Friday on the Upper East Side [RP for Aryn Wakefield]

[sandandwater]

A lunch date with a casual friend, at noon and in Manhattan no less, meant Pippa had to do something she normally shied away from: wake up early. So much for reclaiming her life and her routine, she thought to herself as she stumbled around her kitchen making coffee. Mornings were not her favorite time of day. But she had to shower and dress, talk herself into a state of semi-normalcy so she could even face Aryn at the upscale bistro. And then of course, there was the drive.

"You're doing this, Kerr." Muttering to herself, coffee mug in hand, Pippa went back into her bedroom. She even managed a smile as she caught sight of her puppy curled against the sprawled form of her lover, both still sound asleep. She'd be tempted to rejoin them and cancel on Aryn if there were any room for her in the bed.

Instead, she showered and dressed in a favorite fall ensemble, something with long sleeves that afforded her the opportunity to hide her hands from view. From there she played with the hopelessly choppy lengths of her hair, finally giving up and leaving them in what she hoped passed for artful disarray. After Larch had butchered her long curly locks, Pippa resorted to straightening and further trimming her auburn mane in an attempt to rectify the damage. She wasn't satisfied with the results but until her hair grew out, there was little else she could do with it.

She left the apartment with those thoughts in her head, turned off the alarm on her car (recently returned to her after the mechanic's massive repairs) and set out for the bridge that would connect her with the much larger city. The radio was conspicuously silent for the duration of her drive. She hadn't been able to listen to anything by Breaker Street and other music held even less appeal to her.

Reaching her destination, she opted to valet park at Jaques'. Finding a place to self-park was never something she enjoyed and if she was going to put on her happy face and pretend life was wonderful, she didn't need that aggravation. Pippa shrugged her purse onto her right shoulder and tugged the sleeve of her left over her hand, holding the hem with her fingertips, hiding the missing pinky and the dark bruising as she handed over her car keys and got out of the green VW Bug.

Showtime.

Comments

[bookish-blonde.livejournal.com]

Aryn woke early for a day off, smiling at Phantom, sprawled out across the other side of the bed. He yawned and opened one eye as she got up, then stretched lazily and went back to sleep. She laughed and dragged herself off to the shower.

A short while later, she surveyed her closet, trying to decide on an ensemble. The weather was cool, but not freezing, and she finally pulled on a pair of olive pants and a vermilion turtleneck (http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk84/bookish_blonde/clothes/outfit.jpg), completing the outfit with her favorite boots (http://www.chineselaundry.com/img/shoes/BCBS01ZKEMOC_M.jpg). Running a brush through her hair, she pulled it back in a messy bun and shrugged into her leather jacket (http://zoom.jcpenney.com/is-viewers/dynapi/src/lib/tsapi/images/cover.gif?500x500), grabbing her purse and keys.

Locking her door behind her, she rode the elevator downstairs and made the drive to Jacques. Not seeing any parking streetside, she pulled up to the valet and got out of the metallic brown Prius, tucking the claim ticket from the attendant into her purse before heading inside.

She glanced around for Pippa and finally saw her, seated at a table near the back. Shrugging out of her jacket, she draped it over one arm and gestured to the hostess that she'd found her party, then headed for the table.

[sand-andwater.livejournal.com]

Pippa was sitting, left hand in her lap, toying with a glass of water and feigning interest in the menu while she waited for Aryn. She'd been to the bistro often enough to already have in mind the meal she wanted to order.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye as someone stepped up to the table and automatically put a smile on her face before looking up. "Hi, you made it."

Stating the obvious, but she did so in a cheerful tone as she took in the blonde's appearance. "Our waiter said he'd be back in five..." A glance at her watch, "About ten minutes ago, so..."

Pippa laughed lightly and gestured at the seat opposite herself. "Sit. Have you eaten here before? Menu hasn't changed..."

[bookish-blonde.livejournal.com]

The first thing Aryn noticed was the hair. It was hard to see from the entrance with other patrons' heads in the way, but now she was standing in front of her with an unobstructed view. "You cut your hair." She folded herself into the seat across from Pippa and canted her head with a slight chuckle and a grin. "It's... short. But I like it."

Flipping open her menu, she glanced around the upscale establishment and shook her head. "First time here." Her eyes slid back to her menu as she tried to decide what to order. "So what's good?"

[sand-andwater.livejournal.com]

"The salmon is devine but then so are the mussels and the lamb" Pippa commented in a soft voice, hand lifting to her shorn and straightened hair in a self-conscious manner. "I'm ordering the salmon, myself."

She gave Aryn a thoughtful look, taking in the other woman's appearance. They haven't seen each other much since the blonde's house warming party. Remarking on Aryn's sweater, "That is a great color on you."

She often shied away from such hues because of her natural hair color but may have been just the slightest bit envious of her friend's complexion and ability to wear just about anything. "I'd look horrid in that. I'm jealous."

[bookish-blonde.livejournal.com]

"Mussels sound fabulous, but I think I'll have the same as you," Aryn replied, folding her menu and laying it back down in front of her. "It's been a while since I've had a good salmon."

She smiled at the other woman's compliment. "Thanks. I saw it online at Victoria's Secret and couldn't pass it up. And don't be too jealous. You probably look way better in green than I ever will. Lucky for me, Remy's got a thing for red and that's my best color."

[sand-andwater.livejournal.com]

Pippa unfolded and draped her napkin across her lap as she nodded. "Greens, blues, earth tones..." She mentally went through the bulk of her wardrobe and then gave a wry smile at the outfit she was currently wearing, "And black of course."

That her clothing came from Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel, not Victoria's Secret or The Gap, Pippa kept to herself. Taste and habits would never change in certain areas of her life regardless of the image she tried to present to those around her.

"How is Remy? I haven't seen or really spoken to you in so long, I feel like I've really lost track." Her interest is genuine, as is the guilt she feels over not already knowing the answer to her own question.

[bookish-blonde.livejournal.com]

Aryn grew quiet and shrugged. "He's good. At least that's what he says." Another shrug. "We had to go to New Orleans to settle some legal stuff on a house someone left him. It was a hard trip."

She sighed. "And I think I ended up making it harder, trying to get him to talk to me. He said I didn't, but..." she shook her head, "I don't know."

She realized she was rambling and had probably told her friend way more than she'd wanted to hear, and looked at Pippa with a smile that was forcibly bright. "What about Rory? How's he?"

[sand-andwater.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry, was it someone he was close to?" Pippa make the appropriate sympathetic sounds but realized she could probably identify more with the Cajun than Aryn at this point. "Maybe he just needs some time to sort out his feelings before he can talk about it."

Speaking form personal experience there.

"Hmm...Ro." A mixture of emotions cross her features, the usual fondness and maybe something a bit darker as she considers her lover and his current state of being. "He's been a bit preoccupied lately. It's something of a hush hush matter right now, but he's had meetings with a record label, so..."

[bookish-blonde.livejournal.com]

A nod. "The man who took him in when he was a kid."

Aryn kept the details vague. It wasn't her story to tell and she wouldn't betray the small confidence he'd placed in her by revealing things it wasn't her place to.

"He mentioned something to that effect, but it was hell even getting that out of him." She sighed. "I just want to make things better for him, the way he has for me. But I don't know what to do or where to start."

She looked curiously at the flicker of emotion that passed over the other woman's features as she spoke of her boyfriend. Aryn got the feeling that she was missing something, but chose not to pry, deciding to wait until Pippa chose to voice it; if she ever did.

"A record label," she grinned, genuinely happy for the man in her friend's life, "that's great news. He must be thrilled."

[sand-andwater.livejournal.com]

"Oh, he is...the whole band, really. They've worked so hard and so long and even the possibility of something better than playing New York night clubs for the rest of forever is exciting." There's more warmth in her voice as she speaks about the entirety of Breaker Street, they are more than just the members of Rory's band to her, they are all friends in their own right. "I'm proud of them."

The waiter did make good on his word at last, just before Pippa could launch into commentary about Remy's possible reluctance to talk. Giving Aryn a tight smile that said 'conversation's tabled for now' she turned and placed both her order and that of the other woman as well.

"Do you want a glass of wine with this?"

[bookish-blonde.livejournal.com]

"Sure," she smiled. "Chardonnay's fine."

The waiter left to put their orders in, and Aryn smiled. "They're on cloud nine, I'm sure." She laughed. "Just let me know when the record's out. I still have yet to get out to Last Call to see them play. I always intend to, and then something always comes up."

[sand-andwater.livejournal.com]

Pippa nearly blanches at the mention of Breaker Street playing at Last Call, covers her mouth and coughs gently to try and pass the reaction off as something else. "Oh, it's all right. I know people have busy lives and things just have a way of happening."

She drops her hand then, letting her wrist rest on the edge of the table. "I'll have to ask Ro about getting you a copy of their current CD, I honestly haven't talked about the band's music with him at all recently. I don't know what their plans are or if he's even working on anything new.

"Sounds horrible, doesn't it? Not knowing what my boyfriend is up to, I must be the world's worst girlfriend."

[bookish-blonde.livejournal.com]

Aryn frowned at Pippa's admission that she hadn't talked about the band or their music at all lately. It wasn't like her. In all the months Aryn had known Pippa, Breaker Street and their music was one of the things she couldn't stop talking about. So much so that she'd get teased about being their PR rep.

She was torn between not wanting to pry and wondering what was going on. In the end, Aryn decided to wait until Pippa decided to tell her.

"If that's true, then we should share the crown. I don't always know what Remy's up to, either."

[sand-andwater.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I don't know...only child. I never properly learned how to share." She laughed, a soft tumble of sound that she recovered from quickly. "Besides, I doubt Remy sees you as a burden or someone he needs to take care of and fret over constantly. Are you causing him to lose sleep?"

She tried to sound flippant with her remarks but it was clear that Pippa was commenting on her own relationship and not Aryn's.