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Fawn was at her apartment, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. She took another glance in the mirror, turning around to take a good look and make sure that she didn't have her blouse awkwardly tucked into her skirt. She sighed when she saw that her room was covered in clothing that she'd switched in and out of. A number of the articles were dresses that screamed 'I'm trying to show off', which wasn't the look that she was going for. She checked the time on her cell phone and realized that she was running a bit late. She ran into the bathroom and quickly put on some makeup, just enough to accentuate her features but a little more showy than what she wore to work. She grabbed her purse from the counter and slipped on a final coat of lip gloss. She slid on her coat from the rack and fumbled with her keys to lock her door. She stumbled towards the elevator, instantly regretting her decision to wear her brand new and incredibly flashy heels. Sadly, when she arrived, she found the area to be out of service. She cursed under her breath and before steam could blow out of her ears, she took off her heels and began running towards the stairs. It seemed as if her background in cross country was paying off after all. She began to descend down to the lobby as quickly as her little feet could carry her, arms full with her shoes and the clutch that she was using as a purse. She finally made it to the main floor and let out a breath. At this point, after treading down nine flights of stairs, she had probably sweated off all of her makeup and her hair was no longer going to look as gorgeous as it had just minutes ago. She checked the time on the clock and ran out into the city, thankful that the bar was just across the street. She prayed many times, hoping that Evan was going to be just as late as she. She stood outside the bar and slipped her shoes back on, smoothed out her skirt and pushed her hair out of her face. She went inside the building and frowned when she noticed Evan was already seated at the bar. "I'm so sorry," she began to say, completely out of breath. Maybe she wasn't in as much shape as she thought. 

 

Owen nervously scratched the nape of his neck as he walked down the corridor to where he knew to look for Aimee. He'd been resisting the urge all day to flirt with her, knowing all too well that it would influence her decision to his proposal of their evening out together. Finally, he drew in a breath and mustered up the courage to approach her at her desk. He leaned against the imitation walls that surrounded her work station and cleared his throat as she typed away at her keyboard. When she spun around to face him, he wasted no time and got right to the point. "So here's the deal," he said quickly, his words coming out of his mouth in a rush, "I'm clearly not a fan of this whole 'avoiding each other' thing, so I'm just going to come out and say it." It was at this point that he realized how out of his element he was. Usually, women were practically throwing themselves at him. It wasn't like him to be this nervous, with his clammy hands and flushed face. He really had the hots for her, that's all there was to it. There was no denying how he enjoyed watching her strut away from his desk each morning or pour her coffee in the employee lounge every chance that she got. "I know this great pub down the street, they make some killer wings and they've got a fine selection of alcohol, if you know what I mean." He grinned, flashing his signature smile in her direction. "Do you want to come along with me, you know, down a few drinks, grab a bite to eat and shoot some pool or somethin'?" He smiled again, hoping that she was going to take him up on the offer. Her expression hadn't changed throughout the duration of his talking, so he furrowed his brows a bit when they stood there in silence for a few moments. He panicked, wondering if she was thinking of a way to let him down lightly. Sure, she was known for being stubborn but if she was going to act truthfully she would have kicked him out of her work area the minute that he'd popped in. 

Fawn took her seat beside Evan as her breathing rate became normal again. "Our elevator is busted, which I didn't know, and I live on the ninth floor and..." She let out a long breath, motioning for the bartender to bring her a drink. "Yes, I ran here. I didn't want to be any more late than I already was, and I apologize for that." She smiled as she received her Screwdriver. Hopefully he would be able to forgive her and they could put this awkward start behind them. He seemed like a nice enough guy - when he wasn't trying to charm her pants off of her, of course - and she didn't want to hurt him, as much as she could find him annoying sometimes. She glanced around the bar, noticing quite a few unique people. Bikers in the corner hustling each other over a game of billiards, sloppy drunks on the dance floor trying to be coy seductresses, and businessmen on the other end of the bar drinking away their sorrows after a long day at the stock market. She figured that as long as Evan was the only one in the building that she knew, her behavior didn't matter. "Can I ask you something?" she said, spinning around on her bar stool to face him. "What's the real reason for you bringing me here tonight? I know it wasn't for you to take advantage of a coupon, you don't seem like the type to bargain hunt, so what is it?" She pursed her lips as she waited for his response. She hoped that she didn't seem too overwhelming in her asking, but she really was curious. She took a long sip of her drink, enjoying the feeling as the vodka immediately kicked in. She wasn't much of a drinker, but she was a fan of its effects.

 

Owen smiled widely when she agreed to spending the evening with him. "Alright if I pick you up at nine?" he asked, aware that they were getting off at five. That would give her plenty of time to get dolled up nicely and looking her best for him, which was exactly what he was anticipating. "Consider the challenge accepted," he noted with a laugh. When they settled on a time, he excused himself and headed back towards his desk. On his way there, he passed a few of the guys that he considered to be his friends, a wicked grin plastered on his face. He gave a few of them high-fives as he made his way to his work station. He sat down in his comfy chair and kicked his feet up to rest on his desk, taking in a free moment to look back on what he had just accomplished. Feeling completely rejuvenated, he eventually got back to work and finished his list of tasks quicker and more accurately than he had ever done before. Although he was nervous for how the night would play out, he was eager to get to know Aimee more. Besides the fact that she preferred her coffee without cream but with extra sugar, he didn't know the first thing about her. Honestly, even though she was copied onto the list of recipients for nearly all of his emails, he couldn't even recall her last name off of the top of his head. When his work was done and it was time to head home, he practically ran to his car in excitement. He drove to his apartment building and parked in the parking garage before heading inside, ready to get dressed up for the evening's event. He went into the bathroom and showered before slipping on one of his nicer shirts and a pair of dark wash jeans.

Fawn fiddled with her drink, stirring it with the miniature straw that the bartender provided. She didn't want Evan to know that she wasn't a huge fan of drinking; this glass would probably be the only one that she would down tonight. She enjoyed the taste but not necessarily all of the side effects. Her father was an alcoholic, so she knew to stress the importance of moderation. "Thanks for understanding, hopefully it never happens again," she said. "I mean, if there is something like this again. I'm not saying that it won't - oh, for crying out loud, never mind." Frustrated with herself, she took a sip of her drink and put her face in her hands. After a few seconds she had composed herself and looked over at Evan once again. "Clearly I'm not good with words. If you're not just a flirtatious big shot, then what are you like?" she asked him curiously, crossing her legs in an attempt to be more comfortable on her seat. "I think you're a big football fan, based on the way that you've chosen to decorate your work space, but other than that I couldn't tell you the first thing about you." She glanced down and toyed with a napkin as Evan prepared to answer her question. "I mean, I'm not asking for intimate details or anything," she added, "I just want to know what skeletons you keep in your closet is all!" She let out a warm laugh.

 

Owen slid on his shoes and stuffed his necessities - phone, keys, and wallet - into his pockets. He checked in the mirror and played around with his hair for just a few seconds before deciding that it would just have to look a little bit unruly. Maybe Aimee would like it that way, rather than how he usually wore it to work, prim and proper. He saw that he had a little bit of extra time before he had to leave to go pick her up, so he turned on the television and watched the news for a couple of minutes, amazed at some of the stories that were shown on the screen. He eventually went out to his car and drove to the address that Aimee had written down on a little slip of paper for him. When he pulled up to her house, he was in awe. It was much more elaborate and welcoming than his cramped apartment in the middle of the city. Her suburban home looked absolutely delightful. He checked the paper to make sure that he was in the correct driveway, eyes wide open, and got out of his car. Owen went up to the front door and knocked firmly before giving the doorbell a quick ring. He chewed at his lip nervously as he waited for her to answer the door. When he heard footsteps, his face lit up and a wide smile appeared on his face. How she was able to make him act such a way, he would never know.

I'm so sorry for not replying sooner. I hit a rough patch a few days ago and I'm just now getting back to myself. My apologies, this rarely happens to me.

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Fawn laughed lightly. "Goofy is good sometimes," she commented, "it means you aren't afraid to show your fun side, and that's what's important." She smiled before taking another small sip of her drink. "And trust me, my lips are sealed," she added with a giggle. She had to stop herself from drooling when he ran his hands through his hair. She felt like such a school girl, enjoying the features in his face as he took a moment to fix his 'do. "Well, I spend a lot of my free time behind an easel," she said, noticing the quizzical look on his face. "I paint whenever I get the chance. Landscapes, self-portraits, photographs that I take...anything really. I have a group of 'friends', they're probably similar to yours in that they only use me for my elaborate collection of shoes that I can't ever seem to get rid of. As for literature..." she paused for a moment to think, swallowing another sip of the sweet liquid from her glass, "I read fitness magazines, I guess? They have yoga poses and stuff in there." She shrugged her shoulders. "I hope to eventually land a full-time position where we are interning, I really like it there. I want to start a family some time, but I'm not rushing by any means. I feel that it will all fall into place when the forces above realize that I am ready even before I do." She smiled, letting out a short sigh. "I have a sort of dark past, there were some bad things that happened in high school that I vowed never to speak of again. What were you like in high school?"

 

Owen grinned widely. "And you look stunning," he said, taking in her choice of dress for the evening. He was used to seeing her in what she wore to work, and that didn't even come close to how great she looked that night! He offered his elbow and led them to his car, where he opened the door for her. Before he left his apartment, he'd had to convince himself multiple times that chivalry wasn't dead and he needed to act like a gentlemen, not the usual heathen that she usually saw him as. Tonight was about leaving a lasting impression and changing her opinion of him. Oh, how badly he wanted her to be his. At the same time, he realized that she was entirely out of his league, but that was the fun part - the chase. He went and sat behind the driver's seat before starting the engine and backing out of her driveway. "You live in a beautiful home," he told her as they drove towards the pub, "even from the outside it's much more appealing than my apartment." He smiled over at her as he drove, hoping that she wasn't finding the situation at all uncomfortable. After all, she could have said no. His feelings would have been hurt for a little while but he wasn't afraid to seek out a rebound girl if need be. They drove through town and eventually got stuck behind the longest red light known to man. "By the way," he added, looking over at her, "I may or may not have my picture on the wall for winning the most billiards tournaments in one night." He grinned.

 

Fawn smiled, "I'd be happy to have you over some time. My walls are adorned in paintings and I've got some of my current works tucked away in every corner. I work on a couple pieces at a time, that way I don't get bored with one specific technique or color scheme." She shrugged. "I hope I'm not talking in complete gibberish or anything, I have a tendency to do that sometimes." She let out a nervous laugh and listened to him talk about his experiences in high school. She frowned when he mentioned his drug abuse. "My brother went through something similar. He was on the wrestling and baseball teams, got busted a couple of times for steroids. It tore my mom apart, she was worried that she did something wrong." She laughed at his last comment and took a sip of her drink. "I wasn't rude to your or anything, was I?" she said, hoping that he was joking. She couldn't think of any other time that he appeared to be serious about getting to know her, except for when he had asked her out that morning. When he insisted that she hadn't been rude, she breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you told me. Are you glad that you kept after me?" she joked, a wicked grin growing on her face after she placed her glass to her lips once again. 

 

Owen nodded as he drove. "Yeah, I used to spend a lot of Friday nights there, placing bets to earn money for college and everything. I always won, so I went home with a couple hundred dollars in my pockets sometimes." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's pretty interesting once you learn how to play. I could teach you, I guess, if you're up for it." He looked over at her and frowned when he found her looking out the window aimlessly, probably not listening to a word that he was saying. He hoped desperately that he wasn't boring her but he could never be too sure. Even when they were working together, he couldn't always tell the effect that he had on her. Sometimes, it made him hopeful that she saw him in a good light, but other times he was upset that she wasn't more open about how she felt about him. A few moments later, they arrived at the bar and he helped her get out of his car. The two walked in together and his eyes widened when he found the building rather busy, bustling with people and blaring music. "It's not usually like this, I can assure you that," he said as they took a seat at a table. He made sure she was sitting before he rose from the table. "I'll get us some wings to start out, I'll get a couple of each kind. The hot ones are nice but only in moderation. Sadly, I've had to learn that from experience." He leaned against the counter of the bar as he waited for their food. He figured that they could begin enjoying some alcohol after they ate a few wings.

Fawn rolled her eyes gently. "I don't ignore you..." she explained, "I just... have trouble multitasking. I know that sounds lame, but I worry sometimes that if I get off track even the slightest bit, I won't be able to get back on." She shrugged, watching as the bartender approached them again. "Yes, please, another one of these," she said, sliding her glass towards him. She thanked the bartender as their drinks were replenished and she took another swallow of the liquid. Her face lit up when he mentioned the dance floor. "I thought you'd never ask!" she exclaimed, "I love to dance!" She slipped on her heels, praying that she wouldn't slip and embarrass herself, and made her way to the center of the room with Evan. The two danced for a few songs, a smile on her lips as they swayed along to a variety of music -  including Lady Gaga circa 2008, Bon Jovi, and one of her favorites, Def Leppard. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time," she said honestly, enjoying his company. Feeling bold, she asked him, "When was the last time you went out with someone?"

 

Owen grinned. "Challenge accepted," he joked when she brought up how competitive she was. It would be nice, playing with someone like her just for the fun of it and not to make sure that he had gas money for the next week. He grabbed some wings from the bar and took them back to their table before sitting back down across from her. "Trust me, it's in your best interest to down some of these first. Too much liquor does not mix well with an empty stomach," he blurted too quickly. "Sorry," he apologized, "that makes you sound like you're used to downing pitchers." He shook his head, mumbling under his breath. Boy, I hope we can pretend that never happened, he thought to himself as the two shared a few wings. He frowned when he noticed her phone resting on the table. It was one of his pet peeves, when others checked their phones constantly while on an outing with someone. A few minutes later, they finished the wing basket and devoured some of the peanuts in a bin at the center of the table. "Is it alright if I demonstrate my teaching abilities now?" he asked, referring to her wish to learn how to play pool, and he was delighted when she agreed. He grabbed two bottles of beer from the bartender as they made their way to the (surprisingly empty) billiards table.