Watch Out Boys She'll Chew You Up ~Open~

[Jake Dean]

Yeah, it was nice, she replied and he smiled. It was nice, in a way he felt like he could be himself, instead of the slimy, charming player he sometimes turned into. Although, that was a part of him too, one that he couldn't really get out of and enjoyed sometimes, but he felt like the kiss had been sincere, if not totally romantic. Because nothing was particularly romantic in a club, except perhaps when the music turned slow, although usually by that time Jake had already left and was busy taking off clothes back at his apartment. He wondered idly whether Kadie had her own place. He knew he was pretty lucky, that his parents had decided to buy him a flat, and that most people his age were either still living with their parents or working themselves to the bone in order to keep the rent up on their dwellings.

She was quiet for a bit, something Jake didn't mind whereas often he liked to fill it with his own voice. Letting the music wash over him he instead focused on the feel of her, and anyway he was finding it difficult to look away. He wasn't such a bad guy that he was always looking at the view; when he found a girl for the night he stuck with her even if they didn't go all the way, usually. And he was planning to see it through here. After all, even if Kadie deserted him now he wasn’t sure he’d want to go looking for any other girl because he was enjoying himself so much with her.

When she spoke again he was brought back to the present. Tell me something about yourself, she said, with a sweet little smile. This surprised him a little, and he was thoughtful for a few moments while he worked out what to say. Nothing too serious, after all this wasn’t like a first date, but she did sound like she was genuinely curious so he didn’t want to laugh at her for it. “Hmm... my middle name’s Oliver,” he replied with an amused smile, “I’m allergic to tomatoes; and... I like brunettes best.” The last part wasn’t strictly true; well not until tonight anyway, but Jake couldn’t think of anything else to say. He wondered if she had been hoping for something deeper. But in a way, he shouldn’t tell her anything meaningful in case it gave him any emotional attachment to her, or vice versa. For now, he’d have to leave it at that.

“How about you? What facts do you have hidden away under these gorgeous locks?” At this, he allowed himself to touch her hair again. He’d heard that girls never liked it but they didn’t seem to understand that if it was soft, guys liked to feel it. And anyway, at least he had his reasons. He tilted his head a little, waiting to hear her answer, curious under his appearance of humor. He had a feeling she’d probably have some good secrets to tell. Not that he expected her to divulge them on a one-night stand in Benson. But he could hope that he might be able to learn something he could remember, one thing he always forgot to do with most girls.

[Kadie Taylor]

ooc: It was so sad. I had my reply all typed out yesterday and my comp crashed and I lost it all. Grr. Guess that'll teach me to save it as I go. Oh well. *goes to post again*

Kadie would have loved to have her own place. But, it wasn't like she could afford it. And her parents def would not pay to get her her own place. They liked to try to control her. It didn't really work and it never had, but they could pretend right? They didn't know about half of the things she did. If they did, they'd probably have a heart attack. Usually when these one-night stands occurred, she went back to the guy's place. Although, occasionally she'd been brave enough to take the guy back to her place. But that involved sneaking the guy in there, and then back out. It could be fun that way, but going to the guy's house didn't require all that. And on the rare occasions when she did stay until late morning, she'd just tell her parents that she'd been sleeping over at a friend's house. They never said anything, so they probably believed her. Or they didn't, and were just in denial that their one and only child wasn't who they wanted her to be. Either wouldn't surprise Kadie at all.

She wasn't so sure if anything was going to happen. She simply lived in the moment. She was so spontaneous, hardly ever planning out her next move. But then again. she already knew that if nothing happened with Jake tonight, it wouldn't with anybody else either. At least for a night she could commit to that one guy and not have wandering eyes for other men around here. She wasn't as bad as all that. When she was with a guy, she was with him. She would never be the cheating kind. But then again, that's probably why she didn't commit at all. At least, one of the reasons.

At his response to her question, she smiled up at him. That last bit, she was not surprised at all. And it wasn't like she hadn't heard that type of thing before. She hadn't really expected a deep response, but that was probably only because she wasn't going to provide a deep response either. She never did. She didn't really give all that much information about herself to these guys. But then, she didn't really let her friends in all that far either. Except for Kevin. But Kevin was the one and only exception. He was her best friend, brother really. But even then, she had a lot hidden from him too.

"Oh I have a lot hidden under these gorgeous locks,she replied with a mysterious smile. Yeah, it was true. Very true. It was just the way she was. She wasn't an open book at all. That's the way she liked to keep it.

"Let's see, I hate most kinds of vegetables. And, I want to be a journalist. I've been writing novels and such since I was six,"she responded. The last bit about journalism and such wasn't all that deep, and that was because everybody around here practically knew that. She could be seen a lot in the star bucks, notebook in hand. No, her passion for writing was no mystery. The mystery was what she actually wrote about.

"So Jacob Oliver,"she paused, giving him that sexy playful grin of hers.

"What happens now?"she added, basically letting him know that she was game for whatever. That she didn't mind him taking control of the evening. And she didn't just hand the control to anyone.

[Jake Dean]

o o c ; Ugh, I do that all the time. =/ Ah well thanks for making the effort =)

Her reply was quick this time. Oh I have a lot hidden under these gorgeous locks, she said, and he raised a brow invitingly. She was good at playing along with all his little games and jokes; whether she found him funny was beside the point but she knew how to treat a guy, that was certain. Jake was half surprised at this, havign heard she was not the dating type. But he guessed she did whatever she wanted, whatever she felt like, and probably wasn't as innocent when it came to romance as some might think she was. Most people stayed out of relationships because they'd had their heartbroken. Or, like Jake, because they couldn't commit and be faithful. He wondered which catagory Kadie fell into. Both perhaps? Jake couldn't remember the last time he'd had his heart broken. Ever since he could remembered love just hadn't been on the cards for him. He was pretty sure he'd find the right girl someday but there hadn't been anyone so far who he'd totally fallen for.

Let's see, I hate most kinds of vegetables. Jake watched her in amusement. Well, it was just as random as his. Jake had never been a great one for vegetables when he was small but these days he did like to eat a little healthily. Not obsessionally, but it made him feel better than eating lots of sugar all the time. Alchohol was the only exception to that rule. Despite all the warnings about drinking he'd had back in school he could always enjoy a good few drinks. It was lucky, then, that he didn't live far from Benson, because otherwise he'd always have to get taxis back to the flat. As it was, it was a relatively short walk along the streets of Arden Falls. Unfortunately there was never much to see at night, although at least in a small town like Arden you weren't going to get mugged or beat up.

Her next answer he found quite interesting. I want to be a journalist. I've been writing novels and such since I was six. "Wow," he said, "Bet you're pretty good then." He smiled again. But, journalism? She must be pretty smart then. Or just passionate. He could imagine her being both really. And with her attitude she'd be able to get into the competitive places, in the big cities perhaps. Sounded like a decent dream to him.

So Jacob Oliver, she continued, and he liked the way his name sounded when she said it. What happens now? Her smile was quite amazing, the way it changed her face. He hesitated only a moment. "Now," he said, leaning in close again, "I buy you another drink." And he took her hand again to lead her through the other peple towards their seats at the bar. He'd been tempted to take her back to the flat now, but something had stopped him, some feeling that he didn't want it all to be over too quickly. Because if he saw her again he knew they'd probably just act like strangers. Or aquaintances. But never as close as they were right now.

[Kadie Taylor]

Kadie wasn't into the whole dating thing, but she did have a few things up her sleeve. She'd been doing this game for quite awhile now. Mostly it was all just a game to her since she didn't want to get her heart broken again, and plus she did have those commitment issues. The one time that she had let go of those commitment issues, she'd gotten burned. So, she was just fine with her commitment issues. Just fine with the fact that she didn't have that one certain special someone. Love wasn't in the cards for her. She planned to keep it that way. Wow, bet you're pretty good then. She smiled back at him as he said this.

"Well, I'd like to think so," she responded with a slight grin. She was passionate about a lot of things. Get into a debate with her about politics? Well, you'd better come prepared, cause she was passionate about that. She kept up with a lot of things, and she just wanted to write about the things that she saw. Maybe cover the big stories in the cities. But first thing she had to do was get out of here. And to get out of here, she had to get a job. So just dreaming wasn't good enough.

At his response to her question, she smiled and allowed herself to be led back to the bar. She was actually kind of glad that he hadn't taken her to his flat just yet. Usually that's what happened, a guy couldn't wait to get her there. But it was nice this way too, prolong the evening. And she found that she didn't mind that at all, because she knew that if she saw him again after tonight, she'd act like nothing had ever happened between them. She might even act like she didn't remember him at all. It was just the way she did things, it prevented her from making anything out of these one-night stands cause that's really all they could be. She wouldn't allow them to be anything else. She sat down on the stool at the bar. It was amazing how much she was actually enjoying herself.

[Jake Dean]

Well, I'd like to think so, she replied to his c0mment about her journalism. He was genuinely quite impressed, and a little ashamed that he didn't have a similar dream. All his future plans had yet to include a source of income; as long as it didn't involve living in Arden all his days and did involve enjoying himself, he hadn't thought much beyond that. Now he wished he could have a comeback; an idea of a future occupation. He supposed he might want to go into some form of business, running clubs or pubs, or even restaurants or cinemas. He wouldn't mind office work too much as long as he didn't have long hours on top of it. Although if he was honest he'd love something that involved getting out and about, maybe travelling a bit; that way he could incorporate his love for driving too.

She followed him back to the bar without comment, which he took to mean she didn't mind. He wasn't inclined to pressure her and apparantly, she felt the same. Hopefully she would humor him a little longer, tell him more about her. Sometimes it was quite amazing how much you could get to know a person from a one-night stand. Of course, it would all be superficial, and probably half of it exaggeration or lies, but for those few hours you could almost feel like you knew that person, loved them even, before morning when you realised that actually it was easer than you thought it would to just forget them and move on. And do it all over again. Because with dating, you ended up finding out that the person you liked was, underneath everything, just another normal person.

"Barman's choice," he said when the guy came over, holding up two fingers with a glance at Kadie. With any luck it would be something he hadn't tried before. Probably rediculously expensive too, but, hey, he was having a night out; right now that wasn't part of the equation. As they waited Jake contented himself with stealing looks at her, half smile gracing his face, fingers drumming softly on the bar. For a moment, he couldn't think of anything else to say, but at least for once he didn't feel really awkward. He supposed this moment was quite crucial; he had to be careful not to be too serious or he might get caught up in something he'd rather not.

"Alright.. dogs or cats?" He asked with a laugh.

[Kadie Taylor]

It was true that Kadie kept people at arm's length, but she was herself on these one-night stands. That's because she was a horrible liar. So, what she generally said was all truth, but she didn't get too deep. She was a great actress though, even if she was bad at lying. So in a way, she supposed that it was lying to act out certain things that she didn't really feel. But then again, there wasn't really harm in all of this. She knew that she and Jake both wanted the same thing out of this night, and they both didn't want attachments.

Still, for at least a night it was easy to pretend that Jake could be all that she needed. Maybe he could be if she let him. But she knew that she'd fight not to let that happen, so she wasn't too worried. She wasn't a chick that really needed a man in her life anyway. She could take care of herself. She wasn't one of those helpless females who stood on the sidelines waiting for their man to come save them. That's why she'd always hated most fairy tales, because that's what they were like. The women in the stories would cry and beg for their guy to come save them. She'd always been like, to hell with asking the guy to defeat the bad guys. Why don't you grab a sword and save yourself? But, guys didn't seem to like the whole independent chick, who knew how to work on cars, etc. Oh well, not her problem.

She smiled as Jake ordered them drinks, she liked that he didn't know what they were getting. Spontaneous, and since she was really spontaneous she really liked that. And she was pretty much always willing to try new things. Some girls wouldn't be, but Kadie wasn't scared to do new things. In fact, if you couldn't be reckless and try a few new things, then life was just boring. She smiled, noticing him steal glances at her. At his question, there was no hesitation.

"I'm a dog person for sure. I like cats as well, but dogs are just a lot nicer to have around. They are more work, definitely, but they seem to be a lot more friendly then cats," she responded.

"Chicken or Fish?"she asked, laughing a bit at how silly the question was, but hey. She was in a good mood.

[Jake Dean]

I'm a dog person for sure. I like cats as well, but dogs are just a lot nicer to have around. They are more work, definitely, but they seem to be a lot more friendly then cats. Jake listened with an amused interest. "I think I'd have to agree with you there. Dogs are more fun. I couldn't pay for the upkeep of one right now though," he replied. In truth, he wasn't sure he'd want to share his little flat with some furry animal. He could see the appeal; they were good company sometimes, and they kept your feet warm at night, but Jake had never been too big on animals. As a kid he hadn't really had any family pets. There was next door's dog, who he often played with, but his mom was allergic so it didn't make sense for them to have anything. "I've heard they're great for picking up chicks," he added with a laugh. He loved the innocent banter, it always made him feel comfortable, like he could talk about anything.

The drinks were shoved across the counter towards them and Jake handed the guy some money. He had heard you ought to be careful in clubs, that they didn't shortchange you, but Jake wasn't too worried. Ironically, it was probably the drink. He wasn't sure what the drinks were. When he took a sip it was fruity and had some sort of kick to it. Surprisingly nice. Jake had only really tried the barman's choice because it looked good to order a mystery drink. But now he decided he'd have to do it more often, because there was something nice about surprises. Jake liked them, except when they made him look bad, but these days no one really surprised him, because he was so used to everything in Arden.

Chicken or fish? she then asked, and he grinned. "Chicken," he replied without really hesitating, "I'm not really a seafood kind of guy." he'd never really been into it, except a few things that he'd got used to as a child. He couldn't really think what his favourite food was. Generally he liked to eat healthily but there was nothing better than comfort food when you were feeling down. But then, Jake didn't have that many lows. He didn't really argue with his parents, his lovelife was not troublesome, and he didn't have a job to stress him out yet. Really, it was all good, though a lot of the time Jake didn't appreciate it. He wouldn't call himself overly ambitious, but he was definitely always wanting better, always wanting more.

Searching for a new line of conversation, Jake took a sip of his drink. "Do you live with your parents?" he then ventured, feeling more laid back.

[Kadie Taylor]

Kadie listened to his response, and nodded in agreement. She really wanted a dog, a really small dog. She liked big dogs too, but she felt like she related more to little dogs. They usually were feisty and not afraid to go up to the big dogs. Kadie wasn't very tall herself. It was like the saying went, it's not the size of the dog that matters, it's the size of the fight in the dog that really counts. But, Jake was right. The upkeep for a dog could get pretty pricey. Plus, dogs could be hard to take care of. They demanded so much more of your attention then cats did. Honestly, dogs were like little kids themselves.

She sipped at her drink when they were pushed towards them. She smiled after trying it because it was really good. She'd done things like this before, let a guy order her a drink without knowing what she was getting, and the drink had turned out nasty. Still, that was all part of the spontaneity, she supposed. Really, she probably shouldn't be so trusting when it came to men in bars; letting them order her whatever they felt like. Cause really, who knew what they could put in the drink? But, Kadie felt that she would be able to see it coming. Maybe she was just a little cocky that way. But even though she'd just met Jake, she didn't believe for one minute that he'd ever put anything into her drink.

"Yeah, I still live with my parents. Unfortunately. Once I can afford rent though, I am out on my own," she replied. Man, she was so looking forward to that. Her parents drove her nuts. But, hey. She'd lived with them for this long, she supposed she could stand a little while longer. Hopefully it wouldn't be too much longer, maybe a few months? She was hoping it would only be that long, anyway.

"So, what about you?" she asked.

[Jake Dean]

Kadie smiled as she tried the drink, so Jade took it she liked it. That was a relief; there was nothing more embarrassing than buying a girl the wrong drink. But he guessed the barman always had a good idea from looking at people what they might like. He took another sip, liking the way the flavour seemed to change as he got used to it. Jake was not a big one for mixing drinks at home; his dad had once got him a cocktail book, but Jake would rather just drink from the bottle. It wasn't so interesting when you weren't being served; half of the fun was the company, and the expense, and the general atmosphere. That's what Jake came to clubs for. And, of course, to meet people.

He glanced up as she spoke. Yeah, I still live with my parents. Unfortunately. Once I can afford rent though, I am out on my own, she replied to his question. He nodded sympathetically. A few months ago he'd been in exactly the same position. Fresh out of school, he'd just been lounging aruond his parents' house, sometimes looking at job opps but mostly enjoying his free time. Luckily both his parents had had jobs, so he didn't annoy them too much. His mother had recently quit work after his dad had got a promotion that meant they could pretty much get by with just one income. Jake didn't really take an interest in what his parents did for a living. Still, he did talk to them sometimes, when they rang or when he was invited and practically blackmailed over for dinner some nights.

She flipped the question back at him and Jake felt a certain sense of pride as he answered. "I'm the lucky one I suppose," he said with a wry smile, "My parents got me a flat a couple of months back. I was probably getting unbearable being round there all the time. I have to start paying the rent soon though," he rolled his eyes. Currently, he was sometimes managing to pay half of it, to give his parents a break, but he wouldn't be able to keep it himself - low as the rent was on such a small place - until he had an income. Yet another reason to look around. And yet Jake really couldn't find the energy. He supposed he ought to enjoy himself while he could. After all, it did come in handy to have your own flats on nights such as this. Jake guessed that his parents would probably like Kadie, if they got to know her, but if he took her back to their's in her little black dress they'd probably not take it so well.

Jake took another sip of his drink, realising it was already almost gone. "Alright so," he said, the familiar smile lighting his face again, "Your name's Kadie, you're unemployed, single, living with your parents, like dogs, want to be a journalist and... are one of the sexiest girls I've met. Have I got you down?"