Max was sitting at the dinner table, with a script open and sitting in front of him. As much as he was trying to go over the pages, he found himself staring out of the window more than anything. The previous night was playing and replaying in his mind. He began to wonder how much of it was the alcohol that 'Taya had consumed. When Max caught up with 'Taya in Rhydin, he'd promised them both that he wouldn't push, that he'd let things happen as they did. He thought he'd know when she was ready for him to ask. It was a huge surprise to him that she'd done the asking. Still, he sat staring out of the window, idly turning one page to the next, not paying a bit of attention to the words.
For her part, 'Taya was ostensibly out running, trying to work off the nervous energy that pervaded her body since the evening before. She hadn't meant to just spring it on him; after all, that had been the point of clearing her afternoon and evening. Instead of the romantic dinner she'd had planned, however, she'd cried all over him and then popped the question in the bath-tub of all places. Hardly the suave, grown-up situation she'd been hoping for. Which was why she wasn't, actually, running. She was waiting nervously in a private room at their favourite restaurant, trying to work out exactly when her surprise was going to arrive at the apartment.
It arrived even as she was pacing back and forth. A driver knocked on the door of Apartment 2B, handed over a crisp garment bag in which was hung the very best Armani - she knew her Max far too well - and informed Max that the car would be waiting out the front when he was ready, compliments of Ms De Luca.
"You must be mistaken, I didn't send...oh, just give it to me then." Max took the garment bag and plopped a few crisp bills into the delivery boy's hand before he shut the door on him. The message was loud and clear: 'Taya was up to something. So he dressed in that Armani suit, and was rather pleased about how he looked in it. After he smoothed his hair down and found a pair of shoes that was close to matching, he headed out. The car was warm and dry when he got in. He didn't have to say a word, either. The driver knew just where to go. It didn't take long before he was dropped off in front of La Petit Mort. Once inside, he was greeted and taken to the private room.
All the waiting had reduced 'Taya to a nervous wreck. When the door opened, she shot up out of her seat at the exquisitely set table, wobbling on her heels for a moment before righting herself. She'd taken great pains to make this special - the room was set up almost identical to a Paris restaurant that she was sure he would remember, and she herself was dressed in red, his favourite colour on her. Smoothing her hands down over her hips, she swallowed and smiled brightly, coming to greet him. "Surprise!"
Max stepped into the room and instantly felt like he was transported back to that little restaurant where he'd first asked Taya to marry him. He was mesmerized and his jaw dropped in awe as he glanced around. Slowly he turned his head and those dark eyes landed on Taya. "You did all of this. For me?"
"Well ....yeah." She shrugged, her nerves showing in the shake of her voice and the way she fidgeted awkwardly with the skirt of her dress, one hand smoothing over her loose hair repetitively. "I kinda ....well, no, I really screwed up last night, and I thought you might not have believed me when I ....you know, because of the drinking, so ....yeah." She gestured around them, offering him a worried smile. "Is it okay?"
When she started talking, Max began to walk slowly towards her. He could tell she was nervous, and really couldn't blame her. When he'd asked her to marry him, he'd dropped the ring twice. So he stepped up to her and pulled her into his arms. "No," he dropped his head and his mouth claimed hers.
"N -?" She didn't have a chance to finish the distressed query, her lips caught in his as her arms rose to curl to his back, smoothing to rich fabric of his jacket beneath her palms. He said no. Was that no, it wasn't okay, or no, he didn't want her to ask him, or no, he wasn't going to take the plunge again?
His hand curled into the soft mass of hair and gently cradled her head as he tipped her back. His other hand firmly was on her waist to keep her from toppling over. His mouth was warm and sensous on hers and his head moved in tiny circles as the kiss intensified.
Very slowly, all worries and nerves and questions seeped from her mind as she let herself enjoy his kiss. Feeling the world move, one arm unwound from his back to curl her hand about the back of his neck, her mouth moving in soft, tender submission with his as she clung to him.
Paintakingly slowly, he finally broke the kiss, only to pepper her mouth and chin with soft, tiny ones. "Now it's ok. It's more than ok. It's perfect. You're perfect." He couldn't keep his mouth off of her for more than the few seconds it took to speak those tiny sentences.
Dazed to almost numbed bliss by his extremely thorough kiss, 'Taya leaned into him as he murmrued to her, peppering her face with kisses. Her lips moved silently for a moment as she struggled for coherence, fingers creeping into his lapels to hold on for dear life as she revelled in his attentions. "God, you had me scared there," she breathed softly, nuzzling her lips to his jaw and cheek whenever he gave her the opportunity.
"Nothing was going to be right until I kissed you. I just had to." He leaned his head back and had such an eager look on his face as he explained. "You are just the...my God, Taya. Even the table looks just the same. How'd you do this?"
She breathed a sigh of relief as he reassured her, still clinging on as though she never had any intention of letting go. Her lips curved in a sweet, if slightly mischievous smile. "I cheated," she confessed. "I found a mage who could lift the picture right out of my head and put it on paper, and then I turned on the charm with the owner here. She was surprisingly responsive, too."
"Nobody's immune to your charms." He pulled her to his chest then and held her tightly. "I can't believe all of this, Taya. It's amazing and overwhelming. I feel like a girl." He chuckled softly. "Only you could bring me to tears."
She giggled happily, hugging into his arms as he chuckled and drank in the evocatively familiar surroundings. "I was so worried you might get all grumpy and think I was trying to go backwards, and I'm really not," she told him warmly. "I just remember Paris as being really happy and romantic, and I wanted to share that again, but if it's too weird, we can go somewhere else, that's fine, really, I just want you to be comfortable and happy ..." And she was babbling.
For her part, 'Taya was ostensibly out running, trying to work off the nervous energy that pervaded her body since the evening before. She hadn't meant to just spring it on him; after all, that had been the point of clearing her afternoon and evening. Instead of the romantic dinner she'd had planned, however, she'd cried all over him and then popped the question in the bath-tub of all places. Hardly the suave, grown-up situation she'd been hoping for. Which was why she wasn't, actually, running. She was waiting nervously in a private room at their favourite restaurant, trying to work out exactly when her surprise was going to arrive at the apartment.
It arrived even as she was pacing back and forth. A driver knocked on the door of Apartment 2B, handed over a crisp garment bag in which was hung the very best Armani - she knew her Max far too well - and informed Max that the car would be waiting out the front when he was ready, compliments of Ms De Luca.
"You must be mistaken, I didn't send...oh, just give it to me then." Max took the garment bag and plopped a few crisp bills into the delivery boy's hand before he shut the door on him. The message was loud and clear: 'Taya was up to something. So he dressed in that Armani suit, and was rather pleased about how he looked in it. After he smoothed his hair down and found a pair of shoes that was close to matching, he headed out. The car was warm and dry when he got in. He didn't have to say a word, either. The driver knew just where to go. It didn't take long before he was dropped off in front of La Petit Mort. Once inside, he was greeted and taken to the private room.
All the waiting had reduced 'Taya to a nervous wreck. When the door opened, she shot up out of her seat at the exquisitely set table, wobbling on her heels for a moment before righting herself. She'd taken great pains to make this special - the room was set up almost identical to a Paris restaurant that she was sure he would remember, and she herself was dressed in red, his favourite colour on her. Smoothing her hands down over her hips, she swallowed and smiled brightly, coming to greet him. "Surprise!"
Max stepped into the room and instantly felt like he was transported back to that little restaurant where he'd first asked Taya to marry him. He was mesmerized and his jaw dropped in awe as he glanced around. Slowly he turned his head and those dark eyes landed on Taya. "You did all of this. For me?"
"Well ....yeah." She shrugged, her nerves showing in the shake of her voice and the way she fidgeted awkwardly with the skirt of her dress, one hand smoothing over her loose hair repetitively. "I kinda ....well, no, I really screwed up last night, and I thought you might not have believed me when I ....you know, because of the drinking, so ....yeah." She gestured around them, offering him a worried smile. "Is it okay?"
When she started talking, Max began to walk slowly towards her. He could tell she was nervous, and really couldn't blame her. When he'd asked her to marry him, he'd dropped the ring twice. So he stepped up to her and pulled her into his arms. "No," he dropped his head and his mouth claimed hers.
"N -?" She didn't have a chance to finish the distressed query, her lips caught in his as her arms rose to curl to his back, smoothing to rich fabric of his jacket beneath her palms. He said no. Was that no, it wasn't okay, or no, he didn't want her to ask him, or no, he wasn't going to take the plunge again?
His hand curled into the soft mass of hair and gently cradled her head as he tipped her back. His other hand firmly was on her waist to keep her from toppling over. His mouth was warm and sensous on hers and his head moved in tiny circles as the kiss intensified.
Very slowly, all worries and nerves and questions seeped from her mind as she let herself enjoy his kiss. Feeling the world move, one arm unwound from his back to curl her hand about the back of his neck, her mouth moving in soft, tender submission with his as she clung to him.
Paintakingly slowly, he finally broke the kiss, only to pepper her mouth and chin with soft, tiny ones. "Now it's ok. It's more than ok. It's perfect. You're perfect." He couldn't keep his mouth off of her for more than the few seconds it took to speak those tiny sentences.
Dazed to almost numbed bliss by his extremely thorough kiss, 'Taya leaned into him as he murmrued to her, peppering her face with kisses. Her lips moved silently for a moment as she struggled for coherence, fingers creeping into his lapels to hold on for dear life as she revelled in his attentions. "God, you had me scared there," she breathed softly, nuzzling her lips to his jaw and cheek whenever he gave her the opportunity.
"Nothing was going to be right until I kissed you. I just had to." He leaned his head back and had such an eager look on his face as he explained. "You are just the...my God, Taya. Even the table looks just the same. How'd you do this?"
She breathed a sigh of relief as he reassured her, still clinging on as though she never had any intention of letting go. Her lips curved in a sweet, if slightly mischievous smile. "I cheated," she confessed. "I found a mage who could lift the picture right out of my head and put it on paper, and then I turned on the charm with the owner here. She was surprisingly responsive, too."
"Nobody's immune to your charms." He pulled her to his chest then and held her tightly. "I can't believe all of this, Taya. It's amazing and overwhelming. I feel like a girl." He chuckled softly. "Only you could bring me to tears."
She giggled happily, hugging into his arms as he chuckled and drank in the evocatively familiar surroundings. "I was so worried you might get all grumpy and think I was trying to go backwards, and I'm really not," she told him warmly. "I just remember Paris as being really happy and romantic, and I wanted to share that again, but if it's too weird, we can go somewhere else, that's fine, really, I just want you to be comfortable and happy ..." And she was babbling.