02-10-2015, 12:37 PM
The waitress brought out a bottle of white wine and tilted it in his direction showing him the label and the year. He nodded with a smile then looked at Aurora as if he expected her to protest, Aurora smiled and bowed her head slightly to indicate she was trusting him. He smiled back at her, the white of his teeth flashing and heart skipped a beat.
The waitress poured two glasses deftly. Aurora watched with curiousity, his hands fingered the flute of the glass and she looked up into his eyes. Aurora picked up the wine glass and took a sip cautiously. She didn't drink much, nor did she drink often, that was Nox's way of adapting to things. To dull his senses, to be out of control. That was not her. Aurora's eyes never left his as the cool liquid warmed in her mouth and throat. He was captivating.
He arched an eyebrow in a questioning manner. Aurora laughed. "It's wonderful."
You are wonderful, she thought to herself. Her cheeks colored softly, her feelings betraying her at every moment sitting here with this man.
His smile was small as he took a sip of his wine, and he looked at her as if she were a mystery. "Lot's of reasons for a beautiful woman to be here in Moscow. Alone."
He leaned forward. "Tell me about you."
His eyes were placid, and yet there was something insistent in them.
Aurora smiled. "Not much to tell. Born in the US. Traveled a lot with my family. I have a twin brother who is the complete opposite of me. Both of my parents are dead. I'm kinda in between jobs right now. Not much more to me."
There was a bit more, but not anything she would ever share with a random stranger, no matter how good looking he was. She leaned forward and took a sip then smiled at him. "Other than play the cello, what else do you do?"
He smiled softly at her waving off her question. "So are you a blank slate then?"
He laughed quietly. "No, I don't think so. I think there is much more to you than even you know."
He tilted his head. "I would very much like to find out what it is."
The food arrived. He watched her face carefully. "I thought to surprise you."
He pointed out the oysters. "People either love them or hate them. Either way, there is a reaction."
He smiled at her and spoke softly. "In truth, that is all that really matters. Eliciting a reaction."
Aurora laughed softly, mostly to herself. This man thought she was more than what she'd said, she wasn't, not really. Other than a deadly monster my people hunt for only one reason. But the food arrived and Aurora glanced down at the oysters sitting on the half shell slimy and grey and ... Aurora looked up at him in shock, he expected her to eat them.
He looked at her expectantly, urging her on with his eyes. They twinkled with possibilities. Aurora took a deep breathe. She picked one up tentatively, his hand reached too and Aurora's eyes followed his hand up to his gorgeous face. He was watching her intently as he showed her how to eat the oyster. He tipped the oyster shell back and it slide down into his mouth and he swallowed. Aurora swallowed hard, her heart beat faster. He was almost too much.
Aurora took a deep breathe, she didn't look back down at the food she was about to partake of, she kept her eyes firmly locked on his and lifted her hand to her mouth and tipped the oyster into it. The oyster felt like it squirmed and wiggled in her mouth but she swallowed it quickly. Aurora fought back the initial reaction to gag as it slide down her throat. It didn't taste bad, but the texture and the sensation was definitely not something she would repeat. But when she caught the look on his face she wasn't so sure she'd stick to her convictions of not eating another. He was very good at this, whatever this was. Aurora knew she was out of her league with this one. But here she sat anyway, watching and waiting for the other shoe to drop.
He smiled at her knowingly. And then, as if out of the blue. "I wonder if you have read Hemingway. He was American, after all."
He sipped at his wine contentedly. "For all of that, we Spaniards have always felt he was one of us. None of this DIIV nonsense, you understand."
Aurora laughed. "Because he's American you expect that I would read Americans."
She laughed a little harder.
He shook his head sadly, though a smile made it clear he was teasing her. "The American education system continues to disappoint. A pity."
He laughed. "No. I only ask because of this meal."
His voice changed as he seemed to recite. “As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.”
Whistfully, he went on. "He always did that, always made sure to make the physical experience visceral to the reader. And in doing so, gave it shape."
He smiled at her and nodded to the tray. "Try it again, please. And this time try to enjoy the experience."
Aurora tilted her head to the side with a grin then shook her head. "For you. I will try again."
Aurora reached for another oyster and held it tenderly between two fingers as she looked into his eyes. "That was from A Movable Feast. I didn't say I hadn't read Hemingway."
She grinned playfully back at him.
Aurora closed her eyes and imagined what Hemingway had written. She could feel his eyes on her and it stirred feelings that she'd not felt in a very long time. She smiled and didn't think about what she was doing and took the oyster and swallowed it, the second time it was better, imagery had helped, his voice had soothed her disgust at the thought of them. Aurora didn't want to open her eyes and look at him again. He was pulling parts of her apart and it was disconcerting. He was upending her world. But at this particular juncture Aurora didn't care.
He laughed heartily, bringing her back to herself. "Excellent!"
He looked up for the waiter and snapped his fingers. "Main course,"
when the man came. This time there was no show-and-tell when the food came. "Eat,"
he said heartily. "Already, you have told me more about yourself than you initially indicated. I shall have to ply you with questions to get at the truth."
His eyes twinkled as he tore into a piece of bread.
Edited by Aurora, Feb 10 2015, 12:41 PM.
The waitress poured two glasses deftly. Aurora watched with curiousity, his hands fingered the flute of the glass and she looked up into his eyes. Aurora picked up the wine glass and took a sip cautiously. She didn't drink much, nor did she drink often, that was Nox's way of adapting to things. To dull his senses, to be out of control. That was not her. Aurora's eyes never left his as the cool liquid warmed in her mouth and throat. He was captivating.
He arched an eyebrow in a questioning manner. Aurora laughed. "It's wonderful."
You are wonderful, she thought to herself. Her cheeks colored softly, her feelings betraying her at every moment sitting here with this man.
His smile was small as he took a sip of his wine, and he looked at her as if she were a mystery. "Lot's of reasons for a beautiful woman to be here in Moscow. Alone."
He leaned forward. "Tell me about you."
His eyes were placid, and yet there was something insistent in them.
Aurora smiled. "Not much to tell. Born in the US. Traveled a lot with my family. I have a twin brother who is the complete opposite of me. Both of my parents are dead. I'm kinda in between jobs right now. Not much more to me."
There was a bit more, but not anything she would ever share with a random stranger, no matter how good looking he was. She leaned forward and took a sip then smiled at him. "Other than play the cello, what else do you do?"
He smiled softly at her waving off her question. "So are you a blank slate then?"
He laughed quietly. "No, I don't think so. I think there is much more to you than even you know."
He tilted his head. "I would very much like to find out what it is."
The food arrived. He watched her face carefully. "I thought to surprise you."
He pointed out the oysters. "People either love them or hate them. Either way, there is a reaction."
He smiled at her and spoke softly. "In truth, that is all that really matters. Eliciting a reaction."
Aurora laughed softly, mostly to herself. This man thought she was more than what she'd said, she wasn't, not really. Other than a deadly monster my people hunt for only one reason. But the food arrived and Aurora glanced down at the oysters sitting on the half shell slimy and grey and ... Aurora looked up at him in shock, he expected her to eat them.
He looked at her expectantly, urging her on with his eyes. They twinkled with possibilities. Aurora took a deep breathe. She picked one up tentatively, his hand reached too and Aurora's eyes followed his hand up to his gorgeous face. He was watching her intently as he showed her how to eat the oyster. He tipped the oyster shell back and it slide down into his mouth and he swallowed. Aurora swallowed hard, her heart beat faster. He was almost too much.
Aurora took a deep breathe, she didn't look back down at the food she was about to partake of, she kept her eyes firmly locked on his and lifted her hand to her mouth and tipped the oyster into it. The oyster felt like it squirmed and wiggled in her mouth but she swallowed it quickly. Aurora fought back the initial reaction to gag as it slide down her throat. It didn't taste bad, but the texture and the sensation was definitely not something she would repeat. But when she caught the look on his face she wasn't so sure she'd stick to her convictions of not eating another. He was very good at this, whatever this was. Aurora knew she was out of her league with this one. But here she sat anyway, watching and waiting for the other shoe to drop.
He smiled at her knowingly. And then, as if out of the blue. "I wonder if you have read Hemingway. He was American, after all."
He sipped at his wine contentedly. "For all of that, we Spaniards have always felt he was one of us. None of this DIIV nonsense, you understand."
Aurora laughed. "Because he's American you expect that I would read Americans."
She laughed a little harder.
He shook his head sadly, though a smile made it clear he was teasing her. "The American education system continues to disappoint. A pity."
He laughed. "No. I only ask because of this meal."
His voice changed as he seemed to recite. “As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.”
Whistfully, he went on. "He always did that, always made sure to make the physical experience visceral to the reader. And in doing so, gave it shape."
He smiled at her and nodded to the tray. "Try it again, please. And this time try to enjoy the experience."
Aurora tilted her head to the side with a grin then shook her head. "For you. I will try again."
Aurora reached for another oyster and held it tenderly between two fingers as she looked into his eyes. "That was from A Movable Feast. I didn't say I hadn't read Hemingway."
She grinned playfully back at him.
Aurora closed her eyes and imagined what Hemingway had written. She could feel his eyes on her and it stirred feelings that she'd not felt in a very long time. She smiled and didn't think about what she was doing and took the oyster and swallowed it, the second time it was better, imagery had helped, his voice had soothed her disgust at the thought of them. Aurora didn't want to open her eyes and look at him again. He was pulling parts of her apart and it was disconcerting. He was upending her world. But at this particular juncture Aurora didn't care.
He laughed heartily, bringing her back to herself. "Excellent!"
He looked up for the waiter and snapped his fingers. "Main course,"
when the man came. This time there was no show-and-tell when the food came. "Eat,"
he said heartily. "Already, you have told me more about yourself than you initially indicated. I shall have to ply you with questions to get at the truth."
His eyes twinkled as he tore into a piece of bread.
Edited by Aurora, Feb 10 2015, 12:41 PM.