Re: Surviving

**Ikuar** Sun Sep 28, 2014 10:13 pm

"Oh, it does!" Abby looked at the menu, "I want a caramel mocha, please!" She smiled at him then, letting her guard down without really even noticing it happen. Her shoulders began to feel less tense, and her knotted stomach suddenly stopped hurting. She quietly tucked her wallet back into her purse and smiled at Michael, seeing that this truly was a date, maybe that he wouldn't hurt her at all.

**Jayrin** Sun Sep 28, 2014 10:24 pm

"Add two of those chocolate cakes, and that will be all!" Michael handed the man his card, and soon enough they had picked out a spot by the window, and waited on their order. "The coffee is always fresh here. I hope you end up liking it." Michael said nervously. "Anyway, yeah, I've been drinking coffee since I was tall enough to sneak a cup from the coffee pot..." He chuckled. "I guess I've always been kind of fond of it."

**Ikuar** Sun Sep 28, 2014 10:31 pm

"That's cool!" Abby smiled, "I got desperate when soda stopped doing the trick." She was about to ask him more about his day, and then decided against it when remembering that he'd said he wanted to be distracted. "So do you have any best friends?" Abby leaned forward, resting her chin on her fists, elbows perched on the table. "Or what's your family like?"

**Jayrin** Sun Sep 28, 2014 11:07 pm

"I have one best friend... the guy I called my brother, earlier this morning. We aren't related in any way, but we like to think we are. We've known each other for a really long time. His name's Zach, and he and his wife, Anissa, just had their first child about six months ago. Her name's Victoria, and she's already a spoiled angel." Michael found himself having trouble not making eye-contact with the girl directly across from him. She had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen; she was positively radiant. She was so easy to look at, that he'd found himself losing his train of thought more often than not. "As for my actual family... well, I've been estranged from them for almost three years now... maybe four? I've lost count. So I guess, in a way, Zach and Anissa are basically my family now."

**Ikuar** Sun Sep 28, 2014 11:17 pm

Abby tilted her head sympathetically, "What happened... um, if you don't mind me asking!" She was genuinely curious, though happy that he did have people to turn to if anything happened. Still, it was sad to hear that someone so sweet had been estranged. She looked up when their drinks and cake were delivered to them, and began to sip at it slowly at first, stirring it around before that.

**Jayrin** Sun Sep 28, 2014 11:28 pm

"Well," Michael sipped at his coffee, then remembered that he'd misspoken. "Oh, I miscounted. It's been two years. Sorry, it just feels like a whole lot longer." He set his coffee down, and stared at the slice of cake in front of him. "My family is Buddhist. I became a Christian late in High School, and I guess even though I told them, they thought it was just a phase. Two years ago, I married, and when they realized we would have a Christian wedding, my whole family just kind of... flipped." He sighed sadly. "They swore off the wedding, our marriage, and me. Because of that, they didn't even come to Vicky's funeral a month or so later. It ended up with me getting comfort from her family, who I had never met before, rather than my own." Finally, he shrugged and picked up the fork in front of him. "I can't say it doesn't still bother me, but it doesn't hurt now as bad as it did."

**Ikuar** Sun Sep 28, 2014 11:34 pm

Abby smiled sympathetically and sipped her coffee, "I'm so sorry to hear about that... and losing your wife too, that must have been devastating." She almost felt bad for thinking he'd want to date her, but then, he'd bought her drink and cake... wasn't that a date? She wasn't certain, but she didn't want to come on too strongly to him either if he was still hurting.

Then again, it had been two years. "I'm glad you have close friends!"

**Jayrin** Sun Sep 28, 2014 11:41 pm

"Yeah, me too." Michael offered her a grin before taking a bite of the cake. "What about you? Any family, or anything nearby? Anyone you can go to in bad situations?" He really didn't want to make their odd little date feel weird because he'd mentioned Victoria. He still loved her very much, but she'd already told him what she'd wanted him to do... and that was to move on. So, he'd move on.

**Ikuar** Sun Sep 28, 2014 11:43 pm

"Oh!! Um... my dad left me and my mom when I was really little, so for years it's been me and my mom, but before college, she remarried and now I have a really sweet step-dad who fills a hole where my dad used to be. Um... I don't have any siblings, I'm an only child. I do have cousins, but we're not close. My best friend lives in another country now, so I'm kinda.. just too busy for people sometimes!"

**Jayrin** Sun Sep 28, 2014 11:53 pm

"Ah, I'm glad you have a loving family, that's really great. But... don't forget to go to someone if you need help, or anything like that." A repeat of Anissa was not what he wanted. That girl had gone to no one. "You can even come to me, that's fine too. Just... whenever you find that you're not too busy, or you just want some company, give me a call and I'll come right over." He sipped at his coffee, enjoying the bitter flavor that it had. "Time, place, reason... doesn't matter."

**Ikuar** Sun Sep 28, 2014 11:55 pm

Abby looked away shyly, which was rare for her. "I understand."
For years she had hidden from people in shame, and was having to learn that she could honestly go to people she trusted for help. She had been doing that more often, but sometimes she chose to keep herself hidden for reasons she couldn't explain.

**Jayrin** Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:05 am

Michael tilted his head a bit when she looked away, but he chose not to pry. Everyone had reasons for why they acted in certain ways. If that was true, then she definitely had a reason for why she acted so nervous around him. He wished she would tell him, but it wasn't the right time. He wouldn't push her; after all, this was only their first date-type-thing. He cleared his throat and decided to try and change the subject. "Anyway, would you consider joining me on another random excursion if I have another bad day...? Or if... I just have another day?" A crooked, awkward smile touched his lips. "If not, that's okay." He'd be disappointed, but sometimes there were things that just weren't meant to be.

**Ikuar** Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:08 am

Abby grinned then, relieved that this wasn't just a one time thing, that he did actually want to see her again! "I would love to go on another excursion with you, anytime!"
She could hear her brain screaming at her for doing that, for being willing enough to go out on another adventure that could have easily ended up hurting her. But she ignored those thoughts and just focused on her cake.

**Jayrin** Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:14 am

That grin was something he decided he wanted to see more of. "Ah, then I'll plan to have an excuse to ask you out on..." He looked at his phone. It was past midnight, so his phone was reading the day as Thursday. "Saturday? How does that sound to you?"

**Ikuar** Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:17 am

"That sounds excellent, I can't wait!"
Abby took another bite of her cake, filled with anticipation for another date, maybe during not so creepy hours. She smiled warmly at him, deciding that if he was going to do anything, he probably would have done it by then. She was safe.

**Jayrin** Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:49 am

That Saturday morning was filled with unspoken excitement for Michael. He had a date that day. His first actual date in years, and he was having trouble hiding his excitement even over the phone.

"She sounds beautiful, Mike. Where will you take her?" Anissa asked; a baby's soft cries could be heard through the phone.

"I thought about taking her to the dog park... but I'm not too sure how she feels about dogs."

"Has she met Cad yet?" Cad was Caduceus, Michael's husky he'd gotten a bit after Victoria had died. The dog had really helped him come to terms with her death, and seemed to know that. He was always getting away with things, and was currently laying on the other half of the couch that Michael wasn't using.

"No, she hasn't... I'm nervous that she'll be afraid of big dogs, or something."

"I'm sure she'll love him, Mike. If you're really that worried about it though, why not give her a call and ask her? I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised when she agrees to going. Still, plan a picnic, or something for after the dog park thing... otherwise it could be taken as something other than a date."

"I've got that covered. I made the basket up last night."

"Good! Well, Victoria wants me, so I've gotta hang up. I love you, and remember to have fun today, alright? Thinking about past loves when you're on a date isn't allowed!"

Michael chuckled. "Alright, I'll remember that. Love you too." He hung up the phone and sighed loudly, receiving a grumble from Cad for waking him. "I need to call her and see if she likes dogs..." He glanced to the sleeping husky beside him. "I really hope she does..."

**Ikuar** Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:53 am

Abby was busy doing her makeup when her phone rang. She glanced over to it on sitting on her vanity and picked it up, happy to see that Michael was calling her. As soon as she said hello, he asked her if she liked dogs.

"Dogs?" Abby glanced back to her bed where her fluffy Pomeranian was sitting, her little tail wagging and her body shaking with excitement. "Yes, I love dogs. Why do you ask?" She was genuinely curious, but didn't want to tell him just yet that she had a dog. Maybe he had a dog? It was an interesting question in her mind.

**Jayrin** Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:01 am

A heavy sigh of relief was released when she mentioned loving dogs. He flopped sideways where he lay on Cad's uncaring body. "Well, I had planned our date for the dog park today... and it just crossed my mind that you may not like dogs. I have a husky, and it's his favorite place to go. A-Anyway, I hope I didn't interrupt anything by calling..."

**Ikuar** Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:03 am

"No, you didn't interrupt anything, I was just about finished with my makeup. Anyway, I have a dog too, and I think she would have a great time!" Abby replied, "She's a Pomeranian." Abby hadn't even thought that he may not be a dog person when she took an interest in him, but was relieved to find out that they both had similar interests in animals!

**Jayrin** Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:08 am

A pom? That oddly suited her. He chuckled a little. "I hope she likes to play. Cad often thinks he's smaller than he is. He prefers playing with little dogs. Anyway, how does a picnic sound? It looks like it'll be a beautiful day today, so I thought it might be nice." He smiled when Cad grumbled at him.

**Ikuar** Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:12 am

Abby was glad that he'd chosen a picnic, in truth, she'd never really been to one before. "I'd love to do that, it is a beautiful day out and maybe after that we can take a walk on one of the park trails or something... I love to go for walks, and Kiki loves walks too! Anyway, I'm going to finish my makeup, so I'll see you when you get here!"

**Jayrin** Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:27 am

"O-Oh, right! Okay!" Michael replied before quickly hanging up. She loved the idea of a picnic... that was a good start. He smiled triumphantly to himself. Yes, this was good.

Now, it was time for the date. Cad was sitting in the back seat of Michael's truck when he parked in front of Abby's apartment. He got out, jogged to her door, then knocked before attempting to look a little less thrilled. Happy, but not as ecstatic as he actually was. When she opened the door and stifled a giggle, he was certain that he wasn't very good at hiding excitement.

**Ikuar** Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:29 am

Abby grinned to him, shifting her purse on her shoulder while cradling her dog in the other arm. "Hi!" She smiled, "I'm really excited for our... excursion! I could barely sleep last night I was just... I know, it sounds silly!" She moved out of the apartment and locked the door behind her.
"So how are you this morning? I hope you slept better than I did!"

**Jayrin** Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:35 am

"Actually, I had trouble sleeping too." Michael admitted, walking her to his truck. "And I don't think it sounds all that silly at all. I mean, if you're too excited to sleep... that's a good thing, and you should be proud of it, right? It's at least better than being too nervous to sleep... that was me last night." He opened the door for her to put Kiki in the back seat with Cad. "Don't worry, as long as she's alright with other dogs, he is too. He's a perfect gentleman."

**Ikuar** Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:45 am

"She's usually just fine with other dogs. What happened last night? Do you want to talk about it?" Abby asked as she climbed into the passenger side. She then buckled her seat belt and waited for him to get in so they could talk. This time she wasn't nearly as nervous to go out with him, thankful that the one night they went out for coffee, he never even took advantage of her.

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