what a British person would say about an American. "I could ask her about it. I'd be more than happy to come. I'm sure that Ricki would more than likely come too."
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Post by Joe Dean on May 15, 2011 23:26:44 GMT -5
Joe laughed. "Yeah, well, if they had any decent sports on TV around here, I'd have a party to watch sports. You know, like a Super Bowl party. I'll never understand how this country could possibly not like real football. I mean, soccer? Really?" He shook his head.
It was typical that Milo had not really noticed that he had sort of paired everyone off in three "couples." Aislinn and Mason, Milo and Ricki, and Shelby and himself. Of course, he wasn't really interested in Shelby in that way... she was a great woman, but as far as Joe could tell, she was no more interested in him than he was in her. But they were friends, and he hoped that Shelby's presence would help Ricki feel more comfortable.
"Yeah, talk to Ricki about it. I'll talk to Aislinn and see if Shelby would be interested in coming as well. Maybe I could get a movie or something, I don't know. What else is there to do at a dinner party?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on May 24, 2011 21:11:30 GMT -5
"I'm fairly sure Ricki would come," he said. "She'd probably like something like that." Sometimes Ricki would come into the shop with him, or something, but they had never done a dinner party before. Milo didn't even bother to realize the simple fact that Joe invited an even number of people so they could be 'paired off'.
"I'm sure a movie would be good. I don't know how the Brits even go about a dinner party, but we can make it work." He smiled. "Plus, I can always help you out. Just let me know what you want me to do, and I'll see about doing it."
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Post by Joe Dean on May 29, 2011 18:17:54 GMT -5
"Well, I'll tell you what?" Joe said. "You can help me with the cooking. I'm a pretty good cook, and so are you... Between the two of us, we should be able to give Aislinn a break, impress Ricki, and hopefully, not embarrass ourselves in front of Shelby."
Ricki couldn't cook, they both knew that, but Aislinn liked to cook (especially baking), and of course, Shelby cooked for a living. But Joe was pretty confident that he and Milo could do a good job if they cooked--although he rather hoped to do most of it himself and give Milo more time with Ricki.
"The only thing is, we should talk to Aislinn and find out if her friend has any dietary restrictions. He seems the type who might have allergies or something."
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Jun 4, 2011 21:48:52 GMT -5
"Sounds perfect. We could possibly do like a mix up of a few things. Maybe a British dish or two and then an American dish or two. It could balance things out." Milo knew how much Ricki loved her British dishes. He was fairly sure he could impress her with almost anything, but the dinner was something else entirely.
Milo laughed when he mentioned hopefully they wouldn't embarrass themselves in front of Shelby. "I think she'd like whatever we could cook." An amused look wanted to cross Milo's face at the mention of Aislinn's friend, but he kept his face straight. "He does look like the type, but we'll figure it out before too long. I just hope the dinner will go over well."
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Post by Joe Dean on Jun 22, 2011 23:04:52 GMT -5
It took every bit of strength Joe had not to grin when Milo mentioned cooking an English dish. It was obvious that he was doing it for Ricki. Most everyone else at the party would be American, except for Ricki, Shelby (who was half-Irish and half Italian), and Aislinn's friend Mason. Somehow Joe doubted that Milo wanted to impress Mason.
"Yeah, I bet we could make some really good fish and chips," he suggested. "I found a recipe the other day, and I could break out the old frier. Unless you think that's not good enough..." he added, smothering a laugh. "Anyway, I'll ask Aislinn to find out if her friend has any allergies. Beyond that, I think everything should be fine. I'm not worried so much about the food... I'm just worried about playing the host. I don't want everyone to be bored."
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