<span style="color: #FF0000">The smile, it made him smile and relax a bit more, given the situation and everything from the previous night.  “Right, no harm done,” his voice for the moment at least a bit confident in its tone. “So, um, do you think I could maybe know the name of the woman that I nearly killed? Or, do you prefer to be called Lost Girl?” an attempt at a joke that he hoped did not backfire on him.</span><br/><br/>There was that glimmer of confidence she’d seen with others.<span style="font-style: italic">Maybe it doesn’t take being homeless after all…</span>she mused as he continued. “I don’t know…” she joked in turn, brow quirking a bit. “Lost girl has a pretty good ring to it. I mean, what’s better than being named after a television show?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"> “I would not know, as I kind of don’t do the television thing,” he smirked. “I am more of a reader and I thought of you are more of the lost children in peter pan. I would have called you Wendy, but to me that name does not really suit you. You definitely do not look like a Wendy and I guess the image of you being the only lost girl among the boys made more sense to me,” he gave a shrug. “I get the idea you would be trying to take over the whole operation and remove Peter Pan for being the highly ineffective leader he clearly was,” a low laugh at his own words ended his statement, while his eyes held her own for the very first time since they had met for more than a few seconds.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Of course he doesn’t watch television…why would he? He’s too busy saving kittens from trees and helping old ladies cross the street.</span>But, once that thought was aside and his explanation given, she noticed his eyes held hers, actually held hers, for more than a few seconds. There was no blush accompanying, there was no “um” or mumbling; Just straight conversation, and even a laugh.<br/><br/>“Sounds about right…” Chrys admitted. “Can’t have him running things willy nilly. So,<span style="font-style: italic">obviously</span>I’d have to show him how things should be done.” She paused, eyes turning thoughtful as she debated giving him an actual name to go by. He’d given her his within moments of meeting her and she’d yet to even give him anything. Not a name, nothing more than a general vicinity in which to drop her off at. But, she didn’t give it to him.<span style="font-style: italic">Not yet.</span>“So, what else is on the agenda for you tonight, other than running me over, of course?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"> Again she dodge the question, which he just brushed off and continued on, it was like their <span style="font-style: italic">thing</span> now.  <br/> <br/>“Well, after the jog, I generally shower and then order something for take-out. I’m not much of a cook, so the local restaurants love me,” he said with a shrug. “What about you? Have any pressing and exciting plans for the evening?” tone perhaps a bit hopeful.</span><br/><br/>The tone didn’t go unnoticed, as it played well into the puppy dog thing, but she didn’t pay it much mind right then. “Takeout, as well,” she replied with a shrug. “So…the excitement consists of figuring out whether I’d prefer Italian or Thai. Otherwise, my night’s just relaxing.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">There was his chance, to at least make an attempt at something with her. “Well, we could kind of spare the poor legs of an already exhausted delivery guy and order something together?” he offered, his eyes still on her own, tone still the hopeful lot that it was. “I was actually thinking of having either Italian or Thai tonight, myself….” <br/> <br/>This was a chance, something that was not likely to come up again and he wanted to make up for the debacle of last night. It might lead to him knowing her name, which she appeared the expert at avoiding in volunteering.</span><br/><br/>He’d actually asked. Elijah Maddox had gotten out of his own way, and asked her outright. Half of her had thought he was going to make a comment like he had when he left her the night before, with some corny line of bumping into each other again, only in a not literal sense the next time around. But…he’d actually asked her, and held her gaze when he did it.<br/><br/>She had to give him his dues for that. “Even though my evening was…so packed with excitement before…I suppose it couldn’t hurt to save the delivery guy a trip if we’re both getting the same thing,” came her answer, tone light, casual, a small part of her actually excited by the prospect, though she pushed it to the back of her mind and focused instead. “That is, if it doesn’t interrupt your schedule too much, of course.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">A response he had not planned for, left him momentarily stunned and dazed. It only last but a moment, the span of a heart beat and no less, but then became the worry of her place, or his?  <br/> <br/>“Oh, no. Not at all,” he was quick to answer though he tried to not sound as eager as he thought he did. “Only thing to figure out is whose place to host this impromptu dinner?” he asked.  <br/> <br/>Silently he wished for her to offer her place save for the fact that he knew his place was not fit to host company. Already in his mind he flashbacked to his morning and how he had been so caught up in his failure the night before. There were clothes he had yet to put away to be washed, empty food containers to be thrown away and who knows what else. Though he would hate for her to see his place in such a state, at the same time he did not want to blow what could be seen as his second chance.</span><br/><br/>The question he posed was the only thing that kept her from dwelling on how fast he’d jumped on assuring her his schedule wasn’t too packed. If she brought him to her house, that was…far sooner than she’d expected. Her home was generally cold, kept cold for a reason, but she didn’t think anything was out of place. Her mind wandered back to its state and figured everything else about it would be normal. Nothing out of place, nothing overly embarrassing anywhere.<br/><br/>But to have him over to her place after only meeting him the night before felt…odd. The timeline for this felt rushed, and, where he didn’t even know her name yet, to have him over to her place felt weird. Then again, to go to his, too, felt odd.<br/><br/>“Hmm…” was all she said aloud as she continued contemplating. “I’ve a counter offer.” Her brow lifted a bit, though her eyes remained light. “Where I’m not sure the state of my own apartment, and this is so impromptu, why don’t we change up the plan a bit? You’d mentioned wanting a shower. Why not go home, shower, do whatever you’d have needed to do, and then we’ll meet up for dinner at a restaurant of your recommendation? Is that agreeable to you? Or would you rather dine in?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-style: italic">Perfect!</span> <br/> <br/>The word shouted in his mind as he smiled and reached for the armband that held a couple of his business cards and some pocket cash, “That is just perfect. Here is my number and you can call me I guess when you are ready and I can give you the address to the restaurant?”  <br/> <br/>This was perfect, just perfect. He could get his shower and even pick up a bit. Not that he expected for anything to happen, or for them to end up in his apartment, but for perhaps another date? If it was straightened up now he would have less to work on later.</span><br/><br/>A light laugh tumbled free of her lips as she took his card. She was going to suggest a time, rather than playing phone tag, and get the address beforehand, as he was the one showering and getting ready, she wasn’t going to have to do much prior. But, because she found him adorable, she accepted it with a nod. “I’ll give you a call, and we can go from there,” Chrys agreed with a nod.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"> “Ok,” he could not stop the grin that was on his face before he gave a somewhat awkward wave and jogged off to his apartment.  <br/> <br/>“I have a date…a date…an actual date,” he said to himself over and over again as he made his way home. Once there it was a rather tornado effect with him tearing through the apartment, gathering the mess as he went until he made it to the bathroom. From there he removed the dirty clothing from his body and hopped into the shower.  <br/> <br/>“Have a date…got an actual date! No bump into you later! None of that other lameness, but an actual date!” he could not stop himself from the excitement he felt at the prospect of what was to come. Though, as the shower wore on his thoughts turned more to just what he would do and what he would say. Sure, if he had been a long with a group that would have been one thing, but instead he was to be alone with a woman, whose name he still did not know. To try and not sound like a complete idiot.  <br/> <br/>“I can do this…I can do this…right?” he asked himself when the water was shut off and he climbed out of the shower to get dressed.  <br/> <br/>“I can do this…I can do…this…..I hope…”</span><br/><br/>After the awkward wave and watching him jog off…actively watching him jog off, she made the trek home, a bit more upbeat than she’d admit to herself. There was still that niggling thought of the underlying reasoning for even continuing to talk to him; That, if she’d met him under better circumstances, it’d be different, but…she could humor a date with him. Not like it’d kill her, good conversation (unless he started “um”-ing again) and likely a few laughs, while being able to eat with someone for a change.<br/><br/>Someone<span style="font-style: italic">not</span>Annelise.<br/><br/>So, she changed out of her skirt, and into jeans, topping it off with a simple sweater, pulling on boots (with better traction) and then just…sat on her couch. Where he’d mentioned needing a shower, and her home was in fine order, she just waited. She didn’t want to wait too long so that he’d think she’d changed her mind, but then didn’t want to seem like she was rushing him.<br/><br/>Finally caving, Chrys pulled out her cellphone, and dialed the number on his card. “So, where should I be meeting you?” she greeted him, her tone light, a smile in her voice.