tak3mealiv3

[tak3mealiv3]

The silence in the room was almost deafening. Suddenly things felt very stuffy, as if there were no air whatsoever circulating in the room. All of it had been sucked out, dissipating as soon as the words exited Scarlett's mouth. For once, Xander didn't know what to say. He was always rambling, always looking for a way to fill the silence or distract from the intense emotions. But there was no use in doing that now. In fact, if he tried, he might make things worse. No, he would definitely make things worse. Slowly, just as before, Xander nodded. While he wouldn't ever ask her to divulge the information if she didn't want to, he wasn't going to straight up ask what happened either. He couldn't tell her that he had no idea, because that much was obvious. At least he didn't completely devastate everything they had built up. At least, he hoped he didn't. Maybe there was something still here, if he was willing to trust her with this information. "I'm sorry," he said, once again quiet for once in his life.

Scarlett quickly shook her head at his insistence of not needing to apologize, her voice still scratchy and hoarse from all the crying she'd done, "No, it's not... It's not that." She was going to try and start explaining what she meant until she was hardly given the chance to even protest that she was fine, that she didn't need to sit down nor did she need water and food before she found herself now sitting on the couch. Scarlett had something to say and neither of those things were at the forefront of her mind. Mind you, she wasn't even hungry or thirsty in the slightest. And when Xander sat down in front of her on the floor, she quickly squeezed her eyes shut, but that only proved to be the wrong move when more tears escaped. Scarlett held a hand up to get him to stop, heaving a deep sigh as she slowly tugged her eyes back open. "Stop it, Xander. Just stop fucking talking." If anything, the constant need of always having something to say was doing more harm than good for her right now. "None of this happened because you kissed me. It might have been the trigger for it, but it wasn't the sole cause of it," she began, holding her breath for a few beats before letting go of it, "My mom and dad died together ten years ago today." Scarlett finally dropped the bomb that she'd been holding so close to her chest from the moment she met Xander. Because she knew if she ever ended up telling, then that meant she'd have to explain everything that has happened to her, to her family, for him to be able understand why she was programmed the way that she was.

[tak3mealiv3]

"Hey, hey, no." Xander lifted his hand, tucking her fingers gently under her chin. "What you don't need to ever do is apologize to me for the way that you are feeling. What I did to you was inexcusable, and I'm incredibly sorry that I behaved the way I did." He reached down his hand again, reaching for her hand and gently prying her fingers away from his shirt. "Come sit down," he said, guiding her over to the couch in their suite. "I'm going to get you a snack, okay? Some water? All the crying is gonna leave you dehydrated and with a massive headache, and it's going to make you even more miserable." He stepped away towards the cabinet that housed the mini bar, and without thinking he opened the door and pulled out a bottle of water and one of those packets of peanut butter crackers. He wasn't totally sure if she would accept either of these things, but he had to try. She would get sick if he didn't. He handed her the snack and the water, and then he sat down on the floor in front of her. He felt he was taking up too much space on the couch, and he wanted her to have her space. "Do you want anything else? We don't have to...talk, or anything like that, if you don't want. I can run you a bath or start you a shower or something. Whatever you need to feel comfortable."

In the midst of her quite literal sob fest, Scarlett couldn’t help but to be confused as ever over the storm that was raging in her mind. On the one hand, she felt like she didn’t trust Xander. Especially not now after he tried kissing her without warning. But on the other hand, there had to have been a tiny part of her that did trust him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have allowed herself to feel safe enough to cry in his arms. She wouldn’t have allowed herself to open up to him in the slightest back when they were in Vermont, she wouldn’t have texted him a few weeks ago when she was in trouble and wasn’t even sure if she would make it out of the situation unscathed. Time and time again, Scarlett kept going back to him, despite allowing herself to believe that she couldn’t put her trust in him. Was her brain just playing tricks on her because of all the trauma she’s been through in her life? Did she really happen to come across a man that was as rare as he was? Scarlett didn’t have the answers to any of her questions, all she could think to do right now was curl her fingers into the fabric of Xander’s shirt, desperately needing something to hold on to while he let her cry. The fact that he just stood there and held her (to the best of his ability considering how much shorter she was) without saying anything was all she needed to know that he was different from every other man out there. And after what seemed like tireless hours, Scarlett slowly lifted her head to look up at Xander as the harsh sobs died down into softer cries. “I… I—” she stammered, her voice coming out more hoarse than anticipated. Scarlett knew what she wanted to say, but she couldn’t form the proper words. All she could muster was a simple apology, “I… I’m sorry.”

[tak3mealiv3]

shhhh don't look @ me

say hi summer

[tak3mealiv3]

Xander simply couldn't leave her. Even when he said he would. He wasn't like that. He wanted to respect her boundaries, more than anything, but she was clearly in distress. It was obvious from the way her sobs continued while he was speaking that she was in distress, though whether it was because of him or something else he wasn't sure. He heard the bed behind the door shift, and for a moment he was braced for impact, prepared for the worst insults to be hurled at him, and rightfully deserved. Whatever their relationship was, whatever he was to her, he had utterly destroyed. And yet, when Scarlett finally opened the door, and he saw the look on her face as she unleashed her rage at him, Xander felt ready to be the one to cry harder himself. She looked broken, devastated. Small, size not withstanding. The t-shirt she was wearing practically swallowed her whole. But it was her lack confidence, which usually oozed out of her, that made her seem like she had shrunk half a foot. He simply couldn't leave her. Not when she needed him most. Instead, he stood still, watching as she reached her breaking point, listening to every word she said and. Though he made no move to get out of her way, like she asked. Instead, he ignored her pleas to get out of her way and stood there, standing rigid against her hands pushing him, ready to catch her when she was ready to fall. And when he finally did, Xander wrapped his arms around her (though at his height, it was quite difficult), nodding slowly without saying a word, letting her take as much time as she needed to be the first one to speak.

Scarlett should have known that it wouldn’t take Xander long to follow after her. When she heard the door to the hotel suite open and close, she knew right then she wasn’t getting out of this. And as soon as he opened his mouth to speak on the other side of the door to her room, she couldn’t help but to cry harder. In the midst of him trying to explain himself and profusely apologize for kissing her, she had remembered that today was the anniversary of both of her parents’ deaths. As if the night couldn’t get any worse. She just wanted to crawl in a hole and die herself. Scarlett couldn’t ever seem to have one good day where she felt at least some semblance of happiness. Something was always right there at the helm to ruin it all. The blonde tried her absolutely damndest to drown out whatever the fuck Xander was telling her, but it was when he mentioned something about promising to protect her that sent her right over the edge. She slowly lifted her head from the tear-stained pillow and somehow found the strength to get up from the bed to march right over to the door to open it. When she came face-to-face with Xander again, she could tell he was just as distraught and frazzled, but that wasn’t going to stop her from unleashing hell on him. “I told you I don’t need you protecting me, Xander!” Scarlett raised her voice, tears still cascading down her reddened cheeks in a steady stream. “Coming here was a mistake, just like going to Vermont was. What happened at the club was a mistake. Fucking showing up to your house to do my job was a mistake. Us meeting was a fucking mistake!” She was rambling, but she couldn’t help it. She hadn’t let her emotions get the best of her like this in a long time, and she was so ready to just give everything up completely. By now, Scarlett hadn’t realized just how much she was crying and she probably looked fucking ridiculous, but she well and truly didn’t even give a shit. “Now get away from me, I need—I need to go.” Go where? She hadn’t even packed anything back up and was wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt. “Please, just let me go,” Scarlett pleaded, her cries turning into desperate sobs as she tried and continuously failed to push him away by pressing her hands against chest, but he wouldn’t budge. “Please…” It was her last attempt at trying to make an escape, but she had lost all her strength and willpower, instead just allowing herself to completely collapse into Xander’s arms and hysterically sob without another word spoken.

[tak3mealiv3]

He was an idiot. His brain was simply turned off. The fragile friendship that he had so carefully constructed between them shattered in an instant. Hell, he almost thought she was beginning to trust him, and he didn't even think about it until it was too late. For all his times that he tried to tell her that he wasn't going to take advantage of her, to prove to her that he wasn't into her like that (or maybe he was? It all felt so complicated). That he wasn't like every guy that took advantage of her, that she used as a means to build up a wall around her to prevent him from really getting to know her. He had half a mind to jump in front of oncoming traffic just to keep his mind off the catastrophic mistake he made. Instead, he froze, not saying a word as Scarlett got up and ran off. It took him only about .2 seconds (though it felt like ages) for him to realize what happened, and he stood up, burying his face in his hands. He was a fucking idiot. He needed to go after her, right? That was what he needed to do. His own feelings, whatever they were, could wait. He did throw away their to-go boxes, his own dessert with barely a dent left in it, and he practically ran back out of the park and in the direction of the hotel. He didn't care if he looked crazy, this was New York; crazy people existed everywhere. When he got to the suite they were sharing, Xander went over to Scarlett's door, his heart hammering in his throat as he heard her quiet, muffled sobs. Forget running into traffic, he'd rather hurl himself off the building than hear her cry. "Scarlett-" Xander's voice caught in his throat, and he had to close his eyes tight to stop his own tears from forming. "Please, you have to understand. You know I would never-" He stopped again, heaving as a shudder ran through him. "I'm so, so sorry. I don't want to ever break my promise to you. I told you that I would protect you from any possibility of someone taking advantage of you, and I broke my own rules. It just...it just came over me." Xander winced, smacking his forehead. "No, Jesus, that makes it sound even worse. I want to apologize. Whether you accept it or not, that's your choice, but just know that the last thing I want to do is hurt you, or make you feel like you can't trust me, because I know that's already something that you don't do, and I just made it so much fucking worse. Just say the word and I will leave. I will pack and get another room and you will literally never have to hear from me again. I deserve that and so much more for what I did."

To say Scarlett was a little disappointed that Xander didn't even really say much in regards to her actually saying how she felt for once, would be an understatement. Maybe she was wrong to think that she could briefly put her trust in him, maybe she was starting to think that this trip was a mistake like the last one. The expression on her face quickly faltered and she looked away from him while she placed the to-go container next to her on the bench. She was going to try to say something else, maybe change the subject, but when she looked back at him, she couldn't even get a word out before Xander's lips were suddenly on hers. Scarlett instantly froze on the spot, unsure where this was even coming from, but every part of her mind and body combined were screaming at her to get him to stop, to push him away. She should have known he would have ulterior motives, despite the numerous times he told her he didn't. The little trust she had for him was now already dwindling at an alarming rate. He was just like every other man she had the displeasure of coming across. Quickly, the blonde pressed her small hands against his chest, forcing him off of her and causing the kiss to be broken. Scarlett hadn't even realized that tears had started rolling down her cheeks until she got up from her spot on the bench, wiping them away with the back of her hand. "I-I'm sorry... I have to go," she mumbled under her breath, voice slightly shaky as she took off in the direction of their hotel as fast as she could. Luckily, it wasn't that far of a walk (or run in her case) to the point where she'd need to take an Uber back, and was grateful for the fact that she memorized how to get there on her own. Once she was safely back in the hotel room, she stripped out of her clothes from the evening and changed into an oversized t-shirt, then collapsed onto the bed to let out all the emotions she'd been holding back.

[tak3mealiv3]

"Yeah," Xander said, nodding. In retrospect, if this moment were something that he was watching on tv, as a show or a movie, he would be yelling at the screen. If he were standing outside of his own body, he would be screaming at himself for ruining a good thing, destroying the delicate balance he had tried so hard to create. That he spent weeks building, destroying, then building again. It was finally okay. But back inside his own body, he was effectively taking a grenade to everything he had built, because without warning, or cause, or hell, even any thought, Xander leaned across the bench towards Scarlett, capturing her lips in a kiss.

"Sometimes that just happens," Scarlett shrugged as she looked back down at the dessert in her lap, finally picking the fork back up after her laughter died down. She took a couple more bites of the 'slice of heaven' as she put it in her mind before answering him again, "Yeah, I really do. Like everything, I mean. I know I'm not the most pleasant person to be around, like... Ever, but I wanted to at least try for you. Especially when the first time we tried doing something like this didn't go as well."

[tak3mealiv3]

"Well, it's not like I expected to say it. It just like...came out." Xander shook his head, taking another bite of his dessert as he contemplated the words that came out of his mouth. He still wasn't fully comfortable making jokes and references like that around Scarlett. Or any woman for that matter. His ex never really liked them, she would always scold him for them, and he learned to feel remorseful every time something unintentionally flew out of his mouth like that. Still, he was glad that Scarlett didn't completely hate him, and in fact seemed more comfortable with him than she ever had before. "All joking aside though. You really like the tiramisu? And Central Park? And...everything else?"

"Oh, come on, it's not that big of a deal. Dirty jokes are funny, especially when you don't expect to hear them." It seemed like Xander always had a stick up his ass whenever it came to anything remotely crude or sexual. Considering this wasn't the first time he'd acted embarrassed over something of the nature. "I did hear it and I will be acknowledging it for as long as I want to," Scarlett teased, another small fit of laughter rolling off of her tongue. She was genuinely enjoying spending time with him for the first time and she didn't want a silly joke to ruin that.

[tak3mealiv3]

Xander groaned as Scarlett started to laugh. It was the last thing that he wanted to do, to make a joke so crass. Especially since it meant he resorted to his base instinct to do it. He hoped he was more thoughtful than that. "Please don't remind me. Like ever. I never said that, you didn't hear that." He opened the container that had his dessert, the first time he had done so since they sat down. "Nothing ever happened. You didn't hear it, you didn't acknowledge it. Nothing ever happened." Looking down at the container, he stabbed at the layered dessert with his plastic fork, shoveling a piece of it in his mouth without even thinking about savoring it. He just wanted a reason to not open his mouth and say something stupid again

Scarlett had scooped another small piece of the Italian dessert onto her fork, blissfully unaware of the unintentional innuendo that came out of her moments ago. That was, until she had lifted the fork to her mouth to take the bite, but she stopped before dropping it into her mouth at the quick-witted joke that flew out of Xander's mouth. With how friendly he'd been trying to act with her lately, it was the last thing she had expected to hear from him. Nevertheless, Scarlett burst into a fit of laughter as she dropped the fork back into the to-go box. "Oh my God, there is no way you just said that," she said in-between giggles. It being out of line wasn't even a thought in her mind, she just thought it was an amusing stupid joke that fortunately had perfect timing with her innuendo.

[tak3mealiv3]

Xander froze as the moan flew out of Scarlett's mouth. The last time he heard anything like that was when he had unexpectedly ran into her at work, and she tried to entice him in that private room. She had succeeded, and yet somehow Xander had pulled all of his willpower to block out the events from playing over and over again in his mind. However, with that sound, it all came rushing back, and Xander struggled to maintain the polite friendliness that he had maintained the entire time they knew each other. He wanted her to trust him, and this was not the way to go about it. But he simply couldn't help himself, especially when she mentioned putting something in her mouth. As if on instinct, Xander blurted out, "I mean I'm sure I can think of a few other things that could be far better," before almost instantly and shamefully dropping his head down, squeezing his eyes shut. "Fuck, I'm sorry, that was way fucking out of line."

Scarlett didn't waste anytime digging into her dessert and the second it hit her taste buds, she let out a moan in satisfaction. She was right in knowing the tiramisu would probably become a favorite of hers once she tried it. If it wasn't for the sound of Xander's voice ringing in her ears, she likely would have forgotten he was even there in the first place while she enjoyed the little slice of heaven. "About what? Central Park or the tiramisu?" Scarlett questioned, turning herself slightly to face him. "Because if we're talking about the tiramisu, then it's literally the best thing I have ever put in my mouth."

[tak3mealiv3]

"She's pretty cool, I think you'd like her." It wasn't meant as a 'please meet my mom' situation, at least he hoped it wasn't. But he was telling the truth. His mom, in his opinion, was one of the coolest people he knew. He was confident that one day, if Scarlett ever got brave enough to want to meet the rest of his family (strictly on a friendship level), he was confident that Angie Kinsley would absolutely love her. When Scarlett agreed to his conditions, Xander quickly ordered their desserts to go, and had a brief visit with the owner to personally thank him for the food and make sure that everything was taken care of on their behalf. He was glad that even at that, Scarlett didn't seem to have anything to say about his wealth and the attention he got because of his family, even with a free meal and permanent table. It was a nice refreshing change. "Yeah, just make sure its underneath one of the heat lamps, since it'll be super fucking cold soon." Thankfully, even with her abrupt sit down, she chose the correct seating arrangement, and he happily sat down next to her, cradling his to go box in his hands as he looked out at the park. "So what do you think?"

"Well, I guess your mom and I have that in common," she quipped, a sheepish smile on her face. Scarlett couldn't see her reflection, but she was sure her face probably lit up like a kid on Christmas morning at the thought of strolling through Central Park at nighttime with someone she'd be stupid to think wasn't attractive. It was almost like her lack of trust in men just ceased to exist whenever she was around him; it not even being a thought in her mind at the moment. Scarlett nodded her head in agreement at Xander's suggestion, and before she knew it, they were walking through a rather quiet Central Park. It was beautiful, like something straight out of a movie, and it couldn't have been more perfect for her first impression of it. "Should we sit, so we can eat our dessert?" She asked as they came upon a park bench, but without waiting for Xander's answer, Scarlett decided to make herself comfortable so that she could dig in to the tiramisu.

[tak3mealiv3]

"They say it's the New York water that really does it," Xander said, nodding as if imparting sage wisdom. "Same thing with the hot dogs and the pretzels in the carts. It makes all the difference." He was glad that Scarlett was genuinely enjoying herself. Every time they met in person, she always had her guard up, always looking away from him or trying to hide within herself. But now, he got to see what he wanted all this time, since the moment they met. She was relaxed. The intensity that he had come to expect from her had melted away, replaced with the kind of person Xander was hoping to see. Someone funny and thoughtful, who was enjoying their conversation. He had to hope that the rest of the time they were here would work out just as well. The Lion King experience had been great, and even though there wasn't much else Scarlett wanted to do, Xander was determined to give her whatever she asked for for the next day and a half. "That's my mom's favorite," he said, nodding as he agreed to what she had chosen. "We'll get two to go. That way we don't have to sit in here and can get out and enjoy the area." He looked over Scarlett's shoulder towards the door, since he had chosen to sit facing that way. "Central Park is right across the street. We can walk around there for a bit if you want, cross something else off the New York tourism list before it gets too dark."

"Well, now that I've had it, I don't ever wanna leave the city. The pizza back home doesn't even compare," she said as she took a couple more bites, making sure to savor every single one of them like the she did with the first bite. After Scarlett finished off her first slice of pizza, she went to try the appetizer she couldn't pronounce, popping the whole thing in her mouth. And of course, it was just as good as the pizza. She shouldn't have even been surprised. For the rest of their dinner, conversations between them were flowing, and for once, Scarlett wasn't worried about a damn thing in her life. She didn't even have any snarky comments about Xander, his family, or his nepotism on the tip of her tongue. She was genuinely enjoying his company for the first time ever, and she was a little sad knowing that it'd be coming to an end soon. Now they they were finished, all Scarlett was looking forward to was dessert. She'd always wanted to try tiramisu and she knew that was what she wanted as soon as she saw it on the menu earlier. "I really wanna try the tiramisu, I've never had it before."

[tak3mealiv3]

"No, you gotta have it in it's true form before you can start to appreciate it in other forms." "Arancini? It's like the name aaron, with like..chee knee at the end. You'll like it." Everything looked perfect when the food came, and he popped half an arancini in his mouth as he watched Scarlett approach the pizza with hesitation. He leaned back in his chair, nodding. "Absolutely. It's part of the experience. The grease escapes if you don't fold it to protect it." He picked up the other half of his arancini to pop in his mouth as he watched her take her first bite, and he grinned, now leaning forward to grab his own slice. He might not have inherited his father's musical prowess or profinity for sports, but he did inherit his appetite. "I told you. The purest thing you can do is eat New York pizza, folded, nothing but cheese." He gestured to the other two appetizers on their table. "You should try that next."

“Seriously? Not even pepperoni?” Scarlett didn’t really like a lot of toppings, anyway, but pepperoni was always a must. “But fine, then just get that and whatever the hell that thing is that you said. I can’t pronounce it,” she said, her cheeks slightly tinged red in embarrassment. After they conversed for a little while longer, they finally got to order and their food came faster than she could blink. But she couldn’t complain the food looked delicious and she couldn’t wait to try it. “Do I have to fold my pizza when I eat it or is that just a myth?” Scarlett joked, a small laugh escaping her lips as she went to grab a slice of pizza. She didn’t wait for Xander’s answer, instead just going in for a small bite of it. She swore she was in heaven just at the taste of it, to the point where she had to closer her eyes to savor it. New York pizza was certainly better than the shitty pizza she always had back home. “This might be the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

[tak3mealiv3]

"Yeah, we can absolutely do that." Nodding Xander looked down at the menu at the pizza section. "If you're gonna have it for the first time, you need to have it pure. No toppings, just cheese." He nodded, before flipping the menu over again to look at the appetizers. "The arancini's are a personal favorite. They're basically just fried rice balls stuffed with cheese and like...some special ham. But I know that my sister really likes that burrata thing. Which is basically just cheese that you kinda cut open and spread over the greens and tomatoes."

"Well, I really just wanted to be able to try some New York pizza, so I think that's all I'm thinking about right now," Scarlett admitted, lifting her shoulders into a shrug again. She was already rolling her eyes at him again, as if she even expected anything fancy. In fact, she would much prefer it this way. Most of the time, food was better when it wasn't coming from some big, fancy, and expensive restaurant. This was perfect for her. "Fine, I guess an appetizer first, then pizza. Then we can think about dessert later."

[tak3mealiv3]

"Yeah, they do a lot here." Xander nodded. He could have taken the easy way out and ordered them a pizza, since he knew she wanted to try it, and so he could take the element of decision making out of it, but he didn't want to choose for her. "Pizzas, pastas, soups, chicken, fish. Pretty good appetizers, pretty good desserts. I'm a big fan of the tiramisu personally." He tapped the picture on the menu in emphasis. It's not like...the special fancy Italian place to be, but it's always been comforting." He already knew what he wanted, since it was the same thing he got nearly every time he came here. "If you want, we can start out with an appetizer so you can get a better idea of what the food tastes like, and we can go from there?"

For once, things between Scarlett and Xander felt... Different; not necessarily in a bad way. But while she would normally be annoyed by his mere presence or telling him off for whatever reason she could think of on the spot, she was actually having a good time with him while he showed her around New York City. Another first for her. It seemed like 'firsts' were becoming a recurring theme whenever she was with him. Scarlett quietly followed him into the small, dimly-lit establishment, but when she was quickly greeted by the scent of various different Italian cuisines wafting through the air, she couldn't help but to feel excited. But of course, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the fact that Xander and his family were obviously well-known around the restaurant. She had to force herself to bite back the comment on the tip of her tongue about it because she didn't want to ruin the otherwise decent mood. "This menu is fucking huge, I wouldn't even know where to start," Scarlett shrugged as she sat down, eyes briefly glancing over the menu.

[tak3mealiv3]

It wasn't often Charlotte stayed at the small loft that her and her siblings shared in New York. It was mostly to use while one of them were visiting on their own, and Charlotte was typically in New York for 1-2 days at a time to Most of the time, she was at her family's house, or at her own apartment in Los Angeles. But her mom's book publisher was looking for a meeting, and so she took the trip with her mom for the weekend. What she wasn't expecting, though, was a knock on her door, especially since no one knew they were even here. When she opened the door, she shouldn't have been surprised to find Kate standing there. It made sense; superhero stuff, probably. It was still hard to wrap her head around, but her career had kept her from thinking too deeply about it. "Hold on," Charlotte said, cutting her off. She tilted her head back, calling to her mom that she'd be a few minutes before she stepped outside, shutting the door behind her. "I'm not mad at you," she said. "Obviously very grateful you saved my life, that shit was scary. But I'm not mad at you in the slightest."

@tak3mealiv3 gets a surprise starter

kate  hasn't  seen  her  friend,  charlotte,  after  rescuing  her  from  an  attack  at  her  father's  event.  when  her  avenger  secret  came  out  no  thanks  to  who  was  attacking.  kate  ran  off  to  go  fight  and  she  hasn't  seen  lottie  since.  too  wrapped  up  in  saving  everyone.  unsure  of  how  the  other  was  even  taking  it.  but  now  she  stood  in  front  of  her  door  waiting.  waiting…waiting..and  waiting.  up  until  the  door  swung  open  revealing  the  blonde,  “hey!  i  uh-  look.  i  understand  if  you  hate  me  for  keeping  secrets,  but  i  thought  it  would  keep  you  safe  but  then  i  realized  that  was  stupid  considering  i  don't  even  wear  a  mask  and  people  know  who  i  am  and-”  and  the  archer  just  kept  on  rambling.

[tak3mealiv3]

closed starter for @seriallcver

"Okay, here's the place." Xander opened the door and waited for Scarlett to go through it and into the pizza place before he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. Almost immediately, he was hit with a wave of nostalgia and comfort, and he smiled. "Angelo's pizza. My family's been coming here longer than I've been alive." He patted Scarlett's shoulder, stepping away from her briefly. "Wait right here." Xander stepped towards the hostess stand, name dropping his family with the understanding that they had an outstanding table, and within minutes he and Scarlett were seated, with menus in front of them and a pitcher of water on their table. Xander poured Scarlett some, then himself, before taking a sip. "You can get whatever you want, but I have some recommendations if you're worried."

[tak3mealiv3]

"It was," he said, his voice trailing off. He wasn't sure that anything with his ex would be considered nice, after years of memories and building a future had gone down the drain so quickly. As if she didn't care about them at all. "I mean, it was until it wasn't you know?" He stared at the screen, as if the talking animals would jump out of the movie and remind him that she spent the entire time complaining that it was too hot, the lines were too long, the food was too expensive (even though he was paying for everything), and the characters were creepy. It was her idea to go, and Xander was happy to do so for her, so he tried to make the most of it by giving her whatever she asked for that day. "It's just weird to look back on all that. It was supposed to be a good memory and it just...reminds me of how we ended things. I mean the ring's still at my parent's house because I can't be bothered to even look at it." Why was he saying this out loud? And, more importantly, why was he telling someone that he barely knew, that he had to fight tooth and nail to get here in the first place? This was probably the last thing she wanted to hear when she was watching something that held so much meaning to her? Xander coughed, scooting away from her farther down the couch in an effort to shield himself, looking down at his takeout container. "Sorry, shouldn't have brought that up."

“I don’t know. My parents fought a lot, so maybe.” Shrugging again, Scarlett suddenly didn’t feel all that hungry as her gaze averted to the container of food in front of her. The last thing she wanted to be doing was talking about this again when she didn’t even mean to say anything about it in the first place. She could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall because she didn’t want to cry in front of Xander. Luckily, he sort of changed the subject, but it wasn’t anything Scarlett expected him to say. Why was he mentioning his ex to her? “Oh… That’s nice.”