First day, first date (07-10-2011) [Keoki & Aemilio]

Aemilio couldn't help but be a little weirded out by Keoki's view on friendship but tried not to let it show. Instead he just leaned on the railing with his ellbows and let out a slightly disappointed sigh.
"You sure have a manual," he said in a weak chuckle.

What he said and what he thought were two different things; 'keep calm,' he said to himself, 'just stay nice and pretend that what she is saying isn't the weirdest thing you've ever heard... Just play along. She may be a freak but she's a cute freak.'
"O well, everyone has their little things," he understated with a friendly smile, "I mean... I'm not perfect myself."
'But pretty close,' he added in thought.
"But maybe we're overcomplicating things now. How about we just hang out together and have fun and don't bother so much with whether you really care about me?" he suggested, standing up straight again and smiling at her.
'And lets please leave this strange conversation behind now?!' Because this conversation was way too serious and exhausting for someone he honestly really didn't care much about anyway. Seriously, this girl was reading a lot into just a couple of nice words..!

Keoki moved away from the railing, noticing how that seemed to be weird to him, "Is it that awkward, really?" She started to laugh at that, actually. She just kept emotion out of friendship, and she wasn't the only person who did that. Most people would have a friend or two who they didn't actually like or what anything to do with. But she just shrugged without bothering to say that point.

"This was interesting though. If you don't find some more normal girl, then perhaps we can do this again some time," she added as she turned around and moved for the door, giving him the option to go find someone else. It'd make things easier for her, or at least that's what she was figuring. Even though she'd enjoyed the night, she was still wary of actually 'liking' someone.

"Well, it is a little strange," Aemilio said, "I mean, I admit I don't really care about or like all the people I hang out with and call 'friend' a lot... I don't believe there is a person is the world that does," he added in a laugh, "but most people don't openly say it like you just did."

He was glad to hear that she'd enjoyed it though but then he got confused again when she said he could go look for someone more normal. It didn't help that she got up and walked to the door. Did she want to leave? Or did she think he wanted to leave? 'Christ, this girl is odd,' he said to himself.
What he said out loud was a confused: "huh? Are you leaving? Is our date over already?" To him it wasn't actually; especially now, after all these unique traits of her had been brought to his attention he wanted to know more about her, sit here for a little while longer, talk some more.
He really had no desire to - now that he found out Keoki had a little bit of a commitment-issue - immediatly storm of and find another girl to go on a date with.

She turned back to him and rubbed the back of her head before asking, "Was there something else you had planned? Because I kind of figured I made enough of a fool of myself for one night." Keoki figured she'd said a bit too much, so she might as well leave before she made herself look worse. But she just waited to see what Aemilio would say before she moved to stay or leave.

"Uhr well no," Aemilio replied dumbfounded, "I haven't actually planned anything more. I just figured after the champagne we'd sit and chat for a bit longer, admire the view until it's really dark, maybe watch the stars?"
When he'd thought of that it seemed like a good idea and now that he said it to Keoki it still sounded nice to him. 'Maybe she just doesn't like real date-dates all that much,' he thought.

"But uhm, if you want to go now that's fine too," he said though he sounded a little disappointed when he brought it up. Nonetheless his expression brightened shortly after then again, as he walked over to her and asked: "but if we call at a night now, please tell me you'll go freerunning with me tomorrow? Get me back in the saddle and stuff? Now you can barely even call that a date, that's just two people with the same hobby having fun together."

"That sounds lovely, really, but, maybe I'm still used to avoiding this kind of thing..." she started, getting a little shy as a thought came to mind, "But, I'll work on that." She walked over with a slight smirk before leaning in and quickly placing a light kiss on his cheek and then moving away again. "I'll see you tomorrow. Just stop by whenever you're ready," she stated without letting him get a word in edge-wise, "Good night, Aemilio," then turned and headed out the door before she started blushing again over what she just did.

At first Aemilio thought she declined his proposition to go out freerunning together the next day but then, when she told him he should just stop by whenever he was ready he knew he'd misunderstood. He was already grinning when this fell into place though, because of the sweet, light kiss that had come to happen in between.
With his hand touching his cheek where Keoki's lips had just been, and smiling happily at her he cheerfully stated: "you bet, I'll be at your door soon as I wake up tomorrow morning! And don't worry about having made a fool out of yourself, you didn't and I really enjoyed myself," and he waved with his free hand. Then as she was almost gone in a calmer, warmer voice: "goodnight Keoki."

After he'd made sure she was gone he let ouf a deep sigh, walked back to his chair and dropped himself in it; waow...! The girl was cute but damn, she could sure make a big deal out of one little date! And though he didn't really mind, it did come off a bit rude that she left immediatly after the booz was gone, but he assumed that was because of her nerves.
"Women," he sighed to himself, rubbing his temples.

((yes SaisCy gave me permission to post here ))

Dominique had just come out of the bathroom when she saw Keoki leave the balcony and go into her room. Assuming that whatever it was that had caused Mrs. Nellis to tell everyone to stay of the terrace was over she got curious to what the view would be like at this time of day. So she walked over and onto the terrace, seeing Aemilio sitting in one of the chairs rubbing his temples as well as the nice decorations.
She now understood why Mrs. Nellis had told everyone to stay away, but also thought that something had gone wrong judging from how Aemilio was sitting.
"Are you okay?" she asked, lingering at the door uncertain whether to stay or not.

(( I so totally did! O_O ))

Not having expected any company this quick, the sound of footsteps nearing lead Aemilio to assume Keoki had come back. Therefor he automatically reacted a bit disappointed when it turned out to be Dominique.
"Oh it's just you," he humpfed, hoisting himself up in the chair a little so he looked more presentable now that he wasn't on his own any more. At her question he raised an eyebrow, which didn't make the look he gave Dominique any less cold. But then his expression softened and his tone turned less unfriendly; "yeah, no," he mumbled, "everything's ok."
He streched out his arm, invintingly gesturing to the chair on the other side of the table, the one Keoki'd just been sitting on.

The look and initial tone of voice made Dominique very unsure how much Aemilio appreciated her prescence. His gesture to sit down on the chair opposit of him added to her confusion but she walked over and sat down nontheless.
"I know we don't really know each other but if something is bothering you I'm willing to listen," she offered with a small but warm smile. Her eyes then drifted to the setting sun which was really beautiful, in some ways it felt familiar like the sunsets she had seen from the London Eye and in the Egyptian dessert. But in other ways it felt completely new, which had a lot to do with the big amount of trees surrounding her.

Aemilio didn't reply immediatly but just looked at Dominique stare at the sunset. The wa he looked was almost studying, puzzling, as if he was trying to figure something out about her. His deep brown eyes were calm yet intense and they seemed to pierce her outer shell, seeing straight into her core.
"Robar la belleza de una puesta de sol es," he mumbled absently to himself.
Then he seemed to snap out of his trance and in a normal tone half-asked, half-said: "help me with Keoki?"

Dominique looked back at Aemilio when he muttered something in what sounded like Spanish? She was a bit unsetteled when she saw the strange X-ray like stare he was giving her but hid it perfectly and simply asked: "What did you just say?"
She was quite taken aback by his blunt question then and blinked a couple of times before responding; "Uhm sure, I guess. How can I help?"

Aemilio grinned slightly sugestively at her as he translated: "Robar la belleza de una puesta de sol... means 'stealing a setting sun's beauty' in Spanish." He put his fingertips on the empty champagne glass closest to him and let them slide over the circle-shaped edge, as he stared to the orange sun for just a moment. It wouldn't be much longer until the sun would have fully disappeared and it would become dark very quickly from there so he wanted to enjoy the last moments of natural light of the day.

Then he broke of his dreamy gaze into the distance and turned back to Dominique; no denying it," he came back to his Spanish comment, "you are a sight for sore eyes. But anyway, back to Keoki! You see, I asked her out earlier today - I'm sure mrs Nellis said something about it," he added with an eyeroll, "so here we were... nice soft seats, a cold bottle of bubbly wine, a red rose and a beautiful view. Simple yet nice right? And we were having fun, and chatting a little, enjoying the champagne... Then I tell her I like her, no funny business!" he quickly clarified, before Dominique got the wrong idea, "and she goes all..."

Dominique stared at Aemilio when he told her the translation of what he had muttered, a blush creeping it's way across her cheeks. No one had ever given her such a complement, well no one besides her grandparents, but it wasn't uncommon for grandparents to find their grandchildren beautiful. Just when she thought she had a moment to recover before he would tell her how she could help he had to add another compliment keeping her blush present for a while longer.
She was kinda glad when he turned to subject to what was troubling him and how she could help before she could get really selfconscious. Though she was quite confused when he stopped midsentence unsure how he expected her to help him if she didn't really explain the entire situation.
"I agree that what you told me sounded very nice date without anything behind it but..." guessing that now that she had stated her opinion it was fair enough to ask about the rest of the situation, "she goes all... what?"

"She just..." Aemilio started again, pondering how best to say the next; as freaky as he considered Keoki's behaviour to have been, he didn't want to be the kind of guy who immediatly complains to everyone about a date not going so well. Not only would that make him seem like a winy gossip but it wasn't nice or completely fair to Keoki either.

"I just said I liked her and I bumped into some of her... well, there are commitment issues there. She says she never likes someone and never cares for someone, even when they're friends. She used to travel a lot and she says she's taught herself not to care for people so she won't miss them."
He sighed and shook his head; "very sad for her of course - though she claims she doesn't really mind. But anyway, that was our entire date because then she decided to leave...! What am I suppose to think about something like that?!"

When Aemilio had explained the last part of his date with Keoki Dominique just stared confused at him. She really didn't know Keoki and she didn't wanted to judge because she only heard one side of the story. But that kind of behaviour just sounded well bitchy.
"She must really have some serious commitment issues," was the best she could think of that could explain what had happened other then Keoki being a bitch, something she didn't believe to be the case, "if I where you I would try to get her to explain her commitment issues a little more. Or just leave the inigiate of getting to know each other better with her. That way she can do things in her own pace, if she wants to get over her commitment issues that is..."
Dominique seemed a little lost in thought as she ended her advice, hoping it would help Aemilio and if not well she tried.

As Dominique tried to give her opinion and advice over a situation she didn't really know enough about to do so, Aemilio sat opposite her, listening, nodding once or twice.
"I guess," he sighed in an absent voice as Dominique was done, staring into nothingness for a couple seconds more with a thinking frown on his face. Then he let out another sigh and his expresion softened; "o well, no use breaking my head over it now anyway," and with that he seemed to have dismissed the entire topic.
He turned his head to Dominique again, smiled and kindly thanked her; "for the advice and just for listening to my story too," he said.

When Aemilio thanked her Dominique was snapped out of her thoughts and smiled back at him; "Your welcome, sorry that I couldn't really be of much help."
Now she didn't really knew what else to say, he was probably still a little in thought about whatever it was that had happened during the date. So she just turned her head to look at the last rays of the setting sun, hoping that he would say or do something soon.

"What brought you here anyway?" Aemilio asked curiously when he noticed Dominique wasn't going to say anything herself.

Dominique looked back at Aemilio and shrugged; "I saw what the view was like in the middle of the day and then when Keoki had left the terrace I got curious to what the view would be like at this time of the day."
After having said that she suddenly got uncertain if he wanted her to stay or to leave, which probably was visible in her body language.

"I see," Aemilio said, turning his gaze at the disappearing sun and smiling; "it's hard not to feel at peace looking at something so beautiful," he said in such a soft voice it was merely more than a whisper.
He say there like that for a while, his head resting on his hand that was supported by his ellbow leaning on the table. Nothing about him suggested that he wanted Dominique to stay or leave... until he turned back to her and went: "seeing as Keoki left things unfinished here, would you mind taking her place here in order of finishing the date?" The way he said it left it very unclear if he was being serious or just joking around.

Dominique stared at Aemilio for a few moments unsure of what to say or how to react to the sudden date invitation. Especially because she wasn't sure how serious he was about it.
"Uhm... okay," she answered guessing that there was no harm in getting to know her new housemate for the upcoming year, "I guess..."

Noticing Dominique was slightly uncomfertable, Aemilio feared he said something wrong. Did she think he meant this was a real, official date they were on now? He only said 'replace' because in his plans for the evening he would've been sitting here chatting with Keoki now instead of with Dominique. But he didn't consider this a date or anything. Just a nice chat.
O well, if it turned out she did think they were on an actual date now... this could prove to be a fun night. So he didn't explain and just left it up to her imagination.

"So Dominique... how do you like it around here so far?" he asked nicely.

Dominique was glad that Aemilio asked her a question so that she could get over her uncomfortableness. Though the question was simple she had to think a few seconds before answering.
"So far I quite like it," she answered, "the enviroment is beautiful, Mrs. Nellis seems to be a very nice woman, the pool is very nice and well the others seem nice as well. What about you? How do you like it here?"

"True," Aemilio agreed with a nod, "yeah I do like it here too. Ah but then again, it's the first day, who knows what will all go wrong?" he added jokingly.
"Have you been in the pool already?" he asked, obviously a little bit envious of it. "Aw bummer, then I bet you - if I'd ask you to go for an evening swim with me now - wouldn't want to come, would you?" he asked hintingly.