Nothing Better

[Tamas Mauven]

If someone had told Tamas that this day he would be asking the woman he loved to marry him months ago he simply would have laughed but here he was, at a water front restaurant thanking the owner for allowing him the water front deck for only Frances and himself. It was lucky that Tamas owned restaurants in this part of the world and had a friendly affiliation with the other owners because none of his restaurants were ever this serene and placid. They were the type of restaurants where owners of large companies would visit or where the extremely wealthy would have a first few dates but it was not the type of place where you asked someone to marry you. Besides, he wanted to keep a business relationship with his chefs and waiters but if they saw him in this vulnerable state the option of this would likely be out the window. So Tamas shook the man’s hand as he said, “Thank you. We’ll be here at six.” With this, Tamas walked away so he could find somewhere to apparate back to his home in New Zealand.

When he had returned from the little town outside of Dubrovnik, Tamas changed into clothes more appropriate which was a nice suit before he opened the pulled the velvet box from his desk drawer and opened it and looked at the ring once more. It was a white gold band with a diamond that the jeweler had said was ‘princess cut’ but really he did not know what that meant. All he knew was that it looked like something that Frannie could wear with pride. He ran his thumb over the diamond once more before he smiled nervously to himself and closed the box and put it in his pocket. In the short amount of time that he had known Frannie he had found himself falling head over heels in love with the blonde woman. There was not a day when he had not thought of an actual life with her, with living together and having children running around their home before they were older and he could give owner ship of all of his restaurants to one of their sons or daughters so he could grow old with Frannie. He was sure that the word old did not appeal to her but Tamas knew from just looking into her eyes as she smiled with him when they were together that she would always be a graceful, blithe woman.

Setting out to find this blithe woman, Tamas apparated to the inside of her home where he saw Kalani sitting on the couch. He almost wanted to go and hug her to show his appreciation for getting him and Frances to meet because she had revealed to him that she had purposely damaged the cash register to bring her mother out to meet him. However, Tamas did not do this; instead he walked over to her and asked, “What’s going on kiddo?”

The man saw the blonde girl shrug her shoulders and answered with a simple word, “Nothing.” This was when Tamas nodded his head silently and walked away from her, his nerves keeping him from making small talk with a teenage girl.

A few times before, Tamas had been to Frances’ home to have a cup of coffee or lunch or to pick her up for a date but he had never really been past the dining area so as he walked around he felt a jolt of energy because she did not know he was here yet but also because she did not know he intended on asking her a question that would change each of their lives forever. He was certain she would accept his hand in marriage but he could not help but feel his heart pound a little harder now that he was about to approach her. “Frances,” he said as he knocked on a door that he could only guess was her bedroom before he stood back and put both fists into each pocket and teetered on his feet as he waited anxiously for the woman he loved deeply to answer his call.​

 

[Frances Mauven]

Frances' apartment was quiet, almost silent. Something it hadn't been in a long while, the sort of sound she had almost forgotten had existed since those mere seventeen years ago that she had found enough cash to rent the place, and almost enough to pretty it up enough for her to want to bring her two newborn daughters into. It was a small apartment, two bedrooms, bath, kitchen. Nothing too special, but as Frances sat in front of her vanity and her fingers scowered the top of it for the earring that matched the one which was already sitting in her left ear, her apartment truly felt like home. Riley was in the twins' bedroom, reading up on a Quidditch team her mother was certain would accept her daughter, and her twin sister Kalani was sprawled upon the couch, the sound of a TV programme mumbling through the rooms of the home, a reminder of the seemingly muggle life the family had been leading. "Aha!" Frances exclaimed, almost a little too loudly as her fingertips graced the small golden earring they had been searching for, placing it in her right ear and smiled nervously.

Frances had been on many dates with Tamas since their first, when they had both shared a near death experience together, and they had been almost inseparable since. It seemed too hard for the older woman to believe, that she had fallen in love so quickly, and with such an amazing man. Never in her years did Frannie believe that someone like Tamas would want her, love her, make her feel the way she did. Although she felt like she was living in a cheap rom-com, Frances still knew better, she really was in love with him, and she even admitted to herself, and her daughters over popcorn and pajamas, that she could see herself spending the rest of her life with him, and maybe she was even ready to hear the pitter patter of tiny feet that she had heard some seventeen years ago. With her hair pulled back in a bun and her best LBD on, Frannie looked the part of Tamas' girlfriend, but she felt like so much more. Even though it was just another date that they were going on, Frances still felt the cliched butterflies spinning around her stomach as she stood up from her stool and brushed her dress down one more time.

Hearing the creaking of footsteps upon the floorboards that were in desperate need of repair, Frances smiled, she knew those steps anywhere, it seemed that her boyfriend had arrived as she heard the sound of his voice and the flippant reply he got from one of her daughters. Laughing to herself, the thirty-four year old bit her red stained lips and stood, facing the back of her bedroom door and took a deep breath in, responding to the knock upon the very same door with only a smile and a blinking of her eyes.

"Tamas," Frances answered, speaking to the back of her door, only hoping that he could hear her through the wood that separated their bodies, she wasn't quite ready to come out just yet. Her mouth fell open before she quickly turned on her heels and grabbed a small bracelet from atop the mess of her vanity, the last finishing touch now resting on her wrist, which grabbed at the door handle with haste, revealing to her the man that she loved. "Tamas." she said again, but this time they were both face to face. Frannie's signature cheeky smile played upon her lips, a light dimple appearing on her left cheek as she did so, her arms instinctively wrapping around her lover's neck. "Where are we going?" she asked sweetly, though somehow she knew that her boyfriend would want to keep it as a surprise.​

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[Tamas Mauven]

Tamas faintly heard the voice of Frances through the barrier between them and he smiled at the thought that soon the barrier might be gone and that they would be able to be together as husband and wife... if she wanted. However, the man knew that having a silly grin on his face might make the blonde woman question what was going through his mind and even make her figure it out so he cleared his throat as he waited but it did not matter as she opened her bedroom door and he looked into her blue eyes. As she said his name once more, he smiled in awe of the woman who wrapped her arms around him. "Frannie," Tamas said as he snaked his arms around her hips, the pads of his fingers dancing on the sot material of her black dress. "One of my favourite restaurants," he smiled, knowing that her first thought would either be one of his own or one in the area but it was neither of these so there was still an element of surprise. He leaned down slowly, touching her nose with his own before he kissed her lips softly, fighting temptation to lead her back into the room from which she had just left. Tamas just took their lips apart enough so that as he asked, "Do you want to go for a walk first?" their lips brushed.

The grown man felt like a gangly teenager as he awkwardly stepped away from Frances and reached around his neck and took one of her hands in his own and pulled it gently between their sides and said, "Come on. Let's get out of here." New Zealand in the summer was gorgeous so it wouldn't hurt to walk around before he apparated them over to the restaurant where he would ask her to spend the rest of her life with him. It was where he could have this moment hang over his head like a guillotine if he was rejected. It was where he would discover if the thoughts of the relationship meshed between himself and Frances. Tamas truly felt like he was some sort of sappy love song mixed with an awkward teen as he thought that they could be with the blonde woman for the rest of his life and grow old with her and maybe have a few children. Trying to play it cool like he had on their first date by not initially revealing to Frances that he was, in fact, terrified of heights, Tamas shrugged his broad shoulders before walking forward slowly, with their hands still laced together.

Tamas was not sure exactly where he was leading her out to, just that waiting here was slowly killing him because he felt like he was going to burst from the pressure and the stress of the immensity of the question he wanted to ask Frances Alexandra. As he walked to the door with her, Tamas realized now that he had not recognized that she looked gorgeous - not that he felt she would need the reminder because in her worst state he was certain she would look better than any veela. He chewed down on his bottom lip at the thought, would it be too strange if he said it now in front of her daughter? Yes, it would so the anxious man chuckled nervously to himself before he looked from Frances to Kalani and back again. Between the teenaged girl and himself there was a quiet understanding of his appreciation for her as he had revealed to her on the last date that he intended to ask her and wanted at least her approval if not Riley's. The man had not asked Riley because he was fearful that she would not react as positively as Kalani had so he decided it might just be a surprise for her because Tamas was certain that the girl would not be pleased about this if he thought about the way he was treated on other occasions when Frances and Tamas were together.

"Ready?" was all Tamas was able to say now as he looked into the soft eyes of his girlfriend.


laaaaaaaaaaaame!​

 

[Frances Mauven]

Frances raised her eyes at her boyfriend's response, happy that he didn't want it to be a surprise, well, not all of it anyway. She didn't particularly like large surprises, parties, jokes, April fools. Those sorts of things had always scared her terribly, so she hoped deeply that there wouldn't be a big surprise around the corner of her walk with Tamas. At first she concluded that they must have been going to one of Tamas' own restaurants, but she couldn't be sure. She had been to one before, perhaps that was all there was to see there, and they were going somewhere completely different tonight. Either way, Frannie was sure that she would enjoy it, as she did with every minute she spent with the man she had fallen in love with so quickly and violently. As his lips brushed hers only gently, Frances craved more, her stomach moved forward to mould to his frame and her clammy fingers gripped at his neck. Feeling the words upon his lips she opened her eyes and didn't dare ponder the question, instead she whispered back "Sure thing." Truly, the thirty four year old couldn't have cared less if she was going to a garbage dump with her boyfriend, she just wanted to spend time with him, he was fun. Though suddenly she hoped they weren't going somewhere like a garbage dump because to be completely honest she was wearing her best dress and didn't fancy getting it dirty or smelly.

Frannie let her body be twisted and pulled into Tamas' with their clammy hands now stuck together with the anxiety towards the night that they both seemed to be feeling. Frannie had been such a flippant child, impulsive and exciting, she still was inside, but ever since she had fallen pregnant at seventeen she had become more toned down, and surprises like the one she had experienced as a seventeen year old scared her to no end. Breathing a little heavier than usual, the blonde smiled at Tamas, she was happy to have his hand in hers, it was a feeling she could definately get used to. But she couldn't help but wonder if there was something more going on than just a pre-date walk, especially as they were leaving the apartment now, it seemed as though her boyfriend had exchanged some sort of look with her daughter Kalani. With one eyebrow perfectly arched she looked at her beautiful blonde daughter and knew that look. She definately had something up her sleeve, and since discovering Lani's plan to break the cash register that had gotten Tamas and Frannie together in the first place, she had been more than a little suspicious. But the older woman shook it off, she didn't want her mind going crazy, so she leant her head against Tamas' shoulder and they left the apartment, she wanted to get lost on their date, not be searching for clues towards what was going on.

With a knowing look that said 'I know you're up to something' Frances responded "Ready as I'll ever be", and looked back at one of her twin daughters one last time before they were to set off. Frannie flexed her clammy fingers, hoping Tamas didn't mind too terribly. They seemed to get like that every time she was near him, a rather undesirable trait, though she assumed that her boyfriend had gotten used to it by now. Since she had met Tamas, she felt like a silly teenager, entering into her first relationship, she had become so clumsy and couldn't help but shudder and blush. And the silliest thing was that she seemed to finally understand what love songs were going on about, the old Frances had scoffed at the lyrics describing 'endless love' and forever 'I love you's' but now she found herself singing along, rather terribly, yet so truthfully. Yes, it seemed that this man truly had changed her, and most certainly for the better. Finally she didn't have to waste away her nights working overtime at the muggle market, though she had to admit she hadn't been making as much money with all the nights she took off going on dates.

Shifting the weight of her purse, Frannie looked up at Tamas who appeared to be drifting off in his thoughts. "Well?" she whispered, asking when they would reach their destination, she was growing a little anxious.​

 

[Tamas Mauven]

The look that Frances gave Tamas worried him. It almost seemed like she didn't want this and if she did not want him. The man's anxiety about his relationship with Frances was heightened today and that look was one that set him off the edge. Each second he would be telling himself that she never actually loved him and that the life he wanted with her could never be but like a corny love song, he had gotten a taste of bliss and couldn't fathom anything but a life with Frances Alexandra. When she had said "Ready as I'll ever be" hadn't helped, in fact it made him feel worse about himself but he knew that if he and Frances had the possibility of being married he would have to propose and do it now before he lost his nerve even more. "Me too," he said quietly and as he glanced over to Frances he caught a wrinkle in the brow of Kalani which he smiled off, to let her know all would be fine whatever the blonde woman's answer was. It was a lie; he would be simply heartbroken but Tamas Ludwig Mauven was a man with pride and he would not show this to anyone but a bottle of firewhisky.

As he shook this thought off, Tamas said goodbye to the blonde girl as he opened the door and let Frances step outside first before he followed and closed the door behind him. "How was work today?" he asked as he craned his neck to look at the woman he loved with a smile of anxiety pierced onto his lips. For a relationship that was natural and comfortable and almost as if they had known each other forever, Tamas was uncharacteristically scared. But the comfort of her hand in his own, even with the moistness of his hand which was, in all probability, causing her to be disgusted with him. The way she squeezed his hand as they walked made him feel young again with the innocence of a child. It reminded him of why he should be confident in their relationship and himself to ask Frances if she would marry him. He would go through the 'bridezilla' and the breakdowns from the lack of organization and even being in front of how ever many people because he adored Frances Alexandra and wanted her to be his forever and vice versa. A love like theirs comes only once in a lifetime and he would have to trust that it was fate and not luck that brought them together.

"Well?"
Tamas looked at Frances and quirked an eyebrow before realizing what she meant. He nodded his head before taking one last step to throw her off and apparating just outside of the restaurant he had reserved a spot for himself and Frances. Except their backs were facing the beautiful restaurant and they were over looking the bright blue ripples of the Adriatic Sea. Location really was everything and his friend had chosen an enviable one that over looked most of the city on a high peak of the mountain with pink flowers which he believed were called Gladiolus. With the sky slowly falling it was just perfect and nearly out of a scene in a movie if only there were pianos, cellos and violins serenading them as he tried to romance her. The man with the eyes of the Adriatic Sea gleamed - still anxiously - to the woman he loved and said, albeit cheekily, "Well?"

A calm silence fell between the lovers as they both took in the salty smell of the ocean and the food from nearby. Dubrovnik was the perfect place to be, it worked like a siren and pulled you in with it's beauty and song of the cars driving on pavement, the children playing on the grass and the language native to few. "I love you," he hummed into her ear as he kissed her cheek. Tamas had to admit that this was smooth bringing Frances here but he still had to stumble over the words 'will you marry me?' over dinner. In comparison this was a walk in the park on a summer day. He was just thankful that his mentor was the original owner of the restaurant and held some respect with his son - the current owner. Little did he know that at the young age of fifteen he would find the family that would do so much for him and even allow him and the woman he wanted to marry access to a great location.​

 

[Frances Mauven]

It was as though the couple was embarking on some kind of adventure into outer space the way they were acting so seriously, and the way they spoke. Especially as Tamas replied with "Me too," only heightening the suspision that this was more than just another one of their dates. The anxious feeling in Frances' stomach was one that she could remember so clearly, it was the day she had discovered she was pregnant, never in her life had she regretted something tasting so sickly sweet as the potion had ran down her throat, and she knew she would have to tell somebody the confirmed results. But standing with Tamas shouldn't have frightened her, she wasn't holding onto a secret, she didn't need to tell him she was pregnant. There was something about the freshness and rareity of their relationship that had the nerves present, ever since the day of the carnival when they had both admitted that they loved eachother, there had been a fear inside the thirty-four year old that she could lose her boyfriend at any minute.

Which was exactly why, despite what she had been told, Frances believed that their relationship moving so quickly was a good thing, life was far to short to waste time wondering whether telling someone you loved them was stepping over the line too quickly, or whether getting married, settling down and having kids would only lead to divorce or heartbreak. Frances Meave Alexandra was fairly certain that she and Tamas were deeply in love and that no amount of time would change any of that, unless that change was for the better. Of course it was every little girl's dream to grow up, meet a charming prince and have a big wedding, and a dress like a merangue. Of course Frannie wanted that, but she couldn't care less how big the wedding was, or what she wore, just as long as the man she was holding hands with right now, was the man that she would be with for the rest of her life.

Of all the serious life changing thoughts running through the blonde's head, it was a pleasant change to be asked such a simple question about her day. The kind of question she someday hoped to ask her husband when he came home from work and kissed each of their children upon their foreheads, she could see it all now, so clearly. Craning her neck in turn a smile beamed from Frannie's lips, "It was alright, we didn't have many customers, but at least I got a bit of a rest." she added cheekily, remembering her day, which she spent most of out the back of the shop reading a trashy muggle women's magazine. "How was yours honey?" she asked affectionately, as she rubbed his back a little, noting that they were now walking out of her front door as she did so. But she almost forgot all about the question as her mind was thrown off it, she was quickly apparated to a place she had never been before, the kind of place you looked at in a story book, not the usual restaurant that she was used to attending.

Taking in a deep breath of the salty air that surrounded the silence between the lovers, Frances didn't know what to say. But looking out at the beautiful story book scene she knew that she couldn't say nothing. Gripping Tamas' hand tighter she blinked her eyes, just to make sure her surroundings were really there and that this wasn't another one of her elaborate fairy tale dreams. But amongst all of where she was, Frannie noticed something familiar in the pink flowers that graced the peak of the mountain before them. "My favourites." she whispered, almost as if she were talking to herself. She had never been one for red roses, Gladiolus had always been the flowers for her. As an "I love you" was hummed in her ear and her cheek pecked so carefully, the thirty-four year old turned her head a little, noticing something in the background of the picture they were in, waiting for Tamas to reveal whether or not it was the location of their meal. ​

 

[Tamas Mauven]

Tamas smiled as he listened to Frances' answer, she seemed to enjoy everything that she was doing with her life and he only hoped to improve it more because he loved her. It was no secret that Tamas had a great job and a great daughter but there had always been something missing... or someone missing. Now the void in his life and his heart was filled. And as he held the woman who was the cause for everything to be so much better in his life, he was scared she would run off. He couldn't imagine how he had survived for so long without having Frannie in his life and now that they were together he didn't ever want to. The man had to be brave for it took great courage to reveal the depths of one's soul to another and now, standing with Frances, he knew that her smile and the lulling warmth of her soul was enough to make it his prerogative to share with her. As soon as the question was reciprocated, it was also forgotten. Tamas was thankful for this because he had a hard time lying to her and did not want to tell her spent most of his day planning everything for every way this evening could go. He had two different hotel rooms booked in case she did not want to return to either of their homes or if she rejected him in which case he wouldn't exactly want to go to his own home, hers or a hotel room that screamed that it was for lovers. He wouldn't exactly feel like having an extremely expensive glass of wine or champaign that was compliments of the manager for being such an important guest if Frances said he did not want to marry him.

The silence was broken between the pair as Frances let two small words linger on her tongue and was returned with a smile that spoke just as softly. It was not just a coincidence that her favourite flowers were on the peak of the mountain over looking this serene location. Tamas had known all along that they were her favourites and had looked up an area in which they were native. Outside this restaurant was just the icing on top of the cake. "Welcome to Dubrovnik, beautiful," he said, squeezing her tight to emphasize the word 'beautiful', the woman was this in every sense of it. Her personality, her soul and her looks, it was all just wonderful for him and he wanted her to know that he meant it. He knew that some people would think that he might be giving it all away or sweetening everything up but this was exactly how he had acted since their first date and now he was just being aware of how he was acting and treating the love of his life because of his deep anxiety with the words that he was almost sure he would stumble on no matter how many times he had practiced them into a mirror.

Tamas followed Frances' gaze to the restaurant and he pecked her lips before he asked, "Do you want to go to our table?" To the blue eyed man it did not matter when they got there, as long as they did end up there because a change in the routine he had practiced in his mind would disturb his complete concentration and he would let his anxieties swell up inside of him and finally explode onto the pavement with a cruel, pathetic irony at how much he had planned for this night. For a moment, Tamas looked away from his girlfriend's gaze and into the depths of the sea, lapping in the scent and the look of it that brought him back to when he was only fifteen years old and first met the owner of this restaurant and how terrified he had been to be up so high over sea level and to be away from his family to live with muggles for a summer. His pink lips stretched into a smile and he knew that like so many years before, when Tamas had first started working there, to when he stopped, to when he opened his first restaurant that Drago Kovačić was looking after him and quietly making sure that all would be fine.​