The Wallflower and The Star Athlete (closed for Poprockz)

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian listened carefully as she spoke, concern playing across his face.

‘I’m sorry, but I have to disagree. When two people truly connect, it unlocks something in both of them. Something that says, no matter what, they keep pursuing that shared connection. I know we have two very different experiences when it comes to family life, but you are too young to be this cynical. Surely you must have some hope you can be different?’

 

[Poprockz]

"Not really, no," she answered simply, giving him a shrug. "Why make myself miserable pining for something like that when I can focus on enjoying what I already have. I have myself, my career, my soup kitchen, and now you as a friend. That's enough for me to get by, so that's all I really need." Another bite of her bruschetta was taken.

Perhaps she was indeed cynical, but he seemed naive too. It was a very romanticized view of what relationships should be like. She certainly wasn't going to hold her breath waiting for something like that to come along.

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian could see her cynicism was deep rooted, so he decided not to push it any further, for now.
‘While I don’t agree, I respect your opinion’.

The waitress cleared their appetisers and brought back the menu. ‘I’d recommend the prawn linguini for mains. I grew up in a small seaside town and the seafood here is some of the best I have ever had’.

 

[Poprockz]

"I'll go with your suggestion then- you know this place better than I do. Besides, I like prawns and noodles, so I'm sure it'll be-" she glanced at the menu and saw the price associated. "Expensive. Um. I don't know about that. You said that this dinner was your treat, but that's one of the higher-dollar items and I've already had an appetizer and a drink. If you want, I can cover my entree." Her expression was one of concern, as she didn't want to weigh too heavily on his pocket book.

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian reached out a hand, covering Olivia’s.

‘Relax’, he said with a smile,’This is my treat. I still feel awful for what happened so allow me to do this so I don’t feel so guilty. Plus, I am having a lot of fun. You are so easy to talk to’.

 

[Poprockz]

She glanced at his hand as he placed it over her own. It was such a tender gesture, and she wasn’t used to receiving such physical affection from anyone. It was slightly cool from his cold drink but nevertheless she felt the warmth in it. She also felt a bit of warmth in her cheeks, though she wasn’t sure why.

“I guess if you insist…” she reluctantly agreed, “but if we go out to dinner again at some point, we’ll go Dutch on the bill, okay?” The fact that he was doing it to make up for his team’s fuck-up made it more palatable to accept, otherwise she would have insisted on paying her own part.

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian smiled, relieved she relented.
‘Deal!’ He put in the order to the waitress.

For some reason, he kept his hand on Olivia’s. She wasn’t withdrawing at all, so perhaps she was enjoying the moment as much as he was.

 

[Poprockz]

Why was his hand still on hers? She had to admit that the longer things went on with their hands in contact, the more flustered she felt. It almost felt like they were on a real date, but he had made it clear that he only had friendly intentions. Did he usually do this with his friends? Maybe he was just a touchy guy.

The waitress had glanced at his hand in hers when she was taking the order, and this only made her feel embarrassed. She was probably making assumptions about what sort of dinner this was, but hopefully the kitchen wouldn’t gossip or anything.

While she had the urge to pull her hand back, she found herself unable to do so. He was her first friend in a while and she didn’t want to ruin the vibe or be rude. Besides… it was kind of nice.

“So um, I heard they’re throwing you a big party sometime soon to celebrate your recent wins. Are you looking forward to that?”

 

[Mr_Positive]

He noticed her furrowed brow as she studied their hands together, and then the curious look from the waitress.

‘Sorry, it felt…..nice.

Um, yeah I mean it’s nice to be recognised. But honestly, I hate being the centre of attention at these things. Crazy I know considering I race in front of thousands. I don’t mind a crowd in a stadium, but in a confined space, I don’t know, I just feel awkward’.

 

[Poprockz]

She had mumbled a, “it’s okay,” before he started talking about the banquet.

His perspective made her curious though. “Why do you feel awkward? You’re charming, handsome, approachable… you’re one of the most favorably viewed people I know. Or… is it the pressure?”

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian ponder his answer,’I don’t know really, I guess I’m more comfortable being with close friends and family. I know it comes with the territory of being talented, but sometimes I wish it didn’t, almost like imposter syndrome’.

 

[Poprockz]

“Hm,” she hummed thoughtfully. “Well, I could see that. Everyone expects to much of you, so I imagine you worry about letting them down or living up to their expectations." Olivia reached over and patted his hand briefly before taking a sip of her drink, "though I don't think you have to worry about that too much. Even if you fail harder than anyone else has ever failed, you still have a family who loves you and that's more precious than you can imagine."

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian enjoyed the momentary physical contact, especially since it was the first time she had initiated it.
'That is very true. Not that I take my family for granted, but I do sometimes forget how fortunate I am to have them'.

At that moment, the pasta dishes arrived. The aroma from the steaming dish filled his nostrils, stirring a deep sense of calm within him.
'I hope this lives up to the hype now!', he said with a smile.

 

[Poprockz]

The scent of the pasta dishes was absolutely mouth-watering, and she watched with excited anticipation as each of them had their dish placed before them.

“Oh I can already tell from the smell that it will,” she replied, not wasting a second before gathering some noodles and prawn on her fork and trying it. Well fuck. That was some damn good food. She sighed, widening her eyes at him and point her fork to the noodles as if to say, ‘holy shit, that’s good.’

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian smiled at her excitement. He could tell she was starting to loosen up around him and enjoy herself

‘What did I say, right? I get almost every time I come here. It never disappoints!’

He attacks his own serving, closing his eyes as he savours the concoction of flavours exploding in his mouth.

 

[Poprockz]

He got an enthusiastic “Mm!” Before she continued eating. It was hard to focus on having a conversation when she was eating such a godly meal, so it ended up being rather quiet. Despite this it felt comfortable between the two of them, and she didn’t feel the need to fill the silence. Which was good because her stomach being filled took priority.

When she was starting to get full, she sighed with contentment and sat back against her chair. “Jesus, Adrian. Is the chef single?”

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian let a laugh go, giving her an amused look.
‘I thought you were too busy for dating’, said with a twinkle in his eye.

‘Well if you think that was good, then the tiramisu will blow you away. Got any room left?’

 

[Poprockz]

“You bet your athletic ass I do!” She replied automatically, though afterwards she looked a bit sheepish, maybe that was too much? She had no idea how he felt about crassness in general, so she supposed she would find out.

“I mean, I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back here, so I want to make the most of it. Would it be okay if we each got different desserts so I could try two of them? The tiramisu looks awesome, but I really want to know what their white peach panna cotta tastes like.” She looked at him hopefully, though it felt uncomfy to be asking him to spend even more money than he already had. She’d have to make it up to him later somehow.

 

[Mr_Positive]

‘Well look who is finally showing her true self, I love it! And yeah let’s get both and share’. He caught the waitress’ attention and ordered the two desserts and two more drinks.

Adrian was thoroughly enjoying their evening together. The idea had started as him simply wanting to say sorry, but it had turned into more. He knew he had a new friend. But his mind was ahead of the situation. Was there more here?

 

[Poprockz]

A grin came to her face and she felt herself relax a little more. It felt nice to know that he wasn’t going to turn and burn because she had a bit of a mouth on her.

“Thank you,” she nodded at him. “What’s your favorite dessert, by the way?”

 

[Mr_Positive]

'If it's not this place's tiramisu, then it's my mom's decadent chocolate cake. I get it every year for my birthday'.

He suddenly noticed he was talking about his family quite a bit, which was obviously a sore point for Olivia. Maybe he needed to turn that down.

'What's yours?'

 

[Poprockz]

Ah. She asked him with the intention of making it for him at some point, but if it was something special his mom made, then her own version would pale in comparison. The sentimental value alone would make hers feel hollow. Her chest tightened, but she retained a polite smile. What was it like to have a mom who valued your existence?

He seemed to like chocolate though, so maybe she could just make him something chocolate-related, she thought to herself, pushing down the other unwanted thoughts that threatened to ruin the mood.

“my favorite dessert would probably be a tie between fresh cinnamon rolls, and banana pudding.” The brightness of her smile returned and she added curiously, “when is your birthday, by the way?”

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian's amused look was back.
'You putting together a profile on me or something? It's July 8th, which I love because it is right in the middle of offseason so I get to enjoy it thoroughly. When is yours?'

 

[Poprockz]

“We’re friends now, so I’m required by law to know your favorite food, favorite color, and birthday,” she held her hands up, “sorry, I don’t make the rules, I just live by them.”

There was a chuckle before she said, “as far as my birthday, it’s October 25th.”

 

[Mr_Positive]

‘Well to complete that list then, my favourite colour is green’, shooting back a grin.

‘So I have some time to plan your party then! Thinking high end club, lots of cameras, your face blown up everywhere……right?’, hoping his joke landed.