Pennies and Dimes (Ben/Claudia, PG)
Pennies and Dimes
Ben/Claudia
PG
#blamejo
It's not a coincidence, not really.
It won't take Ben long to put it together - how much of a coincidence it isn't. He'll realize that Claudia knows the kind of places he likes. He'll realize that this is much nearer to his home than hers. That she'd put the pieces in place, just on a whim and a hope.
*
"Sir?" The waitress, middle aged but pretty, walks over to him. There's a drink on her tray, a beer. It's good beer, the kind he likes, but he hadn't planned on having another. "This is for you."
"I didn't order-"
"No, sir," she says, polite. "It's from the woman over there. She wanted me to give you this."
She puts a folded slip of paper in front of him. There's just a phone number written on it. The digits look a little familiar but when he looks at it longer, tries to place how he knows it, he decides that all phone numbers sort of swim together.
Except...
He looks around the bar again and finds the woman. She's turned away from him, looking at her phone, but... he has that feeling again, something familiar.
And then it clicks - he places it, and he starts to grin.
He abandons the one lukewarm drink that he'd been nursing and walks around the bar to find out who this mystery woman is.
*
Her heart pounds as she watches him approach. She can't keep the smile from her face.
"You shaved," she says, sipping her own frozen daiquiri.
"When did you see the beard?" He frowns, like he's trying to remember when the last time they'd seen each other was.
"Pictures," she says. "Facebook?"
"Oh," he laughs. "Right. Yeah, being halfway across the country has made Imogen fearless. I had to bribe Milo to show me how to untag those so everyone and their damn mother doesn't see whatever the kids try to embarrass me by posting."
"Come now, that's their job," she shoots back, smiling widely. She leans on one elbow and looks at him.
"So what's this about?" He holds up the slip of paper and asks. "Giving me your number?"
"Well, I haven't heard from you in so long, I thought you might have lost it."
"And you couldn't just walk over to me?"
She shakes her head. "Much more fun this way. Come on, wasn't it flattering that a woman was hitting on you in a bar?"
"Hitting on me, hmm?" He takes a long drink of the beer, giving her an appraising look that makes me want to blush. "That what that was, then?"
"That was..." She's flustered now, damn him. "That was whatever you want it to be."
"Well, miss Claudia, how bold of you."
"I can be bold. I'm a single woman in the new millennium."
She can see the question form on his lips but he doesn't ask it and she's so, so glad.
"Single and on a curfew." She sighs and looks at the clock. "I lose the babysitter in an hour and it'll take me at least forty five minutes to drive back."
He frowns, disappointed. "You shouldn't have waited so long to let me know you were here."
"I was enjoying the view," she winks. She stands up and grabs her purse, but he reaches out and puts a hand on her wrist.
"I got it."
"You're offering to pay for the drink that I had sent to you?" She laughs.
"Yep." His fingers are warm on her skin and she gives in. She knows him well enough to know that he'd insist. "You can get the drinks next time."
"Next time..." She smiles at that, leans over and kisses his check. "Well, if you want there to be a next time, there's my number... so call me, maybe."
Ben/Claudia
PG
#blamejo
It's not a coincidence, not really.
It won't take Ben long to put it together - how much of a coincidence it isn't. He'll realize that Claudia knows the kind of places he likes. He'll realize that this is much nearer to his home than hers. That she'd put the pieces in place, just on a whim and a hope.
*
"Sir?" The waitress, middle aged but pretty, walks over to him. There's a drink on her tray, a beer. It's good beer, the kind he likes, but he hadn't planned on having another. "This is for you."
"I didn't order-"
"No, sir," she says, polite. "It's from the woman over there. She wanted me to give you this."
She puts a folded slip of paper in front of him. There's just a phone number written on it. The digits look a little familiar but when he looks at it longer, tries to place how he knows it, he decides that all phone numbers sort of swim together.
Except...
He looks around the bar again and finds the woman. She's turned away from him, looking at her phone, but... he has that feeling again, something familiar.
And then it clicks - he places it, and he starts to grin.
He abandons the one lukewarm drink that he'd been nursing and walks around the bar to find out who this mystery woman is.
*
Her heart pounds as she watches him approach. She can't keep the smile from her face.
"You shaved," she says, sipping her own frozen daiquiri.
"When did you see the beard?" He frowns, like he's trying to remember when the last time they'd seen each other was.
"Pictures," she says. "Facebook?"
"Oh," he laughs. "Right. Yeah, being halfway across the country has made Imogen fearless. I had to bribe Milo to show me how to untag those so everyone and their damn mother doesn't see whatever the kids try to embarrass me by posting."
"Come now, that's their job," she shoots back, smiling widely. She leans on one elbow and looks at him.
"So what's this about?" He holds up the slip of paper and asks. "Giving me your number?"
"Well, I haven't heard from you in so long, I thought you might have lost it."
"And you couldn't just walk over to me?"
She shakes her head. "Much more fun this way. Come on, wasn't it flattering that a woman was hitting on you in a bar?"
"Hitting on me, hmm?" He takes a long drink of the beer, giving her an appraising look that makes me want to blush. "That what that was, then?"
"That was..." She's flustered now, damn him. "That was whatever you want it to be."
"Well, miss Claudia, how bold of you."
"I can be bold. I'm a single woman in the new millennium."
She can see the question form on his lips but he doesn't ask it and she's so, so glad.
"Single and on a curfew." She sighs and looks at the clock. "I lose the babysitter in an hour and it'll take me at least forty five minutes to drive back."
He frowns, disappointed. "You shouldn't have waited so long to let me know you were here."
"I was enjoying the view," she winks. She stands up and grabs her purse, but he reaches out and puts a hand on her wrist.
"I got it."
"You're offering to pay for the drink that I had sent to you?" She laughs.
"Yep." His fingers are warm on her skin and she gives in. She knows him well enough to know that he'd insist. "You can get the drinks next time."
"Next time..." She smiles at that, leans over and kisses his check. "Well, if you want there to be a next time, there's my number... so call me, maybe."