Let's Celebrate? ((Payton))

[jillian]

She nodded in agreement with him about the movie. There was just something about Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks on film together that made movies come alive. They did a lot of movies together, and Jill liked that - it meant they had chemistry on film and that made the movie so much more fun to watch. A movie where the actors just recited their lines and didn't actually act them out was a bad movie, and Jill figured that's the type of movie Payton considered bad. She was sure Joann had many of those, too. "Educated how? As in translating all the mushy love lines? Or something completely different?" Jill grinned, she didn't know how you could be educated on a movie unless it was an educational movie. She held her grin before taking another sip of her iced tea. Her thirst was slowly going away. But now hunger was replacing it, and if the food was as good as Payton let on - she couldn't wait.

When he simply said she would have to find a new room mate, her eyes grew slightly wide and she shook her head. "How would you go about doing that? I mean, would you have to hold interviews? Then you would have to get used to living with the person and if you don't like the person it isn't necessarily polite to kick them out once they've moved in. I'd much rather have someone I'm completely used to live with me, and that takes... time. And I don't know how much time I have left for it, anyway. Joann won't be back for two weeks from her honeymoon, so I have the flat alone - rent's not due until the end of the month but I would like everything to get out of the way before then. I like being... organized." Unlike Joann, who liked clutter. Jill had cleaned up before Payton stopped by to pick her up - Joann's studio was the only room that wasn't neat and organized.

[payton]

He answered her question of what exactly he meant of educating her on romance movies with nothing but a grin. That was an event for the future, not for talk over the dinner table tonight. After he grinned at her, his eyebrows still raised as they always were when he was plotting out the future, he took a sip of his drink and glanced across the restaurant, thinking that if he knew the chef at all their dinner would be out shortly. Another reason why he was particularly fond of this restaurant was that they purposefully kept it small, meaning that the service was wonderful and meals always came out quickly.

When Jill asked about how he one went about getting a room mate, he shrugged, thinking that he hadn’t exactly ever gone thought the experience himself. “Well, I guess normally when one is looking for a roommate, they put an ad out in the paper. Then they show the flat to anyone who is interested, and see if the two of you get along.” He paused for a moment, leaning back in his chair and thinking about how Jill said that she wanted to live with someone she was completely use to. “But then you could always try asking friends if anyone is needing a flat. That way you would know them already.” He paused again, straightening himself up as he caught sight of their waiter coming towards them carrying a tray in his hand. “Never know, someone just may be intrsted.”

[jillian]

He hadn't answered her question about being educated on movies. He just gave her the Payton look and continued to smile at her. Jill narrowed her eyes, but a smile still toyed with her lips and she shook her head. She assumed she would find that out sometime in the future, Payton seemed to be plotting things when he had that look. She took another sip of her tea and watched him out of the corner of her eye, because she had turned her head to look at a painting on the wall. Jill turned her attention back to Payton, even though it wasn't ever really off him - and suddenly found herself wondering what did go on inside his head? It seemed like a big mystery now that she thought about it, although she was pretty sure he said most of what he was thinking, and the thoughts that he didn't speak - were ones that came into action later on. It was something she liked about him, though, the fact that he had tricks up his sleeve.

Payton did answer her question about how someone would go around getting a room mate, or in this case a flatmate. She tilted her head to the side, thinking this over and then when he finished she shook her head, "Seems like too much work for something that is probably destined to fail." Jill sighed and put her fingers to her temples, rubbing them slightly and trying to drive out the pain that was coming from thinking. She put her hands back on the table and then grinned slightly at Payton when he suggested asking friends to move in. That was probably what she would end up doing anyway. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the waiter returning with their food, even from this distance - Jill could smell it and it smelled delicious. The waiter set the food down in front of them and when he left, picked up her fork. Before starting to eat though, she smiled at Payton; "Well, that should be easy," she referred to what he said about the friends moving in thing, "let's see..." she took a bite of her meal, chewed and swallowed; "that narrows it down to you and you.. and this is really good."

[payton]

Payton glanced up at the waiter, thanking him as he brought their plates before looking down at his meal. He hadn't realized until the reached the restaurant just how hungry he had become, and it made the meal, which he knew by the chef would be wonderful, look even more amazing. He listened to Jill s he took his first bite of good, swallowing it just in time to grin when she said that asking her friends left her with himself and himself. He shrugged at the comment, having had a suspicious that was going to be her answer. "Well, I think if I was down to asking myself and I, perhaps I would have asked more diretly...but just in case that was your way of asking me if I just may be looking for a plat and a mate to share it with over the summer...I just may be talked into it. After all, If I planning to move to Italy next year, it might be good to have a bit of a trial run." He flashed Jill another grin before looking back down at his meal and taking another bite. It was wonderful, just as he knew it would be. While he ate he sent a few glances towards Jill, waiting for her reaction to his offer to be her flatmate.

[jillian]

Jill almost choked on a piece of her food when Payton said he could move in. She hadn't, okay, she had thought of that - but she wasn't saying that... oh... Jill took a sip of her tea and looked at that painting she had been looking at before. Seriously thinking this over. If Payton and her shared the flat, she could keep it. There was more than enough room for the both of them. Jill sighed and turned back to Payton, "Alright, you're telling me that you'd be perfectly fine just up and sharing a flat with me on a spontaneous thought?" Jill took a bite of her meal and chewed it over. When she had swallowed, she nodded once, "What am I saying? You're the one who gave me the spontaneity speech at Beltane. Well, if you really want to have to put up with me even more so than you do now - then yes I suppose that was my way of asking you, but only if you want to." Jill raised her eyebrow questioningly before putting another bite into her mouth. Of course, this whole thing was just out of nowhere. And if they really went through with it - it would take a bit to get Joann to understand. It would so be worth it though, Jill figured even if they didn't follow through with it - she would mention it to Joann just to see her face.

"Before you completely make your decision though, I must warn you - it isn't pretty when I am at the flat. I walk around with this green goo on my face, and I am up at all hours of the night - sometimes even blasting music. And we have whacky neighbors... really. One time the little old lady below us was crawling around near our door claiming her cat squeezed in and her cat is very huge. I can't fit my arms around it." Jill smiled widely at Payton while taking another sip of her tea, "I'm just saying.. if you agree, it'll be amusing if anything."

[payton]

He couldn't resist grinning at the fact that she was at least slightly thrown off by his offer. He hadn't thought it was anything to be surprised at; he hadn't exactly been thinking about getting a flat away from the family this summer, but it made sense. He was planning on moving to Italy in the upcoming year and it would be good to have a bit more experience on his own before he traveled across the Continent from his family. Besides, he had a feeling Jill would be a rather good flatmate. It was something between them ever since they had first met--they were opposites and somehow it worked out perfectly. "Its not that spontaneous you know. Now if we had just met, that would be spontaneous. I've had a good....5 minutes to consider my offer." He flashed Jill a bright grin before taking another bit of his dinner.

As Jill continued to explain what life might be life if the lived together his eyebrows raised again, as he thought for a moment that maybe Jill didn't know what his life was like back home. Living with just to of them to a flat would be rather life a vacation. "Try and scare me away all you want but my offer stands. Besides, I've been sharing a flat with 11 siblings for most of my life...7 of them girls and one of them an infant. I'm pretty sure I've seen it all by now." He flashed Jill another bright grin, the longer the let the idea of moving in with her settle into his mind the more he liked it. At first he was thinking it would let Jill keep the flat, which was important to her, but he was thinking even more that it would be fun to live with Jill. "Now, if you promise me I get to wear my own green goo, there will be no changing my mind."

[jillian]

"Ah, yes, five minutes. That's definitely enough time to consider moving in with someone. Why consider it for a day or two, five minutes is enough." She smiled at him teasingly and took another sip of her tea. In her mind, she was playing over telling Joann Payton and her were going to share a flat. First there would be the face of confusion, she'd ask who Payton was and then Jill would remind her. And then she would be surprised, and then try to get something out of their relationship - which was non existent romantic wise. It would be difficult explaining to Joann that Payton and Jill were just friends, close friends. "Just friends" didn't seem to be a phrase Joann could grasp. She had either dated all her guy friends, or they weren't interested in her - and those ones she wasn't very close with.

Jill finished off her meal, being a relatively fast but neat eater, and grinned at Payton as he said he probably had seen it all. "I didn't think of that, so maybe my green goo mask won't scare you all that much." She wiped her mouth with her napkin and then looked at Payton for a moment, her gaze steady. She searched his eyes and his face for any sign of joking, although she knew he wasn't, and then she sat back, her legs crossed and her arms folded in her lap; "Alright, let's do it. But you can't back out if you decide you haven't seen it all and I'm just a new level of disaster. So, that's settled then? We're going to be sharing the flat?" She raised her eyebrow at him and tilted her head. "We can figure out the money arrangements and moving arrangements and anything you want to do with the flat some other time - we'll have to do with Joann though, the flat's under her name." She thought she was getting ahead of herself, but she slowly shook her head and grinned at Payton, "And of course you get your green goo, we can seal it with that... sort of like a pact."

[payton]

He flashed her a bright smile when she commented on taking five minutes to make a decision instead of a day or two. Yes, perhaps a rational person would have taken their time in deciding, gone home and discussed it with the family, but he was sure of it with out taking the time or talking it over. It was the right thing to do. He knew Pops would be sad to have to give his son up for more than just the school year, but he would never stand in Payton's way either. Mum N. wouldn't quite approve of him moving in with a girl, especially one he obviously cared so much about, but she wouldn't stop him either. After taking another sip of his drink he shrugged. "Why waste a day or two thinking it over when I already know what I want." He grinned at Jill again, his eyebrows raising as he glanced down at his now cleared plate. Dinner here always seemed to disappear too quickly.

Finally Jill seemed to come on board with the idea, and she leaned back in her chair, looking like her own mind was rushing with thoughts of what this might actually include. Payton grinned again, nodding when she mentioned the green goo "If we seal the deal in green I'm there until you kick me out. We both know there's no way out of a green goo pact." He was still grinning when their waiter returned, cleaning up their plates he glanced at the two before asking if they would like to see the desert menu. After glancing across the table at Jill, Payton looked back up towards the waiter and shook his head. "No menu necessary, we will share the chocolate special, and could you bring us each coffee to have with it as well?" The waiter smiled at the two, nodding before he disappeared again, leaving Jill and Payton alone once more. "Hope you don't mind that I just ordered that. You can't come here with out getting the chocolate special...and I guess I'm hoping you are a coffee drinker, because if I drink both of them I won't be able to sleep and I have to work in the morning."

[jillian]

Her smile grew at his remark toward her thinking it over thing, "Straight forward mind, Payton?" Jill's hand went to a curl that had fallen out of place and tucked it behind her ear which was donned with a light blue stud. She had forgotten she had put on earrings before she had fallen asleep. Her hand fell back to her lap as she thought about what Joann would say. Payton had everyone in his family to talk this over with or explain it to, and Jill only had Joann to explain all this to - although that would be a big task upon itself. Making a mental note to call Joann when she got back from her honeymoon, Jill let her mind settle on different thoughts. The meal seemed to be over, considering she had finished her food and Payton's plate seemed to be cleared as well. The waiter appeared and picked up their empty dishes asking if they needed a desert menu. Payton said it wasn't necessary and then ordered desert and two coffees. She grinned at him and shook her head.

"Yeah, I drink coffee. Living with someone like Joann you can't not drink it. I just rarely ever have time to get it for myself when I'm running to get her one," Jill smiled happily at him and fiddled with the dress watch she had on her wrist. It was one that Joann had given her for her birthday, she rarely had any oppurtunities to wear it - and it was very pretty. She turned her attention back to Payton and referred to what he said about the green goo mask pact, "Well then, I suppose if I get sick of you I'm in for it, then? I don't think I'll get sick of you though, if that was going to happen I think I would have done that already." She grinned at him and then took another sip of her iced tea, actually the last sip of her iced tea.

[payton]

He gave Jill a soft, easy going smile when she finished her sentence by saying that she was pretty sure that she wouldn't get sick of him, as she hadn't so far. It was an honest statement, which was rather nice after they had jokingly talked themselves into being roommates. "Well, I never doubted spending every day with you for a moment--but if your concerned I promise I will be on my best behavior. No random appartions, no races between Ribet and Squeak through the apartment, none of Dill's fireworks." He flashed Jill a bright grin, knowing that he had made the topic more light hearted again. He started to lift up his right hand as if about to do some sort of salute just as their waiter returned with their chocolate desert and two small cups of coffee. He set the desert between the two, and placed a coffee before each of them, before disappearing.

Payton watched the waiter got for a moment before laughing slightly and leaning forward so he could lower his voice a bit, but he raised his arm back up as he did. "Wizards honor." After he said it he grinned at her again, straightening up so he could sip at his coffee before handing one of the desert spoons across the table for Jill. "So Jilli, mia cara, the honeymoon is to last 2 weeks was it? So that means, three weeks I'd say and you're stuck with me day and night."

[jillian]

Her laugh was full and one that she hardly used anymore, "Well, that's good to know, though fireworks would be fine for certain occasions. I would say set off wizarding ones but that might be hard to explain to the ministry and any muggles who ask." Jill said this rather quietly, in case anyone else was listening. She was always afraid she would slip up and say too much, she hadn't done it yet - but it was always a fear of hers. A big one. Jill didn't think she had lots of fears, but those fears she did have weren't really little ones. Then again, were fears ever little to who they were feared by? Jill mentally shrugged it off and smiled calmy just as the waiter reappeared with their coffee and desert. She put her hands around the small cup and brought it to her lips, letting the bitter but delicious drink in her mouth.

It was then Payton leaned in, raised his right hand, and said 'wizard's honor.' Jill smiled wide and set her coffee down before taking the desert spoon Payton was offering her. She dipped her spoon into the chocolate desert and then brought it to her mouth. It was absolutely delicious. Jill's eyes widened with surprise and then she smiled, which burst into a light laugh when she had swallowed. Three weeks alone in the flat, and then Payton would be there day and night. Jill didn't know if she should be frightened or excited. Wait. What was that he called her? She looked up, her smile still warm on her face, "Jilli mia cara?" She repeated. It sounded like Italian, but she wasn't fluent in the language. Actually Jilli didn't, that just sounded like a nickname. Which made her smile grow even more.

[payton]

"My dear....Mia cara means my dear." Grinning as he replied he sent another glance down at their desert which was fast disappearing between them. "I've tried to start learning Italian already...I guess your just going to have to put up with my talking to you in foreign languages if we live together." Still grinning his eyebrows raised as his mind whirled ahead to what living with Jilli was going to be liked. "And you know, I think I rather like Jilli." Still grinning he pointed his desert spoon at her shoulder, moving it to the other as he spoke "I Sir Payton Moore, now dub the Jilli, mia cara cicono amore." As he finished he laughed, immediately filling his spoon whit one of the last bites of desert. "Rather fitting title if I do say so myself."

Payton was still laughing when the waiter returned to their table, and discretely set their check next to Payton. Almost as subtle as the check had appeared in the first place Pay peeked under the leather cover and slipped his payment between before directing his attention back towards Jilli. "So what do you think, about time to get you back to this flat of ours?"

[jillian]

He explained what it meant and Jill smiled as she took another bite of the desert. Chocolate really made Jill feel happy, she wasn't sure why. Then again, maybe chocolate made any girl happy. Wasn't that why chooclate made everything better when couples got into arguments? Jill thought this over as she listened to him, "Well, that's understandable. If you're going to Italy you should know Italian, unless you plan on hiring a translator whenever you go out or talk to someone. Though, that can get pricey. I don't think I'll mind you speaking to me in a foreign language all that much, actually, I think I'll rather enjoy it - should be fun." She smiled and finished her coffee, then set her spoon down - just completely full. She couldn't eat another bite. Her smile grew into another laugh when he dubbed her Jilli something in Italian. She hadn't any idea what it was, but she had a feeling she would find out down the road.

The check came, or at least she thought it came, but it was there and then gone within moments. Jill smiled again at Payton's question, "Yes, let's. But can we not pop this time? I think doing that just after eating would probably be a very very bad idea. Especially since apparating tends to make my stomach do topsy turvy tricks."

[payton]

He laughed when Jill said that him walking around the flat speaking to her in a foreign language would be fun. There was a certain level of appeal to it he presumed--and as a bonus for Jill she would end up learning it as well and then he could have someone to converse with to practice. "You know, we're going to start appearing to be a bad romance movie if I walk around speaking to you in Italian." He laughed shaking his head at what he knew was inevitable. Italian was a romantic language, there was no way he could call her mia cara or anything else in the language and not have it appear to be a bad romance movie. "On the positive side though, I presume we could always sell the rights to someone in the American Hollywood and get rich off the whole thing."

As he pushed his chair back he stepped forward towards Jill's chair and offered her his arm, just as any good gentleman would have done. "Don't worry, I planned on a much more muggle method of getting home...walking you to your doorstep, you know that strange sometimes a guy does after taking a girl out in those sappy movies I still need to educate you on." He glanced over at Jill, flashing her one of his easy going smiles he somehow managed no matter what the occasion. When they reached the door that lead out onto the street the stepped ahead and pushed it open, motioning for Jill to walk through before him before he followed her. Once they were back on the street he reached down and took her hand. "You know, I'm glad I nearly forced you to go to the wedding today, if only because it meant I was dragged along as well."

[jillian]

Jill held a small smile on her face and she shrugged, "I doubt any romance movie could be bad with you in it. You're the King of romantic notions, I'm sure. Didn't we establish that at Beltane?" Her smile grew into a bright one as he said they could sell rights to Hollywood in America, that would be an amusing thing. Watching a movie and thinking, 'oh, that was me.' Jill rarely had chances to do that - things in movies rarely ever were realistic enough to compare to Jill's life. Payton had stood and offered her his arm, she stood as well and took it with another smile. She was half expecting this charming mask to fall away and Payton turn into this gruesome monster. Maybe he was waiting till he was settled in the flat for that. Jill pushed the thought away and smiled calmly at Payton as he explained walking her home was what he thought he would do instead of apparating. "Ah, yes, that. The ones I used to make fun of because they always always end up doing something stupid, then closing the door and leaning against it in either shock or embarrassment. I think I'll avoid that part."

She left the restaruant and felt a cool breeze wisp by. She brought her hand up and tucked her curl behind her ear again and grinned. Jill felt his hand in hers but her attention never strayed. She smiled at him and then looked at the ground, "I shouldnt have been forced to go anyway. You were right, it was something I had to be there for her, and I was being selfish by being upset at her. I think I added that last bit in though, you never said that. I just... I don't know. Well, the point is, I'm glad you forced me to go... it was a great wedding and afterward was amazing too. Do you do this for all your friends? Well, the girl ones?"

[payton]

A slight smile played across his lips when Jill said that she was being selfish when she didn't want to go to Joann's wedding. Glancing over at her he nodded every so slightly. "See, there's hope for you yet. Your figured that part out with out any help from me. I think there's hope for you yet." His slight smiled grew wider and he squeezed her hand. It was slightly amazing to think back to what Jill was like when he first met her in the student lounge placing a game of wizard chess. Jill was still cynical, but he had a feeling if that first hight he had taken her out as he did today the night would have ended with very different feelings than it was at the moment as they strolled down the street hand in hand. Though he did consider the fact that she hadn't put up a fight when he said that he would walk her home quite the success.

He could just see the door to Jill's building appear before them when she asked him if he did this for everyone or just his the girls he happened to be acquainted with. Glancing over at her, his eyebrows raised. "Now, I know I get to be the Hogwart's charmer, so I have quite the reputation, but I can promise you are the only one I have ever taken to a wedding, concert and romantic dinner all in one day." As he finished his answer they reached Jill's door, and he stopped, turning so that he faced her, lifting his free hand to push a strand of hair away from her face. It was the same strand that he had watched her push back every since the Weird Sisters when it became far less obedient than the rest of her locks. He tiled his head as he watched her for a moment, his normal easy going smile on his face. "Well, were here...and since I don't live here yet I'm afraid I have a bit of a trek back to my own flat to make. But I'll talk to my family in the next couple of days and give you a ring, then we can figure out where to go from there." He paused for a moment, still standing in front of Jill with her hand in his. "Thank you for today though, I had a wonderful time." After he spoke, he leaned in and let his lips brush lightly against hers for a friendly goodnight kiss before letting his own hand slip away from hers and he stepped back away form her.

[jillian]

Jill laughed again and shook her head, “Maybe there is hope for me, but not much. I still don’t believe that prince charming will come galloping to my door and rescue me from a non-existent fire breathing dragon. If you can prove that to me, then you’ll make a believer out of this cynic.” She gave him a challenging look but held that gentle smile on her face. Her eyes drifted to the night scene of London. To some it was a scary place to be, but Jill loved it. She loved the feeling of walking the streets with a friend or someone you cared about – and just talking, or rushing to get to a film or concert. Jill loved the city, but sometimes she got really sick of it. The noises and everything. Sometimes Jill wished she were someplace else. Maybe that’s why she loved Hogwarts so much, it wasn’t nearly as noisy.

They came to her building and Payton finally answered her question. Jill widened her smile and started to take her key out of her purse that she was surprised she hadn’t lost. When she had her keys she looked up at him again and shook her head, “I swear, girls whisper in the washroom about things – just who they’ve dated or hung out with and such, and if I told them you did take me to a wedding, a concert, and dinner all in one night; I don’t think they’d quite believe me.” The tendril fell in front of her face again and she was about to tuck it behind her ear, but Payton got to it first and gently pushed it out of her face. She laughed lightly, “Thanks, I suppose doing it the muggle way makes it stronger so it won’t come out when you jump around at a concert, maybe I should do that next time.” When he said he’d call her about everything when he had finished talking to his family, Jill nodded, “Sounds great.”

He then thanked her for the day and she was about to respond when he kissed her lightly. It wasn’t their first kiss, but this time Jill wasn’t in complete shock. She felt his hand slip from hers as he pulled away after a second, maybe. She smiled at him, not really knowing what the kiss meant – but having a feeling it was just friendly and that was okay with her. At least, she convinced herself it was. “I had fun, too. Next time a close friend of mine gets married and I’m being selfish – I’ll have you talk me into going and drag you along.” She thought for a moment, “On second thought, maybe we could just randomly go for a concert instead, skip the whole wedding thing.” She fiddled with her keys a moment and then turned a bit to insert it into the lock, “Thanks again, and be careful on your walk home – you hear horror stories about London at night.” She opened the door and then stepped inside, giving him a small wave, “Night.” Jill closed the door.