THINGS IN COMMON ( closed )

[damselunimpressed]

WHO: Maria Posada damselunimpressed and Manolo Sanchez matadorable
WHERE: Local cafe
WHEN: Sunday
WHAT: Maria discovers something about Manolo, and it's something they have in common.
WARNINGS:

In the tradition of Sunday mornings, Maria and Manolo have coffee and brunch at a local cafe. It's a quiet affair as they sit together; sometimes Maria brings a book along or they talk about the day, but it's more about spending time together without effort.

But on this particular day, someone comes by their usual table and bumps into it. He apologizes with a wave of his hand, and Maria can't help but watch him go. He's handsome, built big and tall with auburn hair.

Comments

[matadorable]

Manolo's eyes follow the same trajectory as Maria's, and he idly wonders if the guy works out. With that kind of body, he'd have to, right?

...To his credit, it only takes a split second for Manolo to realize he'd said that last bit out loud. Instinctively, he plays it off with a short laugh, but the pitch is a little too high to be considered anything remotely casual or smooth.

[damselunimpressed]

Maria laughs, too, but not because of what he said. More from how sudden and honest the comment is. Her brown eyes drift from Manolo to the man who has taken a seat near the window.

"He's a handsome one, yes?" she asks with a soft casual tone.

[matadorable]

"Well...sure," Manolo responds, his eyes furtively darting between the table and Maria. The nervous smile from before is still plastered on his face. "I may be a man, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a nice...face?"

[damselunimpressed]

"Is that so?" Yes, his face is very nice. But her eyes drop lower. "What do you think about his butt?"

[matadorable]

"Maria...!" His words are hushed, and though Manolo tries to sound scandalized, he can't hide his conspiratory smile or the way his shoulders are starting to shake with laughter.

[damselunimpressed]

"What?" Maria asks with big innocent eyes, but she can't stop them from crinkling at the corners. "I talk about yours all the time."

[matadorable]

"This is true, yes," he says with a huge grin, because if Maria is going to compliment his butt, he's damn well going to bask in it. Still, his pleased expression soon shifts as he gives a curious tilt of his head.

"...Wouldn't it bother you if I talk about someone else's, though?"

[damselunimpressed]

"Not if it's a nice one!" It's followed by a cheeky giggle.

[matadorable]

"Oh, I see how it is," Manolo says, and Maria's smiles must be contagious, because he's still grinning. "You like having a partner in crime."

[damselunimpressed]

This silly conversation is equally as contagious. She can't help but laugh deep in the back of her throat behind her book.

"I suppose it never hurts..." Maria's smile doesn't leave, but it turns soft and thoughtful as she lays her book back down on their table. "It's only... I've noticed the way you turn your head sometimes."

There, tiny little bomb dropped. Now she waits to see how Manolo reacts. Gracefully, she hopes.

[matadorable]

...Oh. Manolo's smile fades.

And all this time he thought he was doing a pretty good job of acting normal. He's not sure why he expected any different, considering his not-so-spectacular track record with that.

"Maria, you know I would never cheat on you, right?" he says as he unconsciously fiddles with his paper napkin. "I'm not the type of man who will go for someone just because they're pretty, or even..." A hesitant pause before he forces himself to finish. "You know, handsome."

[damselunimpressed]

"Oh, Manolo..." Her poor boy. Maria reaches out to him with open hands on the table. "It's a thought that's never crossed my mind. That's not why I brought it up. I—Don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me. About anything."

[matadorable]

He abandons the napkin in favor of of reaching for her hands. Though they're much smaller than his, the warmth of her touch is like a balm for his nerves, and his face visibly relaxes when she assures him.

"I was worried about what you might think," he confesses. "I know it's a weird thing for a man to be. No one back home is really like this, and I..." His gaze meets hers, and he's reminded all over again how much those large, brown eyes melt his heart.

With a small chuckle, he continues, "I never should have doubted you, Maria. I'm sorry for not saying something before."

[damselunimpressed]

"Don't be sorry," she says before leaning across the table and kissing him softly. When she pulls away, her hands squeeze Manolo's comfortingly.

"So—" That's when her smile grows impish. "About that butt..."

[matadorable]

Just like that, any lingering tension simply uncoils, and Manolo's smile is much lighter now. "Hmmm...well, it is a nice one. At least, from how I remember. What do you think, though? Clearly, you are a woman of good taste, so..."

[damselunimpressed]

"Hmmm..." With great subtlety, Maria leans just a touch over to get another look at the man. It's sort of hard to get a good gander when he's sitting on it now, but she's fairly sure she remembers what it looks like.

"Yours is bigger," she tells Manolo with matter-of-fact.

[matadorable]

The way she sneakily gets a second look makes him smile, but her conclusion is what draws a light laugh from Manolo.

"Ay, Maria," he whispers with a glint in his eye, "it's hardly fair to compete with a man who spent most of his life training in the bull ring."

[damselunimpressed]

"Oh, don't I know it..." One of her hands slips under the table and onto his knee.

[matadorable]

Her touch prompts Manolo to lean forward, and he lightly brushes his foot against her smaller one. "You've always had a very discerning eye," he responds with a grin.

[damselunimpressed]

Another laughs comes out of her, soft and deep. "No, please, continue tooting your own horn, querido."

Her loving gaze gradually drifts back across the crowd to people watch and pick another victim for her experiment.

"What about him?" She softly nods her head a little behind Manolo to the man by the window. This one is thinner, a bit androgynous with short blond hair.

[matadorable]

"Who's tooting?" he says, shoulders shaking with a small laugh. "There is no tooting here. I just trust your opinions, yes."

Her next question pulls Manolo's gaze away from her and toward the young man sitting alone. He twists a little in his seat to get a better look, mindful not to draw too much attention to himself.

"You know, I didn't even notice him before now," he sheepishly admits once he turns toward her again. "My head is in the clouds so much. People with a large presence, though...they're harder to miss. Does that make sense?"