001 [warning: sexytimes]

[seeagreatergood]

Happy Hour at Allen's is, as usual, loud with competing voices and scents, all of which are less important to Auggie than Annie and Jai's laughter and the second beer in front of him.

Well. Almost all. Occasionally Auggie cocks his head at the sound of heels or the floral scent of shampoo and listens to Jai and Annie's reactions. Jai has one chuckle for redheads and another for brunettes, while Annie has a groan for blondes that Auggie is told is rather hypocritical of her.

"Did the last three girls all have tequila, or was it just one carrying enough shots for her whole party?" he wonders.

"The last four," Jai corrects, audibly smirking. "Your nose must be getting tired."

"I don't get it. Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow -- you'd think people could hold off on the faux-Mexican debauchery until Saturday."

He hears Annie sit bolt upright.

"Oh crap, it's Friday, I have a thing with my--"

"Sister," Auggie and Jai chorus with her. Auggie grins, in spite of the dirty look he's sure she's giving him, and adds, "Jai, you owe me ten bucks."

Jai sighs and digs in his pockets. "Which ought to just about cover your cab ride." He slaps the money onto the table at Auggie's ten o'clock. "Annie, I'll walk you to your car, I'm headed that way."

"Now there's a Pyrrhic victory," Auggie says, with a sigh of his own. "Annie, did he really give me a ten?"

"Yes!" Annie says, laughing, and squeezes his shoulder as she stands. "You're so paranoid."

"I'm wounded that you don't trust me," Jai agrees, also standing.

"You'll heal, I'm sure. Have a good weekend, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Same to you, Auggie," Jai says, with an eyeroll crystal-clear in his voice.

"That'll be a boring weekend, then," Auggie calls after Jai's cologne and Annie's heels, then turns back to his beer. Now where is he going to find a ride with all these tequila-soaked early birds?

Comments

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"You can if it's tea. I prefer to avoid mixing alcohol and motorcycles."

[seeagreatergood]

". . . You," he says, pointing at her, "are not only a wise woman, but just gained several cool points. Well played. What do you ride?"

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"2011 Victory Vision. Gorgeous, gorgeous bike."

[seeagreatergood]

"To go with a gorgeous rider, I'm sure. Wish I could see it."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"I can't help you there, but it does have a passenger seat."

You know. If he wants to experience her ride.

Ahem.

[seeagreatergood]

"You give rides?"

Ahem.

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"Well, not to just anyone..."

[seeagreatergood]

"Well, of course not. We already established that you're smart."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"And I have excellent taste in passengers."

[seeagreatergood]

He tsks.

"There went my chances."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"Ooh, I did bruise your ego. If I bring you out to meet the bike, will that make you feel better?"

[seeagreatergood]

Auggie grins in her direction.

"That would be something of a balm."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"In that case, I will. Sometime after I finish my tea."

[seeagreatergood]

"Whatever will we talk about until then?"

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"Motorcycles, espionage, your ego...?"

What do these three subjects have in common?

[seeagreatergood]

"What kind of math you're working on?"

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"Harder to turn that into innuendo," she says contemplatively. "I'll have to think a little."

[seeagreatergood]

Auggie cracks up.

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth

(let's go with that)

giggles a little.

[seeagreatergood]

"I mean, if you wanted to go that route, I could just ask what you want me to cook you for breakfast tomorrow, but then I'd really feel like a sleaze."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"That depends entirely on how good a cook you are," she says without missing a beat.

[seeagreatergood]

"Pretty good for a guy who owns Braille measuring cups."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"We'd have to make it your place, then; I'm not sure I have measuring cups."

[seeagreatergood]

"Which leaves the question of what you'd like me to cook. All I've got at home is coffee, I'm afraid, so if you want tea we'll have to stop for it."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"I can deal with coffee. I am a grad student. And you know, I think I'll like it best if you surprise me."

This is a backwards way of negotiating a one-night stand.

She likes it.