Thread: A Knight without Shining Armor (Google+Velvet Stars)

The moment that she was certain of Jason's good mood, Marisa's cheerful smile returned in force. Her expression gave away the relief she felt over his calm acceptance of the unexpected change of plans. For a second, her glance flicked across the table to her sister, as if to say See? I told you he was a gentleman! Yet the implied compliment towards her twin's watchfulness surprised her. She had expected a little annoyance, at the least, but he seemed glad that they were both there. In fact, his comment reminded her of what Melanie kept saying her before they left home...but, if he could agree with that, certainly he couldn't be offended by the other girl's suspicion. Privately, Marisa wondered if she had almost been too trusting of her online friend... Then she dismissed the idea. After all, if he were some kind of creep, he would disagree with her sister trying to watch over her, not go along with it. No, this was just additional proof of how nice he was! A hint of a blush touched her face again upon being called 'amazing', even as she glanced down a bit. O-oh, I'm not that special... Marisa giggled softly, a hand raised to hide her smile. Such pleased yet bashful responses had always been her reaction to being complimented so. She couldn't quite hide how much she liked the attention, but was a little too humble to openly bask in it. Of course, Melanie was watching both of them as they spoke. She managed to hide most of her surprise at his acceptance of her presence, though one eyebrow did peek over the top edge of her glasses at the praise directed her way. Then she caught that smile, and her expression turned a bit thoughtful. This guy obviously knew why she was there, even without either of them spelling it out of course he would want to avoid alienating her. He wasn't an idiot, so he would try to be on his best behavior while she was around. She was caught between a hint of exasperation on having her intentions figured out so quickly, and satisfaction at the knowledge that the important part of her plan was working. Even if she couldn't prove to Marisa that there was something odd about all this, what mattered was keeping both of them out of trouble. With that in mind, what he said next raised a red flag in her mind. To her credit, Marisa looked a bit apprehensive as well. Alone? In a strange man's apartment? Even she had heard terrible stories of girls disappearing during private meetings with strangers. She knew better than to allow something like that to happen to her. If she had been unaccompanied, she would have come up with a polite excuse, or a suggestion of some other activity. Instead, she glanced over to her sister. What followed was the kind of wordless conversation most people normally saw between old married couples - a discussion carried out via expressions and motions alone. After several moments of exchanged glances, half-gestures, and a final nod from Melanie, Marisa responded for both of them. Well...I guess we can talk there for a little while. Maybe we can go for a walk after we eat? The suggestion was a bit of an afterthought, yet both girls seemed to be less on edge once she voiced it. Neither of them were completely comfortable with the idea of being alone in the apartment with him, which spoke well of their common sense. Though not as well as it might have if they had refused altogether. But, Marisa added, I'd like to watch that movie later. I can't believe you remembered about the Princess Bride! Her smile was just a little playful, hinting at some small detail she wasn't mentioning. Melanie's small frown made it clear that she was bothered by something in the statement, but what might have been surprising. They actually both liked that movie...but Melanie didn't go around telling people that it was a childhood favorite of hers, and now wasn't the best time to almost reveal that. Hoping that Jason would assume that Marisa was talking only about herself, she quietly cleared her throat. If we have enough time...we still have to catch the bus back home. She put a slight emphasis on that 'if', making it clear that they might not stay long enough to watch the film at all. I know... Marisa sighed, not really wanting the reminder, but accepting it all the same. Then another thought crossed her mind, and she smiled again. Jason, didn't you tell me once that there's a really great Chinese restaurant around here? Is that where we're going? She didn't say it, but she was glad that he recalled the small details, like the fact that the twins had gone out for Chinese with friends last month. Learning all the little things about her...wasn't that a sign that he was interested in her for who she was? She could only hope that Melanie would be convinced of that too, before the end of the day.