Quote:
Originally Posted by
ArianaBlack 
James was having too much fun here. It was funny almost three whole months had flown by and yet this was perhaps one of the few times he was truly enjoying himself. It was easy here, leaving the masks behind. No need to sensor himself in front of Nana. ”Oh, that’s because I am teasing you,” he started, ”just not completely.” She could take whatever way she wanted, but he was still grinning especially at what she had to say next. ”You’re right…” he trailed off for only a second, ”But I don’t sleep in silk pajamas.” Her mind could do the rest of the math, yeah? Heh.
Had James looked away for even a few seconds, he would have missed Nana’s reaction to what he had said. Fortunately for James, there was nothing else keeping his focus. She had his undivided attention. And man, was he enjoying every second of it. Especially seeing the way she reacted to each and every one of his words. It was a beautiful thing, watching them faze her even if it were for only mere moments. He was so damn proud. And he wore it on his face in the form of a triumphant, smug look.
What he had been expecting to see next were the whites of her eyes and a frown. But she didn’t roll her eyes at all, instead… She went with it. WHAT?!?!?
W H A T.
It took all of a second for his face to pale and his eyes to widen in shock, the proud smirk slipping from his features. He still held on to the date he had been eating, willing himself to come up with something witty in return. It was a dangerous game they were playing now. But James couldn’t stand to lose. Even now that the prize consisted of dinner and drinks. Narrowing his eyes back to their norm, even slightly narrower than usual, he leaned forward so that he could lessen the distance between them. ”Friday….. Is perfect,” the last word rolled off his tongue with a rough edge.
And he could not believe what he had just done.
"Oh, so a silk nightgown then?" Nana said, her face completely impassive. He wasn't the only one quick-witted one, it just took Nana some time to get into that mindset, but once she did, well, she was sure she could hold her own against the CoMC professor. Reaching out for the tea pot, Nana poured herself a cup of tea. She shouldn't have been surprised by the color, after all, James was English and all they seemed to bleed black tea, but she was a bit disappointed. Well, it wasn't green, but it was tea and that was the important thing. Bringing the cup to her lips, Nana took a long sip, relishing the subtle flavor and the warmth it provided to her bones, it was quite chilly even with the fireplace and her silk pajamas did little to protect her from it.
But funnily enough, she was quite comfortable, despite their banter, and digging and even despite her frustration, Nana found that she was more at ease now in this moment than she had been all week. It was a nice relief, to let go and just...
talk to someone she actually respected and held in good esteem. It was just too bad it had to be James Draper.
She wanted to kindly ask him to wipe that infuriatingly smug look from his visage, but it seemed her own previous words had just that effect. Her dark eyes glittered as James' seemed to widen. Ahhhh victory, it was sweeter than any dessert Nana had ever tasted... Except... There was a bitter tang to all this. She'd just used a date with herself as a threat, and it seemed to be have worked, was the idea of seeing her in a less formal setting really so disgusting? Nana didn't have much time to muse, for James had recovered and his next words threw the witch for a loop.
Friday... Is perfect.
No. No. She absolutely must have misheard him. "I'm sorry?" She blinked, her teacup posed infant of her lips, her dark eyes wide with surprise and disbelief. This was not happening, Nana absolutely refused to believe it. Damn him, he was supposed to have stepped down, not stepped up. Maybe if she stared at him long enough the man would realize what he'd said and hurriedly take it all back.