Closed A New Side of Things

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery didn't really know what he was doing. He had spent the most amazing week away with Isaiah, and it had been a few weeks back- he'd had some work to catch up on. But he'd invited Isaiah over to dinner- well, on a date, but more private. He had the flat to himself for a few days, so he'd taken the opportunity to invite Isaiah over. He'd put a lot into this, dressing in a form fitting ribbed black sweater and flattering dark jeans, and styling his hair so it laid rakishly in his eyes. He'd thrown himself into this, conjuring rose petals and candles everywhere, really wanting to set the mood, and taking the time to make a nice daube for dinner. He was just waiting for Isaiah now, brushing his hands over his jeans and checking his reflection again. Did he look okay? He ran his fingers over the necklace resting on his chest, his heart pounding.

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah had forgotten how good it felt to take a break. He worked a lot, had done so ever since he'd been in school, and it was nice to have a bit of time when he didn't have anything to do. Isaiah had come home and caught up easily at the office and was feeling good about how the time away had gone and his developing relationship with Avery. It was slow, but he wasn't in any rush. The man had then received an invitation to dinner, and had dressed nice, not overly formal, but nice. He had brought some flowers and had just arrived at the door, where he then knocked.

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery took a deep breath when he heard a knock at the door, letting it out slowly before walking over and opening the door. "Hey, handsome," He greeted, offering up a kiss before letting his eyes fall to the flowers. "Aw, are those for me?" He questioned, smiling easily. "Come on in,' He stepped aside, motioning for Isaiah to come inside.

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah held up the flowers for Avery as he opened the door, and nodded, "They've your name on them," he joked lightly and letting him take them and following him inside the home. "It smells delicious in here," he said appreciatively. Looking forward to when they would sit down and eat. He moved towards Avery, aiming to kiss him on the cheek.

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery shut his eyes, humming happily and taking the kiss with a warm smile. "This isn't too much, is it?" He asked, fretting lightly. He bit his lip, trying to study Isaiah's reaction. "I, uh... I'm a bit new to this bit of things," He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I made dinner, and ah, there's some champagne on ice..."

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah shook his head. "No this is amazing," he said. he would never say anything was too much, not when clearly so much effort had gone into it. When clearly Avery had wanted to do something fun and fancy. He had brought flowers and dressed nice, so he was ready for the occasion. "Sounds like it'll be lovely," he assured him. "We should start with some champagne," Isaiah suggested with a little smile.

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery smiled shyly and nodded, hurrying over to the table to pour some champagne. "So, um," He managed to pour them both a glass, picking them up and walking over to offer it to him. "I ah, how is your day?" He asked hesitantly, unsure if that was the proper thing to be talking about. He didn't really have any experience with this sort of thing, but he was trying all the same.

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah followed him, going to place a hand on Avery's back to indicate that the man did not need to rush. He took the glass and smiled. "Well, before that, how about a toast," he suggested, raising his champagne glass to him. "To unknowns and new experiences, may they lead us to even better things," he said, it wasn't a normal toast, but he wanted to toast the fact Avery was trying something new and that he appreciated him doing so.

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery hesitated as Isaiah offered up a toast, before giggling softly and holding up his own glass. "To unexplored horizons," He offered gently, clinking his glass to Isaiah's before taking a sip. He hummed softly, enjoying the taste before trying to pull the man in for a gentle kiss. He smiled shyly after, and took a step back. "Now, how about dinner?" He asked, offering out his hand.

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah sipped his drink after Avery's toast and smiled easily. He enjoyed the taste and then let himself be drawn into a kiss, easily and eagerly kissing Avery back. He pulled out, as Avery did with a little whine. Wanting just more kisses, but Isaiah did take his hand and let him lead the way. "Absolutely, because it smells delicious," he told him.

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery smiled shyly, moving to the table. He set his wine down, before pulling out the chair for Isaiah. Once Isaiah was seated, he moved to serve their dinner, lighting the candles on the table. He peeked at Isaiah, blushing, before taking his own seat. He picked up his wine again, sipping on it before turning his attention fully to his date. "So, um... tell me about your day?" He offered gently, unsure if that was how this was supposed to go.

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah took the dinner that was served to him with a grateful thanks. He glanced at Avery as the man sat down and he took a sip of his wine while smiling fondly at him. Isaiah gave a little scoff at the question about his day and then put down the wine. "My brother eloped," he said. "Not today, but recently, and I found out today. I hadn't even realized he was seeing anyone," Isaiah told him with a little laugh. "But other than that, I went to work, did mysterious things and then came here, to you." he said, he took his fork and twirled it in his hand before smiling at him. "You?"

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avrey blinked, before laughing. "Well, love is love," He offered. "Do you want to toast your brother?" He questioned, thinking that sounded like an appropriate response to the news. When the question was turned back to him, he smiled. "I was sorting through new jobs today, filling out my schedule and setting up my next gig." He offered, swirling his wine gently in his glass. "Just keeping busy."

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah shook his head a little. "We're good," he thought the gesture to toast his brother was nice but was a little unnecessary to do. But he thought it was nice. "Anything interesting?" he asked, wondering what sort of job he'd be doing next. He liked to imagine, though never say, that he was curious as to what sort of house avery might decorate for them. "It's good to keep busy,"

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery nodded, and settled in, sipping on his wine. He considered Isaiah's question. It was an easy enough one to answer. "Well, I just finished putting together a new living room for someone- they asked for a midwestern American style," He offered, thinking about it. "A lot of warm colors, nuetral earth tones, they asked for it to be woodsy yet modern. They seemed to be pleased with it, so that was good. I've got a full house design lined up next week, they're asking for an overrall Mediterranean vibe. They've basically got a small mansion, the comission I'll get from it will probably pay the bills for months," He joked lightly, giving Isaiah a shy smile. "I think you can tell a lot about a person by how they decorate their home," He offered, looking down at his wine.

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah sipped his wine as Avery spoke about what he had been working on. Isaiah had always cared about how his place looked, but had never really claimed or pretended he had like a style. All he had was a vague feeling about how things matched. He listened with rapt interest, it was so fascinating, hearing how he was able to do figure out what a style meant, and he was also very glad that Avery had enough work to keep him going. "What have you gleamed about me from how I've decorated my home?" he hoped that Avery remembered enough of it from the weekends spent together to say.

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery considered the question, thinking back to what he remembered of Isaiah's place. "Well... I'd say you were a busy guy with simple tastes," He teased with a small smile, sipping his wine. "But it's an inviting home, you're a family man that knows how to keep things tidy, responsible. Used to being in control," He nodded. "I didn't take too deep a look at it, but I think that about covers the glimpses I got," He smiled. "How'd I do?"

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah blinked at what he said before laughing lightly. "You have me pegged," he replied with a little smile. "My mother died when I was young, and my dad took a while to bounce back, so I kinda just stepped in," he explained, though Avery hadn't asked him to. "I spent a lot of my twenties trying to figure out who I am when I'm not an older brother, parent, responsible figure, but I've never shaken the desire for things to be tidy," he added as a joke. "I might not be able to tell you what your place says about you, but it's nice,"

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery chuckled. "Thank you," He countered. "My style is comfortable but stylish," He offered. "Everything is part of a set. Matching furniture, decorations meant to accomadate each other. There are a few terms that could apply; Feng Shui was my main aspiration- the concept of crafting a welcoming, functional space with good energy. Hygge could also be applied here- It's all about being cozy. It's also bespoke- a term we use for custom pieces. Everything in here was hand made to my specifications." He sipped his wine. "I'm sure you'll pick up a few things from me," He winked. "Your place, for example, could be described a few ways. Honest- A space thats allowed to breathe. Tailored- clean lines and not fussy. Edited, well thought-out and organized- minimal without feeling cold. Or even clean- a linear and uncluttered style with no frills."

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah was fascinated by how Avery talked about his style and his house. He nodded along, barely eating his food with how interested he was in what Avery was saying. "You're so passionate," he said fondly when he ended. "And knowledgable," he added, just slightly in awe. He just hadn't realised how passionate Avery was, he'd always understood but they'd never talked that much about it. "What happens with two people with differing styles move in together?" he asked, a little curious as to how if they ever moved in together, that he might combine their styles.

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery laughed lightly, sipping his wine and blushing at the compliments. "Sweet talker," He threw a playful wink to Isaiah. He considered the question, actually blushing a bit at the thought of living together. He laughed, trying to play it off. "Oh, thats something called 'chic'- in laymans terms- trust me, you'll like it," There were probably a few other things he could give it- collected, artistic, evolving- but if he thought too much about it he might start shaking. Instead, he just sipped his wine, trying to keep things light and fun.

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah gave a little laugh at Avery's blushing, enjoying the fact that compliments seemed to cause him to blush. "I'm sure I would," he agreed, since though he wasn't about to ask Avery to move in with him, that he would still enjoy if he got to live with him. If they were did live together. he sipped his wine and smiled with ease. "You know, I really like talking to you," he said. It felt obvious given how much he liked him, but he never struggled to come up with things to say or felt ill at ease if he said nothing.

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery was sure no one had ever made him blush this much. He rubbed the back of his neck, shifting and looking away, letting his hair fall to cover his face. "Well, you're easy to talk to," He offered back, his own voice gentle. "And the quiet is... nice, too," He offered lamely. He didn't want it to sound bad, but honestly it was all he could think of to try and explain what he was trying to say. That things weren't awkward, that Isaiah's company was always good.

 

[Isaiah Jeffreys]

Isaiah smiled back at him, and gave a nod of agreement, knowing that he did agree with Avery, that while he could listen to him for hours, he could just as easily, sit in silence with him, which in Isaiah's mind was the true mark of a relationship. Being comfortable enough around each other to be silent. Not every moment filled with noise if they didn't need it to be. "I like the quiet too," Isaiah replied with an easy expression and he just went back to finishing his plate of food.

 

[Avery Lavigne]

Avery smiled, and then they just... fell into that comfortable silence, Averys' mind going to his upcoming job. He finished off his wine and his food, looking up to Isaiah with a shy smile. "Sorry, got lost in that job I'm going on." He offered. "What do you say to dessert on the couch? A little cuddling, maybe feed each other a bit?" He mused, thinking it might be nice.