Dinner and discussion [rp for lapsedsaint]

[aesthetic_mojo]

Charlotte made a simple dinner, but she did make it rather than getting take out. It was still warm enough to serve it out on the patio, so she set that table complete with wine and candles. She wanted dinner to be as pleasant as she could make it.

The kittens cooperated, thanks to a healthy serving dished up in the kitchen just for them. Over the meal, Charlotte made herself tell a light, amusing story about an old client. When they were done, she cleared the table, leaving John to enjoy his wine and the sunset.

She cleaned up in the kitchen, letting him decide when he was ready to come in and talk.

Comments

[lapsedsaint]

John finished his wine and sat outside for a little while before he finally stood up.

He found her in the kitchen and leaned against the counter to watch her. He didn't do anything other than that, just stood there and watched her.

[aesthetic_mojo]

She didn't look up until she had everything finished--dishes in the dishwasher, counter completely cleaned, even fresh water put in the flowers she had on the counter. Then she turned to him and matched his lean, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hey."

[lapsedsaint]

"Hey." He stepped toward her and frowned a little. "Come sit down with me."

[aesthetic_mojo]

She exhaled slowly, using the action to release enough tension that she could drop her arms and move toward him. "All right, but we should take separate corners." She stopped right next to him so she could kiss him lightly. "We don't talk enough when we get closer than that."

She meant it as a tease, but her voice held too much tension for it to be completely successful.

[lapsedsaint]

He nodded and took her hand. leading her to the couch. He sat down at one end, trying to make himself look as relaxed as possible.

[aesthetic_mojo]

She squeezed his hand firmly before taking her seat at the other end, curling up with her feet under her. Brushing her hair back behind her ears, she exhaled again. "I'm not sure how to start this." She smiled faintly. "I don't want to make any assumptions about what you're thinking. I never do well at that."

[lapsedsaint]

He nodded, turning to more fully look at her. "Well, what are you thinking?" His voice softened. "Where do you see this going?"

[aesthetic_mojo]

His second question brought her up short. She closed her eyes while she thought about her answer. "I've made very few promises to other people in my life and those only recently." She swallowed hard. "I didn't make a promise to someone I might have and then turned right around and agreed to be faithful to you."

[lapsedsaint]

John sighed softly. "Charlotte, I think we've reached the point where we can't afford to talk in riddles. Do I maybe need to be the one to start?"

[aesthetic_mojo]

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be cryptic." She squared her shoulders and nodded. "Please, go right ahead. Where do you see this going?" She didn't wince when she asked, but just barely.

[lapsedsaint]

He squared his shoulders and gave her a smile. "Charlie, I love spending time with you. You make me look at things that I would have ignored before. You've reminded me that there is a world outside my job."

He liked his lips and bowed his head. "I don't want to lose that."

[aesthetic_mojo]

She wished there was a pillow close to throw at him so she could express how quickly the tension flowed out of her. "I don't want to lose it either. You've given me very much the same thing, even before I lured you in here."

She reached with her mind to touch his cheek lightly, just for a moment to encourage him to look at her again. "That makes this much easier, but it still leaves a lot to work out."

[lapsedsaint]

He closed his eyes and leaned toward the touch, only stopping when he remembered there wasn't anything there. He looked at her then and sighed. "I don't think I will ever be comfortable with it. You do understand that is a possibility, don't you?"

[aesthetic_mojo]

She nodded, smiling faintly at his reaction. "I do." She bit her lip. "Which leaves us with figuring out how to deal with that. I'm trying things, but without talking about it--" She frowned. "Why did you leave, really?"

[lapsedsaint]

He reached for her hand, taking it and squeezing before he continued. "I left because I left like I wasn't making things easy for you. I left because I felt like I was just a distraction. That really is why."

[aesthetic_mojo]

She squeezed back, smiling faintly. "I was much more distracted after you left. I spent the rest of the night second guessing what I was trying to do." She met his eyes. "And my conscience had left the building."

[lapsedsaint]

He met her eyes and smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. I just felt like a third wheel, like I was in the way."

He turned his head and swallowed. "I felt out of my league."

[aesthetic_mojo]

She very nearly violated her own plan and scooted across the couch to him. "I don't understand. Why would you think that?"

[lapsedsaint]

He shrugged. "Because I don't understand it. It's not what I know and I'm too old to learn. I'll never understand it and I know that. It just hurts a little."

[aesthetic_mojo]

"There are an awful lot of assumptions in there, John." She took a deep breath. "There are so many things to what I do and what I can do. Some of them you should learn so you can control your own abilities."

It was her turn to look away. "You have to understand some of it, just so we're clear on what the limits should be."

[lapsedsaint]

He shrugged a little. "You act like I'll ever be able to control it. You act like it's controllable. And how much of what you can do will I really understand? How much of it goes against everything I know and believe?"

[aesthetic_mojo]

"We're talking about two completely different things." She shifted in place, leaning forward some. "What you do and my telekinesis, I believe, are separate from the other things I do. I know when I access one I look in and the other I look out."

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't know that the reaching out has to go against your beliefs."

[lapsedsaint]

He squeezed her hand and sighed softly. "Maybe we should figure that out."

He shifted closer to her, urging her closer to him. He needed the contact, before he started to panic. "I don't know that what we do is the same, either. I just don't know that I can control it. And you do it so easily."

[aesthetic_mojo]

She turned away from him, but just so she could scoot over and lean against him. She pulled his arm around her waist with a soft sight. "I worked hard to make it look easy. And I've been doing it since I was a child." She squeezed his hand. "You have a lot of time to make up for, but if you don't, you might turn us into icicles some night."

[lapsedsaint]

He kissed her shoulder and whispered. "Just trying to keep you close to me. That's all."