[for man_without_fear]

[aheroliveshere]

 "Here are the last of the files on the Palmer case, Mrs. Vargas called and rescheduled, and Joe Nguyen dropped off another case of mangos in lieu of an actual check."

Karen shifted his empty coffee cup to carefully set down the tower of folders at his right elbow.

"And.. that's it.  I'm done for the day."

Comments

[man_without_fear]

He accepts her arm and chuckles warmly.

"Hm, maybe if we actually get out of the office?" he suggests. They have been here a whole lot lately.

[aheroliveshere]

"That. Sounds like a really good place to start."

Once they're down to street level, she takes an easy pace. No rush. Just -- y'know, spending time together. After work. On a date.

"It's just a few blocks. I hope you don't mind walking."

[man_without_fear]

He walks with her casually, reflecting a moment on how at-ease she makes him feel.

Giving her a pleased smile and shaking his head he replies, "Not at all." He's happy to walk along with her.

[aheroliveshere]

She makes it half a block before her hand drifts down his arm and slips into his.

"How's that?"

Her voice is so quiet, like she's afraid someone might overhear.

[man_without_fear]

He squeezes her hand and he can feel the flutter of her pulse through her skin matching the rate of her heartbeat already in his ears.

"Starting to feel more like a date," he says warmly.

[aheroliveshere]

"Yeah," she answers, a shy smile bubbling up. "I think you're right."

She returns the grip and then laces her fingers through his, lightly. Her heart rate does more than flutter as she explores that simple touch.

[man_without_fear]

Matt's cane taps out in front of him as they walk and he goes along that way with her for awhile before reminding her with a gentle tease, "You are leading the way there, right?"

The restaurant was her choosing, after all, and he just wants to make sure they haven't passed it in the moment.

[aheroliveshere]

"Yes, I am. It's just one more block." She beams at him, color rising in her cheeks again. Damn it, is she going to be like this all evening? Seriously, Karen, get your shit together.

"I'd be surprised if you couldn't smell it by now." She draws in a deep breath, and sighs. "Do you like spicy food?"

[man_without_fear]

He nods, properly mollified and keeping a grin in check as he acts chagrined, "Okay, just making sure."

He gives her hand another squeeze to let her know he's teasing, then lifts his head.

"I think I do smell it." In truth he's aware of all of the restaurants in a wide radius around them. He can also smell dry cleaners and the bodega, dinner cooking in the surrounding apartments, and stale cigarettes for sale at the newstand on the corner.

To her question he gives a skeptical and wary expression, "How spicy?"

[aheroliveshere]

"Well," she says, squeezing back, her thumb stroking the outside of his, "I hear they do a good spicy curry. And I like a little heat." The words twist in her mouth and she bites her lip.

[man_without_fear]

"Do you?" Matt grins and mulls it over before he relents.

"I'll give it a try, but you have to promise not to laugh if I cry."

[aheroliveshere]

She smiles so broadly her nose wrinkles. At this rate, she's not going to last until dessert before she does something she'll regret.

"I promise, it's not that bad. Nothing you can't wash down with a beer or two."

[man_without_fear]

He lifts an eyebrow at her, the gesture asking, 'Getting me drunk too, are you Karen?'

"I'll trust you on that," he replies with a smirk.

[aheroliveshere]

"Okay, then."

His trust means the world to her. Even on something so small.

"We're here." She pulls on the door and a bell rings to announce their presence. A moment later, they're being seated. It's not a terribly fancy place. Paper napkins wrapped around silverware and the chopsticks are disposable. There's even a television playing over the bar. But the food smells good and the place seems to be fairly full.

[man_without_fear]

Matt settles into his chair, his hands folding on the table top.

He takes in the restaurant, the smells, the sounds, the tastes on the air of passing dishes and the warm atmosphere.

It's full, but not crowded, comfortable and inviting like only some places can be.

Nodding to himself he says to her, "Good choice."

[aheroliveshere]

Karen opens her mouth to speak and is interrupted by an older woman with a thick Irish accent*.

"Oh look at the two of you, don't you make such a pretty picture. Here's a menu for you, miss. And for you, sir." A braille menu is put down in front of Matt. "I told my husband we'd need these sooner or later. He like to fought me half way to hell and back saying it wasn't worth the expense, so you'd best become a regular so we can prove him wrong, aye? Right, then, can I get you two something to drink? Glass of wine perhaps or a beer?"


[ooc: * The part of Connie the restaurant manager is based on a real person, though Connie's husband Gino is Sicilian and runs an Italian restaurant here in town, not a Thai place. No real Dublin accents were harmed in the making of this cameo. ]

[man_without_fear]

Matt accepts the menu, giving the woman a genuine smile. "Well I appreciate your effort. Based on first impressions alone I think I'm going to like this place." And come back again.

He tilts his head at Karen, not sure what her choice might be. "Beer is fine with me... " But if she preferred wine he might be willing to go for that instead.

[aheroliveshere]

Karen gives a quick head bob, brushing her hair behind her ears. "Beer's fine, thanks."

"Two beers it is, then, and I'll give you a moment to go over the menu. The shrimp pad thai is good, but then it's always good, isn't it dearie? For you two, you should try one of the curries. It gets the blood up, if you know what I mean, dear."

Connie waggles her eyebrows at Karen, who promptly turns seventeen shades of red. The older woman then scurries back to the kitchen to tell her husband about the adorable couple she just seated.

"Okay then! So, maybe we should try the pad thai." Karen plasters her nose in the menu like it's the most fascinating thing she's seen in years.

[man_without_fear]

"Thank you," Matt says in bemusement as the woman bustles off.

Running fingertips over the menu he turns his amusement on to Karen.

"Pad thai sounds great."

[aheroliveshere]

"Okay. That was easy."

Connie brings their beers out, open bottles with a glass for each of them. Karen pours for them both, and then leans in a little.

"Shall we toast?"

[man_without_fear]

"You had mentioned wanting curry, though," he adds with a small smirk, just as a reminder.

Feeling out his glass, Matt lifts it.

"Sure. What would you like to toast to?"

[aheroliveshere]

Her eyes go wide. Yes, she'd wanted the curry, Matt! You don't have to point it out, sheesh.

"To us. Just you and me. And no other bullshit. Just for a little while."

[man_without_fear]

He really should stop teasing her, as cute as it is, so he lets it go and instead extends his glass.

"To us. And no bullshit."

[aheroliveshere]

She thinks maybe her face is going to hurt tomorrow from all the stupid grinning she's doing. She also thinks she doesn't care, not when his voice drops into that particular register and he speaks directly to her. She clinks her glass against his and takes a drink, just savoring the moment with him.

So of course, Connie picks that moment to come back to take their order. "So that's one pad thai and one curry, did I hear that right? That way you can share and each have a little of both. Trust me, it's the only way."

"Uh, sure? Yes. I mean, Matt? Does that sound okay to you?"

[man_without_fear]

For anyone who knows Matt at all it could probably be said that he's done more smiling tonight with her than he has in a long while.

None of them, including Matt, would say that's a bad thing.

He takes a drink and then turns his head when the waitress returns.

After taking advantage of her flustered embarrassment all evening Matt finally steps in to bail Karen out this time.

Nodding to the suggestion he hands back his menu and replies, "That'll be just fine, thank you."