Closed Dates

[Karissa North]

Kari had left a note for Mitchell, unsure of when she would be home that Friday as she... had a date, oddly enough. A blind date, her sister had insisted she needed to meet this guy. She had gotten dressed up, doing her make-up, and slipping in her contacts. She was nervous as she waited for her date, and rightly so. He arrived late, sloppily dressed, and he was... well, he was something else. After twenty minutes of forced conversation, Karissa was desperate to get out of there. She faked an illness, fleeing the date quickly without a goodbye.

She sighed heavily as she entered the apartment, almost relieved when it appeared Mitchell was back. "Mitch? Are you home?" She asked as she entered the apartment, falling into a couch and leaning down to slip off her high heels. She smiled softly as Milo jumped up into her lap, rubbing behind his ears. "Hi there, handsome," She cooed to her cat as he purred.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell had just shooed the cat out of his bedroom when he heard footsteps in the other room. Putting the last of his clothes away so he could wash them over the weekend, he made his way back into the other room and smiled widely at the sight of his friend. ''Well, hello there,'' he said, taking in her appearance as he walked towards the couch. He hardly ever saw her without her glasses, or all dressed up, so it was odd seeing her like this. He liked it though. ''Did you have a fun evening?'' he asked curiously as he dropped next to her onto the couch. She had told him a little about what was happening, and while he wasn't necessarily excited about it for some reason, he still wanted to know how it went.

 

[Karissa North]

Kari relaxed a bit when Mitch dropped onto the couch with her, sighing and tucking her feet under her. "No," She whined, leaning heavily against the back of the couch and tying her hair back. "I don't know why I let Kami talk me into that," She shook her head. "He was a bodybuilder, but like... a disproportionate one, his arms were bigger than his head, he was late, he said a historian was a librarian with a title, then spent the next twenty minutes going on about workouts and pretty much ignoring me completely," She shuddered, "The one time he actually said something that was even remotely about me and not about his extensive work out regimen it was a racy comment about how I might even be pretty if I took my dress off," She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. "How Kami thought that was worth a date I'll never know," she complained.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell rubbed Milo behind his ears while Karissa told him all about what a disaster her date apparently was. A part of him was happy that the blind date had been such a disaster for his friend, though he wasn't going to admit that to her. Ever. It was odd and quite uncalled for to think like that but he couldn't help it. ''Wait, so historians aren't just librarians with a title?'' Mitchell laughed, finding his own joke a little too funny. It was getting late and he could definitely use a good night's rest. He shrugged. ''Maybe Kameron's type is secretly disproportionately bodybuilders? I guess Avarian has some working out to do.'' He thought that he was on fire with all the jokes and funny comments he was making, though wondered if she could see the fun in it as well. ''Did you at least manage to get some food in before you left?'' he asked, already prepared to make a quick meal for her in case she hadn't. Their cooking lessons were really starting to pay off.

 

[Karissa North]

Kari actually chuckled at what he said, giving him a tired smile. "Just like how you're a glorified babysitter," She teased back. She laughed again at how he talked about Ian. "Killian would still try to outdo him. Can you imagine? They just get bigger and bigger till they pop like balloons," she giggled a little, feeling herself growing tired as she relaxed again. When he asked about dinner, she fidgeted nervously. "I... had some garlic bread," She hedged a bit, not wanting to admit she'd run off before the first course.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell wanted to say something witty back as a retort but could only laugh at the joke she made in return. He also laughed at the image of Killian and Avarian trying to one-up each other. It wasn't a very pleasant sight, though. He could also imagine them trying to pull him into whatever rivalry that was going on between them. Sometimes he thought that he was the only mature one of the three men. Mitchell, giving the cat one final pet, got up to his feet and walked towards the kitchen. ''Wait here,'' he said as he moved away from her. He should've known that she'd walk away from their date without eating properly first. He came back fifteen or so minutes later with a plate full of mini sandwiches. Shooing the curious Milo away from him as he sat back down, he put the plate in between them. ''There you go, homemade sandwiches,'' he said proudly, as if it had been super difficult to make.

 

[Karissa North]

Kari nodded as he told her to wait, not really having the energy to move, anyway. Maybe she could just sleep on the couch. She picked up the remote and started flipping through channels, pulling a blanket over her legs and rubbing the back of her neck. She had just settled on a nice nature documentary when Mitchell came back. She gave him a bright smile, eyes lighting up a bit at the sight of food. "Oh, thank you Mitch," She sighed softly. "You're a lifesaver," She smiled, taking a sandwich and settling further into the couch. "How was your day?" She asked.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell shrugged. ''It was alright. I've mostly been busy with trying to come up with new things to teach, things that make a bit more sense to teach,'' he answered, taking a sandwich himself and stuffing it in his mouth. He liked most of the stuff in the Muggle Studies curriculum, but there was quite a bit that he'd wish would change - mostly outdated topics. ''It wasn't really that interesting but I got stuff done so it wasn't a complete waste.'' He honestly was more curious about her date than him telling Karissa about her day, but figured that she had had enough of talking about her terrible date. ''You want to watch a movie or something?'' he asked. ''I picked up a couple on the way back home.'' He got up and movies over towards the television to pick up the movie he had rented earlier that day and then walked back to the couch. ''It's called The Giant Spider Invasion, it's from 1975 and it is really, really bad.''

 

[Karissa North]

Kari smiled at him. "Mitch, have I told you how much I admire what you do?" She asked. "I know being a professor can't be easy. Especially with Arthur so... well, so much like himself," She chuckled. Her eyes lit up when he offered to watch a movie. "Of course!" She agreed, offering him room under her blanket.

The rest of the night passed peacefully, Kari giggling often over the ridiculousness of the movie they watched. The rest of her week passed quickly, until the weekend came and somehow- by some miracle- Kami had convinced her she needed to go on another date. She got dressed, feeling.... odd, about the entire idea. She had good reason to be, apparently, and arrived back home less than an hour after leaving. She groaned, moving to fall onto the couch and slip off her heels. "Mitch?" She called, rubbing her eyes.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell was in his study, reading one of Karissa's many history magazines when he heard his name being called out. He frowned for a moment, confused as to why his friend was home already when she hadn't left the apartment that long ago. Did something go wrong? Curious to find out what had happened and slightly worried, he stepped out of his study and into the living room. ''You're home early,'' he said with a smile, putting the magazine he was reading down on the table. ''Didn't expect you to be home for several more hours.'' It couldn't have been her, he thought as he looked at his friend. She looked lovely, and knowing her well, probably did all the things a person should do when out on a date. ''Did your sister hook you up with another bodybuilder, then?''

 

[Karissa North]

Kari settled into the couch, pulling a blanket over her legs and trying not to look dejected. "Not quite." She sighed, beginning to braid her hair. "This time my 'date' was already leaving with another woman." She shook her head. "I thought about staying but honestly I was just too embarrassed. I ordered in some pizza," She told him, considering taking out her contacts for her glasses, but going back to the bathroom seemed like too much work. She might do it and change into her pajamas when the pizza arrived, though.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell let out a laugh when Karissa told him what had happened, immediately clapping a hand in front of his mouth. Was she really that unlucky or did her sister really just pick all the bad ones for her? Whatever it was, he was happy that she was back home again, even if he wanted her to have a good time tonight. ''Well, clearly he did not see the woman he'd originally go on a 'date' with,'' he said, grinning a little. ''Because she looks beautiful.'' He looked at his friend for a moment, a smile appearing on his face. ''So Milo and I had the best time ever tonight,'' he started, trying to joke around a bit. ''I'll have to warn you, from now on, you might not be the only one he listens to. We bonded, you know.''

 

[Karissa North]

Kari automatically shot Mitch a little glare when he laughed before turning her attention back to her braid. She had just tied it when he called her beautiful. Her eyes widened and a deep blush colored her cheeks. She peeked up at him, biting her lip before stammering out a soft thank you. She was surprised by the odd flutter of her heart. Surely it was just because she wasn't used to compliments like that.

She relaxed more as he spoke of him and Milo, giggling as she stood. "You'll have to tell me all about it," She patted his arm. "Let me get into my pajamas first, though." She walked out of the room, returning a few minutes later in her sweats and glasses. "There we go, much better," She stretched, grabbing some chips from the kitchen and pulling on his hand a bit as she walked by to try and entice him to come with her back to the couch. "Come on, then. How did you finally win over the stubborn ball of fur?" She teased with a smile.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell had been munching on a handful of peanuts whilst he waited for Karissa to change into her pyjamas. It was funny how one could change so much when wearing different clothing. He liked the glasses better though. He found himself smiling a little when she touched his hand, happily following her over towards the couch so he could tell her how he had finally won over her cat. ''It didn't take much if I'm being honest. He just sitting there waiting for you to return. I got some treats, picked him up and played with him a little before making the two of us dinner.'' he told her, sitting down next to her on the couch. ''Milo was pretty much attached to me until you came back again,'' he said, putting on a fake pout.

 

[Karissa North]

Kari settled into the couch, pulling her favorite blanket over her legs. She chuckled at Mitch's story, laying her legs over his. "Well, for what it's worth, my sister told me she plans on setting me up on a new date every week until I find someone," She rolled her eyes. "God, I just hope her taste in men improves." She shook her head. "You and Milo should have a lot of time to bond," She teased, offering him some chips.

 

[Mitchell North]

''And you are up for that? Yikes, Kari, I'd go insane if my sister would do that to me,'' Mitchell replied, suddenly rather glad that his sister didn't mingle too much in his love life. He didn't think that he would even give Harper the chance to do so, though wouldn't be surprised if she did try to sneak it in during a conversation, especially since their mother kept asking about his love life whenever they had a get-together. Mitchell took the chips she offered him, munching on them happily. ''Give us more time alone and he might start to like me more than he does you,'' he teased back. ''So how was the rest of your day? Anything happen in the store?''

 

[Karissa North]

Kari shifted a little in her seat, nervous at his question. She looked away, fiddling with her braid. "I... I know it's silly," she murmured. "I just... I'm not getting younger, Mitch. I spent so long focused on my work... I never had the chance to meet anyone. I'm not really the most outgoing person in the world. It was months before I stopped being nervous around you," She laughed lightly, biting her lip. "I want to find someone, Mitch. I want kids, and a family, one other than my brother and sister and they're kids." She blushed, looking down. There had been a time, early on, when she had thought maybe Mitch could have been the one. But as time progressed, and he seemed to want nothing more from her, she had dismissed her hopes as childish dreams and chosen to cherish his friendship instead.

She smiled as he teased her about Milo. "If you really want a pet so badly, Professor North, I'm fairly certain there was a pet store owner that taught at your school as well." She laughed lightly, petting the cat as he jumped into her lap. She sighed softly at his question. "Nothing terribly interesting. Saw some interesting fashion choices and the store was relatively busy today." She yawned a little. "The Odyssey collection finally sold, I might see that teenager again. Curious boy." She smiled.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell nodded, thinking that she wasn't wrong to want her sister to help out a little by setting up the dates, but with the two terrible dates so far, wondered if Kameron knew what she was doing. She could do a lot better than the ones she'd been on a date with. What she said also made him think about his own love life, which was pretty much nonexistent. While he had plenty of time to get himself out there and try the whole dating thing, Mitchell didn't want to put himself out there. What with his teaching job and taking care of his godchildren most of the time, he didn't really allow himself to try his hand at dating. Still, he understood what Karissa was saying. ''Alright, well, let's hope Kameron's taste in man improves, then.''

''And have it destroy my office? Besides, I've basically got your whole family in my office twenty-four-seven, I don't need them in there all the time petting and playing with the animal. No, I think Milo will do just fine for now,'' Mitchell said, taking the cat off of Karissa's lap and sitting him down on his own whilst stroking his head. He smiled when she told him that the Odyssey had finally been sold. It was a good read if one could get past the use of the old English language. ''What makes him curious? Surely more teenagers these days are into old mythical stories about a civilisation long gone?'' he joked.

 

[Karissa North]

Kari ignored the little stab of rejection as he was dismissive of her reasoning. She shifted, covering her legs a bit more with the blankets. "I hope so," She murmured, not looking up at him. If she was being really honest, she had kind of hoped maybe Kari could find someone like Mitchell- or maybe even Mitch- she bit her lip, shutting that thought down quickly. No, they were friends. Even if he was handsome and intelligent and funny, he wasn't interested in her, and she was okay with that. "Yeah, I hope so too," She murmured, a little lost in thought.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when he took Milo, smiling warmly at the pair. "Well, I'm sure Milo doesn't mind the extra attention." She assured him, before laughing at his statement. "Sure, sure, just as much as they're into those old Wikipedia volumes that are amassing a lovely collection of dust," She laughed lightly before sighing. "I do believe it's my bedtime," She stood, shifting to lay the blanket over Mitch's legs instead. "It's been a long night." She scratched behind Milo's ears. "Good night, boys," She murmured, giving them a soft smile before turning and padding away to her room, trying to ignore the soft aching of her heart.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell softly booed his friend when she announced that she'd go to bed, wanting to spend a little bit more time with her as he hadn't seen her all week long. He knew that he had said something stupid by the quiet that followed it only moments after saying it, though couldn't think of a reason why it had suddenly gone so quiet. Was he wrong in saying that he hoped that Kameron's taste in men would approve? It almost seemed as if she was hoping that her sister wouldn't like these date. Personally, for some reason, he was quite glad they weren't working out the way Kameron wanted them to. ''Alright, good night and sleep well,'' he replied as she walked off, pulling the blanket closer. It didn't take Mitchell long after Karissa had gone to bed to fall asleep on the couch himself with the cat still on top of him.