i know you the way a ghost knows its shadow
~mia hollow
Rose sat up quickly as the door to the studio practically flew off it's hinges. A frantic Roman appeared not a second later.
"Roman...is everything alright?" She asked concerned. He looked more disheveled than she'd seen him in his office.
"I'm...I'm fine," He said. He shook his head quickly after. "No, I'm not fine."
Rose's eyebrows furrowed. What did he mean? "What's wrong?"
"I...I wanted to a-ask you," Roman croaked out. Rose would've laughed if she wasn't so concerned. "If you would..."
Rose leaned ever-so-slightly forward in anticipation.
"I wanted to ask you if you would go on a lunch date with me?" Roman breathed out quickly, heaving a sigh of relief.
I'm so goddamn nervous, he thought. I'm never nervous!
Rose's cheeks tinted pink at his question. He wanted to take her out on a date?
"I...I thought you were busy?" She asked.
Roman quickly shook his head, a little embarrassed. "I-I'm not...er, I was..."
"...but now you're not?" Rose finished for him.
He nodded his head and looked up at her through his lashes.
Rose was utterly confused. Was this the same man blaming her for Fenris staying and not looking at her once when she wanted to have lunch?
"Y-Yeah, sure," She said breathlessly. "Lunch sounds good."
Roman's face lit up like a Christmas tree and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Ok, love. I'll just, uh, wait for you downstairs," he said nervously.
She nodded, not knowing what to say. He turned to leave before she called out again. "Wait!"
Roman turned around so fast she was surprised he didn't get whiplash. His eyes were scanning her body, looking for injuries as his eyes turned golden at her outburst.
Rose wanted to smile as she knew Fenris was still watching over her with his golden eyes. "I just wanted to know what to wear..."
Roman's eyes turned back to normal as he looked embarrassed again. "Um, just something casual."
"Ok," She whispered.
"Ok," He smiled.
•••
Roman was pacing in his walk-in closet, clothes strewn about. He dug through every draw and went through every hanger, but he still couldn't find something to wear for his date with Rose in a few minutes.
Pick something already, Fenris groaned.
I'm trying!
Everything he looked at seemed to be either too casual or too fancy. He wanted to impress his sweet Rose without going all out.
Roman sighed and picked out a pair of jeans with a v neck sweater since it was getting a little colder outside. He shrugged the outfit on and grimaced - he didn't think he looked good and he was out of his comfort zone. He usually only wore suits since he had a certain "look" to uphold.
"Roman?" Rose's sweet voice invaded his ears as she knocked on his bedroom doors.
Shit. Too late to change now.
Roman took a deep breath, walked out of the closet, being sure to shut the doors behind him since it was still a mess, and opened his bedroom door.
"Hey -" Rose's voice got caught in her throat as she took in the sight of Roman. "I....um...."
Rose choked on her words. "You look good in jeans."
Rose blushed as she looked away from his gaze and towards the floor.
Roman couldn't contain the giddiness he felt when he heard her words. A smile escaped his lips and a slight blush formed on his cheeks.
"I was just wondering if you were ready to go... I've been waiting for a half hour," Rose whispered, a bit embarrassed.
Roman's eyes widened as he looked down at his watch. Had he really spent thirty minutes choosing what to wear?
"I-I'm so sorry, love. I lost track of time, I swear. I'll never do it again I'm so sorry —"
Rose cut him off. "It's fine, I'm just getting a bit hungry is all."
Roman nodded and told her to wait as he retrieved his keys from his nightstand. He then grabbed her hand and all but sprinted downstairs, excited for his date with his precious girl.
"So where are we going?" Rose asked as she put on her seatbelt and Roman backed up out of the driveway.
"This family diner I discovered years ago, I think you'll like it," Roman replied as he put the car in drive.
Rose smiled, glad he was taking her some place casual and not to a fancy restaurant like she'd expected.
"Listen, I'm sorry about how I acted back in the office, I tend to get caught up in my work."
Rose nodded thoughtfully. "I understand, I'm sorry for disturbing you. I should've known you'd be flooded with work."
Roman glances at her then back to the road. She thought she was disturbing him? By asking him to eat lunch?
Told you you messed up, Fenris quipped.
Shutup.
"You weren't interrupting me, angel. I'd always rather be with you than anywhere else."
Rose wasn't really sure how to respond to something like that, and with her flaming cheeks she was sure she'd make a fool of herself if she even tried, so she stayed silent.
They arrived at the diner minutes later and Rose grinned at the sight of it.
It was a casual old school diner illuminated by various neon lights. The sign on the front read "Danny's" in big letters.
Rose was so caught up looking at it that she didn't realize Roman had turned off the car, gotten out, and opened the door for her.
She smiled, shy all of the sudden, and took his hand to get out of the car.
Here we go, she thought.