Complications Minor Chapter 12 (of 20)
Oct. 13th, 2008 03:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
misssara11Title: Complications Minor
A Blackpool/Secret Diary of a Call Girl crossover with just a hint of Keen Eddie
Rating: M
Paring: Peter Carlisle/Hannah Baxter
Spoilers: All of Blackpool and S1 of Secret Diary of a Call Girl
Summary: It's a simple arrangement. Right?
Chapter Summary: An all-day date.
Previous chapters can be found here.
AN:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
swankkat and kalleah made this whole thing better. While all the places and tours are real, I have no idea if you can really do all this in the time frame I gave (hope so).
Peter arrived on time and with coffee and pastries. They carried them through to the dining table. Hannah took him in. “You own jeans,” she smiled at him.
“Of course I own jeans. I see you do as well.” Besides the denim, he wore a striped Oxford, untucked of course, with sunglasses hanging from a pocket and well-worn brown boots.
She had been undecided for the longest time but went with jeans and soft grey t-shirt. He wanted casual, she’d give him casual. Footwear was another matter. She usually wore boots with pointy heels or ballet flats with her jeans. They didn’t fall in line with “comfortable footwear,” especially after she saw what he was wearing. She refused to be one of those women who wore running shoes with everything. Definitely not her style. She eventually settled on an old pair of Converse she hadn’t worn since her university days. Her hair was still damp from that morning and she decided to let it go natural but tucked an elastic in her pocket, just in case. While she kept it subtle, she still wore make-up. It was a date after all.
She doctored her coffee to her liking and nibbled on a croissant. “So, where are we going?”
Peter reached into the bag he had brought with him and produced two disposable cameras. After unwrapping them, he put one into a shirt pocket and handed the other to her. “You said once you love this city. But have you ever really enjoyed it? I’m reckoning no. So, we’re going to be tourists.” He looked at his watch. “And we better get a move on or we’ll be late.”
She pouted a bit but grabbed her bag and coffee and followed him out, stuffing her camera in as she went. “Late for what?” He smiled and took her hand. “Peter, late for what?”
“You really aren’t used to not being in control. Don’t worry, it’s nothing scary.” He walked her to the Tube entrance.
She stopped short. “No.”
“What?”
“I’m not going down there. I don't do pubic transport.”
“It’s how I travel all the time. And it’s part of the experience. I promise to hold your hand the whole time.” He gave their joined ones a squeeze. She smiled at the reassurance and let him lead her onto a train. They exited at Victoria Station and Peter asked her to wait while he ran a quick errand. “Here you go! Official Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace pocket guide. Now, sources tell me, if we go about two blocks that way, we’ll have an excellent vantage point. Come on.”
His enthusiasm was infectious and he’d clearly thought this out. Hannah found herself clapping along with the rest of the crown and snapping pictures. During the ceremony, a light fog rolled in. She flicked the sunglasses again Peter’s chest.
“I think these were wishful thinking.”
“I think you’re right but I’m prepared just in case.”
“Like a Scout.”
“That’s me. Be prepared.” They hung back while the crowd dispersed, taking pictures of the castle (the Queen was in residence) and posing with the guards (but not stooping to trying to make them smile). Afterwards, they wandered around St. James Park hand-in-hand.
“So, Inspector, where are you taking me for lunch?” Hannah expected him to answer with some tourist trap.
“We’re here. All these vendors are just waiting for our business.” He led her to a stand and they eventually settled on a bench with their sandwiches and other items. “If I remember correctly, you have a birthday coming up here soon.”
She was surprised he recalled such a thing. After all, he’d only seen her ID briefly. “Yeah, but don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t like birthdays?”
“No, well, a bit. It’s just; this is only our second date. I wouldn’t expect that from you.”
“What if I want to do something?”
“I can’t exactly stop you. What do you have in mind?” He just smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “Tell me! Are you going to do this all the time? It’s going to drive me barmy if you do.”
“You’re cute when you’re antsy.”
She pouted, knowing he wouldn’t cave. “Fine.” He surprised her by leaning in and kissing her.
When they pulled back, he remarked, “Stick your lip out like that, you’re asking for something to be done to it.”
She was either going to kill him or pout more often. She hadn’t decided yet.
After they ate, they wandered a bit more, eventually stopping at an ice cream stand. Hannah was content to people watch while licking her 99. That was until she turned to speak to her companion and was dumbstruck.
Peter slid the flake down his lips and licked away the bit of ice cream that had stayed behind before turning to her. “What? Do I have something on me?” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“You should charge people to watch you do that. You’d make as much as I do, easy. Probably more.”
He gave her an incredulous look. “What are you on about?”
“You don’t have any idea, do you? You have that intangible quality that just draws people in. I bet you don’t have problems getting people to talk to you in your work. At least not in the beginning. And sure, some may not find you attractive in a conventional way but that doesn’t matter because you have an effortless charm. And, you’re a dead sexy bastard.”
He preened a bit at that. “Am I now? You gleaned all that from watching me eat a 99 with a flake?”
“Well, it gives a girl ideas. Especially when this girl knows what that tongue can do.” This time she leaned in and kissed him. When they pulled apart, he smirked.
“You think I’m dead sexy.”
She smacked his arm. “The stubble. The brooding. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Admit it. You’ve got more than your fair share of free drinks.”
“Could be.” He checked his watch and pulled a brochure from his back pocket. To her amusement, he also produced a pair of glasses from the inside of the same pocket his sunglasses where visibly hanging from. When he slipped them on, Hannah chuckled.
“I’m so happy my hyperopia amuses you," he deadpanned.
“No, it’s not that. Well, it is a bit but not in the way you think. Detective, you were concealing a deadly weapon.”
He turned to her. “I thought girls didn’t make passes at boys who wear glasses.”
“This girl will certainly make an exception for this boy. And, I’ve always sort of liked the look. Now I really do because I’ve seen it on you. How come I’ve never seen them before?”
“The extended periods of time we previously spent together, I hadn’t planned on doing much reading.”
“That Scout thing again.”
“Yeah. If it’s any consolation, I did have them with me.” He checked the pamphlet and his watch again. “We need to get going for the next leg of our journey.” They had wandered long enough to almost completely make their way around the water.
They cut across Blue Bridge and went back to the Palace. “Right, shouldn’t be long now.” Peter put away his glasses and pulled two pieces of paper from a back pocket. He looked down the road and smiled. “Here we are then.”
A double-decker bus pulled up to where they and a small group had assembled. “You’re committed to this idea, aren’t you?” Hannah was very amused and was enjoying herself more than she wanted to admit.
“Well, you’re not really a tourist of London until you’ve been on a bus tour. Up top?”
“My favourite position.” She smirked at him as she grabbed her ticket and got on board. During the tour, they make a point to pose with the landmarks in the background and for each other. The sun made its way out and Peter made a show of putting on his sunglasses. Hannah just shook her head as she rooted around in her bag to find her own. “You know if you have anything you’d like me to keep in here, just tell me. I mean, I’ve noticed your jeans are cosy enough, you can’t keep too much in those pockets.”
“Are you insinuating that you’ve been looking in said areas?” He pretended to be scandalised.
“Nope. I’m flat out telling you I did!” It was his turn to shake his head and he dropped his arm around her shoulder. She, in turn, rested her head on his. “We should visit the museums some time. Whenever I go to them, it’s for some rich ‘do or I’m not there long enough to see anything.”
“I’d like that. Series of weekend mornings, maybe the odd afternoon or so.”
“It’s a date. Or several actually.” Neither dwelled on how easily the idea of spending their free time together came so naturally. When the bus made its stop at the Tower of London, Hannah was surprised when Peter made no move to get off. “I thought we were being all touristy.”
“We’ll visit another time. They would close before we’d see everything and we have someplace else to be.”
“Where’s that then?”
“Do you really think I’m going to tell you?”
“It was worth a shot.” The bus had yet to move again and they took the opportunity to kiss. They had forgotten about the group of pre-teen school kids that had sat behind them two stops earlier. The girls swooned a bit while the boys commented that was not the sites they wanted to see.
Peter pulled away from Hannah to address them. “Sorry about that, but boys, you’d be so lucky to pull a girl like this someday. That being said, dare to dream, boys. Dare to dream.”
They finished their loop and Peter insisted they stay on until they reached their next destination. “This is us.”
“The London Eye?”
“Yep. And,” he checked his watch, “we have one more thing to do before we do that.” He led her to the ticket hub and asked her to wait. While he disappeared inside, Hannah browsed the gift shop. Before she could buy anything, he returned and took her to a dock. “River tour. Catch some of the stuff we missed.”
A while into the tour Hannah sighed. “Ah, House of Parliament. So exciting.”
“Especially when you work across the street.”
“That’s right, you do! Must be thrilling being that close to all those stuffed shirts and people with titles that sound more impressive than they are.”
“Something like that. Am I the only one who gets creeped out by Battersea?”
“No, you’re really not. Ben thinks I’m paranoid.”
“Ask Ben to take a good look at it sometime.”
They enjoyed the tour in spite of the guide who thought he was cleverer than he actually was. “Now, my impeccable timing has put us on the Eye at sunset for maximum romantic impact," Peter bragged.
“Well done.”
“I do my best. After you.” He motioned for her to board.
It was a lull in the day and they only shared their capsule with an elderly couple and a girl compulsively texting on her phone, oblivious to the world around her. The couple smiled at them as they sat on the bench and Hannah and Peter took their spot along the rails.
Peter absentmindedly rubbed Hannah’s back as they ascended. “I like that you know. When you stroke my back. I don’t know why, but please feel free to do it anytime.” She leaned in and whispered to him. “Especially when you’re feeling amorous.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” By the time they reached the top Hannah was leaning forward against the rail and Peter was behind her, his hands resting on either side of her. “Beautiful.”
Hannah turned to around to find him looking out. “And here I expected you to be doing that cliché of looking at me when you said that instead of the view.”
At that he did look at her. “While I’m not above a good cliché or two, I’ve already told you you’re beautiful. You didn’t strike me as they type that needed that reassurance.”
“That’s something you’ve told Belle.”
“You’re one in the same. But if it helps: You, Hannah, are breathtakingly beautiful. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“Damn Detective, but you’re good.”
“Thank you.” A quick look around found the girl now chatting on her mobile and the couple had fallen asleep. “I think we’re as alone as we're going to get, so how’s this for a cliché?” He pulled her to him and dipped her while he kissed her.
When he stood her back up, she had to steady herself against him. “I quite like that one.”
They departed, after waking the couple and helping them off. She dragged him to the gift shop and bought two tiny models of the Eye. “We’re not tourists until we have souvenirs," she said. "One for the each of us. Now, we need someone to take a picture of us with the Eye in the background to achieve quality cliché tourist potential.”
“Quite right. Across the river I think.”
“Agreed.”
“If we stop at a stand, we can have dinner while we cross. So, kebabs or fish and chips?”
“Fish and chips. Bit of salt. Lots of vinegar.”
He took her hand. “And this does not deter me from wanting to kiss you.”
“Can’t keep a good snog down.”
Peter shook his head in disapproval. “That was bad.”
“Yeah, didn’t really think that one through. I’m not proud of it.” They purchased their food and crossed Westminster Bridge, making small talk along the way. “Right, I’m being nosy, feel free to tell me to shut it, but how did you afford today?”
“No, it’s fine. It wasn’t as much as you might think and I booked some things online, which gave discounts. And I’m suddenly finding myself with an influx of cash again but I seem to want to spend it on the same woman. Don’t tell her I said, but she’s worth it.”
“Is she now? Worth it enough to not steal her chips!” She smacked his hand away.
“You weren’t eating them!”
“I was talking to you. And I was savouring them. See?” She picked one up, slowly sucked the vinegar off it and took a bite, making a point to show just how much she enjoyed it. She looked at him while she chewed, smiling at him with her eyes.
“That’s really not playing fair, you know. Of course you do.” She just swallowed and grinned. They finished eating soon before they reached the end of the bridge. After throwing away their newsprint, they dug out their cameras and found a volunteer to take their pictures, posing in every cliché position they could think of.
After thanking the person, Hannah looked at her camera. “I still have a couple of snaps left.”
Peter looked at his. “I’ve got one. Smile!” Hannah gave him her cheesiest grin and raised her arms above her head.
While Peter wound his camera down, Hannah put up hers. “Give me ‘Blue Steel’!”
“Blue what?” Peter looked up, confused. That was when she clicked.
“Lovely!” Peter glared and she pouted. He gave a resigned sigh, leant in to kiss her and then gave her his camera to put in her bag.
“Ready to go?” She nodded and took his hand. She stopped him from going to down to the Tube. “What?”
“Let’s take a black cab. My treat.”
“If you insist.”
She’d already hailed a taxi and was climbing in. “I do.”
They held hands and Hannah put her head on Peter’s shoulder for the trip back to her place. She invited him in for a night cap and he accepted. Peter was amused when he was presented with a colourful drink complete with an umbrella. They talked, rehashing the day’s events, what they enjoyed, what they missed, what they wanted to do again.
Peter looked at the clock. “I should get going. I only took today off. Give me the cameras and I’ll get them developed.”
Hannah dug them out and held hers back. “I still have one picture left. Come here.” They curled together as Hannah held the camera at arm’s length. They bumped their heads together, smiled and then blinked away the spots the flash left. She wound the frame and handed it over.
Before Peter could stand, Hannah fell back so that she lay flat and brought him down with her. She pulled him into a kiss and he offered no resistance. They wandered from each other’s lips to their ears and necks. Peter’s hand grazed her breasts over her t-shirt. Hannah’s hands found the skin of his back under his shirt. When she snaked around to open his jeans, he stopped her.
“Not yet. I want this to be right. I’ve rushed in and screwed up too many times. I’m trying to learn from my mistakes. This is too important to me, too special, to mess this up by jumping straight to the physical stuff.”
Hannah was stunned. Disappointed and touched, but stunned. “So, when?”
“We’ll know. Stick with me?”
“Yeah, I think I will.”
A Blackpool/Secret Diary of a Call Girl crossover with just a hint of Keen Eddie
Rating: M
Paring: Peter Carlisle/Hannah Baxter
Spoilers: All of Blackpool and S1 of Secret Diary of a Call Girl
Summary: It's a simple arrangement. Right?
Chapter Summary: An all-day date.
Previous chapters can be found here.
AN:
swankkat and kalleah made this whole thing better. While all the places and tours are real, I have no idea if you can really do all this in the time frame I gave (hope so).Peter arrived on time and with coffee and pastries. They carried them through to the dining table. Hannah took him in. “You own jeans,” she smiled at him.
“Of course I own jeans. I see you do as well.” Besides the denim, he wore a striped Oxford, untucked of course, with sunglasses hanging from a pocket and well-worn brown boots.
She had been undecided for the longest time but went with jeans and soft grey t-shirt. He wanted casual, she’d give him casual. Footwear was another matter. She usually wore boots with pointy heels or ballet flats with her jeans. They didn’t fall in line with “comfortable footwear,” especially after she saw what he was wearing. She refused to be one of those women who wore running shoes with everything. Definitely not her style. She eventually settled on an old pair of Converse she hadn’t worn since her university days. Her hair was still damp from that morning and she decided to let it go natural but tucked an elastic in her pocket, just in case. While she kept it subtle, she still wore make-up. It was a date after all.
She doctored her coffee to her liking and nibbled on a croissant. “So, where are we going?”
Peter reached into the bag he had brought with him and produced two disposable cameras. After unwrapping them, he put one into a shirt pocket and handed the other to her. “You said once you love this city. But have you ever really enjoyed it? I’m reckoning no. So, we’re going to be tourists.” He looked at his watch. “And we better get a move on or we’ll be late.”
She pouted a bit but grabbed her bag and coffee and followed him out, stuffing her camera in as she went. “Late for what?” He smiled and took her hand. “Peter, late for what?”
“You really aren’t used to not being in control. Don’t worry, it’s nothing scary.” He walked her to the Tube entrance.
She stopped short. “No.”
“What?”
“I’m not going down there. I don't do pubic transport.”
“It’s how I travel all the time. And it’s part of the experience. I promise to hold your hand the whole time.” He gave their joined ones a squeeze. She smiled at the reassurance and let him lead her onto a train. They exited at Victoria Station and Peter asked her to wait while he ran a quick errand. “Here you go! Official Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace pocket guide. Now, sources tell me, if we go about two blocks that way, we’ll have an excellent vantage point. Come on.”
His enthusiasm was infectious and he’d clearly thought this out. Hannah found herself clapping along with the rest of the crown and snapping pictures. During the ceremony, a light fog rolled in. She flicked the sunglasses again Peter’s chest.
“I think these were wishful thinking.”
“I think you’re right but I’m prepared just in case.”
“Like a Scout.”
“That’s me. Be prepared.” They hung back while the crowd dispersed, taking pictures of the castle (the Queen was in residence) and posing with the guards (but not stooping to trying to make them smile). Afterwards, they wandered around St. James Park hand-in-hand.
“So, Inspector, where are you taking me for lunch?” Hannah expected him to answer with some tourist trap.
“We’re here. All these vendors are just waiting for our business.” He led her to a stand and they eventually settled on a bench with their sandwiches and other items. “If I remember correctly, you have a birthday coming up here soon.”
She was surprised he recalled such a thing. After all, he’d only seen her ID briefly. “Yeah, but don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t like birthdays?”
“No, well, a bit. It’s just; this is only our second date. I wouldn’t expect that from you.”
“What if I want to do something?”
“I can’t exactly stop you. What do you have in mind?” He just smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “Tell me! Are you going to do this all the time? It’s going to drive me barmy if you do.”
“You’re cute when you’re antsy.”
She pouted, knowing he wouldn’t cave. “Fine.” He surprised her by leaning in and kissing her.
When they pulled back, he remarked, “Stick your lip out like that, you’re asking for something to be done to it.”
She was either going to kill him or pout more often. She hadn’t decided yet.
After they ate, they wandered a bit more, eventually stopping at an ice cream stand. Hannah was content to people watch while licking her 99. That was until she turned to speak to her companion and was dumbstruck.
Peter slid the flake down his lips and licked away the bit of ice cream that had stayed behind before turning to her. “What? Do I have something on me?” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“You should charge people to watch you do that. You’d make as much as I do, easy. Probably more.”
He gave her an incredulous look. “What are you on about?”
“You don’t have any idea, do you? You have that intangible quality that just draws people in. I bet you don’t have problems getting people to talk to you in your work. At least not in the beginning. And sure, some may not find you attractive in a conventional way but that doesn’t matter because you have an effortless charm. And, you’re a dead sexy bastard.”
He preened a bit at that. “Am I now? You gleaned all that from watching me eat a 99 with a flake?”
“Well, it gives a girl ideas. Especially when this girl knows what that tongue can do.” This time she leaned in and kissed him. When they pulled apart, he smirked.
“You think I’m dead sexy.”
She smacked his arm. “The stubble. The brooding. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Admit it. You’ve got more than your fair share of free drinks.”
“Could be.” He checked his watch and pulled a brochure from his back pocket. To her amusement, he also produced a pair of glasses from the inside of the same pocket his sunglasses where visibly hanging from. When he slipped them on, Hannah chuckled.
“I’m so happy my hyperopia amuses you," he deadpanned.
“No, it’s not that. Well, it is a bit but not in the way you think. Detective, you were concealing a deadly weapon.”
He turned to her. “I thought girls didn’t make passes at boys who wear glasses.”
“This girl will certainly make an exception for this boy. And, I’ve always sort of liked the look. Now I really do because I’ve seen it on you. How come I’ve never seen them before?”
“The extended periods of time we previously spent together, I hadn’t planned on doing much reading.”
“That Scout thing again.”
“Yeah. If it’s any consolation, I did have them with me.” He checked the pamphlet and his watch again. “We need to get going for the next leg of our journey.” They had wandered long enough to almost completely make their way around the water.
They cut across Blue Bridge and went back to the Palace. “Right, shouldn’t be long now.” Peter put away his glasses and pulled two pieces of paper from a back pocket. He looked down the road and smiled. “Here we are then.”
A double-decker bus pulled up to where they and a small group had assembled. “You’re committed to this idea, aren’t you?” Hannah was very amused and was enjoying herself more than she wanted to admit.
“Well, you’re not really a tourist of London until you’ve been on a bus tour. Up top?”
“My favourite position.” She smirked at him as she grabbed her ticket and got on board. During the tour, they make a point to pose with the landmarks in the background and for each other. The sun made its way out and Peter made a show of putting on his sunglasses. Hannah just shook her head as she rooted around in her bag to find her own. “You know if you have anything you’d like me to keep in here, just tell me. I mean, I’ve noticed your jeans are cosy enough, you can’t keep too much in those pockets.”
“Are you insinuating that you’ve been looking in said areas?” He pretended to be scandalised.
“Nope. I’m flat out telling you I did!” It was his turn to shake his head and he dropped his arm around her shoulder. She, in turn, rested her head on his. “We should visit the museums some time. Whenever I go to them, it’s for some rich ‘do or I’m not there long enough to see anything.”
“I’d like that. Series of weekend mornings, maybe the odd afternoon or so.”
“It’s a date. Or several actually.” Neither dwelled on how easily the idea of spending their free time together came so naturally. When the bus made its stop at the Tower of London, Hannah was surprised when Peter made no move to get off. “I thought we were being all touristy.”
“We’ll visit another time. They would close before we’d see everything and we have someplace else to be.”
“Where’s that then?”
“Do you really think I’m going to tell you?”
“It was worth a shot.” The bus had yet to move again and they took the opportunity to kiss. They had forgotten about the group of pre-teen school kids that had sat behind them two stops earlier. The girls swooned a bit while the boys commented that was not the sites they wanted to see.
Peter pulled away from Hannah to address them. “Sorry about that, but boys, you’d be so lucky to pull a girl like this someday. That being said, dare to dream, boys. Dare to dream.”
They finished their loop and Peter insisted they stay on until they reached their next destination. “This is us.”
“The London Eye?”
“Yep. And,” he checked his watch, “we have one more thing to do before we do that.” He led her to the ticket hub and asked her to wait. While he disappeared inside, Hannah browsed the gift shop. Before she could buy anything, he returned and took her to a dock. “River tour. Catch some of the stuff we missed.”
A while into the tour Hannah sighed. “Ah, House of Parliament. So exciting.”
“Especially when you work across the street.”
“That’s right, you do! Must be thrilling being that close to all those stuffed shirts and people with titles that sound more impressive than they are.”
“Something like that. Am I the only one who gets creeped out by Battersea?”
“No, you’re really not. Ben thinks I’m paranoid.”
“Ask Ben to take a good look at it sometime.”
They enjoyed the tour in spite of the guide who thought he was cleverer than he actually was. “Now, my impeccable timing has put us on the Eye at sunset for maximum romantic impact," Peter bragged.
“Well done.”
“I do my best. After you.” He motioned for her to board.
It was a lull in the day and they only shared their capsule with an elderly couple and a girl compulsively texting on her phone, oblivious to the world around her. The couple smiled at them as they sat on the bench and Hannah and Peter took their spot along the rails.
Peter absentmindedly rubbed Hannah’s back as they ascended. “I like that you know. When you stroke my back. I don’t know why, but please feel free to do it anytime.” She leaned in and whispered to him. “Especially when you’re feeling amorous.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” By the time they reached the top Hannah was leaning forward against the rail and Peter was behind her, his hands resting on either side of her. “Beautiful.”
Hannah turned to around to find him looking out. “And here I expected you to be doing that cliché of looking at me when you said that instead of the view.”
At that he did look at her. “While I’m not above a good cliché or two, I’ve already told you you’re beautiful. You didn’t strike me as they type that needed that reassurance.”
“That’s something you’ve told Belle.”
“You’re one in the same. But if it helps: You, Hannah, are breathtakingly beautiful. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“Damn Detective, but you’re good.”
“Thank you.” A quick look around found the girl now chatting on her mobile and the couple had fallen asleep. “I think we’re as alone as we're going to get, so how’s this for a cliché?” He pulled her to him and dipped her while he kissed her.
When he stood her back up, she had to steady herself against him. “I quite like that one.”
They departed, after waking the couple and helping them off. She dragged him to the gift shop and bought two tiny models of the Eye. “We’re not tourists until we have souvenirs," she said. "One for the each of us. Now, we need someone to take a picture of us with the Eye in the background to achieve quality cliché tourist potential.”
“Quite right. Across the river I think.”
“Agreed.”
“If we stop at a stand, we can have dinner while we cross. So, kebabs or fish and chips?”
“Fish and chips. Bit of salt. Lots of vinegar.”
He took her hand. “And this does not deter me from wanting to kiss you.”
“Can’t keep a good snog down.”
Peter shook his head in disapproval. “That was bad.”
“Yeah, didn’t really think that one through. I’m not proud of it.” They purchased their food and crossed Westminster Bridge, making small talk along the way. “Right, I’m being nosy, feel free to tell me to shut it, but how did you afford today?”
“No, it’s fine. It wasn’t as much as you might think and I booked some things online, which gave discounts. And I’m suddenly finding myself with an influx of cash again but I seem to want to spend it on the same woman. Don’t tell her I said, but she’s worth it.”
“Is she now? Worth it enough to not steal her chips!” She smacked his hand away.
“You weren’t eating them!”
“I was talking to you. And I was savouring them. See?” She picked one up, slowly sucked the vinegar off it and took a bite, making a point to show just how much she enjoyed it. She looked at him while she chewed, smiling at him with her eyes.
“That’s really not playing fair, you know. Of course you do.” She just swallowed and grinned. They finished eating soon before they reached the end of the bridge. After throwing away their newsprint, they dug out their cameras and found a volunteer to take their pictures, posing in every cliché position they could think of.
After thanking the person, Hannah looked at her camera. “I still have a couple of snaps left.”
Peter looked at his. “I’ve got one. Smile!” Hannah gave him her cheesiest grin and raised her arms above her head.
While Peter wound his camera down, Hannah put up hers. “Give me ‘Blue Steel’!”
“Blue what?” Peter looked up, confused. That was when she clicked.
“Lovely!” Peter glared and she pouted. He gave a resigned sigh, leant in to kiss her and then gave her his camera to put in her bag.
“Ready to go?” She nodded and took his hand. She stopped him from going to down to the Tube. “What?”
“Let’s take a black cab. My treat.”
“If you insist.”
She’d already hailed a taxi and was climbing in. “I do.”
They held hands and Hannah put her head on Peter’s shoulder for the trip back to her place. She invited him in for a night cap and he accepted. Peter was amused when he was presented with a colourful drink complete with an umbrella. They talked, rehashing the day’s events, what they enjoyed, what they missed, what they wanted to do again.
Peter looked at the clock. “I should get going. I only took today off. Give me the cameras and I’ll get them developed.”
Hannah dug them out and held hers back. “I still have one picture left. Come here.” They curled together as Hannah held the camera at arm’s length. They bumped their heads together, smiled and then blinked away the spots the flash left. She wound the frame and handed it over.
Before Peter could stand, Hannah fell back so that she lay flat and brought him down with her. She pulled him into a kiss and he offered no resistance. They wandered from each other’s lips to their ears and necks. Peter’s hand grazed her breasts over her t-shirt. Hannah’s hands found the skin of his back under his shirt. When she snaked around to open his jeans, he stopped her.
“Not yet. I want this to be right. I’ve rushed in and screwed up too many times. I’m trying to learn from my mistakes. This is too important to me, too special, to mess this up by jumping straight to the physical stuff.”
Hannah was stunned. Disappointed and touched, but stunned. “So, when?”
“We’ll know. Stick with me?”
“Yeah, I think I will.”
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Date: 2008-10-13 08:29 pm (UTC)Quite fond of Peter's desire to not screw things over with Hannah by getting too physical too soon. Very sweet of him! Intelligent, too. I hope he is "learn[ing] from [his] mistakes". C'mon, Carlisle!
After, Hannah dons some Converse "she doctor[s] her coffee to her liking". Was that intentional? :P Regardless, your diction made me grin like a silly person!
Can't wait for the next installment! :DD
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Date: 2008-10-13 08:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-14 05:11 pm (UTC)Peter is learning from his mistakes. And it's just funny that he's holding out on a prostitute whom he's previously been a client of.
No, that wasn't on purpose. The Converse were (and no, Peter doesn't own a pair), but the word choice was just a coincidence.
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Date: 2008-10-13 08:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-14 05:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-13 08:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-13 11:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-13 11:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-14 12:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-14 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-14 05:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-14 05:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-13 08:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-14 05:13 pm (UTC)Of course Hannah appreciates the specs. She's a clever girl.
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Date: 2008-10-13 08:38 pm (UTC)Lovely but want more.
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Date: 2008-10-14 05:14 pm (UTC)You'll have to wait until Thursday for more!
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Date: 2008-10-13 08:44 pm (UTC)Once again, brilliant chapter. The two of them are just adorable together *squee*
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Date: 2008-10-14 05:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-13 09:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-14 05:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-13 09:59 pm (UTC)They make one of the cutest couples EVER!
Loved the ice cream reference - you can't have a story with Peter and not mention ice cream *thinks of that scene SQUEE!""
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Date: 2008-10-14 05:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-13 10:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-13 11:14 pm (UTC)Great Chapter again!!!!!!!!!
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Date: 2008-10-14 05:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-14 05:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-13 10:55 pm (UTC)Jude
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Date: 2008-10-14 05:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-13 11:28 pm (UTC)Lovely chapter, Missy. And, an ideal date if I lived in London. (sigh)
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Date: 2008-10-14 05:18 pm (UTC)And thanks1