[A girl date. Corey can’t believe this. It’s never happened before. Sure he’s tried asking girls out, but the attempts never really went anywhere. They’d either say yes and then ghost, actually make the plans with him but not show up, straight up laugh in his face, ignore him entirely… Corey Cunningham, always the butt of the joke no matter what tactics he tried.
Then there were the times he couldn’t even get the words out to bother asking in the first place. Just fumbled and said forget about it. After being rejected so much the spirit gets beaten down. There’s no point in trying anymore. So he stopped.
But now he has a date. An actual one. He made sure it was clarified. Just in case. She asked him out and he’s still reeling from that. The week was so odd after that. Imagine - having something to look forward to for once. Sure he saw her at the garage every day but he’ll get to see her outside of work too. Friday. 8pm. How crazy.
To say he’s nervous would be an understatement. But then again - he’s always nervous. Or at the very least a bit on the anxious side. It’s his default setting nowadays. Can’t be helped. The closer Friday gets the more his anxiety spikes. But it’s not all crippling fear for once? It’s… excitement? That’s different. Not used to that feeling at all.
He said he’d pick her up. No problem. It’s a chilly evening out there, so he pulls his leather jacket on over his sweater before leaving the house. Was Joan upset? Absolutely. Joan’s always upset. But Ronald had his back. He’s a good guy like that. Just let the kid go out for once. He’ll be alright. Have fun, Corey. Corey just mouths his thanks, looking sheepish about it, and runs his hand through his hair. Messy is best he’s found. Oh, and he pockets his glasses. For some reason he doesn’t seem to need them much as of late, but bringing them along isn’t a bad idea. Always prep for the worst case scenario.
He shoots Julie a text letting her know he’s on his way, putting his phone away before any response comes back. And he takes a moment to breathe before revving up his bike and heading out.
For a Friday night, Haddonfield sure seems quiet. The roads anyway. This place just keeps getting stranger and stranger the longer he stays. One day he’ll leave. He keeps telling himself that. His mind wanders - but not too much, being safe is important - on the ride over. And that makes the time go by faster.
Before he knows it he’s standing outside her place and knocking. 8pm on the dot. Super prompt. That’s him.
[ originally julie just spoke to corey because he was one of the only people in this whole fucking town who was any kind of nice or helpful to her, because apparently nobody cares if you move to haddonfield unless you're a couple looking to settle down, maybe start a family. a few people actively gave her shit for moving here on her own, even. or they did until one of them got a black eye and a bloody nose. ]
[ there's something about him that fascinates her though, keeps her interested enough at least to keep her attention until it's time to move on and finally see her friends again. every now and then when someone shoots a shitty comment at one of them at work, or when she sees him at a bar, something that sits under the surface that she desperately wants to dig her fingers into. ]
[ also, he's cute. she's allowed to be a bit shallow. ]
[ she hasn't been on a date since, well. since frank. (who promptly made fun of her in the group chat, but it's fine. susie was helpful.) doesn't really have clothes for it, but it's fine. she has a nice enough shirt, and after deliberation she puts on some eyeliner. smiles when she gets that text and comes out to meet him. ]
Hey. [ she's pulling on her leather jacket as she comes over to his bike. ] Fancy seeing you here.
[Haddonfield’s a pit, sinking in upon itself more and more as time passes. Certainly no place for people like them. One of these days the ground will open up and swallow the diseased place whole. And hopefully they’ll be long gone by then.
…Unless he’s getting way too far ahead of himself in that regard. He can’t blame himself for getting attached so quickly. It’s just a Thing that happens. Always. Impossible to avoid. His track record is disastrous, but nothing she needs to know about.
There are a lot of Things that Julie doesn’t need to know about.
He tries to be cool, tries keeping his utter elation at seeing her at the door on the inside. Yes, he’s excited. Relieved. A jumbled mess of feelings he can’t pinpoint. But he goes with cool. It kinda fits the whole image he’s trying to go for.
He smiles at her hey, forces himself not to stare at her for too long as she approaches. She did something different, can’t quite put his finger on it presently. He’ll figure it out soon.]
Right? I was just passing by and figured - oh. Wonder what Julie’s up to. [He smiles again, relaxing some in the seat of his ride, but then looks concerned. His arms cross.] Thought you had a hot date tonight? [Real concerned, borderline pouting.] He didn’t stand you up did he?
[ julie rolls her eyes, huffs as if to say 'can you believe it?' as she idly rests a hand on one of the handlebars, gives the bike a thoughtful look — she knows plenty about cars, not much about bikes, but she knows he fixed this one up right? that's cool — and when she looks back up at him with a hint of something playful in her eyes that usually only shows up when she leans over and says something absolutely devastating to him about someone who was a total asshole to one or both of them. It's not that this time, though. ]
Oh, woe is me. [ completely deadpan as she looks at him. ] What's a girl to do?
Damn… really? [He tuts, shaking his head.] Guy must be out of his mind… [Corey don’t giggle. You’ll ruin the game. He’s trying really hard but asksjahkaf, you know?
He sits upright, leaning in closer to catch her gaze and keep it as she rests against the handlebar.]
Could always hang with me instead. If you want. I’d sure love the company. [She might be deadpan but he can’t stop the little smirk that creeps across his face. He’s bad at this but definitely trying not to be. (Is it working?)]
[ he's such a dork. and she doesn't usually go for that, but you know what, this time it's kind of endearing. ]
Yeah? You got time?
[ julie doesn't bother asking permission, just walks down the side of the bike to seat herself behind him and puts her arm around his middle for stability. ]
Let's go then, Cunningham.
finally get to use the appropriate icons yes yes yes
[Just gonna keep laying it on thick then! Seems to be working out just fine.]
For you? All the time in the world.
[And his eyes follow her as she rounds to the back of the bike. He ends up looking straight ahead as she climbs on behind him, swallowing nothing. Her arm around his middle - he flinches, but it's so subtle it could be anything really. She just went for it didn't she? Okay. That's fine. He can handle this. What did he think was going to happen?
He nods, starts it up. And then they're off soon after. Destination? Well, he knows a place.]
[ julie snorts, maybe there's a quiet murmur that sounds a little like dork, but the way she's pressed to his back, he'll feel the brief tremble that comes with silent laughter too. the way he flinched when she got on the bike, when she put her arm around him didn't escape her, but julie decides to chalk that up to corey being the anxious basket case that he is and leave it at that. ]
[ she thinks about asking where he's taking her, but she stays quiet, enjoying the ride. there's a kind of symbiosis to it, she finds, learning to understand what his body language means. having to lean with him, make sure she's not a distraction. it's... nice. ]
[Whatever anxiety that’s there at first seems to disappear as they ride off, left behind in the dust. Corey’s proud of his bike and all the work he put into it. It doubles as a source of confidence he so desperately needs lately.
He doesn’t pull any maneuvers on her - it’s too soon for that. Just keeps things safe, silently enjoying the way she holds onto him and leans into all the turns without much prompting. Okay well maybe he goes a touch fast on the main road to be a show-off. He just likes how the engine sounds once it really opens up. But nothing more extreme than that.
It’s a nice, quiet night and the wind feels nice in his hair and maybe - just maybe - this is going to work out. Maybe he has absolutely nothing to worry about after all. He almost wants to ditch his initial plan and end up riding around some more instead. But - they can figure that out later. It’s her choice after all. He’s just here to facilitate.
They roll up to the diner and he ends up parking around the back. The lot is a bit on the full side and no one needs to know where he’s leaving his bike. If they do, there’s gonna be problems.]
Not bad, huh? [He looks back at Julie once the kickstand is down and smiles.] Used to run like trash but I think I figured it out. [Look at him being all proud of himself.]
[ against his back corey can probably feel the soft, quiet chuckle that slips out of julie when he speeds up, but judging by the way she lifts her head a little to get more wind in her hair she's clearly enjoying it. ]
[ when they're parked, julie gets down off the bike and smiles back at him, looking down at his little pride and glory there. ] Nice. [ she shoves her hands in her jacket pockets. ] I don't know shit about bikes, it could be a total piece of shit and I'd have to believe you when you said you totally fixed it up nice.
[ she's joking... ish. she does believe him, because he strikes her as someone who'd be fucking awful at lying, but she'd probably only know if it was in bad shape if the engine sounded real off or something. ]
[Corey waits for her to climb down first, because the gentlemanly thing to do. Also he's rather enamored with her opinion. Because what Julie thinks is most important - about him, about his whole deal, about his bike. So he's studying her, waiting for her verdict, hanging on her every move and word.]
It's not a mega impressive model or anything but I worked on it myself and it hasn't fallen apart yet so I'd say that's the best thing I could ask for. [Just take the compliment, dude!] Thanks. [There we go. He's sheepish when he says it, but it's something.
Yeah he's terrible at lying, how did you ever pick up on that? Was it the way he gets all fidgety and nervous-looking, the way his eyes can't just focus on one thing... all things he's doing right now...
He gets down from the bike and shoves his hands into the pockets of his own jacket - making sure to extend the elbow closest to Julie for her to take if she so chooses. It's cold out, they have to use their pockets. That's the smart thing to do. The cool thing. But she can have his arm on the way inside the diner.]
[ julie doesn't say anything, but she does nod and smile, approving. he never really talks himself up or sounds proud of himself, so it's a welcome change. ]
[ she also doesn't take his arm, because this isn't 1954, and kind of gives his arm a bit of a look, but it's brief. he's just trying to be a good date and he doesn't know her well, she supposes, though julie would've thought it was obvious she's not exactly a 'take his arm' kind of girl. if anything she's the one offering an arm. but whatever. julie points out a table with a jut of her chin, a nice booth away from everyone else in there at the moment, and nudges corey with her shoulder as they walk. ]
[Corey notices the look, but there's a bit of a delay in withdrawing his offer. The moment's a bit awkward. He's not quite sure why what he attempted to do was wrong but... oh well. Swing and a miss. No hard feelings or anything.
He does smile at her picking the booth in the back though. Excellent choice, one he usually makes when he comes here on his own. Sitting at a table in public is rare thing for him in general - but yeah.]
Hm. Few weeks? A month, maybe? Didn't have much going on so I just sorta focused on that. Ron let me work on it at the garage sometimes. If things were slow.
[Just gonna slide on into the booth once they head over there.]
That's cool. [ she slides into the seat opposite him and grabs a menu like she doesn't already know what she's going to order. mostly it's just a way to ignore the glances they're getting from other people in the diner. ] I've never fixed anything up like that.
[ the equivalent of a kid who's great at academia but had no interest in it, she knows plenty about cars just from growing up working in a shop but julie's not really a car person at all. she's been driving the same old sedan for years because it works and never has a problem she can't fix herself. ]
[More than cool. Probably the coolest thing about himself - if he had to choose.
He doesn’t pick up a menu - no need to fake like he needs to figure out what he’s going to order. He folds his hands on the table, leans in a little, gets comfortable like that.]
Really? It was kinda challenging at times, but nothing too crazy. You’re good at what you do - [not like he’s been watching or anything, nope not at all] - it’d probably be a breeze for you. If you ever wanted to broaden your repair horizons. [Have a doofy little smile.]
I'm not really into cars, you know? [ she leans forward on her elbows, props her chin up on a palm with a shrug. ] I'm glad I know how to fix them and all, but it's not like my thing.
[ unless you put her within ten feet of a vintage muscle car, but you can blame her dad for that one. ]
So what are you into? If it isn't cars. [He mimics her - elbow on the table, chin in his hand - but only for the briefest moment before smiling and dropping it.] It's gotta be something.
[Julie doesn't really talk about herself. But neither does he? Unless he gets caught up in an anxiety-fueled word vomit session. Those are a frequent enough occurrence now that he's thinking about it...]
[ i used to read a lot about serial killers. i think i wanted to figure out what was wrong with me. it's right there, the words are ready, but julie shakes her head and shrugs a shoulder instead. ]
Nothing really. [ she had great extracurriculars, none of which she gave a shit about. a lot of tricks for a pedigree pet. she laughs softly. ] Don't tell anyone, but I'm kind of boring.
You? [Both eyebrows raise.] Boring? [Corey laughs a bit, hand curled into a fist in front of his mouth for a moment.] Oh come on, Jules. I bet you aren't. You tell me something - anything - I'm sure it's cool as hell.
I'm serious! [ she laughs again, though this time it's a little less bright. ] I really don't do anything outside work. [ ... well. ] Except make bad decisions after too many drinks anyway.
And so am I! [Super serious. See - he can't stop grinning.
He nods at the comment about work because - well. Same boat. Besides working on his bike there's not... much... he actually does. Especially now that the thing's up and running like new.
But he gestures towards her with a point when she finally adds something.]
Well that's something. How bad do you think these decisions are? Because I think there's gotta be some sort of sliding scale...
I think I might've hooked up with a married woman last week?
[ she says it with a hushed voice and a bit of a grimace — not that julie particularly cares about this random woman's relationship, but she's kind of surprised that one hasn't come back to bite her considering how people in this town love to gossip. ]
I'd say that probably ranks as at least "not great".
[ the way she emphasises 'lady' should say plenty about whether or not julie thinks of herself as one (she doesn't), as should the way she looks like what she's said is very funny to her. ]
[ she notes too, that he's gone a little pink, just a bit. it's cute. something to remember for later if this whole date goes well and julie really feels like teasing him. she won't right now though, not least because a waitress comes over-- does a bit of a double take when she realises who julie's here with, or rather that corey is here with someone, but she doesn't say anything. julie doesn't really give her the chance anyway, just politely orders a burger and fries. and a sprite. ]
[He rolls his eyes at her comment - just a little - but it's all in good fun. Messaged received. He wasn't asking for anything super specific, nor did he think she'd be so quick to share. He's just trying to be a tease and make conversation. Dropping the subject.
The waitress coming to the table might as well be a jumpscare for him. Corey had entirely forgotten where they were, the fact that someone hadn't come over yet to begin with. He makes the briefest eye contact with the woman (he thinks he's seen her working here before), gives a shy smile just to be polite, then decides to focus straight ahead at Julie across from him. He doesn't like the looks he gets. Still isn't used to them. It's uncomfortable.
He orders once Julie does (the same thing but swap the Sprite out for a chocolate milkshake because that's just who he is), then says thank you not once but twice. He doesn't physically relax again until she leaves their table. And it's obvious whatever vibe of confidence he had going a few minutes ago is gone.]
Sorry, uh - you don't have to tell me who it was. Or anything about it really. If you don't want to.
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a girl date.
Then there were the times he couldn’t even get the words out to bother asking in the first place. Just fumbled and said forget about it. After being rejected so much the spirit gets beaten down. There’s no point in trying anymore. So he stopped.
But now he has a date. An actual one. He made sure it was clarified. Just in case. She asked him out and he’s still reeling from that. The week was so odd after that. Imagine - having something to look forward to for once. Sure he saw her at the garage every day but he’ll get to see her outside of work too. Friday. 8pm. How crazy.
To say he’s nervous would be an understatement. But then again - he’s always nervous. Or at the very least a bit on the anxious side. It’s his default setting nowadays. Can’t be helped. The closer Friday gets the more his anxiety spikes. But it’s not all crippling fear for once? It’s… excitement? That’s different. Not used to that feeling at all.
He said he’d pick her up. No problem. It’s a chilly evening out there, so he pulls his leather jacket on over his sweater before leaving the house. Was Joan upset? Absolutely. Joan’s always upset. But Ronald had his back. He’s a good guy like that. Just let the kid go out for once. He’ll be alright. Have fun, Corey. Corey just mouths his thanks, looking sheepish about it, and runs his hand through his hair. Messy is best he’s found. Oh, and he pockets his glasses. For some reason he doesn’t seem to need them much as of late, but bringing them along isn’t a bad idea. Always prep for the worst case scenario.
He shoots Julie a text letting her know he’s on his way, putting his phone away before any response comes back. And he takes a moment to breathe before revving up his bike and heading out.
For a Friday night, Haddonfield sure seems quiet. The roads anyway. This place just keeps getting stranger and stranger the longer he stays. One day he’ll leave. He keeps telling himself that. His mind wanders - but not too much, being safe is important - on the ride over. And that makes the time go by faster.
Before he knows it he’s standing outside her place and knocking. 8pm on the dot. Super prompt. That’s him.
God he better not fuck this up.]
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[ there's something about him that fascinates her though, keeps her interested enough at least to keep her attention until it's time to move on and finally see her friends again. every now and then when someone shoots a shitty comment at one of them at work, or when she sees him at a bar, something that sits under the surface that she desperately wants to dig her fingers into. ]
[ also, he's cute. she's allowed to be a bit shallow. ]
[ she hasn't been on a date since, well. since frank. (who promptly made fun of her in the group chat, but it's fine. susie was helpful.) doesn't really have clothes for it, but it's fine. she has a nice enough shirt, and after deliberation she puts on some eyeliner. smiles when she gets that text and comes out to meet him. ]
Hey. [ she's pulling on her leather jacket as she comes over to his bike. ] Fancy seeing you here.
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…Unless he’s getting way too far ahead of himself in that regard. He can’t blame himself for getting attached so quickly. It’s just a Thing that happens. Always. Impossible to avoid. His track record is disastrous, but nothing she needs to know about.
There are a lot of Things that Julie doesn’t need to know about.
He tries to be cool, tries keeping his utter elation at seeing her at the door on the inside. Yes, he’s excited. Relieved. A jumbled mess of feelings he can’t pinpoint. But he goes with cool. It kinda fits the whole image he’s trying to go for.
He smiles at her hey, forces himself not to stare at her for too long as she approaches. She did something different, can’t quite put his finger on it presently. He’ll figure it out soon.]
Right? I was just passing by and figured - oh. Wonder what Julie’s up to. [He smiles again, relaxing some in the seat of his ride, but then looks concerned. His arms cross.] Thought you had a hot date tonight? [Real concerned, borderline pouting.] He didn’t stand you up did he?
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[ julie rolls her eyes, huffs as if to say 'can you believe it?' as she idly rests a hand on one of the handlebars, gives the bike a thoughtful look — she knows plenty about cars, not much about bikes, but she knows he fixed this one up right? that's cool — and when she looks back up at him with a hint of something playful in her eyes that usually only shows up when she leans over and says something absolutely devastating to him about someone who was a total asshole to one or both of them. It's not that this time, though. ]
Oh, woe is me. [ completely deadpan as she looks at him. ] What's a girl to do?
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He sits upright, leaning in closer to catch her gaze and keep it as she rests against the handlebar.]
Could always hang with me instead. If you want. I’d sure love the company. [She might be deadpan but he can’t stop the little smirk that creeps across his face. He’s bad at this but definitely trying not to be. (Is it working?)]
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Yeah? You got time?
[ julie doesn't bother asking permission, just walks down the side of the bike to seat herself behind him and puts her arm around his middle for stability. ]
Let's go then, Cunningham.
finally get to use the appropriate icons yes yes yes
For you? All the time in the world.
[And his eyes follow her as she rounds to the back of the bike. He ends up looking straight ahead as she climbs on behind him, swallowing nothing. Her arm around his middle - he flinches, but it's so subtle it could be anything really. She just went for it didn't she? Okay. That's fine. He can handle this. What did he think was going to happen?
He nods, starts it up. And then they're off soon after. Destination? Well, he knows a place.]
🥰
[ she thinks about asking where he's taking her, but she stays quiet, enjoying the ride. there's a kind of symbiosis to it, she finds, learning to understand what his body language means. having to lean with him, make sure she's not a distraction. it's... nice. ]
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He doesn’t pull any maneuvers on her - it’s too soon for that. Just keeps things safe, silently enjoying the way she holds onto him and leans into all the turns without much prompting. Okay well maybe he goes a touch fast on the main road to be a show-off. He just likes how the engine sounds once it really opens up. But nothing more extreme than that.
It’s a nice, quiet night and the wind feels nice in his hair and maybe - just maybe - this is going to work out. Maybe he has absolutely nothing to worry about after all. He almost wants to ditch his initial plan and end up riding around some more instead. But - they can figure that out later. It’s her choice after all. He’s just here to facilitate.
They roll up to the diner and he ends up parking around the back. The lot is a bit on the full side and no one needs to know where he’s leaving his bike. If they do, there’s gonna be problems.]
Not bad, huh? [He looks back at Julie once the kickstand is down and smiles.] Used to run like trash but I think I figured it out. [Look at him being all proud of himself.]
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[ when they're parked, julie gets down off the bike and smiles back at him, looking down at his little pride and glory there. ] Nice. [ she shoves her hands in her jacket pockets. ] I don't know shit about bikes, it could be a total piece of shit and I'd have to believe you when you said you totally fixed it up nice.
[ she's joking... ish. she does believe him, because he strikes her as someone who'd be fucking awful at lying, but she'd probably only know if it was in bad shape if the engine sounded real off or something. ]
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It's not a mega impressive model or anything but I worked on it myself and it hasn't fallen apart yet so I'd say that's the best thing I could ask for. [Just take the compliment, dude!] Thanks. [There we go. He's sheepish when he says it, but it's something.
Yeah he's terrible at lying, how did you ever pick up on that? Was it the way he gets all fidgety and nervous-looking, the way his eyes can't just focus on one thing... all things he's doing right now...
He gets down from the bike and shoves his hands into the pockets of his own jacket - making sure to extend the elbow closest to Julie for her to take if she so chooses. It's cold out, they have to use their pockets. That's the smart thing to do. The cool thing. But she can have his arm on the way inside the diner.]
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[ she also doesn't take his arm, because this isn't 1954, and kind of gives his arm a bit of a look, but it's brief. he's just trying to be a good date and he doesn't know her well, she supposes, though julie would've thought it was obvious she's not exactly a 'take his arm' kind of girl. if anything she's the one offering an arm. but whatever. julie points out a table with a jut of her chin, a nice booth away from everyone else in there at the moment, and nudges corey with her shoulder as they walk. ]
How long did it take you to fix up the bike?
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He does smile at her picking the booth in the back though. Excellent choice, one he usually makes when he comes here on his own. Sitting at a table in public is rare thing for him in general - but yeah.]
Hm. Few weeks? A month, maybe? Didn't have much going on so I just sorta focused on that. Ron let me work on it at the garage sometimes. If things were slow.
[Just gonna slide on into the booth once they head over there.]
i genuinely thought i replied to this omg
[ the equivalent of a kid who's great at academia but had no interest in it, she knows plenty about cars just from growing up working in a shop but julie's not really a car person at all. she's been driving the same old sedan for years because it works and never has a problem she can't fix herself. ]
totally okay!
He doesn’t pick up a menu - no need to fake like he needs to figure out what he’s going to order. He folds his hands on the table, leans in a little, gets comfortable like that.]
Really? It was kinda challenging at times, but nothing too crazy. You’re good at what you do - [not like he’s been watching or anything, nope not at all] - it’d probably be a breeze for you. If you ever wanted to broaden your repair horizons. [Have a doofy little smile.]
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[ unless you put her within ten feet of a vintage muscle car, but you can blame her dad for that one. ]
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[Julie doesn't really talk about herself. But neither does he? Unless he gets caught up in an anxiety-fueled word vomit session. Those are a frequent enough occurrence now that he's thinking about it...]
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Nothing really. [ she had great extracurriculars, none of which she gave a shit about. a lot of tricks for a pedigree pet. she laughs softly. ] Don't tell anyone, but I'm kind of boring.
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He nods at the comment about work because - well. Same boat. Besides working on his bike there's not... much... he actually does. Especially now that the thing's up and running like new.
But he gestures towards her with a point when she finally adds something.]
Well that's something. How bad do you think these decisions are? Because I think there's gotta be some sort of sliding scale...
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[ she says it with a hushed voice and a bit of a grimace — not that julie particularly cares about this random woman's relationship, but she's kind of surprised that one hasn't come back to bite her considering how people in this town love to gossip. ]
I'd say that probably ranks as at least "not great".
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He’s just gonna… lower his voice too. Because one never knows who could be listening nearby.]
I mean - yeah. I’d say so. [Pause.] But did you have fun at least? At the time? [The slightest smile. Is he blushing? A little.]
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[ the way she emphasises 'lady' should say plenty about whether or not julie thinks of herself as one (she doesn't), as should the way she looks like what she's said is very funny to her. ]
[ she notes too, that he's gone a little pink, just a bit. it's cute. something to remember for later if this whole date goes well and julie really feels like teasing him. she won't right now though, not least because a waitress comes over-- does a bit of a double take when she realises who julie's here with, or rather that corey is here with someone, but she doesn't say anything. julie doesn't really give her the chance anyway, just politely orders a burger and fries. and a sprite. ]
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The waitress coming to the table might as well be a jumpscare for him. Corey had entirely forgotten where they were, the fact that someone hadn't come over yet to begin with. He makes the briefest eye contact with the woman (he thinks he's seen her working here before), gives a shy smile just to be polite, then decides to focus straight ahead at Julie across from him. He doesn't like the looks he gets. Still isn't used to them. It's uncomfortable.
He orders once Julie does (the same thing but swap the Sprite out for a chocolate milkshake because that's just who he is), then says thank you not once but twice. He doesn't physically relax again until she leaves their table. And it's obvious whatever vibe of confidence he had going a few minutes ago is gone.]
Sorry, uh - you don't have to tell me who it was. Or anything about it really. If you don't want to.
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