There was an expression that uniquely summed up the moment for Sebastian's position precisely.<br/><br/><em>You could have knocked him over with a feather.</em><br/><br/>Isabelle's voice played on a nearly endless high fidelity, digitally remastered track in his mind.<br/><br/><em>"I like you too....I wasn't trying to...I didn't mean to give you the impression of being easy...being the type of girl who might only want an idle fling...to use someone older for their gain..I...I'm sorry I'm sorry that I got a crush in only a day without really knowing you.. I mean I know who you are...have known for years but haven't known you..you know what I mean..?"</em><br/><br/>There was no other activity in his head, apart from the endless repetition of her words, complete with pauses, stutters and tonal qualities. He felt his own cheeks blazing with the same heat that was surely coming off Isabelle's bright red face. He brought his hand up to rub his face, only to quickly replace it with his other hand holding the condensation covered pint glass, which he nearly drained in one gulp.<br/><br/>"Right." His accent was thick then, gone back to his county influence before London and American blunted it. "Right. This was not what I expected at all." Two deep breaths helped him centre himself and he quickly put his attention on Isabelle. "Holy shit! Isabelle, please believe me, you never gave me the impression of being easy, and that thought never crossed my mind. Neither did I see you as some fling, idle or otherwise. I met someone who I thought was worthy of getting to know better."<br/><br/><em>'I'm sorry I'm sorry that I got a crush in only a day without really knowing you..'</em><br/><br/>"Hang on a moment..." Sebastian's face bloomed again with the brightness that had been dimming. "Did you say you developed a crush on me?!?" He slumped back in his chair, shocked but slightly pleased to hear it. He was sitting in the presence of a pretty young woman that he found himself liking with each passing minute, who found him strongly appealing. His training was telling him that her perceptions of him were based on irrational grounds, and that her feelings would not be realistic or substantial in any form. But the human part of him told that professional to fuck off. His smile grew, bringing his face along with it.<br/><br/>Sebastian reached out with his hands, taking both of hers in his gentle grasp. "Isabelle, I am flattered that you think so highly of me. But, gosh, I don't know where to go from here. I mean, you're pretty, you're a wonderful person. Anyone would be grateful for having a friend like you, even a girlfriend like you. Age doesn't really mean that much to me, but it does to other people." He let out his breath in an explosive sigh. "What I have been trying to say is..."<br/><br/>He looked at her as he paused. Her bright blonde, almost white hair with the wave of pink at the end, along with the little tattoo on her wrist, spoke clearly of a young woman who wanted to be her own person, yet was not confident enough to take the steps to do it. She was incredibly bold in her shyest moments. It was in those moments when she opened her heart to him. That tipped the balance for him.<br/><br/>He leaned forward quickly to reduce her time to withdraw or avoid. His lips caught hers, leaving her a kiss that promised more than it delivered. He looked a little worried about how she might react to the move, but he felt confident that she wouldn't freak. Too much.<br/><br/>"I'm... uh... I'm happy to see how things go. If you're OK with that."<em>'Could that have sounded any more school boy like?'</em>