Staring back at herself in the expansive three-way mirror in Shuri's room, hands smoothing over the dress her friend had talked her into putting on, Cleo's expression rested in a wrinkled pout. Was Shuri... actually insane? Was the brilliance all a cover for crazy? The dress itself was so ornate that she was afraid to touch it, let alone wear it to a party. The good doctor was prone to bouts of clumsiness. Okay, it was stunning, but that wasn't the point.
"Uh, Ri?" she called out, stepping back from the mirror awkwardly. "Um, I thought I was very clear when I said I didn't want to draw attention to myself. So, this... garment that looks like it was hand stitched by blind nuns might be sending the wrong message."
"If it was stitched by blind nuns then I paid too much for it." Shuri walked over to Cleo and smiled softly. "You're beautiful my girl. Your father would weep." She finished putting the last few bangles on her wrists before she walked around her closest friend. "I think you need a necklace to wear."
"Ooh, not the dad card..." Cleo whined, knowing that her friend knew there was no way she'd change now. She glanced down at her bare chest and rolled her eyes. "Why? To give M'Baku a very clear target for motorboating?" she challenged, hands moving to her hips with the sibling attitude they had honed over the years.
Shuri narrowed her eyes at Cleo then scoffed with a wave of her hand. "I think a mentally unstable man has eyes on you more than M'Baku." She turned and began looking through her jewelry box, hoping to find the right pendant.
"Wait, so the mentally unstable man isn't M'Baku?" Cleo asked, shaking her head. "What are you talking about?"
Shuri turned back towards Cleo with a simple diamond teardrop necklace in her hand. "I think James has a bit of a fondness for you."
Cleo nearly snorted at the other young woman's observation. "Are you serious?" she asked, eyebrows raised. "Why? I mean, I don't hold the other day against him. I think I just got... overwhelmed by all of his pain."
"He's relaxed around you, he opened up to you," Shuri told her. "What he told you, he hasn't told me, and I'm practically his therapist."
Is he really? It wasn't obvious to her, but then again, she'd only interacted with him twice. I could swim in those eyes though. "Well... you know, sometimes that happens around me." Cleo had that effect on the animals as well. She exhaled a breath, bubbling with her lips as she did. "Maybe... the rest of us can hope for him until he's able to do it himself."
"Just hear me out. I wouldn't be surprised if James makes a scene tonight if M'baku makes a move on you," Shuri said. "I just have a feeling... plus I talked to Steve."
"Oh God, no scenes, please," she whined again, smoothing her hand over her long, wavy hair that she'd decided to leave down. "Oh, I see... so James and I actually have something in common because both of our best friends are talking about us behind our backs."
"I just asked Steve how James was on their walk when they came back, that's all," Shuri said. "James is reluctant about the dinner too, so he might be on edge."
"Excellent, excellent. James is on edge, M'Baku is himself... there will be alcohol at this thing, right?" Cleo asked. "Because depending on how this goes, I may be sleeping in the palace tonight after you have to put me to bed."
Shuri sighed. "James just isn't used to being included in things. He's used to a cell block or a hideout apartment. Steve is here and will be a large help," she explained. "Give James a chance."
Cleo drew her eyes closed and encouraged herself to take a quiet breath to slow down the spiral that could be her mind sometimes. "You're absolutely right," she nodded in agreement after a few moments, and she opened her eyes to smile at her friend. "It really could be fun. Oh - did I mention that the last time he saw me, I was covered in rhino snot?"
"Oh?" Shuri laughed, covering her mouth. "That must have been a new look to show off. Did you meet Steve that way too?"
"No, I was just covered in dirt at that point," Cleo replied with a small smirk of her own. "These things happen with animals. If a person can't take it, that's fine. I'll be a quiet old cat lady, and by cats, I mean panthers, leopards, and lions."
Shuri chuckled as she looked in her compact mirror and finished off doing her powder and lips. "Are you ready to go? It's in the east dining hall."
Cleo turned to take herself in one more time, willing to admit that she did clean up well sometimes. "Ready. After you, Princess," she said with a sweep of her arms in the direction of the door before she linked her arm around her friend's.
~~~~~~
James sat with Steve and T'challa at a table while each of them nursed a glass of wine. He sighed as he watched other people around them talking and mingling with other people, it made him want to grumble. After taking a long drink from his glass he was about to tell Steve that he was going to get some air when Shuri and Cleo walked in the room.
Cleo's sparkling floor length gown blew James away, feeling himself swallow thickly, seeing the lights above them make her shimmer like the night sky. "Wow," he murmured.
Cleo could feel the eyes on her as she walked carefully into the room and she smoothed her hands lightly over the jeweled dress, the elegance of it out of tune with what people saw from her most of the time. She was a little self-conscious but as her eyes scanned the room, one face nearly stopped her in her tracks. "Is that..." she mumbled as her dark eyes took in James. A... completely different James. Dressed in a sharp blue suit that highlighted the intensity of the blue in his eyes, the now smooth-faced man was almost hypnotizing. He'd cut his hair, leaving it just long enough to sweep a little of it back.
From where Steve sat, he could see the whole scene and as the two seemed to be in awe of each other. A smile crossed onto his lips and his eyes found Shuri's to give her a wink. I think all of this is going to go the way we're hoping.
Shuri led Cleo over to Nori, a mutual friend of theirs that they hadn't seen in a little while before she walked over to Steve. "You got him to cut his hair," she smiled. "You look handsome."
James rolled his eyes but nodded, giving Shuri a polite nod. "Thank you."
"He cleans up nice. Just had to find him under all that hair," Steve teased. "You look beautiful, Shuri. And Cleo, geez."
The Princess turned to glance back at her friend who was for now at least somewhat engrossed in conversation with Nori. "She cleans up nice also," she said with a smile. "Have either of you seen-" she began, but her question was answered before she finished it. From the hall they could hear M'Baku drawing attention to his own entrance.
James turned his attention to the overly large man as he walked in the room. He quickly noticed that M'baku liked to make a lot of noise and take up as much space as possible, showing off for others around him. Someone has a big ego.
M'Baku liked attention, there was no denying that. He was a bit uncivilized; he enjoyed big displays of dominance and power. He clapped his hands together loudly and as his eyes scanned the room, they settled on the fair skinned girl with long, dark hair. He headed straight for her while her back was turned and before anyone could stop it, he reached out and grabbed Cleo's hand before he whipped her around to get a better look at her.
Cleo had heard M'Baku enter but she didn't turn to glance in his direction. Maybe if she didn't turn around, he wouldn't realize it was her. Little did she know, though, that he was approaching, and she gasped as suddenly she was turned in his direction, chocolate eyes turned up to see the much larger man's face. "Oh... hi M'Baku."
"Cleo, my dear girl. I didn't know you would be attending tonight," M'Baku said, hoping that his silver tongue would make her want to be closer to him. He flashed his bright smile at her, resting one hand on her lower back.
"I didn't really know I would be either until a few hours ago," Cleo replied reluctantly, donning a small but friendly smile. She wrinkled her nose a bit as she felt his hand on her back and she cleared her throat. "I was actually about to get a drink so, if you'll excuse me..."
"I could join you... I do not see you with any company," M'Baku countered coyly. "I know you like our darkest wine."
Shit. He was right. She didn't have any company. "Um, you know what, I actually need to check in with Shuri about something, but I can meet you over there?" she asked innocently, taking a step back to separate herself from him.
James watched from afar as M'Baku stepped close to Cleo again, not taking her retreating from him as an answer. His grip on the metal chair he sat in tightened, hearing the metal bend in his grip. "Steve? Do I have your permission?" he questioned. "I won't hurt him..."
Steve's eyes were narrowed on the interaction as well and he wasn't fond of what he was seeing. It seemed, though, that Bucky might be even less fond than he was. His eyes met his friend's and he sighed before he nodded. "Don't hurt him," he echoed.
"I don't plan to." James got up silently and kept his eyes on M'Baku as he maneuvered his way over to them. He smirked as they never noticed his approach, listening to M'baku state again that Cleo was alone.
Cleo was going to have to be more forward, she was going to have to stop being so nice. But the way M'Baku physically towered over her, the sheer size of him, it made her voice pinch in her throat. She opened her mouth to speak again but before any words could come out, she was suddenly pulled in a different direction, though much more gently than before.
James slowly wrapped his arm around Cleo's waist and gently pulled her to rest against his chest. "She's not alone," he stated. "She's with me."
She turned her up again and as James's blue eyes looked down at her she felt this immediate sense of gratitude. "Oh, there you are! I was looking for you," she played along, the relaxation that his presence provided written in her eyes.
"Sorry I took so long," James said, meeting her brown eyes with a look of protectiveness in them before he looked back up at M'Baku to see the large man narrowing his eyes at him with disdain.
"I guess I can forgive you," Cleo replied with a shrug before she turned and looked up at M'Baku. "You'll excuse us, yes?" she more stated than asked, leaning her weight a little more into James to nudge him to opposite direction.
M'Baku let out a gruff sound before he turned and left without saying a word, making James slowly turn and walk them in the opposite direction, towards Steve and Shuri. "Are you alright?" he asked, slowly removing his arm from her waist.
Cleo felt herself exhale heavily as M'Baku's overpowering presence moved away and she offered no resistance as she walked with James. She turned her eyes up to his face and nodded lightly. "Yes, I'm fine... thank you for that," she said, finding that she missed his arm once it was gone. "I don't know why it's so hard to just tell him to go away. I'll have to keep working on that."
James took a small step back to give them a respectable amount of space in between them. "Hopefully he won't bother you any longer after tonight is over."
"If you could be something of a looming, intimidating presence in the background at all times, I'd really appreciate it," Cleo replied with a smirk before she laughed lightly. "I actually do need to go get a drink... do you need anything? Or... you can come with me."
"I don't mind walking with you," James answered, his voice quiet. If I knew her better, I would suggest making it obvious that she was mine... but I doubt she would go for it.
Her smile softened a bit further and she nodded. "I'd like that," Cleo said quietly, clearing her throat as she turned to move toward the bar. "You, um... you," she tried to begin, fingers twisting together in front of her. She was suddenly very unsure of what to do with her hands. It's not super weird to tell a guy he looks hot right? She'd never done something like that before. But there was clear effort on his part, and she wanted him to know that she noticed. "You look really good. I mean, it's not that you didn't look good before, but now you look... differently good?" she offered awkwardly, wrinkling her nose at herself as they arrived at the bar.
James chuckled softly, putting his hand in his suit pocket. "Steve cut my hair. It was very long overdue honestly. I needed the change. But Shuri is the one that lent me the suit."
"Shuri's the one who got me this dress... she had to guilt me into putting it on," Cleo shared in reply, smoothing her hands over the dress again before she caught the attention of the bartender.
"We know what you like, Miss Cleo," the man behind the bar joked as he brought her a glass of dark red Pinot Noir. There was something special about it here.
Cleo almost blushed but was able to contain it by releasing a quiet laugh. "Thank you," she said with a sing-song kind of awkwardness, but her smile was gracious. "Anything you'd like?" she asked James, leaning her side into the bar to angle her body more towards his.
Is she flirting? James let himself smile at her before he looked over at the bartender. "I'll have the same please." He waited until the bartender put the glass on the counter before taking it and having a sip.
She couldn't help but watch the suddenly far more angular lines of his face as he tried the wine. "It's not for everyone, in case you hate it," she offered, biting her lip nervously before she took a sip of it herself, really enjoying it.
"It has a nice tang to it," he admitted then licked his lips. "I've had worse to be honest."
His response drew laughter that initially felt nervous but slowly Cleo began to relax into it. "Good... I'm glad there's a low bar," she replied, taking another slow sip of her wine before she somewhat reluctantly pushed herself up off of the bar. "Do you know if dinner is soon? Should we find seats, or..."
"T'challa said it wouldn't be long when I was sitting at the table," James answered. "There's supposed to be dancing afterward... I don't know if I'll stay."
Cleo nodded knowingly at his mention of dancing. "Oh yes, there's always dancing. I don't actually think I'll be allowed to leave until I dance a satisfactory amount in Shuri's eyes," she shared with a small roll of her eyes. As they arrived back at the table, she met Shuri's eyes. She had taken her seat and tapped the chair next to her. Cleo turned her eyes up to James's once more with a shy smile. "You're sitting with Steve, right? Looks like I'm across from you."
James nodded, his glass in his human hand. "Unless you want me to move?" He suggested, then cleared his throat slightly. Why the hell did I say that?
Cleo quickly furrowed her brows and shook her head. "No, no, definitely not," she assured him, though she realized that she sounded very desperate at that moment. She offered him a smile and turned to sit, taking the time to puff her cheeks out as she exhaled. She sat next to Shuri and took a long sip from her wine glass, aware of M'Baku's eyes from down the table but ignoring them.
With a small sigh, James returned to his seat just as dinner was being served to everyone. He leaned back in his chair and sipped at his wine, now feeling like he wanted to go back to his house even sooner.
Meanwhile Shuri raised her eyebrow at Cleo. "What did you say to him? He looks full of gloom and doom again."
Cleo's brows furrowed as Shuri mentioned James. "What?" she asked, turning her attention toward him, though she could barely see him pushed back like that. "I didn't say anything! It was a nice talk!" she said with confusion. He was sitting next to Steve, that's where he was most comfortable, right? "He asked if I wanted him to move and..." she began, but it donned on her slowly. "I might have read that wrong."
"He wanted to sit beside you," Shuri said. "You turned him down? After he rescued you from M'Baku?"
"I thought it was a pity offer!" Cleo whisper-yelled at her best friend. "He's next to Steve, I figured that's where he'd want to be. How do I fix this?" she asked, trying not to panic. They had made progress; he had rescued her... she felt a little sick.
"I assume Steve will talk him into staying for a couple of dances, ask him to dance if he does," Shuri answered as she cut up the meat on her plate.
Cleo closed her eyes and exhaled through pursed lips. Wow. Idiot. "What is wrong with me..." she mumbled to herself. She reached out and picked up her wine glass, finishing it in one gulp before she turned her eyes down to focus on the food.
"There's nothing wrong with you. I just think you're scared to let anyone get closer than you are used to," Shuri said softly. "You like your bubble."
She did like her bubble. It was safe. She'd had to create that feeling for herself when she remained after others didn't. It hurts to lose people. She'd lost a lot in the last few years. And while some of it had come back, there were still holes that she didn't know how to fill. "What if the two of us are just too bad at this forge, even a basic friendship?"
"You need to give yourself a chance, then him," Shuri answered. "Otherwise, things won't go anywhere. You're better for each other than you think."
"You keep saying that but how do you know?" Cleo asked, having trouble understanding how Shuri seemed so confident. She sighed again and took a bite of her food, knowing she needed to eat something. "I'll ask him to dance. If he says no, though, I'm never listening to you again, though."
Shuri chuckled softly as she watched Steve and James conversing across the table, seeing James sigh in defeat and slouch back in his seat, but no longer brooding. "I have a feeling that he won't."
Cleo's dark eyes shifted in the direction Shuri's were and she saw James's face, more relaxed than it seemed before. She smiled softly to herself and nodded, turning her eyes back down to her food. "We'll see, I guess."
The remainder of dinner was uneventful, broken up with laughter and smiles. Cleo couldn't help but feel nerves but as the table was cleared and the music began, she tried to breathe through them. T'Challa was the first on the floor with Nakia and she could feel Shuri's eyes drilling into the side of her face. "Okay... so do I just... ask?"
"If you don't ask him, he might ask you... or M'baku will come to ask you," Shuri replied, just as Steve stood and walked around the table to ask Shuri to dance with him, which she accepted and took his hand, letting him lead her out onto the dance floor.
Cleo rolled her eyes at her friend's mention of M'Baku and offered Steve a small smile before the two headed to the dance floor. She smoothed her hands over her dress again and took a long breath before she pushed herself up onto her feet. She turned to take a step but when she did, she turned her eyes up to see James actually approaching her as well. "Oh, hi, I... I, um, was going to see if maybe..." she stammered nervously, glancing back at the dance floor.
James grinned down at her, enjoying the light pink that began to show on her cheeks. "Do you want to dance Cleo?" He asked softly.
His smile is gorgeous. The question James was able to ask, that Cleo hadn't been able to pulled a shy chuckle from her before she nodded. "Yes, I would," she replied, extending her delicate hand to take his much larger one. She felt something new flush through her as their skin touched for the first time and it sort of pulled her breath out of her.
His hand gently gripped hers as he led her to the dance floor then turned to face her. James then wrapped his only arm around her waist. "It's been a long time since I've done this," he admitted as they slowly began moving to the music.
"That's okay, I don't have much experience with it either," she shared with a soft smile as she rested her other hand on his strong shoulder. "Did you dance a lot in the forties?" Cleo asked genuinely interested at what his life has been like.
James nodded. "I did. We liked to go to shows a lot, or to the cinema," he answered. "Although the music was a lot different."
He was easy to dance with. Cleo noticed that right away. For being as obviously strong as he was, he was still able to be smooth in his movements. "I'm sure. I don't think WAP would have gone over nearly as well back then..." she said with a small smirk.
He furrowed his brow. "I don't think I know what that is," he chuckled. "I'm not adept in the newer music to be honest. My mobile player has a lot from the forties and some of the newer stuff."
"You're not missing anything," Cleo assured him, laughing lightly. She quirked a brow. "Mobile player?" she questioned. "You mean, like, an iPod? Or just, like... you phone?". That's... charmingly adorable.
"An... iPod I think," James answered. "Shuri or Steve add new stuff for me all the time."
"Can you dance to any of it?" Cleo asked, adjusting her hand in his to take it a little more securely. "Is there anything that's a little more modern that you like?"
"Marvin Gay is nice," he answered. "I like CCR too, but I haven't tried to dance to anything like I used to."
"My dad loved CCR," Cleo replied, her eyes softening as she spoke about her father. "You can dance to it. Believe me. But then again, he'd dance to anything."
James chuckled. "Maybe you can teach me sometime."
Cleo's stomach tightened with butterflies and a blush she couldn't contain cropped up. She bit the inside of her lip a little before she nodded. "Yeah, I, um... I definitely can," she assured him sort of privately, her voice a little more hushed. "How would you feel about spinning me?" she asked, wondering just what kind of moves might come back to him.
A grin appeared on James' face as he pulled away, spinning her gently away from him before spinning her back to him. "How's that?"
His smile alone made her stomach flutter wildly and she gracefully spun away from him, thankfully able to stay on her feet with these heels. A giggle bubbled out of her. "Very good, Impressive actually," she answered honestly, the flush of her cheeks spreading just a bit to her chest. "I can see why your dance card was full back then."
James smirked as the song changed. He found quickly that he could two step to the beat. "Can you two step?" He asked.
"I guess we'll find out," Cleo laughed, her smile warm and open now that she'd finally allowed herself to relax around him. Just... being in the moment seemed to work. "I'll follow your lead," she acknowledged as she stepped backwards.
He stood still for a moment before he began leading Cleo around the dance floor as a soft smile lit up his face. "You dance well."
"Oh, well, thank you," she replied with her charming quirkiness, tossing her hair a bit. "You end up at a lot of balls and parties when you're friends with the Royal family. I just really don't want to embarrass myself."
"You're not embarrassing yourself," James assured before he spun her around again and easily caught her in his arm embrace once more, bringing her closer to his chest. "You're being watched," he added softly.
Being this close to him made her flush with warmth again, that second glass of wine at dinner giving her a warm, tingly sensation. Cleo furrowed her brows and was about to glance around. "Who?" she asked in a whisper, turning her eyes back up to his. "It's M'Baku isn't it? Is that why I weirdly feel like I might look like a steak to him?"
"He won't bother you," James said softly. "Not while you're with me." He placed one hand on the small of Cleo's back as the song changed to a slower one.
Not while I'm with you... no way you can walk away now. Cleo didn't want to walk away, though. In fact, she allowed her weight to fall more against him as they moved together. It felt almost like floating. "Then...I guess you're gonna have to stay with me all night," she replied, biting the inside of her lip as she did. That was flirting, right? He wants me to flirt? Do not start sweating.
James couldn't hide the wide smirk that fell across his face as they slowly spun around the dance floor. "You could... if you want to."
If. I. Want. To. Cleo was a woman afraid to want for much. It could all just be taken away again, right? Yes, some of what was gone had returned but nothing was the same. It never would be. Finding some kind of new normal felt impossible. A flush of nerves prompted another blush and she cleared her throat a little, smiling shyly. "Would you maybe want to go outside? I'm a little warm..."
"Sure." He slowly spun them to a stop, then led her off the dance floor and out onto the nearest balcony. "It was pretty warm in there."
The faint breeze was a welcome relief and it triggered a more relaxed smile on Cleo's slightly flushed face. "Honestly, I think I'm not really used to being around this many people at once," she shared, leaning into the balcony with her body facing James's, eyes turned up to him. "I have a feeling you get that."
James let out a long breath. "I do. I'm really not fond of crowds."
As the breeze caught Cleo's dark hair, it allowed the moonlight to illuminate her face a bit more. She smiled a bit to herself before she spoke. "Shuri keeps saying something about how we are... good for each other. Or, she keeps saying that to me," she shared, allowing that to hang vulnerably in the air.
"That sounds like Shuri... Steve has been telling me the same thing." James leaned his arms on the balcony and looked out at the glittering skyline. "I do feel calm around you, so they're not wrong," he shrugged.
So she wasn't the only one being coaxed into talking to the other. "I tend to have that effect on people... and animals. My father used to say that I could calm a rabid bull. Though I've never encountered a rabid bull so that's not proven," she shared with a small smile.
"I don't think I've ever seen one either, so you're safe." James looked over at Cleo, seeing how her gown glitters just as much as the stars. "You look... very pretty tonight," he said quietly.
Cleo felt a flush of nerves spread through her, but she was sure to breathe through it. James's eyes on her made her feel warm all over again. "Thank you," she replied softly. "You also look... very pretty," she added with a soft laugh.
James snorted, then laughed. A real genuine laugh. "Pretty?" He asked. "I think that's a first."
"I don't know! I'm not very good at this," Cleo replied with a laugh of her own, raising her hands to cover her face shyly for a moment. "Handsome? Yes, that's the word. Very handsome."
"Thank you," he chuckled. It was then James realized that he really liked making Cleo blush. He liked the color on her cheeks. Maybe this isn't as hard as I thought it would be.
There were a few moments of oddly comfortable silence that passed between them and Cleo focused on that sparkle in his eyes. Was it a reflection from the stars? Her dress? She wasn't sure, but it was mesmerizing. "I am... glad that I came tonight," she finally said, taking a moment to pull her long hair over one shoulder. "And... before, what happened... don't worry about it." She wanted to be sure that he knew that none of what happened before meant anything.
"I'm glad I came too. Even if it took a lot of talking from Steve to get me to." James leaned back on the railing of the balcony and took a long breath. "Don't worry about it though, I got my dance."
"Well... maybe next time it won't take so much convincing," Cleo suggested with a small, easy shrug. "For me, too... Shuri pointed out that I sorta like my bubble. The last five years really... messed with my head, I think."
James nodded, then sighed. "You and me both. It would be nice to be able to actually stop fighting for once."
"Does it still feel like you're still fighting?" Cleo asked, the way her body leaning into the railing highlighted the elegance of her beauty.
"Sometimes," he admitted softly. "Although I think I'm fighting myself more than anything anymore."
Cleo's eyes softened further at his admission. She was tempted to reach out and rest her hand on top of his, to show him physically that he wasn't alone. But she didn't want to push his boundaries. "Ever thought about what might happen if you stopped?" she asked obviously, a smirk growing on her lips. "I hope... that even if it's only for a few minutes every now and then that you're able to just... be."
James looked down at the marble floor, a soft smile on his lips, now standing against the railing with his arms crossed over his chest and one ankle crossed over the other. She's always so positive... I wish I could be like that sometimes. He looked up and met her brown eyes once more. "I try."
"That's all anyone can ask," Cleo replied quietly, her smile somehow reaching her eyes. She adjusted her feet and for a moment looked down, lifting her foot to look at her shoe. "Would it completely ruin the moment if I take my shoes off?" she asked, expression guilty as she looked up at James. "My feet are killing me."
His eyes widened. "Of course not! Are you, do you want to go sit down?" He asked.
"I mean, maybe, sitting would be good for a little while," she agreed, an awkward smile ever-present on her face. She leaned down and pulled each shoe off, the sound of relief escaping her before she began to move with him to find a place to sit. One that was quiet, she hoped. "I only ever wear heels at things like this. I'm actually really proud that I didn't just eat it on one of those turns when we were dancing."
"Eat it?" James asked, confused. "Do you mean fall?" He pulled out a chair for her to sit down, then sat beside her, having found a small vacant table near the balcony.
Cleo laughed openly at his clarification and she nodded. "Yes, I'm very proud I didn't fall," she rephrased. She loosely crossed her legs as she settled into the seat he'd so graciously pulled out for her. "We have some pretty stupid slang these days. Instead of saying eat it, you could also say bite it, ate pavement..." she tried to explain, her nose wrinkling adorably.
"I'm slowly figuring that out." James leaned forward and filled them each a glass of water from a pitcher in the center of the table then gave her one. He quickly drank his down then refilled it.
She graciously took the water he offered her and she took a long sip from it, the cool liquid soothing as she swallowed it down. "Has there been anything so far that you just don't understand?" she asked, interested in his perspective. The world was a much different place now than it had been in the nineteen forties.
"There's a lot of references that I don't get," he answered. "Although I think a lot of them come from film, and I haven't seen anything in a very long time. Steve has been sending me things, but I haven't really had the interest to catch up."
"Well, you can take your time with that," Cleo replied with a small shrug. "Take it one thing at a time. If you want company to watch movies, I'd be happy to watch with you. You know, in case watching with another person seems more palatable."
"I wouldn't mind that," James agreed. "Although in my house, there's not any place to watch one," he told her. "I wouldn't even know where to start."
Cleo laughed lightly. "So my house has a place to watch movies. And if you want, I can even pick where we start," she offered, that friendly smile of hers on her lips. "You know, take the pressure off."
James nodded as he messed with the table cloth. "I'd like that Cleo... thank you."
Cleo's necklace:
Cleo's dress: