[ 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.
[ she breathes out a little laugh. ] I was joking.
[ julie notes the loss of confidence, but honestly she's surprised he kept it up this long. which is fine, she's used to just pushing through corey's awkwardness and discomfort. though... maybe not so candidly. julie shrugs a shoulder, just speaks like it's nothing at all. ]
I mean if you want the details, she's just a lonely cougar who could barely even find her own clit, let alone mine.
You know what - I'm totally cool being left in the dark. [The slightest nervous laughter.] Don't mind me. Shouldn't have said anything. It's none of my business - whatever you and... said lonely cougar did... or didn't do.
[Let's just keep ramping up the awkwardness, shall we? He's so quick to shut down the topic of conversation, despite all the joking around only moments before, and he's physically shifting in his seat with discomfort.]
[ julie doesn't laugh, not out loud, but the amusement is clear in the pull of her lips and the way her eyes brighten up a little. she reaches across the table, puts a placating hand on corey's arm and shakes her head. ]
[Wait. Julie Touch? Julie Touch. He freezes up, the sensation taking a moment to register in his brain. He just goes from one sort of flustered to the other and he's honestly not sure which is better or worse or whatever.
She's smiling - at least somewhat - so it has to be okay. Corey takes that as a sign for him to calm the hell down or at least try to.]
Please and thank you. I'm too sheltered. My brain wouldn't be able to handle it.
[And then he throws in that self-deprecating joke just because.]
[ julie doesn't think anything of the touch, it's just a normal and friendly gesture, but corey's clearly not the only one who thinks a little more of it. she can't make out what they're saying exactly but she definitely picks up on some jeering from that table near the front, turns her head to shoot a scowl their way. ]
[ she's distracted from her new nemesis...es. nemeses? by the waitress coming back with their drinks, setting those down along with a little cutlery basket and some napkins. julie waits until she's gone again to look at corey and roll her eyes with a shake of her head. ]
People in this town really don't know how to mind their fucking business do they?
[ she takes her drink and leans back in her seat, staring back at that table. yeah, she's talking about you idiots. ]
Oh. Whispers and gossip come with the territory of choosing to socialize with him. He’s just… so used to it by now he usually ignores it. Or does his very best.
(He can’t hear them either but if he had one guess as to who they’re giggling about he’d hit the nail on the head without fail.)
But hey! Milkshake. Chocolate milkshake. He slides it over towards himself. Time to chill out. This will help.]
Uh - no. They really don’t. [An awkward chuckle.] Never have and - between you and me? It’s gotten way worse. [Straw sip, an accompanying eyeroll. He doesn’t want to look where she’s looking, but he ends up doing it anyway. And then quickly looking away before he’s caught.]
[ julie doesn't give a shit, she keeps staring at them. they pick up energy when one of them notices corey looked their way; calling his name, laughing. typical bullshit. ]
[ yeah, fuck that. she's trying to have a nice night out with a cute guy. julie puts her drink down, reaches over to the cutlery and grabs a steak knife as she stands up. twirls it around her fingers in a movement that belies exactly how comfortable holding knives she is and starts off toward that table with purpose. ]
[ there's maybe 2 seconds before she gets to that table with a loud "hey, fuckwads" if corey wants to stop her causing a scene. ]
[Yep okay so this isn’t good at all. She’s still looking and they’re getting louder and Corey can’t help but keep glancing between Julie and the other table and back again, increasingly more uncomfortable by the second.]
Jules—-
[He manages to spit out just her name, but doesn’t tell her to stop or to sit back down as she grabs the knife and stands to turn away. He could just stop her. There’s a big part of him that wants to. There’s another that wants to hide under the table. Another is beyond curious to see how things play out - utterly amused at the prospects really - and he wants nothing more than to turn that specific part off.
He moves to stand up himself, palms flat on the tabletop and ready to push, and he doesn’t take his eyes off her back as she heads straight for the other table. A moment later he relaxes, ends up sitting back on his side of the booth. So quiet as he observes.
[ there's a moment, when julie calls out to them, that they're still laughing and they point her out to the guy who's probably their leader or whatever. he spots the knife in julie's hand and sits up straighter, looking panicked, and then his buddies follow suit. she leans over this main guy, arm around his shoulders like a friend, if not for the way she gestures with the knife in her other hand. taps him on the chest, points at the others, makes sure it's always close enough to his throat that nobody could stop her no matter how fast they acted. ]
[ the conversation she has with them is hushed, but tense. mostly she's querying why they feel the need to butt into other people's business, to harass people who are just trying to have a meal in peace. one of them says something that definitely bothers her, and julie squints and points her knife at him, but it passes. ]
[ of course, she has to really be a terror, so she snatches up a wallet off the table as she stands and slips the driver's license out of the front to read it with a smile that could pass for friendly in different circumstances, like this is a funny joke everybody's in on. ]
Daniel Green from... 1264 Winchester Drive, thank you so much for your apology. [ she tosses his driver's license down on the table. after some thought she grabs some cash out of his wallet and tosses the wallet down too. ] And for making it up to us by paying. That's so kind of you.
[ and back to the table she comes. everyone's staring, but nobody stopped her. no wonder awful shit seems to happen here. ]
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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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[ julie notes the loss of confidence, but honestly she's surprised he kept it up this long. which is fine, she's used to just pushing through corey's awkwardness and discomfort. though... maybe not so candidly. julie shrugs a shoulder, just speaks like it's nothing at all. ]
I mean if you want the details, she's just a lonely cougar who could barely even find her own clit, let alone mine.
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You know what - I'm totally cool being left in the dark. [The slightest nervous laughter.] Don't mind me. Shouldn't have said anything. It's none of my business - whatever you and... said lonely cougar did... or didn't do.
[Let's just keep ramping up the awkwardness, shall we? He's so quick to shut down the topic of conversation, despite all the joking around only moments before, and he's physically shifting in his seat with discomfort.]
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Okay, okay. No more details.
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She's smiling - at least somewhat - so it has to be okay. Corey takes that as a sign for him to calm the hell down or at least try to.]
Please and thank you. I'm too sheltered. My brain wouldn't be able to handle it.
[And then he throws in that self-deprecating joke just because.]
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[ she's distracted from her new nemesis...es. nemeses? by the waitress coming back with their drinks, setting those down along with a little cutlery basket and some napkins. julie waits until she's gone again to look at corey and roll her eyes with a shake of her head. ]
People in this town really don't know how to mind their fucking business do they?
[ she takes her drink and leans back in her seat, staring back at that table. yeah, she's talking about you idiots. ]
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Oh. Whispers and gossip come with the territory of choosing to socialize with him. He’s just… so used to it by now he usually ignores it. Or does his very best.
(He can’t hear them either but if he had one guess as to who they’re giggling about he’d hit the nail on the head without fail.)
But hey! Milkshake. Chocolate milkshake. He slides it over towards himself. Time to chill out. This will help.]
Uh - no. They really don’t. [An awkward chuckle.] Never have and - between you and me? It’s gotten way worse. [Straw sip, an accompanying eyeroll. He doesn’t want to look where she’s looking, but he ends up doing it anyway. And then quickly looking away before he’s caught.]
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[ yeah, fuck that. she's trying to have a nice night out with a cute guy. julie puts her drink down, reaches over to the cutlery and grabs a steak knife as she stands up. twirls it around her fingers in a movement that belies exactly how comfortable holding knives she is and starts off toward that table with purpose. ]
[ there's maybe 2 seconds before she gets to that table with a loud "hey, fuckwads" if corey wants to stop her causing a scene. ]
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Jules—-
[He manages to spit out just her name, but doesn’t tell her to stop or to sit back down as she grabs the knife and stands to turn away. He could just stop her. There’s a big part of him that wants to. There’s another that wants to hide under the table. Another is beyond curious to see how things play out - utterly amused at the prospects really - and he wants nothing more than to turn that specific part off.
He moves to stand up himself, palms flat on the tabletop and ready to push, and he doesn’t take his eyes off her back as she heads straight for the other table. A moment later he relaxes, ends up sitting back on his side of the booth. So quiet as he observes.
Guess which part won.]
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[ the conversation she has with them is hushed, but tense. mostly she's querying why they feel the need to butt into other people's business, to harass people who are just trying to have a meal in peace. one of them says something that definitely bothers her, and julie squints and points her knife at him, but it passes. ]
[ of course, she has to really be a terror, so she snatches up a wallet off the table as she stands and slips the driver's license out of the front to read it with a smile that could pass for friendly in different circumstances, like this is a funny joke everybody's in on. ]
Daniel Green from... 1264 Winchester Drive, thank you so much for your apology. [ she tosses his driver's license down on the table. after some thought she grabs some cash out of his wallet and tosses the wallet down too. ] And for making it up to us by paying. That's so kind of you.
[ and back to the table she comes. everyone's staring, but nobody stopped her. no wonder awful shit seems to happen here. ]
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