For Tina

[ladyliberty]

Amelia liked Starbucks. The smell, the taste, the sights-- she could almost always walk into a given Starbucks and, within half an hour, find a cute boy to buy her a frappucino. And the type of boy tended to be much less skeezy than the ones you'd find at bars that she couldn't get into anyway.

Today she sat nibbling on a biscotti, wings tucked carefully behind her back, glancing up whenever she beat her level of Candy Crush to scope out the prospectives.

Comments

[ladyliberty]

Yes, she gets that one a lot. She never complains, though.

"Aren't you the gentleman," she coos. "I'll have a mocha chocolate crumble frap with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle. See voo play."

[inthefrenchstyle]

"A mocha chocolate..." What? He runs through it in his head again, humming to himself. It doesn't throw him off as badly as her interesting usage of 'French' though at least. "As you wish, ma princesse."

He puts his bag from the art supply store down onto the chair next to her, claiming his spot, and then he turns to walk toward the counter. As always, he's sure to strut.

[ladyliberty]

While he's in line, Amelia takes the liberty of poking through his bags. So, art student, huh? She should have guessed. Not bad, not bad at all.

[inthefrenchstyle]

Francis returns and hands her the unnecessarily complicated drink. After, he slides into the seat next to her, sure that when he was settled next to her that their knees touched beneath the table.

"Now," Francis says softly. "Care to grace me with your lovely name?"

[ladyliberty]

Amelia rubs her leg against his, rearranging her wings as she scoots over and accidentally-on-purpose brushing across his arm with her wingtip.

"Amelia," she says. "And yours?"

[inthefrenchstyle]

At all the casual touches, the brush of her wing, he can't help but arch a brow. She knows how to play the game, and that makes it more fun for him.

"Amélie~" he says, winking. "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl. I'm Francis." In greeting, he leans forward and kisses her cheek. His eyes go back to her wings after a moment, clearly curious.

[ladyliberty]

"Ooh la la~" Amelia coos. He's damn right she knows how to play this game. "Do you do that with every girl?"

[inthefrenchstyle]

"Only the angels," he says back instantly, fingers moving toward the feathers but stopping short of touching just yet. "What's your major, Amélie?" He hasn't yet realized how young she is.

[ladyliberty]

"Oh, I'm undecided," she says quickly-- it's true enough, and a good evasion when she doesn't want to mention that she's still (unfortunately) in high school. Then she grins. "But trust me, I'm no angel."

[inthefrenchstyle]

"Ah, I see. I'm an art major," Francis explains, fingers just barely brushing down along the feathers. "And I hate to hear that, though. I wanted to paint an angel and you're the loveliest I've found so far."

He says it with a hint of teasing, just in case she found that a strange request.

[ladyliberty]

She shivers a bit at the teasingly light contact. "I kind of figured that." She smiles, nodding toward his bag of supplies. "And I guess I could do a pretty good impression of one, if that's what you're into."

[inthefrenchstyle]

He follows her gaze to the bag of art supplies and hums. "Oh yes of course," he says, as though just remembering himself it was there. He turns his eyes back toward her and takes her hand. "'What I'm into?'" he repeats. "Oh you make it sound so base. It's really not! I simply have a great appreciation for beauty. So will you sit for me? To be painted?"

[ladyliberty]

"I'd love to!" Amelia squeaks, all genuine and giddy. Becoming a real live work of art? It was almost better than meeting a dreamy French guy.

She had no doubts that he was an excellent artist-- he just had the air of it. "You'd really do that?"

[inthefrenchstyle]

At first, he's taken aback by her excitement but then he gives an genuine amused laugh. "Yes, it would be my honor to paint you, mon ange. It would be a source a pride." He reaches over and tucks her hair behind her ear. "Would you happen to have an appropriate white dress?"

Though he does have a certain amount of women's clothing and costuming in his apartment, he doesn't have anything catered to a woman with wings.

[ladyliberty]

"Well, it's like I said, I'm not really a white dress kinda gal." Although even if she had one, she was hardly going to take a mature and worldly college boy back to her mom's house to pick it up. She lowers her eyelids and flutters her lashes at him. "I guess you'll just have to use your imagination."

[inthefrenchstyle]

He arches a brow at her attitude- the fluttering and the flirtatious words. After a moment, he raises his hand to her face. He tilts her head back and moves to murmur against his ear, "You're an angel of temptation, aren't you~?"

As he pulls back again he scrunches his face a bit in concentration, looking her over and humming gently. "In which case a nice red would be better suited for you."

[ladyliberty]

"Mmmm, maybe!" Amelia giggles, delighting at the attention and his touch. "I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

[inthefrenchstyle]

"I'd love to find out a great many things as a matter a fact," he tells her, leaning back now and sipping his drink. "Are you free today then, Miss Amélie?"

[ladyliberty]

"I think I can find some time in my busy schedule to squeeze in a little inspiring this afternoon."

[inthefrenchstyle]

He offers her his hand. "So you don't mind following me home then?"

[ladyliberty]

She takes it, sipping coyly on her frappuccino as she does. "Lead the way."

[inthefrenchstyle]

Francis gives her a dashing smile and stands, helping her to her feet. He offers his elbow to her, intent upon escorting her. "It's about fifteen minutes from here. Do you live near campus as well?"

[ladyliberty]

Rats. She'd hoped she'd already dodged that little issue.

"Ah, no, I live off campus," she filled in quickly. "But I'd love it if you showed me around!"

[inthefrenchstyle]

"I'd be happy to show you around," he says gallantly, leading her from the Starbucks. "You must be a freshman then if you're still getting lost hmm? I live off campus too, actually, but close."

[ladyliberty]

"Oh, well, I just mean, you must know way cooler places than I do."