Den of Angels (closed for wideeyedone and Blase)

[Blase]

"I'll be even better later on," Joel promised in a low voice.

"Say, who's that?", he added, noting a young guy who was fairly charging down the aisle towards them.

 

[wideeyedone]

"Oh my gosh." Julie whispered. Her eyes wide. "It is Jason, my ex boyfriend. What is he doing here?" She shook her head. "Joel, if he is a jerk. I apoligize. I had no idea he was coming."

Jason looked rather annoyed as he charged toward them. he was a tall, handsome cowboy type.

 

[Blase]

Joel watched deliberately as Jason came on. He'd lived in NYC long enough to know that showing awareness and a lack of concern was usually the best way to head off trouble.

This was Julie's show, though. He wasn't going to hurt her pride by saying or doing anything unless it became necessary.

 

[wideeyedone]

Jason looked at the two of them and knew.

"I bet you met him at your bar. The one you were working in for the great tips and not to meet guys." Jason's voice was hard. Julie took a deep breath.

"I turned him down when I had a boyfriend. But when my boyfriend broke up with me, I didn't have any reason not to ask out a great guy." Julie replied evenly.

 

[Blase]

Alright, this is awkward, Joel thought.

Outwardly, he spoke. "Hi, I'm Joel," he said, offering his hand. "You must be Jason."

 

[wideeyedone]

Julie kicked herself for not handling it better. She had just been shocked to see Jason. He was her first love and her first lover. It hurt to not be friendly with him. But he had basicly accused her of flirting with other men.

"I am sorry I didn't introduce you. Jason, Joel and I are seeing each other and we did meet at the bar. However, he is a very nice guy. And I didn't mean to be so snotty. I guess I am just surprised to see you."

 

[wideeyedone]

Jason offered his hand to Joel. He muttered a greeting. It was apparent that he was rather shocked to see Julie with someone else.

"Julie, honey... we need to talk. I was wrong to ask you to come home. But, I still love you. I always have."

Julie wasn't sure what to do. There she was holding Joel's flowers, with Jason pleading his case.

 

[Blase]

Joel leaned in toward Julie. "Do you need a few minutes, Julie?" he asked; adding "Are you alright?" as quietly as he could.

 

[wideeyedone]

"thank you, Joel." She looked in Joel's eyes so he would know she was okay. She walked with Jason over to a seat in the auditorium. Julie looked at Jason intently.

"Jason, I am sorry that you came up here expecting me to get back together with you. I know this must be hard and feel sudden. But I care about Joel alot and I don't think things can be the way they were."

Jason shook his head. "Julie, it was just a few weeks ago. How serious can it be?"

Julie whispered as she looked at Jason through her lashes. "I think I love him." She knew it would hurt him, but she knew he deserved the truth. Without a goodbye, Jason rose and walked out. His face was hard.

 

[Blase]

Joel watched as Jason left and Julie returned to join him.

"Would you like me to take you home, now?", he asked when she was back at his side.

 

[wideeyedone]

Julie nodded. She was holding her flowers closely. "Thanks for being so level headed back there. I don't think I could have taken a scene." She bit her lip. "I need to go put my cello in the instrument locker. I will be right back." Julie slipped backstage to put away her instrument. She absently tucked her hair behind her ear as she walked.

 

[Blase]

Joel called a cab while he waited for Julie. He'd arrived by cab and had planned from the beginning to leave the recital and bring Julie home the same way: The formal wear that they both had on just wasn't suited to travel by motorcycle.

Five minutes later, Joel was opening a taxi's door and inviting Julie to get in first.

 

[wideeyedone]

Julie slid into the seat of the cab. She smiled at Joel as he slipped beside her. "You wouldn't happen to be hungry would you, this girl is starving." Julie said with a smile. It had been hard to see Jason, to turn him away. But she couldn't trade what she had now for what she had had in the past. Joel was so different. Grown up and happy for her and settled into his own life.

 

[Blase]

Joel thought for a moment. "Well, I didn't make reservations anywhere, but Grandma Nonna's will be open. As long as Italian food is ok?"

At Julie's nod, Joel caught the cabbie's attention and gave him the address. Replying that he knew the restaurant well, the driver changed lanes in front of a tour bus and headed for Little Italy.

 

[wideeyedone]

"That sounds perfect. If you are up for it." Julie said with a smile. She kissed his cheek, grateful for his company. She nestled in close next to him.

 

[Blase]

Joel found himself thinking that it was a pity that Julie's dress had such a long skirt, but decided to keep that particular thought to himself. Sometimes he was reluctant to confirm the feminine opinion that men were really just children with mature sex organs.

It wasn't long before they were seated at a booth in Grandma Nonna's. Joel scanned the menu, then glanced up at Julie. "I know that Italian isn't usually the specialty of the house down South," he commented. "Do you need any suggestions?"

 

[wideeyedone]

"Tell me what is good." She said with a smile. "I am sure you will know the best things." She smiled over at him. "this place smells heavenly." She slid her hand across the table and took his hand in hers. Her eyes met his, smiling.

"Thanks for coming to my recital tonight"

 

[Blase]

"Thanks for inviting me. I always enjoy good music, although, not being a musician, I can't really appreciate it the way you can."

"The pasta is all handmade, here, and all of the pasta dishes are good. So you might be best off looking for something that you like, say, chicken or seafood, then choosing a pasta dish that incorporates it. The seafood fra diavolo is nice and spicy, for example, or the chicken Marsala, in a light Marsala wine sauce, is very well done."

 

[wideeyedone]

"I love seafood....I want to try whatever you suggest. And I feel like today will call for a good dessert too." Julie smiled at him over the menu. She couldn't believe she had told Jason. She did think she was falling in love with Joel. But could he feel that way about her? He was older, she was waitressing in a bar. Surely, he wasn't getting serious about her.

 

[Blase]

"Well, let's try this," Joel responded. We can order you the fried calamari - that's squid - with gnocchi on the side, in a marinara sauce, which is meatless." Julie noted that the blend of gn in gnocchi was pronounced as though it read ny in English; the complete word rhyming with hockey.

"I'll order the linguini Bolognese, which is in a meat sauce. The two dishes are pretty different from each other; one or both should appeal to you."

Joel absently stroked the palm of Julie's hand with his thumb as he spoke.

 

[wideeyedone]

Julie agreed that Joel's order sounded perfect. The smell of the restaruant was homey, the smells of fresh tomatoes and slowly simmered herbs. She closed her eyes as Joel rubbed her hand. Each touch more soothing than the last.

"Do the kitchen's in your family smell like this?" Julie asked softly. "My mom is more like Paula Dean, deep fried and covered in cream gravy -- or southern spiced with home canned veggies."

 

[Blase]

Joel considered for a moment. "Well, right now we're mostly smelling tomato sauce, basil and oregano; pretty typical of Italian kitchens in general and my family's in particular when pasta's on the menu. So, yes, the kitchens in my family do smell like this often enough, although of course every night isn't pasta night even in Italian households."

"I think if you looked back a couple of generations you would actually find a greater variety of scents in those kitchens, because my grandparents grew up in a time and place where they had to be self-sufficient, so they handled and prepared more kinds of food and refrigerated less. I still remember the scents of flour, bread and homemade cheese in my grandmother's kitchen."

 

[wideeyedone]

"Do you see your parents often? I miss mine... but they don't really understand that it isn't enough for me to teach high school music and play my cello once a twice a week at best. My music is part of who I am." Julie drew invisible designs with her fingertips on the tablecloth. She was touched with a bit of melancholy. The recital was over. Jason, poor heartbroken, Jason had come to win her back. And he had left angry and dissapointed. Then she felt Joel's fingers slide over her hand and hold her hand in in his. She looked up into his blue eyes. And she couldn't help but smile.

 

[Blase]

"Well," Joel responded, "it's about a four-and-a-half hour drive to where they live in New hampshire, so I don't see them every week, but I see them often enough."

"If you'd like to go up for the weekend sometime you could meet them. I'm sure they'd love you."

"Naturally, it wouldn't occur to them to put us in the same room, but I know they'd treat you like family."

 

[wideeyedone]

"I wasn't hinting around. I will meet them when you are ready. I guess I just want to know you more...know the things that you love." She held his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles as she rubbed them against her lips.