Your Touch • •

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

Despite loving Fallon for seven long years, their relationship hadn’t started in the most conventional of fashions. Aside from their usual lunches and dinners being pretty much the same with only the added touches of kisses and whispered “I love yous”, it wasn’t like any other couple first starting out. Maybe it was because they had known each other for so long to start with that they didn’t care about making a great impression right off the bat. Gabe had held Fallon’s hair back on drunken nights countless of times and she had seen him crashed out in several libraries with terrible cases of the flu; the mystery was pretty much entirely solved between them, though it didn’t destroy any of the sparks the duo shared.

Gabe wanted to treat Fallon though and really show her just how special she was to him. He didn’t really know how to go about doing it though. Most of the things he saw as romantic were geeky and came with necessary explanations. He couldn’t pull of the Hollywood charm either; it just wasn’t him. He told Fallon to keep her Friday night free, promising her a night to remember and telling her to find a pretty dress and use it as an excuse to get all dolled up for a night out that didn’t involve propping Myles up by the end of it. He had no idea what they would do yet, but the cogs in his head were turning hard and fast and he used some of his free time to plan it all out, picking out fragments of Fall’s personality that he could transform into one hell of a first date, even if they had been a couple for a little long to be only just having their first real date.

After leaving the library a little earlier than he normally would on a Friday afternoon, Gabe sent Fall a quick text, knowing that she would still probably be too busy for him to stop off and distract her with a long goodbye. He walked back to the apartment and took Mufasa out for a walk through the park, before heading home again, this time feeding all of his animals and hopping into the shower before Myles got home and hogged the bathroom for whatever adventure he was planning tonight, since he’d have to find someone else to be his wingman. He took a little longer to make sure that his razor didn’t cut his face and then moved to get dressed, miraculously skipping out on the plaid shirts he usually always wore and picking out one of his plainer shirts and a tie before throwing a vest over them both; there was something about wearing a shirt alone that Gabe couldn’t quite get comfortable with. It was another odd quirk of his that seemed to be quickly followed by the traditional Converse he pushed his odd socked feet into. If anyone looked through his wardrobe they wouldn’t find a single pair of dress shoes, but two pairs of jet black Converse high-tops.

The messy haired scholar grabbed a few things from his dresser, mainly parts of the date that were a little geekier and that he hadn’t decided if he was going to use yet. Once they were tucked away he grabbed the keys to the car he rarely used and then made his way downstairs, firing off a text to Myles this time, letting him know that he was already gone for the night and to not come home in too much of a state. Climbing into his car, Gabe took a moment to get settled behind the wheel. He didn’t really like driving, or even being in a car anymore, but tonight called for it and he didn’t really fancy making Fallon walk across the city. He pulled out into the New York traffic and then turned in the direction of Fallon’s apartment, the whole time convinced he could get there quicker on foot than trapped behind endless traffic on the roads.

Parking up outside her apartment, Gabe took the steps to the building two at a time and then made his way to Fall’s door. Knocking hard on the wood, he fixed his glasses and ran his fingers through his hair as he waited for her to open up and let him in.

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• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 760
OUTFIT! Date night!
LYRICS! Find Me - - - Boyce Avenue
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

There was something to be said about dating your best friend, and falling head over heels for him. Gabe already knew Fallon inside out and at this point, aside from the business about her mother, she was positive there wasn’t a single thing he didn’t know about the Hollywood blonde! He’d already seen her at her worse, and she’d seen him. Fallon actually liked that she didn’t have to put on the big show of first impressions with Gabe. He’d already seen her at her absolute worst and still loved her. Knowing each other first had given them more insight into each other than if they had met in some smoky bar, chatted the night away in a dive diner and decided that they needed a proper date.

She had classes all day, so she had something to concentrate on, but when she didn’t have that to fall back on, her mind kept racing around, wondering what Gabe had planned for their Friday night. Mentally and physically since Gabe had said to find a pretty dress and keep the night free, she’d been searching through her closet trying to pick something from the endless supply of clothes she seemed to have accumulated throughout the years. She was finishing up her final class when she noticed her phone indicating a text message. She waited until her students were packing up before she read it and smiled absently. Leave it to Gabe to send her a message when he couldn’t see her in person. Packed up, Fallon stopped at her office for only a second to gather what she’d left there and was locked up and out once again. She didn’t know how much time she really had to get ready for this date but she wanted to look nice for Gabe.

She made it home in one piece, tossing her things in their usual places around her apartment before hitting the shower. She took extra care getting ready for the night, fixing her hair into a pretty style, putting on light makeup and choosing the jewelry she wanted to wear. She had the shoes picked out already. She didn’t know what to expect aside from looking nice and she didn’t want to be caught in heels. Everyone who knew her knew she could do whatever the hell she pleased in the high heeled shoes she favoured, but she wanted something a little different. Fallon had it down to five dresses when she finally sat down to look at each one hanging of her closet door. Even though she’d been dating Gabe and madly in love with him for some time now, she was nervous about their first real date. There had been lunches and dinners but they had always been just lunches and dinners. This was different. Truly unable to decide, she closed her eyes and pointed at the door before opening her eyes and following the direction to see which dress her extended finger had landed on.

Dress chosen and on, Fallon looked in the mirror. It was pretty and something she hadn’t been able to wear since last summer having been too cold for the flirty dress. She was putting her earrings in when the sound of the door echoed through the house. She wasn’t ready. Making a face and forgoing her shoes, she snatched up the other earring and hurried down to the door so she wouldn’t keep Gabe waiting for very long. She put the backing on the first stud as she rushed down the stairs and across the living room. With one hand, she was putting the second earring in and using the other to open the door. “Hi,” she said, smiling as she reached up to the tips of her toes to press a quick kiss to Gabe’s lips. “You clean up good,” she teased, taking his hand and leading him back into the apartment. “I’ve just got to get my shoes and bag. Flats or heels?” she asked, knowing that whichever he chose, she’d be slipping into the flats. Honestly, she liked the serious height difference between the two. In the heels she was so fond of she was small, but in the flats she was downright tiny and fit just perfectly against him.

Tag || Gabe!
Words || 710
Clothes || Date Night!
Music || There's a Place for Us -- Carrie Underwood
Notes || <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

Gabe never deliberately kept anything from Fallon. The only reason he never spoke about the accident that had left him with a potential lifetime of knee problems was because he never found it relevant and it was hardly something to slip into casual conversation when they were having one of their usual lunches. He hadn’t even told Myles until the Fraternity brother accompanied him home and had been curious enough to ask questions about the photographs of his mom when she was still standing. Then Gabe had told him the story with a soft shrug as though it was less of a big deal than the reality suggested. Sure, it had been life changing in some ways, but his mom always reminded him that it could’ve been much, much worse and if she could say that and still be happy after what had happened to her, then Gabe had no reason to complain or mope either. He’d have to tell her one day, but that day would be when she asked the question and not him. He didn’t like the thought of burdening her with a worry that there was no real need for.

It wasn’t something that he thought would affect their relationship. The only thing that might pose a problem was his knee and even then what would the difference be? A few weeks on crutches for the gangly scholar and a lazier set of dates for them both; no more walking to whatever diner or bistro grabbed their fancy for lunch. It wasn’t worth worrying over really and even Myles didn’t think it was something relevant when Gabe had mentioned it to him one night when the two men were watching an action movie on TV and chatting about nothing of great importance.

Part of Gabe expected Fallon to be running late, just out of the shower and still fussing over her clothes. Ever since it had happened once or twice when they were younger, he expected it more and more. It had been too funny and Myles had run out and bought them a six-pack which was gone by the time the blonde was ready, though Myles had knocked a few back to get an early buzz going. However, he couldn’t hide his smile when he took in her dress and cute appearance. Never in a million years did he think that he’d have Fallon Flynn dressing up for him. He was still finding this whole thing pretty surreal and after every lunch or dinner “date” he had to pinch himself to make sure it was real; it just seemed too good to be true after seven years of wishing for it. “You’ve seen me dressed like this before.”

[/color] He said, pulling a face as he looked down at his outfit. It was how he had dressed for graduation and whenever there was a formal event on at the university or the museum that he had attended. “You, however, look as beautiful as ever.”[/color] He said with a charming smirk before stealing a sweet kiss from her, letting her go only so she could finish getting ready for their date. He hoped she liked what he had planned; it was something a bit different for them and he wanted it to be special, like a true first date. “Flats; I can use you as an arm rest then if we have to wait anywhere.”[/color] He teased, though he really did love her at her natural height. Gabe knew that she loved those heels he would never understand, but in her flats he could just fold her into his arms and it felt incredibly right.

Once she was ready, Gabe grinned and stole another kiss from her tempting lips before sliding his hand into hers and leading her out to his car, only pausing whilst she locked up. Their first stop was across the city, but there was plenty of time to get there, even with the crawling New York traffic.
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• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 701
OUTFIT! Date night!
LYRICS! Find Me - - - Boyce Avenue
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

It was all still a little surreal, even though it was so painfully obvious now. Seven years ago, Fallon had been a blind college freshman, just trying to make friends who didn’t know who her uncle was and what he did. Then she ran into Gabe and the rest was history. It took seven years, but it all the accidental heartbreak was worth it in the end; they were together now and Fallon was ridiculously happy about that. And she refused to be still getting ready when he showed up. Neither of them had let it go for nearly a year after a couple times of not being ready and answering the door in a towel, knowing it was just them.

The dress she finally settled on was one of her favourites for the summer weather, which was why she’d been stuck on it and four others. They were all on that favourite’s list, but Gabe had seen the others a lot more than this blue polka-dot number. “Yes, but those events are so few and far between,” she said, rolling her eyes at him playfully. She wanted to roll her eyes at him again, always saying things like that. She knew he did it because he thought it was true and it made her blush like crazy; it always had; even back in College when she’d show up, dressed in anything that wasn’t the jeans and tanks she preferred going to class in. “Mm, that’s sweet, thank you,” she said, willing the heat from her cheeks to go away.


Fallon gave him a bland look "I'm still too short for that," she said dully, though she truly loved being tiny and wrapped up in his arms. She just fit so perfectly next to him; it was hard not to like the feeling. “But a wise choice, since that was what I was going for anyway, no matter your answer,” she said, laughing. She went back up to her room to put her shoes on and grab the little bag she’d chosen for the night. She was back downstairs and taking Gabe’s hand in minutes. She let go of his hand once, to lock the door and slip her keys into the purse over her shoulders. “Are you going to carry me if we run into crowd of tall people and I can’t see?” she asked, teasing as they made their way down to the street.

Her eyes widened, seeing his rarely used car parked outside her building. He hardly ever used it in the city so she had figured if they needed to go across down or anywhere not within walking distance, there would a yellow car in his plans, or her hybrid. Still she only stopped long enough to take her purse from her shoulder and slipped into the passenger seat, automatically clicking her seatbelt into place. “So, do I get a hint, or is it all a surprise?” she asked, her eyes bright with humour and excitement. She had no idea what Gabe had planned for them for the night, but Fallon didn’t care, she loved surprises and this was certainly one.

Tag || Gabe!
Words || 525
Clothes || Date Night!
Music || There's a Place for Us -- Carrie Underwood
Notes || <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

There was no way that the pair would ever hear the end of their “blindness”. Gabe had explained his side of the story several times to the guys when they called up or cornered him online in the rare moments he was around to chat. They didn’t care for his “pansy-ass” excuses and just kept reminding him of how obvious both of them had been throughout the years, especially after Brad was out of the picture. He only found out last week that the Pi Kappa Phis had been convinced the mysterious break-up between Fallon and their Fraternity neighbour had been because of one of two reasons; first was that Fallon had dumped him for Gabe and the second was that the pair had spent a night together and finally the blonde had noticed what was so obvious. The sad thing was that the second option had sort of been right…only Brad hadn’t been on the scene and it was a number of years afterwards.

Gabe only had a number of outfit options and really, there hadn’t been much thought put in it. He could take the sweater-vest off if he wanted to later for a more casual appearance, but he had thrown it on out of habit. As for the shirt it was one of the few Gabe had that wasn’t plaid or accompanied with some geek humour t-shirt. “Actually, there’s one coming up at the end of the month. My professor e-mailed me this afternoon about this anthropology conference that’s in town to discuss the Cannibalistic Cultures that have existed. I have a second chapter in my paper on the glorified myths of the consumption of the flesh that he wants me to present.”

[/color] Gabe said, rambling slightly. He had agreed to speak at the event, his grin showing how excited he was at a legitimate chance to speak about his degree and the thing he loved second most, after Fallon snatched top spot. “And it’s true. I’m going to keep saying it until you believe it.”[/color] He warned her in a sing song voice, raising his eyebrows and grinning playfully.

“Not if I want to lean.”[/color] He said, showing her what he meant, but using the wall instead of her whilst she finished getting ready for their date. Shaking his head he called after her. “Then why ask me in the first place?!”[/color] When it came to Fallon and shoes, Gabe would never understand his girlfriend. Ever. In a million years. Looking at her with a bemused expression, the messy haired scholar smirked. “I end up carrying you on most nights out, regardless of if we’re in a crowd or not.”[/color] Recently, she shimmied up him or his back whenever she felt like it with very little warning given to the geeky man.

His car was one of the few practical things Gabe disliked, but he needed it in case he needed to get anywhere in a hurry, or return home without paying for expensive flights. On those long distance drives there were plenty of breaks and unnecessary stops, just so that he could keep his mind about him. “It’s a surprise. When have I ever given you a hint?”[/color] He said, throwing her a look before settling himself in behind the wheel, taking an extra moment to gather his wits before pulling his car back out into the New York traffic and beginning the drive across the city.
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• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 612
OUTFIT! Date night!
LYRICS! Find Me - - - Boyce Avenue
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

After Fallon and Gabe had worked it all out, Fallon had called Trevor to interrogate him about her college years. He had laughed so hard he sounded as if he’d actually fallen off his chair! The irony of that hadn’t gone unnoticed to the blonde professor. It made her think that he was probably in on the betting pool; probably instigated it being the ass that he was. She promised to kick his ass when she went home during the last summer months. Leave it to the man she called a father figure to be in on something that toyed with her emotions. Trevor had always been about teaching Fallon to figure things out for herself. And in this case, it took her seven really long years before her eyes were really opened. It didn’t really matter, but what did was that he was another name on the list of people who would never let the couple live it down.

Fallon nodded, understanding only about three quarters of the words coming from Gabe’s mouth; which considering was progress. “That sounds utterly disgusting,” Fallon said making a face. “Amazing and incredible for your career, but disgusting all the same.” The thought of people eating people was something that turned the Hollywood blonde’s stomach upside down. Anything close to that nature really; in the endless lists of movies to watch from Trevor, he’d learned quickly to forget those particular films. She had interest in Gabe’s work, it had always fascinated her, but that was honestly one subject that made her want to empty her stomach. She could easily watch a man be decapitated, gutted, blown to bits and pieces, chopped up and anything else the bad guys of scary movies wanted to do to their victims; but the second there was the potential of that she was green in the face, the room was spinning and she was gone.

Feeling it coming now, despite Gabe not going into details about it, Fallon covered her mouth and too a second to let the feeling pass. It was gone just as quickly as the nausea had appeared, and she was shaking her head. “Forgive me if I miss that one,” she said, shaking her head again, to clear the spins she had been feeling. Fallon smiled once she was fully free and clear of the shakes. “And maybe one day, you’ll succeed,” she said in the same sing song tone. She didn’t think there was anything special about her. She was sarcastic, hot tempered and spoke before she thought things through. It was how she’d always been and it had always gotten her into trouble. But with Gabe she felt like she could be that way and he’d still love her. She could be as childish, as ridiculous as she wanted to be and he would still be there; he was always there. And that, she thought was amazing. Because she’d put him through a lot of crap over seven years and he was still there.

“So you feel like you have a say, naturally!” She called back playfully. She always felt like some child’s life size dress up doll whenever she wore flats. She was so small and compared to most of the people she hung out with, she was a doll! Aside from Devon who was about the same height as Fallon, and Imogen, she didn’t think there was a single person under six feet tall. Grinning, Fallon reached up to kiss him quickly. “I know, but I thought I’d ask. You know, be polite and all,” she said, shrugging. He really should be used to the whims she had. Fall sighed, pouting good-naturedly. She knew she wouldn’t get anything out of him, but she always tried. “Can’t blame a girl for trying,” she said, looking out the windows to see if she could figure out where they were going.

Tag || Gabe!
Words || 648
Clothes || Date Night!
Music || There's a Place for Us -- Carrie Underwood
Notes || <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

Even Gabe’s mom had shared a laugh over the situation that had taken place in New York. He had asked her how she even knew about any of it and she had just laughed, told Gabe that “mothers always know” and then added that Myles had been pretty forthcoming with information during the trip to Nebraska before the boys had found themselves sharing a New York apartment. Gabe almost killed his roommate, but Myles had just told him that no harm had been caused and that since he had been so right about it, that it just gave him something to joke about during the next reunion. Apparently there was a new betting pool up and running, but no one would tell Gabe what it was, or who had won the originally one. He had just overheard snippets of Myles’ conversations on the phone and it didn’t take his intelligence to put the pieces together again.

He blinked for a moment and then let out a deep chuckle. “The history of humanity is pretty disgusting in general. Before civilisation really came to what it is today there were a lot of horrifying survival traditions. Some places are still only just abolishing them and there are tribes who still reflect the early days of even the western cultures.”

[/color] He said on another mini ramble, his hands finding their way into his pockets like they always did when he got going on one of his thesis topics. There wasn’t much that could turn his stomach apart from needles; they always sent him into a panic and caused him to throw up. No, Gabe could easily stand in the front of an auditorium and discuss cannibalism with illustrations to each of his points without even a flicker of disgust threatening to make him sick. The way Gabe saw it, it was a part of human history that had brought them to this point today and he found all of that so interesting that he was confused when others didn’t want to hear it.

Fallon was usually okay with whatever he chose to ramble on about, but he had to smirk as he finally found the one thing that turned her stomach. “I’m sure you can find some way to make it up to me.”[/color] He said flirtatiously, raising his eyebrow and giving his girlfriend a cheeky little smirk. Whilst he did like the support she and Myles had always given him, he didn’t mind if they didn’t go to one of his presentations or talks. They weren’t as interested in most of the conference topics as he always was and he had repeatedly told them that they didn’t need to go and sit through a bunch of talks they would find boring as hell, just to be there for him. “You know I’m not the kind of guy to give up.”[/color] He reminded her playfully. Gabe loved that she didn’t pretend to be someone else around him. He thought that too many girls did that, especially at first when the relationship was still new. No, he loved and adored Fallon for who he knew her to be, even when too much tequila meant he was carrying her home and holding her shoes while she yelled profanities at Myles for whatever he had done that evening.

“But I know I don’t have a say in your footwear. I learnt that years ago.”[/color] He rolled his eyes as though it was old news to him. Grinning again, he kept his eyes on the road, determined not to let his old fears get in the way right now. “Mmhm, well it’s too bad that it’s never going to work.”[/color] He teased, driving through the city until they were far from their usual haunts. He parked his car a block away so that Fallon wouldn’t see where they were going just yet. Taking her hand on the sidewalk, he pulled her closer and then led her around to the quaint little spot where their date would be. It was a small lounge style bar that had an acoustic set on tonight with a guy he had heard was pretty fantastic. It was nothing fancy, but they served great food and it had a great atmosphere, complete with mood lighting and tea-lights on each table. He had reserved one in the back out of the way from everyone else, but where they could still see and hear the singer if they wanted to. He hadn’t wanted to do something formal and expensive because it really wasn’t them. He wanted to relax and enjoy tonight, not act all prim and proper in some posh restaurant that cost far too much for the size of the portions. No, this, this was much more ‘them’. “So, what do you think?”[/color] He asked nervously, hoping that he had it right.
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• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 848
OUTFIT! Date night!
LYRICS! Find Me - - - Boyce Avenue
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

Fallon shook her head again before wrapping her arms around his shoulders leaning up to kiss Gabe. “Keep talking like that and you’ll be sleeping alone on your floor since Mufasa and the girls will be in your bed,” she said though she was teasing. She was quite used his rambles and his conferences. She’d been to so many but this one she would be avoiding. She heard what he was saying and listened when they were alone, or even with others. But once he got up on the stage and started into his speech, it all sort of went in one ear and right back out the other. And she’d hardly kick him out of bed for talking about a subject she’d tried hard to pretend existed. It wasn’t like it came up often in conversation, so she’d been able to keep her weak stomach on the matter fairly silent; the only one knowing about it being Trevor.

“I’ve got plenty of tricks up my sleeve,” she said, raising a perfectly arched brow suggestively. One included a night of her not burning dinner complete with candles and curling up on the couch to attempt a movie night which, she knew wouldn’t end with them waking up on the couch after falling asleep in the middle of the third film. She’d always been able to drag him away from his research and books to watch hours of silly movies. There were other plans though and she would gladly switch them up to whichever one suited best at the time. She would worry about that when she had to though, not tonight when the plans for their evening had already been made. Laughing, Fallon reached up and planted a quick kiss on Gabe’s lips. “And I absolutely love that about you,” she said wrinkling her nose with laughter before dashing off.

There wasn’t a person alive who could get between Fallon and her shoes. It was a ridiculous love, but they made her taller and when you went your entire life with people thinking you were a hell of a lot younger than you really are, height meant a lot. “Such a smart, smart man,” she said, smiling sweetly. Fallon shrugged lightly. She always tried to get information from Gabe whenever he was keeping a secret but she never got an answer until everything fell into place. Once they were parked, Fallon got out of the car and looked around the area. She hardly ever ventured over this way, but she’d been around the area a few times before. There was a boutique a couple blocks over that Fallon simply adored. She indulged in a handful of shopping trips there but that store was a far as she usually went in the area.

Fallon kept up an easy pace with Gabe and his long legs. She was used to be surrounded by taller people, so keeping up with them came naturally by now. Fallon took in their destination with wide, curious blue eyes. It was casual, nice, a lot like a couple of the small bars they used to hit on the beach. She missed those places a lot when she was in New York and tended to go back to one or two of them when she visited home. “This place looks great, like that place on the beach,” she said, squeezing his hand and putting her free one on his forearm, smiling up at him.

Tag || Gabe!
Words || 575
Clothes || Date Night!
Music || There's a Place for Us -- Carrie Underwood
Notes || <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

Knowing that she was only teasing by the tone of her voice, Gabe just shrugged casually as though it was no big deal. “It’s not like you’ve never kicked me out of my own bed before.”

[/color] He retorted with a smirk as he thought back to their college days and the antics that they had gotten up to back then. Many a party or trip had resulted in Fallon claiming sanctuary in his bed while she nursed a hangover or an illness of some description. Gabe had learnt early about the beauty of a sofa bed and one of his first purchases in New York had been one for the apartment. It had been a pretty good investment too, considering the amount of time they spent with Fallon over or other of their college buddies who were just visiting or in the dog house with their own girlfriend or wife.

“I know you do.”[/color] His smirk grew and he quickly stole another kiss from her. He had plenty of his own too for when the tables were turned and Fallon was drowning in assignments to grade or videos to watch over. He had been the romantic guy for as long as he could remember and there had been plenty of ideas thought up over the years and even more added to that mental list from the moment he had started falling for Fallon which had been a pretty long time ago when he thought about it. Some of them bordered on the dorky side of things, but then Gabe had never exactly been the normal kind of guy; roses weren’t enough for him unless there was a story to go with them. He liked anything he did to have meaning, a real value and cute little anecdote to top it off. He did things for the sake of being able to, but most of those things came to him when he was deep in research, comparing finds or studies with myths. It was probably one of the many things that would never change about him.

Smirking, Gabe shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “I already know that I am.”[/color] He said laughing. Throughout his life he had been clever, a little bit goofy, but always yearning to learn and discover more than what he already knew. He had heard of this place from one of the other PhD students at the university who came here a few times a month to get a break from his own research project. Gabe had been meaning to check it out for a while and had finally dragged Myles one night, but his roommate wasn’t all that interested in it so Gabe had never been given the chance to go back until now. It was too far away for them to use it as a usual lunch stop or anything like that.

Gabe couldn’t help but grin when he heard that Fallon liked it. His thoughts had been almost exactly the same the first time he had stepped foot in this place and instantly he had felt as though he had spent the day on a surfboard, his hair brittle with sand and salt water. It had only been when he stepped back outside did he remember that he was in fact in New York and not California. “I thought so too. I’m glad you like it.”[/color] He kissed her forehead affectionately and then led her to the table he had reserved, telling the waitress what drinks to bring over first, ordering just a soda for himself, but getting Fallon one of the many tequila cocktails she enjoyed so much.
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• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 648
OUTFIT! Date night!
LYRICS! Find Me - - - Boyce Avenue
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

Fallon grinned wickedly. Given the chance back in college, she always slunk off to someone’s room, and more often than not it was Gabe’s; back when they were blind. It had been nearly the same when he moved to New York, too. For a night or two anyway, and then caved in and bought that sofa bed. “Just think. If you had cared a little bit less or been just a little bit drunker than you were, you might have just crawled in with me and the rest would be history,” She said, shaking her head. If that had been the case, then they wouldn’t have had seven years to learn everything about each other, become friends, close friends before they became more than that. The what ifs that went with that, Fallon just wasn’t interested in. If all of that had happened, they wouldn’t have known each other as well, and that had the potential to mean they wouldn’t be together now, seven or so years later. Neither of them knew what the future held, but Fallon couldn’t picture hers without Gabe by her side.

Fallon had a list of ideas and plans but for the longest time, they’d just been thoughts on paper for screenplays she had yet to write. It wasn’t her job, just a pastime she enjoyed, whenever she got the free time to indulge. Now she had reason to take them from paper and put them to some good use. “Vain, too, tell me, why is it I love you so much?” she asked, tilting her head to the side waiting for an answer. She probably wasn’t going to get a serious answer, just something cheeky that made her laugh. But that was good enough, too, because that was just as much the truth.

Fallon had been excited about this date with her boyfriend. She hadn’t known what to expect and this certainly hadn’t made the list. She was a little stunned to see a small piece of home in New York City to be honest; though she also hadn’t thought about looking for a piece either. “I may have to go home sooner than August,” she said absently. It had been a while since she hit the waves and she missed the feel of the rushing waves pushing against her as she moved deeper into the water on her surf board. Fallon loved this place. It would fast become one of her favourite places when she needed a little piece of home. Trevor’s New York offices felt like it when she really needed it but couldn’t leave the city. But this place was much better than that. “This place is great,” she said, following Gabe to their table. She smoothed her skirts down after she sat and not entirely paying attention to what he was saying to their waitress until she heard the name of one of her favourite cocktails. She perked up, laughing. “Trying to get me buzzed? You wouldn’t be thinking about trying to find out what I’m wearing under this dress later, are you?” she asked, leaning closer with a wicked grin on her glossed lips.

Tag || Gabe!
Words || 525
Clothes || Date Night!
Music || There's a Place for Us -- Carrie Underwood
Notes || <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

Fallon may have had a point, but Gabe knew that it wouldn’t have had the same outcome as reality. They may have “wasted” a few years being blind to their feelings, but it made everything so much better when they had finally admitted to those secret sentiments they had both taught themselves to forget in order to keep the friendship they had forged over the years. Really, Gabe preferred knowing Fallon inside and out before they fell into this together, mainly because he could trust her and he knew that she wasn’t like the other girls who had used him before and toyed with his emotions just for the sake of being able to do so. “It’s a damn shame that I’m such a gentleman then, isn’t it?”

[/color] He joked lightly. Even if he had been at the point of drunk where everything else went out of the window, if he had crawled into bed with Fallon it would have been only to sleep back then. He had far too much respect for their friendship and everything else they had between them.

“Is it really vanity if it’s a well-known fact?”[/color] He countered with a mischievous smirk. In reality, Gabe was pretty modest about his intelligence and his work, but once he considered someone a good friend then the jokes seem to flow easily enough. If people could tease him about how much he knew then it was pointless to try and fight back, so Gabe accepted the jokes as though he knew it all so well. “And as for the second part, I find myself asking that same question every day. It’s the one thing I don’t have the answer to.”[/color] He really didn’t know why Fallon loved him or what he had done to deserve her, but it was the one question he seemed determined to find an answer to. He stole another quick kiss from her and brushed the hair from her eyes, flicking her nose playfully before she could respond.

Gabe was glad that Fallon liked this place. There weren’t many places like this in New York and finding one was like discovering a lost treasure. He had thought about bringing Fallon here since the day he had discovered it, but it seemed too special to just stroll up to for lunch one day like they usually did. If the drunken night in question hadn’t had happened then it probably would’ve been the place he brought her to with Myles on her next birthday. “I know that feeling. New York is great but it isn’t the fields of Nebraska or the soft sand of California.”[/color] They were both homes to her and he loved New York, but he still missed aspects of each place. Turning his attention back to Fallon he quirked his eyebrow and smirked, leaning closer until he was just a breath away from her. “I’m pretty sure I don’t need to get you buzzed to do that.”[/color] He whispered devilishly, right before the waitress returned to their table with the drinks and the menus for them to order from.
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• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 555
OUTFIT! Date night!
LYRICS! Find Me - - - Boyce Avenue
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

There wouldn’t have been any fun in the adventure if they had gotten together any earlier. And there wouldn’t have been trust. Fallon had already gone down that road once and now that she could see it, she hadn’t wanted to be with anyone who she didn’t know or trust; and all because one stupid idiot broke her heart. With Gabe, she should have seen the signs sooner, but then that, too, wouldn’t have been any fun. The adorable scholar already had her trust, and it was him she went running to every time something happened; despite having someone she should have been running to. It was like her mind and her heart didn’t sync; one knew the truth and the other kept her in the dark to preserve her blind innocence. “Not always,” she said mischievously.

Fallon tilted her head as if she actually had to think about that. “Yes,” she said, sounding as serious as a bee sting. She only teased Gabe because she adored him so much. He used to intimidate her, honestly. He was so smart and she had felt like she lived up to the stereotype of her hair colour. His intelligence wasn’t so daunting anymore; she was used to his ramblings. But when they first met, she could only stare and pray something he said would make sense so she could latch on to that and comment. There were so many things that had Fallon’s heart racing and that blush colouring her cheeks, but there really wasn’t enough time to go through the entire list. They weren’t sitting around her kitchen while she over bandaged a knife wound and Gabe cooked an old family recipe. She wrinkled her nose, swatting his hand away. “Well, that should be a reason to be annoyed but,” she said, trailing off. He teased her constantly, but she teased him just as much. The main thing was that he made her happy. If she were in a foul mood from whatever, Gabe brought her out of her funk. He was always there for her and she loved that about the man.

Seeing this place really made Fallon miss California. It didn’t happen often, too many not so fond memories in the state for her to ever go back permanently. But when nostalgia did hit, it hit her hard and fast. Her day was free after a morning of yoga when she woke up; she had a feeling the young blonde professor was going to be finding herself sitting behind her Uncle’s desk, working through the nostalgia with casting calls. “You’ll be going home soon to those fields for a bit, won’t you? And you can always tag along to Cali with me in August,” she offered. Trevor wouldn’t mind in the least. In fact, he’d probably welcome the scholar with open arms and an open bottle of something strong. Fallon grinned, chuckling. “No, I suppose you don’t,” she said lightly as the waitress handed the menus out and set their drinks on the table. She took a sip of the sunrise as she opened the menu.

Tag || Gabe!
Words || 515
Clothes || Date Night!
Music || There's a Place for Us -- Carrie Underwood
Notes || <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

Another upside to their ridiculous blindness was that they had found themselves with their feet firmly rooted and their plans already made; there would be no sudden up and leaving for another state. Back in college, that had ended quite a few of the relationships Gabe knew about. People were heading off back home, or had jobs in states hundreds of miles from their beloved. Long distance had saved one or two, but most fizzled out in a not to great way and one of two of his Frat brothers had mentioned regretted the way things had ended because of those necessary choices that had to be made. He and Fallon might have both stayed at UCLA for a little longer, but then she went and found her home in New York long before he did. True, it might have led to some epic Hollywood style romantic reunion between them both, but really they had been spared the grief and the heartache and the awkwardness that would have been around at some point for some time. Grinning wickedly, Gabe shrugged as though it all had nothing to do with him. “You just bring out the worst in me.”

[/color]

The people who didn’t know the couple all that well must’ve thought some weird things about Gabe and Fallon. He loved the way they could tease and torment each other for no real reason, but Myles had already pointed out that it was probably odd to people who just passed them in the college hallways or had only met them recently. He loved it though how they could still be the best of friends with the same old jokes and playful taunts. If they had lost that when they finally opened their eyes then it just wouldn’t have been the same and he probably wouldn’t have been on cloud nine still. He grabbed her sides and pulled her back into his arms, playfully trapping her there as he lowered his head to whisper in her ear. “But what, Miss Flynn?”[/color] He dropped a kiss to the spot just below her ear and grinned mischievously before taking her hand and twirling her back out away from him. He had been in such a goofily good mood since he had gotten back from Nebraska and they had sorted themselves out; it was showing more and more, especially around Fallon.

With the summer practically upon them, Gabe’s workload decreased, as did Fallon’s and it really did open up time windows for trips home, back to California or wherever else took his fancy for whatever reason. Heading back to the family ranch which his gramps had converted into an animal centre long before Gabe was even thought of, was always the first step to enjoying his summer vacation. He never knew what was going to greet him when he got there and it was just the thing he needed to unwind after a long year of research papers and endless nights in the library. “Only if you come with me.”[/color] He said, flicking his dark eyes across to meet hers, hoping to gauge her expression. Fallon had yet to see where he had grown up or meet his family, but he wanted her to so much. His stories weren’t enough if someone couldn’t see the setting and what exactly he meant by “home”. It was a lot more than he made it out to be and offered a different side to scholar where he actually got his hands dirty at the crack of dawn if his dad needed a hand setting up for the day. He wanted Fallon to see all of that and show her off to his family, who kept asking when she would officially be introduced.
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• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 660
OUTFIT! Date night!
LYRICS! Find Me - - - Boyce Avenue
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

There were definite plusses for their situation. She had seen long distance relationships, they all had but Fallon had never wanted anything like that. There was just too much trouble to try and make things work. So she’d never started anything new with anyone before her move and afterwards, it was easy to lie to herself; tell herself she had too much to do. She had to organize work, finish unpacking her new place, and find a new gym and this and that. Fallon had gotten in touch with Myles when she moved and hung out with him a lot, even occasionally playing his wing woman. And there were a few times she had to put her acting chops into play. If they had gotten together back in California, it would have ended eventually and things would have been so awkward when he moved to New York. “It’s a fun side to bring out of you,” she teased, biting her lip.

She had given up years ago on, explaining their relationship to people. Before they were friends so it was a little easier though not by much to explain their dynamic, but they weren’t just friends now and it made it just that little bit more confusing. They teased, taunted and tormented each other to no end, but it was how they were together. Fallon was thankful they hadn’t lost that part of who they were together when they took that next step. It wouldn’t have been the same if they’d lost that playful banter. “But nothing, Tricks,” she said, as innocently as she could with the giggles of being pulled into him and then back out again. Silly little things like that was the reason she fell so hard for Gabe. He could surprise her with the smallest thing. A soft kiss, pulling her against him just to hold her closer, even the light teasing made her smile and fall a little farther each time. To say she had fallen for Gabe would be far from correct; she was still falling for him, every minute, she was falling a little harder for the scholar who already owned her heart. “I love you,” she said, squeezing his hand, looking up at him with a genuinely sweet smile on her face once she got over her giggles.

Summer was Fallon’s downtime. She spent some of the time in New York, prepping for September when school started again and she spent the rest travelling and helping Trevor out if he needed it; which, because it was Fallon, he found things for her to do. Since she decided to go to an actual high school and quite the everyday of assistant work, he couldn’t keep one for more than a few months. The longest since she’d left lasted seven months. Fallon sat back, staring at Gabe. Her mind was reeling. He wanted her to go home with him. “You,” she said, stunned though she should hardly be. She loved Gabe and naturally he would want her to meet his mother; she meant the world to him. “I’d love to,” she said, nodding, leaning over to steal a kiss. “Going to take me camping, too?” she asked, grinning against his lips before stealing one more kiss. She was going home with him.

Tag || Gabe!
Words || 548
Clothes || Date Night!
Music || There's a Place for Us -- Carrie Underwood
Notes || <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

When Gabe had moved to New York he had half expected Fallon to be madly in love with some Wall Street business man who could give her everything she might ever want. He had seen how guys had looked at her when they were out and he knew that it wouldn’t be hard for a girl as amazing as her to find a guy willing to move the earth for her. Never in a million years did he expect to find out about her secret feelings for him or did he think they’d be spending tonight on a date together, flirting, stealing kisses and generally just making up for the time they had lost out on because of the other factors and their own silly little fears over giving this relationship a go. There had been too many times when Gabe had felt as though some charmer was going to capture Fallon’s heart and give her some kind of fairy tale ending and now he didn’t want anyone else but him to have that chance. “It really is.”

[/color] He said with a boyish grin before stealing a quick kiss from her.

Gabe had always had a playful side to his personality, but it was Fallon who brought it out in him most of all now. Just little things, like tickling her or picking her up made him grin and laugh. It was a good job that most of his research paper was complete otherwise he probably would’ve found himself in the kind of deadline drama that was solved with nights of caffeine fixes until the shakes were a permanent problem until the day came with the almighty crash that would put him in a weekend long sleeping coma. He smiled lovingly, pulling her closer and sliding his arms around her waist. “I love you too.”[/color] He whispered, kissing Fallon sweetly and squeezing her just that little bit closer. Now that he had her, he didn’t want to let her go and it made things very difficult when he wanted to treat her to a night out but also wanted to keep her in his arms right now.

He knew how their summers worked; trips, reliving their college days and celebrating their youth while they still held onto it. This was why Gabe hoped that Fallon would accept his offer and accompany him back to Nebraska, even if it was just for a long weekend at some point. The scholar wanted to show the pretty blonde off, spoil her and let her see exactly what his life was like before they had met that fateful day on the UCLA campus, under the bright end of summer sun. Smirking, he moved his dark eyes to meet hers again. “Are you really so surprised?”[/color] He asked curiously, more impressed that he had managed to catch her off guard with his proposal. His smirk widened at her answer and the stolen kisses, though he had to remind himself that they were in public so that he didn’t just pull her into his lap there and then. “Of course, camping is all part of the Nebraska package.”[/color] He smiled, reluctantly leaning back in his chair and looking over the menu before he let his emotions get him into some sort of trouble.
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• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 585
OUTFIT! Date night!
LYRICS! Find Me - - - Boyce Avenue
NOTES! <3