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Post by Chris Strongheart on Aug 10, 2006 23:21:09 GMT -5
Christine ran her hand through her hair, her fingers catching on a few ringlets. She had put a few loose curls in her hair, trying to appear more feminine then she felt. The colored streaks glistened in the light as she stood near the door, waiting for the three remaining members of the group to show.
Maybe she could just flee now - none of them would know she hadn't shown.
She bit her lower lip, and regretted it - getting the faint taste of lipstick on her mouth. Not the best taste in the world, she thought with bitter amusement.
No, she wouldn't leave. She gave her word to Sky that she'd be there - and a Strongheart always kept their word.
Although...
If they didn't show up in the next five minutes, she was turning around and heading back to Red Fountain. She smoothed her dress for the hundredth time, her hands trembling as she did so. Thankfully, this time, the red satin dress lay the way it should.
Instinctively, she bit her lower lip again as she heard the sound of all too familiar voices... And from what she could hear...
Sky sounded like he was enjoying himself.
OOC: tag Sky, Alice and Ambrose
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Post by Sky on Aug 11, 2006 2:00:03 GMT -5
Walking down the sidewalk, his arm secured snugly around Alice's slender waist, Sky could almost convince himself that he was happy. Almost. But even as he laughed at Alice's conspiratorially whispered jokes, and even as a genuine grin lit up his face, he couldn't help but feel as though something was lacking. Something that had the name 'Christine.' Yes, he liked Alice - probably liked her more than he could ever have expected to like someone chosen for him by his mother - but . . . something was off. Not by a lot. Just enough to convince him that he could be happier . . . with Christine.
Inwardly wincing at the direction his thoughts were taking, Sky forced himself to push them aside. He was dwelling in the past and that wasn't healthy for him or fair to Alice. And besides that, he was sick of dwelling in the past; it only caused him pain and heartbreak. Every time he saw Christine, he always felt those old flames flickering up again and it was time to put that to a stop. For good. What better way to do that then to date a beautiful, intelligent, charming girl? Alice was all of those things and more. He couldn't go wrong dating her; they were compatible in every way and if he could just get over his preoccupation with Chris once and for all, he could see himself being permanently happy with Alice. Not just for the time being, but in the future as well. Perhaps he ought to give his mother more credit; she really had picked out a winner.
Rounding the corner, guiding Alice as a gentleman should, Sky forced his thoughts back toward the present moment. Smiling down at her pretty, upturned face, he said softly, "You look beautiful tonight." It was true, too. Alice, who always managed to look classy at any given moment, looked even more ravishing than what one would think humanly possible. Her hair, pulled back in an elegant chignon, shined healthily and her trim figure was clad in a white dress that made her appear in a way that could only be described as ethereal - a man would have to be crazy to find fault with her or to think that he could do better than her.
So he had to be crazy. Because when he looked down into her large, pale violet eyes, what he truly wanted to see were a familiar pair of blue ones.
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Post by Alice on Aug 11, 2006 2:29:04 GMT -5
Content to rest her head against Sky's shoulder, Alice sighed softly to herself. It had been a long time since she had felt so comfortable around a member of the male sex and she had to admit, she had missed the feeling. Sometimes nothing could compare to having a man's strong arm around her waist - to feeling the tickle of his breath against the back of her neck. It was soothing and it made her feel safe - wanted.
But she wasn't a fool. She knew that Sky wasn't completely devoted to her - that he still had lingering feelings for Christine. And while she normally had the policy of steering clear of men who didn't want to be only with her, somehow she couldn't help but make an exception for Sky. There was just something different about him - the way he smiled at her and the way he treated her so respectfully. It was a wonderful change of pace from the males she had seemed to be attracting as of late - the ones who thought that it was okay to gawk and attempt to fondle her. Sky was nothing like those guys; and because of that fact, she was willing to give him a bit more time to decide if he could truly see himself with her than she would give to the normal, run of the mill, guy. And so far, she was pleased with the way things were going. Sky had asked her out on this date, after all, and even though the idea of doubling with Christine had seemed strange to her, he had done a rather good job at convincing her that all parties were for it.
The wind picking up slightly, Alice absently smoothed her dress as her thoughts continued down the path they had been on before the interruption. With a small smile, Alice knew that if her wish was granted, by the end of the night she would have the proof she needed to pursue a deeper relationship with Sky. If he wasn't fazed by Christine's presence, she would know that he was ready to be with someone else - to be with her. Truth be told, the idea thrilled her. She had always wanted someone like Sky in her life, and now she was on the verge of getting her wish.
As they rounded the corner, Alice looked up at Sky's smiling face before returning the simple gesture. Not one to be easily embarrassed, she steadily held his gaze even as he softly whispered his compliment. Remaining silent, Alice only smiled again as she placed her hand over his own that he had rested on her waist, giving it a light, affectionate squeeze.
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Aug 11, 2006 7:22:30 GMT -5
Ambrose showed up a moment later and wrapped an arm around Christine's waist, nuzzling her neck. He only stopped when she moved in his arms, drawing, pulling herself away. It wasn't that she didn't like the gesture, or like him, it was just... it didn't feel right. In her mind, the wrong person was doing it. It just wasn't Sky - not that Sky had ever held her like Ambrose was holding her, or nuzzled her neck, but it just wasn't Sky. There was no other explanation.
She had to forcibly remind herself that Sky was over her and that she should be the same - over him. But she just couldn't - not when her heart still beat a mile a minute when he looked her way. Not when she knew her love had broken the curse that had be laid upon his family. Not when she was always there in the background, silently supporting him through everything.
A lump caught in her throat when she saw Sky approach with Alice and she looked away. It was too late to feign sickness. Besides, Sky would know, he always did when she pretended to be something she wasn't.
She cleared her throat. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming," she said, her voice catching for a moment.
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Post by Alice on Aug 11, 2006 12:06:20 GMT -5
First casting Christine an apologetic smile, Alice then replied with a smile as she glanced up at Sky, laughter clearly evident in her eyes, "I'm afraid that that is my fault; you see, I was running late as it was and of course, as I was hurrying down the stairs to meet Sky in the front hall, the heel of one of my shoes just snapped off." Wryly, she added, "Let's just say, that was one time when I didn't manage to pull off a 'graceful entrance.'"
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Post by Sky on Aug 11, 2006 12:18:51 GMT -5
Chuckling along with Alice, Sky nodded as he said, "For a while there, I thought we were going to have to cancel on you because goodness, when I saw Al tumbling down the stairs, I said to myself, 'There's absolutely no way that she didn't twist her ankle.'" Glancing down at Alice, he added, "But she's a trooper and so here we are."
As he laughed along with the others, Sky mentally sighed. He had almost gotten his hands on a excuse that would allow him to cancel their dinner plans - had almost had a way out of this madness. But life hated him and so of course that opportunity would be dangled in front of his nose only to be snatched away moments later -
Abruptly cutting off that train of thought, Sky reddened. He had to be some kind of jerk to think something like that; here he was actually thinking to himself that he wished that Alice had been seriously injured. And why? Just because he didn't have it in him to see Christine with other guys. No, that couldn't just be it . . . he also didn't have it in him anymore to flaunt another girl in her face. He would have to be a complete idiot to think that Christine had absolutely no feelings for him anymore and so, what he was doing to her was wrong . . . but maybe he was flattering himself. Maybe she really was okay with this and he was making too big a deal out of everything. With a mental sigh, Sky accepted that soon enough he would get the answers he was looking for. If things went well, if Christine focused on Ambrose and he focused on Alice and no brawls ensued, it would be finalized that both of them had moved on. That whatever had previously transpired between them was over. Forever. He would finally get the closure that he had been seeking for so long.
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Aug 11, 2006 12:26:06 GMT -5
Christine's makeup stood out against her pale skin, making her look almost like the China Doll she had been nicknamed by several of the other students. Maybe, just maybe, Sky would notice how pale she was, think she was sick and let her escape, because there was no way she could handle this dinner. Not seeing how happy Sky looked with Alice draped on his arm - something she wished she was. She envied Alice her position and she hated herself for that.
Ambrose subtly shifted her closer, hinting that she was his - until she shifted back out of his arms and gave him a warning glare not to get that friendly. He clenched his teeth, the girl still had a bit too much fire in her, he liked it when she was subdued. Well, she was his, hopefully, by the end of the night.
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Post by Sky on Aug 11, 2006 12:41:43 GMT -5
Watching Ambrose scoot closer to Christine, Sky's eyes narrowed slightly before he caught himself. Forcing himself to smile pleasantly instead, Sky opened the door to the restaurant and waited as everyone filed in. After Alice had slipped inside, Sky followed suit and for a moment, with everyone's backs to him, he allowed his guard to slip and as they walked to their reserved table, he mentally shot daggers at Ambrose. The guy was scum. It was blatantly clear that he wasn't interested in anything about Christine beyond her looks. Yes, that was it, Sky rationalized to himself. That was why his thoughts kept drifting to Chris; he was worried about her. Because even if they weren't involved, he still cared about her - like a sister, he quickly added to himself. Had she picked a date who was an actual gentleman, someone who actually cared about her, he would have been fine with it. Or so he told himself.
Finally seating himself at the table, Sky mentally reminded himself that even though he really didn't like this Ambrose fellow, he had to be on his best behavior. No snide comments. No cold stares. No nothing but politeness. And so, as they waited for the waiter to come to their table, Sky turned to Ambrose and asked without any trace of ill will, "It's been a long time since we last saw each other; how have you been?"
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Aug 11, 2006 12:46:08 GMT -5
Christine's eyes were focused on everything but the group - if they didn't see her eyes, they wouldn't see the hurt, the sadness, the pain this date was bringing her. She'd be happy - for Sky.
"All right. Been busy helping my family," he said, calmly. Mentally he wondered how Chris talked him into this.
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Post by Sky on Aug 11, 2006 12:53:21 GMT -5
"Good, good - glad to hear it," Sky said as he forced himself to keep smiling, even as his face felt like it was on the verge of cracking. All he knew was that so as long as he kept a smile on his face, no one could accuse him of being sullen or opposed to the date.
Not sure what else to say to Ambrose, Sky hesitated for a moment before he breathed a silent sigh of relief as the waiter made his way over to their table. The man, bowing slightly, smiled as he said, "Good evening, ladies, gentlemen; my name is Frederick and I will be your waiter tonight." Gesturing at the menu, he asked, "Will you require more time before ordering or are you ready now?"
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Aug 11, 2006 12:56:18 GMT -5
Christine gave Frederick the faintest of smiles as she looked up at him. "What do you recommend?" she asked politely.Rather then guess at what was good, she rather hear what the waiter recommended and then choose from the options.
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Post by Sky on Aug 11, 2006 19:24:16 GMT -5
"To begin with, I would recommend that you start with one of our famous soups; fortunately, we have a rather wide variety from which you can choose so that you are certain to find something to your liking," Frederick began with a smile. "If simplicity is what you are after, you cannot go wrong with our cream soups - it comes in either cream of mushroom, asparagus, potato, or tomato. However, if you desire something more fancy, the vegetable and watercress soup would be the perfect choice." Continuing on in an authoritative tone, Frederick said, "As for the main course, there is an even greater selection from which to choose but to save time, I will just say that virtually everyone loves our pasta alfredo, sweet potato ravioli, as well as our . . ."
Barely listening to Frederick's enumeration of the restaurant's most favored dishes, Sky cast his gaze slowly around the large dining area. Though the lights were dim, which created a warm, intimate atmosphere, Sky could clearly see the other guests. As his eyes landed on a couple a few tables away, their heads bent close together, each visibly hanging on to the other's words, Sky's heart twisted painfully. They made it look so easy - as though love was the last thing that could ever cause a heart to break. So why couldn't it be that way for him? Why did everything in his life have to be so difficult?
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Aug 11, 2006 21:38:02 GMT -5
Christine offered Frederick another faint smile. "I think I'll try the last soup you suggested and the pasta alfredo. Is there a wine you recommend to go with it?" she asked quietly. Her eyes shifted from the waiter to Sky and Alice and her heart twisted painfully in her chest. Somehow, her appetite had just left her but she'd go through the motions of eating.
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Post by Sky on Aug 11, 2006 21:54:25 GMT -5
Frederick nodded as he replied, "Of course, madam. I believe a Viognier wine would compliment your selections perfectly." Taking a moment to write down Christine's order, he then turned to the others and asked, "And for you all?"
Watching Alice continue to scan the menu, Sky turned to Ambrose and said courteously, "Please, go ahead and order next. I think Alice and I need a bit more time."
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Aug 11, 2006 21:59:40 GMT -5
Ambrose nodded and ordered the same thing as Christine. When in doubt - order the same thing as your date. Besides, his date had such impeccable taste - she was with him, after all.
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