Amour Beach discussion

Heidi walked into the restaurant, and knew she was early. She tugged on her jacket slowly, cautiously, almost as if she was self conscious. Which she wasn't, she just felt...like a loner. Ryker had dropped her off on his way to work because he felt like being 'nice' but Heidi knew it was because she could drive her motorcycle in a skirt, and he didn't want her driving his car. But whatever. That's fine by her. She didn't have to drive a separate car from Tarren. "Hi, table for two?" She asked. The hostess gave her a weird look, but nodded. "Right this way." Heidi nodded, following the lady to a small secluded area with a beautiful view of the sea. Definitely romantic.

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((have no clue if the picture worked...I'm on my phone))

((It didn't work.))

Tarren arrived a few minutes late because Arianne had absolutely insisted that her wear a tie and then she fidgeted with it longer than he ever would have bothered to. He had called ahead and made a reservation for two and when he got there Heidi was already sitting at a table for two, staring out the window. He felt nervous as soon as he saw her because she looked gorgeous. He profile, framed against the window, her hair down. He fidgeted his tie, hating it as always, before he walked forward and cleared his throat to let her know that he was there.

((darn it! Gonna try it again....))

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Heidi looked up from the window, and grinned when she saw Tarren. "Wow...you look great. You are totally not just a surfer bum." She said softly reffering back to when he told her what they were doing. Heidi's lond dark brown hair was straight...and had a freshly died light blue strand in it. Her family.had done it for her dad, wanting to show their support. So th ey each died a strand their hair blue. Heidi wasnt sure how she felt about how it looked. But it was for her dad. "Come on Handsome. I'm starving so sit down!" She said, guesturing for him to sit in the chair across from her. She was so excited for their first real date to get started.

((It worked! Super cute outfit.))

"No you look great." He said, leaning down and giving her a kiss on the cheek. He looked down at himself and shrugged. "I clean up okay but if I'm being honest my outfit is my sister's doing, she seemed to thing black tie was necessary." He grinned at her. "I love the blue and the straight. Though your beachy waves suit you as well." She looked great and that skirt showed off her legs just as well as those shorts had the day before. He took his seat and tried to focus on the menu rather than on her.

((I know! I found it on pinterest...and just loved it!))

Heidi grinned and pulled the blue strand up and looked at it. "You really think so? I feel like it's out of place..." She said with a shrug as she let go of the strand, letting it fall back in place. "In all my summers of coming here..I have never been to this restaurant." She said softly, scanning up and down the menu while taking sneak peaks at Tarren. At least, she thought they were sneaky. He just looked...so attractive. With his near shirt and tie. Heidi was attracted to suits, ties, swimsuits, and shorts for guys. For her, they were total turn ons. But she would never admit that out loud. Heavens no.

"I love it." Tarren said, honestly. "Helps your eyes pick a color and blue eyes definitely look good on you." He winked playfully at her. "Really, never? We used to come here once a week when we spent the summers as a whole family. Arianne and I loved it because it was a sure time we would get to see our parents. Arianne and I haven't come yet this summer but we should." He shrugged. He saw her glancing at him and was glad he wasn't the only one who couldn't seem to focus on the menu.

Heidi blushed. He noticed her eyes...no one but close family members had even noticed her weird color changing eyes. Not Will, or Sam...people she'd Known her entire life had noticed. "You noticed?" She asked curiously. It was obvious she was surprised. No one had ever really looked her in the eyes. Until Tarren that is..or maybe it was the opposite..she had never looked them in the eyes. "I know right? We just never had a reason to come. My,mom and dad didn't want to pay for it, said the food was nasty...so we didn't go. But I think they we're just telling us that because they didn't have money to spare." She slipped off her jacket...it was too warm in their, revealing a plain white cap sleeves shirt underneath. Heidi's mom told her that 'Modest is Hottest' and she tried to live by those standards.

"Of course I noticed." Tarren said shocked that it seemed so bizarre to her that he had. "They're big and beautiful and gray/green/blue. Sometimes I swear they change with your mood. And when you really fix them on me my heart forgets that beating is good for it." He told her, not even realizing how amazingly cheesy it might have sounded. It was exactly something his sister would love to hear though, he knew. "Well, the food here is fantastic." He told her. "Unless you're a vegetarian. If you are then we should probably leave." He said, only half kidding.

Heidi grinned, and was pretty sure that Tarren was way to good to be true. She would.wake up one morning, he would be gone, and all of this would have been a dream. "Thanks Tarren. That was incredibly cheesy, but it made my day." She looked at the menu once more, her eyes narrowed with concentration as she read the menu. She was getting a ton better at reading stuff, and she was super excited.to show her.brother. "No way Jose. I will never ever in my life be a vegetarian. I love meat too much." She told him, looking up from her menu. She was.ready to order...sort of.

Tarren made a gesture with his hand that would have obviously ended in a bow had he been standing up. "Glad I could brighten your mood my lady." He said with a grin. Tarren watched how she was when trying to read the menu and when she said she would never be a vegetarian he sighed in relief. "Oh, good." He said. "I definitely love at least ten times more than I thought was possible with that statement. Not that I would have not accepted you or anything if you had been a vegetarian..." He let his voice trail off to stop from saying anything else that could possibly be insulting and ran a hand down his face.

Heidi laughed, so glad she met him. What still stumped was how they had never met before. They lived so close to each other, they both surf, and Heidi goes to almost every party. Why hadn't they seen each other before? She didn't know...but she was glad they did now. Heidi laughed, listening to his rambling. "Its ok! Ryker would totally disown me if I was a vegitarian. You could disown me too." She said, smiling at him. She loved how he went out of his way to prevent her feelings from getting hurt...but she honestly wouldn't mind if he teased her. She would know he was kidding.

"I could never disown my girl." Tarren told her. "That would be like taking a piece of my heart out and throwing it away at this point." He closed his menu, already knowing what he wanted and gazed at her over the table. "No, you're stuck with me now. For as long as you want me, at least." He would never force her into anything as that would go against all the work he had already put into building her confidence. He just had to hope that she wouldn't tire of him because he was very sure that he could never tire of her.

"Oh good...because it would probably hurt a lot more than I would like to be disowned by you." Heidi admitted, setting her menu down as well. She was just going to get what Tarren was getting because she had no clue what to order. "You sure? Because I'm never letting you go...so you'll be stuck with me for a long time. You sure you can handle it?" She teased. well she wasn't kidding aabout the I'm never letting you go part. She was far to in love with him for that.

Tarren reached across the table and took her hand in his. It was small but he could feel it was well worn from working on cars and playing instruments. It was very real, which was just one more on the long list of things he was realizing he loved about her. "I can handle it. Whether it be years and years or just for the summer, being with you is the only thing I can think of that I really want." He smiled at her and then realized just how sentimental he was becoming when he was around her. It was so different. "So, do you know what you're getting?" He asked. He was still holding her hand without event thinking about it.

Heidi blushed, grinning. "Oh I'm glad you think that...because I feel the exact same way." She said softly, unable to keep her grin off of her face. He was so amazing, sentimental, sweet......she was so so glad she found him. Fixing that table was one of the best choices she'd ever mad. Heidi gave his hand a small squeeze, before running her thumb over his for a second. "No....I just figured I'd try whatever you are getting...I'm not sure what sounds good on here." She explained. Hopefully he wouldn't think she was weird because she couldn't make up her mine. Actually...that wasn't a good reason for him to think she was weird. So it would be weird if he thought she was weird for that.

Tarren smiled when she ran her thumb over their hands. He squeezed. He had gotten to know her so well from the cute girl that fixed the coffee table at his party in such a short time. He made a snap decision that they were never getting rid of that coffee table no matter what. The decision made him oddly happy and he was able to turn his focus back to Heidi. "Oh, well I always get the surf and turf special." He told her. "It's different depending on the day of the week and the time of year and it's always a surprise. One of the few types of surprises I actually enjoy."

Heidi grinned and was about to reply, when the waiter finally showed up.
"Hi...My name is Marcus, I will be your waiter for the evening. Are you ready to order." Heidi handed Marcus her menu, nodding.
"I'll have the surf and turf special and a glass of lemonade." the waiter nodded and looked at Tarren. Heidi was so glad he was a niCe waiter and not Percy and gross. She's had a few of those before.

Tarren flashed a grin at Heidi and handed his own menu over. "Surf and Turk special and a root beer with no ice." He said. He tried to say it with confidence but he had gotten more than one weird look from people who didn't know him well when he ordered his drink like that. He blamed his sister because she had started it and drug him down into the addiction with her. Marcus nodded and left to go put their orders in and Tarren turned back to Heidi.

Heidi raised an eyebrow. "No ice huh?" She asked, smiling. Heidi herself couldn't stand to.have a drink without ice. She liked things cold. Not freezing, but cold. When she was a kid she would sleep with a fan right at the base of the bed, and position it so it blew right in her face. She liked her face to be cold, but not the rest of her. She was weird like that. That was a pretty valid reason for Tarren to think she was weird. Not the whole ordering the same thing as him. That one wasn't valid.

Tarren chuckled lowly and nodded his head. "No ice so that it becomes room temperature and then I stir it with the straw until almost all the carbonation is gone." He shook his head. Out loud it sounded so ridiculous. "Basically what I end up with is decabonated, room temperature syrup. Arianne picked up the habit when we were younger and passed it on to me." He looked at her to see if she thought he was insane. Not that he possibly wasn't in some ways.

Heidi tried not to laugh, covering her mouth until she recovered. "No carbon drinks huh? I have to say...I've never heard that before." She said with.a grin. That was weird...and she loved it. It was so Tarren. Heidi was falling harder for him with every little fact and tidbit she learned. He like rootbeer without the carbon...perfect. It was alright though because Heidi was weird too. Perfect match! Her stomach growled softly and she tried to pretend that she didn't notice. And hopefully Tarren didnt either. Food was on the way, and that was Heidi's only consolation.

Tarren nodded. She was trying so hard not to laugh and he totally appreciated it though it would have been fine if she had. "Like I said, my sister. She comes up with strange things and then she drags me down with her." He grinned. He loved his sister's quirks though there were a few that he wished she kept to herself and didn't pass on. Especially some of her odd food quirks. "What about you? Any odd food secrets I should know?" He said it with a straight face managing to pretend that it wasn't such a strange question.

Heidi had resisted laughing long enough that she no longer had the urge to. "Food quirks? Um..." She stopped for a second, thinking. "My friend Sam told me she liked Carrots with mustard once. I thought it was nasty..but then one day I was home alone..and hungry..so I decided to try it. And.. I liked it." She said, grinning. She wasn't blushing though, because she knew it was weird. It would be weird if he.didnt think it was. "So now I have carrots with mustard." She prepares herself for laughter...and she would be.surprised if he didn't laugh.

Tarren made a sort of crooked face like he was thinking. "That is very strange." He said finally. He had never heard of anything like that before and he didn't think he would ever hear I again. "That is very, very strange." He said and laughed. "My sister got me addicted to a specific pizza combination to the point where pizza isn't pizza for me unless it has those specific toppings." He told her. It was a very random combination too.

Heidi grinned and shrugged. "Well I'm strange so...that works." She knew it was the first time he had heard it, and probably the last. It was totally a weird, but good combanation. "That's not so bad." She said, smiling. "Um lets see....I eat tortilla chips with spicy hummus." She admitted. Ryker thought that one was weirder than the carrots and mustard. And it wasn't...at all. Carrots and mustard totally win. It was hard to beat.

"You didn't ask what was on the pizza." He said with a wicked grin. Arianne had come up with it which meant it was an interesting variety. He raised an eyebrow at her. "That isn't so strange. Have you ever mixed salsa with ranch dressing and dipped a quesadilla in it?" He asked her. He hadn't ever met anyone else who had but it was definitely one of his favorite things to eat. It was one of the few that Arianne hadn't come up with though he sometimes pretended she had so as not to feel weird.

Heidi raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I want to know now..." She joked, grinning. When he mentioned the salsa and ranch, Heidi grinned. "Oh my gosh I do that all the time! Its my favorite." She couldn't believe he did that too! That was crazy. Heidi had never found another human being who did that one. And when she mentioned it, people gave her weird looks. But she didn't care...anymore.

"Okay, now I have to tell you." He said when she told him she wasn't sure now. "It's: Pineapple, Italian sausage, olives, ham, and mushrooms. Maybe it's not so weird but it's the fact that no other pizza satisfies me now but that." He shook his head and then his face lit up. "No way! Oh my gosh, I thought I was like the only one to think of that. Even Arianne thought it was weird when I first thought it up." Their drinks arrived and he immediately began stirring the carbonation out of his, without even thinking.

"That's not so bad. I thought it was like anchovies and like sardiens and a bunch of gross stuff." Heidi said, grinning. She loved the way his face lit up...it made her light up too. Tarren has that personality that when he's happy, you can't help but be happy too. "I love it! I didnt think it up..I have a really wossy tongue and my mom bought like spicy salsa and I couldnt handle it, so I was like why not put ranch in it! So I did...and it was yummy! I've had it ever since." Marcus set down a glass of pink lemonade, and Heidi sighed. "Excuse me, what kind of lemonade is this?" She asked, getting his attention.
"Strawberry." Marcus replied kindly.
"I'm sorry...but I'm allergic to strawberries. Is there any other kind of lemonade?" She asked, praying there was.
"Uh no ma'am. Can I get you anything else?" He asked.
"Just a water please. Thanks." He took her glass away, and brought back some water, before leaving.

Tarren nodded, agreeing with everything she was saying, except for one thing. "You don't like spicy?" He asked, shocked. "You sound like Arianne, she's a total wimp whereas I could almost eat whole Jalapenos." He laughed and took a sip of his soda before returning to stirring it. He watched her interaction with the waiter with a frown. "Are you sure you don't want anything else to drink?" He asked her with a frown. A faint smile played at his lips. "Want a sip of my flat soda?" He knew she would say no but he wanted to give her the option.

Heidi shrugged. "I don't know why...I just cant stand it!" When he said he ate whole Jalapeno's, she was surprised. "That's crazy. I couldn't stand that." She took a sip of her water, wishing they just had lemonade. She was totally craving it, and anything else sounded gross. "Yeah, I'm ok." When he asked her if she wanted some soda, she shook her head, grinning. "No thanks. Don't want tto deprive you of your flat soda."

"I'll keep that in mind." He said. Mental note: no hot food for Heidi. He could tell she was disappointed that she hadn't gotten lemonade. He wanted to suggest something else but he knew that Heidi would probably much rather the whole thing just be dropped and not to make a big deal of it so he let it go. He grinned. "I wouldn't feel deprived it I was sharing with you." He said. "But it is very good." He took a drink and pretended to savor it like it was a fine wine. He was just trying to keep her smiling.

Heidi's stomach growled, again, and she sighed impatiently. She didn't get lemonade, her food was taking ages...this restaurant sucked at delivery, but she didn't care. At least she was with Tarren. When he dipped his rootbeer like wine, she giggled. "I don't know, when you drink it like that it looks like some drink made by the gods." She joked, grinning.

"Well I stirred the carbonation out of it." He said. "Does that make me a god?" He asked, jokingly. Just then the food came. It was a huge plate with a filet mignon and then a bowl of assorted clams, muscles and crab. Or at least that was what he could see, and it was in a lovely smelling broth. He smiled and thanked the waiter. "Just in time. I think you were getting hungry." He smiled at Heidi. Everything looked great and he was glad since a few things had already been a let down for her.

Heidi shrugged. "Well...when you put it that way..." But she didn't finish her sentence. An overwhelming, delicious smell filled her senses as her food arrived. "Finally!" She said with a grin. Oh it was well worth the wait. It smelled good, looked good, and probably tasted good. Heidi's mouth was watering just thinking about it. "You could say that." She said, grinning. She couldn't believe she ever doubted the restaurant. She took it all back. This place is amazing.

Tarren felt more than compensated for any inconvenience when he saw the look on Heidi's face. He had made the right choice and he was so happy about that. He cut into the steak and it was cooked perfectly, beautiful and pink and it melted like butter when he bit into it. "You know I can't believe Arianne and I haven't come here yet this summer. We must have forgotten just how good the food was." He said with a shake of his head.

Heidi took one of the parts of the crab and broke it open, eating the meat inside. It was cooked perfectly, and it was totally what she imagined. "I can't believe I've never come here." She said, eating some more. She ate carefully however, to avoid getting it all over her. That would be embarrassing. He would probably think she was some sloppy pig that didn't know how to eat correctly. But she did, and she was doing it. Whether it was working or not, she didn't know.

Tarren shrugged. "Maybe your parents just didn't know about it." He said. This was definitely a beacher place because it was local, private and freakishly expensive. Of course, Tarren only knew that now that he was older. As a kid he didn't know or care. Tarren grinned at her. She wasn't shy in front of him. He didn't know if she was like this with others but either way he liked it. A bit of broth dripped down her chin and he picked up her napkin and wiped it off before returning to his own meal with a slight smile. "I'm guessing you like I then?"

Heidi shrugged. "Maybe..." It didn't sound like her parents to keep away from an expensive, popular restaurant. If it was expensive and in, her parents were all over it. And it drive Heidi insane. at their house in New Mexico, they had these fancy white couches that no one could sit one because they were expensive, and for decoration. So they had to sit on the floor. What's the point of owning things if you can't enjoy them? As Tarren reached over and cleaned off her cheek, Heidi blushed. "Yeah it's really good." So much for eating properly.

"I'm glad you enjoy it. You are a girl after my own heart." He smiled at her. The sun was beginning to set out over the ocean, just slightly turning the skyline orange and he was so glad they were sitting beside the window. "So, what more do you need to know about me?" He asked her. "I'll tell you anything. I feel like I've learned so much about you and I want you to feel the same." He looked at her intently.

Heidi grinned. Oh he flattered her. Most of his lines were incredibly cheesy, and totally something that would come out of a romance book...and yet, Heidi found herself trying not to swoon every time. She looked out the window, and smiled. It was so beautiful. She loved sunsets...they were her favorite. "Ok, if you could anywhere in the world with one person, who would you go with, and where would you go?" She asked, taking a drink of her water. She was curious. Where would he go? Who would he take? Heidi thought about her own answer. She would probably take him...and they would go to...London maybe? Heidi had always wanted to go there.

Tarren thought long and hard about the question. It was a trick question even if she didn't know it was. He couldn't answer with the first thing that came to mind because she would hate him but he also couldn't lie to her. Finally he decided on an acceptable answer and turned away from the sunset he had been staring at and back to her. "Well that is a two fold answer. For one there are two people I would want to take with me if I were traveling to wonderful places. I would love to go with you and Arianne and take a trip through Europe. That would be amazing. But, on a more personal note a trip with you to Paris would definitely be something I would enjoy. That would be quite a memory." He smiled.

Heidi watched as he thought about it, realizing it was a total tick question. She blushed. She hadn't ment it that way. It was just really a get to know him question. If he had said Arianne she would have been fine with it, and not caring that he didn't say her. it was hard choosing him over Ryker. Just the fact that Heidi and Ryker were so alike, yet had very different opinions and argued all the time was the breaker. "Paris. I would go there with you." Heidi said with a grin. She couldn't speak French though..so that would be hard. "So...are you gonna ask me one? Or should I ask you one?" She asked, brushing crumbs off of her skirt. She had long since finished her dinner. It was so yummy, she practically inhaled it.

Tarren let out a breath. Trick question or not he had obviously answered quite well and he was proud of that. A question for her. Gosh, there were still so many things he didn't know but wanted to. He wanted to know everything but that wasn't going to just happen over dinner. "Oh, let me see." He mused. "What's your greatest dream?" He asked her. "And I mean that one scenario that would make your life complete." He looked at her wondering if it was an okay question or not. Because it was definitely something he wanted to know about her.

Heidi bit her lip, thinking. What was her biggest dream? When she was a kid...all she wanted was to be famous. To be known for her talents. Then all she wanted was to make it through high school. But now...she wasn't sure. She hadn't thought that much ahead. She had a vision of the person she wanted to become. Was that a dream? She didn't know, but she was going to count it. "I'm not really sure. I guess I want to be known for doing something great, or good. I don't want to be just another name on the obituaries when I die. I want to leave some kind of a legacy..." She trailed off. "I guess I just want to be remembered." She finished, satisfied

Tarren watched her, think it through, put all the pieces together before she answered. He knew he probably couldn't answer the question had it been posed to him. At least not in a satisfactory way, not anymore. He smiled, slowly at her answer. It wasn't exactly logical. The odds of being remembered, really remembered, by the world were so slim. But he still loved her answer. "One if you were only remembered by me, or your brother, or your family. But you were remembered with love and you were remembered forever? Would that ever be enough?" He asked.

Heidi nodded. She knew chances were slim, but that made her more determined to make it happen. "Yeah. I just want to leave something behind. You know?" She asked. Now, she was curious to what his dream was. She had to know. "What about you? What's your biggest dream?" Heidi had no clue what it would be..and that made her all the more curious. Marcus came back, clearing their plates. "Here's our desert menu...let me know when you are ready to order." He said with a smile. Heidi smiles back. "Thank you." She took her menu and looked back.at Tarren, watching him think it over.

"Oh, I know." Tarren said. He wasn't exactly happy that she had turned her question back on him. He didn't know what he wanted, not anymore. For most of his life he thought he wanted to run the company, like his father did, but now he wasn't so sure. He wanted to travel, and live life to the fullest but he didn't want to be everywhere, all the time. He wanted to slow down at some point and do one thing, to be stable. God he didn't know for sure but he did know one thing. He turned to Heidi. "I want to be able to look back on my life when I'm getting ready to die and be able to say: 'I lived' That's all."

Heidi smiled as he answered. "How about right now? If you were to die today...would you say that?" She asked softly, leaning forward and resting her head in her hands. She had to know. Would he feel like he lived his life to the fullest? Or would it feel incomplete? "Not that I want you to die...because I really really don't. Not at all. Just curious." She added quickly, just in base there was some confusion going on in that brain of his. Hopefully, there wasn't. She was praying there wasn't. Because then she would feel awful.