Don't Rush

[Paige Saenger]

It seemed like it has been a year since Paige Saenger started to see Preston Paine, mainly in the bedroom. Well, mostly in the bedroom. However, this was the first time that she actually invited him to her own place. Her apartment was rather small, and almost boring compared to herself. She did not have to wait too long on Preston, she hoped. Luckily, she had a little house elf that responded best with compliments and being nice, that helped her around. Lucy, the house elf, was preparing them all a meal, because Paige was not the best with cooking. Paige sat on her bed, leaning against it while wearing a cute outfit while being comfortable as well. 'I don't know if I should go along with dragon specialist training. Those things are so dangerous,' thought Paige as she remembered what her boss said to her yesterday. She had the day off to think about it. Paige only hoped that Preston would also have a day off so that she could actually confide something in him.

'I shouldn't even talk about that stuff to him. I shouldn't care about his opinion. But I like him,' Paige thought as she looked up at the ceiling. What was she going to do? Her brothers always told her that most men would only like them for their charms, which Paige did use a little to her advantage, and now she did not know if he liked her or not, or was just interested in her charms. Her painted fingertips softly touched the bedspread, and could smell the lunch that Lucy was making for them. Lucy was preparing a dish from the UK, while she was getting a fruit salad with cream cheese dipping. Paige didn't feel up to eating anything. Two weeks ago, she had a bit of a pregnancy scare, and told no one. Luckily, she took the potion and wasn't pregnant. That was not something she was ready for.​

 

[Preston Paine]

This was certainly a change of pace, Preston realized as he got ready to apparate from his front lawn to Paige's neighborhood. The man knew that his relationship with Paige hadn't been anything serious. Really, how serious could it be when they spent most of their time alone in one place. Aside from work, where they were rarely paired in the same areas and were usually surrounded by more than just animals when they were, the two didn't really spend time alone. Except late at night. So, this felt pretty important. The change of scenery meant something, he was sure. Preston knew they'd likely get to doing the same things, but he kind of hoped that this was the beginning of a shift in their relationship. He knew he should be cautious about expecting that, but he was excited to head to Paige's house. If nothing else, he was interested to see what her apartment might say about her.

Opting for the stairs after he had safely apparated, Preston searched for her apartment number. The floor smelled amazing, and he couldn't help but hope that was the food he was about to enjoy. He'd skipped lunch, working so that he could meet with Paige on time. She had the day off, but he hadn't. Finally, he found the apartment. With an easy smile on his face, Preston shifted the wine bottle in his hand so he could knock on her door.

 

[Paige Saenger]

Paige continued to hug her legs, wondering if her brothers were right. Maybe they were. What if someone could never really like her because of her blood? Paige sighed her head in defeat, before wondering if she would just be happier with a bunch of cats. Just as she thought that, there was a knock on the door that made her jump a little in surprise, enough to make her fall off the bed. 'I need to quit being so jumpy!' thought Paige as she scrambled to her feet. The docks on her feet did not make it easy for her to get up gracefully. She managed to get her grip before she made her way to the door. Paige opened it to view none other than Preston. Paige smiled at him before opening the door wider for him to come in. Her eyes landed on the wine bottle. "Um, is this a celebration or something?" Paige asked, wondering what the occasion was.

Then it occurred to her. He lived with a married couple. "Sergei is going to be a dad, huh?" Paige dreaded that. She had seen a glimpse of him before. And it was not good. He was like a giant, and what was worse was that he could apparently turn into a wild cat if he wanted. Paige walked back over to her bed, which was right next to the kitchen. She expected Preston to follow. She sat down on it, crossing her legs. She held her hands in her lap. She was a little nervous. She never let another man into her apartment before.​

 

[Preston Paine]

Preston quickly eyed Paige up and down as she opened the door. She looked great, as she usually did, and he smiled. Wondering what the big deal was about the wine bottle, it took Preston a moment to realize that he’d probably broken some social custom. Maybe it wasn’t common to bring a bottle of wine when you went to someone’s house in the magical world. Now that he was out of school, Preston was finding that he still had a lot to learn when it came to magical customs and how they differed from how he’d been raised. Whenever his parents hosted dinner parties, their friends usually brought a bottle of wine or brandy or some other alcohol to enjoy either during or after dinner. Preston had thought that behavior completely normal. The reason that Paige had jumped to, while true, wasn’t the reason why he’d done it. He was grateful for something to cling to though. “…Yea, that’s it” he replied, holding the bottle out. He’d been told that it was a good year of goblin-made wine and had paid a good amount for it as well, wanting to impress Paige.

Entering the house, Preston expected there to be more of it. He hadn’t realized it was going to be a studio, scanning the room as he followed Paige inside. There wasn’t much to see, not much that would let him know about Paige. He supposed she liked things a bit more simple. The woman went straight to her bed, and Preston licked his lips anxiously. He’d been expecting today to go a bit differently. Not that he minded this, of course. But, he hadn’t come to her house expecting for things to happen as they usually did when she came to visit him. Preston shed his jacket, tossing it onto the bed before he dropped himself onto her bed so that they were seated right beside each other. “Nice place you have here. The best part is that you have no roommates. It means you can be as loud as you want right?” he smirked.

 

[Paige Saenger]

It wasn't that she did not appreciate the gesture of him bringing wine, it was just that Paige was not used to such treatment, especially by someone that was not her mate or something of the kind. Now, she was really worried. Was Sergei expecting or was this a celebration? She did not know which was which, but she did place her hands on her lap, wondering about what she could say. She had the bottle within her hand, and wondered if it would be best to serve it with lunch. Paige figured that it would. "This will go pretty well with lunch. The pairing might be a little off, but I think that it would definitely work." Well, unless this would go better serving it within the covers. "On the other hand, it could be saved for later." She winked at Preston before setting the bottle down. But she did want to talk about them. Paige was nervous about talking about what they had, if it was something at all. It was something that she needed to know, and could not be distracted from her goal, or could she?

The thought of being as loud as she could made her giggle. Paige nodded, "Indeed we can. It should be a nice break for us since we don't have to worry about the married couple." Paige shifted her position before she brushed her fingers through her hair. She sighed and laid back on the bed. She was not really expecting anything at all right now. Paige blinked her eyes as she stared up, "Preston. I wanted to talk to you about something. I was offered a dragon specialist position, and it is dangerous. I wanted to know your opinion since you are kind of involved with me?" Kind of? That would definitely describe it. She didn't know where that stood either, but she would. "And I wouldn't mind knowing your stance about the two of us. I like you. But I was always told by my brothers that I could never be liked because of my charms. From a man's perspective, is that true?"​

 

[Preston Paine]

Preston had learned a few things about Paige over the past year in spite of the casual nature of their relationship. So, he could tell that something was a little off about her. Sure, she'd responded to the wine and even laughed at his comment about being able to be as loud as they wanted, but she seemed like something else was on her mind. Preston shifted on the bed so he could see Paige better as she flopped dramatically down, eyes towards the ceiling. Preston knew where things would normally go from here, but when she spoke again, he knew that he'd been right all along. Something had been bothering her. A few somethings actually. As he heard that she'd been offered the well coveted Dragon position, Preston smiled at her. He'd wanted the position too, but he'd been having a rather difficult time as of late with his supervisor and because of that, he knew he hadn't a chance of getting it. Everyone had been after that position though, ever since the old Dragon Specialist had announced her retirement, finally deciding she was too old to run from the fire that the dragons often spewed. "Paige, that's amazing. Congratulations." He was excited for her, happy that if he hadn't gotten it that it was at least someone he liked. The man didn't understand why she needed his opinion on it, but it soon became clear that she was leading into a seemingly bigger question.

Remaining silent for a moment, Preston knew what he wanted to say but he wasn't sure exactly how to say it. Talking about his feelings wasn't a strength that the former Slytherin possessed. "I think I'm a terrible person to ask because I really like you, Paige. When we first met, I used to try to figure out if it was because you're part Veela that we started hanging out or if I was just really into you. Honestly, I think it's a bit of both now, but I don't even try to figure it out anymore." Preston didn't know if he was saying the right thing or not. "All I know is that I've enjoyed hanging out with you this past year, and I would really like for us to keep spending time together. Maybe more time even. And you should definitely take the position, and not because I'm saying you should. Just because you've worked hard to get it and you'll be good at it" he finished with a smile.

 

[Paige Saenger]

Paige would likely keep the fact that she feared that she was pregnant to herself. After all, that was only a scare, and since it was not true, Preston did not really need to know. This was something that she finally came to terms with. She would just have to be more careful with her daily medication. After all, with her job, well, new job, she would definitely not be healthy enough to carry one to term until she learned how to do it properly. Paige smiled when he seemed excited for her. She was worried about his opinion, especially since everyone wanted that spot and she was chosen above everyoe else. She often thought it was her blood ties that would earn her things she didn't have to work for, but then again, she didn't use it. Not for a long time. "Thanks. I think I needed to hear that today." Paige was not feeling too hot herself, but that was because of everything that was running through her mind. It was driving her insane, but she was finally asking about it, and finally getting some closure.

She sat up after hearing him speak and wanted to kiss him out of relief that someone might have actually liked her for her. Paige stopped herself though, since there was food to be eaten, and wine to be shared. Paige reached out for his hand, to hold it. He had no idea how happy that made her. She looked at him with her light colored eyes before asking, "How do you want us to spend more time together? I mean, my kind isn't exactly welcomed by your roommates." Paige was pretty much afraid of Sergei. She heard some of the things that man could do. And he was pretty much huge. He could squash her easy. She cleared her throat before smiling, "Anyway, I'll gladly take that job, since I need a bigger place than this. And maybe we can eat and have that wine as celebration." Paige would not mind if they could do other fun things afterward, but she was dying to eat, and to get a little tipsy from the wine.​

 

[Preston Paine]

Preston locked gazes with Paige, happy to take this wherever she wanted this to go. She only took his hand though, and so he linked their fingers together, a smile on his face as he glanced down at their hands before looking at her beautiful face again. He was silent for a moment. "You mean Sergei?" Preston asked after she'd finished, his mouth pressed into a line. Sergei didn't like many people, his part-veela girlfriend certainly no exception. But, it was too late. Preston was smitten and Sergei would just have to deal. He nodded his head, standing as she suggested they eat and drink to celebrate.

It wasn't until a while later as they were settled in and eating, their glasses filled with wine that Preston returned to the earlier conversation. The food was good and he'd made some headway on his meal as they made small talk, gossiping about their co-workers and discussing some of the creatures. Putting his glass down, Preston pushed some of his food around. "So...I was thinking maybe I need to not have roommates anymore so that it's easier for us to hang out" he stated. "I think I can find a new roommate" he added, his gaze falling onto Paige again, wondering if she was thinking what he was thinking and how she felt about that.

 

[Paige Saenger]

Paige gave a seldom nod, not wanting to offend him. They were best friends, and the last thing she wanted to do was to come between them. They were best friends. And a girl often was what broke up best friends. But then again Sergei was married so she would not have that issue. That and he grossed her out. As she was finishing off her glass of wine, she heard the bombshell that she wanted to hear, but did not expect. She quickly downed it and set it down. She looked to him and smiled. She would love that more than anything, even if he didn't say it outright. Paige set her glass down and gave a curt nod. She smiled and looked around her place. It was not exactly ideal for two. With two incomes, they could get a bigger place. She looked toward him, and gave a sly grin, "One bedroom or two? Unless your stuff can fit in here." Paige was definitely for this. She wanted to have Preston over any time she wanted to just claim him as her own, without having to plan ahead. Living together sounded like the best way to avoid drama, and to make sure that the two of them were satisfied every day. Perhaps more than once a day at least. Although, a part of her thought that they needed a bigger place.​