Variations on a Theme [Closed] - Printable Version
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RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - megs - 04-17-2017
She’d been focusing on the papers he had moved to the side. Tracing the hand written notes on the paper with her eyes; it’s what he had been working on when she had walked up. She wondered if the sheet music was for business or pleasure. She wondered what the notes would sound like when put together. Questions for another time, pushed away from the forefront of her mind by the feeling of his finger on her chin. A light touch, but heavy with the insistence that she look at him. Green eyes rolled upwards to settle on grey ones, breath catching as she tilted her head to follow. Julianna had always had a hard time looking at people, especially when she was speaking to them. When she was younger, she had become very good at tricking people into thinking she was looking at them, eyes always a few millimeters to the left of their gaze, but now as an adult, she didn’t bother. Even though the habit was more frowned upon as she got older. Julianna spent a lot of time looking at her shoes, or whatever was in her hands, but it was different with Owen. She found that she wanted to look at him. Most especially because he also seemed to want her too.
When he pulled away she felt the absence of that soft touch, and found herself immediately wanting more of it.
“Okay,” she agreed easily, smiling as she unfolded her arms and leaned back in the chair. She attempted to push a coil of hair behind her ear. “That sounds nice,” she continued as the unruly lock sprung free. She dropped her hands instead of trying a second time. “I don’t mind dives. That’s usually where all the best stuff is.”
A bell above the door heralded the entrance of another patron. Julianna didn’t turn to see who it was, and she missed her own twin coming into the building. The twins looked mostly alike, as much as fraternal twins could when one was male and one was female and the former was much larger than the other. They had same bright green eyes and dark hair, though Elliot’s curls were cropped short and styled into a perfect sweeping undercut that had somehow managed to survive the humidity left from the rain. Elliot scanned the room quickly, as he pushed up his sleeves and adjusted the strap of the bag that fell across his chest. The collar of a black button down peeked out above them hem of his blue sweater. For a moment, he lifted his hand to grab Julianna’s attention, but it quickly dropped to his side as he noticed she was with someone. It fell against the pocket of his jeans with a dull thump and he crossed the dining area, quickly and quietly until he met Eden and Maeve at the bakery counter. He leaned against it, to speak with them in confidence.
“Uhm...who is that with my sister?” he asked, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder at them.
Maeve huffed and shooed Elliot away from the counter, frowning at the hand prints that had been left on the glass. “We don’t know,” she replied, agitated. "That's the problem."
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - saronym - 04-17-2017
“Yeah.” Owen lazily agreed with her generalization about dives. He was looking at her in a way that might be described by people as “some type of way.” His tongue darted over his lower lip, before a sly half smile curved his lips upwards. He was almost laughing at her, almost. The way her hair didn’t seem to obey. She tucked it in place and it immediately sprang forth regardless of her wants.A mind of it’s own.
That wouldn’t stop him from trying to help her. He leaned forward across the table to reach her. Index and middle fingers pushed at that same curl, tucking it with a gentle insistence behind the curve of her ear.
“I find the best stuff at weird places. Dives...payphones..” His fingers ran down the length of that one particular lock of hair while he spoke. She had that kind of thick, wild hair his fingers could get stuck in. They wouldn’t just run right through. He could really bury his hands in it. Made kissing and sex more fun, hair like that. His mind was skipping far ahead rushing along to where he wanted to be with her.
He pushed his mind back to the present. The sexually charged present. He enjoyed that kind of thrill just as much as he would the conclusion he was imagining.
The building tension. The ebb and flow. The question that hung in the air between them. Just like a music score. It was all about creating that moment of tension. Really leaning into it before finally releasing it. Without enough emphasis, play, teasing, the conclusion would feel cheap. Rushed.
As soon as his fingers trailed away, the hairs were threatening to spring free again. In the quiet he let settle between them, he petted the hairs back down with the same motion as before. His fingers brushing along the soft skin of her ear and just behind the ear when he did so. Twice more and the hair stayed for the moment and his hand fell back to the table.
“Would it be unreasonable to collect you around say 8 or 9?” He pointed through the window at the motorcycle parked out front. It was black with burnt umber toned accents. “Fair warning. That’s my ride. So if you’re uncomfortable with riding on motorcycles, we can meet there.”
Owen like Julianna ignored the chiming bell signaling the entrance of another customer into the shop. Though to be fair, Owen wasn’t the proprietor so he wasn’t already predisposed to being interested in who came and went.
Eden, however, was attuned to the bell and had noted the entrance of Julianna’s twin brother. She watched from where she was stationed next to Maeve as Julianna failed to notice her own brother enter the establishment. Eden self-consciously raked her fingers through the tail end of a sloppy braid her hair was fastened in. For people with hair that actually responded to weather, there wasn’t much reason to bother when it rained. Except, of course, when the hot brother came for a visit. Then there was reason to bother. But it was too late now. Nonetheless, she tried to set her appearance right. She adjusted the Dolce t-shirt over her shoulders. She turned away sort of ducked behind Maeve for a moment to pull her tits up higher in her bra and get them in better order. Should have worn a push-up. She quickly removed and discarded the apron beneath the counter and whirled around again.
Eden crowded near Maeve to take part in the gossip with Elliot. “She met him once before. On the street.” She added confidentially, making it sound even more scandalous. She pursed her lips at Elliot and played with the end of her braid in a sassy manner.
Her eyes widened suddenly and she gasped dramatically behind her own hand when Owen reached for Julianna’s hair. That was intimate. Too intimate. And it kept going on. She started pointing almost wildly at the display going on behind Elliot’s back before she forced her hand to her side lest Julianna or her new beau notice.
She nudged at Maeve again, “Some talking to you gave her.” She reached over the counter and pushed playfully at Elliot's chest. "Maybe you should go over there. You're her brother." Nearly the same line she'd used on Maeve. It seemed Eden enjoyed stoking the fire more than she really cared to set anything straight.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - megs - 04-17-2017
Julianna watched the way he was amused by her. Now that she was looking at him, she was finding it difficult to stop. A soft expression on his features that she was being drawn into. Something in his eyes, something in his smile. She didn’t know. She just knew she liked it. The best stuff, he’d said. The idea that he could have been talking about her drew forth another giggle.
She leaned back when he reached for her, about an inch, because she didn’t know the path of his hand. People didn’t touch her hair. They would comment on it and admire it from a distance, but it was too thick, too unruly for anyone to want to risk putting their hands on it. That didn’t stop him. She was blushing as he attempted to situate that curl behind her ear as she had, just as unsuccessfully on first pass. When his fingers curved around the edge of her ear her mind went blank, the rest of the room fell away around her. The kitchen could have caught on fire at that very moment and she would have been too lost to notice.
The repeated motion of his fingers trying to command her hair almost felt like petting. She wanted to lean into it. Close her eyes and encourage the continuation of that soft touch paired with his positive attention. Instead, she watched him until he pulled away and directed her attention to the motorcycle parked outside. “Nine would be better,” she admitted. The shop closed at seven and she wanted to have time to get ready afterwards.
“I’m not uncomfortable,” she half-lied, only because she had never been on a motorcycle and couldn’t know for sure. The idea didn’t immediately put her off, so she assumed she would be fine. Lips parted as she almost suggested that she would text him her address, but all at once she remembered the excessive penthouse apartment that would be difficult to explain on a coffee shop owner’s salary.
It wasn’t that she didn’t plan on telling him that she was married. She just didn’t plan on doing it right now.
“We can still meet here,” she suggested and that lock of hair broke free from her ear. “I live downtown,” she explained vaguely. “And the traffic is ridiculous. Easier that way.”
Elliot smiled at Eden when she appeared next to Maeve, he’d not noticed her primping behind the blonde, but was clearly pleased to see her now. Tidy rows of teeth on full display as he put on his best and most charming smile. He quickly looked her over, still finding her crazy attractive even in the boring Dolce uniform. He went to greet her, but was cut off by her claims that his sister was talking to a stranger she met on the street. Brow furrowed in concern, smile fading as his lips pressed into a line. “She did?” he questioned, but not really for confirmation. He turned at Eden’s wild pointing to also witness the display. Elliot continued frowning. He was quickly swept up in the same drama as everyone else: his very married sister entertaining flirtations from her very-not husband.
Maeve pulled away when Eden nudged her. “I did my best!” she exhaled. Louder than she had intended, because she was very finished with feeling like she was somehow in charge of another adult woman. Elliot laughed when Eden pushed him and the combining sounds were enough to finally capture Julianna’s attention.
She blinked out of her almost trance-like reverie and turned her head to the trio standing near the pastries. She cocked her head at them, before frowning at them. Not because she suspected them of gossiping about her, but because two of them were supposed to be working she presumed. “I have to go,” she explained, turning to look at Owen once more. “I’ll text you,” she offered with a smile before pushing back the chair and standing, joining up with the group and trying to snap the girls into something resembling order before she greeted her brother.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - saronym - 04-20-2017
Owen had taken back to drumming lightly on the table with his index fingers. An upbeat and polyrhythmic sort of groove demanded outlet. It never occurred to Owen that anyone would find his need to drum annoying but he nodded indicating he was following along while she spoke. He ran his tongue over the top of his teeth,“Sure. Nine it is then,” with a small flair at the end of the beat he punctuated the end of their agreement to meet later.
“Text me, yeah.” He said distractedly, replacing his headphones over his ears as she got up from the table.
Eden indicated with her eyes flicking just to the left of Elliot’s shoulder that Julianna was approaching and they should hush with their gossiping antics. She made a quick dash for her apron and tied it sloppily around her waist to have appeared to been working when, in fact, it was quite obvious she and Maeve had not been.
"Here she comes." She whispered, "Ask her yourself, Eli." Eden drew out his name with extra emphasis on the long 'I' at the end as if to taunt him.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - megs - 04-21-2017
"Wait- I don’t think-” Elliot floundered as Maeve and Eden walked off to go about their duties at Julianna’s insistence. He signed sharply through his nose, unsure of how to breech the gossipy topic they wanted him to get more details on. When the smaller twin was close enough, Eli slung an arm around her neck and brought her against his chest in a crushing hug. Julianna pawed and struggled against him, but he didn’t let her go. “Elliot,” she complained, words muffled against his sweater. She managed to free her face, lifting it upwards so she could at the very least breathe. “What do you want?”
“A venti soy milk double java chip frappe with extra caramel sauce,” he replied without missing a beat, his firm grip on her forced Julianna to follow him as he walked to the other end of the counter which was fitted with the small swinging door that allowed employees to come and go.
“I hate making those,” she reminded him as he released her. She adjusted her apron and bumped the door open with her hip. “Soy milk doesn't whip,” she continued, pushing her hair on top of her head and securing it into a messy bun. “It's not even a frappe. It's just-” she waved her hands around, trying to think of something insulting to call Elliot's preferred beverage before lowering them into the sink to be washed. “I don't know. It's a mess.”
Elliot shrugged his shoulders, his own hands disappearing into his pockets as he made a very obvious and sweeping gesture with his eyes to where Harrison was leaned over the order counter doing something on his phone. Turning around, Julianna followed Eli’s gaze and sighed.
“Harrison. I need a venti java chip. Soy milk. Two shots espresso and caramel sauce.”
Julianna glanced at the clock on the register. “You have like seven minutes before I get really busy,” she informed Elliot, so he leaned close, to speak with her quietly.
“Who's that guy you were talking to?”
She looked over Elliot’s shoulder to Owen, still seated at the table by the window. “That's Owen. He's a friend.”
“Eden said you met him on the street?”
She frowned. “Eden made me sound like a prostitute?”
Elliot now mirrored her expression. “No.”
“I met him at a pay phone, my cell died and he let me have some quarters. Then he showed up here randomly and we've been talking.” She shrugged.
“You seem pretty close for having just met him?”
"Oh?” She feigned ignorance, because she certainly felt close to him already. Inexplicably so. There was something warm and easy and familiar about his company. Pushing her hair back as if they were old friends. “A lot of touching.”
“Oh.”
Elliot removed his hands from his pockets to accept his abomination of a drink from Harrison. The mocha colored liquid was already mostly slush, chocolate chips had sunk to the bottom, caramel sauce weighed down a heap of whipped cream. “Is there...something going on between you?”
Julianna exhaled a nervous chuckle from her nose. “No.” She looked at the clock again. “You have two minutes.”
Elliot sipped at his drink and rolled his eyes. “How’s Jean?” he pressed.
“Fine, I assume. He's in Prague.”
Her twin hummed in understanding, and the deepening frown on her face had him resistant to ask any more questions. Elliot called his goodbyes to Maeve and Eden, lamenting his return to work before he made an exit from Dolce, just in time for the post-lunch rush.
The shop was busy for the rest of the afternoon and well into closing time. Several groups of students from the nearby university had crammed themselves in, to finish what sounded like an important project with a very close deadline, and that said nothing for the constant stream of patrons that continued to come and go. It was already 7:45 by the time Maeve was able to get them all kicked out so they could start cleaning. It was already 8:00 when Julianna made it to her office to start the closing count and paperwork.
She checked her phone first. Somewhere around 5 she had been able to send Owen a text that she was looking forward to tonight.
No pictures, or anything for that matter, from Jean.
She would have no time to go home and change before Owen would be returning to Dolce to pick her up. She sighed, and started her count over again, because she'd lost track of her five dollar bills.
At 8:50, Julianna locked the door and stood outside the entrance to her shop. She'd let her hair back down, and freshened up her makeup in the bathroom mirror. She had forgotten to hang the blouse she had worn that morning, so it had still been a damp mess when she had gone to change back into it. A clean Dolce t-shirt, a zip-up hoodie she had found stashed in the office. Jeans. Converse. She looked down at the rubber soles of her shoes and frowned.
Great.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - saronym - 04-23-2017
Once Julianna left his table, Owen found himself able to get immersed in the work he came to do at the shop. He ordered a second coffee at some point in the afternoon from the woman who had bussed his table earlier that morning. She’d served him again with the same funny look in her eyes. As if he was a curiosity.Her looks didn’t bother him. Perhaps she’d learned of his date with her boss. Certainly reason to give him searching looks. Besides, he liked the attention.
Whether Julianna came and went from the room he didn't notice. It was easy for him to lose sense of the world around him when he focused. The flow state some people called it. When finished with the work that required him to have internet access, he closed up laptop and packed up for home. Owen left the shop without saying goodbye to Julianna, wherever she was.
They’d see each other later. He didn’t need to be clingy.
At home he piddled around the theatre doing some light work. He changed his bedsheets for one. Not that he was necessarily expecting Julianna to come home with him. But he hoped she would and knew women appreciated clean sheets. He cleaned himself up, also. Even showered and put some product in his hair and put on a touch of cologne. Just a hint of something fresh. He kept the same outfit but traded the graphic-t for a plain navy blue button down.
Julianna had sent him a text message, really for the purposes of confirming her intention to go on a date with him. He replied back a simple ‘ditto. see ya later.’
Owen returned to the coffee shop at five till nine. Punctual without seeming to eager. But she was already waiting outside for him. He pulled up alongside the curb and walked the bike in front of where she waited for him. He thought she looked rather fetching dressed down with her hair around her shoulders. Converse shoes were perfect for riding and would fit in well at the bar. He took off his helmet to let it rest against his thigh, before patting the seat behind him.
“Ready?” He called over the motor. The vibrating engine transferred to his hands clad in leather riding gloves.
When she approached he shook his head, “Man I was hoping you’d wear a tiny little skirt. But those jeans look nice.” He smiled charmingly at her.
“There’s a second helmet in the saddle bag there.” He nodded to the leather bag on the left rear. “Throw your leg over the back and mind the exhaust.” He waited for her to get settled. “Hold on around my waist. I’ll lean to go around turns with this thing. Just relax and move with me, but not too much or we’ll tip over.” He laughed and it was muffled when he replaced the helmet over his head.
When she seemed settled he took off at a slow pace, doing a few turns around the parking lot to get her acclimated to the way it would feel on the road. It wasn’t much of a ride to the district where the jazz club was. It was a part of town that had been vibrant probably thirty years prior, but had been neglected when the downtown area started blossoming.
There were several empty storefronts, some businesses that looked like they were barely hanging on, the occasional pub, and art galleries shared by visual art students at the university. Owen pulled into a neglected parking lot and killed the engine. Once the motorcycle was off, the sound of drums and bass reached them. He waited for Julianna to dismount before he did.
“I’m taking you to the loudest jazz club on the block.” He explained before offering her his hand. Owen led her to a run down looking storefront from which the sounds of music seemed to be emanating. It read Trading Post in faded letters on the outside of the glass door and appeared to have been an old convenience store. The inside had been fixed up with instruments hanging on the walls underneath which little plaques explained who they had belonged to and their history. Towards the back, a stairwell leading down was cordoned off in old-fashioned looking red velvet ropes. A woman dressed-up in black dress and too much black eyeliner took money for the cover while chain smoking. Owen paid in cash and led Julianna down a gloomy stair well.
Each step the sound of music and voices became louder until they were down a couple of floors underground in a murky jazz club with a fog of cigar smoke overhead. Owen kept hold of Julianna’s hand as he led her through the crowd. The place was crowded with an assortment of people. Anyone in could really fit in the scene. Obvious student hipsters, couples engrossed in dates, sharp looking business types who looked straight from the office, a trio of three in paint stained blue jumpsuits, an old lady swaying at the front near the band. The floor crunched underneath with the discarded shells of peanuts and pistachios.
Owen kept his head high seeming to look for something over the heads of the crowd. He leaned down to speak into Julianna’s ear at a shout which was necessary given the noise. If the music wasn't loud enough, people shouted over it to speak, and during solos the crowed hooted and clapped their approval adding to the din.
“We’ll have to steal a seat when someone gets up -” Suddenly, his free hand jerked in the direction of a booth a woman and man were abandoning. “Quick, grab that.” He pulled Julianna ahead of him and pushed at her lower back directing her towards the soon to be empty booth. “I’ll get us some drinks. Run!” He laughed at his own urgency in securing the seat and shoved her again playfully for good measure.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - megs - 05-07-2017
Julianna forgot all about being disappointed in her lackluster outfit when she heard the rumble of an approaching motorcycle. She was already smiling by the time Owen idle up next to her on the sidewalk. She approached and nodded eagerly when he inquired to her readiness, even though she didn’t know if she was. A bit nervous about her first time on a bike, but she didn’t show it. “I would have worn a cute skirt if I had ever made it home in time to change,” she explained as she retrieved the helmet and decided the saddlebag would be a good spot of her purse. For a moment she considered the helmet, as he instructed her. She turned it over in her hands, because she had a lot of hair, and she wasn’t sure what to do with it. A quick ponytail seemed good enough, so she did that and pulled the helmet down over her head. It was very snug. Her giggles were muffled as she mounted the bike and settled in behind him. She held his waist tentatively at first, but quickly transitioned into wrapping her arms around him when they started to move. Her laughter was breathy and exhilarated, but the sound was lost between the helmet, the bike and the wind.
“That was so much fun,” she gushed as she pulled the helmet off her head when they’d reached their destination. She stashed the helmet away again and grabbed her purse. Grinning, she took his hand and let him lead her away. Her grip on his hand tightened when they entered the club. She was small and overwhelmed by the crowd and the noise. Which was not to say she wasn’t enjoying herself. It had been too long since she had been taken out to have a good time.
She squealed in delight when she was suddenly pulled in another direction, she’d been looking off and towards the band when he used his hold on her to steer her towards a table that was freeing up. She was laughing as she released him to scurry off and into the crowd. She threw her purse into one side of the booth, and fell in after it, securing the table for them. While she waited for Owen, she propped herself up on her knees in the seat so she could send a Snapchat to Maeve; a quick recording of the crowd and the music, a brief glimpse of her smiling face before the timer ran out.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - saronym - 05-13-2017
Owen returned to the table carrying in either hand a flight of wine to taste. Little cups rested in holes cut out of what was essentially a paddle. He held them up high over the crow so as to not run into anyone with them. Between his lips and teeth he gripped a bowl filled with pistachios.He set each flight of wine down on the table before relieving his mouth of the bowl and slid in next to her.
He kept sliding, pushing her over and over around the rounded booth until they both had a good place to see the band and crowd. He put his arm around her shoulders and leaned close. He tucked unruly curls behind the ear closest to him. “I’m glad you came out with me.” He said against her ear with a smile on his lips.
When he was close like that he could smell lingering the scent of coffee and baked goods in her hair. He leaned a little bit away to point at what he’d brought for them.
“That one is dessert wines. That one isssss…” he trailed off frowning as he tried to remember what he purchased, “uhm, well that one is, I guess, we will find out. Maybe it's red blends?”
He shrugged and picked up a pistachio and cracked it out of the thin white shell. He tossed the shells to the floor and popped tossed the green nut into his mouth. It joined a host of nut shells under the table. Apparently it was the custom there.
He chose a wine taster at seemingly random from the mystery flight. The dark red liquid sloshed inside as he presented it to her for a toast.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - megs - 05-15-2017
Jules turned and flopped down into the booth with Owen returned, tucking her phone away before incoming angry texts from Maeve could ruin her good mood. J didn’t know why she insisted on teasing the woman, when the both knew Maeve was right: Julianna was misbehaving. Purse in one hand, she slid around the booth at the insistence of Owen’s body against hers. It was playful, and cute and she found herself giggling until they settled with a perfect view of the venue. Owen’s fingers against her hair drew her attention, she still wasn’t used to the unabashed way he handled the wild locks. She leaned into him to hear the words over the noise of the bar, before turning to look at him. His face was close to hers, and she was smiling, for once she was eye level with him. She could see the flecks of gold that mingled with the storming grey of his eyes, there was a semi-circle blue close to the iris. “I’m glad you invited me,” she admitted, briefly looking down as she fingered her hair.
Leaning into him as he explained the selection, she enjoyed the feeling of a warm body cuddled close next to her. Her jet-setting husband would have never taken her to such and noisy and wild place, if he’d bother to stay long enough to take her anyway. She wasn’t sure if she needed wine, already drunk on the positive affection of a handsome man.
Choosing one of the dessert wines, she tapped her glass against his before taking a small sip. She hummed her appreciation. She certainly wasn’t an expert on wine, but it was good. White, lightly sweet with an almost floral flavor.
There wasn’t much talking to be had over the ebullient display. The setting wasn’t small, but the excitement almost seemed too much for it to contain. The lively and exuberant sounds of jazz only encouraged the uproar. Julianna loved everything about it. They could probably talk later, for now she was content to sip wine and lean against him.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - saronym - 05-16-2017
Owen could tell she was really studying his eyes. He liked the deep way she stared into his gaze. She didn’t shy away from that eye contact for the moment. The world sort of just faded away and it was just green eyes and grey eyes mingling. He sort of felt like kissing her already with their faces close like that but he didn’t want to come off as too eager, as if the intention of the night was purely physical. Sure, he had physical ideas for the conclusion of their evening. He, however, would also be perfectly content to play with her hair and drink a little wine and hear some music.
That would be enough, too.
They clinked glasses and each tried their drinks as the current jam came to an end. The main singer, a man dressed in purple slacks held up with suspenders directed the crowd that had gathered in front of the stage to clear out so that dancing could begin in the area.
Owen raised his eyebrows at Julianna, he nudged her with his shoulder. “Do you dance?” He asked in her ear again. Her hair had fallen back into place and he left it but spoke to her through the strands. His lips brushed curls before he backed away from her to gauge her openness to the idea.
“I’m not too bad. Dancing is super sexist. Luckily for you all you have to do is follow.” He winked at his stupid joke.
He took her hand, apparently he wasn’t intending to accept a ‘no’ on the dance. The band went through the motions of returning the instruments and noodled around a bit playing their own rifts while the crowd resituated themselves.
Owen threw his leather jacket down on their table to signify to any other patrons who had funny ideas that the table was taken. The band had quieted down and the song began. Couples began claiming places on the dance floor before the band. Owen pulled Julianna by her hand onto the floor and whipped around scooping her against him with one hand around her back.
Once he had her in his arms, he placed his hand in the correct spot just below her shoulder blade, opening up a little bit of space between them. He cupped her hand. Taking a second to internalize the beat, Owen then took off, leading her through some basic swing steps. Once he knew she wouldn’t get too lost he planned to do some fancier moves with her. He gave her an initial warning, lifting his arm and smiling at her before he gave a little push to turn her under his arm and pulled her back against him.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - megs - 05-21-2017
Julianna blinked back at him, pretending to be jostled when he nudged at her. There was no proper answer to his question. She danced in the sense that sometimes she jammed around the apartment when a particularly good song came on, but she didn’t think that’s what he was asking. “Uhm…”
It wasn’t an answer, but Owen didn’t seem to need one. He was taking her by the hand and pulling her from the booth, saying how lucky she was. She felt pretty lucky, in that moment, but not because dancing was kind of sexist. Julianna was pretty sure she was the luckiest girl in the room, to be out, on a date, with him. At no point in the evening had she felt guilt for being a married woman who was out on a date with another man. Which she should have registered as a hint, but she trying not to think about it, and enjoy the moment.
She was all smiles and giggles as he led her onto the dance floor. The grin was a permanent fixture on her features, as he led her through the music. She was nervous at first, but the steps were simple and she apparently had a good teacher. Another peal of laughter as he spun her outwards, a tug on her hand bringing her back against him. Now, she really wished she’d worn a cute skirt. Her hair would serve as a decent replacement for now, the wild curls were a bouncy mess as they danced.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - saronym - 05-24-2017
Her smiles were infectious. He kept his eyes on her communicating with a multitude of nonverbal cues as to what moves were coming next. The chemistry they obviously shared was easily conveyed into their dancing and radiated outwards. There were several other pairs dancing together but people had made room for them. Owen loved the movements of her hair around her face and shoulders. He spun her and dipped her purposefully to watch her hair flare out or spill together during the moves.
The song came to a close and as the band wound down the number, Owen pulled Julianna against him. He released her long enough to clap his appreciation for the band. The lights in the bar turned lower as the band began a ballad. Owen had Julianna by the hand and was leading her from the dance floor but stopped when he heard the music go soft. He turned and scooped her around the waist, pulling her tight against him. Apparently they would be dancing another.
During the ballad, he held her close to him. One hand wrapped around and flared out at the small of her back. The other held her hand. He rested his chin against her forehead while they danced enjoying the flow of music expressed through the movements of their body. When the song was over, Owen again clapped for the band behind her back and then led her back to the table.
He slid into the booth next to her and slung his arm easily around her shoulders. It felt to him that a sort of barrier had been broken by dancing. That he could touch her more freely now.
Owen lifted a glass of wine to his lips, “So what do you think?” He asked over the band announcing their break.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - megs - 05-29-2017
Julianna joined in the applause, swept up in the energy of the crown and the dance they had shared. Nothing could dim the bright smile on her features. Especially not when he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back towards the dance floor. Her eyes fell closed and she sighed, contently, as she draped her hand over his shoulder. The moved slowly and she focused on the feeling of his hand in her, and at the small of her back. The gentle pressure of his chin against her head. It didn’t even occur to her the last time she had danced with someone this way had been at her wedding four years ago.
As far as Julianna was concerned, the song hadn’t been long enough. She wanted to keep being held by him this way, bodies pressed together as they moved slowly across the dance floor. When they were back in the booth, she leaned against him and the arm he put around her shoulders. They touched more freely now, that last bit of hesitation between them having dissolved. She let one of her hand rest on his leg and used the other to sip at one of the various wines they still had on the table.
“I think this place is amazing,” she replied, looking away from him to glance around the venue. She turned back to him, green eyes on those irresistible grey ones. “And I think you’re very charming.” She paused and took another sip of wine. “And I think I might be having an wonderful time with you.”
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - saronym - 05-30-2017
Owen gave her his most charming smile when she complimented him as such. Proof of her good judge in character. A swelling of pride came over him when she granted the information that she was having a good time. The fingers of the arm draped around her shoulder had started playing with the hairs that brushed his hand. Wrapping his finger around and around her curls before letting it spring off his finger. And the process repeated.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” His smile turned to something softer, almost sentimental. “I am too.”
The moment presented itself to him as opportune for a test kiss. Having shared a drink and a couple of dances, any shy hesitation to touch had melted away and now with their closeness in the intimate setting of their booth. The moment was ideal. His fingers moved out of her hair to touch at her jaw, tilting her face upwards at the right angle to kiss. He leaned and captured her lips with his. Just an experimental kiss. Just a taste before he backed away to see if the gesture had been well received.
Owen picked up one of the testers of red wine, he sniffed at it, and looked surprised. “The bouquet on this one, though.” He offered it to her for a sniff and then laughed. “I admit I know nothing about wine. I know about music, but I’d hoped pairing it all with wine would impress upon you how sophisticated I am.” He laughed again before taking a sip of the wine that smelled so good.
“Usually I get a bottle of whatever is cheapest.” He shrugged. “If there’s something you like, let me know, we can get a bottle maybe?” He eyed her trying to convey that the invitation to share a bottle of wine kind of came with a subtle second invitation to share it somewhere more private.
"I live around here and there's a park down the street with a little pond. It's kind of nice to sit by and drink." Hint, hint.
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - megs - 06-24-2017
It’d be foolish to say that Julianna had not been expecting that little kiss, because as it were the moment was indeed ideal. The closeness of their conversation, that little touch to her jaw that lifted her mouth to meet his. The softness of his lips on hers was enough to send a shock of excitement through her. He pulled away and she wanted more, but she found herself smiling shyly up at him instead. A slight tint to her cheeks as she leaned into the fingers still resting ever so slightly against her face. She laughed with him, shifting a bit and cuddling more firmly against him and the arm he still had around her shoulders. She picked up one of the samples and finished it off. Something red and dry, she didn’t care for it as much as the others. “I don’t really know anything about wine, either,” she admitted. “I could tell you all about coffee though.” She giggled a little as the hand closer to him slipped under the table to rest on his thigh.
“I’m still very impressed.”
Julianna hummed and turned her attention to seek out the sweet, white wine she’d been fond of. “I liked this one,” she announced, singling out the little cup from the selection of them on their table. “I wouldn’t mind going somewhere quiet,” she picked up on his invitation and slipped in a hint towards her own preference. “Just the two of us.”