“Just a burger, I think.” Idly she flipped through the pages listing the specials. “Yeah, a plain burger with fries.”
“You’re so boring,” he joked, glancing to his own menu with a grin. “But I’ll have the same.” He raised a hand slightly to wave the prying waitress over before setting down his menu.
She teased back, “If I’m so boring, why are you still here? I didn’t think you were interested in boring.” Lifting the menu, she tapped him on the head with it. “Absurd Tony.”
When the waitress came over, giving the two of them a smug smirk, Summer rolled her eyes and rattled off her order, stressing, “Don’t put anything on the burger, okay? Pickles on the side.” It was so obvious what the waitress was thinking, she didn’t even need to be an empath to tell. Screw the woman and her expectations anyway. Summer wouldn’t just fall into Tony’s bed, and she wouldn’t be escorted out of it the next morning, either.
Summer pressed herself close to Tony, mouth opening under his expert tongue. She purred softly for a moment before drawing back. “Do they feed us here? I thought I was being taken out for dinner, not drinks and publicity.”
Tony pulled away, briefly stunned by the kiss. “Of course they feed us here. But they’re been watching us,” he nodded over to the couple of waitresses that shied away when Tony looked at them, “figuring we weren’t ready to order yet. What would you like?” He turned his attention back to the menu before him.
“Just a burger, I think.” Idly she flipped through the pages listing the specials. “Yeah, a plain burger with fries.”
She reached up to touch his face with gentle fingers. “Flatterer. Flattery will get you everywhere.” One fingertip brushed over his mouth before she kissed him.
“It’s one of the many things I’m an expert at-” His words were cut off as she kissed him. He happily returned the gesture, his arm wrapping around her torso to bring her closer.
Summer pressed herself close to Tony, mouth opening under his expert tongue. She purred softly for a moment before drawing back. “Do they feed us here? I thought I was being taken out for dinner, not drinks and publicity.”
“That’s good, because all evidence to the contrary not withstanding, I do like to laugh. Some days it’s laugh or cry, you know, and laughing is so much easier.” Summer poked Tony gently in the side. “I like your smile. This one, this real one, that’s not a mask so sharp I could cut myself on it.” She waggled her fingers demonstratively. “Shall we make an agreement to smile more often together?”
The engineer returned her poke gently in her shoulder. “But I like my mask. It’s a part of who I am,” he spoke confidently, defending his expression with a smug grin. “We shall, m’lady,” he drew out the words in a feigned regal accent. “You look pretty when you smile.”
She reached up to touch his face with gentle fingers. “Flatterer. Flattery will get you everywhere.” One fingertip brushed over his mouth before she kissed him.
“It’s that computer you’ve got. It does all the work and then you take credit for it, I know how it is.” She tried to look serious and honest while she was saying it, but lost it at the look on his face and just laughed until she couldn’t breathe. “Oh god, your /face/.”
“Oh, you busted me.” He lifted both his hands in feigned defeat. He smiled at the way she laughed at his expression. The woman’s laugh was sweet. “I like the way you laugh.”
“That’s good, because all evidence to the contrary not withstanding, I do like to laugh. Some days it’s laugh or cry, you know, and laughing is so much easier.” Summer poked Tony gently in the side. “I like your smile. This one, this real one, that’s not a mask so sharp I could cut myself on it.” She waggled her fingers demonstratively. “Shall we make an agreement to smile more often together?”
“Only to someone with no imagination,” she shot back, bumping him with her shoulder. “That your problem? No imagination?”
“Right,” he gave her a ‘gurl’ look and bumped her right back in the shoulder. “My ability to imagine up new tech and previously weapon designs is all a fraud.”
“It’s that computer you’ve got. It does all the work and then you take credit for it, I know how it is.” She tried to look serious and honest while she was saying it, but lost it at the look on his face and just laughed until she couldn’t breathe. “Oh god, your /face/.”
“Oh, fantasy, science fiction, stuff like that. Superheroes. Stories about people like me. Not so much with the comic books. It never seemed like they lasted long enough.” She doodled the tip of one finger through a puddle of condensation. “Reading’s always been my escape, I suppose, for when the world was too much for my little mind.”
“Mhm,” he brought his drink to his lips again. He never liked to read fiction, mostly books about mathematics or engineering concepts, but he could understand an activity being some kind of escape from reality. “So, boring stuff?” he teased, flashing her another grin.
“Only to someone with no imagination,” she shot back, bumping him with her shoulder. “That your problem? No imagination?”
“A few. You’ve got me wrong, though. I hung out with those guys because even though they drank they didn’t throw wild parties and we liked the same kind of movies and books. I’m a quiet, good girl.” The word ‘good’ had a sneer on it, like she was disgusted by it. She subsided into her water, annoyed at herself.
The engineer gave a silent nod. He saw the way her mouth curved around the word “good” but chose not to bring it up. His past was filled with a little of that bad boy edge but he didn’t consider it a good thing. Many of his MIT friends were quiet and kept to themselves. To each his (or her) own. “And what kind of movies or books would those be?”
“Oh, fantasy, science fiction, stuff like that. Superheroes. Stories about people like me. Not so much with the comic books. It never seemed like they lasted long enough.” She doodled the tip of one finger through a puddle of condensation. “Reading’s always been my escape, I suppose, for when the world was too much for my little mind.”
“Honestly, it’s irrelevant. I don’t actually like alcohol, but it doesn’t affect my judgment noticeably, either. I’ll do the same things sober as I would drunk. I let a clutch of frat boys dangle me off a balcony once in college, stone sober,” she reminisced. “I was, they weren’t. And they were the good kind, that took my ‘no’ for no and shut up about it. Damn, I miss them.”
“Alcohol is never irrelevant,” he mumbled under his breath with a grin. A dark brow shot in the air at the telling of her story. “You sound like you were quite the party girl.” He let out a low laugh just as the waitress arrived with the drinks. “Any other crazy college stories?”
“A few. You’ve got me wrong, though. I hung out with those guys because even though they drank they didn’t throw wild parties and we liked the same kind of movies and books. I’m a quiet, good girl.” The word ‘good’ had a sneer on it, like she was disgusted by it. She subsided into her water, annoyed at herself.