Blue Raspberry 7, Guava 26: First Sight
Title: First Sight
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Blue raspberry 7 (handshake), guava 26 (dearly beloved, we are gathered here today), malt (ichthusfish's easter egg), pocky chain, rainbow sprinkles.
Word Count: 600
Rating: PG.
Summary: Nathan and Gail meet for the first time.
Notes: The tango!
"I swear to God, Kim, if this goes wrong I'm going to kill you," Gail said.
Kim ignored her in favor of checking her watch. "They're late," she said, sighing. "Figures. My mister never could get anywhere on time."
"You'd think the military would've corrected that," Gail said, grumpily.
"You would," Kim said, thoughtfully. "Maybe he's rebelling."
"Against what?" Gail asked, but she'd stopped listening, because Kim's husband was strolling up the street beside...
Wow.
"Military discipline," Kim said, oblivious. "He never did like taking orders. Oh! There they are! Dear, Nathan, over here!"
Nathan. Nathan Kendall.
Here went nothing.
--
"You know I don't date," Nathan told his friend, accusingly. Mulcahey hadn't seen fit to tell him this was a date until right then, and he wasn't pleased. "I've got Aaron to think about. I can't go out with random women."
"Gail is hardly a random woman. She and Kim have been friends forever. And you like Kim."
"I do like Kim," he admitted. "That doesn't mean I'll like her friends."
"You'll like Gail," Mulcahey said, and nodded up the street at the women standing outside the restaurant.
One of them was Kim.
The other made his mouth go dry.
--
Gail didn't know that she'd call him handsome, or at least not the immediately arresting sort of handsome that Brad had been, but that was all to the good-- she was suspicious of handsome, these days. Besides, he was defintely... appealing. Tall, or at least taller than her, with dark brown hair just this side of curly, and blue eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled like he was doing now. He had a nice smile.
And he had eyes like Ivy's, she realized with a start.
"Hi," he said, and held out a hand. "I'm Nathan Kendall."
--
Kim's friend had really beautiful eyes.
Oh, she had other things too, straight red hair swept back and up, even features that tapered into a pointed chin, a pretty mouth. But her eyes dominated her face, large and green and full of sharp intelligence. Damn.
What the hell was her name? He knew her first name was Gail, but he couldn't remember her surname. Had Mulcahey even told him?
He introduced himself, trying to buy some time, and thank goodness she filled him in. "I'm Gail Hirschfeld," she said, those eyes fixed on him. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
--
They went in to dinner, and much to Kim's silent but obvious satisfaction, they hit it off. Gail couldn't quite believe it. She'd had some dates after Ivy's birth, all dismal failures. The instant she started talking about her daughter, the men got uncomfortable, and always left soon.
Nathan Kendall didn't get uncomfortable. Nathan Kendall lit up, and he talked about his own son, a seven-year-old named Aaron. Of course that started her on her kindergartners, and from there they went to architecture and dancing and everything else.
Kim smirked.
Gail would've elbowed her if she hadn't been so happy.
--
That sharp intelligence in Gail Hirschfeld's eyes was not an illusion. He'd expected that, but he hadn't expected her passion for children, her adoration of her daughter (just barely two; he remembered Aaron at that age and sympathized), her interest in what felt like everything he said. They'd talked so much that he barely remembered the meal-- he definitely didn't remember either Mulcahey saying anything.
She'd given him her number after dinner, and told him to call her anytime.
Nathan stuck his hand in his pocket, felt the crinkle of paper under his fingers, and whistled all the way home.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Blue raspberry 7 (handshake), guava 26 (dearly beloved, we are gathered here today), malt (ichthusfish's easter egg), pocky chain, rainbow sprinkles.
Word Count: 600
Rating: PG.
Summary: Nathan and Gail meet for the first time.
Notes: The tango!
"I swear to God, Kim, if this goes wrong I'm going to kill you," Gail said.
Kim ignored her in favor of checking her watch. "They're late," she said, sighing. "Figures. My mister never could get anywhere on time."
"You'd think the military would've corrected that," Gail said, grumpily.
"You would," Kim said, thoughtfully. "Maybe he's rebelling."
"Against what?" Gail asked, but she'd stopped listening, because Kim's husband was strolling up the street beside...
Wow.
"Military discipline," Kim said, oblivious. "He never did like taking orders. Oh! There they are! Dear, Nathan, over here!"
Nathan. Nathan Kendall.
Here went nothing.
--
"You know I don't date," Nathan told his friend, accusingly. Mulcahey hadn't seen fit to tell him this was a date until right then, and he wasn't pleased. "I've got Aaron to think about. I can't go out with random women."
"Gail is hardly a random woman. She and Kim have been friends forever. And you like Kim."
"I do like Kim," he admitted. "That doesn't mean I'll like her friends."
"You'll like Gail," Mulcahey said, and nodded up the street at the women standing outside the restaurant.
One of them was Kim.
The other made his mouth go dry.
--
Gail didn't know that she'd call him handsome, or at least not the immediately arresting sort of handsome that Brad had been, but that was all to the good-- she was suspicious of handsome, these days. Besides, he was defintely... appealing. Tall, or at least taller than her, with dark brown hair just this side of curly, and blue eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled like he was doing now. He had a nice smile.
And he had eyes like Ivy's, she realized with a start.
"Hi," he said, and held out a hand. "I'm Nathan Kendall."
--
Kim's friend had really beautiful eyes.
Oh, she had other things too, straight red hair swept back and up, even features that tapered into a pointed chin, a pretty mouth. But her eyes dominated her face, large and green and full of sharp intelligence. Damn.
What the hell was her name? He knew her first name was Gail, but he couldn't remember her surname. Had Mulcahey even told him?
He introduced himself, trying to buy some time, and thank goodness she filled him in. "I'm Gail Hirschfeld," she said, those eyes fixed on him. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
--
They went in to dinner, and much to Kim's silent but obvious satisfaction, they hit it off. Gail couldn't quite believe it. She'd had some dates after Ivy's birth, all dismal failures. The instant she started talking about her daughter, the men got uncomfortable, and always left soon.
Nathan Kendall didn't get uncomfortable. Nathan Kendall lit up, and he talked about his own son, a seven-year-old named Aaron. Of course that started her on her kindergartners, and from there they went to architecture and dancing and everything else.
Kim smirked.
Gail would've elbowed her if she hadn't been so happy.
--
That sharp intelligence in Gail Hirschfeld's eyes was not an illusion. He'd expected that, but he hadn't expected her passion for children, her adoration of her daughter (just barely two; he remembered Aaron at that age and sympathized), her interest in what felt like everything he said. They'd talked so much that he barely remembered the meal-- he definitely didn't remember either Mulcahey saying anything.
She'd given him her number after dinner, and told him to call her anytime.
Nathan stuck his hand in his pocket, felt the crinkle of paper under his fingers, and whistled all the way home.