'Friendly' Flirting

Who: Aiden and Jules
When: Around five pm
Where: Streets of Marquette & a coffee shop

Jules had finished her work just in time to skip out a little early and make it to the post office just before they closed. Her father had sent her a late birthday present, having been unable to take the time to do so when she was in Beverly Hills the past weekend. Coming out of the post office, she nearly dropped large box. "I'm going to kill my dad for sending something so huge." she muttered to herself as she tried to readjust the box in her hands. She had no idea what was in the box, probably clothes of some sort. All she knew was it was awkward shaped and being so small made it difficult for her to get her arms around the thing.

Aiden happened to be coming down the street when Jules departed the post office. His mind was a hundred miles away and he was trying to organize his thoughts as he mentally prepared for his upcoming trip to try and find Eury's uncle. It was when he was flicking his cigarette away that he noted the girl ahead of him, struggling with a box as she walked down the street. It took him another couple seconds and steps to finally recognize her. That woman from awhile back - Julia, or Juliana... Jules? "Need a hand?" Aiden asked once he'd caught up to her, his arms already out to take the box if and when she said yes.

"Yeah, if you wouldn't mind I just can't seem to get a ho-" she stopped when she glanced up and caught the man's face. Aiden. Or at least she thought that was his name. The guy that walked her home that night a while back. "Well, fancy meeting you here." she said, handing over the box. Why bother continuing to carry it if he was offering to lend a helping hand. She wasn't really the kind of girl to get mad at someone for not calling her. Either they did and they went out and had a good time, or they didn't, and she found someone else. That was just how things worked for Jules Martinez.

"Yeah, fancy runnin' into each other again in such a small town," he agreed with a grin as he took the box effortlessly from her hands. "How've you been? Not wanderin' around too often at night alone, I'm hopin'?" She was a beautiful girl, he noted. Easier to see it now in the daylight. Months ago Aiden would have called her - hell, he would have just accepted her invitation the first night she gave it to him. But complications named Eury - and Manhattan - had forced him to keep to himself.

"I've been fine." she told him, motioning for him to follow her towards her Lexus. "And no, haven't been doing too much being out late type stuff lately. Just got back into town recently actually. How about yourself? How are you?" She too noted his attractiveness now that they were in daylight. His features much easier to make out. Damn, he shoulda called.

"Me? I've been brilliant, thanks." Which was complete bullshit, but he didn't know the girl well enough, or at all, to say any different. "Where'd you just get back from?" He was good at the small talk when he had to be, and it was at the moment much better than discussing heavy shit that made him uncomfortable.

"Beverly Hills." she told him as she reached her car and clicked the button on her key-chain to pop the trunk open. "My father had a case and he needed some extra back-up so I spent my birthday weekend out there filing papers and meeting with clients." Jules waved a hand in the direction of the trunk and gave him a smile. "Thanks for your help. I'm sure you've got stuff to get back to. Wouldn't want to keep you from it." Not that she wouldn't mind keeping the guy around, if only for that super sexy accent. But he probably had other things to attend to.

"Sounds like an exciting way to celebrate a birthday," Aiden remarked. Not that he'd celebrated his birthday once in the past four years but to get stinking drunk at some dive bar. He slid the box into the trunk and offered a grin. He did have stuff to do, but fuck it... he could do it later. A distraction and break from his problems would be welcome. "Well, my schedule for the day is packed, but I wouldn't mind treatin' ya to a coffee as a belated birthday gesture, if you'd be willin'."

She raised a brow at him, half wondering why he'd not called if he was willing to get her coffee now. Jules couldn't help but think that perhaps he'd had a little run in with the shadowy things himself. She supposed she could forgive him for the lack of a telephone call. "Well, sure. Why not?" she said with a nod. "Since you're walking, I can drive."

Aiden shut the trunk for her and nodded, walking around to the passenger side door. He wasn't used to other people driving him places, unless it was Dorian, but this would do. "Other than some fun filled paperwork, tell me you did somethin' exciting for your birthday. Drinks, dancing, flirting with men?" She seemed like the type - especially as she'd invited him inside the first night she met him. "Can't imagine a place like Beverly Hills would be all work and no play for a girl like you."

"Nope. Just paperwork. I went out for my first legal drink when I came back. Went to a bar. Babylon? Yeah, I think that was the name of the place. You know it?" she questioned as she opened her own door and climbed inside.

It was interesting that she went to Babylon, given the clientele there. Which made him wonder if she was something 'different' or as vanilla a human as he was. "Yeah, I've heard of Babylon," Aiden said, closing his door and glancing at her. "Been there a couple times. Interesting place, isn't it?"

She buckled her seat belt and nodded as she cranked the car. "Yes. I spent the night chatting up the bartender." Jules pulled back out onto the street and glanced over at Aiden. "So, know any good coffee shops, dollface?" she questioned.

Aiden chuckled, reaching his hands up to lift up his hat with one hand and run the other through his shaggy hair. "I suppose that's what you're suppose to do when you're in a bar. Chat someone up. There's a coffee shop on West Washington," he directed. "It's decent. I'd take you to a bar for a real drink, but it's early and I'm tryin' to be a gentleman about it." He glanced at her with a smirk. "Plus now I'd know I'd have to compete for your time with the bartender."

She smiled. "With that accent, I don't think you'd be doing much competing for anything, love." She headed in the direction that he'd given her. "And being a gentleman is vastly overrated sometimes, you do know that right?"

"Yeah, I'm aware," Aiden told her, still grinning as he turned to look out the window. "I've been called a lot of things by women and a gentleman is rare. So this should be a treat for you. The accent helps me get away with a lot."

"Well the accent is pretty hot." she pointed out as she pulled up in front of the coffee shop and parked her car. "No wonder you get away with so much." Jules gave him a smile as she unbuckled her seatblet and glanced over at the man. "Helps that you're a pretty good kisser too I suppose."

He didn't comment on the kissing thing - though it did amuse him. It probably wouldn't do to be thinking about that stuff right now. Though beautiful women had always been a weakness of his as they were such pleasant distractions from the bullshit in his life. He supposed he ought to try and clamp down on it or something. "You'd be amazed at what women will forgive you for if you say you're sorry with an accent." He got out of her car, having not bothered with a seatbelt at all. "But don't let me stop you from complimenting, it helps my ego."

"Like your fragile male ego needs any stroking." she said, climbing out of the car. "Other things perhaps, but not your ego." She laughed lightly to herself, shaking her head a bit as she made her way up to the front of the store. "Men aren't immune to accents either. You should see the way their faces light up when a girl rolls her 'r's'." Jules pointed out.

Aiden laughed and leaned forward to grab the door and open it for her. She wasn't the first woman he'd met that made such comments, and it didn't make him uncomfortable in the least. "This is true. I am a fan of accents on women. I like yours," he added, because whether they believed it or not, American women had accents. At least to Aiden. "Do you find rolling your 'r's' gets you things that you want easier?"

"I find that rolling my 'r's' attracts men easier." she smirked. "That or perhaps it's just my ass or something... who knows?" Oh that accent. He was driving her mindless without even trying and all the man was doing was talking. She couldn't imagine how it would be for him to be calling out her name in insane pleasure at that voice. Down girl.

He led her to the counter to order and pulled out his wallet in the process. "It could just be the whole package," Aiden suggested, thinking it was nice to flirt with no strings attached. And it was nice having company of someone who didn't come with baggage. It was what he'd liked, and missed, about Delilah. "But it's always beneficial to have something that gives you the extra nudge to get your way. It's probably somethin' I use to my advantage more often than I should. What would you like?"

"Just coffee. Cream and sugar and all that." she told him, brushing her dark hair back over her shoulder and looking up at him. He was tall. Well, everyone was tall in comparison with her. She liked that. Larger men who could pretty much do with her as they pleased. Like Zed... "I suppose it could be the whole package." she said in agreement. "You don't seem to mind it." Jules gave him a full smile at that and shook her head just a bit.

"I don't mind a lot of things," Aiden replied simply before ordering two coffees, one black and the other with cream and sugar. He pulled a few bills from his wallet and handed them over before turning to Jules. "Tell me what you do for fun around here. Other than chattin' up bartenders and wanderin' around in the dead of night." He wanted to know about her, but he also knew if he kept flirting, he was going to be tempted, and he had to try and steer clear of that.

She shrugged. "I spend a lot of time at home." she told him, surprised that he seemed a bit interested in what she did for fun. "I play piano a lot, so there's that. Course you might not find piano playing exactly 'fun'." Jules loved her piano and rarely got the chance to play it as much as she might like. Now that she was thinking about it,s he was half tempted to go home and play after this little meeting.

"My mother tried to get me to learn piano when I was young," Aiden admitted. That memory rise quickly to the surface after having been buried for years. It was rare that he could think of his mother and not just see her bloody body in her bed. "I was terrible at it, my fingers clumsy as hell over the keys. She gave up after a few weeks. I find it surprising that you spend a lot of time at home, though. Do you sit on the couch in your pj's, with popcorn and watch Lifetime specials?" he asked teasingly, reaching out to take their coffees from the barrister.

"PJ's are overrated. Sleeping naked is more fun. And no, I don't watch cheesy lifetime specials." she said shaking her head. "And I don't spend my entire time alone, I go out occassionally, I just don't tend to go out a lot what with work and all that. What about you? What do you do in your spare time? Maybe you're the one lounging about in your pj's watching lifetime movies." Jules teased right back.

Aiden laughed softly again before handing her coffee over and sipping his own coffee. He mentally blocked the image of her sleeping naked. But he was a man, he had a dick, and every nerve was very aware of the picture that comment created. "I don't do much myself to be honest. I actually don't watch a lot of television. I get a drink every now and then, I like to drive... somewhere, anywhere... it doesn't matter. I like seeing where the road takes me sometimes. Want to sit down?"

She smiled and nodded, heading towards a table near the window of the coffee shop. Hips gliding back and forth with each step she took. "Drinking... and driving? Hopefully not together, love." she said, slipping her purse off her shoulder as she shifted into her chair. "So you just drive? Until you feel like not driving anymore?"

He followed her, slipping into the chair across from her at the table and setting his coffee down. "Nah, I don't drive if I've had a lot to drink But I'm Irish, I know how to hold my liquor to an extent." Except in Vegas, apparently. "But yeah, sometimes I like to start driving and see where I end up." Mostly it was for a job, but that wasn't something he was going to explain. "I don't have many obligations or responsibilities, so if I'm feelin' restless some night, I like to just hit the road. Even if it's just to drive until sunrise, then I can turn around and come back. It's more interestin' to me to see what's out there than to sit at home twidlin' my thumbs."

"So no wife and kids?" she questioned, arcing an eyebrow as she sipped her coffee. Licking the remnants of the caffeinated beverage from her upper lip she grinned. "Just when I thought I might have been the dirty little secret, damn."

Aiden tried not to choke on his next sip of coffee. He paused, licking it from his lips as his eyes met hers. And then he smirked again, amused. "No. Definitely no wife or kids, sorry. That's not even a thought right now." Or ever. "I don't like to be tied down and when I start to feel that way... it's probably not healthy, but I fight it. Don't know why." He set his coffee back down. "You like bein' a dirty little secret? I'd think you ought to be the trophy some guy would want to be showin' off."

"It has it's good points." she said with a shrug, smiling though at his compliment to her. A 'trophy', that was sweet. "I'm not the marriage type either. Too much hassle and aggravation, why not just have fun and avoid the whole getting tied down thing? Course maybe that's just me and how I work, but whatever. Works for me, so I think I'll keep it that way."

"Then that's somethin' we have in common," Aiden pointed out, leaning back in his chair. His first real feelings for a woman were driving him insane with uncertainty and confusion. Which was why he was sitting there distracting himself with company that wasn't his sister or Dorian. "I'm sure it works for some people, but I don't think I could ever handle the lifestyle. Unless my wife wanted to drive across country constantly with me, and I don't think many women could deal with that. You're the kinda woman any man would probably clamber over themselves to get to, though, with that kind of view."

"Apparently not in a small town. I couldn't even get a return call from you, dollface. Perhaps I've just not been here long enough to get my normal steady influx of men wishing to make my acquaintance." she shrugged. Jules had a few little conquests, most of them turning out either confusing or just totally baffling. Derek ended in a job, Gabe ended in... well... who knows really, Domino was, unfortunately, a one time thing as would probably be the case with Zed, unless of course he chose to call her up again. Either way, didn't much matter to Jules. She was used to one time things and random encounters. It was just the way of life for the brunette.

Aiden grinned, studying her face. "I didn't call you for several reasons, none of which had anything to do with you, love. My life's been a complicated mess and you were a temptin' way to distract myself from it. I didn't want to be a total bastard to you." Which was a rare thing for Aiden. Months ago he would have had no problem being a bastard. It's what he did. "You said you stay at home most of the time. I think if you got out more, you'd have no problem gettin' the attention you deserve, or want. You're sittin' here with me, aren't you? And all it took was a trip to the post office." He was teasing her now, but he had a feeling she had enough of a sense of humor to enjoy it.

That did make her feel slightly better about his lack of calling, not that she was really annoyed in the first place, more curious. "How has your life been complicated? And how would you have been being a bastard to me in doing exactly what I wanted you to do? In actuality, wouldn't you be being a bastard now by not giving me what I want?" she posed with a slight upwards twitch of her lips. "Suppose I'll just have to run more errands ands ee who I can pick up."

"It's a long, boring story," he told her simply, lifting his cup back to his lips. He cocked an eyebrow in her direction, surprised by her blunt honesty on the situation. "You wanted me to use you for my own distraction? Not too many women are fond of that, or being ditched in the morning." Which was exactly what he would have done. "I was tryin' to be a gentleman walkin' you home in the dark. Felt like I'd contradict myself by fuckin' you and then leavin'." There was that 'G' word again. It just never felt like it fit him, but he tried sometimes.

"Well long stories can't be boring. Too much happens in them. And as for 'using' me... who said I wouldn't be using you for my own pleasure? If you're as good at other things as you are at kissing. And I probably would have kicked you out in the morning anyway, I tend to like my own space for showering and primping before heading off to work. Of course I don't see it as 'using' each other when we're both getting something that we wanted. An even trade really." Jules knew what she wanted and didn't really care if it was difficult to achieve, in fact she was taken with Aiden mostly because he was difficult to achieve.

"Ah." He gave one nod, still amused by the conversation. "So we would have been enjoying each other for mutual benefit then." That sounded less bastardly. "You should have told me that," he said with a chuckle, tapping his finger against the side of his cup. "Do you do that a lot? Kick men out so you can primp? Gotta be a blow to the ego for some guys."

"Well you should have asked." she pointed out. "I assumed you'd realize I was flirting, but apparently I've just lost my edge. And no, I don't kick them out a lot. Not many to be kicking out. Sometimes I let them stay for a bit. Some men tend to get off on watching a girl do her hair naked." Again there was that teasing little grin. She liked the looks she got from him when she was blunt about something.

"A lot of women flirt," he said. "Doesn't mean they're up for a mutual night of no strings attached sex. Some women come across as though that's all they want, but in the harsh light of day, that can change very quickly. Me? I'm not a big fan of watching a girl do her hair, but I'd watch her do other things naked." He adjusted the hat on his head, his smile widening. "Certainly didn't mean to offend you by turnin' down your offer.

"Well, now you're aware that I approve of no strings attached sex, in fact, I salute it and even put it up on a pedestal and all that. I'm a lot like you in fact. I don't tend to stick around too long if things get to serious. Makes me vaguely itchy just thinking about commitment. Maybe I'm more guy than I'd like to think. But anyways, exactly what other things would you like to watch said girl in question doing naked? And you didn't offend me, just dashed my hopes for you." Jules gave him a little wink. "You'll just have to redeem yourself."

He couldn't stop himself from laughing again, but it certainly wasn't directed at her. He was just finding the whole conversation pretty amusing in a way he didn't mind so much. It had taken his mind off of things. "I'm not sure it'd be appropriate of me to share my fantasies with you." For so, so many reasons. "I think I'll have to redeem myself in non-sexual ways in order to maintain my sanity." Unfortunately. "Are you enjoying your coffee?"

"Well that's unfortunate." she muttered, mostly to herself. "I can't seem to find any reasons for you not to redeem yourself in non-sexual ways. Unless of course you just find me attrociously unattractive or annoying, which you might." she shrugged. "Yes, I'm enjoying my coffee, thank you." Jules said, taking a sip from said coffee.

"Oh come on," Aiden said, shooting her a look that clearly said 'you've got to be kidding'. "You're a beautiful woman. Sexy and you've got a great arse, if you must know. And if I found you annoyin', I wouldn't be sittin' here right now drinking coffee with you." He eyed her more closely. "You're not used to men turnin' you down, are you?"

Again she took a sip of her coffee, waiting to answer for a moment. "No." she said simply. "I tend to get what I want most of the time. Usually when I set out to do something, it just falls into place and you... are the first man to really turn me down without specifying a reason. Seeing as how you have no wife, children etc... I'm just trying to see exactly what it is about me that you find unsatisfactory." she shrugged. "Doesn't matter though, no point in talking about it since you've made up your mind, sweetheart. Coffee'll just have to be the end of it." Not that she was happy about that in any way, shape or form.

Well, at least she was honest. She was a woman obviously used to being desired and wanted, and having someone say no was probably a blow to the ego. Aiden knew how it felt to want something that he couldn't quite grasp. "I don't find anythin' about you unsatisfactory. You assume because I can't have sex with you that I'm findin' somethin' wrong?" He grinned again and sipped his coffee. The "end of it" coffee. "You can't have friend who's a guy without fucking?"

She shrugged. "Well, you won't give me any reason at all, just a 'no'." she pointed out. "And yes, I'm quite capable of having guy friends without having sex with them. However, I would find it decidedly difficult to not want to when just the sound of your voice with that accent sends a fire rushing straight between my thighs." She was being blunt, but didn't much care what he had to say about it. In fact she half expected him to spit his coffee across the table.

Aiden managed to keep his cool and swallow his coffee while he studied her. He found he was starting to get used to things she was saying - in the span of twenty minutes or so they had been talking. He didn't know if she was being honest, or just trying to get a rise out of him - both literally and figuratively. "There's a woman," he explained, since it seemed important that she know why he wasn't taking her to bed at that very moment. "Don't know what she is to me, or what I am to her, but I'm thinkin' it might not be a good idea to start fuckin' around on her right now. I can try to change my accent for you if you want. Make it like yours? You think that would help you suffer through my company more often?"

"You could have just told me that in the first place, sweetheart. And no, you don't have to change your accent to appease me. I'm sure I can force myself to 'suffer' through your company as you put it. But seeing how you said that you don't take to serious relationships, seems a bit hard for me to believe that all of this has to do with a woman. Because choosing to not sleep with one woman, for fear of hurting another, seems to make me think that you're going pretty serious with said other woman. Not that it's bad, mind you. Some people have the ability to settle down, it just seems that you don't even realize that you might want to." Jules was more than willing to be okay with Aiden not sleeping with her if it was in the face of true love or something like that. Despite all her talk, she wasn't exactly a homewrecker. She made it a point to not sleep with taken men, hense not going after Domino when she discovered his ties to someone else.

"That's not exactly what it is," he admitted. Aiden sighed and then smiled. "Truthfully? I met someone who made me start to change my mind. Then it kind of derailed and I'm not sure where it stands now, but I guess I don't want to do anythin' that could potentially fuck it all to hell. It feels different to me, in a way, and I don't know if that's good or bad yet. Somethin' tells me if I slept with someone else? That decision would be made for me. Make sense?" Not that it was her business, but fuck, it still felt good to say it aloud. Aiden didn't deal well with confusion. "I don't want to settle down in the way you might think, but I was willin' to give it a try somehow. Only it didn't go as I thought it would. So I guess I'm just in limbo."

"Sounds like you're just confused or she hasn't made up her mind and you're just waiting around for her to make a decision. Doesn't seem very fair to me. Not downing the girl by any means, but you don't seem to be enjoying being in limbo. Not knowing what you are to her, and knowing what you wish she was to you. Sounds like one great big mess. But..." she said, pausing to take a sip from her coffee then replacing it on the table, letting her fingertips remain on the bottom of the mug, the warmth from the cup felt nice against her palms. "I am good for other things besides sex. And I'm thinking you don't talk to a lot of people about this whole thing, do you?"

Aiden was silent, thinking she was pretty well spot on about the entire thing. It sounded strange, hearing it from another person, and it had him thinking while he sipped his coffee. It was a big mess - at least in his head. And with Eury issues now, he didn't think it would be fair to press the status of their relationship on her. He just... hated being unsure about everything. "I don't," he admitted. There was Dorian, but how much could he discuss about Eury to Dorian, given what Aiden had done to him? "Not many people in town I feel comfortable enough talkin' to about things. I'm not a big sharer," he said with a small smile. "What would you do? If you were in my shoes?"

She watched him for a long moment through his brief bout of silence, studying his face as he seemed to get lost in his own thoughts. "It's hard to say." she began, moving her hand to brush her pointer finger across the rim of the coffee cup in slow little movements. "I can't begin to give you advice on the situation when I, personally, haven't been put in such a situation. I'm a very impatient person by nature, I like instant gratification. Should I actually find someone that I cared about enough to even think about settling down with, even if the settling down part was small in consideration with most peoples view of 'settling down', I'd like to know how they felt. I wouldn't want to sit around for months or years or whatever waiting for a time when I became convenient to them. Especially with the chance that the time would never come. It's one thing if you knew that it would happen, but doll, you've got no inkling it seems that it will. So you're waiting around and trying your best not to fuck things up with her, when what is she doing with you? Isn't forcing you into this situation putting a strain on you? Don't you find that the littlest bit unfair?" Jules felt a little bit like she was a therapist or something and maybe he didn't want her opinion and just asked out of courtesy. "That's just my take on the situation. But, like I said, I'm good at more than just sex. Listening just happens to be something I'm good at, though I will warn you that you'll get an earful if you ask my opinion... obviously."

That certainly was an earful, but it didn't mean that Aiden didn't listen. Maybe it was different hearing it from a woman's perspective? "To be fair, she's goin' through a lot of stuff right now. Told me she didn't know where things would end up in her life, which I'm assuming meant with me also." He shrugged one shoulder, still tapping his finger against his cup. "And she's not really forcin' me into anything. I have my own mind, I can make my own choices. I guess I'd feel like a bastard, or like I'm givin' up on her if I bailed. And I care about her, I just don't really know what I'm doin' or what I want, and I don't do well when I don't have some kind of balance. I could find the whole situation unfair, but wouldn't that make me a complete arse?"

Jules shrugged. "Did you ask her about it? First lesson in women, doll, is that you never assume anything. If you have something you want to know, you have to ask, otherwise you get blindsided when it's totally different. And if she's going through a lot right now, chances are she probably doesn't care what you're doing. Unless you've been clearly told that you're together, or not together, she really can't be upset with you for anything you do or don't do. I think you're just confused and you really wish you had some stability of knowing where things were going. I can understand that. And I can even try to understand how you might feel like an ass for 'giving up' on her, but it's not giving up on her when there's nothing there to give up. It'd be one thing if you were together and she just told you that she needed some space to think things through, but you seem to not know what's going on with her at all. And finding things unfair doesn't make you an ass, just makes you human." She sighed, lifting her cup to take another sip of the warm liquid. "Just think about it this way... if things were the opposite way and you were the one with all this stuff going on and not letting her know what you were doing or where the two of you were going, would she wait around for you?"

He wasn't sure how they'd gone from light flirtation to discussing his relationship with Eury. Not that he minded, but it just reminded him how out of touch he felt on the entire situation. He'd called her, told her he missed her and now she was home. Only she was different and telling him everything was up in the air. And he didn't know if that meant with him too. "She said she wanted me around so... I guess that's all I can go on right now. If our situations were reversed? I don't know, I think she might. She's been patient with me through a lot of my bullshit." She didn't always understand it, and they fought a lot, but she never turned away from him. Until she left to find her mother. Aiden smiled at Jules, not wanting to delve too deeply into his psyche. "You ought to be a therapist."

"Well then, if you think that she's worth the wait, Aiden, that's all you have to go on. You obviously care about the girl, probably a lot more than you're willing to admit. And if she wants you around, she wants you around. But you have to decide what's best for you not what's best for her. If you've got it in your heart to wait around and see what comes of all this with the girl, then do that. Wait around. Just don't be surprised if things don't work out. You're running that risk." She gave him a little smile and reached over to rub his forearm. "You're a good guy, despite what you might think and I don't think she even realizes just who she's keeping waiting. Giving her a chance to tame the wild beast and her not jump at it makes me question her sanity just a bit." Jules laughed lightly and shook her head. "And yeah, I probably should go into providing therapy, shouldn't I?"

"I'm not surprised about anything," he said dryly. "Believe me. I'm used to the bullshit and disappointment of life. I think it'd shock me more of it did somehow work out. And you don't know if I'm a good guy. You've only met me twice." He gave her an easy smile. "And I think any women who tries to tame me is probably insane anyway, so I agree with you there. Generally when I tell people how I feel about somethin' it leads to yelling or arguments. I pretty keep to myself for a reason, but it's nice to get some sound advice."

"Yeah, I've only seen you twice. But, the first time you walked me home to basically help me avoid some apparently fucked up things I didn't know about. That takes a lot to do. Most people wouldn't have cared and would have let me sit my happy little butt out there in the park. Second time... well, you bought me coffee and you haven't gotten anything out of it but some of my opinion, which you would have gotten regardless. So in my book you are a good guy. Deal with it." Jules said, sticking her tongue out at him playfully. "And I'm not going to yell at you or start an argument. If you need someone to talk to, you know where I am. Spend a lot of time at home. Promise if you need to talk to me, I'll put some clothes on and listen." She gave him a little wink and a full smile.

There might have been that, but Aiden was fairly certain all his bad qualities outweighted the good ones. He hunted, he's killed, he betrayed his best friend, he... yeah, he's done a lot of things. None of which he'd tell her about. It was nice to have someone think of him as a good guy. He eyed her closely, pretending to give it some thought before nodding once and lifting his coffee. "I think I like you. Clothes on and all." A virtual stranger offering to listen to his bullshit. It always had his defenses up, but fuck it, she'd listened and given advice and at this point, he'd take it. "I'd say same goes, but I'm shite at advice. But if you ever want to get a drink, you can give me a call. Maybe that's almost as good?"

"I dunno. I might go vindictive and not call you. Meet some guy who doesn't know if he's ready to be with me and all that and throw this all backwards at you." she teased. "Well, that and I don't have your number, sweets." she pointed out. "And drinking is just as good in my advice, though I am not responsible for anything I say and/or do while intoxicated. Just forewarning you."

Aiden laughed and dug his phone out of his pocket and slid it across to her. "Go ahead and put your number in. That way if you don't call me, I can call you should the desire strike." He leaned back casually in his chair. "Don't worry, I know how to control myself when I drink. Anything you say or do while intoxicated will be dealt with appropriately."

"I've given you my number once..." Jules began, though she took the phone and put her number in it regardless. "Since when do men actually know how to control themselves when they're drunk?" she teased. Handing his phone back to him, she sifted through her purse, coming up with her own, sliding it across the table towards him. "So do I get yours, or are you going to turn me down for telephone calls as well as unattached romps?"

"Maybe this time I'll use it," he replied simply, picking up her phone. "And I know how to control myself when I drink. I have my moments of stupidity, sure, but generally I recognize my limits." He punched in his cell number without answering and offered it back to her. "I won't turn you down for telephone calls. You ought to get something, right?"

She took the phone back. "I suppose I'll have to settle for advice giving and a drink or two here and there." she said with a smile as she replaced the phone in her purse. "Better than nothing I suppose."

"Settlin's not so bad," Aiden said. "I notice people do it in their day to day lives all the time. Sometimes settlin' eventually leads to greater things, yeah? At least that's what I like to think. Besides, I think it benefits me. I can get some sound, female advice without any bias. That's hard to come by for me lately."

Jules nodded. "Well, I'm glad that I can help." she told him. "Seems like I've been doing a lot of good deeds lately. My luck should totally turn around. Making up for all my usually bad karma." she chuckled.

Aiden tilted his head slightly, wishing he could smoke in this place. One thing he despised were no smoking signs on doors. "What makes you think you've got bad karma?" Aiden wasn't even sure he believed in karma - if it existed, it hadn't caught up with him yet, thank god.

"Well, like I told you before, when guys get too close, I leave. I'm sure I must have hurt a person or two in all of that." she said, shrugging lightly. Jules was pretty sure that the list of broken hearts she left in her wake was slightly more than the average person.

"So you think hurting men when you walk away from them because you're afraid of commitment means you've got bad karma? It happens. People get hurt, hearts get broken. Life moves on. Though I'm sure you've made many men feel absolutely devastated. Probably a good reason I keep my distance from you in a Biblical sense," he added with a smile, taking another sip of his coffee.

"Oh, right, like you'd be so devastated." she said, rolling her eyes. "So first it was this other girl that was our issue and now you can't do anything with me because there's a chance I could devastate you when you prove boring enough?" she laughed. "Somehow I doubt you'd be devastated. You'd just go out and find someone better right?"

He laughed with her and nudged her foot under the table with his own. "Sweetheart, just the fact that you said I would prove boring enough tells me it's best I keep my pants zipped around you. I'm finding a lot more reasons not to shag you than I am otherwise. Another woman, my fragile ego, the possibility of total emotional devastation." Aiden snickered and shook his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you're trying to persuade me to stay away from you rather than to take advantage."

"Oh, I am, am I?" she questioned, sliding her shoe off beneath the table. She ran her foot slowly up his calf then brushed it along his thigh, teasing with each fraction of an inch it moved. She finally let her foot come to rest on the chair between his legs, just slightly away from his crotch. "Maybe I just don't want to tempt you and take advantage." she told him. "If I really wanted to persuade you, I'm sure I could find ways... don't you think?" she asked, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth and closing the gap between her foot and his crotch for a quick moment before sliding it back down the way it went up.

Aiden cocked an eyebrow, though the smirk remained firmly on his face, his arms now crossing against his chest. It would be stupid to deny that his body didn't react to the way her foot played across his thigh, because it did. But thankfully when Aiden found himself playing this kind of game with a woman, he could generally keep a part of his brain detached from the lust-filled side of it all. "You mean by tryin' to seduce me? After I've already told you I can't sleep with you?" He unfolded his arms and leaned across the table toward her. "You ever think you could get to know a man you're attracted to without tryin' to take him to bed, love?"

"Do you think you can get to know me without thinking about me naked?" she replied, completely straight faced and serious about her question. "I'm perfectly willing and capable of getting to know you, or at least I was until you started telling me every few moments that you don't want to sleep with me. Think you can dash my ego anymore? Or is that you're way of trying to convince yourself and not me?"

"No, but thinkin' about a woman naked and tryin' to actually get her naked is two very different things," Aiden pointed out. "And I think both of our egos took a dashing, love. Not many guys like to be told they'll prove to be borin' enough before or after sex." He smiled at her then. "You ought to find yourself a man who might prove to be excitin' to you, even after you've slept with him. Might be a nice change to routine."

"I never said you were boring, Aiden." she told him. "If I found you boring, I wouldn't be wasting my time chatting with you now, would I?" She gave him a smile. "And you're plenty exciting before sex, I'll have to get back to you on after. Promise not to call you 'boring' anymore as long as you stop reiterating that you're not going to sleep with me. Deal?"

"Deal," he said with a nod. He didn't point out that it wasn't that he didn't want to sleep with her. There were a lot of beautiful women he passed on the street all the time that he'd like to sleep with - he just couldn't act on those particular impulses at the moment. Not while everything was 'up in the air' and confusing. Aiden turned mildly serious for a second, although he continued to smile. "Thanks for keepin' me company. It's a small town and I don't know many people here, even after livin' here for awhile. It's always nice to have an extra drinkin' buddy a phone call away."

Jules too continued to smile, letting her blue eyes fix on his. "You're welcome. I've been here a few months now and I just don't seem to get to know people all that easily. Aside from Olivia, my new roommate, and my best friend Marlowe and another friend of mine Sasha. I really don't have many people to talk to. And honestly, I can't really talk to them about a lot. I mean, Marlowe I can, but she's always with her boyfriend. Sasha is great, but it's nice to have a straight man's perspective. And Olivia, I don't really know a lot about her, but still, she's a girl. So the thanks goes both ways, pretty."

Olivia. He figured it was probably the Olivia he knew, though he didn't draw attention to that. It wasn't important at the moment. "Well, then you're welcome too." He eyebrow quirked for a second. "Marlowe. I know that name..." It wasn't a usual name, especially for a girl, and especially in this town. Where did he know that name. It took him a second but it registered finally. "Works at the diner? Lucius is her boyfriend, yeah? Met him in a bar not too long back." Small town. "She's your best friend?"

She nodded. "Yeah, Lucius." she said. "That's the boyfriend. Apparently a really good one because all her time is tied up." she chuckled. "Apparently he's not boring at all." she smirked and then nodded again. "But yes, Marlowe's my best friend, redhead, diner. That's the one. Olivia works at the diner too. And at Babylon. Didn't know about Babylon til yesterday though, but she's my new roommate. Or will be at least, she's supposed to be moving in soon." She was really looking forward to having someone else around the house, someone to talk to and all that. "So now that you know my best friend, her boyfriend and my living arrangements, time to tell me something." she said. "Anything, aside from girl problems, because I think I've had my fill of that one." she teased.

Yeah, definitely the Olivia he knew. And disliked. But that was a story for another day. He was sure Olivia would have a similar story about him if it ever came up. "Marlowe, Lucius and Olivia. Got it. Sounds like a nice, small group of people to know. Lucius was a decent guy when I met him, so can't say anything bad about that for ya. You want to know somethin' about me? I'm Irish," he said with a grin. "Hmm. And I'm ambidextrous. How's that?"

"Irish doesn't count." she told him. "That was pretty clear the first time you opened your mouth and that accent came out. Ambidextrous however, is a handy dandy little skill that I will have to keep in mind." For more reasons than one. "But what else, sisters, brothers? Family? Did you grow up in Ireland?" Jules just rattled off the questions one after the other, actually curious about what made the man tick. Might as well get to know him personally if not physically.

"Hey, you'd be surprised at how many people ask me if I'm Scottish. Or British," he added with a laugh. "But yeah, being ambidextrous is beneficial to me in a multitude of ways." Some of which were violent in nature, and others not so much. Women certainly seemed to enjoy it. The questions about his family, as usual, got his back up, but not in a way that he made obvious. "I have a sister, and yes, I grew up in Galway until I was about sixteen, and then we moved to America. What about you? You've mentioned your father and some relatives in Beverly Hills. Any siblings yourself?"

She shook her head. "No. One and only spoiled daughter of a Hispanic father and a blonde bubbly woman for a mother." she chuckled. "My mother is just... very... bouncy. And my dad is like her complete opposite, he likes structure and everything in place and mom is just as scatterbrained as I am, I swear. Galway though, is it pretty there? All green and such? I'd suspect it's gorgeous." she smiled.

"Sometimes opposites compliment one another," Aiden said. And sometimes they caused extreme misery. "Galway is pretty, yeah. I don't find it anything special, but that could be because I grew up there. There are nicer places in Ireland to visit, I think. I haven't been back in a long while. Are your parents still married?"

She nodded. "Yeah, they've been together for a long time. My mother's parents hated him. Thought he wouldn't amount to anything. Course that was before he became such a well to do lawyer and started raking in the cash. I don't think my mother could function without my father. They just... work. Like puzzle pieces or something. And yeah, I'd probably find Galway way prettier than you seem to find it. Course you might find Beverly Hills way more interesting than I would."

"I've been there," Aiden informed her. "Beverly Hills. Too crowded and no one knows how to drive properly." From his experience. The angel had been a bitch to find in that damn city. "I bet your grandparents love your dad now, yeah?" Money, he found, was the only universal item that could change just about anyone, or anything. Everyone had a bit of greed inside of them. Everyone had a price.

"Only because he has money. He still despises them. She's a bankers daughter and was pretty well off when she fell for him. Back when he was still in school. They saw 'Hispanic guy' and assumed that was just awful for their pride and joy. Tell me, when you look at me, obviously you can tell I'm Hispanic. Does that turn you off? Make you dislike me or think less of me?" She was curious as to whether the discrimination worked the same for Hispanic women as it did for Hispanic men.

"Does it turn me off? Sweetheart, that's a stupid question," Aiden said simply. "Obviously it doesn't. To be honest with you, I'm not turned off by race, or color. Yeah, I'm sure I'm guilty of believing certain stereotypes, but no... you being Hispanic doesn't bother me. In fact, I think you're beautiful because of it." Which was the god's honest truth, really. "Do you run into a lot of discrimination because of your heritage?"

"Sometimes." she admitted. "Granted it's not as bad as it was with Dad. I mean, I understand some people just aren't attracted to Hispanic women or whatever, but sometimes it's just like they act like I'm dirty or something because I'm Hispanic. I can assure you I know how to shower. I'm not disgusting just because I'm a bit darker. And thank you, for calling me beautiful, by the way." she tacked the last bit on the end to let him know that she wasn't letting the compliment go by unnoticed.

"Some people are twats," Aiden said. He could be prejudice, but his prejudices usually touched upon supernatural angles rather than race. "They're usually ignorant and undeservin' of any attention. I'd say not to let people like that bother you, but I can't imagine it's that easy."

"I think I'm pretty good at ignoring the ignorant, but it does get aggravating, that's for sure. Not like I chose to be Hispanic. I didn't like ask to be born into my family. And I'm not even entirely hispanic on top of it all, my dad just had some dominating genes. But oh well. I hear Hispanic people make better lovers." she chuckled. "I'll not let it get to me."

"You hear, or you know?" Aiden asked teasingly. He wanted to lighten the mood as not to let her get too worked up over it. "You're beautiful as you are, and I think a lot of people would love to have your family, and your genes. Write them all off as jealous." He sipped his coffee, noting it was lukewarm now. They'd been there awhile apparently. "It's always nice to find people who will accept you for who you are. That's rare these days."

"I know." she said, giving him a grin. "Or at least I know what I am capable of. I can't speak for the rest of the Hispanic race, but I don't doubt my abilities. Maybe they are jealous. So I'm guessing that you're a rarity then, accepting me and all?"

"I'm a rarity in a lot of things," Aiden said. "But yeah, I'm accepting you for who you are now. Don't think that should change. I guess I'm just used to people gettin' to know me and wantin' to change things. Which I can understand since I think most of the time I'm a miserable bastard to people. It's hard to change. I am who I am." He shrugged. "Sometimes I want to change and sometimes I want to tell people to fuck off and leave me the hell alone."

"You don't seem like a miserable bastard to me yet. But maybe I'm just a jaded bitch and can't tell the difference. And my boss is like a total dick like king of the dicks, so maybe you're just an angel by comparison or something." she teased. "But, if it makes you feel better, if you feel like telling me to 'fuck off' and 'leave you the hell alone' and shit like that, you're more than welcome. Can't guarantee I won't bitch right back at you for it, but you can say it if you get that urge."

Aiden grinned, chuckling while he shook his head. "Believe me, the bastardness shows it's face eventually. I think as long as you don't try to tell me what to do, or change the person I am, then I won't have the desire to tell you to fuck off. But I can't guarantee you won't want to say the same to me. I have morality issues," he said jokingly, even though it was the god's honest truth. "I shouldn't find it so amusing, but it's easier to accept it than to think about what a dick I am all the time if I can't change it. If that makes sense."

"Well I'm pretty good at letting people know when they're being a dick. You'll just have to be ready for me to let you know when you're doing it. Expect a lot of 'Aiden, shut up, you're being an asshole again' and the like." she smiled. "Everyone's entitled to be an ass sometimes. Can't help that. Sometimes you just have to be."

"So when you call me an asshole, is that when I counter with 'shut up, I'm entitled'?" The conversation was amusing him to no end. It was better than the other things clouding his mind at the moment. Avoidance... he was good at that too. "Do I get to call you a bitch if that's the case?"

"Only if you're absolutely sure that you're prepared to take a reaming in a language that you don't even understand." Jules chuckled. "I could curse you up and down til I'm blue in the face and you'd be like 'huh'? Another thing I can blame on my lovely heritage. I'm worse than Ricky Ricardo. I don't think I'm capable of being pissed in English really. It always blurs.

"I could just call you a bitch in a language you won't understand and be safe," Aiden pointed out. He could say a lot of things in Gaelic he found, and no one would have a clue what he was talking about. "But I think I might find you cursing me out in a different language kind of hot, so I won't be adverse to it. Can you speak any other languages?"

"Spanish. Mostly just the cursing shit. And like... 'where is the bathroom' and 'you take credit cards?'" she chuckled. "Sue me. Happens when you go to Tijuana and need to buy something. I don't think I'd be adverse to being cursed out in a different language either, so you might not want to call me a bitch in whatever language you can speak and all that. I might have to jump you." she teased giving him a smile.

He smiled, trying to imagine her cursing someone out in Spanish. He imagined it'd be quite a sight. "Speaking another language is no fun unless you know the curse words, so I hear ya on that. The thing with Gaelic is, you could say the most offensive thing to someone in the language and it's so beautiful, they probably wouldn't even care or notice. So yes, you would probably jump me," he agreed with another soft chuckle. "Not that I think I'd mind it."

She smiled at that, ego getting a little more inflated now that he'd let it slip that he wouldn't mind. "So, I have a question for you about your little 'I like someone else and don't want to fuck it up' thing." she began. "What exactly would count as fucking it up? Just... well... fucking?" she asked with a little laugh at the end of the question. "Or are you opposed to any physical contact with me at all? Don't want to overstep my boundaries, lovey, especially if there's the chance of yelling at me in another language on top of that accent."

He cocked an eyebrow at the question, surprised that she'd ask it. More surprised that he wasn't sure how to answer. "I don't know, really. Women are mystifying creatures. Maybe sitting here with you right now could be a total fuck up on my part, who the fuck knows? I'm not opposed to all physical contact." He reached out to touch her hand. "Touching you wouldn't bother me. It's how I touch you that I need to watch myself for."

She raised an eyebrow back at him eyes on his hand as he touched hers. "Afraid of getting caught up in something you can't back yourself out of?" she asked him, eyes ticking away from their hands and sliding up his form to catch and lock on his.

"Yeah, maybe. I told you I'm a bastard. I'm tryin' not to be, because I care about her. I think you'd enjoy makin' it hard on me." That was the problem. He wanted to be there for Eury, if she wanted him to be. He just didn't know what she wanted anymore. Maybe she'd liked it when he was an ass, and once he started admitting feelings for her, it changed. Who knew with women?

"Yeah, well I'm a bitch. Can't fault me for that." she told him. "But I still stand firmly on the idea that one, you're not technically with her, so she can't get mad at you, really. Two, if she did get upset with you, you could totally bring up the fact that she left it up in the air and you were unsure of what to do. But... I will try not to make it hard for you. Both figuratively and... physically." She couldn't help but grin at that last part.

"You realize that if she thinks I fucked somethin' up, that any excuse I have? Will fall upon deaf ears and probably make shit worse. Women don't want explanations, do they? They want apologies and grovelin'." Really, Aiden figured he needed to know where things stood with Eury, at least before he went off to track down her uncle. He never let a woman make him so unsure of himself and as much as he cared about her, he didn't think he could continue to do so. He'd be there for her as much as he could, but Aiden wanted to know in what aspect it would be. As a friend? Or more. "I appreciate that, by the way." Aiden returned the grin. "Anything that makes this easier on me is certainly welcome."

"Well she'll probably get mad at you either way." she agreed. "Women don't tend to like their men around other women sometimes. Especially if the other women they hang out with are pretty or whatever. You being here with me could be a huge fuck up. Maybe you should leave." she teased.

He shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly. "Kind of too late now, isn't it?" Eury never seemed like the jealous type. He was, but he didn't think she would care really. "Besides, I see nothin' wrong with a man and woman bein' friends. It's a dynamic I wouldn't mind tryin' out myself."

"Aww! You wanna be my friend?" she said teasingly, reaching out to pat his hand. "How cute, Aiden. Absolutely adorable." She smiled, but didn't pull her fingers away from his hand, instead, rested them atop it. "I suppose I can try this whole 'straight guy for a friend' thing out. See how it works and all that." Jules said with a little shrug.

"You're doin' pretty well already," he pointed out, not bothering to move his hand. He had a feeling he would need to talk to Dorian soon, just to get some sense slapped into him, if there was any. Aiden grinned. "I try to be cute and adorable at least once a day. Twice, if I'm feelin' ambitious, so I'm glad to know I pulled it off."

"Guess I'm just good at everything I set my mind to then. I should make a bet on who breaks the friendship rule first." she teased. "Nah, I wouldn't do that to you. Far too mean. Must be nice, yes?" Jules laughed lightly, shifting her hand just a bit, letting her pointer finger trace little circles on the top of Aiden's hand. "Besides, we both know who'd win."

Aiden laughed. "You're a very entertaining woman, Jules." He turned his hand up to grip her fingers, not too tightly, but tight enough to show he had strength. The girl was probably used to be dominant in everything she did. Unfortunately for her, or not, so was Aiden. "I think you really underestimate me."

He was strong, obviously. After Zed, Jules had developed quite the taste for being dominated and she was pretty sure that Aiden was a very 'I'm the man' kind of guy. "I don't underestimate you at all, darling. I think it's you that underestimates me."

"Somehow I doubt that," Aiden replied, releasing her fingers after a moment. It was a new experience, not being able to act on his impulses. Generally what Aiden wanted, he got, or took. This was just another way his life had changed drastically since he arrived in Marquette. "I guess we'll have to see who's right, yeah?"

"I suppose." she agreed. "We shall see. Got any plans for tomorrow night, dollface? Perhaps I can interest you in experiencing Hispanic culture first hand. Do you like spicy food?" He was her 'friend' now. Why not invite him to dinner. And of course tease the hell out of him. Food and of course some smashing little number to get his motor running. He never said she couldn't tease him after all. And it was quite fun.

"You're asking me to dinner?" Aiden asked, mildly surprised for a moment before his brows drew together and he smirked. "As a friend, I'm assuming." When was the last time he'd had something other than diner food? His sister cooked, but most of the meals were fairly simple - and she rarely ate as it was. "What time?"

"As a friend." she said with a nod. "I'm assuming you do a lot of fast food?" she asked with a little grin. "I have to work til about five. An hour or so to cook and such. Another hour to get dressed and looking decent. Seven work for you?"

"Don't go to too much trouble for me," Aiden told her. "I'd hate to show up feeling under-dressed." Though he was curious as to what she considered 'looking decent'. For some women it was a t-shirt and a clean pair of jeans. For others it was tiny red dresses and heels or something like that. "And yes, I eat a lot of fast food. It's part of the lifestyle. Thankfully I haven't fallen over dead from high cholesterol, and I haven't gained fifty pounds yet. But yes, seven works for me. Want me to bring anything?" It reminded him a bit of when Delilah made him pie. This felt a bit different, but it was still jumping at that opportunity for enjoyable company.

"I think no matter how you show up, Aiden, you'll be 'over-dressed', not under. I'll try not to go overboard with my attire if you feel you can't handle it." she teased. "You don't have to bring anything though, unless of course you have some preferred drink to go with your meal."

"Beer," he stated with a smile. A wine drinker he was not. He stood from the table and stretched before grabbing his coffee cup. He ignored the comment on her attire for fear he would say something more suggestive than he should. "I can walk home from here. It was lovely to have spent some time with you, Jules. I'll see you tomorrow night around seven."

She smiled and stood herself, snagging her own coffee cup. "See you tomorrow then." she agreed with a little nod, moving past him and tossing her cup in the garbage before heading towards the door. She stopped for a moment and glanced back at him. "Don't be late." she warned playfully. "Not very nice to keep a 'friend' waiting." And with that, she disappeared out of the coffee shop.