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Post by Ricki Crawford on Apr 18, 2011 22:28:20 GMT -5
Ricki was whistling to herself as she walked to the office, her case slung carelessly over her shoulder. Although she wasn't young anymore, she was still very attractive, and she drew the gaze of numerous men of various ages as she walked. She was oblivious to all of them, however, focused only on the man she would soon see.
She loved working with Milo for many reasons. He was always fun to be around, always worth a laugh, but he was also good at his job. She considered him a good friend... and maybe a little more than that. She couldn't quite say why he had failed to notice her after all this time; it seemed that he flirted with every woman he came into contact with, except for her. Sometimes it stung, but most of the time she was able to let it roll off her back. After all, she wasn't entirely sure what she'd do if he did flirt with her. He was probably her closest friend in the world, and it would probably ruin everything if they got together. Ricki knew all too well about the treacherous nature of love, and she wasn't sure she wanted to lose her best friend that way.
No, it was better that way, or so she told herself. Maybe eventually, she'd actually start to believe it.
Reaching the office, Ricki pulled out the office keys (since she was always punctual and usually arrived at the office before Milo did) and unlocked the doors. Then, as was her routine, she opened everything up--the blinds, the windows, both office doors--before setting her case on her desk and going into the little kitchen to make herself a cup of tea.
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 19, 2011 1:49:35 GMT -5
After his trip to Joe's, Milo made his way to the office. He would be lying if he said that he didn't like the idea of Ricki being there first. He liked walking into the office and seeing her there already. She would open the blinds and have everything set up like she liked it and it would be perfect.
Milo had a cup of tea in one hand and his briefcase in another. Last night, he had reviewed a few files and a few cases needed to be wrapped up.
Once he arrived at work, Milo knew he was about two minutes too late. Ricki was already on her way to make tea. He walked a little faster into the building and then recollected himself just outside.
"Good morning," he said as he entered their office. As predicted, Ricki was in the little kitchen. "You don't have to make tea this morning," he said as he appeared in the doorway. "I brought you tea. It's one of the new teas from Joe's. I figured you might want a cup. It's a mint tea and he said that it was a favorite among some customers." Milo was never sure why he really needed to explain himself to her.
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Apr 19, 2011 22:43:04 GMT -5
His timing was good. A few minutes later, and she would have had a pot of tea brewing, and in her opinion, there was no greater crime than wasting a good cup of tea. Ricki looked up at him, a smile on her face. It was sweet of him to think of her, even if she was skeptical of the American's idea of good tea.
"Oh, really?" she said, laughing. "Well, you know Joe and I differ a bit on what makes a good cup of tea," she teased. "After all, you Americans prefer that foul brew... I'll never understand it."
She put away the tea leaves and moved over to him, taking the cup from his hands. Her fingers lightly brushed against the back of his hand as she did so, and she felt a tingle in the tip of her fingers. "Thank you," she said, her voice softening.
She lifted the cup to her lips, then paused for dramatic effect. It was clear that she was expecting a substandard cup of tea, but when she took a sip, she was pleasantly surprised. The mint was not overwhelming; rather, the black tea was the dominant flavor, and the mint was just sort of a delicate afterthought, just a refreshing finish.
"Well, well," she said, smiling. "I think Joe's finally on the right track this time. It's not that watered-down taste you get from tea bags... It's strong... a really good blend. You must give him my compliments. Is it a whole leaf blend?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 20, 2011 0:59:22 GMT -5
"Just as I'll never understand you Brits and your tea," he said with a smile. Sure, Milo never really flirted with Ricki, but he liked to tease her from time to time. Plus, if he ever hinted a flirt at her, he never realized it.
He felt her fingers brush the back of his hand and he felt the heat from her fingers. Milo swallowed to keep from stuttering or making any sort of fool of himself. He liked whenever she was close to him, but sometimes she could make him turn into a blabbering idiot.
"You're welcome," Milo replied. He hoped that she liked her tea. Milo did whatever he could to please her, even if he didn't realized it. He tried to keep his office organized, he tried to make sure he knew her favorite foods so that if he went to get lunch, or decided that they should go to lunch together, he would know where to go. Once before, he even bought a tie that she suggested that he wear.
"I think it might be." Milo didn't really know a whole lot about teas and he wasn't going to pretend he did. "Joe said something about him getting a whole new line of teas in. Some of the teas actually have some of the dried fruit in them."
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Apr 21, 2011 0:24:11 GMT -5
If he was flirting with her, Ricki didn't notice it, either. She had seen the way he flirted with other women, and it was nothing like the way he talked with her. She kept trying to tell herself that it didn't bother her that he didn't flirt with her, but it did. She felt like the invisible woman around him sometimes.
"Well, I don't know about the ones with dried fruit," Ricki said, wrinkling her nose delicately, "but the mint is a nice touch. It's paired with a good, strong black tea, and doesn't dominate the flavor. I have to say, I'm impressed."
She moved away then, walking over to the counter to add just a little bit of sugar to the tea. She was picky about her tea and didn't like it too sweet... and she never used cream. But a little bit of sugar could help bring out the flavor.
"Oh, did you get any more information on Miss Kingston's case? I think she's scheduled to come in for a status report this morning."
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 21, 2011 14:26:27 GMT -5
"That was my same thought when he first mentioned it," he said taking notice not to get her the teas with the dried fruit in them. Milo did take notice to get her the mint flavor when he decided to bring her tea. Maybe next time he would add one of those danishes.
At the mention on Miss Kingston, Milo let out an audible sigh. "She has been paranoid for nothing," he said with a shake of his head. "She may or may not have a future fiancée after I tell her about the case." Milo thought for a moment. "Although, I could edit the information and not tell her everything. I could give her just enough to keep her at bay. After all, her boyfriend that she wanted me to follow had been planning out he was going to ask her to marry him for the past week."
Milo thought it was a nice thing what Miss Kingston's boyfriend was doing for her, but he didn't really understand how women could get so clingy the way she did. "I just hope if I edit the information and the engagement goes through, Miss Kingston doesn't act like she is now."
He rubbed his face. He had never gone through a marriage or engagement. Everything came to a screeching halt after Katie died. Milo hadn't actually dated either. However, he could make an exception for the woman he worked with, but there was no way she would view him the same way.
"What do you think I should do," he asked. "Should I give her all the information, or should I edit it?"
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Apr 21, 2011 18:39:56 GMT -5
Satisfied with her tea, Ricki took another sip, then made her way out of the kitchen and into the office area, knowing that he would follow her. She sat down at her desk and looked over at him thoughtfully.
In some ways, she could understand their client's distrustful nature. Certainly, in their line of work, they saw quite a lot of cheating husbands and wives. And of course, there was her own sad history. She had loved Tom with wild abandon, trusting him completely. His betrayal had blindsided her, and ever since, she had found it difficult to really trust another man. Except for Milo.... he was the exception. He was so open and honest, and she knew him so well... Surely he couldn't have any secrets. Maybe it was just as well that he wasn't interested in her, because she would have fallen completely in love with him, just as she had with Tom.
"You know what? Maybe I should talk to her. You know, woman to woman?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 21, 2011 19:55:07 GMT -5
Milo followed Ricki out of the kitchen and followed her to her desk. He sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. It was common for them to sit like this. Milo felt that he didn't have to be extremely productive when he was sitting with Ricki. She made him feel at ease, yet she could make him feel like he needed to be on his toes or she could even make him turn into an adolescent.
"That might be a good idea," he said. Milo wasn't exactly sure how to handle women when they became all emotional. Sometimes things could become awkward, however he sort of knew that if Ricki ever became emotional, there wouldn't be any awkwardness.
"She'll probably be here in about an hour, knowing the way she is." For a moment, Milo didn't feel like he really wanted to talk about the case. He wanted to talk about other things. "How was your night last night?"
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Apr 21, 2011 23:47:13 GMT -5
One of the great things about her partnership with Milo was that their skills and experiences complemented each other. Milo was good at tracking and following, and Ricki was good at finding clues and figuring out when people were lying. And of course, she keen observational skills came in handy as well; if only she used them where Milo was concerned, she would realize how he felt about her.
Certain clients did better talking to Milo, but sometimes a client needed a woman to talk to, and Ricki had the feeling that this woman was one of them. She just hoped she could get the woman to see reason and to stop looking for trouble where it didn't exist.
"I'll talk to her, then," she agreed, leaning back in her chair and taking a sip of her tea.
She was a little surprised when Milo asked about her night. The truth was, she'd had a date that night.... and it had been a good one. The man, a Ministry worker that she'd met at Enchanted, had turned out to be funny and charming and interesting. This was a rarity these days.
"It was good," she replied. "I went out with a... a friend. We had dinner at this new restaurant downtown... really trendy place. And then we... ah, we did some other things. Had some drinks, you know."
She'd gone dancing with the man, and they had gone back to her place.... but she didn't want to tell Milo any of that for some reason. Besides, surely he wouldn't be interested....
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 22, 2011 15:14:43 GMT -5
Of course Ricki would have had a date last night. She was gorgeous and Milo was for sure that if she wanted any man, she could ask him and that be it. That was another reason that Milo thought that she didn't like him in the way he liked her.
"Oh," he said with a very light hint of disappointment to his voice. The hint of disappointment was barely able to be heard unless one listened very closely. "Well, at least it went well." Milo put on a smile that was very well practiced and very difficult to tell from his real smile. Maybe bringing up last night wasn't a good idea because he did feel a pang of something. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, maybe jealously, maybe disappointment, or maybe a mix.
"Are you two going to go out again?"
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Apr 24, 2011 0:51:39 GMT -5
For one as observant as Ricki was, she could be completely clueless when it came to Milo. She failed to notice the hint of disappointment in his voice, and the smile on his face seemed genuine. She had no idea that he was feeling any negative feelings about the concept of her having a date the night before, mainly because she was too busy trying to hide her own discomfort in discussing it with him.
She had wondered many times what it would be like to date him. Would he be as charming as she had seen him with other women when he was flirting with them? Or would he be just as he was now--caring and funny and interesting? She felt certain she would never know, because clearly, she was not flirting material in his eyes.
"Oh, I don't know. Probably. If he calls me, that is. How about you? Do anything fun last night?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 24, 2011 14:55:48 GMT -5
"If you call sitting on the couch with a bowl of pasta and watching The Great Escape for the umpteenth time with a glass of wine fun, then yes." The only reason Milo didn't actually go out last night was that he had been looking into a few things for the case Joe had asked him to look into. He needed to make sure that he was keeping current tabs on the woman that he was looking for. Milo didn't really share any information about that case with Ricki. He knew how much Joe wanted to keep his past a secret and bury it, and he kept his promise and never said anything really to Ricki about it. She did know that he was working on something secret for a friend, but he never gave her details about it.
"I figured it would just be a better night to just stay in and enjoy the peace and quiet." Milo did like the quiet and if he had a choice, he wouldn't really go out too much, but then again he knew that if he stayed in, things would get too boring. When he was an auror, things were always going and interesting. He still needed that constant going and doing something.
"Don't worry about him not calling you back, because I'm pretty sure he will." Milo smiled again. It would be best, at least in his eyes, if he gave some encouragement every once in awhile. Honestly, he would like it if the guy never called her again, but he wouldn't ever voice that.
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Apr 26, 2011 16:35:06 GMT -5
Ricki laughed at the image he painted. She had been to his apartment a few times over the years, and it was best described as a "classic bachelor pad." She even teased him about it sometimes, asking if he even owned a plate. But if his dishes and silverware were somewhat lacking, he had a well-stocked alcohol cabinet, obviously to make sure he could entertain his various lady friends.
"Well, at least you used a bowl this time, instead of eating over the sink," she joked, winking at him. "But seriously, what happened to that woman you were talking about last week? Belinda, I think it was?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 26, 2011 17:48:40 GMT -5
Milo liked when she winked at him, even if it was when she just joking with him. "I have dishes," he said. "They just get misplaced sometimes and I can never find them but every once in awhile." There was an amused look on his face, until she mentioned Belinda. His amused face did fall and it was obvious.
"Belinda." Milo paused for a moment. He almost wanted to tell her that Belinda wasn't her, but that would have just been a little weird. "She just didn't work out that well. The more we talked, the more empty she seemed." Milo shook his head. "She wasn't all that smart to be honest. At first she seemed to be, but try carrying on an intelligent conversation with her and it would go over her head."
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Apr 26, 2011 22:06:09 GMT -5
(Lol... don't you just wanna smack these two for being so clueless?)
Ricki did notice how his face fell at the mention of Belinda, but of course, she completely misinterpreted the reason for it. She thought it was the simple disappointment of a potential relationship that didn't work out, and she felt guilty for even mentioning it. After all, she'd had more than her own fair share of disappointments as well, but maybe it was because no one could quite measure up to Milo in her eyes.
"Oh, that's too bad," she said sympathetically. "I'm sorry it didn't work out. But I promise you, there's a great girl out there just waiting for you." Or right here, she thought to herself.
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 26, 2011 22:52:01 GMT -5
(Goodness gracious, yes!)
"Oh no, don't be sympathetic toward that." Milo shook his head. "It was my mistake. I should have known she was an airhead to begin with." He gave a laugh. "As for this great girl out there, maybe, but we'll have to see." He figured that he was getting older and he wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to really settle down or not. However, he knew if some how Ricki even hinted that she liked him, he would try to go for it.
"However, I think I'm going to be okay for right now. I have a great woman to look after me for right now, right?" He smiled at her. Maybe what he said was flirty, but Milo didn't really think too much about it. After all, he really did have a great woman looking after him right then. He would like it if he was actually able to admit that as more than just a simple statement show her that there was another meaning to it.
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Apr 27, 2011 9:41:26 GMT -5
Ricki laughed. "Oh, I'm supposed to take care of you now, am I?" she teased. "I'm not sure I'm up for that particular responsibility..."
And yet, an image popped into her head at that moment, and it made her ache inside. She pictured the two of them together, years from now. She was making him breakfast, while he fixed her a cup of tea. He would be making her laugh, and everything would just be so warm and comfortable and perfect.
Without realizing it, she let out a sad sort of sigh. She had long ago faced the realization that she would never have children of her own, but she'd never given up hope that she would find love again. Why didn't Milo see her? Why did he seem to want every woman but her?
"Well, I suppose I can try," she continued, forcing the image from her mind. "But let's face it, I've got a lot of work cut out for me... Starting with that apartment. Have you ever cleaned it?"
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 27, 2011 13:55:52 GMT -5
"But you already do take care of me," he said with a grin. It was true, she did look out for him. She kept him on his toes and made sure he was alright. Milo supposed he could settle with the fact that that was how it was, but then again what if some guy came and swept Ricki off her feet? She would be gone and he would be left alone. She may try to continue to take care of him, but really, what man wanted to see their wife or girlfriend help take care of another man that wasn't actually related to them?
Milo laughed as she said she could try. "Cleaning," he said with a hint of teasing, "you don't mean just picking up things from the floor do you?" He gave a joking sort of look that was supposed to mean was was 'thinking'. "If that's the case then, no not really." He never took the time to actually clean his apartment. It was orderly in most areas, but it could get in a right messy state.
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Post by Ricki Crawford on Apr 27, 2011 22:07:21 GMT -5
If Ricki was honest with herself, the idea of some other woman taking care of Milo made her feel a little uneasy. Really, that should be her job. She was doing it already to some extent and not even getting the benefit of it. Was that all she was worth to him?
For a moment, she felt a pang in her heart as she thought about this. It hurt more than she cared to admit to think that he was just using her until the real thing came along. Meanwhile, he just didn't see what was right in front of him. It wasn't fair.
Somehow, though, she managed to keep her smile. "Yes, picking things up off the floor would be a start," she replied in an exaggerated motherly tone. "And vacuuming, and dusting... I'm afraid I can't do those things for you, though. You don't pay me enough to be your maid. Although, at least you keep your kitchen clean. Of course, that's because you only have two plates, three cups, and one fork, one knife, and one spoon."
They often teased each other in this way, because they were both so opposite. While he was a bit more casual about the cleaning and decor in his apartment, Ricki's was spotlessly clean and impeccibly decorated. She was so organized that she kept her movie collection alphabetized on index cards for quick reference. But it was their differences that made them such great partners and such great friends.
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Post by Milo Chevalier on Apr 27, 2011 22:20:13 GMT -5
Milo laughed as she finished speaking. "You're really the only woman who notices that," he said amusedly. "However, you are pretty much the only woman that has ever looked after me." The last comment was said in a more serious tone. It was true. Ricki was the only woman that ever really looked after him. Of course, there was his mother, but that was way back when he was a lot younger. Then there was Katie. She helped take care of him, but she, just like his parents, was a distant memory.
"I should probably buy new plates, maybe a few new glasses, and definitely more silverware." Milo's smile returned. "But then again I don't really ever cook for anyone but myself and you sometimes." It was not a well known fact that he knew how to cook. Ricki had stumbled upon the fact that Milo could cook one day as a result of her teasing. He was really the only woman he ever cooked for.
"Speaking of which, we should do dinner again soon. I feel a late night in the office coming up soon."
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