fandomhighdorms | Sunday Afternoon

*finds this note on her door*

Michael--

Headed into town for some shopping. Meet me at the movie theatre at 2pm?

See you soon!

MP

*Reads the note and smiles. Checks the time and then heads into town.*

Since he's a little early, Michael takes the time to check the tapes on the bug he placed on Ms. Parker earlier. The sounds he hears are unmistakable. The man in question... ah yes, the DJ from the party last night.

Michael nods to himself. Ms. Parker's involvement with this man could well work to his advantage. She'll be a bit more off-guard, trying to make sure he's not aware of her other *extra-curricular* activites and he'll have a better opportunity to complete his mission.

He strolls calmly to the movie theatre, leans against the wall and waits for her to finish her little afternoon delight and arrive to meet him.

Parker arrives a little out of breath, but happy. She managed to buy some perfume at a local shop a few minutes ago, so is confident that there's no trace of her encounter with Gordon on her.

Not that she cares if Michael knows. But it's none of his business.

"Hi!" she says when she sees him, smiling at how good he looks. "Sorry if I'm late. This city is bigger than I thought."

Michael smiles at her. "Not a problem." He kisses her hand in greeting, holding it just a touch longer than necessary before letting it go. He nods towards the theatre. "Shall we? I took the liberty of buying us tickets."

Parker's smile widens. "What are we seeing?"

"March of the Penguins is all that is playing, so.." He shrugs. "It's all an excuse anyway, of course."

Parker catches his eyes, and finds the same sense of humor there. God, what a relief. He's not a horndog like Gordon, but he's aware of the subtleties. She takes his arm, and smiles warmly at him.

"So? Let's go exploit our excuse."

They walk into the theatre together.

The movie was... interesting, but not precisely to Michael's taste. However, the point of this exercise was not to enjoy himself, but to further his mission. If Ms. Parker was enjoying it. He glanced over at her, and caught the bored expression on her face. She smiled quickly at him to hide it, but it had been there nonetheless.

He leaned in closer, whispering into that sensitive spot just below the ear, "You seem to be enjoying this as little as I. Shall we go - perhaps get some coffee? It is your company I am interested in, after all."

She rolled her eyes. "Hate to waste your money," she whispered back, getting to her feet and grabbing her purse, "but that sounds a lot better. The Perkulator is just down the street, I haven't been there yet."

Thank God for males who paid attention. Michael could definitely give a few guys at school lessons in how to act on a date.

They made their way to the coffee shop. Michael considered taking her hand, but decided against it. The whole point here was to be different enough and intriguing enough to her that she would want to continue to spend time with him - regardless of what other people she might choose to have sex with.

Once inside he ushered her to a seat and went to get them coffees. As he returned with them, someone bumped him, nearly causing him to lose his balance. In a split second he saw how he could use this to his advantage.

He went with the stumble, spilling some coffee onto her shirt, and went into his best French apologetic routine. He put the coffee down immediately and grabbed up a napkin. "You must forgive me, I am so sorry."

He started to dab at her chest as if unaware of what he was doing then, deliberately caught himself and let himself flush profusely. He handed her the napkin and looked away in embarrassment. "Again, I am so sorry, I hope you don't think..." His voice trailed off and he looked at her beseechingly.

Parker was alternately chagrinned (dry clean only!), charmed, and amused. "You might, but you're not, it's okay." She took the napkin and mopped at the spot herself, smiling at him and shaking her head, then suddenly stopped, stunned, as she remembered Maia's prediction.

Don't think that'll come out... Of course, she said it would be wine...

"I suppose it could be worse," he said. "It could be wine."

Parker groaned and shook her head. "This stupid school..." She caught Michael's look of inquiry, and said, "One of the new kids, and I do mean kids-- Maia something-- said I was going to do this... little twerp." She dabbed at the blouse some more, then gave up. "Aw, screw it." She took the rest of the coffee and took a swig. "I'll get another one."

Deliberately putting Maia out of her mind, she smiled brilliantly at Michael. "Soooo. What'd you do to get sent to Weirdness Central?"

Michael flushed again. "Some difficulties in my old school - falling in with the wrong friends." He looked away. "I have no parents, you see, and my guardian felt if I could just be away from these friends..."

He shrugged. "Well, we'll see. It seems there is far more opportunity to get into trouble in this place. And you?"

"Ah. Sorry I asked. It sounds... rough." She tapped her finger on her coffeecup, glad that her instinct about him had been at least correct in this much. He wasn't from any happier a home than *she* was. Normal people were just intolerable.

"I got sick of the last place, staged a deliberate prank to get expelled, and instead of taking me home, my father found me this place." Parker smiled wryly. "So far, it's at least more interesting."

She leaned forward, tilting her face to mimic his. "Soooo. Girlfriends? Boyfriends? Others? I'm assuming not, but it seems like the thing to ask...."

He looked pensive. "There was this girl... Nikita... But she was one of the friends my guardian didn't approve of." He sighed, "I'm sure nothing would have come of it anyway. So, no, no girlfriend. As for the other... women are definitely my preference so boyfriends are..." He shrugged the idea away.

He wondered how far to push things here. Take it into a more sensual or sexual direction, push her a little, or let it lie - follow her lead. Or perhaps, slightly in between. "And you? Please tell me you wouldn't be here, like this, with me if there was another - another you were truly serious about." He let his face show a brief glimpse of longing, then schooled it back.

She perched her chin on her fingers, and bestowed her most dazzling smile on him.

"No one worth mentioning." Gordon, after all, was sex. Good sex, sex she would probably be having again, but beyond that, she doubted it would develop.

"I'm sorry about your friend Nikita." Parker bit her lip. "There was someone like that, for me, before the last school. Saying my father didn't approve would be an understatement." She shrugged, swirled her coffee in her cup. "He was probably right. The boy in question really was-- a boy."

She leaned closer, took Michael's hand, and played with his fingers. "I prefer more maturity in those I choose to spend time with."

"I am sorry you were hurt." He reached out and touched her cheek, then pulled away as if reluctantly. "I'm sorry," he said again, then shook his head. "I seem to be forever apologizing to you. It's just... I don't know.... There's something about you."

He looked self-conscious. "I know that sounds trite, I know."

"Not trite. Uncertain, maybe." She squeezed his fingers. "And definitely returned."

She glanced down at their fingers, then reconsidered, and took his hand. "I don't know what you want out of this... I mean, I'm not...." She kept her eyes down so he wouldn't see the calculation.

"I've got some experience in this area, but I don't know what you expect." Parker looked up at him through her lashes. "I'm not the kind of person trusts easily. But if you really want to, we could--"

She shrugged her shoulders, leaving it there for him to take her up on it, or let it lie. Either way, she'd learn something about him.

Like whether she'd want to see him after this date again.

Michael was shaking his head before she finished, "Non, non." he put just enough pressure on her hand so that she wouldn't slip away from him. "That's not... I don't..." He flushed again. "Let me start over. You are a beautiful woman and I... well, I have perhaps a bit more experience - enough to know that I would not want to ruin what I hope we may have here by rushing into anything. I can't deny that I find you very attractive, but I'm hoping for more than just... some cheap..."

He let himself appear a bit flustered, letting his sentence trail off as if he didn't know how to phrase it without being rude or presumptious. "Perhaps you'll know think that I'm hopelessly naive, but... I'd like to see you again. many more times. And I'd want you to know that it's not just about sex."

Parker released a breath that would look like relief to someone who didn't know her, and triumph to the one or two who did.

"That's-- reassuring. It sounds so adolescent, but what I really need is a friend first. Someone I can be myself with." She laughed lightly. "As much as I'm capable of that, I mean."

She traced patterns in the spilled sugar of the table. "I hide things. I'm rude. I've been called a bitch I don't know how many times this week." She looked up at him, and finally told the whole truth. "But I don't think I'm a bad person. I'd just like to be able to relax with someone."

Parker leaned forward. "And I think that might be you."

"I would be honored to be that person. And if something more develops - and I do hope that someday it does.." he smiled and kissed her hand again. "And now, I think I should get you home. It's getting late and we have classes tomorrow."

Parker smiled to herself as they left the cafe, arm in arm. Mission accomplished: one boyfriend, smart and sensitive.

Anything else would be icing.

Michael left Ms. Parker at her room after making plans for another date over the weekend. He went back to his own room and opened up his PDA.

To: Operations

Phase one of mission accomplished. Beginning phase two.

M.

Sunday Afternoon

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