Chapter 3
A/N: Reviews, pretty please, one and all? Leave them in the new review section I created for Beloved Stalker! :) Thanks - DL
Luke, lounging on a couch, smiled and gave Ronan a ‘thumbs up’ gesture. “I like that,” he said aloud. “It looks great on you.”
Ronan turned and looked n the mirror, his hands unconsciously lifting to twiddle the front of the dark-brown denim jacket he was wearing over a soft green cashmere sweater and a high-collared white shirt. Luke had insisted that he unbutton the top button of the white shirt and lay the collar over the sweater, and that he roll up the cuffs of the shirt over the sweater. He was also wearing tan slacks and brown loafers, as well as a necklace made of silver, brown wooden beads, and chunks of some kind of green stone. He looked stunning, a hundred times better than his old look of ratty jeans, t-shirt, and the horrible plaid shirts.
Ronan was turning back-and-forth a little as he gazed at himself in the mirror. “You’re sure?” he asked doubtfully. “That this looks good on me?”
“Have some more confidence, Ronan. It not only looks good; it looks fabulous,” Luke chided gently. “And you can wear that to work or out on an evening on the town. Those are great date clothes. Trust me, everybody will be looking at you. And not because they think you’re a freak, but because they think you’re cute.”
Luke was delighted when a faint blush stained Ronan’s cheeks at his words. “Anyway, that’s the last outfit for today,” he added, making Ronan look relieved. They’d been shopping for clothes for almost two hours now. “Let’s pay for this stuff and hit the road. I’m starving.”
They collected the piles of clothes that Luke had talked Ronan into buying, an entire new wardrobe to replace his old one. Ronan didn’t look horrified at the total when the clerk rang it up at the cash register, telling Luke that his job must pay very well indeed. They toted the bags outside, and he called another cab. “Let’s drop this stuff off at your place before we eat,” he told Ronan. “We don’t want to drag all these bags into the restaurant with us.”
Ronan nodded, and gave the cab driver his address. Luke memorized it neatly(he had a lawyer’s mind, which allowed him to remember things after he’d only heard them once) for future reference, but didn’t tell Ronan that. Instead, he chatted about not much of anything until the cab reached Ronan’s apartment building, then he helped to carry the bags to the door of his apartment. But Ronan insisted on carrying them inside by himself, which made Luke suspect that his apartment was probably kind of messy. He didn’t mind chilling on the doorstep, and it wasn’t as though his own apartment was anything to write home about in the cleanliness department.
Ronan remerged, and they got back in the cab that Luke had asked to wait for them. The cabbie was happy to do so, since Ronan was a good tipper. They drove to a restaurant that Luke thought that his companion would like, a semi-casual place with great food. He had a steak, and Ronan had chicken. “Now that we’ve got you set up with new clothes, and a haircut, and everything, now we’ll work on your people skills,” Luke told Ronan as they ate. “You’ve got to learn to talk to people. Polite conversation is the cornerstone of any society. If you can learn social chit-chat, you’ll go far in life. And it’s a necessity to learn if you want to go on dates. That’s what the first few dates always are - nothing but social chit-chat for the entire evening. Until you get to know each other better, that’s all you’ve really got.”
Ronan looked rather alarmed over his words. “But what if…I can’t learn to do it right?” he asked miserably.
Luke waved his worries away. “You’ll do fine. The key to good chit-chat is to stay away from serious or depressing subjects, or hot button issues like religion or politics. Talk about the things you like, and let them talk about the things that they like in turn. Keep it light and fun. Make jokes if you can - if you can’t, just smile at their jokes like they’re the funniest things you’ve ever heard in your life. And when dating, agree with what they say for the first few dates. It’s only after that that you’re safe enough to voice your own opinions.”
Ronan looked skeptical. “it sounds like you’re saying that I should be a phony,” he complained.
Luke laughed. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Oh, I don’t mean that you should go on being a phony after the first few dates - you’ll never get to know the real person if you do that. But initially, everybody is a phony. Because until you’re on stable enough ground, it’s not good to show them just how crazy you are,” he went on with a grin. “If the human race did that, we’d never propagate. Because who’d want to have kids with a crazy person?”
Ronan’s lips twitched, and then he smiled. That smile did devastating things to Luke’s insides. What a charmer his strange little stalker was turning out to be! “It sounds awfully complicated,” Ronan said.
“It can be. The mating dance does have some very complex steps. It’s easier in more casual circumstances, like at work. You can chat to your co-workers without it being a life-or-death situation. And when you make friends, they’ll all like you for who you are, so you won’t need to impress them. But dating…if you make a bad first impression, that’s it. You only have one chance, and if you blow it you likely won’t get a second with that person. That can suck if it’s someone you’re really attracted to.”
Ronan picked at his chicken with his fork. “Yes,” he said softly, sounding depressed.
Looking at his bent head, Luke felt a streak of empathy lance through him. Poor Ronan was used to making bad impressions on those he might like, and he had no confidence left anymore. Luke hoped to help him build that up if he could. “Well, anyway, let’s talk like we’re on a date,” he said casually, making Ronan’s head fly up. He stared at Luke rather wildly across the table, and he had to hide a grin.
“A DATE?!” Ronan squeaked, sounding like an overfilled helium balloon that was leaking air.
“Sure, why not? It’s practice,” Luke said glibly, not bothering to point out to Ronan that he already considered this a real date, since he didn’t want to freak him out any more than he obviously was. “So you’ll be ready when you go on real dates.”
“Oh,” Ronan slumped a little in his chair, his fingers twiddling his fork as he bit at his lip. “Uh, what should we talk about?”
“Whatever you want to talk about. What are your hobbies, for example?” Luke asked him, keeping his voice even and calm.
Ronan seemed to relax a little. “I play video games,” he began.
Luke kept his rather sardonic comment of “What a surprise,” to himself. “What kind of video games?” he said aloud.
They got into a discussion about video games after that, and Ronan’s nervousness drained away. He talked and talked, totally animated, while Luke responded occasionally but mostly watched him in fascination. This side of Ronan he definitely liked. Would he display this much energy and animation in bed? There was a thought. He moved uneasily in his chair, feeling a tightening at his crotch. Bad thoughts to be having in public, he conceded, and was grateful for the tablecloth.
Ronan started when the waiter appeared at his elbow to take his plate and deliver dessert. He looked around, like a man coming out of a daze. “I…” he began, looking at Luke. “I didn’t mean to talk so much,” he said apologetically.
“Not at all. I enjoyed it,” Luke replied truthfully. “You see? Once you get started talking about something you like, you chatter on without being nervous. I don’t think you stuttered once during that whole conversation. If you can train yourself to be more like this when you’re having a casual conversation with somebody, no matter what you’re talking about, you’ll have definitely got the hang of social chit-chat.”
Ronan looked pleased. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,” he conceded.
“It isn’t, once you get the hang of it,” Luke assured him. “What’s harder, though, is approaching somebody you like. Unfortunately, the guy is almost always the one who has to do the approaching,” he added with a grimace. “It isn’t fair, but it’s just how it works.”
Ronan gulped heavily, his fingers closing tightly over his fork. “I don’t know…” he began doubtfully, “Whether I could…do that…”
“It’s hard,” Luke agreed. “Asking somebody out is very difficult, especially if they say no. That can be hell on your self-esteem. Still, what other choice is there? Do you have someone that you like, Ronan?” he went on, his eyes fixed on the other man’s face as he said these words.
Ronan’s face flushed, and he froze. He seemed incapable of speech, so Luke gave him some time. He wanted to see if Ronan would admit that he had a crush on him, or if he’d deny liking anybody. “You don’t have to be ashamed to admit it,” he coaxed. “I’ve got somebody that I like. Most people do.”
Ronan’s mouth was opening and closing like a stranded fish’s. Luke finally let him off the hook. “Well, it doesn’t matter,” he said with a smile. “You don’t have to tell me. It’s none of my business, anyway. Mmm, cheesecake,” he added as the waiter set a nice big slice of cherry cheesecake down in front of him.
Ronan finally stopped doing his statue impression and cautiously picked up a clean fork to dig into his chocolate cake, though he kept flashing Luke glances across the table. He seemed to be waiting for him to pounce, like a gazelle will wait for a lion to jump on it. Luke ate his dessert phlegmatically, not saying anything, until Ronan relaxed again. He amused himself by watching Ronan eat the slice of cake, because there was a blob of frosting near his mouth that Luke had the great urge to lick off of his skin. He sucked on his fork as he thought this, staring at that blob of frosting hungrily.
After they were done eating, Luke sighed and set his fork down on his empty dessert plate. “I really enjoyed today, Ronan,” he said reluctantly, “But I’m afraid I have to go home now. I have a test to study for tomorrow. How about you swing by the convenience store after two? We could talk some more.”
He gave Ronan a hopeful look, and after a moment the other man said softly: “I’ll come.”
Luke looked pleased. “Great. I’ll see you then. Wear some of your new clothes to work tomorrow, and I think you’ll be surprised by how your co-workers react. The clothes make the man, sometimes. Especially with people who aren’t looking any deeper than the surface.”
“I will. And...thank you, Luke,” Ronan said as he rose to his feet and picked up the check.
“No, thank you, Ronan. I had a ton of fun today. Hanging out with you is a blast,” with this last parting shot over his bows, Luke departed into the night to go home and study. What a dreary occupation after the rest of his day! Still, he had tomorrow to look forward to, when he got to see Ronan again…
Go to Next Chapter
A/N: Reviews, pretty please, one and all? Leave them in the new review section I created for Beloved Stalker! :) Thanks - DL
Luke, lounging on a couch, smiled and gave Ronan a ‘thumbs up’ gesture. “I like that,” he said aloud. “It looks great on you.”
Ronan turned and looked n the mirror, his hands unconsciously lifting to twiddle the front of the dark-brown denim jacket he was wearing over a soft green cashmere sweater and a high-collared white shirt. Luke had insisted that he unbutton the top button of the white shirt and lay the collar over the sweater, and that he roll up the cuffs of the shirt over the sweater. He was also wearing tan slacks and brown loafers, as well as a necklace made of silver, brown wooden beads, and chunks of some kind of green stone. He looked stunning, a hundred times better than his old look of ratty jeans, t-shirt, and the horrible plaid shirts.
Ronan was turning back-and-forth a little as he gazed at himself in the mirror. “You’re sure?” he asked doubtfully. “That this looks good on me?”
“Have some more confidence, Ronan. It not only looks good; it looks fabulous,” Luke chided gently. “And you can wear that to work or out on an evening on the town. Those are great date clothes. Trust me, everybody will be looking at you. And not because they think you’re a freak, but because they think you’re cute.”
Luke was delighted when a faint blush stained Ronan’s cheeks at his words. “Anyway, that’s the last outfit for today,” he added, making Ronan look relieved. They’d been shopping for clothes for almost two hours now. “Let’s pay for this stuff and hit the road. I’m starving.”
They collected the piles of clothes that Luke had talked Ronan into buying, an entire new wardrobe to replace his old one. Ronan didn’t look horrified at the total when the clerk rang it up at the cash register, telling Luke that his job must pay very well indeed. They toted the bags outside, and he called another cab. “Let’s drop this stuff off at your place before we eat,” he told Ronan. “We don’t want to drag all these bags into the restaurant with us.”
Ronan nodded, and gave the cab driver his address. Luke memorized it neatly(he had a lawyer’s mind, which allowed him to remember things after he’d only heard them once) for future reference, but didn’t tell Ronan that. Instead, he chatted about not much of anything until the cab reached Ronan’s apartment building, then he helped to carry the bags to the door of his apartment. But Ronan insisted on carrying them inside by himself, which made Luke suspect that his apartment was probably kind of messy. He didn’t mind chilling on the doorstep, and it wasn’t as though his own apartment was anything to write home about in the cleanliness department.
Ronan remerged, and they got back in the cab that Luke had asked to wait for them. The cabbie was happy to do so, since Ronan was a good tipper. They drove to a restaurant that Luke thought that his companion would like, a semi-casual place with great food. He had a steak, and Ronan had chicken. “Now that we’ve got you set up with new clothes, and a haircut, and everything, now we’ll work on your people skills,” Luke told Ronan as they ate. “You’ve got to learn to talk to people. Polite conversation is the cornerstone of any society. If you can learn social chit-chat, you’ll go far in life. And it’s a necessity to learn if you want to go on dates. That’s what the first few dates always are - nothing but social chit-chat for the entire evening. Until you get to know each other better, that’s all you’ve really got.”
Ronan looked rather alarmed over his words. “But what if…I can’t learn to do it right?” he asked miserably.
Luke waved his worries away. “You’ll do fine. The key to good chit-chat is to stay away from serious or depressing subjects, or hot button issues like religion or politics. Talk about the things you like, and let them talk about the things that they like in turn. Keep it light and fun. Make jokes if you can - if you can’t, just smile at their jokes like they’re the funniest things you’ve ever heard in your life. And when dating, agree with what they say for the first few dates. It’s only after that that you’re safe enough to voice your own opinions.”
Ronan looked skeptical. “it sounds like you’re saying that I should be a phony,” he complained.
Luke laughed. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Oh, I don’t mean that you should go on being a phony after the first few dates - you’ll never get to know the real person if you do that. But initially, everybody is a phony. Because until you’re on stable enough ground, it’s not good to show them just how crazy you are,” he went on with a grin. “If the human race did that, we’d never propagate. Because who’d want to have kids with a crazy person?”
Ronan’s lips twitched, and then he smiled. That smile did devastating things to Luke’s insides. What a charmer his strange little stalker was turning out to be! “It sounds awfully complicated,” Ronan said.
“It can be. The mating dance does have some very complex steps. It’s easier in more casual circumstances, like at work. You can chat to your co-workers without it being a life-or-death situation. And when you make friends, they’ll all like you for who you are, so you won’t need to impress them. But dating…if you make a bad first impression, that’s it. You only have one chance, and if you blow it you likely won’t get a second with that person. That can suck if it’s someone you’re really attracted to.”
Ronan picked at his chicken with his fork. “Yes,” he said softly, sounding depressed.
Looking at his bent head, Luke felt a streak of empathy lance through him. Poor Ronan was used to making bad impressions on those he might like, and he had no confidence left anymore. Luke hoped to help him build that up if he could. “Well, anyway, let’s talk like we’re on a date,” he said casually, making Ronan’s head fly up. He stared at Luke rather wildly across the table, and he had to hide a grin.
“A DATE?!” Ronan squeaked, sounding like an overfilled helium balloon that was leaking air.
“Sure, why not? It’s practice,” Luke said glibly, not bothering to point out to Ronan that he already considered this a real date, since he didn’t want to freak him out any more than he obviously was. “So you’ll be ready when you go on real dates.”
“Oh,” Ronan slumped a little in his chair, his fingers twiddling his fork as he bit at his lip. “Uh, what should we talk about?”
“Whatever you want to talk about. What are your hobbies, for example?” Luke asked him, keeping his voice even and calm.
Ronan seemed to relax a little. “I play video games,” he began.
Luke kept his rather sardonic comment of “What a surprise,” to himself. “What kind of video games?” he said aloud.
They got into a discussion about video games after that, and Ronan’s nervousness drained away. He talked and talked, totally animated, while Luke responded occasionally but mostly watched him in fascination. This side of Ronan he definitely liked. Would he display this much energy and animation in bed? There was a thought. He moved uneasily in his chair, feeling a tightening at his crotch. Bad thoughts to be having in public, he conceded, and was grateful for the tablecloth.
Ronan started when the waiter appeared at his elbow to take his plate and deliver dessert. He looked around, like a man coming out of a daze. “I…” he began, looking at Luke. “I didn’t mean to talk so much,” he said apologetically.
“Not at all. I enjoyed it,” Luke replied truthfully. “You see? Once you get started talking about something you like, you chatter on without being nervous. I don’t think you stuttered once during that whole conversation. If you can train yourself to be more like this when you’re having a casual conversation with somebody, no matter what you’re talking about, you’ll have definitely got the hang of social chit-chat.”
Ronan looked pleased. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,” he conceded.
“It isn’t, once you get the hang of it,” Luke assured him. “What’s harder, though, is approaching somebody you like. Unfortunately, the guy is almost always the one who has to do the approaching,” he added with a grimace. “It isn’t fair, but it’s just how it works.”
Ronan gulped heavily, his fingers closing tightly over his fork. “I don’t know…” he began doubtfully, “Whether I could…do that…”
“It’s hard,” Luke agreed. “Asking somebody out is very difficult, especially if they say no. That can be hell on your self-esteem. Still, what other choice is there? Do you have someone that you like, Ronan?” he went on, his eyes fixed on the other man’s face as he said these words.
Ronan’s face flushed, and he froze. He seemed incapable of speech, so Luke gave him some time. He wanted to see if Ronan would admit that he had a crush on him, or if he’d deny liking anybody. “You don’t have to be ashamed to admit it,” he coaxed. “I’ve got somebody that I like. Most people do.”
Ronan’s mouth was opening and closing like a stranded fish’s. Luke finally let him off the hook. “Well, it doesn’t matter,” he said with a smile. “You don’t have to tell me. It’s none of my business, anyway. Mmm, cheesecake,” he added as the waiter set a nice big slice of cherry cheesecake down in front of him.
Ronan finally stopped doing his statue impression and cautiously picked up a clean fork to dig into his chocolate cake, though he kept flashing Luke glances across the table. He seemed to be waiting for him to pounce, like a gazelle will wait for a lion to jump on it. Luke ate his dessert phlegmatically, not saying anything, until Ronan relaxed again. He amused himself by watching Ronan eat the slice of cake, because there was a blob of frosting near his mouth that Luke had the great urge to lick off of his skin. He sucked on his fork as he thought this, staring at that blob of frosting hungrily.
After they were done eating, Luke sighed and set his fork down on his empty dessert plate. “I really enjoyed today, Ronan,” he said reluctantly, “But I’m afraid I have to go home now. I have a test to study for tomorrow. How about you swing by the convenience store after two? We could talk some more.”
He gave Ronan a hopeful look, and after a moment the other man said softly: “I’ll come.”
Luke looked pleased. “Great. I’ll see you then. Wear some of your new clothes to work tomorrow, and I think you’ll be surprised by how your co-workers react. The clothes make the man, sometimes. Especially with people who aren’t looking any deeper than the surface.”
“I will. And...thank you, Luke,” Ronan said as he rose to his feet and picked up the check.
“No, thank you, Ronan. I had a ton of fun today. Hanging out with you is a blast,” with this last parting shot over his bows, Luke departed into the night to go home and study. What a dreary occupation after the rest of his day! Still, he had tomorrow to look forward to, when he got to see Ronan again…
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