“Quick, take my hand, it’s urgent!” (whispers-of-change)

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos was taken off-guard, but he merely gave the other a contemplative frown before reaching out to comply. “Uh… alright,” he said.

@whispers-of-change

She
nodded, not sure if she was entirely satisfied with his response. It
was more a worry that he didn’t understand how serious she was. But he
seemed sincere, and that was a conversation they could have later, once
they got to know each other better. He definitely didn’t need to know
that much about her yet. So she wouldn’t push the matter. “Okay. Good…”
she said quietly. “‘Cause, you- You know, it’s… good to communicate and
have boundaries.” She gave him a a soft smile, and took a sip of her
tea, eyes flickering down.

Carlos nodded again. “Absolutely,” he said. “If I’m doing something wrong, or whatever, don’t be afraid to tell me. I mean… I’m not going to go out of my way to see what I can get away with, but we all make mistakes and when I make one just let me know.” Because he was sure mistakes were going to happen. He hoped that assured her some at least.

She nodded, and looked back up at him. “Yeah, I will. And I think… I think it’s good to acknowledge ahead of time that things aren’t going to be… perfect. But that it is good to talk about things when things go south.” She gave him a soft smile and let out a sigh. Not a bad sigh, or one of exasperation, but one that indicated a sense of satisfaction. This seemed to be going fairly well already. Things seemed to be headed in a good direction. She was happy.

Carlos smiled at her. “Yeah.”

This was great. She seemed at ease and things seemed to be going alright so far. This was fantastic. God, he hoped he wasn’t going to mess this up.

“So, uh… what’s your family like?” Carlos asked, wanting to keep conversation flowing.

She kept the smile on her face, but the rest of her body tensed slightly. “Let’s, uh…” She let out a breath, and tilted her head slightly, smiling a bit wider to compensate for her slight discomfort. “Let’s maybe wait a bit for this particular conversation,” she suggested, her voice a bit quieter than it had been. “There is, uh… a lot to unpack there. Not all of it… pleasant.”

“Oh,” Carlos said. “Well… honestly, I can understand that.” And he could. But she needed to reach at least a level three before unlocking his true feelings regarding his backstory. “So… maybe just tell me who you’re on speaking terms with?” He figured it’d be easier for her to say something present. “Like… my brother’s a software engineer. And my Dad’s an ex-retired chef. Not an ex-chef – ex-retired chef. He came out of retirement just for some part time work.”

She looked down at her tea and let out a sigh. “There’s, uh… No one left to really be on speaking terms with,” she murmured. “My parents died when I was younger, and I uh… Lost track of my brother shortly after my mom passed…” That, of course, was the short version of it, but she could give him the longer version of it later. Once they were closer. She didn’t feel like discussing such a depressing matter at the moment.

“Oh,” Carlos said softly. “I’m… sorry to hear about that, I really am.” Now he felt like a jerk trying to push the subject a little bit. “Well… how about friends?”

“Quick, take my hand, it’s urgent!” (whispers-of-change)

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos was taken off-guard, but he merely gave the other a contemplative frown before reaching out to comply. “Uh… alright,” he said.

@whispers-of-change

She
nodded, not sure if she was entirely satisfied with his response. It
was more a worry that he didn’t understand how serious she was. But he
seemed sincere, and that was a conversation they could have later, once
they got to know each other better. He definitely didn’t need to know
that much about her yet. So she wouldn’t push the matter. “Okay. Good…”
she said quietly. “‘Cause, you- You know, it’s… good to communicate and
have boundaries.” She gave him a a soft smile, and took a sip of her
tea, eyes flickering down.

Carlos nodded again. “Absolutely,” he said. “If I’m doing something wrong, or whatever, don’t be afraid to tell me. I mean… I’m not going to go out of my way to see what I can get away with, but we all make mistakes and when I make one just let me know.” Because he was sure mistakes were going to happen. He hoped that assured her some at least.

She nodded, and looked back up at him. “Yeah, I will. And I think… I think it’s good to acknowledge ahead of time that things aren’t going to be… perfect. But that it is good to talk about things when things go south.” She gave him a soft smile and let out a sigh. Not a bad sigh, or one of exasperation, but one that indicated a sense of satisfaction. This seemed to be going fairly well already. Things seemed to be headed in a good direction. She was happy.

Carlos smiled at her. “Yeah.”

This was great. She seemed at ease and things seemed to be going alright so far. This was fantastic. God, he hoped he wasn’t going to mess this up.

“So, uh… what’s your family like?” Carlos asked, wanting to keep conversation flowing.

She kept the smile on her face, but the rest of her body tensed slightly. “Let’s, uh…” She let out a breath, and tilted her head slightly, smiling a bit wider to compensate for her slight discomfort. “Let’s maybe wait a bit for this particular conversation,” she suggested, her voice a bit quieter than it had been. “There is, uh… a lot to unpack there. Not all of it… pleasant.”

“Oh,” Carlos said. “Well… honestly, I can understand that.” And he could. But she needed to reach at least a level three before unlocking his true feelings regarding his backstory. “So… maybe just tell me who you’re on speaking terms with?” He figured it’d be easier for her to say something present. “Like… my brother’s a software engineer. And my Dad’s an ex-retired chef. Not an ex-chef – ex-retired chef. He came out of retirement just for some part time work.”

“Quick, take my hand, it’s urgent!” (whispers-of-change)

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos was taken off-guard, but he merely gave the other a contemplative frown before reaching out to comply. “Uh… alright,” he said.

@whispers-of-change

She
nodded, not sure if she was entirely satisfied with his response. It
was more a worry that he didn’t understand how serious she was. But he
seemed sincere, and that was a conversation they could have later, once
they got to know each other better. He definitely didn’t need to know
that much about her yet. So she wouldn’t push the matter. “Okay. Good…”
she said quietly. “‘Cause, you- You know, it’s… good to communicate and
have boundaries.” She gave him a a soft smile, and took a sip of her
tea, eyes flickering down.

Carlos nodded again. “Absolutely,” he said. “If I’m doing something wrong, or whatever, don’t be afraid to tell me. I mean… I’m not going to go out of my way to see what I can get away with, but we all make mistakes and when I make one just let me know.” Because he was sure mistakes were going to happen. He hoped that assured her some at least.

She nodded, and looked back up at him. “Yeah, I will. And I think… I think it’s good to acknowledge ahead of time that things aren’t going to be… perfect. But that it is good to talk about things when things go south.” She gave him a soft smile and let out a sigh. Not a bad sigh, or one of exasperation, but one that indicated a sense of satisfaction. This seemed to be going fairly well already. Things seemed to be headed in a good direction. She was happy.

Carlos smiled at her. “Yeah.”

This was great. She seemed at ease and things seemed to be going alright so far. This was fantastic. God, he hoped he wasn’t going to mess this up.

“So, uh… what’s your family like?” Carlos asked, wanting to keep conversation flowing.

“Quick, take my hand, it’s urgent!” (whispers-of-change)

whispers-of-change

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos was taken off-guard, but he merely gave the other a contemplative frown before reaching out to comply. “Uh… alright,” he said.

@whispers-of-change

She
nodded, not sure if she was entirely satisfied with his response. It
was more a worry that he didn’t understand how serious she was. But he
seemed sincere, and that was a conversation they could have later, once
they got to know each other better. He definitely didn’t need to know
that much about her yet. So she wouldn’t push the matter. “Okay. Good…”
she said quietly. “‘Cause, you- You know, it’s… good to communicate and
have boundaries.” She gave him a a soft smile, and took a sip of her
tea, eyes flickering down.

Carlos nodded again. “Absolutely,” he said. “If I’m doing something wrong, or whatever, don’t be afraid to tell me. I mean… I’m not going to go out of my way to see what I can get away with, but we all make mistakes and when I make one just let me know.” Because he was sure mistakes were going to happen. He hoped that assured her some at least.

“Quick, take my hand, it’s urgent!” (whispers-of-change)

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos was taken off-guard, but he merely gave the other a contemplative frown before reaching out to comply. “Uh… alright,” he said.

@whispers-of-change

She smiled back at him and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re right,” she agreed. Wait, had- Had Carlos said the D word? Had she
said the D word? Were they actually discussing the possibility of…
dating? “So- So wait, are- are we actually talking about… the
possibility of, like… starting… something?” she asked, voice nervous.

It was Carlos’ turn to be bashful. He dropped his gaze and
reached up to scratch his cheek. “Well… I’ don’t know,” he said honestly. “I
mean, there certainly is a possibility…
but at this point in time I am unable to calculate exactly the variables
and percentages with which I can articulate our chances. I would require more
time with you… more outings… more, um… more dates.” A thought occurred to him
and he grinned. “I guess you could say… I need more date-a!”

She laughed at his pun, scrunching up her nose. “Oh that was bad,” she grinned. “But… I wouldn’t say no to offering up my time to assist in any further studies you may wish to conduct,” she said with a happy smile. So maybe she hadn’t ruined everything. Maybe things had gone just as they were supposed to. Maybe everything would be okay. “If that’s alright with you.”

Carlos just kept smiling. “Absolutely! If you’re up for it,
then I am!” Things were going so much better now – thank God! And Selina seemed
to be a lot more comfortable now. “I believe we have reached a point where the
two of us can exchange phone numbers… how does that sound to you?”

“Yeah, that sounds great!” she said, enthusiasm exuding from her as she spoke. “I’m… really glad you agreed to meet up with me. I feel like initially I came on really strong, and came across as really weird, so I was… kind of worried I’d scare you off,” she said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She unlocked it, pulled up the screen to put in a new contact, and slid the phone across the table to Carlos.

Carlos took the phone and started to put in his number. “It’s
okay,” he said. “Like I said, we still have time to get to know each other better
and get past the awkwardness.” He added his name and saved the contact. He
handed the phone back to Selina. “Go ahead and text me so I have your number
too.”

“Yeah, that’ll be good. Although I may still be a little bit awkward after we get to know each other better, but that’s just because that’s… who I am as a person,” she said, grinning as she texted a winky face emoji to Carlos. “On a more serious note, though, as we move forward, if I ever say or do anything you don’t like, or that makes you uncomfortable, please let me know right away. Okay?” She looked at him intently, waiting for a response.

Carlos highly doubted that Selina would ever say anything
uncomfortable without realizing it first and apologizing profusely. But he just
smiled kindly to her and nodded. “Of course,” he said.

He mentally reminded
himself that it went for if he thought things were going a weird direction in
the relationship – he had a lot of knowledge about how a relationship should
go, in theory, but it was all about applying it and making sure his own
feelings were okay. It had been such a long time… he didn’t want his first
relationship in so long to hurt him.

“Quick, take my hand, it’s urgent!” (whispers-of-change)

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos was taken off-guard, but he merely gave the other a contemplative frown before reaching out to comply. “Uh… alright,” he said.

@whispers-of-change

She smiled back at him and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re right,” she agreed. Wait, had- Had Carlos said the D word? Had she
said the D word? Were they actually discussing the possibility of…
dating? “So- So wait, are- are we actually talking about… the
possibility of, like… starting… something?” she asked, voice nervous.

It was Carlos’ turn to be bashful. He dropped his gaze and
reached up to scratch his cheek. “Well… I’ don’t know,” he said honestly. “I
mean, there certainly is a possibility…
but at this point in time I am unable to calculate exactly the variables
and percentages with which I can articulate our chances. I would require more
time with you… more outings… more, um… more dates.” A thought occurred to him
and he grinned. “I guess you could say… I need more date-a!”

She laughed at his pun, scrunching up her nose. “Oh that was bad,” she grinned. “But… I wouldn’t say no to offering up my time to assist in any further studies you may wish to conduct,” she said with a happy smile. So maybe she hadn’t ruined everything. Maybe things had gone just as they were supposed to. Maybe everything would be okay. “If that’s alright with you.”

Carlos just kept smiling. “Absolutely! If you’re up for it,
then I am!” Things were going so much better now – thank God! And Selina seemed
to be a lot more comfortable now. “I believe we have reached a point where the
two of us can exchange phone numbers… how does that sound to you?”

“Yeah, that sounds great!” she said, enthusiasm exuding from her as she spoke. “I’m… really glad you agreed to meet up with me. I feel like initially I came on really strong, and came across as really weird, so I was… kind of worried I’d scare you off,” she said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She unlocked it, pulled up the screen to put in a new contact, and slid the phone across the table to Carlos.

Carlos took the phone and started to put in his number. “It’s
okay,” he said. “Like I said, we still have time to get to know each other better
and get past the awkwardness.” He added his name and saved the contact. He
handed the phone back to Selina. “Go ahead and text me so I have your number
too.”

“Quick, take my hand, it’s urgent!” (whispers-of-change)

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos was taken off-guard, but he merely gave the other a contemplative frown before reaching out to comply. “Uh… alright,” he said.

@whispers-of-change

She smiled back at him and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re right,” she agreed. Wait, had- Had Carlos said the D word? Had she
said the D word? Were they actually discussing the possibility of…
dating? “So- So wait, are- are we actually talking about… the
possibility of, like… starting… something?” she asked, voice nervous.

It was Carlos’ turn to be bashful. He dropped his gaze and
reached up to scratch his cheek. “Well… I’ don’t know,” he said honestly. “I
mean, there certainly is a possibility…
but at this point in time I am unable to calculate exactly the variables
and percentages with which I can articulate our chances. I would require more
time with you… more outings… more, um… more dates.” A thought occurred to him
and he grinned. “I guess you could say… I need more date-a!”

She laughed at his pun, scrunching up her nose. “Oh that was bad,” she grinned. “But… I wouldn’t say no to offering up my time to assist in any further studies you may wish to conduct,” she said with a happy smile. So maybe she hadn’t ruined everything. Maybe things had gone just as they were supposed to. Maybe everything would be okay. “If that’s alright with you.”

Carlos just kept smiling. “Absolutely! If you’re up for it,
then I am!” Things were going so much better now – thank God! And Selina seemed
to be a lot more comfortable now. “I believe we have reached a point where the
two of us can exchange phone numbers… how does that sound to you?”

“Quick, take my hand, it’s urgent!” (whispers-of-change)

whispers-of-change

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos was taken off-guard, but he merely gave the other a contemplative frown before reaching out to comply. “Uh… alright,” he said.

@whispers-of-change

She smiled back at him and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re right,” she agreed. Wait, had- Had Carlos said the D word? Had she
said the D word? Were they actually discussing the possibility of…
dating? “So- So wait, are- are we actually talking about… the
possibility of, like… starting… something?” she asked, voice nervous.

It was Carlos’ turn to be bashful. He dropped his gaze and
reached up to scratch his cheek. “Well… I’ don’t know,” he said honestly. “I
mean, there certainly is a possibility…
but at this point in time I am unable to calculate exactly the variables
and percentages with which I can articulate our chances. I would require more
time with you… more outings… more, um… more dates.” A thought occurred to him
and he grinned. “I guess you could say… I need more date-a!”

“Quick, take my hand, it’s urgent!” (whispers-of-change)

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos was taken off-guard, but he merely gave the other a contemplative frown before reaching out to comply. “Uh… alright,” he said.

@whispers-of-change

“O-
Okay, but… please let me know if that was… inappropriate for me to
say,” she said quietly. “I really hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable…”

It did, but that’s all
on my part, Carlos thought to himself. He still smiled at her. “No worries,”
he told her. “I ought to be flattered, shouldn’t I?”

“Well I don’t know if you ought to be anything,” she said quietly. “If I made things uncomfortable for you, I sincerely apologize, and you don’t have to thank me for that, just for the sake of being polite. I- I am sorry, I’ve… obviously made a mistake, and I’ve obviously made you uncomfortable, and… Please, don’t feel obligated to thank me…”

Carlos was starting to panic and his smile slipped from his
face. “No, no, I promise, it’s okay!” he said quickly. “I just – look, it’s me, okay? I-I just – I have trouble
really believing what you’re saying.
Make sense? Nobody’s ever said those sort of things to me before… and it’s all just a bit much for me to accept
with any grace is all.”

She could see the panic. And hear it in his voice. Oh man. Now she really had messed all of this up. He sounded upset. “O- Okay, well, I, um… If it helps anything, I- I did mean what I said. I’ve- I’ve had a crush on you for a couple weeks now, and I was really nervous about this meet up, which is why I’m… way overdressed, and… Why I was rude and didn’t wait for you to get here before ordering, because I really needed the tea to soothe my nerves, and- and why I got nervous and just kept blurting all those compliments out. I… I meant every word of it… But now I feel like I’ve upset you and I’ve ruined everything, and- Look, maybe it is just a good idea for me to go, I keep messing all of this up…”

Carlos reached out and took her hand, trying to keep her sat
down. She had been babbling and honestly he only caught some of it… but he did hear that she was thinking of
leaving, which wasn’t good. “I’m not mad,” Carlos told her. “I’m not upset. I
mean it – thank you for all the nice things you said to me. I haven’t done the
dating thing for a while, so I’m kind of out of practice myself. I promise
though, nothing is ruined. You’re just fine.” He offered her a smile – a kind
one, but one that he hoped would calm her enough and convince her to stay.

Her breath caught slightly as he touched her hand. “Sorry, I… Guess I sort of panicked,” she said softly. “I haven’t done the dating thing in a while either. I guess I didn’t know exactly what to expect, so when things started going weird, I just… started freaking out. Thank you for… being so understanding.”

Carlos smiled a bit wider. “Of course,” he said to her. “It’s
okay – it’s completely okay, I promise. I think I recall that dating is
supposed to be fun… not perfect. Right?”

“Quick, take my hand, it’s urgent!” (whispers-of-change)

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change:

the-perfect-scientist:

whispers-of-change

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos was taken off-guard, but he merely gave the other a contemplative frown before reaching out to comply. “Uh… alright,” he said.

@whispers-of-change

“O-
Okay, but… please let me know if that was… inappropriate for me to
say,” she said quietly. “I really hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable…”

It did, but that’s all
on my part, Carlos thought to himself. He still smiled at her. “No worries,”
he told her. “I ought to be flattered, shouldn’t I?”

“Well I don’t know if you ought to be anything,” she said quietly. “If I made things uncomfortable for you, I sincerely apologize, and you don’t have to thank me for that, just for the sake of being polite. I- I am sorry, I’ve… obviously made a mistake, and I’ve obviously made you uncomfortable, and… Please, don’t feel obligated to thank me…”

Carlos was starting to panic and his smile slipped from his
face. “No, no, I promise, it’s okay!” he said quickly. “I just – look, it’s me, okay? I-I just – I have trouble
really believing what you’re saying.
Make sense? Nobody’s ever said those sort of things to me before… and it’s all just a bit much for me to accept
with any grace is all.”

She could see the panic. And hear it in his voice. Oh man. Now she really had messed all of this up. He sounded upset. “O- Okay, well, I, um… If it helps anything, I- I did mean what I said. I’ve- I’ve had a crush on you for a couple weeks now, and I was really nervous about this meet up, which is why I’m… way overdressed, and… Why I was rude and didn’t wait for you to get here before ordering, because I really needed the tea to soothe my nerves, and- and why I got nervous and just kept blurting all those compliments out. I… I meant every word of it… But now I feel like I’ve upset you and I’ve ruined everything, and- Look, maybe it is just a good idea for me to go, I keep messing all of this up…”

Carlos reached out and took her hand, trying to keep her sat
down. She had been babbling and honestly he only caught some of it… but he did hear that she was thinking of
leaving, which wasn’t good. “I’m not mad,” Carlos told her. “I’m not upset. I
mean it – thank you for all the nice things you said to me. I haven’t done the
dating thing for a while, so I’m kind of out of practice myself. I promise
though, nothing is ruined. You’re just fine.” He offered her a smile – a kind
one, but one that he hoped would calm her enough and convince her to stay.