jar of hearts*[ADAM]

[HARPER NICOLE WAY]

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all thats waiting is regret

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The werewolf could honestly say that she had never been on a blind date before. It was just something she never thought about doing. When she hadn’t been engaged, she didn’t date too awful often. On the rare occasion she did date, she usually knew them because they were her really good friends. Harper tended to be just ‘one of the guys’ as it was hard to love such a nerdy girl and see her that way. All the guys were staring hard at the beauty queens and the elegant ones who knew how to properly behave and not embarrass themselves and freak the others out. That’s what Harper tended to do. Whenever she let herself open up, they found she was a little too weird for their liking. Not that it mattered now anyway. Being engaged ruined any of those chances. She was sure that was one of the reasons Vaeda set her up on this ‘blind date’. Giving her one of those last time chances. Harper had never really minded being engaged- as she understood it was her family obligation, but her cousin didn’t seem to understand that. The sweetheart who had been dating the same man for years didn’t understand it. So Harper agreed to this. Vaeda trusted her not to do anything stupid. Harper trusted herself not to do anything stupid. She was a strong grown woman and was capable of having a good time while saying ‘no’.

If anything, she just wished it wasn’t called a date. That entailed that she was single and looking to see someone. Harper saw this night as a fun date night to meet another person and make Vaeda happy. As Vaeda seemed pretty excited about it. The redhead was completely against cheating, so there was no doubt in her mind she would be able to control herself. She was not going to be a traitor and end up like her mother. She did wish that she could somehow figure out how to tame her hair. The straightener that she had trusted for years had finally quit. It lived long and well. The issue now remained. There was no way- no matter whatever you called this thing- she was going out with her hair looking like it was just styled by the animated character from Brave. She somewhat straightened it before it went out, but it was in no condition to have the outside world look at it. There was a trick. A straighter could curl hair, but could a curler straighten hair? Curly hair was going to be better than this mess, so she decided to try it. It was the last thing she had to do, seeing that she was ahead of time but feeling behind. Her makeup was a little more date night dramatic (she just looked better in makeup), and her sweater dress was fit for the freezing weather outside.

Didn’t turn out too bad. Not what she pictured, she saw with a frown, but it was loads better. It was this kind of wavy thing. The only thing that made it better was her layers. With the final signature lipstick, she grabbed her purse and off she went. She took a cab, as she wasn’t sure how much she was going to be drinking that night (not enough to inflict bad decisions) but might be enough not to drive. Harper at times was a little bit of a hippy protestor and drunk driving had to be among the worse on her list. She had no mercy for them, and wasn’t going to give herself a chance to do anything like that. It was a smart night. A night for fun. Not something to get her arrested or scarred for life. Vaeda had told her that they had a reservation at the big restaurant in the upper state part of town. The poor college kid was more than willing to split the bill, but if she was going to end up paying the entire thing, the man was going to have a fiery red head on his hands.

While she was in the backseat, she looked out the window nervously, fiddling with her hands as she took a deep breath. This could be the longest night. What her cousin seemed to forget (as many of her friends did) was that she was painfully shy at first sight. It wasn’t until she got to know them where she was the crazy Harper that everyone else was use to. Until then, she was this muttering bumbling idiot who said everything wrong and giggled everything possibly awkward. At the end of it, she hoped she wasn’t bashing her head against the cab window and waking up to do it again. Harper often embarrassed herself. Her entire body got hot and her face was just this giant tomato- and trust her when she said red face was even worse when you had red hair. Stopping in front, she stepped out and felt the bitter cold hit her at once. Shivering, despite her warm dress, she stumbled into the place, announcing her name and they seemed to look around for mysterious man number one. Harper didn’t’ want to tell them it was a blind date, so she just laughed he was running late. With a final smile, they took her to this nice little table in the middle, set up and ready for the pair. White win was already there. Stay classy, right? Harper sat down, fiddling with the edge of her purse nervously as she looked at the foreign food on the menu. She didn’t have the courage to lift her head up, so she kept it glued to the menu, practically memorizing the thing. Here went nothing.

TAGS: CJ/SEXYADAM || NOTES: IsitbadI'mverysuperexcited?? || WORDS: 958

♥thanks

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[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

Why he had allowed Vaeda to talk him into a 'blind date' was completely beyond his realm of comprehension, and he had gotten over some major mental hurdles in the past couple years. Being bitten by a werewolf and learning about supernaturals, among other things, had all been things he'd overcome. But, Adam really liked Vaeda, and she was just so kind and giving that the man knew that she meant no harm in her suggestion. Adam had managed to get enough out of her to know that the woman he'd be 'dating' was a family member of hers, and he suspected that this was an attempt to get him involved with the giant Way clan, since he was a werewolf, and one of good genetics to boot. Sure, he hadn't been born into his life as a wolf, but he was still a pretty man, and if Vaeda's life wasn't so complicated already, he would have insisted that she let him into that family by taking a shot at her. Except, Adam wasn't sure he'd be able to step out on Vaeda as he always did with women. She truly had a heart of gold, and he'd never expected that he'd be able to maintain a solid, consistent friendship with a woman due to some of the poor experiences with his mother in his past, but she had proven him wrong, and taken him into her protection and care to help him learn to shift. Because of this, and because Adam had skewed morality, but it wasn't non-existent.

Here's hoping she's hot.

[/color] Adam thought before giving himself one last glance in the mirror. Vaeda had been good about setting the whole thing up anyway; making the reservations for them at the nicest restaurant in town, putting it under his name, and insisting that he look nice. Adam would have preferred a nice pub, because high-society nonsense was more his mother's style than his, but he didn't want to say anything to make Vaeda feel like she had done too much, or that he wasn't grateful for what she was trying to do (even though he didn't need help picking up women, thank you). It was an attempt, on her part, to make him a more settled man, which he knew was Vaeda-speak for “stop sleeping around with every woman that looks at you, Adam.” Adam wasn't ready to hang up his player jersey, and if it ever did happen, which was unlikely, it would take a hell of a woman to get him to do it. Every now and then, Adam liked to think about the kind of woman that he'd stop playing to keep. There were ideas that flickered through his brain: gorgeous, smart, ambitious, but not to the point of being cutthroat... but at the end of the day, they were just ideas. Adam wasn't the marriage type, not in the slightest sense, but he was grateful that his friend saw potential in him, even if it didn't really exist other than in the fondness for him that clouded her vision.

The clothes he'd chosen for the evening were more dressy than the ones he wore for school, and the tailored fit of the slacks and the shirt would show off his physique that he worked hard to achieve, without making him look too stuffy or like a penguin. Adam was a simple man with simple tastes, but if he was going to go to a restaurant that was high-class, he'd have to get a little fancy instead of strolling in wearing his street clothes, that were usually his 'home and bar' attire. After leaving his apartment, Adam got on his prized Ducati, and drove to the restaurant, hoping that it wasn't the valet kind of place, because he'd be the only person parking his baby. When he arrived, he noticed that there was a valet option, but you had to pay extra for that crap, so he just went ahead and parked in a space near a tree, secured his helmet to the bike, locked it up, and unzipped his motorcycle jacket before walking inside and addressing the hostess, who looked at him like he was a tall drink of water and she was dying of thirst. Adam grinned back, but tried to remember what he was there for, and stepped up to give his name. ”Sharpe, party of two. I had reservations for 6:30.” It was 6:25, and he gave himself kudos for being prompt, but being an educator made one conscious of time. After he said who he was, he saw that the hostess' smile dropped a little when she told him that his 'party' was already waiting, and she'd lead him to his table. She did, and Adam followed, noticing a red-head with nicely curled hair sitting a little stiffly, and realized that she must have been waiting for him.

He'd be lying if he didn't say he was impressed that she'd beaten him there; women were usually less prompt about dates, so Vaeda at least had called his 'type' right on that aspect of her personality. Adam walked to his chair, took off his jacket, and draped it over the back of his chair, and smiled at the woman who was looking at him with a very strange expression on her face. Shock, maybe? A mixture of shock and nerves, but also happiness. Then, he thanked the hostess, and she dropped off a menu for him. Adam didn't look at her again, but sized up his 'date' for a moment: lovely hair, as he'd seen from a distance, gorgeous eyes, what appeared to be a nice body hidden under wisely-chosen clothing, and a nervous, but still pretty smile adorned her face. ”Good evening,” Adam said gently, not wanting to startle her or make her more nervous than she already was... probably because she likely wasn't overly fond of a 'blind date' set-up, either. ”I'll try not to make this any more awkward than it already is. I'm Adam.” He extended his hand, and waited for her to take it before sitting down and reaching for his menu. The waiter came, and Adam took the liberty of ordering sparkly, sweeter white wine, hoping that it would be to the other woman's preference and not a poor judgment on his part. Adam wasn't normally a wine drinker, but it was a classy joint, and since she was someone Vaeda was fond of, she was likely a classy lady. ”I figured we should at least have the courtesy to toast to Vaeda, as well as the evening ahead. What do you think?”[/blockquote][/justify]

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OUTFIT:[/color] Here!

NOTE:[/color] I'M SO EXCITED!! ADKGJGADS SKJGSDG... YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW!! <333

[HARPER NICOLE WAY]

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all thats waiting is regret

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Harper had attempted to rule out every single kind of person that it could be. Better prepare herself. Vaeda hinted the guy was pretty attractive, but Harper had a hard time with all of that. It had been the attractive type that most made fun of her and picked at her when she was an awkward little unfortunate looking girl. Yes, she did find the menly men most attractive. The ones that had muscles and could make a pregnant with one glance kind of guys. Still, the only place she really saw those were ones surfacing the internet or watching her favorite show. Guys that looked like that in real life didn’t come very often. When they did, she mostly just tried not to stare. Repeating lines in her head that she could have used but couldn’t. Every time she opened her mouth, she had chickened out. She tried to think she was brave, but Harper wasn’t exactly the type. She wasn’t a coward. Oh no, not in any means. But the girl wasn’t exactly at the front of the line yelling at her army to march kind of girl.

Out of all the guys she had pictured, none of them had been Professor Sharpe. She recognized him right as she looked up. She heard him before she saw him. The sensitive werewolf ears and everything. Flashbacks came as she remembered first walking into his class. Of course, she was like most of the quiet students. Hardly remembered because there were so many students they had to deal with every day. Plus, she sat in the back. She had heard of rumors of Professor Sharpe being damn attractive, but until that day, she hadn’t really known to what extent. His face. His voice. His lips. Oh god, the lips. Harper had found herself gazing all the hours she had been in there, trying to kick herself into gear. Quite inappropriate for her to be attracted to her teacher. When she thought of professor, she thought of long and lanky man with grey hair and an attitude that was as sharp and harsh as his grading. Her friends would make soft jokes about it, but after she got out of his class, she didn’t think anything of it. Plenty of professors had been seen since that point.

Now he was standing in front of her all fancy and ready to go. He didn’t seem to recognize her as a past student- which was good. She was feeling like she was going to crawl under the table and die as it was. Harper wasn’t really good at hiding her emotions. It probably showed ‘warning nervous girl ahead’ as soon as he walked into the joint. She tried to appear pleasant and happy instead of shocked and wanting to text Vaeda ‘DO YOU REALIZE HE WAS MY PROFESSOR ONCE?!’ but refrained. Texting at a date was the worst thing she could have done. Being once on a date where that happened, she had zero tolerance for that as well. ”Evening.” She greeted with a shy smile, extending her hand and shaking his, and placing it right back into her lap so that she could pinch herself. Harper wasn’t sure if she was upset or happy. She wanted to be a little upset, but come on- his looks hadn’t changed a bit. In the suite and the clean and the everything. Harper then reminded herself once more that this was nothing but a little date. She’d have to survive the night and go home to spazz. Just as long as she waited until then.

Yeah, she needed a drink. Now. Where was the waiter? Oh right, he was probably going to give them a moment to settle and such. Damn. Harper blinked at him when he announced his name. It was weird not having someone say ‘Sharpe’. Adam. Really, his name was Adam? Harper wasn’t sure if she said her name, it would strike his memory, but professors usually referred as Way or a simple number for essays and such. ”I’m Harper.” Was about all she could have said. What really wanted to come out of her mouth was ‘remember me?’ but that put him in a really bad position. And it would give her the wrong impression if he did considering once again the students he saw. Then there came the waiter. Wine probably the classy choice right? However, it was ordered for her and her heart was secretly melting. She tried to push that part away, but she couldn’t help herself. At his comment, she smiled a little wider. ”Yes, Vaeda is a good cousin of mine.” Oh wait- oh god, she shouldn’t be allowed to speak. Frustrated with herself, she tried to cover it a little more, waving her hands slight, ”Oh wait, but you know that.” Strike her down. Please. She wouldn’t care. She’d understand. Please.

So couldn’t ask him what he did. She already knew that and if the discovery was ever made, the stupidity of the question would be heard. At the same time, saying ‘I know’ to a stranger seemed even worse. Nope, still not good at something like this. Vaeda could have brought up a subject, but talking about the girl all night probably wasn’t going to do any of them any good. ”So how did you get caught up in this date?” She asked with almost an amused way. Harper was damn proud of what came out of her mouth. Sounded somewhat intelligent. She was smart, she swore. The waiter didn’t take very long coming back with the sparkling white alcoholic drink. Harper watched as the wine was poured into her glass, picking it up and feeling the cool on her fingertips. It looked rather tasty, but her appearance had to be at least a little softer than a boozer. She held up her glass, ”To the evening ahead. And to Vaeda.”

TAGS: CJ/SEXYADAM || NOTES: FJEIOAPWPEW don't mind harp- she's just fangirling XD || WORDS: 987

♥thanks

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[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

Although Adam wasn't the kind of guy to get nervous, he had to admit that he hadn't been on a real date in a very long time. Usually, Adam found women in bars or other random locations, because he wasn't exactly the 'wine and dine' type of guy. Adam was smart, worldly, and well-traveled, but he wasn't exactly what most people would refer to as a gentleman. He also knew, however, that the woman he was on a date with was close to Vaeda, and he had to actually try to be nice and charming. Debonair, even. Those things would take some finesse, but Adam was always up for a challenge and decided that finesse might not be such a bad thing to add to his repertoire. When he'd first come to the table, the young woman's face registered some kind of recognition, and Adam tried to rack his brain to answer the age old question. Did I sleep with her? No, no I'm pretty sure I'd remember her. She's smokin'.

[/color] She wasn't gorgeous in the same way some women were; her beauty was more classic, timeless, than modern supermodel hot. Adam didn't mind, either, because when it came to women, he had a palate that required he try them all, so long as they registered as attractive to him.

Some sort of pheromone hovered in the air, and Adam tried his best not to sniff upward like a... well, like a wolf. The draw was definitely sweet, though, and seemed to lead to her. Adam recalled it from when he first met Vaeda, and then realized that she must have been a wolf, too. He grinned, and was pleased at the first surge of body contact, even if it was just hand to hand. Harper. So that was her name, and it was oddly fitting somehow. Adam wouldn't have guessed she'd have some sort of super feminine name; Harper suited her perfectly. Adam sat down across from her, and looked directly into her big, lovely eyes, knowing that it was polite to keep eye contact, and then started to actually get concerned about being on his very best behavior since he knew that this hot, hot creature was Vaeda's family, and Harper even confirmed they were cousins. From what he knew of Vaeda, she was pretty close to most of her family, and wolves were instinctively protective. So, his trepidation stemmed from not wanting Harper to give Vaeda a bad report, but also because he definitely was considering going places with this one. Horizontal places, even.

Adam already knew of Harper's familial relation to Vaeda, but then something else dawned on him, almost like it was a joke that had nearly reached the expiration on its punchline. Harper Way. If she was Vaeda's cousin, that meant that she'd probably have her last name... and even so, how many female Harpers could there be in one town? The wolf suddenly felt the first blow of awkward nerves hit him, and not because he wasn't confident in any of his skills or 'game,' but because this was one of his former students. Adam considered commenting on it for a second, but knew it would probably be best if they get a little more comfortable with one another, since he wasn't entirely freaked out that she was a former student. She was, after all, a former student. Adam had a hard set rule about sleeping with his students. Once they left his class, if the fates decided to put each other in the same path again and sparks struck, he wouldn't pass up the opportunity because of something that was, past tense. But if they were currently in his class, Adam wouldn't have even budged. Vaeda probably knew that, too, or else she wouldn't have set them up.

Nervous as he was, Harper was practically fidgeting in her seat. ”It's okay. Don't be so nervous. I won't bite,” Adam said, trying to reassure her when he all but watched her slap herself mentally for just the smallest bit of redundancy. If they were going to have a nice dinner and a date together, they'd both have to be comfortable, and he'd be the one to become more easily swayed, especially once the wine started flowing. Adam hoped that this would loosen Harper up as well. Harper decided to break the ice, starting with small talk as most dates did, and Adam had to think a little on how he'd need to respond. You can't exactly say it's because her cousin thinks you're a giant man-whore and wants you to settle down with one of your own kind.

Adam pressed his hands onto the table, lacing his fingers together, and gave a quiet exhale before responding with the best answer he could pull out of thin air. ”You know Vaeda; always trying to look out for other people,” Adam laughed, then knew that he could be open about that other part of him that he had to hide from most people. Harper would, of course, be comfortable with werewolves since she belonged to an entire family of them. ”She's been helping me get used to, you know,” Adam said, then lowered his voice a little bit, never knowing what other ears might be trying to listen in, ”shifting. It's rather complicated, and I'm still pretty new. But Vaeda's a great teacher.” Then, Adam turned the question around on Harper, finding that he was honestly curious about why Vaeda would choose her to go on a date with someone that could have been (and actually was) one of her professors. And a much older man, at that.

”How did she talk you into it?”

She responded, and Adam found himself getting rather thirsty, but was pleasantly surprised at how literate Harper was with words that seemed to be painstakingly chosen, like she was trying to impress him or something. Usually, it was the other way around. But, there was something about her that put him at ease. Maybe it was because his darkest secret was very well out in the open, and she didn't judge him. Finally, the waiter returned with the wine he'd ordered, poured them two glasses, and left the bottle on the table. Adam raised his and made a toast to Vaeda, and clinked glasses with Harper, then took a sip. It was good wine, and well worth the money he was sure it'd cost him later. ”So, let's just address the white elephant in the room before we proceed,” Adam said with a slow grin. ”Your paper on the roles of women in Greek Mythology was... inspired. It's why you always got high marks when you were in my class.” Harper's face shifted, and Adam reached across the table to put his hand on hers gently, not wanting her to feel awkward.

”Harper, please relax. You're not in my class anymore, and really... it doesn't bother me that you were. Take the compliment,” Adam said, then nodded his head for emphasis and took another sip of wine. ”Honestly, I'm glad this whole set-up was with someone like you. At least I know you're intelligent.” Adam set down his glass, and reached for the menu, having no clue what he'd actually decide to order. A nice, juicy steak, perhaps. ”Excellent wine, don't you think?” Adam really wasn't a wine drinker, but if it and being with Harper was any indication of how the evening would go, Adam was likely in for a night filled with pleasant surprises.[/blockquote][/justify]

[HARPER NICOLE WAY]

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all thats waiting is regret

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Was he even nervous? No, of course not, this was professor- or uh- Adam. This was Adam, and he had to have been incredibly smooth at everything. It was just an automatic rule in her head that every attractive guy was smooth. In what way smooth always seemed to vary, but her type of guys weren’t like her. She couldn’t be with an awkward person. If she were with someone as awkward as herself, there would be no one to balance it out. What would happen would be her sitting across from them on the couch holding hands and being as far away as they could from each other. Harper would have to be the one to know what was going on. Since she wasn’t good at that role, she had come to the conclusion long time ago it wouldn’t have worked. Not that it mattered. Wyatt was very smooth, and though the man was very attractive, she wasn’t attracted to him like she was Adam. A little mixed up and turned around if anyone were to ask, but as long as it stayed in her head, why did it matter?

No, he couldn’t be nervous, not after the comment he just made. Harper tried to repeat that small phrase in her head. He’s not going to bite. He’s not going to bite. She took a couple of deep breaths without making it obvious she was trying to calm herself down after he said it. Her next words wanted to be ‘I haven’t been on a date in a while’ but that was usually one of the cute little comments made toward the end of the night instead of having that in his head the entire time. What she didn’t want to hear was that he could tell. Honestly, if it hadn’t been a while, Harper probably would have acted the same way. It would have been a really nice excuse though. This is how she reacted toward any stranger. Yet, he wasn’t a stranger, was he? He might as well have been. The pair had never really met on this kind of environment. Harper would have never been sure if she was left in a room with him alone. Yeah, there had been a lot of daydreaming in that class. She was sure that if she paid attention, she would have seen he was a fantastic teacher, but her mind had been elsewhere. Still managed to get a very decent grade.

Should… should she flirt? Harper felt like she was going to have a panic attack. She should probably smile. While he seemed to think carefully about his response, Harper gave a small smile. Hopefully one that wasn’t overly big and showed teeth, but one of those encouraging ones to show that she was interested in what he had to say. She was interested, indeed. Harper actually just needed to focus on the words that were coming out of his mouth at this time, or the pair wasn’t going to get anywhere that night. His response was almost careful, but it wasn’t something that she noticed right off the bat. ”No- can’t deny she’s always looking for the best in everyone.” It was interesting because Harper didn’t talk too much to Vaeda. Just because of how busy she was. If she was going to visit a cousin- it was going to be Trent. Harper told her family she didn’t play favorites, but it was obvious she did. It was why she would be a terrible teacher. She wouldn’t mind being a professor… all thoughts shut off. Seemed to always come back. Harper was just going to try to put that at the back of her mind. She wasn’t at school. She was at a date with a guy she didn’t know.

Harper was so focused on everything else that she hadn’t really noticed the werewolf scent as strongly as she did right then. How long had that happened? From his description, she thought perhaps not very long. He was bitten? In Manuka, it was really hard not to get bitten if walking around at the right time, but Harper was still a little shocked. He obviously got that. Wait- duh, she was a Way. All the Ways were werewolves except for someone that came in by marriage. She had no idea of the whole supernatural thing, which Harper thought was ridiculous. How could you not know at this point? ”Wow, how new?” She asked. Suddenly there was a topic she was comfortable about, so for a couple of seconds, she showed a more comfortable appearance. She had been a werewolf her entire life as Vaeda did, so didn’t know what it felt like to be new to the whole thing. This all had to be terrifying for him. It was interesting. Harper figured if Vaeda was so wanting to get this guy a date- why didn’t she date him herself? Oh that’s right, she was dating wasn’t she? Harper forgot though the pair had been together for a while.

Harper couldn’t really be truthful on this part of the question. Being told the blind date was engaged was not a way to start out the evening. ”She wanted me to go on a date before I graduated. Living large, and you know… not having any ‘should have done this’” She quoted with her fingers, slightly wanting to roll her eyes. Harper wasn’t lying. It was then she realized she was starting to get more comfortable, and that in itself almost made her start all over again. No, she was doing fine. There was only one really bad thing said so far. Harper was now starting to think. Her mind was now starting to wind down. Forget the professor thing. Except, she didn’t get a chance to. He started again and her heart about leaped out of her throat. Harper grabbed her purse with one hand, ready to storm up and leave. Oh god, he recognized her. He knew who she was. She remembered that paper. He did too. Oh no, this was bad, this was very bad, she had to get out of here, she had to run, she had to do all these things.

However, before she even got up, her hand was grasped. A small gasp escaped her lips when she looked back at his hand. The touch was almost like he had pressed a button that calmed the werewolf back down to a normal level. ”You do recognize me then…” More stupid shit, let her try over, ”I mean…” But he beat her to it. He did have a point. Clearly the professor saw people differently after they moved on from his class. She wasn’t going to take any class with him again because of the rest of her schedule, so all of that made logical sense. ”Well then… thank you. Your class was honestly one of my favorites.” Not just for the topics. A new smile came on her lips. Okay, everything was settled. Nothing left to hide. Harper figured if the man wanted to walk out, he would have by now, but let them see how the night went. A small pink rose came on her cheeks in a blush. Was… was that flirting? Or was he complimenting? Harper could never tell the difference. ”I’m glad it was with someone I could reasonably talk to.” Even if her reasonably talking to was probably not others. Smiling widely, she nodded, asking, ”Have you eaten here before? Because trust me- the steak is the best you’ll ever eat.” It was obvious the girl was feeling more relaxed. Even if she couldn’t keep her heart from racing.

TAGS: CJ/SEXYADAM || NOTES: FJEIOAPWPEW MEEP || WORDS: 1280

♥thanks

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[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

Even though Adam could appreciate all women, he certainly felt a tiny bit out of his element with someone who was incredibly shy, a former student, and Vaeda's cousin. However, from the way that Harper was looking at him, Adam felt his confidence surge just a little. Now, he knew he was an attractive man, and he'd been with plenty of women who were willing to sing his praises over, and over, and over, but tonight he'd have to play his cards a little differently. For instance, Adam was actually not expecting the date to end in sex. That was new. There was a tiny part of the werewolf, a part that could feel guilt and shame, perhaps, that worried about what would happen if he did end up sleeping with Harper. Vaeda might be angry with him, Harper could be heartbroken, Adam would be shunned forever by one of the women that he actually considered a friend. And women had never really be 'friends' to him, unless there were benefits attached, and that relationship was increasingly rare. Chloe Brooks was one of few women that he could lump into that category in his lifetime, and had been the only woman to be able to tame the wild beast time and time again, and on her schedule, nonetheless. Harper didn't exactly seem like the kind of woman who would even want a friends with benefits relationship, let alone with someone like him.

So, even though he was certainly attracted to her, Adam knew that he'd have to calm himself a little, and try to actually enjoy the date without expecting a happy ending. ”She saw the best in me... although I'd guess that it took a lot of looking,” Adam said, completely open to making jokes at his own expense. The werewolf knew that he was a difficult man, and hadn't really expected someone truly good and kind like Vaeda to like him as well as she seemed to, much less set him up on a date with a family member when she knew about his little habit of collecting women in the carnal sense like trophies. Vaeda didn't like to hear him talk about it, so he tried to watch his words around her, but she knew the way he was, and still was friends with him. Adam was still slightly disappointed that nothing had happened between them, but he'd gotten over it now... mostly.

From what he did know about the Way family, they were all born werewolves unless someone had married in, and they were all relatively close. So, when Harper seemed to get more comfortable, Adam knew that he'd made the right choice confiding in her about his newly gained status as one of her own kind, since this was probably something she was very used to talking about. Adam didn't really get nervous or shy, but he'd be lying if he said that he could talk about Ancient History and Mythology more than anything else. The rest of it was just small talk, but that topic was something that truly made him passionate, and being a werewolf seemed to have the same effect on Harper. ”Not even two years. Before I came here, I liked to travel. When I wasn't teaching, of course,” Adam said, knowing that he could talk about this comfortably. He'd told Vaeda about it, when they met and she offered to help him control his shifting, but other than her, he hadn't told a soul.

”I decided that I wanted to hike Machu Picchu, and the trails surrounding it. I was prepared to make it a two week camping expedition, and everything was great. It's really beautiful there... if you get a chance to go, I recommend it. But... well, one night I got attacked, and bitten. I managed to scare it off, didn't hurt it, but since it didn't kill me... it changed me instead.” Adam said, and even though some people would consider this kind of event to be a tragedy, and mourn the life they'd left behind, now that he'd finally wrapped his head around it and processed it, he was really glad that it did happen. It had opened his eyes to an entire new world that he thought had only lived in his mother's and his own dusty old books. But now, the more he learned about all the different types of non-human species, the more he wanted to research and really develop a paper to prove his mother wrong and show her that he was just as smart, and just as much of a force to be reckoned with. Even though he'd accomplished some amazing things, none of it had ever been good enough for his mother, so Adam knew the only way to get her to recognize him would be to surpass her and go beyond what she'd ever been able to do – and this paper would be the way to do it.

Harper explained to him that she'd ended up on this date because Vaeda wanted her to get out a little before she graduated. Adam smiled, and found it a little hard to believe that Harper was unable to find a date on her own. ”Harper, there's got to be men trying to take you out all the time. Why would Vaeda have to set you up on a blind date?” Even if she was shy, that was endearing, and she was beautiful enough to make a lot of men overlook many other quirks. And, as she seemed to have been getting over her nerves before, they shot right back into place when Adam told her that he recognized her from her class. ”I do remember you... and for a lot more than your brain and ability to put a sentence together so flawlessly,” Adam said, because even when she had been in his class, he'd thought she was gorgeous. A little shy and demure, and sort of quirky in a nerdy, studious way, but as a scholar himself, he could respect all of that... she had just been off limits, because she was his student, and he really didn't think it was right to cross that particular line, even if he knew other professors who had.

Harper complimented his class, and Adam felt a swell of pride. Although he knew he was a good teacher, it was another thing entirely to hear it spoken so truthfully. It made him pleased to know that not only was he doing something he loved, but he was really making a difference. ”I wish more of my students took an interest like you did,” the wolf said honestly. ”Maybe it's just winter term making them lazy, but I swear, this term, it's practically akin to pulling teeth just to get questions after I present my lessons, much less getting very much turned in. And not just quality, but the quantity!” Adam raised his hands, but then set them back down on the table.

”You really don't want to hear me bitching about my students, though,” Adam said, not wanting to get too carried away with his frustrations, though he was comfortable enough to share his thoughts with Harper. Maybe it was because she was related to Vaeda, who had the same effect on him. Harper seemed to get the hint, and went into a seamless subject change. ”It's a lot more... classy than where I usually go. When I was living in Europe, I developed a soft spot for haciendas and tiki bars.” The professor laughed softly, and took Harper's recommendation to heart. ”I'm sure you know this, but while I was always a carnivore, I crave meat more... now. Rarer, too. Now I prefer to cow to still be mooing, but waiters always think I'm trying to be a wiseguy when I order that way.”

Adam was starting to get high hopes for the date, and actually found himself having a wonderful time now that they were getting into the swing of things. The waiter came, and took their orders – Adam ended up getting the steak, as Harper requested, and when he left, he found that she seemed more relaxed, and confident, and it looked good on her. It made her even more beautiful, and Adam had to keep reminding himself of his intentions, lest he get distracted by his more base instincts.

[/justify]

[HARPER NICOLE WAY]

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all thats waiting is regret

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Everything that came out of his mouth was like it had been planned. If she would have guessed he were any supernatural, it probably would have been an immortal. That’s how it felt. It could have been just Harper comparing her conversation to his conversation (in which case it wouldn’t be hard to beat her words of wisdom), but he had been like that in class too. One of those professors who didn’t take any bullshit. Most professors didn’t, but Harper had one where the students knew more than she did. That was not the correct teacher to be teaching a college. Going back into high school might have been a better idea. When it came to education, Harper was a large critic. It was the one thing she was pretty confident and good at. That was why when she said professor…Adam had been a good teacher, it really meant he was a good teacher. Give her a person and she would stare at them awkwardly for hours. Give her the hardest national test, and she’d be able to solve it with time. A very intense ability she had. Something had to make up for all her social imparities.

Yet so humble from the words he was speaking. Harper was getting both a whole different side to him and a side she had always pictured that was there. It was easy to think of some people as flawless. She had fangirling moments all the time whenever she saw most of her celebrity heroes. ”Awww, I’m sure she didn’t have to look too far.” She gripped one of the loose hairs just to start fiddling with it. A nervous habit. Harper seemed that her fingers were always grasping on something. Some of it could have been the end of her strings on her hoodie. A necklace that she had been wearing. Even sometimes just her only two hands picking at one another. She did it when she talked to just about anyone. Just another one of her little quirks anyone could add to the list. In times like these, she caught herself doing it, and placed her hand back down in her lap where he couldn’t at least see her fiddling with her purse. Though she felt more comfortable, it was impossible not to be nervous.

He told the story like it was something written out of the book. Very short, simple, and to the point really. There wasn’t a lot of dramatic pauses. There was even a point where he almost got off track, but it went right before. If Harper enjoyed the outdoors and adventuring, perhaps she would go and check that place out. Until then, her untouched pale skin spoke for itself. Any time in the sun, and freckles would just take over her face. Everyone knew how much Harper hated her freckles. At her story, she got wider green eyes at the end. Dear god, he was lucky he wasn’t killed at an encounter like that. ”Geez, I’m glad you got out that lucky.” Her mouth seemed to explode at the end of it. She didn’t mean it like that. Getting bitten was better than death but it was still no picnic. Even someone that had never been human knew how much of a burden it was. ”Must have been hard.” She tried to appear sentimental. In her small not official training to become a perfect wife with her mother, she was told that women softer toned were more appreciated. Which was what she was trying to do.

At his comment, she just turned as red as her hair. People seemed to think because of her late blooming, guys would be all over her. However, it turned out that her quirkness really made them think twice. She just knew they left saying ‘wow, she was really weird’. They liked cool, calm, and collected. Harper was probably anything but especially when a guy was talking to her. Though if they did it in a jackass way, most of the time she just sat there staring and unamused. Giving the cold shoulder. She considered herself a nice person, but in no way was she a push-over. She had dealt with the awful asshats when she wasn’t glamorous. They shinned their true colors with her all the time. Suddenly now that she was beautiful, she’d just forget that? Harper didn’t think so. ”Ah, nooo.” Giving out a nervous laugh, ”Men usually have a hard time getting past my… quirks.” To put it lightly. Though this couldn’t really go anywhere, she didn’t want to scare the man away. The more he continued, the more she giggled. She was able to put sentences together on paper alright. It was the real life she had trouble with.

Talking about his students didn’t make her as uncomfortable as she thought it would. She thought perhaps she would place herself in the position of two years ago, but things were different now. This was an outside perspective. Harper grinned slightly. Yeah, she knew very well about the people she went to school with. ”Just have to tug them along. They’ll hardly change.” Lazy students was just the expected population of almost the entire campus. Harper hardly found people as devoted as her. Some that worked harder than the lazy, yes, but she was a bit of a crazy woman. With no life, by the way. ”Ah no, it’s fun to hear it from the other side.” She tilted her head, wondering if it was cute. Picturing it in her head as something not, she tilted it back upright. No meaning to try to be cute, as drawn in as she was to Adam. The more he spoke, the more she just wanted to gaze at him. If he had an ego- as most men did- she probably was feeding it. Ah well, like she cared.

This indeed was a classy place. It was one of the things she actually was reassured about. So if her blind date agreed to go here, he at least had some taste. The thought of a tiki room though was almost magical. One thing that Harper hadn’t done just because of the paranoid Way family curse was travel. She always wanted to see other places. However, stepping a foot out of Manuka always resulted bad for the family. Oops. ”You lived in Europe!?” She gasped. ”Where have you been?” For someone who hadn’t even been into the next city, this was all amazing to her.

She imagined the tasting difference. She gave a small grin and nodded, ”They know just how to cook it.” Harper was determined at one point in her life that she was going to go ahead and marry food. Also the reason she hadn’t gone on that diet she wanted to when she was younger. Seemed a silly concept now. Now she felt that stress just prevented weight gain for her because the girl was always fretting over something. Finally, the waiter came over, and she was happy to see that Adam took her advice. Like her opinion meant something. The more she talked, the more she forgot who he had been before she walked in the door. She was actually having a really great time.

TAGS: CJ/SEXYADAM || NOTES: FJEIOAPWPEW MEEP || WORDS: 1210

♥thanks

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[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

At first, Adam was extremely hesitant about the whole 'blind date' thing. He wasn't the type of guy to go on actual dates, truth be told, because that almost crossed the line of giving a woman too much attention. It was a crude way to think of things, he knew, but the wolf preferred his interactions to be quick and simplistic before leading directly to what he felt should always be the final destination: the bedroom. Well, sometimes it didn't exactly have to be a bedroom. Sometimes, he and the second party involved found themselves a little... impatient. However, he was actually having a really good time with Harper. She listened to him talk, but not so much that she was completely quiet and didn't contribute to the conversation, Adam was able to make her laugh and smile, which was always a plus in his book, and she was actually really a good dinner companion, if he had to have one. Adam made a mental note to thank Vaeda later for the set-up, even if he had been a complete pain about the entire idea when first she mentioned it to him. Maybe I'll send her flowers.

[/color] The two wolves were actually talking about Vaeda when he mentioned that he was surprised that she saw some good in him, and Harper immediately responded with her opinion, which seemed to coincide directly with Vaeda's. And what was even better was that her comment seemed sincere. It wasn't like the empty words of a woman who was just trying to impress a man or stroke his ego, and that was something that Adam really appreciated.

”Perhaps she's just been looking for a while,” Adam said, chuckling a little on the outside but feeling a deep twinge on the inside. The professor really hoped that there was good in him, somewhere, and that they weren't just racking their brains trying to will it into existence because he was someone the two other women wanted to have in their lives, for one reason or another. For a while, he'd struggled with the thought that his parental blend of ambitious cutthroat and a penchant for shirking major responsibilities would blend in a vicious cocktail when he reached adulthood. Then what kind of person would he be? Not a good one, or so he thought. Adam watched Harper fiddle nervously, and thought it was sort of adorable. Over the years, he'd gotten very good at reading body language, too: he could tell when a woman wanted him and when a student was lying about the reason their homework hadn't quite made it to the classroom on schedule. Harper was still a wild card, although he had high hopes that the evening would end in his favor.

Eventually, the pair worked up to him telling his story of how he was turned, based on Harper's apparent curiosity. Adam supposed that made sense, as she was a born werewolf and had never experienced being turned in the same way that he had. Sure, they both had to go through their first change, but the difference in background was like a child learning a foreign language vs. an adult who had previously only been exposed to one. Children had a much higher capacity for learning, which was why one was forced to start school so blasted early. Adam had started preschool classes and other enrichment courses that were age-appropriate when he was only three, at his mother's insistence. ”I had training on how to deal with bears in the wild and whatnot, but this was a little different. Still, survival instincts kicked in all the same, and I fought it off,” Adam said, knowing that it seemed a little preposterous now, him fighting off a werewolf. He didn't want to tell her that his combat knife in its ear when it was about to pounce him had finally done the trick, because now it just seemed cruel, but at that time, it had been the most immediate reaction. Adam actually felt a little guilty knowing that there was probably some half-deaf human who happened to shift into a wolf out there because of him. ”Vaeda's been a huge help with getting used to everything. She's a natural at teaching, actually.” Very few teachers hated being taught once they reached a certain level, but Adam had a continuous thirst for knowledge that never seemed to dissipate. Also, training for shifting was incredibly helpful and he was very grateful to Vaeda for working with him.

”What was it like growing up in a family like... well, like us?” Adam wanted to say 'of wolves' or 'like you,' but realized that he was included in that category, now and forever. He expected her answer to be vibrant and colorful, like her personality seemed to be, but got muted diplomat instead. Harper was speaking in a more soft tone, like a lady, and Adam felt like this was only an act. The Harper he remembered from his class was more brilliant, and a presence all her own. It was something he appreciated and admired, because demure women really weren't his thing. ”Relax, okay?” Adam told her again, reaching across the table for her hand and placing his over it, hoping that the contact wouldn't freak her out, and would have the soothing presence that he intended. ”You don't have to do... whatever that is... with me. Just be you, Harper. I actually like you.” His words were true, and he hoped that Harper would take him seriously and follow his request.

They got on the subject of her luck with men, and Adam was a little surprised when she said that not many men paid her attention because of her quirks. ”Well, you are both smart and beautiful. To little boys, I can see how that would be intimidating. But to a real man...” Adam grinned slowly. ”Let's just say that I'm not put off by you in the slightest.” This girl really needed some more confidence, because if he was the relationship type of guy, he'd totally try to snatch her up and off the market. She was a total catch.

From there, the conversation rolled smoothly, and she even gave him a little bit of classroom advice that he valued. Apparently, the students at the college where he taught weren't always... studious. It was surprising, because he felt that if someone was going to shell out as much money as was necessary to pay for a college education, they might as well get their money's worth. But, Adam had always been different than others in his pursuit of knowledge, and he knew it. Not everyone would hunger for it like he did, and like Harper had seemed to. It was another thing to be grateful when he actually had good students who worked hard for their grades instead of sliding by on the bare minimum of what was expected.

Harper seemed to take an interest in his living in Europe, and Adam grinned. ”I spent a lot of time in Spain. England. France. My mother was a professor, too – she taught at a lot of different institutions while I was growing up, so we moved a lot.” Adam really didn't like talking about his mother, but it was because of her that he'd developed his love for travel and learning. ”When I was in college, I did some study abroad. Egypt, Costa Rica, Brazil... some of it came after I graduated. I wanted to see the world before I started working on a tenured teaching position, you know?” Sometimes, he wished he could travel again, but that was what summers were for, and he was actually happy in Manuka. ”You should go traveling as much as you can when you're young, if you get the chance. It's not to be missed, especially if you've the desire for it.”

Then, they placed their food orders, and Adam happily went with the steak, trusting Harper's recommendation. They weren't even to the main course yet, and he was having a fantastic time.[/blockquote][/justify]

[HARPER NICOLE WAY]

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all thats waiting is regret

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Was it attempting to be humble or did he really mean it? Nothing that she knew about him ever mentioned that he would be a bad person. In fact, the most she knew about him was that he was attractive and extremely smart and studious. All very high on her table. She was also finding out that he was extremely witty and easy to talk to. Flowing so well. Her own mind seemed to think they connected very well, even outside of the classroom. Before she thought it was easily two intelligent people having a conversation. That didn’t always end positively, but this was good. It was as if he could easily read her mind. The thought actually made her very nervous. It was better off if he didn’t know the various things rushing through her mind at a wild pace she herself wasn’t able to keep up with. If he was able to dissect it, there wouldn’t be a chance for her in the world. ”I don’t believe it for a minute.” She wasn’t sure if this was her attempt to be smooth or words were just flowing out. Either way, she felt almost confident in that trait.

Even fighting bears was no match for a werewolf. She knew that. She supposed that they were weak enough to be caught down by hunters, but it wasn’t exactly common. Most of the time, it was when a wolf was caught off-guard. One of her greatest fears (and actually one she had thought about upon going to this date). The fact Vaeda set it up had made her feel less likely that a hunter was involved, but sometimes Vaeda trusted way too easily. That was coming from Harper, whom she thought was pretty tolerable of people. People and humanity as a whole needed a great deal of work to gain her respect, but individuals weren’t too bad. Sometimes it was all about knowing what else was going on in someone else’s life. Sometimes Harper could really bad at judging quickly. Rather loving a person or hating a person, it moved both ways. Right now, even with Adam’s small warning of him not being a good guy, Harper saw nothing but a good guy. A more than good guy. She half wondered why he had been receiving training to fight bears, but maybe a complete full out background story wasn’t the point to go to. Vaeda’s wisdom came once again through the conversation. ”I imagine she has the patience of anything else.” Something Harper didn’t have.

There was a pause from her. Looking at him for a moment. It wasn’t the question. She got that question all the time. People were curious how it was to grow up in a family of supernaturals with such high expectations. The answer was never really something simple and seemed to change from time to time depending on the mood she had towards her family. It wasn’t the family part. Her mother was the farthest away from her as possible. The closest person in her family besides her brother was Trent Way who might as well been like a brother. A favorite, no doubt. It made it so much better considering Trent also was a fun little daredevil with Cameron. Although it scared Harper to tears, it made her see Cameron having an older brother. Even if Trent wasn’t the perfect role model, it was something. Things like that seemed like something normal in a regular human large family. That had to be the best answer she could provide her ex-professor. In an almost professional tone, she stated, ”Honestly, it was like growing up with any other large family. It was good to have that support, but if you don’t like someone you’re screwed. There’s also a higher expectation since you’re “of blood”.” She used quoted fingers. Someone in her family actually moved down a line because they married a human. It was not something looked highly upon.

Which she believed that blood was important. It annoyed her that her family considered it just about everything. The older ones did. She wondered if they were like her when they were young. Full of different dreams and ideas but all the same, going with the same family obligation- getting engaged to another werewolf family, making sure the wolf line stayed, and holding the highest honors with the other supernatural families. All of which had done nothing but grow. Harper knew that she was tense, but she hadn’t realized to what extent until she gripped ahold of her hand. A shock wave passed through her as her green eyes lay upon him for a minute. Her heart raced. With his words, she smiled brilliantly. She wasn’t sure why that comment had really gotten to her, but it had. She suddenly did feel a little lighter. Little happier. It was hard for her to completely change out of her awkward manners, but that was because she was Harper. It had nothing to do with him. Further on, he went through. Someone that wasn’t put off by her quirkness! That could hold a conversation! Was there nothing he couldn’t do? She was practically swooning in her seat, ”You’re way too kind.” She said with rising pink cheeks, ”But thank you. I’ve tried to be less so but it’s never worked out.” True story.

His adventures was like uncovering some sort of book. Did he have a book? A lot of professors did, she felt, just for all the research they’ve ever done in their lives through college and such. Suddenly, Harper felt a little more sophisticated, going on a blind date with such a man. Most blind dates were ones set up for people who couldn’t do it themselves. This was a guy who just spat out all the places he’d been. His mother a professor also surprised him. ”What did your dad do?” She asked curiously. Her parents weren’t that interesting. No taking her places and such. Nothing but betrayal and drama in her eyes, but that wasn’t going to be brought up. Not that part. When he said when she was young, she almost laughed, ”You sound like you’ve been around for so long.” Almost like an immortal would sound like.

TAGS: CJ/SEXYADAM || NOTES: FJEIOAPWPEW MEEP || WORDS: 1043

♥thanks

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[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

Every now and then, Adam found that he was pleasantly surprised by people, by situations, or by life in general. While he generally was able to predict with reason how most events would transpire, the occasional surprise was nice. After all, he couldn't claim to know everything. Harper was... surprisingly charming, despite the fact that he remembered her as being a shy, studious individual who really focused on her schoolwork instead of social graces. There was nothing wrong with being that way, of course – as a professor, Adam always admired the students who took pride in their work and would rather study than party and blow off their assignments. But as a date, he didn't know how that studious nature would transfer to a very social outing. The redhead was surprising him, and their conversation was actually going along rather well. She was the perfect mix of complimentary and intriguing, making him interested to continue for more reason than she was a very attractive young woman. It had taken him a minute to get the idea of sleeping with one of his former students out of his head, but now he was firmly settled on the idea that they'd see where the night went, and he'd be content with whatever ending their night got.

”You don't have to believe me,” Adam said with a low chuckle. Vaeda saw the best in everyone, that was true enough, and he wasn't special. She saw good in him, too, and he was grateful for that because for the longest time, he wondered whether he had redeemable qualities at all. ”Honestly, though – whatever she saw, and whatever reasoning she had for setting us up on this date, I'm grateful because I'm really having a good time.” Adam figured that was suitable enough if Harper was seemingly predisposed to the same optimism as her cousin.

After he finished telling his story about how he became a werewolf, he took an interest in Harper's family. Families were interesting to him, and always had been. The professor was smart enough to know that this was because his familial situation hadn't exactly been normal, and a part of him liked to live vicariously through people he knew with healthy, solid families. Though he never stayed long in one location growing up, he had a few childhood friends that liked him enough to invite him over to their houses for dinner, and sitting at a table with a mother and a father, happy and smiling, had been quite the odd cocktail for a young, impressionable Adam. It made him comfortable, happy, but as soon as he left and went back to his home, where his mother was pouring over research and 'the help' tucked him in at night, he became insanely jealous, and realized that if he couldn't have a family of his own, he'd make friends with being a lone wolf forever. Little did he know how true that thought would one day become.

”I'm sure you always had someone to spend time with, something to do. It sounds nice,” Adam said, but added another comment based on some of Harper's less than enthused recollections. ”Expectations, huh? Got to love those. My mother was the same way – wanted me to go to an Ivy League school, nothing less. Excel. Be 'perfect' to make her look good. When I grew up, I got tired of it and thought I wanted to rebel, and even got away with it for a while, but ended up falling lockstep into the same career she chose. Funny how life works out, hmm?” Adam loved teaching, though. It was as much his passion as his mother's, and his need to pass her level of achievement continued to fuel him. One day, he'd overthrow the queen. ”What kind of expectations did you have to suffer through?” Adam gave her a charming smile, hoping to add levity to the semi-serious topic of conversation. For a first date, it wasn't good for things to get too heavy, but casual bitching about one's upbringing and parents was perfectly normal. Harper didn't seem to mind, either, so he didn't feel like he overstepped any boundaries.

Harper was even receptive to his compliments, and her blush was kind of sexy, he had to admit. ”There's no need to change just to make someone happy. I don't have the cornerstone on love or anything, but I think that if the theory that everyone's got someone perfect for them out there is true, that someone will love you just as you are.” Adam said, hoping that maybe if she took anything from their date, she'd take a desire to be more confident in who she was. Honestly, Adam thought it was pretty great, and he didn't usually think of women that way. There was still no intention, of course, to get involved with Harper, but she was a lovely young woman, and he didn't want her to end up making unnecessary sacrifices for some idiot just because he seemed to care for her. Adam had never been a strong belief in sacrificing your own self for anyone.

The waiter brought their food to the table just as they were finishing up talking about Adam's travels and he encouraged Harper to get out there and do some traveling of her own. He thanked the waiter kindly and removed his utensils from the cloth napkin that houses them. The redhead took him by surprise then by asking about his father, and he did his best not to appear shocked or even worse, angry. Adam could speak of his mother because even though he wasn't fond of the woman, she had still done her best to raise him, and was his only known parent. Adam really had no memories of his father at all. No pictures, nothing but his mother's bitter comments and patronizing remarks concerning the man that had participated in his creation. ”Actually... I don't know. I never knew him. He was... he never wanted to be part of my life, so my mother raised me on her own.” Adam said, because that was what he'd been told. His mother had told him that when she met his father, she had been drinking a celebratory drink for some new research she'd done in a bar and met a handsome, rugged blue-collar worker who convinced her to have two celebratory drinks, then three, then four, and then she ended up going home with him against her 'better judgment.' It had been part of why she had worked so hard to turn Adam in a miniature version of herself, so he wouldn't have any of those dreaded 'blue collar' desires that she regarded with such disdain.

”It's all right, though. I've... we've done just fine without him.” Adam said, then cut into his steak, which really did look delicious and took his first bite. ”This is really amazing. Fantastic suggestion. How's yours?” Adam looked over to the dish Harper was eating, and was grateful that their main course gave him an out to stop talking about a somewhat painful subject, even though he tried very hard to hide that it bothered him at all.

[/justify]

[HARPER NICOLE WAY]

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all thats waiting is regret

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Harper probably should not have been drinking. At first, it made sense since the werewolf was so tense she couldn’t help but use something to ease her up. Now she was getting more comfortable, more relaxed, and more social, which meant that she was probably going to end up drinking more. Was she going to get drunk? No, of course not. Unfortunately, she was a little bit of a light weight so she didn’t mean to drink. Was she probably going to drink to the point where her points of view and decision were a little twisted? Yes. She was already there. Harper was too busy staring at this man, trying to figure out if he had any flaws. There were men she found like this, but this had to be the first time she was able to speak to one up close and personal- let alone on a date. Before she came, she wasn’t sure how much of an actual ‘date’ this was, but it sure felt like it now.

What he said was interesting. No, she really didn’t have to believe him, now she did? As far as him questioning himself as a good guy or not, she defiantly didn’t believe him there. Here she was, trying to figure out if there was such thing as a flawless person, and there he was, wondering if it was true. Harper was melting into her shoes, practically rolling on the ground with all of this. It made her feel so wonderful. Who would have guessed that somewhere in the near future she would have been having dinner with her professor. It was different now. Before it was strictly professional- student and teacher. Here they met each other as equals. Not so much as equals in the fact that she was basically praising him at the moment, but social status was equal at that moment. She smiled at him when he said he was enjoying his time at the date. So he hadn’t been the only one? ”I can’t say I was… excited my cousin set me up, but I’m very glad she did as well. I’m having a lot better of a time than I thought.” Maybe she would have worn something different if she would have known, but maybe that was the entire purpose of a blind date. Would she have showed up if she found out it was her professor? Probably not.

That was true. She did always have someone to talk to. Even if sometimes during family reunions, all she wanted to do was go up in her room on her computer. That did come with having to spend time with relatives she didn’t’ really like. Maybe not dislike but preferably not talk to them kind of relationship. People who weren’t in supernatural families didn’t understand how massive these families were. Most family was spread out all over the country, but the Way pack had to stay in Manuka because of the weird curse that was placed upon them. Having all of those relatives within the same walls of the same city sometimes felt very crowded. Then he commented on having high expectations. For some reason, she could see it. Little Adam being lectured by his mother. Her eyes widened with surprise when he mentioned he had a rebel phase. Just like little Harper. Except Harper would never be able to be a teacher of any kind. She hated speeches. She always fumbled and sometimes read the words on the piece of paper wrong. Her most terrifying moment was when she had to give a speech in front of her graduation audience as valedictorian. She hated it. Kind of a problem as a teacher. Professor. Whatever.

”You went through your rebel phase, too? How long did that last you?” She mused lightly. She couldn’t even picture him doing anything rebellious and bad, but perhaps there was just a time in his life like that. Like he said, he followed the path she wanted him to take in the end. Was his phase over? Didn’t’ really occur to her that he might have still been in it. That didn’t seem likely. At his next question- she should have known he was going to ask that. Up until now, she had completely forgotten that she was engaged. She had a fiancé and here she was gazing over at this man. It wasn’t really something she wanted to tell him. She didn’t know what it was- her date probably should know, but Harper felt like that would ruin some of it. Plus, that wasn’t exactly nice dinner conversation. ‘Oh, hey by the way, I’m supposed to be married to someone very soon’. Might cause him to up and leave. ”Mostly marriage.” Not saying it was her own. ”Carrying down the line. The oldest is supposed to be the head of the family, but since he married a human, he moved down the line. My family takes it very seriously.” She found that unfortunate, but it wasn’t as if she could do much to change it. It was why she didn’t try to get out of her arranged marriage. It was a family obligation. Her parents did it. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. Everything would work out. Everything would work out.

It didn’t help that Harper was already dazing over at him, but when he was speaking all of those words, it didn’t seem real. That was stuff that only guys in fantasies said. No one actually said that until now. Harper’s big green eyes just had to blink over at him for a moment, her soul feeling like it was absolutely souring above all else. Her mind was swirling and turning. Her heart was fluttering loudly, and it had nothing more to do with her being nervous. It was as if this man popped out from the heavens on her idea of a perfect man. This couldn’t happen. ”Wow…” Having literally no other words to say, ”I mean, I’ve always hoped for something like that.” She admitted, knowing that he had to somewhat expect that. She was sure there was a little lonely part of everyone who was fascinated with that idea. Not being able to find it was disappointing. Harper was sure it would never happen, especially now. It was hard to believe though with the way she was looking at him.

Harper thought she had been doing so well and then she goes ahead and asks him questions like that. Her heart leaped out of her chest. That was unfortunate. She had no idea that someone like Adam would grow up without a father. Though her own family unit was messed up, at least she never had to deal with something like that. ”Oh, I’m sorry.” She said, feeling completely useless. Maybe if she would have known better, she would have been able to say smooth words that would have comforted him for the small bit of time. However, Harper was Harper, and as usual, couldn’t think of anything useful in social situations such as this. She was thinking about some. Couldn’t think of anything. But he continued and she took a large breath out, smiling a little bigger as she took a bite of her own dinner. At his comment, she stood up a little straighter, glad that it was satisfying so she wasn’t sitting there looking like a fool, ”I’m glad you like it! I knew there was a good reason for coming here.” With a small tease in her voice. That wine had really loosened her up. Harper was really just not thinking at this point. Just fangirling deep inside, not believing this was happening to her.

TAGS: CJ/SEXYADAM || NOTES: SORRY ITS BLAHISH I LOST MY POST YESTERDAY AND HAD TO RE-WRITE IT </3 || WORDS: 1248

♥thanks

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[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

Adam patted himself on the back, figuratively speaking, for the wine choice. While he certainly wasn't a connoisseur, he did enjoy a good bottle of wine and his mother had been extremely picky about her wine selections. Even before he was of legal drinking age, his mother enjoyed commenting on her preferences around him almost as though this would be information that stuck with him for when he did reach adulthood. Sadly enough, it did end up sticking, but now he was able to impress a date by choosing a good bottle without much hesitance or asking the waiter. Adam supposed that was all well and good, since men were notorious for not wanting to ask questions about things that they could likely figure out themselves – directions, wine choices, all those fell under the same umbrella.

Adam certainly wasn't a lightweight, but he wondered if Harper was starting to feel the intoxicating buzz yet. It was a relief that she was starting to be more open, more relaxed, smiling more – although it certainly could have been attributed to the alcohol in her system instead of his stellar company. The professor chuckled a little at the thought, but subtly to himself. Harper was quite the conversationalist for someone who had been so nervous and insecure before. Now, she was following his lead quite nicely, bringing up the proper follow-up questions, responding in kind. Intelligently, too, which was something that even he, notorious playboy, could appreciate. More often than not, he sacrificed intelligence for beauty and enjoyed the simplicity that women who offered a lot (but not a lot in the brains department) could bring him. But Harper possessed both brains and beauty, and Adam thought that he was doing quite nicely at keeping her happy and entertained. It almost made him wonder if he might change up his game plan a little and go after 'prey' who were a little more choosy. He'd had luck with Chloe, too, and was doing his best not to think about her while he was on a date with another woman, but knew that blocking her out completely would be a bit impossible. He certainly didn't want to admit it, but the jaguar had started to worm her way under his skin, and that was never a good sign. Not to Adam.

”Oh, you should have heard me complaining to Vaeda – I was practically a petulant child, but she's very persuasive when she wants to be. I was surprised, to say the least,” Adam said, enjoying that he wasn't the only one who had been less than enthused about being set up on a blind date. ”Hopefully I'll just keep impressing you instead of plateauing somewhere in the middle.” Really, he wasn't worried, but he liked to keep a little touch of humility with people who didn't really know him. Adam wore a lot of masks, and could easily blend into nearly any situation and impress just about any woman that he wanted to. While he hadn't been playing the game as long as some, he always played to win, and his track record (which some people might be ashamed of, but not him) spoke for itself. However, that was certainly not appropriate dinner conversation, so he wasn't about to bring it up. The type of man he needed to be tonight was perfectly clear: well-spoken gentleman, a real prince charming. And even though he was incredibly far from it, and his mind was certainly not on its best behavior, Adam had to admit that he was doing pretty well. Harper asked about his rebellious phase, and the werewolf asked aloud. ”It never ended, but I can tell you when it started,” Adam said, a fond smile on his face when he remembered. ”I was nineteen, on the road to a proper, and by that, I mean Ivy League education when I decided to just... leave. See the world. Explore. So, I hopped a plane to Costa Rica after working for an entire summer as a dock hand and my mother was furious.” Adam said, because her reaction really had been the best thing ever.

”What she hated more than me dropping out of Yale was me finding a beautiful local woman and spending an entire summer in her bed instead of doing anything 'important' toward my career,” Adam said, waiting for Harper's reaction. Truthfully, it hadn't just been one local woman – there had been at least ten that Adam could remember because there was no way he could commit to just one woman for a whole summer now, much less at nineteen. ”What about you? Were you a rebel, Harper?” Adam's voice was a touch suggestive, perhaps even flirtatious, and he wondered if now he was being too forward. When he'd gotten there, he had promised not to treat her like the others because of his friendship with Vaeda, but now... now he was kind of interested in what Harper would be like if she got to let loose a little – and his apartment, alone, was a great place for a woman to let loose and just feel.

Rebellion frequently came from young adults and children who had too harsh of expectations put on them from a young age, and Harper explained her family's expectations for 'marriage.' Adam wondered as she spoke who the next one in line was. Maybe it was her. If it was and she did have some werewolf fiance out there who'd likely have rather harsh words or fists for him for doing some of the things that were currently in Adam's mind with his fiance, the professor decided that he'd rather not know. So he didn't ask. Simple as that. ”I think that if you decide to get shackled down in a marriage, it should at least be for love – but I'm not trying to be disrespectful of your family's beliefs. Whatever works, you know?”

Now that Adam had decided where he wanted the evening to go, he was able to muster up some pretty words strung together just right, because he truly could be somewhat of a wordsmith when he wanted to be. Harper seemed to love it, and he could tell by the way she was looking at him that she was certainly interested in him, maybe even to the point of desire, if he stoked such desires just enough. ”Most women do, don't they? I have no doubt that you'll find your Prince Charming... someday.” With that, he gave her a little wink and was pleased when the food arrived shortly after, almost as if it was on cue. Even he could run out of perfect things to say.

Adam cut into his steak and took the first delicious bite, then decided that he'd have to pace himself, as he was on a date with a lady. Despite the fact that she knew he was a wolf, and there was just enough blood in the meat that he could taste it... pacing oneself was good. Proper. Harper asked about his father next, and he replied in a way that was honest but tried not to make her feel bad about asking. ”Please don't feel bad for asking – his choices have no reflection on anyone else but him.” Adam said, hoping this would ease her mind a little, since she looked distraught for a moment. The conversation moved back to food, and he was glad for that. Adam cut another piece of steak and finished it off with another swig of wine after he swallowed. He astutely noticed that Harper's glass was getting low and grabbed the bottle. ”More?” He waited for her reply, and laughed at her comment about the food being the reason they came here.

”Well, the food is excellent – and I hope you are saving room for dessert. Far be it for me to deprive a woman of dessert. I'm not one of those kind of men,” Adam said, wondering if there would be an opportunity there, if she did order dessert, for a little romance. Just to gauge where Harper wanted the evening to go.

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[HARPER NICOLE WAY]

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all thats waiting is regret

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The light weighted werewolf probably should have had something to eat soon. Without any more wine. But was she going to by the end of the night? Probably not. It was relaxing her. That was the thing with alcohol that drew her first to it when she first tried it. Her first thought ‘why the fuck would anyone take this again?’ but she realized that it loosened her up. For someone that spent her entire time trying to figure out why it was impossible for her to complete a logical sentence, that was the dream. Something to get her less worried. Less shy and more open. That was part of what was happening for sure. Between his charming words, Harper’s attraction towards him, and that delicious wine, there was no telling where she was going to stop that night. She wasn’t even worried about it. Not thinking about what might happen. That had been a huge bad sign in the past, but never mind that. Lessons didn’t matter at that moment. She was just daydreaming.

A light laugh escaped her lips when she pictured Adam pouting to Vaeda. She knew how stubborn Vaeda could be when she really wanted. Honestly, that was a family trait. Harper too could stand there with her arms crossed for the longest time if the moment called for it. Perhaps it was just she hadn’t found that moment to be truly stubborn. Clearly, there was a small pushover side when it came to orders from authority. That was just following the rules. Harper was mostly a rule girl. She knew there was a reason for them to put in place. Plus, she didn’t like the thought of getting caught. Having to face that angry red disappointed look from whoever was standing above her. While staying out of trouble, she also gained the trust of those of high importance. It was smart. That hopefully was her ultimate goal in everything she did. Remain the smart Harper she knew she was.

Impressing her? Yeah, he was impressing her, but he had always been impressing. Just by teaching. Although it did make her half smile with a light glimmer in her eye, ”I can’t say that I have any objections.” Not many people went out of their way to impress her. Not to say he wasn’t going out of his way either. It could have just been his natural charm and smile, but all the same. No one really did that for her. If they did, she was completely oblivious about it. For a while when she was more dramatic (if one could ever believe that) she flaunted how she was going to be forever alone. Never finding anyone that would be her pair, and she was content with it. Clearly all of that had changed. Sometimes she looked back at herself and wanted to face-plant. How could she had been so stupid? Although sometimes during the peaks of her awkwardness, that was a daily thought. Now, she didn’t feel it at all. Yay for alcohol, she supposed.

Never ended? Somehow picturing him as the rebel shocked her. This was his rebelling? Well didn’t she just feel a little bit awful. There was a half-smile on her face as he re-told how he traveled the world. Man, she should have rebelled like him. Life would be a hell lot more interesting. Even though interesting wasn’t always a good thing. That’s what she had to tell herself. While her life was pretty much eventless, it also meant that she was safe. Out of harm’s way. Obident and following the rules that were lain upon her from a young age. She was proud of that title. Even if right now she was gazing and listening to the ‘rebel’ story of his. Nineteen. Jesus, she wasn’t that brave. When he turned down the Ivy League education, Harper understood completely. She too turned that down, but for different reasons. ”Now that’s a way to rebel. Go out and see the world. Enjoy yourself before you have to work for the rest of your life.” Costa Rica didn’t sound like a bad idea. She had never been outside of this city before, let alone another country. Hearing he dropped from Yale and had a beautiful woman, she found herself shaking her head, hiding her prickle of jealousy. Whoa, where did that come from Harper Way? You stop that right now.

Harper made a face. She should have known this was coming. After all, she had been asking him the questions about rebelling first. At that moment, however, she didn’t feel as flustered to talk about it as she usually did. Scratching her head, she looked away only for a moment, then back at him, ”Ha- well, I wish mine were as good as yours. When I was in high school, my dad was super strict about where I go. First kid, you know. So when I went into college, it was this first burst of freedom. So I decided I’d go to a bunch of parties to have the fun I was missing during high school. It was fun until my grade started dropping. Then realized how I must have looked.” Like a total slutbag, she was sure. She dealt enough with those to know what one of them looked like, especially by first impression. She wasn’t sure why that came out of her mouth so easily. It must have been his tone.

Yeah, that’s what most people said when they didn’t’ know the family system. It was understandable under these rules of society. It was a dream she once had. ”No, I totally understand. I used to think that way too. But there’s hope to have both.” Adam should have known that. Vaeda was currently dating another werewolf. Even though they were having a major rough spot that Harper only knew vaguely about. Something about one of the Sabrer’s. Harper didn’t have the whole story only for the sake her family didn’t know the whole story. She imagined Vaeda didn’t like bringing it up for conversation very often either. Still, even despite her words, he continued to talk like the hero she knew he was. Harper could have melted right then and there.

Harper nodded, smiling politely. The answer should have been no, but why not? She was having a great time, and there was no harm in having more. She was about to eat, so the situation wasn’t completely bad. What she didn’t know was that food wasn’t going to do much for her. She thought it was, but on the overall look- it hadn’t done much for her. At the thought of desert, she thought for a minute. It really did sound good. She hadn’t planned on it, but now that he mentioned something about desert. ”Only if you split it with me.” She offered. She wasn’t on a diet or anything, but she wouldn’t be able to finish one of their plates even if she went on an empty stomach. It was a stretch, and he might reject, but she was going to try.

TAGS: CJ/SEXYADAM || NOTES: <33333 || WORDS: 1185

♥thanks

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[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

He definitely had an ego, and even though he could tell that Harper was starting to get, well, tipsy, that didn't make her compliments and outright praise any less satisfying. Of course, it wouldn't do for her to too far gone on the alcohol front, because then he might actually feel bad if anything happened between them after dinner – he might have been a womanizing playboy, but he certainly didn't like to feel like he was taking advantage of a woman that couldn't say no or enjoy herself as much as he was bound to, whenever things got physical. Also, because she was related to one of his dear friends, he might actually end up feeling like an asshole if he did get her too drunk and still ended up sleeping with her. It was comforting to Adam for a moment that his brain had managed to get past the concept of sleeping with one of his former students – he still didn't know if that was going to happen and had no intention to push, but it turned out that he didn't consider it to be as big of a deal as he originally thought. It wasn't like she just got out of his class; there was a gap, a time frame, and after crunching some necessary numbers, Adam came to the conclusion that he was within the respectable limits of 'waiting' time before he wasn't a creepy professor who slept with his students. There was a grace period for everything, and he was grateful for that because Harper had a lot going for her: looks, intelligence, enthusiasm... all very good things for a woman to have.

”Oh good, because I might be offended if you did have objections,” he said, giving her a teasing, flirtatious smile that was known to knock women back a little bit with its disarming qualities. Thankfully, she was in a chair, so they were safe. He'd really have to thank Vaeda for putting up with his stubborn ass, because Harper was a find. Not the kind of woman that he'd give up his 'player' status for or anything, but what woman was? No woman, that's who.

They talked about tales of his rebellious youth, which really wasn't that far away. Adam still considered himself to still be young, even though he was approaching his thirties more and more each day. That was okay, though – he'd always considered age and experience to be bonuses; women weren't able to think that he was a fumbling college boy, not that he'd ever been 'fumbling' in his endeavors. No, Adam strived to achieve perfection in nearly every endeavor that he attempted – including pleasing and seducing women. He hadn't been trying to seduce Harper in the beginning of their little 'date,' but now? Now he was definitely interested, and he intended to make it very difficult for her to say no. Of course, there was the part of him that wondered how she'd handle the information that he didn't do relationships, that he didn't like commitments, and that he was more than willing to give her a night chock-full of mind-blowing, life-altering, strings free sex without looking back. Some women liked that, but not all of them did, so he had to know where to toe the line. Only time would tell. ”Anyone can do it, Harper. If you're interested, maybe you should give it a try. Also, European men love American women, generally speaking.” Adam gave her a little wink, and then noticed a look on her face that he detected as... jealousy? Of the women he'd spent his time with or the journey itself? He couldn't say for sure, so he made an attempt to quell it, just to see if he'd guessed correctly. ”Manuka is not without its charms, however. Or its beautiful women. I find myself fortunate enough to be in the company of one at this very moment.” He shot her a heated glance from across the table, and they continued conversation as they ate their meals. The food was delicious, the conversation didn't have any awkward pauses or situations, and Adam was really enjoying himself.

When they started talking about their families, Adam could relate completely when Harper talked about her father. He sounded, well... a lot like Adam's mother. Strict. High expectations. Willing to give them almost no freedom. ”Tell me about it,” Adam said, empathizing well when he actually could relate. Most of the time, he'd just have to make up empathy, make up little things, try to make the woman think that he could understand them, but with Harper, in this case... he actually could. ”The only time I had any free time out from underneath my mother's thumb was when she was too busy with her work to notice me and left me with a series of nannies. Those women were more motherly to me than she ever was.” The professor released a little bitter laugh and took another drink of his wine, then finished off his meal as she continued to talk about her rebellious stages, which were mild, her family's expectations, and the hope that someone who was essentially 'chosen' for someone in her family could be a proper choice and someone that person could love. ”Well, from your experience, is it more love or more arrangement? What's the more typical outcome, or does it end up going both ways?” It seemed interesting, on a cultural level, that a modern family was still following... out of date practices, so to speak. Of course, there was a chance that someone could fall in love with someone who was arranged to be their spouse, but Adam considered love to be pretty unlikely in general, so it was more likely that they just tolerated each other. Found things to appreciate. They didn't love each other, if he was to guess. At least, not normally, but he was curious to see what Harper would say.

They finished their meals, and the waiter came to take their plates, giving them a moment to think about dessert, and he actually brought it up to Harper, wondering if she was feeling free enough to indulge. When she answered favorably, he smiled, quite pleased. ”Of course – but you should pick.” The waiter came back and took their order for dessert, returning with it after hardly no time at all, and set the plate down between them, two forks on the plate – thoughtful. Adam kept finding reasons to give the waiter a much better tip, the more little helpful things he did. ”Allow me?” Adam raised an eyebrow, wondering if he'd get to follow through. He slid the fork through the dessert, getting a single, delicate bite and reached across the table, offering to feed it to Harper in what he hoped would be a hopelessly charming, intriguing, romantic gesture that would make her want him. He'd tried this before, and found most women to like it, but it was always a gamble.

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[HARPER NICOLE WAY]

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all thats waiting is regret

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How was he so good at that? Every smile and smooth words made Harper shiver with excitement. The twenty-four year old was practically melting in her chair like she was a sixteen-year-old fan girl. This man could not be real. He was just like all the other life ruiners she spotted on the internet. Yes, she was one of those girls, but that wasn’t important. Nor was she going to mention any of these thoughts even if she had that ability. If she ever tried, she’d probably end up in this blubber of things that started out as words, but now were forming into their own language. She swore, sometimes she did make up her own language. The problem was no one really understood. Very aggravating. Especially when she was trying to express her emotions and really couldn’t. So she just gave up on it. Only having to do it if she had to. Although, ironically, she was a little better when she was drinking. Not much, but tons better. In fact, maybe she was a little too smooth.

That seemed so simple. Yes, anyone could do it. Except for someone who would probably fail epically if she were to go on a spontaneous trip. To get away from everything. Harper would be sitting there, worrying to much. One of the problems was being a built scholar was she would always be analyzing. The consequences that could happen outweighed the enjoyment that could happen if she were to do something that rebellious. Harper- except for the small moment- was a good girl. A goody-two-shoes. Though clearly someone designed for that trip wouldn’t have been. She supposed that was the whole point, right? To get away from yourself? But that could never happen, no matter how many times someone tried. At the wink, she thought her heart stopped for a couple of seconds, but she managed to regain herself in, thankfully, a shortish amount of time. ”Oh I couldn’t possibly…” A crooked grin on her face, ”Maybe after graduating. I’m so close.” Uh, before the marriage. Yeah. Somewhere between there for a last shot. Not a bad idea… No, no Harper. You’re drunk, go home. Well not drunk, per say. Wine was a lighter liquor after all.

She was never ever going to get used to him calling her beautiful, or pretty, or remarkable, or any adjective that ended up with a rosy color on her cheeks. Redheads blushing were always an interesting sight, and from the looks of things, Adam was determined to see how much of that he could get. It was a little better with the wine in her system, but not enough. ”Well, I have to say, I’ve never met a man quite like you.” No, she really hadn’t. Adam was so different from the other guys she usually talked to. Granted, the ones she usually talked to were as awkward and quirky as her, but he handled it so well. Like it wasn’t a big deal she was making a complete fool out of herself. He was gentleman-like, adventurous, ridiculously smart, and extremely cool and calm. She knew that was a combination of a lot of positives that probably wouldn’t be found in other guys all together like that. It was… unbelievable. Something made up.

And this man understood. No one else really understood except for large families, but it seemed that even those with a simple single mother could have done the same. She wasn’t one of those higher people who believed that houses couldn’t have the same problems in larger ones and smaller ones. She just thought maybe there was likely of a chance, but as it appeared with Adam- there was an equal amount. Nannies. That was something she actually didn’t have to worry about. One would think differently, but no. Harper’s mom didn’t work a lot when they were younger, and Harper sort of took care of her siblings after that. The Way family didn’t want others around their children. ”My mom didn’t trust nannies. But we got along when I was little.” Then that cheating bitch decided that she’d just go off with another guy. It bothered Harper greatly that Cameron was only her half brother. She never thought of him that way, of course, but it irked her.

The talk about arranged marriages made her extremely uncomfortable. Especially the fact she was on a date at that moment, and more and more started to forget about Wyatt. Wyatt who? Even talking about it now, the man was fading back and forth in her mind. Adam was in the way of her thinking straight. ”Umm…” She started with, not wanting to have to explain why she didn’t like talking about arranged marriages, so stayed on the topic. ”Probably a good mixture of both. My parent’s generation not so much. My parents were engaged.” She thought they loved each other but apparently because of her mother’s actions, she had not. The bitterness had not left her. Nor would it ever. The betrayal of betrayals.

Harper smiled with satisfaction when he agreed. She didn’t think she ever did this before. No, she defiantly hadn’t. She had never been bold enough to do it. This was the type of thing she dreamed about doing when she was younger and it was with her prince. Her heart fluttered. Maybe… it could be the reason she was feeling bold. As if somehow she knew inside of her. It was hard to deny it, really. Pointing to one to the waiter, he came back with it in no time. No more wine for Harper, as she had plenty. Tipsy for sure. Probably borderline, but she had been more drunk. When they got it, she looked at him curiously, then saw the spoon was toward her. Oh, no, Harper, don’t fuck this up. Sober, she would, no doubt. Now, she was better. One would think it’d be the other way around, but. She opened her mouth and took the chocolate brownie from the spoon. ”Delicious.” She grinned widely with a new sparkle in her eye.

TAGS: CJ/SEXYADAM || NOTES: thisisbadthisisverybad || WORDS: 1017

♥thanks

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[ADAM ORION SHARPE]

Even though he certainly had qualities that most people would frown upon – and even had frowned upon a time or two – Adam also had positive qualities that helped him become a good professor. Part of the reason why he had chosen to go along with his mother's wishes for him to follow in her footsteps was because he liked encouraging young people in a positive way: he wanted them to be able to go out and follow their dreams, find their happiness, and not be held back in a way that he felt he had experienced on more than one occasion. When he was younger, he had rebelled, and strayed from the path that his mother had tried to shove down his throat, but even though he had ended up running, Adam found his way back to the career field that she wanted, but only because he wanted it, too. The thought of someone like Harper – bright, beautiful Harper – not getting to do what she wanted because of familial expectations was something that Adam could sympathize with, but wanted to encourage against. She was a good person, he could tell, and despite the fact that he was thinking about getting into her pants, he also wanted to do his part to let her know that she had a mind of her own. Even though her family wanted certain things for her, an d more than likely she had followed along with those wishes to the letter, she could still go out and live her own life. ”As your former professor, I'm definitely going to encourage you to graduate, because you're far too intelligent not to do so.” Adam said, but then his voice lowered to a sultrier, more tempting tone, and he added a little caveat onto his statement. ”But as someone who would like to also be considered a friend, perhaps even more than a friend, I'd like to encourage you to seek out your passions. Find something that makes you incredibly, undeniably happy, and run with it. If you want to travel, go see the world. There's a lot out there just waiting for you to grab it. Trust me.”

If he had to pick a single moment where their careful flirting kicked up a notch from a mere dipping of one's toe into the proverbial water to test for temperature to where they were headed, Adam had to say it was when Harper told him that she'd never met a man quite like him. The wolf's ego was certainly not a small one, and he knew that he was a prize in more than a few ways. He did have his talents, and pleasing women – making them feel good about themselves, even if it was just for one night – was one of them. Perhaps, and he didn't normally dare to make such a comparison, but perhaps it was better than his abilities as a teacher. And teaching was something that Adam was very proud of. Adam knew that bringing Harper Way back to his apartment and into his bed was likely a dangerous maneuver, given that Vaeda likely wanted him to have purer, more innocent intentions with her cousin, but a man had needs, and if Harper had desires that he could fill... well, he wasn't the kind of guy to say 'no' without a very, very good reason. The fact that she hadn't been his student for a good number of time, was of the proper, legal age, and wasn't intoxicated beyond her ability to properly consent all put her within Adam's 'safety zone' for seduction. If she expressed an interest at the end of their night, he would be showing her a very good time.

The flirting took a turn again to discuss their pasts and childhoods, which was a subject that normally Adam would be uncomfortable talking about with a date, but Harper was a little different, and he could relate to the stories she told. ”I was lucky to have good nannies, I suppose. They got me started on learning how to charm women from a very early age,” Adam said, teasing Harper with a slightly slanted smile. He was only joking! Mostly. ”For a while, I thought most of them were just apt to give me whatever I wanted, but I wasn't a troublemaker until I was much, much older. It's hard to imagine me as innocent, hmm?” As much as he didn't mind talking about his childhood with Harper because of their shared experience and similar family structure, he would always prefer to listen rather than talk about 'serious' subjects. When he was being charming or seductive, Adam could be very verbose and use his charms to lure in women with a near expert proficiency, but on this manner, he preferred to give Harper the verbal spotlight. Especially since the topic was arranged marriages, which was something he understood even less than chosen marriage – marriage had never appealed to him, not in the slightest, but he wasn't even willing to attempt a committed relationship, so it didn't come as a surprise to very many people who knew what he was really like. ”Let's not talk about serious matters anymore. I'm having much too good of a time with you to let something like arranged marriages put a bitter taste in my mouth.”

The reason he had changed the subject was because he could tell that she was feeling uncomfortable. Adam didn't know why, because she seemed to be a fairly open book, as far as most people went, but this one... her parents' history, it almost gave her the same look in her eyes as Adam supposed he got when someone brought up his father, who had left him when he was only a toddler. For what, the wolf didn't know, but he hoped it was something really, really important. Something worth it. As if such a thing could exist. Adam never wanted children, and had gone to medical lengths to ensure that he couldn't produce them, but he had always known that if something ever happened – because almost nothing was perfect or guaranteed – he would want to be a good father, just to make up for the chance that he'd never gotten due to his own father's selfish decision.

Dessert moved them back toward flirting, and Adam was pleased at the development of Harper's... sultrier side. The wolf hadn't really expected her to let him feed her the dessert, but she had taken the bite beautifully, and Adam licked his lips in rapt fascination as he watched her take the brownie and respond with such a double entendre that, in its simplicity, might have been missed if not for the fact that he was a master at this game. ”Maybe it's a good thing I chose to indulge your sweet tooth then, wouldn't you say?” His voice left him in a low, deep grumble, and he took a bite of dessert for himself before continuing the back and forth of sharing the dessert and tracing his eyes over her body. Once it was finished, he picked up the check and stood, adjusting his clothes that had rumpled during the time he sat, and even moved to the other side of the table to help with Harper's chair. Oh, he was still playing the gentleman, but hopefully not for too much longer. Once she had stood, he extended his arm and escorted her outside. The two of them walked toward his bike, where he had parked, because he had no idea where she had parked, or if she had made the journey on foot or by cab. Then, they paused, and he looked at her with a slow, easy smile on his face and an unmistakable hunger in his eyes.

”This has been a wonderful evening, Harper,” Adam said, but then made sure to leave room for a little suggestion. ”But, if you're interested, it doesn't have to end. Good night kisses are rather cliché, and although I would be fond of kissing you right now, it wouldn't have to be our parting gesture.” Then, he leaned in a little, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her a little closer into his body, gazing into her eyes and waiting for some sign that he should pull away. Last chance to back out, he supposed, if she wasn't comfortable.

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