Something's Definitely Different

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe took the kiss again, loving the affectionate little bits. It did make her warmer, but given what she happened to be wearing, that was probably a good thing. "Mostly by being a wonderful girlfriend," Zoe replied easily enough, giving Riley another smile and a nod. This was, of course, before the mini-lecture on her last name and the importance of the hyphen and what it meant for Zoe.

She nodded again as Riley repeated her full last name properly now. "Oh, so you knew from the start?" she said, not helping but sounding a little teasing again. "you looked up at me trembling on the stage and thought that you were going to really like me, so you should probably outbid my friends and make us all quite worried about all the untoward things you'd be doing to me?"

Though as Zoe said this last thing, she again reminded herself of that rising desire for Riley to do precisely that. She wanted this girl to sweep her off her feet and kiss her hard and take her into a bedroom and... was she falling in love with Riley? Was she already there? Surely not, not by a third, well, technically fourth, date...

[Riley Forrester]

Riley had to smile at that, squeezing Zoe's hands in appreciation before Zoe went off on her mini-lecture that Riley enjoyed every second of. And then there was the response to Riley's reply that was definitely teasing and made Riley smirk a little. What, did they think I was going to snatch her up like some evil villain in a Disney movie? Riley internal wondered while grinning outwardly. "Oh yes. Precisely." Riley said. "I took one look and thought: 'Well here's a fine girl I just know I should rescue from the stage and whisk away on a magical journey involving Wicked and photographic moments.'" Riley added with a chuckle.

"But, truth be told, I did kinda wanna rescue you. Call it some random moment of heroics or something." Riley admitted with a shrug. "And I wanted to donate to charity, and your friends made you seem really sweet too, and I definitely thought you were attractive. So I wanted to get you off the stage and let you be more comfortable while giving you a perfect date." She added with a light blush but a smile as well. "Although I never imagined everything would turn out so...." She trailed off, trying to find the right word. But there it was. "Right." Riley stated softly, smiling.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe smiled as Riley continued, stating that she'd wanted to rescue her. There was just something incredibly wonderful in that whole thing, in this whole thing. How was it that Zoe kept finding herself in relationships like this? Or finding people like this? From Devyn to Alice to Riley, and all those friends in between, Maelea and Liz and Ezra and Vera and Devyn and Quinn and just... everyone. And Riley continued with that beautiful truth, adding that she thought Zoe was attractive and blushing.

"Right," Zoe agreed, smiling and lowering her gaze. "I... feel that way too. With you," she offered, reaching for a napkin and fiddling for a bit. "It's just... you make me so comfortable, and this is just so... so easy. I keep waiting for something to mess everything up but it's just---" Zoe took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she looked over at her girlfriend with something that looked very much like love in her eyes.

[Riley Forrester]

The smile Zoe gave Riley made it easier to say the words that definitely did sound like they came from some Disney prince or something. But that hardly mattered compared to what Zoe said next. How that was how she felt with Riley. How Riley made her so comfortable. How Zoe was just waiting for something to go wrong. And then... that look. That look that literally shook the very fiber of Riley's being-- and not in a bad way. She marveled at what she saw in her girlfriend's eyes. Was it... love?

No.... No not exactly-- and yet it seemed like it. It was almost like the love Riley had for her little sister, only romantic instead of sisterly. And the fact that it was coming from Zoe. Directed at Riley. Well, it just warmed Riley to her very core and made her smile in return, that same emotion reflected. Not quite love, not yet-- but getting there. "Wonderful?" Riley offered softly after a while of simply staring into Zoe's eyes.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Wonderful. Zoe nodded, not feeling like they needed any other words in there, not for the moment. She let that word simply sit there, with all its leaden meaning, her eyes on Riley's for a little while longer. She leaned forward, and just gently pressed her lips against Riley's. Just for a moment: they were in public, they couldn't add more. But Zoe couldn't contain herself. Nor could she contain the love that was pouring out through her lips. The poet didn't quite mean to, possibly didn't acknowledge it on a conscious level, but she'd fallen in love again, and she said it with that kiss.

She pulled back, saying it again with her eyes, smiling at Riley with unabashed, unashamed affection, walls lowering to show something inside. Of course, it was at just this time that the waitress appeared. She was hovering for a bit, before sliding forward. She was quick to apologize as she slid the appetizer course, apologizing for the slight delay.

Zoe turned to eat then, flushing slightly, embarrassed at having been caught in such an intimate moment in public. Really, she should know better by now. She could practically feel someone glaring at her. There was probably someone there who just could not believe how those filthy homoseckuals were behaving, just, kissing each other and loving on one another in public. And of course, Zoe, being Zoe, was all too aware of likely the one naysayer...

[Riley Forrester]

The gaze they held was already intimate enough, but the kiss Zoe pressed against Riley's lips easily blew the gaze out of the park.

Love.

Yes, definitely Love. Riley could feel it flowing into her from that simple kiss, and it made her toes curl this time. And then when Zoe pulled away, there it was again. And Riley realized that the emotion probably easily reflected off her own face for Zoe. She cared for Zoe. She really cared for Zoe. hell, she was practically already in love with Zoe anyways. Which was why she didn't want to throw the word 'love' around too easily. But she could most certainly see the word applying to the girl in front of her. And probably soon. But then the interruption happened.

I swear, I think this waitress is doing this on purpose. Riley thought with a bit of amusement as suddenly the waitress returned and brought their appetizers. Riley thanked her and took her food gratefully, but she could see how tense Zoe got. There were eyes on them, yes. Annoyed eyes-- judging ones. Riley couldn't care less, but Zoe definitely seemed affected. Her gaze softening, Riley ate with one hand using the spoon while her other reached over and held Zoe's beneath the table, squeezing her hand in support. I'm right here Zoe.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Not just love, but want. Zoe craved affection, seemed almost starved for it despite everyone around her being so willing to support and show her so many different kinds of love. But she could feel what Riley gave her and she took in every bit of it, transforming it, amplifying it through her own body to be reflected and given in turn, starting the cycle anew. Some rational part of Zoe did keep insisting on it being too soon, on her caring too much, possibly even pushing Riley. But Zoe was not, by and large, a rational person. The girl relied on emotions and she did so now, feeding into them and sucking it in with each breath.

So much so that she only dimmed slightly as the food arrived. Zoe still flushed, still felt tense, but she also felt Riley's hand taking hers. "I wish people wouldn't judge each other," she said, her voice soft as she played with the food. "The world's harsh enough without our going around and making it harsher. But you know what? Forget them," she gave Riley's hand a squeeze and looked at her, that emotion again on her face. "I'm with someone I care about, and she looks amazing, and she thinks I look amazing."

Zoe took a small bite of the food, letting out a little squeal as she did. "And the food's amazing too! Imagine that," she smiled at Riley before beginning to pick, almost birdlike, at the food before her.

{post 1,800!}

[Riley Forrester]

Zoe still did seem a little tense, but Riley did think the hand holding helped just a tad. Even if it was little, she was glad to support her girlfriend. Then there were the words, spoken softly as Zoe toyed with her food. About how Zoe wished people didn't judge since the world was harsh enough. But then she insisted they forget it, before looking at Riley with that look again that made the punky girl's whole being melt. Mixed with Zoe's next words, Riley wondered how she wasn't a puddle by now. "You don't just look amazing Zoe." Riley said with a warm smile, reflecting the look and emotion Zoe gave Riley. "You are amazing." She insisted.

But then Zoe added on that the food was amazing, and Riley chuckled. "I'm glad you like it." She said sincerely, smiling widely. She definitely loved the food herself. It was fantastic! Seriously! And this was only their appetizer! Riley couldn't wait for the actual main course

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe smiled and flushed again as Riley kept on complimenting her. She'd actually moved past the point of not believing her girlfriend. Zoe certainly believed that Riley thought of her, saw her that way, at least by now. It was just the repetition and the knowing that made Zoe's head lower and her attention in her appetizer suddenly increase dramatically.

That it happened to be delicious certainly helped. Zoe let out a few more noises of pleasure, even wiggling slightly in her seat, as she nibbled more on the delectable food. "It's just quite scrumptious," she insisted, of course waiting until she'd swallowed. "So light with just the right balance," Zoe reached to take a sip of her water. As she set it down, Zoe looked to her girlfriend with another shy little smile. "So, does your family own this place or did you call in another favor?" Because Zoe couldn't quite believe that Riley had just gone through regular measures. Part of her loved that Riley was willing to do that, and another part of her wanted to keep insisting that it wasn't necessary. After all, Zoe had enjoyed simply cuddling in her room with her girlfriend. Variety, however, was definitely much appreciated.

[Riley Forrester]

The little noises coming from Zoe had Riley torn between chuckling at how cute it was and squirming a little from how sensitive she still was from the looking thing. She decided on smiling instead when Zoe complimented the food. It really was amazing, and Riley loved every bite of her own appetizer. She easily could've just gotten a little lost in the taste, but then Zoe was smiling at her shyly and asking about the restaurant.

Zoe mentioned Riley's family again, and he punky girl desperately hoped Zoe wasn't worrying about the money thing again. But she did answer the question. "Well... A bit of both." She confessed with a lopsided smile. "My mom does have a sort of hand in this chain, but it was mostly the manager. I chatted with him to get the food for our first date, and then asked about reservations for this one. He's very nice, and think he became a fan or something." Riley said, chuckling and shaking her head. "But yeah. It's kinda how I got us in."

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe saw the lopsided smile and felt like she'd misstepped with the mention of how they'd gotten here. She'd really just wanted to make more conversation, and she definitely didn't want to upset Riley in any form or fashion. Already her mind was racing to try and figure out how to fix this oh so obvious error, even as Riley insisted that it wasn't a big deal, not really.

"Well, we'll have to go somewhere where people are fans of me then," she said, only half-teasing. "That does limit us to book stores and art galleries, so our next date might a little dry," she took another bite of the food, chewed delicately, and used the water to wash it down. "Oh, wait, the date after that. Our next date is the one where everything that could possibly go wrong will."

Zoe paused, tapping her fork against her plate for a bit. "I would like to, um, make that mostly comic, if at all possible? Like, um, I'd rather us not run into a bunch of people who say we're going to hell because we like girls or have my exgirlfriends show up.... though I could see some of them making things more awkward than anything..." Alice would have been quite interesting, but Devyn already knew. How much had Zoe told Riley about Devyn and everything there? Everything? It felt like everything. was there anything Zoe hadn't told Riley at this point...?

... well, one thing certainly came to mind, something that made her shift and recall just how revealing her dress happened to be.

[Riley Forrester]

At the mention of an art gallery, Riley perked up. "An art gallery? That sounds like fun!" She said, smiling. When was the last time she had been to one of those? Riley couldn't even remember. That would definitely have to be one of their dates. 'One of.' Jeez. I really am getting comfortable with this aren't I? Riley thought with wondered as she grinned and nodded. "Yep. I feel like that one's going to be a ton of fun." She admitted, truly excited for that.

But then Zoe seemed a little hesitated before speaking about keeping the whole thing more comic and avoiding some things. Riley smiled a little but nodded with understanding. "I would never do that." She promised. "No, we're just going to have fun trying to mess up the date as much as we can." Riley assured her. She was in no way, shape or form going to try making Zoe uncomfortable. Riley hoped Zoe would see that. She really did just want to have fun with that one.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

The thought of an art gallery being fun made Zoe giggle. "You say that now," she said, bobbing her head slightly, "but you haven't gotten to spend the hours you will with me looking at the same three paintings," Zoe had to flush at that. She'd driven nearly everyone who met her insane with her near fanatical devotion to that. Yet Riley just insisted on it being part of the date. Shouldn't we be with someone who doesn't just put up with our little habits and tricks, but actually loves us for them?

It also seemed that Riley was on board with Zoe's idea. "Well, in that case," Zoe said, considering, "I should obviously do the cooking, and then when I inevitably fail miserably, we can go out to some fast food locale," Zoe tapped her fork to her plate, smiling down at her mostly eaten salad. "So, we'll naturally have to pick one that will be dreadfully hard for me to find anything, so most likely a burger joint..."

Zoe trailed off, taking another bite of her food, smiling around it as she did so.

[Riley Forrester]

Riley grinned in respond to the semi-threat Zoe gave Riley. "That doesn't scare me, Zoe." She teased. "Just hearing your opinion on them will be good enough for me to stay." Riley said honestly. From what Riley had already experienced, Zoe had a very poetic way of looking at some things, and it really colored her words. Riley would've been fine if they only looked at one. As long as Zoe was there.

Then they were talking about their next date, and Riley had to chuckle as Zoe insisted upon cooking so they would have to go to a fast-food restaurant. "We'll have to schedule on a rainy day too, so halfway through it starts raining. And then go watch some horrible movie at the theater while using google maps to get their so we're sure to take the scenic route." Riley added with again as she finished up her soup. It really was delicious.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

"That's if I actually remember to talk," Zoe replied, smiling again. She really couldn't help herself whenever around massive amounts of art, really. There was just something enchanting in the whole creative process that latched onto that part of her and refused to let go for whatever reason. She almost wondered if the art show visit wouldn't be something to include in their plan for a worst possible date.

Which Riley was more than willing to contribute to, of course. "Oh yes, dreadfully dreary," Zoe agreed, "but we shouldn't aim for a scenic route: that may actually be pleasant. We should instead aim for the worst possible traffic we can find," Zoe added another nod. "The film should certainly be loud and obnoxious..." she paused for a moment, "or should we maybe try something like bowling? I've never actually done that before, but it looks truly dreadful."

Unlike skating or something along those lines. Now Zoe was already thinking of ice skating and all the wonderful rinks they had around the area. That would still be a few months away though...