Wrong Number

Nicole nodded slightly, careful not to disrupt the forehead-to-forehead contact too much. Although she'd not given it much thought until now to be this close to anyone save Shelly it was nice. At mention of heading to his apartment Nicole felt her cheeks warm and fill once more with rosy coloring. It subsided a little at the mention of the broom, though. Yet, despite the fact Julian probably elaborated immediately so she wouldn't get the wrong idea... Nicole in her current state was sorely tempted to alter her decision and entertain that notion.

"Erm..." Nicole trailed off, torn between explaining she'd never even tried to apparate before and simply evading the question for now. She decided to go with the latter. "A ride sounds excellent."

Emerald orbs meandered their way to the pitcher. Almost empty... "Me either... why don't we split it?" Nicole offered, briefly resting her head against Julian's shoulder.

Julian waited for her answer, for a moment worrying that his assurance had not worked. But finally Nicole replied in the affirmative, and he grinned, pleased to be able to come up with an idea on the fly like that. Especially impressive given all of the blood currently circulating in his alcohol system.

"Then we will," Julian decided, moving carefully to pour the last bit of beer out, without disturbing Nicole's position on his shoulder. The contact was remarkably comfortable, and he wanted to maintain it as long as possible. He turned his head and placed a kiss on her forehead before sliding her glass back to her.

"We never did a toast or anything, and this is the last drink of the night. To not falling off the broom?" he joked, raising his glass.

Nicole smiled both at the kiss and as Julian slid the glass back to her. She almost misjudged where to put her hand to catch it, but did well enough all things considered. "You're right, we didn't..." murmured the witch as she rose the glass in preparation for a toast. She also lifted her eyes to the wizard she was falling for bit by bit.

A melody of laughter rang from Nicole at his proposed toast. "To not falling off the broom," she agreed. Nicole made it appear as though she were about to clink her glass against his when she held up a finger requesting a brief pause. "And a toast to our "parents' night out," with the hope of many more!" Nicole grinned and moved the finger pausing the toast to its previous position, ready to complete the toast whenever Julian was.

Julian clinked his glass as carefully as he was able with Nicole's, grinning at her addition to his toast. Judging from the way the room was spinning, perhaps his toast had been a little too on the nose.

"To many more!" he agreed, draining his half a glass quickly. The thought was a very appealing one, and Julian was flattered she'd broughtnit up. He wondered if there was any way he could get Zolnerowich to let him out of his cage often enough to see Nicole more frequently. Filled up with liquid courage, he was fairly certain at the moment that he could have convinced anyone of anything.

"Almostreadytago?" he asked, raking his fingers through her hair again, mesmerised by its softness. Everything about her was rather mesmerising.

Nicole grinned at Julian's reply and knocked back her partial glass as swiftly as she could. If they were going to go they might as well head for the door while many of the other patrons were dancing the night away in the other direction.

It took a couple of seconds for Nicole's beer-soaked brain to decipher Julian's question. "Ready when you are," she answered. Unlike the previous time Julian's hand and Nicole's hair had met, the witch did not so much as start let alone voice any outbursts of surprise. Emerald eyes closed so she could savor the moment.

When she opened her eyes again Nicole decided it was her turn to really see what his hair felt like. She reached as if to brush a stray bit of hair out of his eyes. What she found surprised her. To her touch Julian's hair was neither overly soft or uncomfortably coarse, but rather a blend of the two textures. And, like hers, Julian's hair was also on the thick side rather than thin. Nicole smiled, allowing her hand to linger just a little longer than was necessary before moving to stand up.

The woman no sooner sidled out of the booth when someone roughly pushed passed her. In her inebriated state Nicole found herself flat on her rear a second later. Whoever it was, it wasn't Julian, that was for sure. "Oy! Watch it, @$$hole!" she shouted at the unfamiliar form from her place on the floor.

It seemed like one moment, Julian was enjoying the new sensation of Nicole running her fingers through her hair, and the next she was on the floor. He hadn't even seen her fall, but it only took a moment to spot the culprit, despite his drunken state. It had to be the guy yelling back in response to Nicole's outburst -- and he did not appreciate either the shove or the ungentlemanly words now being addressed to her.

"You better apologise to her right now," Julian said angrily, out of the booth quicker than even he would have expected. His first priority was to help Nicole to her feet, and having done so, he found himself nose to nose with a rather angry drunk.

Beautiful, he thought, annoyed. The one night he didn't want a fight, and some bloke picks on his date. It didn't really leave him any other option. The wizard's loud, barking laugh at Julian's demand did not give him much encouragement that this would end at all well. To make matters worse, the wizard was at least two inches taller than Julian, and rather stocky. If this resulted in any other outcome than another broken nose and/or split lip, it would be nothing short of miraculous. Especially considering that with Julain's blurred vision, it appeared that the wizard was half a twin.

"Or what?" the wizard boomed back, planting himself squarely and sneering down at Julian.

"Or I'm going to have to make you sorry," he responded, his annoyance plain on his face.

Nicole merely glared daggers at the man, stony-faced at being spoken to in such a manner. Her eyes darted to Julian, whom had intervened before she could do little more than make a very rude hand gesture to the wizard that had knocked her over. As discreetly as possible Nicole removed one of her firearms from her boot and tucked it into the back of her jeans pocket as Julian helped her to her feet. "Thank you," she murmured.

The woman blinked as she came face-to-face, or more aptly her face to his chest, with the culprit. With no small amount of displeasure Nicole craned her neck to look this joker in the eyes. "I don't need an apology," Nicole attempted to reassure Julian.

"And you," she added, glaring the drunk dead in the eye as though she were of equal height rather than a considerable distance shorter. The wizard in front of her seemed a little blurry around the edges. She drew her wand and what looked to be a notepad at first glance out of her pocket. "Back off. We were on our way out. If I have to I'll haul you out of here myself, on duty or not," she demanded, revealing the Ministry-issued security badge she was supposed to wear while on the job. Nicole kept it with her at all times, just in case of situations like this. With the types that weren't quite so brawn the tactic had worked for her in the past. And in the event it didn't, well... that's what 'Plan B' was for.

Not wanting to start a brawl, though still perturbed by what had happened, Nicole attempted to nudge Julian into sidling away from the situation while things continued to stand at a staredown.

It had completely slipped Julian's mind that Nicole worked as a bouncer -- well, hardly a surprise, anyway. The wizard's disgruntled reaction to proof of that fact reassured him that this little scuffle had come to an end, and Julian supposed that was lucky. If he got into a fight here so soon after the last one, he'd definitely get tossed out, perhaps permanently. He wrapped his arms around Nicole as the wizard walked off, muttering angrily under his breath.

"He should've apologised, you know," he told her, kissing along her jaw drunkenly, "but that was brilliant. I completely forgot that's your job....it's lucky you weren't here last night," he joked. Although, he truly was pleased by that...how awkward and terrible would that have been? Perhaps they might have had a laugh after the fact, about her kicking his arse.

"You are so much smarter than me, and also, very beautiful, did you know that?" he asked, distracted by her eyes. "They're so green, and your skin is so soft, and you smell so good..." It hadn't taken long to be thoroughly distracted by Nicole again, but then he received a tap on his shoulder from their waiter.

"Erm, would you like your cheque, then?" Yet another thing Julian had completely forgotten. He dug a fistful of silver out of one pocket, still keeping one arm around Nicole, and handed it over.

"That cover it?" The waiter blinked, startled.

"Er, yeah, thanks!" Without further ado, Julian began leading Nicole towards the front entrance of the pub, where it came out on Muggle London.

Nicole wrapped her arms around Julian's neck. "I could care less about what he has to say. Likely wouldn't mean it anyway," she said. Nicole tried to reciprocate the kisses, but it was difficult to align their faces just so and thus waited until Julian was at a better vantage point for her to kiss back. "Lucky? More like unfortunate, isn't it? Could've hauled ya out then patched ya up," she teased, planting a kiss upon Julian's chin. The witch wouldn't tell anyone but she had been aiming for his lips and missed.

"Well, I'd'nno about all that... But I do know you're quite handsome, yourself," Nicole returned, smirking with no small amount of flirtation. She'd been about to close the nine-inch gap between their faces, once more easily forgetting the world around them, when Julian was distracted and the figurative 'spell' was temporarily broken. Nicole blinked at the mention of a cheque. They'd been interrupted over the simple matter of a cheque? She was glad they were on their way out. Once they were outside and up in the air, or anywhere even slightly less populated, they wouldn't have to worry about interruptions in talk or otherwise.

Nicole had to agree with Julian's desire to just pay what they owed and get out of there, though she had to blink in surprise at the amount of silver that had comprised a simple handful. Although the witch didn't have the time, desire, or opportunity to count it she had a feeling it had been more than enough. It was a bit too late to correct it at any rate, and Nicole really only had one thing - one wizard, more like - on her mind right now.

Wrapping an arm around Julian's waist Nicole allowed him to lead her where he will. "Where is your apartment, anyway?" she asked uncertainly, realizing they were now on the streets of Muggle London. Now that she thought about it, Nicole was at least a little bit curious about the place her date called home.

Julian smiled a bit mischievously as he lead Nicole down the sidewalk. He wondered what her reaction would be to the place...it was thoroughly non-magical and distinctly directly across from the little pizza place he'd taken her and Shelly. They stopped in front of the building and he fumbled for his keys before unlocking the main door, which was locked after a certain hour of night.

"Recognise where you are?" he teased, opening the door for Nicole. "My flat's on the first floor, luckily...good for stumbling home like this, I'll admit," he added with a cheeky grin, leaning his hand against his apartment door. The knob there was strictly decorative, only for blending into the non-magical surroundings. As he was still holding onto Nicole, there was no need to adjust his wards. He pushed the door to his flat open, and gestured for Nicole to enter first.

"So whaddya think?"

((http://cannoninteriors.com/images/London%20Living%20Room.jpg))

Nicole tilted her head, amused yet momentarily confused. Green eyes scanned the surroundings until they landed on a familiar sight: Antonio's. She giggled, "In spite of my current lack of sobriety, I do, actually. Hope business is goin' well for them."

Blonde eyebrows rose in surprise to hear his apartment was on the first floor. Nicole nodded, and regretted doing so almost immediately as the room spun a little. "Yeah... not sure lotsa stairs'd be a good idea for either of us right now." Once the door was open and Julian insisted she go in first, Nicole couldn't help the blush that swept up her cheeks as she stepped inside.

A smile crept onto the witch's face as she gazed about at everything. She took care to give the glass coffee table a generous amount of distance. Nicole turned to look back at Julian at his question, and in so doing stumbled into one of the armchairs. She called out in surprise and caught herself before falling either into it or onto Julian's floor. Once she straightened Nicole covered her mouth sheepishly. "You said Violet was up from Germany, right? Merlin, I'm sorry! I hope I didn't just wake her up..." Nicole apologized in just above a hoarse whisper. She actually wasn't even sure if whomever Julian asked to watch the girl was here or if they went to the sitter's house instead, but just in case...

Taking another glimpse around, the woman smiled. "I like it. Definitely 'feels' like you, I think," Nicole answered as she returned to his side. Common sense told her not to even think about trying to stand on tiptoe while intoxicated, but the witch did it anyway. This time she was aiming for whatever she could reach: chin, jaw, lips, nose... at this point Nicole didn't really have one preference over another.

Julian had reached out to grab Nicole, but their combined lack of coordination meant that she stumbled again. This time, there wasn't a big angry man as the cause, though. When he saw he reaching for him again, he did manage to pull her up towards him, where her kiss caught him half on the mouth and half on his cheek. Smirking, he leaned down to grant her the access she clearly desired, sliding his fingers under her hair as he kissed her soundly.

"Glad ya like it," he murmured into her lips, unwilling pull away any further. Neither of them seemed to have a very keen sense of balance at the moment, and they swayed slightly on the spot, but at least managed to stay standing.

"She's -- she's at 'er uncle's. We're alone," he added, looking towards the stairs just out of habit. It struck him then that although he didn't have to climb stairs to get into the apartment, there were stairs to the second level, where his bedroom as well as his broom was. Not that it really seemed like the best idea to go flying right now, if a simple Summoning Charm had him questioning his abilities. To his credit, he did wrangle his wand out of his robe pocket, while managing to hang onto Nicole, but didn't have very good luck with the spell.

"A-accio Firebolt!" he cried, waving his wand rather haphazardly. Nothing happened. Julian groaned, both embarrassed and disappointed. "Nicole, I don' think...maybe it's fate tellin' us we shouldn't try flyin. I mean we really might fall off in this state!" There was a distinct slur to his words which emphasised his point -- not that he realised it, anyway.

Nicole smiled into the kiss when Julian leaned. Honestly, she hated being short. Even though there was really nothing to be done for it the witch was relieved Julian wasn't complaining. Then again, the rational side of her mind prodded, why would he? Nicole waved the thoughts away as Julian's hand returned to her hair, and promptly returned her hand to his. If she weren't trying to keep her balance and assuming Julian was doing the same Nicole almost would've sworn they were attempting some form of dancing.

"Mm. That'sgood," Nicole managed, glancing toward where she recalled there had been a staircase. Curiosity made her wonder where it led though logic told her that since a living room and possibly a kitchen could be found on this floor, and that his bedroom must be up there. Julian's rummaging for something in his pockets broke her out of her train of thought. Slowly she let her hand slide itself out of Julian's hair and down the side of his face to rest lightly draped around the wizard's neck. "I'd feel terrible if I woke her up... Wasnice of yourbrother." It was her assumption that was whom Violet was staying with, for it was the only 'uncle' that Nicole knew the child had. Nicole then leaned her head against Julian's shoulder, thinking that perhaps flying wouldn't be the best idea.

When the Firebolt didn't appear, that seemed to solidify things further. Nicole hugged Julian in hope to reassure him as he uttered his disappointment. She didn't really notice the slur of his words despite it being in plain sight, and giggled. "I was thinking the same thing," she confessed lightly.

"So what shall we do?" Nicole asked him. She had been going for a coy tone, but between the mischief in her eyes and the flirtatious slur in her words it likely didn't quite carry the playfully shy effect she had hoped to manage.

"Mmmhm. I owe 'im one," Julian murmured, managing to pick Nicole up so that they were level with each other, without dropping her. He brushed her hair to one side and started kissing her exposed neck and jaw, letting his eyes close. How exactly he was going to answer her question, he wasn't sure, but the way she was looking at him and flirting unabashedly was making such a task impossible. It was with difficulty that he even remembered to speak English, although it took a moment's correction.

"Wasn't really sure...I mean, dunno...'s up to you, I'm open to suggestions. This is nice," he shrugged, which made Nicole slip down slowly. In readjusting his grip on her, he might have accidentally grabbed a bit lower than intended. Not that he minded, but he worried Nicole would.

"'m sorry, that was an accident," he apologised, setting her back down in order to avoid doing it again. Leaning down was kind of starting to hurt his back, but then again, Nicole kicking his arse for getting too handsy would hurt even worse.

Nicole laughed when Julian picked her up. Emerald eyes moved as the rest of her did, going from looking up to straight ahead. Not wanting to fall the witch wrapped her legs around Julian's waist. She trusted the wizard not to drop her but the woman was a firm believer to always have a backup plan. That and she wasn't really even thinking about the signal such an action might send. "This is different," she grinned, cheekily pressing a quick kiss to the tip of his nose.

At the kisses along her jaw and neck, Nicole tilted her head up and a little to the side to grant the access Julian desired. A moan escaped Nicole's lips and her heart raced at the delightful sensations the wizard was causing. Twisting and stretching so that see could see Julian, Nicole closed her eyes and started her own trail of kisses to the side of his face, starting at the temple and working her way down. To give her hands something to do other than cling she ran one hand through his hair. The other wrapped itself around Julian's shoulder. If things kept going like this Nicole would have to rethink her earlier words.

Breathtaking confusion overwhelmed Nicole at the pause and series of syllables that came out of Julian's mouth. Was she so hammered that she was rendered unable to understand English? Nicole's brain had almost caught up enough to realize Julian had spoken in German when he immediately switched to English. Hopefully what he'd stated in German was the same, because she was completely lost with the foreign wording.

"It is nice," Nicole agreed with a grin. As she slid a little in his grasp the witch tightened her own. The woman hoped it was merely her imagination that caused her to feel as though the green button-down, sleeveless shirt she wore slid just a little from its tucked-in position at her waistline. Nicole wanted to double-check but decided against it. She could check after he set her back down, which she hoped wouldn't be right away.

Nicole gasped in drunken surprise at the grab to her backside. She doubted Julian would appreciate her climbing upward so that he then had a full-grown adult on his shoulders, and thus reached behind her to pointedly remove his hand from the area. Despite all of the making out and thoughts of reconsidering her earlier words, Nicole hadn't been ready for that. If he fought against the hand trying to stop him then she'd have to do something else. Punching Julian for what may have been a mistake seemed like a complete mood-killer, and thus Nicole decided to give the wizard the benefit of the doubt.

Especially since he hadn't been too far away from the gun in her pocket. Had he noticed it and was simply trying to sneak it away from her in play? The notion made Nicole smirk.

Face flushed, the witch simply nodded as Julian apologized and returned her feet to the floor. She thought a moment, then grinned. "Although, if you wanted me to check this at the door..." Nicole began in a teasing tone and reached behind her back to reveal the pistol, "... all you had to do was say so." With that she placed the gun on the nearest table and didn't give it another thought.

"You remember what I said at the pub?" Nicole ventured tentatively, not really bearing in mind she'd said quite a bit, and laced her fingers with his. She took a seat on Julian's couch and looked up at him with the hope he would join her.

Between Nicole wrapping her legs around him and the quiet moan that she'd slipped, in his drunken haze, Julian felt like he was in the throes of a very euphoric death. One kind of excitement gave way to another as she stepped back and reminded him that she had a gun in her back pocket the whole time. His eyes widened in horror; he'd literally been millimetres from death and hadn't realised. In case he decided to rethink the flying thing, this brought him back to reality -- too drunk to remember loaded weapons was definitely too drunk to fly.

As Nicole didn't seem too angry -- in fact, she seemed just as flirty and mischievous as ever, setting the gun down -- he decided he hadn't messed up too badly. He followed her to the couch, automatically putting his feet up and kicking off his shoes.

"Ye know, I never had a gun-checking policy before, but then I guess I didn't need it," he chuckled, his body curving itself towards her without conscious thought. "I do appreciate the thought though, thank you," he added, shaking his head slightly. As that upset the balance of his head, he immediately decided not to do that again.

"Ye said a lot of things," he continued hesitantly, hoping that she'd realise he wasn't sure because he was drunk, not because he was that typical hyper-masculine breed of man who felt that they were too good to listen to anything else. They'd spent quite a bit of time at the pub, she could literally mean anything, and it was not for his beer-sodden brain to piece together what exactly she meant, so he asked.

"Which bit d'ya mean?" Context suggested it was nothing to do with quidditch, but it could have been in reference to her preference to keep things slow, or their second date, or a number of other things he couldn't think of. All he could think was that he really hoped she wasn't about to leave because his hand had slipped -- he would feel so terrible about that.

Nicole watched as he kicked off his shoes and had half a notion to follow. But she didn't just yet. There were more important things on her hazy mind. Her posture was slightly slouched instead of rigidly upright. When Julian seemed to curve in her direction she leaned toward him as well. At first the witch thought it might have just been the lighting or a trick the alcohol was playing on her eyes. But no: to her delight Julian was indeed right there, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "Not a problem. If I didn't trust you I wouldn't have brought it up, let alone left it way over there" she murmured.

Emerald eyes watched Julian through half-closed lids. Despite the relaxed nature of her pose, Nicole's mind was attempting to riddle things out at the pace of a mile per minute. "True..." she remarked at his point, though wasn't fully certain what to make of it. So far Julian had given her no reason to think him a chauvinist. But like she'd learned in the past, some men - and women, to be fair - hid behind a mask. Nicole thought for several moments after Julian's question, drunkenly fiddling with the collar of his robes. "The bit with things being soon," the witch murmured, slurring her words together slightly.

With something akin to frightful nervousness she tore her gaze from the collar of Julian's robes to his eyes. "I know we're not exactly sober, an' this is our first date an' real soon like ya said an' all... but listen to me, kay?" Nicole asked, placing her hand on the center of Julian's chest with a quiet thump. The woman paused a moment, eyeing him cautiously before taking a breath to continue. She knew her words would be slurred and might not come out in the right order, but she hoped Julian would take it all seriously. "Since I came to Englan' I hadn't really thought about looking for a man. I had... just gotten over an ordeal with one and had Shell to look after. As I said: not one of 'em peaked my interest.

"But then you come along. You're charming, polite, and kind... admittedly handsome and pretty amusing even if I did give ya a warning that one time thanks to Shelly's oh-so-aptly worded observation..." Nicole paused there to laugh. "Really sorry I was such a stiff-arse then... But the point is that I'm pleasantly surprised, delighted, and honestly just the tiniest twinge terrified at how good I feel when I'm near you. My heart has been kept guarded and on high alert for both mine and Shelly's safety. I've told you a bit about my past so I hope that clears up why... because that is what it is. I can't rememberif I said it at the pub but I really like you, too, Julian. I dunno what it is that sets you apart from the rest. I think I'll like exploring that mystery...

"... What I'm trying to say is..." Nicole paused to swallow even though her mouth frankly felt dry. Her eyes darted about Julian's face for a few brief moments before taking another soothing breath. "What I'm trying to say is I think we should screw the fact that it's soon and take things at whatever-the-hell speed we want," Nicole concluded, kissing him full and sound on the lips now that height wasn't as much of an issue with them sitting and leaning towards one another.

Hoping he didn't think it was just the beer talking, Nicole pulled away slightly so she could gauge his reaction to all of this. The woman also couldn't help but pray that this outpouring of hers hadn't just made a complete and utter fool of herself.

It was fair to say that Julian was on high alert -- as much as he could be, anyway, when everything felt so fuzzy and warm. As soon as Nicole clarified that she wanted to talk about her earlier statement that it was too soon, he looked down to the collar that she was fiddling with, afraid to meet her eyes. This could either mean she wanted to forget about that, or that she wanted to enforce in, in which case yes, he had just made a fool of himself. Although he'd meant it when he said he'd gladly wait for her, he sincerely hoped she'd changed her mind, or else he was going to be horribly embarrassed at having crossed the line and failed at respecting her decision so soon.

Julian looked down at the hand Nicole placed on his chest, certain she could feel his heart's attempts to escape his ribcage, and then looked back up at her, meeting her eyes as she spoke. It took all of his energy to focus careful on her words, attempting to break through his drunken haze. What she had to say worried him at first, but then the compliments started and Julian blushed, looking back down at her hand for a moment. Surely she could feel firsthand the effects that her words were having on him, but that didn't seem to concern her.

Her laugh brought a smile to his lips -- it was a beautiful, enchanting sound -- and that smile lingered as he drank in her words, and her spellbinding eyes. Nicole looked so nervous and vulnerable, and yet so bound and determined to speak her piece regardless, that by the time she reached her conclusion, Julian was completely ready for the kiss she landed on him, pulling her closer and welcoming the contact. Although he couldn't help but wonder if she would be so willing to change her mind were she still sober, he got the distinct feeling that saying it out loud would ruin the moment, as unromantic as such a thing would be. After all, there was a chance that the alcohol truly had nothing to do with it...although he did feel the need to confirm it before things went any further.

The nervous look in her eyes melted his heart, and he pulled her back in, kissing her more gently than before, his attempt to reassure her wordlessly. Finally, Julian reached for his most co-opted coping method for times when he wasn't sure what to do or say -- humour.

"You should know first and foremost that I respect your decision, both now and what you said before. If things have changed, then I'm willing to go with the flow. But I am pretty drunk right now....how do I know you're not trying to take advantage of me?" he asked, a smirk creeping across his face as he pulled Nicole practically onto his lap, teasing her lips with hers.

"I mean...I'm trying to preserve my innocence, here, clearly...but you're so gorgeous and you're a woman who seems to know exactly how to wind me up. Try as I might to resist, you are a stunning, clever woman, and I am a simple man."

This time, Nicole fully anticipated being pulled closer when she kissed him. She supposed that meant her speech of sorts was received well and that he believed it. Julian's second, gentler kiss did much to bolster her bravery and calm her nerves. At least, it seemed, she hadn't made a fool of herself.

As Julian pulled, Nicole pushed on the spare cushions to help him get her in his lap. She wasn't that heavy but the witch didn't want to be pulled along like dead weight either. Nicole giggled at the humor and tried to catch Julian's lips with hers. "Me take advantage of you?! I would never!" she playfully scoffed, wrapping an arm around his neck and shoulders. "I think the fact we're both hammered makes it obvious I don't have an ulterior motive," she grinned, still playful. "Although I'm drunk I do mean what I just said about pacing. I'm not quite to the point where I don't know my own name." Her laugh was as genuine as the sincerity with which she'd spoken.

"The fact that you could have tried to take full advantage the moment I walked in here, and haven't, tells me that you're serious about where this goes. I just... needed that reassurance, I suppose. Not that I didn't believe you. I do..." Nicole blushed. It was difficult to explain what she felt and why. Opening up this far to anyone other than those in her innermost circle was unheard of. "I don't make promises I can't keep and feel that actions mean far more than words," the woman explained.

Nicole laughed once more at the comment of Julian attempting to preserve his innocence. "I'd say we both lost our innocence quite some time ago," she said through her giggles, shifting a little, one hand absently running itself through Julian's hair. Leaning forward, Nicole whispered a seductive confession into his ear, "You've been quite adept at winding me up tonight, yourself..."

Julian could scarcely believe what was happening; perhaps he would wake up and it would all be just a dream. For now, though, he was quite pleased to have Nicole sitting in his lap, laughing at his jokes and kissing him in the most enrapturing way. He chuckled at her words, tracing her jaw with a finger.

"If you forget your name, I'd be happy to remind you...Nicole," he whispered back, proceeding continue with his lips the path his fingers had been making. "So in other words, I've passed a test, of sorts. That's good to know; I didn't even know there was a test. I didn't study," he teased, smirking into her jawline. Her whispered words sent a shiver down his spine; he wasn't exactly sure what she was trying to do to him but whatever it was, it was working.

Julian was putty in her hands, drunk enough to throw his inhibitions to the wind, but still focused enough to be absolutely zoned in on her with perfect clarity. It was almost a kind of tunnel vision -- he couldn't see, hear, or ever think of anything that was not Nicole, on top of him right now, kissing him and running her fingers through his hands and...he swallowed hard, his throat dry. No, there was nothing innocent about this moment, that was for sure -- and there was nothing about it he would change. The world was perfect in that hour.

"Nicole, what are you doing to me?" Julian asked, half murmur, half groan. Her current position put him in a rather difficult spot, pretty much leaving him unable to move. The situation was definitely fully under her control at the moment, and surprisingly, he was okay with that.

Her skin tingled at the trail Julian's fingers, and then his lips, made along her jaw. Nicole leaned into the contact with a sigh of delight. Unable to properly kiss him back without disturbing him, Nicole contented herself with continuing to run her hands through his hair. She chuckled at Julian's teasing. "I didn't know either, until it happened," Nicole replied quietly, caressing the side of Julian's face to trace his features.

She hovered near his ear, debating with herself. Should she start a trail of kisses down his neck, as Julian had bestowed upon her, or should Nicole do something else? Or should she let him continue with his own trails, and bask in the affections? The witch hadn't a clue, but could be convinced to let go of her inhibitions without much more persuasion. Everything was warm and delightful. In this state and with Julian at her side Nicole felt able to place her war with those that would harm her and those she loved aside for at least a little while.

Nicole had just placed a kiss beneath the lobe of Julian's ear when she caught the murmured groan of a question. The woman paused. Had she done something wrong? Or was she doing something right, and the question was meant to be deciphered another way? Nicole pulled back and blinked at Julian through half-lidded eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked in return, uncertain, and placed several soft kisses upon and around Julian's chin.

Julian's eyes closed automatically as Nicole kissed the sensitive spot just beneath his ear. He sighed at the sensation -- things like that were exactly what he meant. How on earth was she so good at reading him like that? She was supposed to have difficulty with magic, so it couldn't be legimency, anyway.

"I mean....this," he replied, getting up from the couch and scooping Nicole up with him, one leg securely under her leg, the other supporting her back. She was lighter than he'd expected, which was helpful as he was still fairly drunk and his room was located at the top of the stairs. Holding her against his chest, he managed to balance her with one arm for the brief moment it took to grab his wand out of his pocket. Replacing his arm under her legs, he took a few steps and gained the stairs. Still clutching the wand, he made good use of his command of nonverbal spells and made the stairs move even as his lips were busy kissing Nicole's.

Stepping onto them like a Muggle escalator, he leaned against the rail for support and in no time at all they'd reached the second floor. Julian returned the stairs to normal and tossed his wand on the floor -- hopefully, he wouldn't be needing it. As they neared his bedroom door he realised that perhaps he was acting out of turn, and all at once his heart began to hammer wildly, in panic and excitement. He turned his back to the door and pushed it open onto the room, which was rather darkened as the shades on the windows were drawn.

Gently depositing Nicole onto the bed, he turned to the nearest window and pulled the shade up just enough to let in a little light from the streetlamp outside, and then turned back to her, nervously.

Nicole quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head in curiosity. A squeal of delight and surprise left the witch as Julian picked her up, giving way to giggles. Much like the last time he'd picked her up Nicole wrapped her arms around his neck. Part of her wondered where he was taking her, yet the other knew precisely where this was going. The heart within her chest pounded rapidly. She wasn't really aware of which direction they were going, emerald eyes focused only on Julian and alternating between open and closed as appropriate.

It almost seemed like Julian was about to put her down after a few steps, and curious Nicole glanced around. Staircase. Wand. The woman put two and two together and didn't give it another thought even as she felt vague movement like an escalator. She was far too occupied with kissing Julian's lips, running a hand through his hair, and the other caressing the side of the wizard's handsome face.

Blonde eyebrows knitted in brief concern as she heard something clatter to the floor. Cracking open a single green eye, all Nicole could see was wizard. That didn't bother her in the least, but she was vaguely curious what had fallen. A door creaked open and one form of curiosity instantaneously led to another. Another brief glance told her the room was dark inside. While not exactly afraid of darkness Nicole attempted to press herself even closer to Julian.

As Julian seemed to lower her, Nicole was under the impression he would place her back on her feet. When he laid her down instead, the witch blinked. Julian walked away to do something, and immediately Nicole felt her surroundings. The touch of the topmost blanket told her she was right: Nicole was in Julian's bedroom. Even more evidence presented itself when the shades were adjusted to let just a fraction of light enter the room.

A smirky smile crossed Nicole's face despite the look of nervousness that crossed Julian's features. She propped herself up on her elbows and gave a brief glance around the room to take in the scenery. She normally didn't do this sort of thing on the first date, but after everything that had transpired and all the beer she and Julian both drank, Nicole was more than willing to make an exception. Without a word the witch slid out of her tightly-laced boots. If this wasn't enough of a hint, Nicole put all her weight on one elbow and pulled the other one out from under her. "If you want it, come get it," Nicole slurred lightly, mischievously teasing as she made a "come hither" finger-curl gesture in Julian's direction.

Julian stood there as if Petrified as she removed her boots. Is this really happening? he questioned, and then she beckoned to him, and yes, it is really happening, no stop thinking just go to her! And then he did, nearly tripping over himself on the way to the bed. He quickly stepped out of his own boots and a moment later climbed onto the bed, rolling over Nicole and pinning her beneath him.

"Gotcha," he said breathlessly, kissing her neck again, since she'd seemed to like it before. Julian was as careful as he could be to make sure he wasn't accidentally squishing her. "I'm not hurting you, am I?" he asked in between kisses as he made his way down to her collar bone.

Nicole bit her lip to keep from chuckling at Julian's near-trip. Her breath quickened as he climbed up and rolled on top of her. She ignored the warning from some distant back corner of her mind that she was in a vulnerable position. The witch wanted to be there. "That you do," Nicole giggled drunkenly at Julian's remark. She squirmed a little to feign trying to get away, merely playing, and hoped Julian would know that it was all in fun.

The moment Julian's lips returned to Nicole's neck the woman tilted her head back to allow greater access like she had before. A moan louder than the one previous left her, and this time she meant him to hear it. The entirety of Nicole's neck was one of her sensitive spots. Her hands went to his hair again but to change and step things up a little she let her hands slide down the sides of his face to his neck, where she lightly scratched her way down to Julian's shoulders. The witch blindly sought a way to remove the top layer of the wizard's robes. "No... Not hurting. Wonderful..." Nicole returned, tilting her head and leaning it forward a little to kiss any bit of his face she could reach.


((Lol, will probably have to skip to morning pretty soon at the rate these two are going. xD))