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[Eemia]

Nathan's heart was pumping behind his ribs, as though it was determined to escape the confining cage of his ribs and wreak havoc in his life. He still didn't know what had possessed him to ask Pandora out. She fascinated him, he supposed; there was just something about her that he found intriguing. She was hard to figure out, that girl, and he enjoyed the challenge. Still, he didn't normally ask girls out; When he did he never found one he'd consider seeing again. So then what had possessed him to ask Pandora on a date? And why had she said yes?

And why had he chosen the beach, of all places?

Maybe because he liked the beach; he was comfortable there, and he figured any way of being more comfortable around her was a good thing.

It was a good thing he wasn't a girl. Otherwise he'd have spent hours getting ready. As it was, all he had to do was throw on his swim trunks and a black t-shirt, pack a towel, some sun-screen, and his ipod into his backpack and he was ready. Wearing his favorite pair of sunglasses, he stepped into his bright orange camaro and started the engine. He was leaving a few minutes later than he'd planned, but that was fine. He'd still be there on time.

When he pulled up in front of Pandora's home, he shut off the car and slipped his sunglasses up onto his head. Twitching his ears, he stepped out of the car and walked to the door. He hadn't bothered with flowers or anything; that would've been too much for their first date. So he stepped up to the door empty-handed, and rang the doorbell. It was the perfect day for the beach; he could feel himself wanting to panic a little bit, but after a few deep breaths, he was okay again.

He was ready for whatever the day brought his way.

[Max]

Pandora stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. The rug was soft under her feet as she stepped in front of the fogged up mirror. She wiped it with one hand and semi-cleared a space for her to see herself but the room was so steamed up from her hot shower that she decided to crack open the door to clear it faster.
She frowned at herself in the mirror then smiled, testing expressions as she combed through her hair quickly, trying to get out the snarls before they got out of control—usually conditioner helped her get rid of tangles, but she’d run out a couple of days ago and had forgotten to get more the last time she’d gone to the store. She rummaged through the bottom drawer on the counter and pulled out her hair dryer.
By this time the bathroom was mostly unfogged and she could see her reflection fully. She dried her hair and tamed it so it was only semi-wavy. It wasn’t what she wanted really, but if it got wet at the beach it’d only get wavier and so she left it and put it into a loose up do.
The beach.
Her heart pumped at the thought. Why on earth had she said yes? She wasn’t the dating type at all. She was supposed to be all-business and working for the patient’s rights—not flirting with a free mix.
She went to her bedroom and collected her swimsuit and the dress she’d planned on wearing and dropped her towel into the hamper, dressing quickly.
Glancing at the clock she nearly panicked. Nathan will be here soon, she thought. She glanced at herself in the mirror again and put some chap stick on—her lips were dry from her biting at them all day—and headed back into the lounge to put on her flip flops.
She took her keys and cell phone off the table and shoved them into her purse, then waited. If she answered the door too early he’d think she was overeager, right? But if she answered too slowly he might think she didn’t really care...
A knock on the door startled her from her thoughts and she walked over and pulled it open, smiling when she saw Nathan in his swimming shorts and a t-shirt.
“Hello,” she greeted friendly. “Ready to go?”

[Eemia]

Nathan had thought he'd been ready for anything. But as Pandora opened the door, he was struck silent for several beats. She was wearing a dress; he should have been expecting it, but for some reason the thought that she'd be wearing a dress hadn't even crossed his mind. Brushing his hair out of his face, he gathered himself and smiled at her. “I'm ready if you are,” He said lightly, and he stepped aside so that she could step through the door.

“You look nice,” He commented, looking her up and down once and flicking an ear in her direction. "Are you bringing something warm? It'll probably be chilly later on.” His own thoughts flicked to the hoodie he'd left behind at home. Idly, he considered going back for it, if only for the chance to offer it to Pandora if she got especially cold later on, but he decided against him. Cold didn't bother him as much as it bothered some people, so he figured he'd be alright without it.

[Max]

Pandora felt the silence when he first saw her and shifted uncomfortably. When he complimented her she blushed then felt foolish. “Thank you,” she said with a small smile. “You’re not too bad, yourself.” was her response in what she hoped was a good-humoured tone.
“Oh!” she glanced back down the hallway of her apartment and said “Just a moment,” then hurried back to her bedroom to grab something warm for later.
She returned a few moments later with a dark blue cardigan and gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry,” she said, hoping the short delay hadn’t bothered him too badly. She tucked the cardigan under one arm and held her purse in the other. “I’m ready now.” She stepped into the main hall of the apartment complex and locked the door behind her.

[Eemia]

Nathan accepted her compliment with a tiny nod, and then waited patiently while she went to grab a sweater or something. After the short delay, as she was locking the door, Nathan started back to his car. “If you're hungry, we could stop somewhere before the beach, or eat once we're there. It's up to you.”

He opened the car door for her, once they were outside, and waited for her to get in. He'd been taught to be a gentleman ever since he was a child, and old habits died hard. It wasn't like he was trying to impress her or anything, though he'd noticed that girls tended to appreciate the small gestures of chivalry he often made. It was just common sense to him; when you were with a woman you held the door for her, or helped her into her jacket, or paid for meals and things. He'd always followed those simple rules, and he wasn't about to stop now, just because he wasn't entirely sure how Pandora would react.

[Max]

Pandora shook her head. “I’m fine with waiting—unless you’d like to go out.” She added to be considerate. The words struck her as sounding ‘romantic’ and she felt embarrassed then realised she was on a date just then. She followed Nathan to his car and raised her eyebrows at him. “Nice ride you’ve got there,” she told him, eying the camaro. “Orange is a nice colour.”
When she saw him move toward the passenger side she tensed up and frowned. Chivalry was dead—besides, it wasn’t like she couldn’t open a door for herself. She nearly spoke up like her independent self but realised it’d be bad-mannered of her. She slipped into the car, biting her tongue, and nodded her thanks to him with a small smile.
“So you’re a gentleman, I see?” she said, not unkindly.

[Eemia]

Nathan grinned as she praised his car. “Orange is the only color for camaros,” He commented lightly, closing the door once she was in the car and going around to the driver's side. He hadn't noticed her hesitance, but her question caught him off guard. A little embarrassed, he laughed, turning his attention to the relatively basic tasks of starting the car and pulling out into traffic.

“My dad always taught me to be a gentleman,” He replied, trying his best not to sound too embarrassed. “It's more habit than anything now, though, I'm not gonna lie, a lot of people appreciate it.”

He turned to look over his shoulder as he changed lanes, taking the chance to glance at Pandora. It had actually been a while since he'd been out on a date, and he hoped he wouldn't mess anything up. If only because he didn't want to make things awkward when he and Pandora had to work together with the other rebels. Also because he had an idea Pandora wouldn't hesitate to let him know if he'd done something wrong, and he didn't want to have to deal with the embarrassment of that.

[Max]

“Not a bad habit,” Pandora replied glancing out the window. Now that they were in the car she felt uncomfortable and awkward again. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on a date—she was too no nonsense for them, and rebel business kept her quite busy. It seemed silly to her to waste time on petty matters when she could be helping save lives.
“So,” she said, fiddling with the cardigan in her lap. She watched out the window at the passing scenery. Cars and trees sped by outside. “When was the last time you went to the beach? Do you go often?” With her ‘workaholic’ crisis she didn’t exactly allow herself much time to relax and just be. It had been quite some time since she’d spent a day for herself.