Sometimes 'Normal' Is Okay... Right?

[Drew Conner]

Time, it seemed, had become somewhat of an enemy to one Drew Conner.  With the new school semester and his new (legal) business, it felt sometimes there simply weren't enough hours in the day for his still new wife.  Drew was determined to change this.  He could only last a few days of texting and briefly seeing one another on campus before Drew had to take matters into his own hands.  He'd sent off a message to Erika Conner (Bellefonte) all but informing her she had no plans for the evening.  Naturally he'd already asked and made sure she wasn't busy, though he felt that still counted.

It was no secret that Drew and his sister, Eve, had grown up with fine tastes.  Theirs had been a life of decadence and affluence.  Their entertainment was refined, their food exotic, their drink top shelf.  That, for all intent and purposes, made what Drew had planned for a deserving date night, all the more surprising.

"What?"  Drew said, looking to Erika.  She wasn't incredulous so much as amused, though he still detected a hint of surprise in her deep, brown eyes.  Drew couldn't help the smirk from coming out.  It was as much a defense mechanism as it was a tool used to tug at Erika's heartstrings.  He hadn't known what the response to his plan was going to be, though he somehow suspected Erika's reaction.  "All I'm saying is we're married and we've never gone on a normal, proper date."  He reasoned, a smile beginning to frame the smirk.  "I don't see anything wrong with dinner and a movie."  The overly simplistic and decidedly teenage suggestion was made all the more out of character by Drew being clad in blue jeans and a black t-shirt bearing the logo of his parent's PMC.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika couldn't quite let the image of her husband in jeans and a t-shirt sink in. Sure, she'd seen him dress casually before, and even though it didn't happen often, she'd still seen it, and yet, it never seemed to stop catching her off guard. With her eyebrows slightly raised, she let her brown gaze sweep over his attire. She couldn't quite keep the slightly amused smile from appearing on her lips. She realized then that she'd gotten overly spoiled, being able to see her husband clad in various suits and formal attires more often than most girls could say about their significant other.

"Well," she began as she finally let her eyes lift to his. "I guess I'll have to give you the credit of still being able to surprise me," she added with a slight chuckle. "Nice jeans," she continued, the amusement only rising as she took a step forward to place a simple, but sweet kiss on Drew's cheek. "You have to let me get photographic evidence though. No one is going to believe this." And that was the understatement of the year, now wasn't it?

[Drew Conner]

The smirk on Drew's face fell, briefly replaced by a smile that could be described only as genuine and warm. As always when in the presence of the young brunette woman, Drew's eyes gleamed with an adoration and affection reserved only for her. "I have my moments." And then the smirk returned to his lips. He did get a certain sense of pride in knowing he could still keep Erika on her toes. He'd broken out a number of the big guns at his disposal over the months they'd been together but this was the first time he'd subscribed to the 'less is more' mindset. He was pleased it was, apparently, working out.

"Fine, fine." Drew held out his arms a little, stepping back so Erika could, actually take pictures if she wanted. It wasn't as if she was going to see him in such attire and willing to go out into public very often. "You've got five seconds." He said making a 'come one' motion with both hands.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"That you do," Erika agreed lightly with a soft chuckle. She couldn't deny that he did. After all, even now, he could still surprise her and she loved him even more because of it. However, as the smirk returned to his face, Erika couldn't do much but roll her eyes and playfully shake her head at him. Oh, how she still hated (hated that she loved it) that smirk. It was almost a little ironic how something so small could still bring her to the brink of madness - even after all this time.

In a way, she hoped that it wouldn't change.

"Don't worry about it, Sugar Plum," she teased. "I'm sure I'll get another chance," she added with a slight wink. "Besides, I'd have more than five seconds, and both you and I know there's no point in even trying to set a time frame to it, because I'd find a way to convince you." She offered the boy and equally cocky smirk as the one often portraying his own lips.

A taste of his own medicine.

[Drew Conner]

A single brow quirked as Erika matched him word for word. Drew's head slowly shook, though the smirk on his face never wavered. Yes, she was right on every level. There were few people Drew knew that he would openly concede defeat to and he felt lucky he'd married one of them. Still, he wasn't all that fond of being called 'Sugar Plum'. Of course, even he knew there was little he could do to prevent that.

"Fine." Drew said with a curt nod of his head. The brief exchange was over before it could really get started. Drew had no response that could hold water. Erika had beaten him at his own game and even added a smirk of her own to twist the knife in a little deeper. "Alright, you win." Drew raised his hands in defeat as a light chuckle escaped. He paused a moment and let his dark eyes lovingly take in the image of his wife and gave another nod. "Come on. Let's get this started before I change my mind and put on a tie."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Nodding, the brunette issued a chuckle before stepping forward, putting both of her hands on Drew's shoulder and drawing in to place a loving kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Yes, Sir," she said, in and equally mocking and equally amused tone. She wasn't going to play too close to the fire; she might have had the winning hand now, but she knew all too well just how easily the tide could turn.

She'd rather not push her luck.

With that, the brunette stepped aside and nodded. "Ladies first."

Okay, maybe she was pushing her luck just a little.

He loved it though.

She even put on the most innocent smile she could possibly muster, even though the mischievous gleam in her eyes couldn't be mistaken.

[Drew Conner]

"We're going there, are we?" Drew asked, the smirk on his face spreading. It didn't matter what Erika said anymore. Every time she spoke Drew could see that adoration and love gleaming in her dark eyes and it served to smooth over her words as well as remind him again and again why he was still, even now, sure he would never find another who made him feel like she did. "I think we've skipped a few levels." But that didn't stop him from moving forward first to help the joke sink. Quickly, though, the strong sense of chivalry and politeness that had been drilled into his head from the beginning took hold and he paused, waiting for Erika to catch up before taking hold of her hand.

"It's only a few blocks." Drew said, turning his gaze out down the street in the direction of the Kalispell downtown area. "You want to just walk? We can always take a cab back if we don't want to walk after." He then looked over to Erika and couldn't help the smile that took over for the sly smirk he usually had. At this point it was obvious he didn't care much what they did. As long as it was just the two of them they could stand in the parking lot Erika's apartment building all night and he'd be just fine.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Putting her arm around Drew's, Erika shrugged. "I don't mind either way," she said. After all, she too, could have spent the entire evening right here. God, they were turning into one of those adorable couples that everyone hated. The sad thing was that Erika didn't really care. As long as they were happy, that was what mattered right? "It's nice out tonight. Besides, I think a walk's gonna do us some good. Blow off some steam," she said and winked at him.

Well, that was one thing they had more than enough of; steam. It was one of those things that seemed like they wouldn't run out of anytime soon. Was she complaining though? Of course not. She'd even made a point not to wear high heels tonight. Surprisingly enough.