"Oh, I don't know about that." Maren sighed, casting a soft glance towards the kitchen. "She's trying her best, but she hasn't gotten the hang of it just yet." They laughed, remembering the latest concert Ince had given them. It had been… well, she had been very excited, and that's all they were going to say about that. "Heh, alright." Maren tried not to smile too much at Cyrus' slightly reddened cheeks, but it was impossible. He was just so… so pretty. It was unfair. It was probably better that he didn't work at the shop, because they would probably spend all their time staring at him. "Oh, that would be lovely! I'm sure Ince would love having you as a teacher." As if summoned by her parent's words, Ince shot out of the back, phone in hand.
"Mapi, can I go over to Tova's house? Meja will be there too." She skidded to a stop at the booth, only then noticing Cyrus. "Oh, hi!" She gave Cyrus a quick wave, then turned back to Maren.
"Did you finish your homework?" Maren gave her a doubtful look.
"Yes, of course!" Ince started bouncing, clearly eager to go over to her friend's house.
"Alright, have fun, mija. Be home for dinner." Maren had barely finished speaking before Ince rocketed back towards the kitchen.
"Thanks-love-you-bye!" She called over her shoulder. Maren shook their head, then turned back to Cyrus just in time to catch his question.
"Me? I, uh, no. Nowhere except dinner." They let out a slightly breathless laugh. They'd heard him correctly, right?
Cyrus' eyes lit up. His heart raced as he fumbled to try and get the words out of his mouth. Cold droplets of sweat beaded on his forehead as his chest rose and fell. He became almost hyper aware of everything around him. Before he could lose his courage that had been collected over the course of this conversation, he blurted it out. "Would you like to have dinner with me?.. Maybe?"
"Dinner?" Maren blinked. Had Cyrus really just asked that? Oh, wow, they couldn't believe it. They wanted to say yes so badly. But… when they'd first come into the city, they'd promised themself they wouldn't get close to anyone. It was for the better, to keep themself and later Ince safe. Still… that had been years ago. They'd made that promise when they were just getting used to maintaining a human form. By now, it was as easy as breathing. It couldn't hurt to have dinner with Cyrus. "I would love to, Siro."
A mile-wide smile spawned on Cyrus' face as he heard the words Maren had just said. His heart moved much faster than his mouth did though, set in a flurry of beating. His mouth struggles to catch up "That's great!" he cheered, loud enough for Lucia and Favian to jump a little, startled from the sudden noise, especially coming from the small, usually quiet, man. "Ah, perdon" he apologized, waving at them. Turning back, he began "So, Maren, where exactly would you like to have dinner? It could be here. Or at my place. Or even a restaurant! I don't mind really, I have a dating fund." he chuckled "So, what'll it be?"
Maren's face split into a huge smile at Cyrus' enthusiasm. It felt really nice to know that he was so excited to spend time with them. "Hmm…" They tilted their head slightly, thinking over the options. They didn't know why, but their first reaction was to go to a restaurant. It had been ages since they'd stepped foot in one and they sort of missed it. Maren loved cooking, but it would be nice to have someone else make their food for once. "I think a restaurant would be lovely, Siro," Maren said, laughing along with him.
His smile seemed to ripple across the rest of his body, as his heart began to beat faster and his lungs began to breathe shorter breaths "Well, I know a place around the corner, it's a really good Chinese place. It's a little cheap, but it's really good, especially because I don't really have that much money" he chuckled "So… do we go now or..?" he looked at the couple at the other table. He didn't really want them to get kicked out. "Maybe I should go home… get dressed and then pick you up? Is that ok?"
"That sounds perfect," Maren said. They thought they knew the place Cyrus was talking about. They'd never been, but they were pretty sure Lucia had recommended it at one point. "Uh… yes, that would probably be best." Maren followed his glance to Lucia and Favian. They didn't want to rush them, plus they needed to let Ince know what they would be doing. And they needed to make her something to eat when she got home. Actually, no. Ince was capable of making her own food. She would probably love the chance to make stuff on her own. They'd just leave her a note reminding her not to burn the place down, then. "What time will you be picking me up?"
"Um, I could pick you up at seven or eight? After that I can't really guarantee I'll be awake" he laughed softly. He was only half joking when he said this though. "Fair warning though, I don't have a car, so I'll be bringing my sisters pickup truck… it might be a little messy" he clarified, with a concerned look on his face "Is that ok?"
"Seven sounds perfect," Maren replied, nodding. "And that's fine. I don't mind at all." As long as they got to have dinner with Cyrus, they didn't care how they were getting there. It didn't have to be fancy, it just had to be with him. They would even walk there if they had to. Though it was nice that Cyrus was picking them up.
"Cool! Great!" he got up awkwardly, almost tripping over himself "Uh, sorry about that, see you at seven!" he looked at them with a heartwarming smile "I'll, uh, I'll dress up nice!" Walking out the door, his heart fluttered, thinking of the date he just scheduled with the most gorgeous person in town. He knew he couldn't mess this up. It had to be perfect. He went home, with a determined look on his face. He was going to make this the best date ever.
Maren bit back a laugh at how excited Cyrus seemed. They shouldn't be laughing, because they were just as excited. "I'll see you at seven," They echoed, giving him a small wave as he walked out. The second he was out the door, both Favian and Lucia lept from their seats and sprinted over to Maren.
"You idiot, why didn't you kick us out and go with that handsome person right now?" Favian slid into the booth next to Maren.
"Well, I–I didn't know you wanted to be kicked out." Maren shook their head, laughing softly. "It's fine, it gives me time to prepare."
"Not that you need to. You're already drop-dead gorgeous." Lucia grinned, grabbing Favian's arm and pulling them to their feet. "We'll get out of your hair. Have fun, Maren." She blew a kiss in their direction and dragged Favian out of the shop.
"Tell us everything tomorrow!" Favian called over their shoulder. Maren watched them leave, then stood. Time to get ready. Oh, they couldn't believe this was finally happening!
Once Cyrus got home he went directly to his sister "Can I borrow your car for later tonight? I promise I'll bring it back in perfect condition" he practically begged her before she had even said a word "Listen 'mano, I get your desperate for a date, but begging like this isn't a good look on you" she laughed, and he pouted more "ugh, I miss it when you would sit quietly in a corner reading a book instead of pestering me over your stupid crush… take the truck." she conceded.
His face lit up "Thank you so much! I promise I'll pay for gas money!" he exclaimed. She shook her head mockingly and went back to her magazine. Cyrus headed over to his room to get ready. He had a bit of time, so he tried to go all out. Once he finished getting ready is was about 6:45. He looked in the mirror and smiled at his choice in dress. He didn't overdress of course, he simply wore a nice looking grey wool sweater, a pair of creme slacks along with a dark brown overcoat, buttons open, he wore his nicest shoes, which sadly, weren't dress shoes, but a pair of white vans. He was also wearing pomegranate scented perfume. A nice, fancy smell.
He left his room and his sister called out immediately "The keys are on the table" He smiled, a silent thank you, and he headed to the cluttered table, picking up the keys.
Once he got to Maren's place, he got off and knocked on the door, softly. This felt like prom night, and yet, he felt so good about it. He was excited.
Maren closed up the shop as quickly as they could and hurried up to their apartment. They flopped back onto their bed, a huge grin on their face. Right, before they could do anything, they had to get everything ready for Ince. Maren sent her a text, telling her where they were going and all sorts of other things that would probably make her roll her eyes. They then wrote 'remember not to burn the house down :)' on several sticky notes and stuck them around the kitchen. Maren surveyed the place and decided that it would be good enough. Time to get dressed. They chose a nice dark purple skirt and a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up. Maren hadn't dressed up in a while, so they weren't entirely sure what they were doing. They also undid their braid, deciding it would be fancier if they had it down. By the time they'd done all of that, it was nearly time for Cyrus to get there. Maren spent the time waiting for him by messing with their hair, eventually deciding to wear a beautiful golden hairpin they'd acquired in their travels. It felt fancy, and it looked really pretty too. A win-win situation. A knock sounded at the door, making a smile spread across their face. Maren hurried to the door and opened it.
When Maren opened the door all Cyrus could do was stare in awe. He didn't know what to say. They were the most beautiful person he had ever met, he knew that much, but this was on a different level. They were almost… glowing. After a nice awkward half minute staring he finally spat out "You're so gorgeous" which he immediately regretted, blushing furiously "I mean, unless you don't like being called that… maybe I'm going a little fast for a first date… wait…" his eyes went wide a little as he whispered "is this a date? I hope it is…" He shook his head and looked back up at them, still blushing "Sorry sorry… shall we head to the car?"
Oh, wow, Cyrus looked… amazing. Maren felt their face heat up slightly, their lips curving into a smile. "Hello, Siro." Cyrus' expression of awe made their face burn even more. Either they had done really well or really badly at 'fancy'. Thankfully, Cyrus' words reassured them that they had picked a good outfit. "No, no, it's fine. I, uh, I like it." Their gaze dropped to the ground for a second, but shot right back up. "A date?" Maren thought that was what this was from the beginning. "I'd say it is." They gave Cyrus a big smile. "There's no need to apologize, Siro." Maren stepped out and locked the door behind them. "We shall." They nodded, starting towards Cyrus' car.
Cyrus smiled as he walked Maren to his car. He looked up at them and blushed again, and bit his inner cheek. This was really happening. As they walked he kept glancing to the ground and back up at their face. When they got to the car he opened the passenger door and gestured Maren into the car "If you would" he bowed jokingly and chuckled.
Maren was fully intending on opening the door and getting into the car by themself. But the fact that Cyrus opened the door for them made them smile. "Why thank you, Siro!" Maren said, climbing into the car. They were already having a wonderful time and they hadn't even gotten to the restaurant yet. Maren was pretty sure this night would be one of the best ones they'd ever had.
"My pleasure." he blushed and went to the other side, climbing into the driver's seat. He turned on the car and set of on their way. He didn't know how to even begin a conversation. He was just so infatuated with how they looked, he kept glancing to the side and blushing. He tried to begin a conversation though, "So, what kind of music do you like?" he asked awkwardly "And you better not say country" he laughed, turning on the aux of the car.
Maren stared out of the window, glancing towards Cyrus every now and then. The way he looked at them filled them with joy. The fact that someone looked at them as though they were the most beautiful thing in the world… they hadn't imagined anyone would ever look at them like that. Maren couldn't help but smile every time they looked at him. He was just too lovely. "Music?" Maren frowned gently, thinking. They burst out into laughter a second later. "No, not country. I'm rather fond of music that I can dance to. No specific genre. As long as it has a nice melody and lyrics, I'm happy." Maren shrugged, letting out another little laugh.
Cyrus was about to put music when he realized he was driving, and he wasn't exactly about to look at his phone while driving. He decided he'd let Maren choose the music. "I trust you Maren." he responded "In fact, I trust you so much, that I bestow upon you, the responsibility of putting on some good music" he smiled at them and chortled "But no pressure" he finished and handed Maren his phone, on spotify "But for real, play whatever you like" he clarified softly, hoping he didn't ACTUALLY instill any fear.
"Oh, thank you!" Maren accepted the phone, already thinking about what songs to put on. Cyrus hadn't instilled fear, but they themself were putting a bit of pressure on themself. They wanted to pick good songs. Maybe they could find one of their playlists on here. After a quick search, Maren managed to find a playlist that contained some pretty good songs, at least in their opinion. "Alright, here we go. I hope you like them!" They gave Cyrus a grin and hit shuffle. This December by Ricky Montgomery started playing and Maren almost immediately started bobbing their head along with the song. They couldn't help it. They loved this song. Hopefully, Cyrus liked it too.
(I'm so sorry for my long absence!! I almost forgot about this rp, and it's one of my favs!!)
Cyrus smiled wide at them as he heard the song that began to play. "I love Montgomery!" he turned up the volume and began to bop his head to the song. He kept his eyes on the road though, he didn't want to cause an accident after all. Before long, they had reached the restaurant, and they were just sitting in the car, listening to music. "Well, Maren, we're here!" Cyrus said enthusiastically, very excited for this date "I hope you enjoyed the ride on the Siro Express" he joked, raising his eyebrows at them, chuckling a bit at his own bad humor.
(You're totally fine, friend! :)
"Really?" Maren gasped, turning towards Cyrus with a huge smile. "Good! There are more where this one came from." Cyrus really couldn't be more perfect, could he? He was beautiful, he was kind, he liked the same music that Maren did–at least some of it–and… Maren couldn't keep the smile on their face from getting a little softer. They really hoped that everything would work out. That they would be able to keep seeing him. Well, there was no reason they wouldn't right? "Wonderful!" They exclaimed, turning their attention back to Cyrus. "Heh, I did. It was very nice," Maren laughed, a warm feeling building in their chest. "Shall we?"
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