The hike - closed to Roosevelt

[starting_over]

True to her word, Samantha had forced herself to keep a slow, steady pace on the hike. No matter how many times Roosevelt got ahead of her, she continued without trying to speed up to catch him. To the man's credit, as soon as he'd noticed, he slowed himself to match hers.

He got points for that. And for not teasing her for moving at the same speed as his grandmother, or some similar poke-disguised-as-a-joke. He'd just shifted his walking speed, and continued talking about what they were seeing on the hike itself, others he'd been on, or other generalities since hiking and talking weren't things she could do at the same time.

Then, finally, they stepped into a clearing and Sam gasped when she saw where they were.

"Wow. Its...it's beautiful."

Comments

[comeonbro]

Roosevelt had enjoyed the hike even more than he thought he would. While Samantha went a little slower than he was used to Roosevelt was having such a good time talking with her that he didn't even notice. He had ended up telling a lot of stories since he coulud see that it was a struggle for her to hike and talk at the same time so he carried the conversation. She never complained or seemed to get frustrated though, she just kept at it.

"It's gorgeous, right?" he said. The winter chill was still lingering just a bit but Roosevelt thought that made everything more clean and crisp. Later in the year it was look green and alive. Roosevelt thought both seasons had their own sort of beauty.

[starting_over]

Samantha unzipped the windbreaker she'd been wearing because despite the chill, the climb had warmed her to the point that even that layer was causing her to sweat a little more than was delicate. Who was she kidding, she was practically dripping it from her skin, but it was a good feeling. A sign that she'd worked hard, especially as her breathing wasn't as labored as she'd expected, so she knew she'd kept right at her limit.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything this beautiful outside of a picture on my computer from vacations my coworkers took," she told him, drinking deep from the bottle in her hand. "Worth every second of that climb."

She turned back to him. "How did you find this place?"

[comeonbro]

Roosevelt was pretty sure if she'd never seen anything like this in person before then she needed to get out more. But she seemed to understand that or trying to change that about herself from what she'd said. Roosevelt was glad that she found it worth the climb though. Already he could think of other places to take her.

"I just followed the river one day until I came to this spot," he explained. A lot of the places he knew about that he'd found that way, just out exploring and investigating everything around him. "There are a few more nice spots further up but it gets harder and harder to get to from here."

[starting_over]

Samantha looked at the trail they'd followed and then beyond it, to what looked like a very healthy climb indeed. "Erm. Maybe next time?" she offered with a little laugh, dropping down to sit and stretch out her legs a little. "You don't mind if we sit here for a little while, before we start back down again?"

With her eyes closed, she raised her face to the warm sun and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. "I love that sound, don't you?"

[comeonbro]

"Whenever you're ready."

There was no need to push her, she clearly knew her limits and when she'd be ready. And he wouldn't want to push her either. Besides, it wasn't the hike he had enjoyed most but the company. He could almost imagine just sitting at a coffee shop with her for hours, talking to her.

"In the meantime, maybe in a few days, we can do something that requires less activity? Say coffee?"

[starting_over]

"I'd like that. I'd like it a lot," Samantha told him, smiling up at him, even chuckling a little. "You know, I had this whole mental list of things to talk about, spent the nervous hours last night thinking them up. You know, in case of the dreaded awkward silence? But I haven't had to use any of them. You're an easy man to talk to, Roosevelt, I'd like the opportunity to do more of it."

After the disasters she'd already faced here, at least on anything remotely resembling a love life, she wasn't even thinking anything like that could happen. She'd decided right around the time Lincoln gave her the "let's be friends" speech, that it truly wasn't in her cards. That didn't mean she couldn't take a handsome man up on coffee, did it?

[comeonbro]

"It's a date then?" he asked. Because Roosevelt wanted it to be a date. If she was uncomfortable with that then he'd be okay with it. It would make for one hell of an awkward walk back down but he wanted to be clear he would like it to be more than just two people getting coffee.

He hadn't actually had a date in a while but he wasn't the sort to let that sort of thing bother him. Samantha was fun, beautiful, intelligent and interesting. He would have to be a complete idiot to not want to go on a date with her.

[starting_over]

Samantha looked up. Blinked. "A date?"

Her heart was pounding just a little in her chest and it had nothing to do with the climb. "You mean date as in something I should put on my calendar or date as in date date?" she asked in a voice that wasn't quite as steady as it had been just a few moments before.

[comeonbro]

"Well, I would hope that you put our date date on your calendar once we set up a time and place," Roosevelt said with a grin. It sounded like her voice was a little shaky and it was a bit of an ego boost to think that he could have that reaction on someone. Hopefully it also meant that she would say yes because Roosevelt really wanted to go out with her.

"Maybe coffee at my place while we watch a movie? Maybe cook a dinner together?" he asked. Because if they were going to make it a date, why not go all out?

[starting_over]

Samantha took a drink from her water bottle to give her breathing, and voice, a chance to even out. When she was at least somewhat sure that she had herself under control, she shot him a wry smile. "I've never been all that great at cooking, but I can do the sous chef thing?" She laughed a little, shocked to find it close to a giggle. "Which is my way of saying that dinner or coffee and a movie sound wonderful. I'd love it."

[comeonbro]

"It's alright. You work as a fireman any amount of time and you learn to cook pretty quickly. Granted, I might make enough to feed a dozen people but I promise it will all be edible," he said with a smile. She seemed a bit nervous and it was adorable, it reminded him of asking someone out when he was a lot younger. "I won't have a free evening for a while because of work, but how about in two Saturdays? I'm sorry it's such a long time but I'm more fun when I'm well rested."

[starting_over]

"Well rested is worth waiting for, especially if the alternative is having my date fall asleep in the middle of it. Not to be picky or anything, but I find consciousness really attractive in a guy, and the lack of it not so much," Samantha teased back. "I don't mind leftovers, either. Might have to make puppy eyes at you to keep them for myself and save me a few nights of peanut butter on a bagel for dinner."

[comeonbro]

"You have incredibly high standards that I can only hope to meet, but I'll do my best."

Actually, Roosevelt had fallen asleep during a date before and the result had not been pretty. People only liked that you were heroic when it meant you didn't doze off while they were talking to you. That was rather rude no matter what your profession.

"Are you telling me that's what you eat for dinner?" Roosevelt said, his expression only slightly mock horror. "For several nights?"

[starting_over]

Samantha's cheeks flushed as she turned to look out over the waterfall. "Most nights, that's all I have the energy for, especially if the shop's been busy or I've been making cards all day. I tried to cook for myself, but the only thing I can really make well are omelets and you get real tired of eggs, really fast, when that's all you eat every night for a few weeks. Some nights I have cereal," she offered, looking back up at him with a joking smile complete with a little wrinkle to her nose.

[comeonbro]

"Then I am definitely going to do some cooking for you on our date," Roosevelt told her. It made him a little sad but he knew that was just his own experiences speaking. It had taken him a while to realize that and not push his own personality on people. That and she looked absolutely adorable wrinkling her nose like that.

"But cooking can't be everyone's thing. I'm sure there's a lot you're good at."

[starting_over]

"You mean aside from very creative greeting cards? Well, I was a pretty good lawyer once upon a time. And might be again soon," she added as an afterthought. She'd taken Maine's licensing exam and was just waiting for the results to come in.

Honestly, she wasn't sure if she'd ever use it, but there was just something about knowing she could be a practicing lawyer again that felt right.

[comeonbro]

"Greeting cards and law is a good combination. I don't think a lot of people can crossover to two very different mediums like that," he told her. It actually was impressive. Roosevelt himself didn't have a creative bone in his body. His talents were all a very narrow skill set. Useful, but narrow.

"I bet you have other talents too and are just modest about them."

[starting_over]

"I'm excellent at poor life choices and really excel at bad timing," Samantha laughed, "but I don't think that's what you're talking about and sounds incredibly cynical and self-deprecating. "I am pretty good at not getting knocked down for long when life kicks me in the teeth and have a good head for business."

She waved a hand. "Enough about making me uncomfortable with compliments. How about you? What are your specialties?"

[comeonbro]

"I have a very narrow skill set that revolves almost entirely around being a Navy SEAL, a fire fighter, or a fitness nut," Roosevelt said with a laugh. Those all had a lot of really interesting skills involved in them but that was more because of a lot of practice and not any innate gift.

"Although I like to think that I'm also a decent kisser," he said, turning to look at her. "But that can be subjective."

[starting_over]

"It can be subjective, yes," Samantha replied, an innocent expression on her face as she looked up at him. "I'll reserve judgement on that one for myself, if it's all the same to you."

It took just about everything she had to not put a hand to her chest to calm the rapid beating there.

[comeonbro]

"You know, I really like excelling at the things I do and I would hate to go around being awful at it," he said, unable to hide his smile. It was a very obvious game they were playing but she seemed to be more than happy to play it. Plus, there was something about the innocent expression on her face that made him want to kiss it even more.

"And if I'm terrible at it now, I can think of some new techniques to try by the time we have our date."

[starting_over]

Samantha felt her tongue dart out to moisten her lips reflexively. "That probably means I should have some sort of baseline for comparison. Empirically speaking, you understand," she finished, a mock primness in her tone.

[comeonbro]

"Of course," he said, his voice becoming a bit more quite as he moved in closer. There was quite a height difference between them but it wasn't anything he was worried working around. "Empirically speaking."

Leaning in, Roosevelt pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was soft but it wasn't hesitant, more curious and tender than heated.

[starting_over]

With her heart beating a steady, pounding beat against her ribs that only increased as he moved closer, Samantha couldn't stop the little moan that escaped her lips at the first touch of his. She leaned in to get closer, her hand slipping up to wrap around the back of his neck.

"Not bad," she said when they broke to breathe, her lips curved in a smile but not making any move to put distance between them. "Empirically speaking."

[comeonbro]

The kiss was nice. The kiss was really nice, especially with the way her hand moved around the back of his neck to hold him there, sending goosebumps along his skin. There was something about her touch that was both soothing and exciting. Whatever it was, it was definitely a good thing.

"Hold on, I can do better," he said, leaning in to kiss her just a fraction more heatedly this time.

[starting_over]

Any attempt she'd planned to make about insisting he'd done just fine the first time was lost when his mouth took hers again. There was heat there, a warmth that slid through her like tumbling into a warm bath, and this time she didn't even try to hold in her responsive moan. Instead, she tried to move closer to him, and the fingers on the back of his neck slid into his hair and held tight.

[comeonbro]

The moan was nice. Roosevelt really liked that moan because it matched the feeling that he had. There was this sort of melting into her that he felt when they kissed. He liked how she felt against him and how close she was. Roosevelt could get used to have her be this close. But this was a bit early yet.

"How was that?" he asked, slowly pulling back from her with a grin on his face.

[starting_over]

Samantha's hand slipped from the back of his head around to his cheek, her thumb brushing over his full lower lip. "That was this side of amazing," she told him. "Would it sound horribly trashy to say I hope there are more where that came from?"

[comeonbro]

"No, because there are definitely a whole lot more. Although we should probably wait until we have an actual date before there are too many more?" Roosevelt suggested. As much as he would have liked to kiss Samantha more. A lot more, he knew what it was like to ruin a good thing before it could really get started. "Because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to stop myself once we really got started."

[starting_over]

His words caused a flutter deep in her belly as images filled her mind, images fueled by the taste of him still on her lips. She licked them reflexively and kept herself from releasing the moan. "I like the sound of that."

[comeonbro]

"It's kind of nice to have gotten that out of the way though, right? No more first kiss jitters," Roosevelt said, reluctantly straightening up. There would be time for more of that later, when they didn't only just know each other.