The Perk: Thursday Evening [1-18-07]

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana couldn't quite hide her smile as Jim sort of bundled her up and brought her to the Perk. He'd been concerned about her ever since she'd gotten the phone call from Conner. He'd picked her up after work and now he was hustling her into the Perk to get warm and grab a bite to eat before they went back to the dorms.

She wasn't objecting, though. She rather enjoyed knowing he cared enough to take care of her like this.

[Open for all your Perk-y needs. Jim modded with permission.]

Comments

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim stamped and blew into his hands as they entered and he steered her towards a table. "You still cold?" he asked, concerned.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"I'll be fine," Lana said, only shivering a little. "It's warm in here." She slid into a chair at the table and smiled up at him. "How are you doing? You're not nearly as bundled up as I am."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

"I'm fine," Jim said dismissively. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back with something warm." He headed for the counter, digging in his pocket for money.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana watched him fondly as he went off. He was always so good to her. She unwrapped her scarf from around her neck and took off the hat he'd insisted she wear. And, of course, secretly she was glad he had.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim appeared a moment later with what had to be the largest size of hot chocolate they had (whipped cream and chocolate sauce as a matter of course) for Lana, and a slightly smaller coffee for himself. "Food'll be ready in a second," he smiled, slipping into the seat across from her.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana laughed when she saw the size of the hot chocolate. "They didn't have an actual vat? And dare I ask what we're going to be eating?"

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim shrugged with a little smile on his face that showed more around the eyes. "I asked for the urn but they wouldn't give it to me. Is grilled cheese alright with you?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You're wonderful. And yes, the grilled cheese is just perfect." She opened her eyes very wide. "Do I get a brownie for dessert?"

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

"If you ask nicely enough," he grinned, even though she should know that he couldn't really deny her anything.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Please?" she said, batting her eyelashes at him in mock-supplication. "Pretty please, with whipped cream on top?"

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim swiped a finger through the whipped cream on her hot chocolate and dabbed it on her nose. "Well then yes, you may."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Thank you." Lana giggled and dipped her own finger into the whipped cream. She reached out and trailed the cream over his lip. "Ooops. Now how did that happen?"

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim closed his mouth over her finger for a moment, licking off the rest of the cream, and grinned. "I wonder."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She shivered, but not from the cold. "Whipped cream. I should put that on my next shopping list.'

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

"We going to have a lot of hot chocolate in the next little while?" he asked innocently, leaning back in his chair and sipping at his coffee.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Hot, um... yes," Lana said. "Perhaps we will."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim laughed, but he was trying to be a good boy and not encourage her. His knee nudged against hers under the table.

"Can't wait."

Ooops.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She smiled across the table at him, letting her knee stay in contact with him. "Careful or we'll have to make a stop on the way home."

Home. Wow. That really felt... right. She loved the idea that it was truly their room now. And she had to admit that as close as they liked to sleep, it was nice to have the extra room in the bed.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim ducked his head to hide his grin at that. It did feel good to have a home to go to.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana glanced up and smiled as the server brought the food to the table. She bit happily into the grilled cheese and looked around for the ketchup to put on her fries. "Perfect," she murmured.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim reached out and snitched ketchup from another table, handing it to her with a smile before digging into his club sandwich and trying not to watch her eat.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She ate the entire grilled cheese with apparent delight, hardly coming up for air until it was gone. "Sorry," she said. "That was just... I guess I was hungrier than I thought."

She dipped a french fry in ketchup and nibbled on it, as she watched Jim eat. "Is yours good?"

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim was trying to hide his delight at her appetite. He nodded. "Yeah, really good. I can see you're not really liking yours . . ." he teased.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She blushed and ducked her head. "Sorry," she said, feeling a bit gluttonous at having eaten so quickly.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim shook his head. "Don't apologise. It's great." He grinned. "I think I might have to protect my fries at this rate."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana nibbled on another one of her own. "Oh, I think they're safe. I want my brownie after all." She grinned at him.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

"We can get the brownie to go," Jim said mildly. "With whipped cream."

He was trying to be a good boy. Really.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana giggled. "Ready to go?"

She wasn't trying to be a good girl. At all.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim considered his half-finished fries. Jim considered her half-finished fries.

Jim considered brownies with whipped cream to go.

"Yep." He stood and reached for their warm things, intent on bundling her up again.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana let herself be bundled up, though she insisted on stealing a quick kiss in the midst of it all. She stood there, looking like an overstuffed thing and smiled at him. "So... who's going to order the brownies and whipped cream?"

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim found a hand under all that wrapping and took it, tugging her with him as he moved up to the counter and ordered, with a completely straight face, two brownies with extra, extra, extra whipped cream.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana buried her face in his shoulder to prevent the giggles that were threatening to escape.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim squeezed her hand tightly, his straight face surprisingly straight as he asked for just a little bit more whipped cream than that.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana couldn't stop the giggles and tugged at his hand to hurry up and get out of their before the waitstaff thought she was completely nuts.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim made sure to thank them before he finally let Lana drag him out into the street, the takeaway box under his arm, still looking innocent.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"You are so bad!" she exclaimed and pulled his face down so she could kiss him soundly.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim grinned swiftly. "I know." He kissed her again, being careful not to squish the box in his other hand.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana returned the kiss, then tugged at him, wanting to get home as quickly as possible.