Lake Misadventures

[adlohse]

Anthony wasn't buying it. The guy didn't have to be vulgar to get his point across and he obviously wasn't being sincere, or at least Anthony thought. Still, he found him somewhat amusing. He decided it was useless to not respond to most of his comments. The guy seemed adamant and convicted in his opinions.

London was nice and agreed, beautiful. He didn't see her as some piece of meat to use and throw away afterwards, and thankfully she didn't present herself that way either. He wanted to actually get to know her before taking things seriously. She was the type of girl that Anthony would have dated, at least from what he could tell from her, so it wasn't like he didn't want something to come from it. Admittedly, he was relived to see she wasn't all giddy from a stranger's simple complement.

He glanced at London with his eyes smiling eyes and a faint grin before looking back to the man who stood in front of them, his expression not changing much. "You getting lost and being here isn't a problem at all. It's when you flirt with girls that you don't know that I have an issue with. She could be my girlfriend for all you know.." His eyes kept contact with the new person's gaze while he spoke, but this time his tone wasn't as stern as before. He took care in how he used it, considering the small spark his that previous words had ignited into a fire. Nonchalantly, stretched out his arms on the dock and then gently pushed away from it, floating on his back, slowly drifting a few feet out, somewhat behind and to the side of London. His cheeks were slightly flushed now from indirectly pointing out the fact that he was interested in London more than a friend, but he doubted anyone would notice unless they stared straight at his face.

[katalyie]

London watched the two men with growing trepidation. She still didn't really right about the whole thing. This new man was vulgar, brash, rough. That did not please her and, to be honest, only added to her feeling that something was very wrong about him. He seemed to think that he was entitled to something and that.... well, it bothered her to say the very least. Brows furrowed slightly as she considered a way to politely ask him to leave. Something in the back of her midn still told the angel to be cautious and London had long since accepted that she could listen to these feelings. "The highway is that way, if you're lost. It was... nice to meet you."

Before swimming away, London pulled herself briefly up onto the dock. Wiping her hands on her towel, she pulled her phone from her bag. Good, no calls from Jordan. That meant he was doing alright. The angel sighed as she tucked her phone into the top of her bag and gave the stranger one more look. "Have a nice day." of course, that was so very London to wish someone who made her slightly uncomfortable a nice day. Having dismissed the man in her own way, London rose and walked to the edge of the dock. One more glance over her shoulder and she was diving back into the water, gliding neatly under the surface to hide her embarrassment about the whole situation.

When she surfaced again, London was somewhere between Kevin and Anthony, a good ways away from the dock and the stranger. She felt safer out here, though she'd feel even better if Anthony would come over by her. She hadn't noticed the hint in his words, but she was never very good at that sort of thing. Still, her skin felt flushed and her hands shook. What was it about that man that bothered her so? Trying to put it out of her mind, London busied herself with untangling a piece of grass that had gotten wound around her wrist. How did she get herself into these sorts of situations?

[tyler]

Zane listened to the words that the other man spoke. On the outside he was look all serious but on the inside he was cracking up on him trying so hard. It was very clear that this dude was interesed into the girl. That just made the whole game a lot funner. This was a girl he thought was beautiful, not hot. He figured out the difference between those two words a long time ago. Something this guy apparently knew nothing about. Zane wasn't going to stand there and lecture him either seeing how he wasn't really wanted there. Or what he and someone just playing it up. There was only one true way to tell. London had gotten out of the water to check her phone. She sat it onto of her bag half unprotected.

As she jumped back into the water he slowly walked over to It. While no one was really looking or paying attention Zane picked up her phone. Adding his number into her phone he sent her a text message using her own phone. A couple seconds after he sent it the phone got a text message. Smiling he set it back down where it was and walked to the edge of the dock. Looking at both of them he smiled.

I'm not here to argue or get into a fight with someone I don't even know. That's just plain out stupid. However before you go off and assuming people are flirting with girls, you need to go out and distinguish what the difference between beautiful and hot/sexy is. Have a nice day though bro. Also nice to meet you too London maybe one day we can hang out again if we ever see each other, and thanks for the directions.

He gave her one last smile before turning around walking in the direction she had told him about. Looking at her bag and smiled to himself knowing it would only be a matter of time before she either contacted him or the police would show up to his house. Although what could the police do if he was higher up than them? Not a thing was the answer, and with that thought he disappeared from view.

[adlohse]

The heat from his cheeks quickly dissipated as he swam closer to the shore and arched back to briefly dunk his head in the cool water, rinsing his hair back. He rubbed his eyes and sighed softly. Sadness began to lightly weigh down upon his chest as he listened to the two converse, the chunk of this man's words directed at him. He felt bad for the guy. It was a tough world when you constantly fought against it and the people in it, never having peace of mind. As for London, It was nice to meet him? Did she just say that? His face hardened slightly and he frowned, halfway grinning. She must not see it, or she doesn't care. He tried not to assume, but her actions were too much to ignore. He didn't find her "politeness" towards the other guy comforting or attractive, especially since he was aggressive, had put him down several times and even tactlessly pointed out that she wasn't "hot". If that was his opinion, he should have kept it to himself, because it may have hurt her feelings. Honestly, he believed that beauty itself was not based on aesthetics alone, and judging the fact that this guy had just now met London, he could probably not anything more than her appearance. That was typical of most guys though, and most women, so Anthony came to expect it given how common it was.

Anthony was smart, he could easily tell the guy was attracted to London, in the way he spoke to her and looked at her. He didn't have to be a genius to figure that one out. Despite the guy not admitting the fact that he was flirting, he was still confident it was the truth. His eyes narrowed and they steadied on the man's face again, though he didn't appear angry. "If you don't want to get in yourself into fights, I suggest you don't run your mouth off like you know everything and put people down. Other people don't appreciate it, and besides.. your just making it more difficult for yourself." he frowned and tilted his head to the side, making his way out of the water. He wanted to believe that his comment about the nice day thing was real, but the guy still didn't come across genuine to him. Too many things weren't matching up. He popped open his car trunk and leaned against the black bumper, his his legs stretched out, one resting a top the other and he leaned back, fiddling with the things inside to grab another snack packet.

[katalyie]

Uh oh. London could tell by Anthony's body language that she'd done something wrong. Although she could read the clues, it did not help her figure out what had upset him and that was annoying. Had she really done anything? Flicking through newly formed memories, the angel found herself at a loss. Nothing stood out like a red flag, something she usually noticed when she'd upset Jordan. Why was this so different? Why was it even bothering her? Green eyes narrowed slightly as she considered courses of action. Should she ask what had gone wrong? That just seemed sort of forward and wrong. Probably not the best plan. She could very easily do nothing, but that didn't sound like the smartest thing either. All in all, this seemed a very vexing situation and London found herself rather annoyed. This was not going as planned. Not in the slightest.

Silently cursing the stranger for messing up her day, London decided that she was going to get out of the water if Anthony was. A quick glance was given to Kevin. The boy still seemed to be doing fine, though the girls he had chosen as targets probably weren't too happy. Good. It only too a moment for London to reach the shore. She swam too fast, it seemed, for a normal human being. Here she was, at the shore. Now what? As she pulled herself up out of the water and padded onto the dock, green eyes flicked over to Anthony at the car. She wanted to say something, but no words rushed forth to make her point. Sighing a bit heavily, she looked down at her feet, a light blush covering her features. She probably would have just sounded stupid anyway.

It only took a moment to wander over to her back and sit down on the edge of the dock. Swinging her feet like a child might, London removed her towel and wrapped it loosely around her shoulders. The air, now that she was out of the water, chilled her and it was rather unpleasant. Another glance was spared to Anthony, though the words still would not come. "Way to go, London.." She muttered to herself. "Screwing everything up as usual." The atmosphere was almost lonely now and she didn't like it. Didn't like it one bit. Why did days like this always get ruined?

[adlohse]

With a weak frown, he watched the red-headed girl sitting in front of him. She seemed sensitive to body language. When he removed himself from the water, she followed and even mimicked his agitated state.. it was interesting, and just something he took note of. Well this wasn't going well, he was yet again setting a serious mood to a fun time, but it wasn't entirely his fault.. that guy had acted like a real jerk. He glared at the ground and fiddled with a wrapper in his trunk, reviewing the chain of events in his mind of the very recent occurrence.

They could still have a good time. If all went downhill from here in the dating realm between him and London, at least he could enjoy himself with her before they parted. He was already setting himself up to prepare isolation again. Agreed, he had his brother, but he wasn't exactly old enough to speak to about serious things. In his mind he was convinced that he was better off alone. That's always how he did it. He was raised and conditioned that way. Only trust yourself.. everyone lets you down sooner or later, they aren't worth it. Those thoughts circled through his mind on a daily basis, but despite their familiarity, a small part of him wanted to change, to get to know someone and see what all the fuss was about to avoid. A part of him wanted to risk getting seriously hurt. In this state he was barely living. If he knew it or not he needed to, for his own good. Maybe instincts kicked in when he met London and invited her out, or maybe it was fate that he met her in the first place and it was meant to be nothing in the long run.

His dark eyes ran over her, eliciting a smile from him. Letting it all go, he stepped away from the car and calmly walked towards her, sitting down gently next to her. At first he said nothing and chose to stare off over the lake, not knowing what to say. He wasn't very good with words and most of the time he just got tongue tied trying to speak to women. Yes, most of the time it seemed like he made things worse. The funny thing is, he was an attractive guy, and the only thing stopping him from getting a date were his nerves and mind. He was his own worst enemy. He could survive most disaster situations and was a very skilled artist.. but when it came to social situations he was simply.. awkward. Fortunately, he could improve that over time.. even though every time they would laugh at him or make fun of him for it, it seemed hopeless.

Without saying anything, he glanced over to her, his coffee hued eyes warm and soft. He scooted closer and casually wrapped an arm around her waist, gently pulling her into him. His skin was surprisingly warm, which was probably due to his pulse racing, but he was normally quite hot in general. He sighed lightly and closed his eyes, relaxing in the sunlight, listening to the soft chirping birds, the children laughing in the distance and the mild lake waves rolling onto the sandy shore.

[katalyie]

It seemed that once again, everything was good and messed up. She had taken some wrong turn that she hadn't been able to see and now everything was ruined. It really seemed to be her luck. Jordan was drifting away, her best friend and the one person in the whole world she was supposed to be able to protect. If he got away, if he vanished... London didn't know what would become of her existence. Would she cease to be a guardian when he left? Would it take his death to jump-start the expulsion? HUmming to herself, London noted with some annoyance that she didn't really know. She'd never spoken to a fallen about the process because she imagined it would be a very painful experience for anyone who had gone through it. Still, the lack of information annoyed her. What would come next?

London was aware of Anthony's footsteps and knew almost instantly that he was headed in her direction. Wincing inwardly, she was sure that he was going to come and tell her to leave or something like that. She had gone and messed everything up, so it would only be fair to remove the problem from the scenario. Anthony sat and said nothing. London grew curious and glanced sideway with bright green eyes. If he hadn't come over to admonish her, did that mean she was forgiven? Waiting in silence for what seemed to be an eternity, the angel caught the movement of his arm almost immediately after it began. She made no move to avoid it. Instead she almost snuggled into Anthony's side. He was very warm. This pleased her immensely.

"I don't know what I did to upset you, but I'm a sorry for whatever it is. Don't be upset with me. I... don't like it. I want..." The angel had glanced up ever so briefly over the course of her little speech, green eyes dark with emotion. Embarrassment caused the trailing off and also made her look down at her hands. Here came the awkward. She was never going to get past it, would she? Pulling her towel tighter around her shoulders and moving just a bit more into Anthony's warmth, London fell silent. She had the urge to hum to calm herself down, but decided that would probably not be a good idea. Anthony might think she was crazy or something. Yes, silence was the best option now. He could respond and things would progress from there. All that was left now was to wait.

[adlohse]

"London, it's alright.." he smiled, noticing her embarrassment. He found her to be especially cute that way. "Youuu want.. what?" He arched a brow, watching her curiously. It drove him crazy when people didn't finish their sentences. He wasn't sure what she was going to say, but he went with it anyway. "You like me don't you?" he said, grinning widely. "Well.. I like you too. We should hang out more often," he paused and looked around briefly, not wanting to offend his brother. Leaning closer, he whispered, "..without Kevin around." His voice went back to normal.. to its usual soft and charming volume, "Are you into art? Drawing or painting.. anything like that?" His body perked up slightly and his eyes livened a degree when he talked about it. He hoped she would say yes so he could have someone to paint with. He knew it would be a lot of fun. Being this close to London made him a little nervous, which is probably why he became outspoken so suddenly. It was a good thing, he was making progress and getting to know her better, despite his mind telling him to hold back.

Kevin jumped back into the lake again after running off the dock, sending droplets of water raining down upon them. His body tingled over his shoulders and arms, and goosebumps rose all over his bare skin, chilled from the contrast of the warm sun they bathed in and the cool lake water.

[katalyie]

Despite her nervousness, the angel found herself grinning widely. Apparently, she'd given something away in that little bit of trailing off thought. Though London was rather unsure as to how Anthony picked that tidbit up, he had found it nonetheless. There had been a moment of silence in which the red head thought she might faint from embarrassment but then Anthony seemed to return the sentiment. So they.... liked it each other, it seemed. The thought made her smile. All of the skirting around and awkward flirting hadn't gone unnoticed then. This was a pleasant development. Of course, it meant that she would have to get over some of the ridiculous social anxiety that ruled her a lot of the time, but that had been easy enough with Anthony. Everything seemed easy with Anthony and that was particularly amusing.

Green eyes bright, London looked up and nodded. "I... I do like you, actually. I'm glad you like me back." Light laughter met the air as the angel looked down at her hands. The heat of a blush warmed her cheeks but she hardly noticed. The glee at the confession had taken over and she was a bit giddy. "We should hang out, yes. I'd... I'd like that. I'll just have to explain to Jordan. He'll be difficult." The angel paused as she considered that part. Her charge wouldn't take kindly to the idea of her hanging out with a guy. He was always so protective. "Art? Oh!" Her energy matched his as she looked back up again. "I love to paint! I'm not terribly good, but it's so much fun."

London gasped aloud when Kevin showered them with chilly water droplets. "G-Geez! It's cold when you've been out for a bit, huh?" More laughter, though this was a bit more nervous. "Oh, you're cold! Here!" Without thinking, the angel draped her towel around Anthony's shoulders as well, meaning that she was now tucked skin-to-skin into his side. Despite a single moment of awkward, London found that she rather enjoyed this position and wondered why she hadn't thought of this sort of thing before. It seemed so simple, but Anthony confused everything in her head. Thoughts didn't quite make sense, as if they were all jumbled. Still, she managed alright and the confusion was somewhat pleasant... different. "That better?"

[adlohse]

Whew. His tingling nerves calmed. Now that his thoughts had been articulated, he took a sigh of relief. His muscles relaxed and he seemed more at ease physically. Oh, and great! She was into art! His eyes widened and a huge grin spread over his face, his posture perking up further. "Painting is very fun! You're welcome to come over anytime," he said enthusiastically. He felt kinda silly and boyish getting excited, but he couldn't hardly contain himself. His expression changed partially, his eyebrows lowering as he blinked several times. He had sounded just like Kevin, well.. except.. definitely more manly with his deep, smooth voice, but the manner in which he spoke was strange and foreign to him. Chuckling softly, his arm gently pulled her tighter into him, hugging her momentarily. He could bet that she was giving herself less credit than she deserved, skill-wise. It was usually the people that were full of themselves and over-confident that had the problems; their perceptions had a way of clashing with reality for sure. "Jordan, being difficult? I take it he doesn't like you around other men?" He snickered and shook his head a few times, smirking.

Cold? Hmm... not really.. Anthony liked the cold, but it was a sudden contrast, actually quite refreshing, he was starting to get sleepy in the warm sun. He swallowed hard as their bare skin touched. He slowly pulled his legs up towards his torso, wrapping his other arm around his knees. "Much better. London, you're sweet," he said, snuggling slightly into her. Oh yes, Anthony was liking this, and yet.. he still felt a tinge of awkwardness while leaning into her. It obviously wasn't London's fault; it was just that he hadn't let himself get this physically close to a woman in a while. He grinned sheepishly as his cheeks heated, blushing. "So..heh, besides painting, what other hobbies are you not terribly good at?" he smiled genuinely at her, then glanced towards the water.

[katalyie]

Oh boy, oh boy! This was working out great! She'd confirmed that they liked each other, gotten super close physically and now she ad just scored an invite to come over. It seemed like everything was looking up and London couldn't help the absolutely goofy grin that spread over her features. Funny how just a few days ago, she didn't even know Anthony existed, but now? Now, she kinda felt like this could turn into something more. Of course, the annoying little voice in the back of head warned her to be careful. Falling for a human was against the rules. Still, London told herself that it wouldn't go that far. She could never let herself fall in love, putting her position in jeopardy. Who would take care of Jordan? He got into enough trouble with a guardian watching over him at all times. London shuddered at the thought of her charge on his own. he would attract all the vampires and dangerous supernaturals in the area, then be dead before he could scream.

Alright, that thought went a bit too far. The angel shuddered slightly, drawing closer to Anthony. It seemed a pleasant comfort and he didn't seem to mind, so why not? The goofy grin had faded slightly, morphing now into a gentle smile. Of course, she giggled girlishly before responding. It was only appropriate. "I would love to come over, Anthony. You just tell me when and I'll be there." Greens eyes shifted up ever so slightly to meet him and London couldn't help but smile again. God, he was handsome. Did he know that? Did he know how attractive he was as they sat here on the dock together? The sunlight reflected off of his hair and London was sure that she could look at him forever. Still, forever was a long, long time. She'd lived such a short time in comparison to other angels. What a strange concept... Forever.

"Oh, Jordan? No. He's sort of protective. Like an older brother, I guess. I've known him forever and he just sort of... is. He's Jordan. My best friend. That's all." The last bit was added as a security measure and London knew that jordan would be offended if he heard, but he wasn't around so she felt alright saying it. She had known for a while that Jordan had feelings for her, but the angel could say honestly that she didn't return them. So many guardians fell for their charges, but Jordan... He was near and dear to her heart but he wasn't at all the type of guy she wanted to love. The guy she wanted was someone more like.... Anthony. Eyes widened in realization and the angel blushed furiously. He would probably ask the cause, but she couldn't tell him. That was just silly. Who could explain such things? It was too early to tell, London told herself. She needed to calm down and see how things panned out. No use getting worked up over nothing.

She was distracted from her depressing thoughts by Anthony's little jab. That smile returned and London fiddled with the edge of the towel. "Hobbies? Um. I like to read and write. I like to sing. I hum a lot. It's kind of a bad habit. I like to cook. I am kinda good at that. Jordan makes fun of me, though." She laughed gently and toyed with a strand of her own hair. "what about you? You're obviously very passionate about art, but what else? Heh. How are we just now getting to this question? It's amusing." Sure, if London got involved in anything, it would make sense that it would be abnormal. Still, this seemed a bit too obvious a question to ignore and she found it quite funny. It made sense, but even so... Nothing in her life could be normal but she liked it that way.

[adlohse]

An ant scurried over his bare foot, tickling his skin. He leaned down and lightly brushed it off, which sent it flying back onto the damp wood of the dock, where it immediately crawled down through a crack, ignorant of the hold of gravity and the water below until it was too late. Insects were usually more intelligent, but he had given that specific bug a huge head-start in the wrong direction; how he often felt like that ant.. being pushed by powerful forces, flung into strange and dangerous environments that could just as easily swallowed him up. However, there were countless times he was unknowingly in the same room with creatures that would, if provoked, devour him without hesitation. He had been lucky this far to remain human. Maybe someone upstairs was looking out for him.

Anthony's deep thoughts lessened as he focused back on London, his attention caught by her beautiful laughter. It was contagious, and he started to laugh too, for no real apparent reason. He didn't answer her, and instead went through his mental schedule of things to do for next week, wondering when he could have her over. He'd have to do some cleaning and get the place ready. Kevin came over frequently, but it wasn't like having a girl over.. it was different. A part of him didn't care, but then again.. naturally, he wanted to impress her. The apartment he was living in had barely been occupied with his things for more than six months and he still had some walls that were half painted, and some junk around the place. A clean place made him happy; rarely was it ever such a place. Bouts of depression came and went, just like his income. Many times he thought about pursuing another job for a secondary source of cash, but what would he do? He loved psychology and animals, but he wasn't about to invest in school to be a psychologist, veterinarian or a zoologist. No way. Drowning in debt was not the way to go for him, it wasn't worth it. There were other options, only he wasn't aware of them yet, or what he really wanted to do besides art. He felt the London's gaze burning into him, and he turned to see her looking him over. "What?" he said nonchalantly, lingering on her entrancing greens a moment until his dark eyes drifted away slowly, stealing a glance of her exposed skin.

"He's probably protective of you for a reason.. you're beautiful.. he's likely aware of that, just like other men.. I mean.. they probably hit on you a lot.." He was relived in the fact that she was clear on what Jordan was to her. "Besides, if he doesn't like me.. that's too bad. He'll have to get over it." He started to laugh and then he was distracted by her suddenly flushed face. "You OK?" he inquired, wondering what the reaction was from.

He watched her fiddle with the towel and leaned back slightly to stretch out his arms above his head, arching his back and tilting his head, his hands clenching into loose fists, stretching fully. He sighed lightly and laid back on the smooth, sun warmed boards of the dock, smiling up at the sky, glancing at her occasionally as she spoke. Cooking, singing, reading and writing? What an easy-going person. He liked that. He casually ran his fingers through his messy dark brown hair, gently swiping it out of his face. "Yeah, it is amusing," he said, his smile growing wider. "Me? Ahh.. well, besides art, I like animals ... being outdoors, building stuff.. among other things." Like.. poetry. But he wasn't about to spill that one. "Can Jordan cook?" he smirked. "..What kind of things do you like to write about or cook?" Getting more comfortable, he propped up his head by folding his arms behind it.

[/blockquote]

[katalyie]

Laughter... It was something the angel enjoyed quite a lot. It was a freeing sound and a relaxing sound. A way to show amusement and a way to release tension. Of course, it also helped that London liked the way they sounded laughing together. Her lighter voice mixed beautifully with Anthony's deeper one, though she wasn't at all sure why he was laughing. Laughter was contagious, she supposed, and so she just basked in the sound until the conversation moved past it. Funny how easily they flowed into one topic then the next. They both seemed sort of awkward people but somehow, the conversation flowed as if they had been having it forever. London liked things like that. She hadn't been alive very long, but she had angelic friends who were centuries old. The red head sometimes wondered what it was like to watch the world change around you and be unable to change with it. That seemed a terribly depressing notion, but London tried very hard never to be depressing. She had plenty of sad things happen in her life, but there was very little sense in dwelling on them until they depressed her. Just no sense in it!

London flashed Anthony a grin when he caught her staring. She made no move to hide the look, just smiled as if to confirm it. Uh huh. I was staring. Whatcha gonna do about it? The red head could be quite a flirt if presented the right situation. She somehow felt that the situation with Anthony (whatever it could be called) would escalate into full out flirting soon enough if she gave it time. "Oh, nothing." She continued to twirl a piece of hair around her finger as she listened to Anthony's rich voice. "B-Beautiful? Ah... I wouldn't say that, but I guess I don't decide these things. I guess people do hit on me a lot. I don't like it very much. I'd rather someone flirt or be gentlemanly instead of out right... suggestion." The tone on the final word made the implication clear. London was not at all the type to go sleeping around and it showed. As far as Jordan, though.... "Oh, will he now?" London grinned at the bluntness of the statement and nodded. "Alright, then. I think I like the sound of that. And yeah. I'm fine!"

When Anthony moved, London watched. He was graceful in his movement, though it was doubtful that he noticed such things. Most people didn't notice things like that when it came to themselves. She listened intently and nodded in te appropriate places when he listed his interests. Animals? She loved them. She had been known to do some outdoorsy things, but she definitely wasn't any good at building things. The thought made her giggle and she almost missed Anthony's next question. "What? Oh! No, Jordan can't cook. I could for us both, so he doesn't live off of Ramen. That's not terribly healthy." London beamed in pride and shifted slightly to a more crosslegged position, so she could watch Anthony more closely. "And um... I write short stories mostly. I wish I had any idea of how to write poetry but I don't, so I stick to prose. Fantasy stuff, mostly." She didn't mention that a lot of her stories were based on real life experiences, but that little detail wasn't at all important. "And as far as cooking, I just like to try stuff. Apparently, I make a mean lasagna."

How was this so easy? It really was like she had been talking forever, but the time seemed so short. Normally, she would be blushing up a storm and refusing to speak at all but here she was offering up personal details like it was easy. What a change, what a shift! The angel had a sneaking suspicion that she was supposed to be having this conversation, but there was really no way to tell those sorts of things. She could only be content in the here and now anyway. "So Anthony..." Ooh, she loved the way his name rolled off her tongue. "Looks like this was Fate, huh? The car things, the ferris wheel.... Even that guy... Whoever he was. It was to set up this. I think I kinda like that." Ah, there came the blush. It was difficult to hide, so the angel just laughed quietly. Being self conscious wasn't attractive but sometimes, she just couldn't help it. It became especially difficult when dealing with people she found both super attractive and interesting (namely Anthony).

[adlohse]

It wasn't usual for Anthony to become internally tense around the ladies and London was no exception. He found himself easily enjoying her company, laughing with her about random things and openly discussing their interests with one another; her amiable presence abirritated his uneasiness and melted away his rough edges. She was disarming him.

His eyebrows rose and he suppressed a cheeky grin seeing her facial expression. She didn't have to say anything to get her point across, the message was clear. He wanted to flirt back, but he didn't push himself, risking it coming out forced or unnatural. It was better left alone until he was ready. "You sure blush a lot for nothing.." he teased, smiling up at the sky. "Understandable." He glanced at her casually, listening to her. "I hope I'm not being too forward saying that about Jordan. He is your close friend. I can tell you respect him."

He took note that she cared about Jordan greatly, I mean.. she even cooked for him and the way she talked about him, she was even concerned about his health and what he ate. The fact that she evidently cared so about a friend, it was more evidence in his mind that she was trustworthy and genuine.. and sexy.. wait what? No.. this wasn't good.. he just met this girl. He couldn't crush hard on her. It wasn't like him to fall for someone without getting to know them very well.. but she was so.. cute. Anthony's easygoing, pleased expression changed abruptly. His eyebrows lowered and his eyes widened, sitting up half way as he turned onto his side towards her, his hand slipping up to cover his mouth. What the heck? She had practically read his mind with that poetry comment! He was silent at first while his fingertips lightly stroked his chin and jawline, his face turning into a scowl as his eyes drilled into the water just ahead of the dock, thinking. Not wanting to come across as if he was ignoring her, he swallowed hard and blinked several times to snap himself out of his trance-like state. "Lasagna is good. I love Italian food, it's my favorite. .. What about you?"

Sitting up fully again, he rested his arms comfortably on his knees, stretching briefly again. "Hmm..?" he said, his voice deep and soft. "Yea, that was unusual.." he shook his head, chuckling. He was in such a good mood around her. She was like an angel. Leaning slightly closer he watched her as he spoke, admiring her pink cheeks and green eyes even though he couldn't see every detail of them without his glasses, "I'm glad it worked out that way and that I met you London." And with that he gradually stood up, extending his hand to politely offer her help up. Having sat in the sun for the time he had with her, along with his skin already being lightly burned from the day before, he needed to get out of it. It was protesting with a very dull ache while in the direct heat and he knew if he ignored it, it would only peel later, which annoyed him.

"Wanna hang out next week some time? My place? We can paint." Painting with someone would be so fun. he was already getting excited. Plus Kevin wouldn't be there and he could have her all to himself. His giddiness was starting to leak onto his face, but he soon regained his composure by pushing his hands in the pockets of his shorts while he sighed silently. Why had he waited so long to get back into dating?

[katalyie]

Oh, Anthony was sneaky. He wasn't outright flirting. No, he was sniping at her comments, but London didn't mind at all. She was just enjoying the time they had with a goofy little grin on her face. There was no reason to hold back now. They were already both out in the open about their mutual crushes, so she could be as flirty as she wanted to be. Of course, that didn't mean that the angel needed to be totally open about everything. It was pretty strange to admit that she'd already died... Anthony seemed to be human, and London didn't really want to risk scaring him off. She was enjoying herself far too much to do anything to scare Anthony off. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I am blushing an awful lot. Wonder why that is." Playfully, she nudged her companion with her elbow and laughed. God, this was fun!

Her eyebrows lifted ever so slightly at his comment about Jordan. "Oh, no. I understand. Jordan is... well, he's the type of person that wouldn't necessarily get along with everyone. He was convinced not to get along with me until I made it clear that I wasn't going anywhere." Again, the angel laughed. It was easy to laugh when she was so comfortable. "He's kind of a jerk sometimes, and really no everyone's cup of tea. But he's my best friend and it's my job to take care of him, whether he wants me to or not." She nodded seriously and hoped that her little speech had made sense. Sure she had a sacred duty to protect her charge, but it was more than that. She wanted to protect him because he was so important to her.

The angel gave Anthony a sideways glance. "Well, of course I like Italian. That's why I learned to cook it in the first place." Green eyes sparkled in glee and it was easy to see that she was enjoying herself. Life was good out here on the water. There were no troubles, aside from the random stranger who had meandered up and caught her off guard with his pushy compliments. That was the exact style of flirting that London didn't like. She would rather things move slowly (but not too slow). Gentlemanly behavior would get a man farther, in London's book, than treating her like some pretty piece of meat. Being used was not a pleasant feeling at all. Startled out of her thoughts by the presentation of a hand to help her up, London grinned. "I'm glad I met you too, Anthony. It seems to have worked out pretty well so far."

It was near impossible to keep that flirty tone out of her voice. Why even bother trying? As she stood, the angel stretched her lean body and smoothed her almost dry hair. It seemed that the day had come to an end, but that wasn't sad. It seemed they were setting a date for next week, a painting date. The thought made London almost giddy. Alone. Together. "Next week sounds great. You can call me sometime to give me your address." Ooh, very smart, London! Giving permission for additional contact. Very clever! A smug little grin slipped onto her features and London hummed in approval, something she did quite often. Today was a good day after all. 'So are we going then?" However the rest of the day turned out, she was pleased. Progress had been made and that was great! Just keep moving forward.

[adlohse]

Anthony leaned forward and grabbed his side where her elbow had nudged him, right in the ribs. His eyes partially closed and he winced with a soft groan, his body loosely hunching over. For a few seconds, it actually appeared she had somehow hurt him, though it was merely an act. He froze in place and opened one eye, looking at her out of its corner, watching her curiously to see if he had gotten a rise out of her. Suddenly he sat up and stretched with a sigh, a giant grin cracking his once pained face as his head tilted back, another audible groan emitting from him.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, seeing her happy and laughing. It was her job? Hm. He found that line interesting, but he didn't care to pry further upon it. Maybe she just took friendships very seriously, much like he did. Initially, a lot of interactions and time spent together had to occur for him to grow a likeness for someone as a friend. He wanted to be around people that had certain special qualities. Maybe he was just picky. During the course of his life he spent many hours around way too many people that were, for whatever reasons, pleased to tear him down. Jealousy perhaps? Anger? Plain malice? Who knew. He wasn't going to waste time around those types to figure it out. The energy expenditure required to do that regularly depleted him more than he was willing. On the other hand, being around London motivated him to be a better person, it gave him more hope that life wasn't so bad after all.

Despite the pretty, red haired woman flirting with him, making it easier for him to progress with her in that manner, Anthony was rather awkward in this field. It seemed unnatural trying to flirt back with her.. the words didn't come to him easily. He did ponder where things would go. What would come of their early friendship, time would only tell. He was looking forward to having her over though. "Will do," he said calmly in response, his eyes smiling. "Yea.. ready?" He watched her for a moment before he turned towards Kevin. Or.. not. He frowned. Where.. was.. Kevin? His eyes searched around, not finding him anywhere. "Kevin?" he said, the volume of his voice just above normal. No response. That was unusual. He called out a few more times.. and yet, nothing.

There was no response. Anthony stepped hastily towards the edge of the dock, his heart raced in his chest, his eyes dilated, and his posture had become rather rigid and tense, and by now his hands had balled into firm fists as his eyes frantically searched for Kevin. "Kevin?!" he cried out anxiously, again.. no response. Where was he!? If something happened to Kevin while under his watch, he'd never be able to forgive himself! His expression quickly turned to that of worry and he started to pace, but he abruptly twisted to face the other kids, rushing towards them on the beach. "Hey! Have you seen my younger brother, Kevin?? He has dark hair and he's about this tall.." his hands motioned to show an estimated height of the boy, his tone nervous and filled with emotion.

They said they saw him earlier, but then didn't know where he went. There were no public bathrooms or building he could have gone into and most of the shore was visible. Some of the kids stood up and started to look around, calling out his name, but he was no where to be found. Anthony's detached exterior was crumbling as his emotions elevated. Rubbing his face he sighed heavily. What was he going to do? Where was he? Did he take a gulp of water and drown? Restlessly pacing, tears began to fill his eyes as that thought came to his mind. He couldn't lose his brother, not now, not like this! He had to do something!

In an instant he sprinted into the water, diving under to search for him. After a few minutes Anthony popped up, not finding him anywhere. In a way that was a relief to him, not finding his brother like that. Besides, now that he thought about it, it was doubtful he had succumbed to drowning, Anthony had taught him everything he knew about swimming. Still, where the heck was he!? Anthony swam back to shore. He was speechless.