Honey and Blood Don't Mix

A soft sigh left Rosemary as she hiked the books up in her arms. She was carrying her history textbook, two notebooks and her book for her English elective. Though now she was questioning why she didn't just put it all into her backpack when she had the chance. Why did it seem like a good idea to carry this all in her arms?

Perhaps it was because she was already so close to getting back to her apartment and the mere thought of taking the extra time to put her schoolwork away had seemed exhausting to the young woman when she had been in the cafe. A fool's mistake really. Rosemary should have shoved it all into her bag even if she was a mere 5 feet away from home. Especially as she was holding the remainder of her drink in her hand.

With a little shake of her head at herself, the student tried to shift all of her books into her left arm. She pulled it close to her body before lifting the drink up to her lips to take a long sip. Though a frown of disappointment shifted over Rosemary's as she realized her drink was already empty. This truly was a long day...What else could happen to her at this point?

@ Sweet.Persephone
Orlando was on his phone, messaging different people with different orders or questions about the day to day functions in the gang. He was not in charge yet, his father still was, but he was preparing for it by being his father’s right hand man. He would glance up occasionally from his phone to make sure he wasn’t being watched or going to run into anybody. The last thing he needed today was another distraction. He had already been late to two meetings and his father was getting impatient.

Orlando took a breathe before he looked down again, telling one of his men to get Orlando his money or to watch his back. Just as he did he ran into the girl in front of him. “Shit!” He mumbled, dropping his phone just as he watched the girl drop everything she had. Orlando sighed and quickly knelt down as he began to grab his phone then the papers And notebook that were strewn about.

Orlando reached out with his other hand and grabbed the empty cup. “I’m sorry about that, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” He said nonchalantly as he grabbed thing, neatly piling them. When he finished Orlando glanced up at the girl he ha shunned into, giving her a shiny white smile. “I’m sorry, I should really pay more attention to where I’m going.” He said and gave her a pearly white grin.

Orlando wore a plain white tee shirt, a black leather jacket, and dark blue jeans. After handing over Rosemary’s things he shoved done both hands into the pockets of his jacket. “Let me buy you another coffee for your trouble.” He said with another grin. “I’m Orlando, by the way.”

@ BadStreetBoys

As she felt something, or rather someone, run into her, Rosemary let out a gasp of surprise. Whiling stumbling backwards, the woman dropped everything in her arms in an attempt to catch herself before she fell over. Luckily, she didn't fall to the ground but now her books and pages were scattered on the ground.

Her eyes shifted to what was in front of her, seeing a man who was already bending down to grab his own phone. It seemed she was not paying as close attention as she should have been. Bending down, Rosemary started to pick some of her items as he did the same. "Thank you," Rosemary said as she watched him grab one of her notebooks. "I am sorry about running into you as well. I got a little distracted there."

Once she had grabbed all of her things, Rosemary stood up A gentle smile came along her lips as he smiled up at her. "It's okay, really. I should have been paying attention as well." Her eyes shifted over the stranger for a long moment as he stood up and handed her back her things. He was actually rather attractive. Perhaps it was her lucky day after all.

With all of her things back, Rosemary shifted her bag off of her back and slid all of it in and zipped it up. Everything was out of order but she could figure that out later. At least her arms were free now. Rosemary's eyes shifted back up as he offered to buy her coffee. "I would like that," She told him as she slid her backpack back where it belonged. The smile on her face was growing. "And I am Rosemary."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Orlando glanced up as he heard the girl he had just bumped into make her way over. He smiled as she spoke, "No no, it's okay, that was definitely my fault." He told her with a gentle shrug of his shoulders. When the pair finished picking up the street, Orlando stood tall. He wasn't very tall or very large, but his presence was. It was intimidating to some. His aura was something that kept him safe as someone in a gang life, it protected him from people who thought they could step up to him.

Orlando nodded with a smile when she insisted it was both their fault. "Okay okay, we are both at fault." he said and grinned down. He thought the girl in front of him was pretty cute. Bumping into someone definitely coulda been worse. It coulda been some angry guy or an ugly girl. But she was cute, he seemed to nod in approval for himself.

Orlando smiled, "Rosemary," He repeated, rolling the name over his tongue, "I like it." He commented. Orlando grinned when she accepted his offer. Waving for her to follow him as he began to walk down the street. "I hope I didn't mess up any of your homework." He told her, giving Rosemary a goofy smile. When they arrived at the coffee shop he opened the door and held it for Rosemary.

Orlando walked up the barista, giving him a devilish grin. He loved how intimidating he could be without trying. He order himself a coffee and a cinnamon roll before turning and motioning to Rosemary. "And anything this beautiful girl would like." He purred, stepping back so she could order.

@ BadStreetBoys

As the stranger said that he liked her name, a bright smile came over Rosemary's face. It was a nice thing for him to say. But it was certainly more than that when it came to this man. He seemed to be kind after having apologized multiple times for bumping into her and helping her pick up everything that she had dropped. Orlando even went to far as to offer to buy her another cup of coffee. Of course, she could have told him that it was already empty. But...well, Rosemary didn't want to and it wasn't just to get a free coffee out of this stranger. In a moment, he had captured her interest and Rosemary wanted to know more.

When he waved to her, Rosemary was quick to move beside him and follow Orlando down the street. She gave him a small shake of her head, her brown hair lightly shifting as she did so. "No, of course not. I am sure that my homework can take more than a simple fall. Otherwise, I would be worried that it would disintegrate in my professor's hands." She joked warmly, a soft laugh leaving her lips. Everything was probably out of order in her backpack but that was a minor issue. Especially as she didn't really have too many free-floating pages. Well, at least not so many that Rosemary couldn't put it all back together with ease. But that was an issue for when she got back home.

"I'll have a Cafe Mocha please," Rosemary told the barista as she stepped up a bit. Once the barista asked for the name on the drink, she told him 'Rose' and then stepped out of the way so the man could pay. When their order was done, Rosemary followed Orlando out of the line and towards one of the tables so they could sit and wait for their names to be called. "Thank you for the drink, Orlando." Rosemary said warmly. She had to admit that his name sat rather nicely on her tongue.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, looking up at him with her warm brown eyes as she did so. Orlando was very attractive as well, there was no denying that. Attractive, well mannered and he was a bit of a flirt, it seemed. There was no way he was single. Once they arrived at the table, she slid off her backpack and sat down. "I hope you weren't on your way to something important."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Orlando moved easily through the crowds as they seemed to part easily for him, the same went for the coffee shop. He licked his lips as he looked around the shop. His eyes were always scanning his surroundings, it was how he stayed alive. He needed to be alert, recognize threats, and know his exits. He also was making note of the people around them, he wondered if the people around him knew who he was. His gang was notorious, people wanted to take him down. Senators, mayors, governors. They all wanted him, his father, and their gang gone.

When Rosemary ordered her drink, he stepped aside to the waiting area with her, sitting across. "Simple order," he smiled, "I'll remember that for next time so I can order for you." He purred, grinning down at Rosemary. As they waited her studied her features, though tried to keep emotions from his own. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I allowed a girl to go without her caffeine." he teased with a smirk. "You're welcome."

His eyes moved as he heard their names being called. He stood and strode across the room with confidence, taking both of the and walking back to the table he slid Rosemary's across to her. "No, I'm done working for the day." He said licking his lips. "I was actually just going for a walk." He told her and shrugged. His eyes moved down to Rosemary again, eyes taking in each of her feature. He let a small smile escape his lips as he thought about how pretty she was, but it quickly disappeared.

@ BadStreetBoys

"Oh? Next time?" Rosemary asked with a bit of a teasing smile on her lips. "Do you plan on running into me again, Mister?" She let out a little hum at the thought before beginning to tease the man again. "I wouldn't want you to make a habit of almost knocking me over, Orlando... Though I suppose there are worse things."

Once their names were called, Rosemary stayed at the table and watched Orlando head over to pick up their orders. Her eyes slowly glanced over him. She noticed the way he walked. Almost like he had an air of authority around him. But he definitely seemed like someone who knew where he was going, how to get there and expected others to jump out of his way. Interesting.

When he set her cup in front of her, Rosemary wrapped her hands around it before taking a small sip and setting it back down on the table. Though her fingers stayed pressed against the cup, her pointer finger lightly tapping against it. "Well, today is a nice day for a walk, isn't it? And that is good. I am actually done for the day as well and was making my way to my apartment."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Orlando grinned when she pointed out he mentioned next time. "I'm a mysterious man, you never know when you might run into me again." He purred, winking at Rosemary. "However, I don't plan on actually running into you, maybe just offering to meet up." He teased. "Oh you don't like running into this big muscular body?" He asked, enjoying the teasing that was going back and forth. For him these things came easy, most girls simply blushed and nodded. But with this girl, she was giving it right back to him. He loved it, he was eating it right up.

"Yes it is nice, not too cold, not too hot. Just the right time." He commented, sipping his drink. "Where is your apartment? Maybe I can walk you back?" He offered. Orlando grinned across at Rosemary. "I wouldn't want you running into any other large mysterious men that could sweep you off your feet." he said and chuckled. "Plus you know what all those councilmen and mayor candidates say, this city is riddled with gang bangers, wouldn't want one of them to snatch you up. "Orlando joked. Knowing those men he spoke of were talking about him and his men. But Orlando was not one of those terrible men. He had morals, maybe different than some people. But he didn't allow his men to abuse women, child, or rape anyone.

Orlando finished his drink, looking over his shoulder he gently tossed his cup into the nearby trashcan. His eyes moved back to Rosemary and he grinned. "Come on, I'll walk you home." He said and smirked slightly. Orlando didn't know why, but this girl was intriguing. He just wanted to learn more about her.

@ BadStreetBoys

"I am quite sure that no one complains about running into your big muscular body." Rosemary told him with a light laugh. "At least, I wouldn't. Though I also couldn't say that I like being run into all that often either." Her warm brown eyes lifted up to meet his. "I would start thinking that you were either a very clumsy man or you were doing it on purpose."

After taking another long sip of her drink, Rosemary responded to him offering to meet up. "You think you might want to meet up with me again?" She asked him, running her finger along the side of the cup as she did so. "Well, if you were going to ask to meet up again, what would you want to do?" If they were going to meet, Rosemary would definitely need to figure out if he was single. Though now she was getting the impression that he certainly wasn't.

"Mine is the same way." Rosemary agreed. "This coffee shop is always really good though. I come here pretty often actually." She glanced around the room for a moment, taking in the ambiance. It was one of the places she liked to study. Though she only came here if she didn't mind a bit of noise in the background.

A laugh left her as Orlando spoke of her running into others and gang bangers. "It's just down the street, Blue Skies Apartments. And I would like that." Rosemary told him, wanting Orlando to walk her back. Not that she thought she would run into any gang members on her way home. "I highly doubt any gang members will come to snatch me up but I would enjoy the company." Once Orlando was up on his feet, Rosemary did the same. She slid her backpack on and kept her cup of half drank coffee in her left hand as she moved besides him and followed Orlando out.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Orlando grinned at the playful banter between the two of them. It had been a while since he had had this kind of conversation with a girl. He was used to having them with his boys, but not girls. Most girls feared him if they knew who he was, or they just wanted the experience of sleeping with the mob boss. "Oh I'm no clutz, I would definitely be bumping into you on purpose if you didn't want to see me again." He teased with another grin.

"Hmm," Orlando said, looking up and rubbing his chin for the look. He looked down at Rosemary and shrugged. "I'm a gentleman, so I guess I would ask you to dinner." He purred. "Or ask what the fine lady would like to do, since I seemed to have chosen the first meeting." He said and motioned to the coffee shop around them.

Orlando raised an eyebrow when she said she came here often. "So if I wanted to accidentally meet up with you again, I know where to go." He told her, his hand folding on the table as he leaned back in the chair. Orlando glanced around again, somewhat surprised no one had noticed him. He was a big guy so he was hard to miss and with a face that was known, it surprised him. But he was happy for it. He liked pretending to be normal sometimes.

"You never know, cute girl like you, anyone would wanna snatch you up." He teased as he got up and began to walk out with her. Orlando grabbed the door, holding it open for Rosemary. Once she was outside he followed behind. "Lead the way." He told her with a smile, beginning to walk and keep in stride with Rosemary. "So tell me about you, Rosemary." He said and smiled, looking down at her then up at the sky.

@ BadStreetBoys

"Dinner is always good choice," Rosemary told him with a little nod. "Though if asked what I would like to do, I would probably mention that there is a fair coming to town this weekend. The ads said that there will be rides, games and food. If you are into that sort of thing, that is," She glanced up to him, her smile turning into a bit of a smirk. "If not, it's also the last week that the arboretum will be open before they close for a month,"

A laughed left her at his next comment. "Yes, I suppose if you wanted to bump into me by coincidence, this coffee shop would be the place to do it. Though who knows if you'll be able to figure out the sporadic times I show up here." Rosemary wasn't all that worried about bumping into Orlando here. At least if he were to, she had gotten the warning. And she did not think that he was the type to stalk her at a coffee shop anyways.

"Why aren't you worried about getting snatched up then?" Rosemary teased him back, lightly bumping his shoulder with her own. "You never know, maybe I'll be the one to save you from getting kidnapped by some gang."

Once they were out on the sidewalk, Rosemary started to take the lead to go back to her apartment. They weren't all that far away from it, so it would be a rather short walk. "That is sort of a large, open ended question, don't you think, Orlando?" She joked before continuing on. "Well, I am getting my master's degree in business at the University, where I play on the volleyball team. I have a White fluffy cat named Marshmallow. I am 23 years old. I'm single and I have just finished the Umbrella Academy... You're turn."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Orlando nodded, then tapped a finger to his head. “I’ll make a mental note of that.” He told her, liking the idea of taking her to the fair, maybe he could win a stuffed animal for the girl and win her hear. He chuckled at the thought.

Orlando grinned at Rosemary when her shoulder bumped his and laughed. “I think I’m too big to be snatched up.” He told her with a goofy grin. “I don’t think they would come after me, I’m big and scary.” He told her, making a menacing face. Orlando wasn’t going to tell this girl the reason he was safe was because he was basically second in charge of said gang. That fact about him would stay hidden for now.

Orlando nodded. “I like open ended questions because you end up telling me what you think is important abo it yourself, not what I wanna know.” He told her and paused to listen, smile FB when she said she was single, licking his lips slightly. “I’m 26. I never went to school. I help my father run our mechanic shop, Burton’s Auto, whuch has been in the family now for four generations.” He told her, the car shop being the front for their illegal businesses. “I’ve got a pit bull named hades, but he’s a big baby. I have a brother who’s a surgeon.” He paused and grinned at her. “I’m also single.” He purred, his eyes traveling up and down her body. “I’m not surprised you play volleyball.” He said flirtatiously.

@ BadStreetBoys

"Yes, you are definitely a big, strong scary man," Rosemary said as she looked up at Orlando. She didn't find him particularly scary but he was big and by the looks of him, probably rather strong as well. Though the smirk came over her lips as she decided to keep teasing him. "Just like a teddy bear is."

As Orlando started to tell her about himself, she listened closely. She was interested in him so she wanted to know as much as she could. And the smile that came along her face as he mentioned his pitbull name Hades was huge. "Now that is a fantastic name for a pit bull. Do you have any pictures?" Rosemary was hoping that he had a photo on him, well surely the man did. Who didn't take pictures of their dog?

Of course, while he was talking, Rosemary picked up on the fact that Orlando said he was single as well. That was good. Though she was surprised someone like him was. Not that people were always in a relationship but rather that Rosemary felt like this was good timing. Hopefully, he would ask her out and not just talk about the idea of asking her out. It seemed it was heading that way as she saw his eyes looking up and down her body as he flirted a bit. Rosemary turned to him slightly, glancing Orlando up and down as well. "I'm surprised you didn't mention some kind of sport." She flirted back.

Rosemary stopped once they were in front of her apartment building. She took one step onto the stairs before turning back to Orlando, now having gotten closer to his height. "This is me," Rosemary told him as she nodded towards the building.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Orlando grinned at Rosemary, rolling his eyes when she called him a teddy bear. He gave her a gentle and playful shove, making sure not to push hard enough to actually do any harm. "Hey now, I'm a grizzly bear, not a teddy bear." He said back with a laugh. "You gotta work harder than that to get the teddy bear." He purred. "Yes actually i do." He told her, taking his phone from his back pocket. He tapped a few times before handing it to her. "You can scroll there are a few pictures of Hades

Orlando smiled at Rosemary as she looked through the photos of Hades. Hades was like his baby. He was very proud of him and loved him very much. "Maybe if you're lucky, I'll let you meet him." He told Rosemary. Orlando took his phone back, sliding it back into his back pocket. He moved his hands and put them into his front pockets. His eyes looked up at the sky as they walked. He noticed Rosemary had seen him checking her out, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. "I played football and hockey in high school, but not anymore." He said and shrugged. "I go to the gym, stay in shape, helps with my work." He told her.

Orlando frowned for half a second when she said this was her apartment. But quickly replaced it with a smirk. "Dang, our time together is ending so soon." He teased, shrugging and looking up at the building. "Well here's my number." He said, repeating it slowly. Orlando hoped she would remember and that she would message him. "So, that fair you mentioned." He said and bit his lip. "Would you wanna go with me?" He asked. "I can kick your ass at ringtoss." He teased and smirked again.

@ BadStreetBoys

"Oh this isn't your teddy bear side?" She teased while taking the phone from him. As her eyes dropped down, a huge smile came over her face. "Awwww he is so cute!" Rosemary said as she scrolled through the photos. "What an adorable puppy." After a few moments, Rosemary handed Orlando his phone back and went back to putting her focus on him. "Well, meeting Hades certainly would be a pleasure."

Rosemary let out a hum and gave Orlando a nod. "Makes sense. I bet you were a great player. At least you look like you would be," She purred to him. There was no surprise when he admitted going to the gym. Very clearly Orlando did something to stay in such good shape.

"Well, there is a reason that is one of my favorite coffee shops and its proximity to my apartment is one of them." Rosemary said with a warm laugh. As he offered his phone number, the young woman pulled out her phone and typed it in. After which, she sent Orlando a text that said 'Hi'. "I just texted you so now you have mine."

"That's a bold statement for someone who doesn't know their opponent very well. You will be surprised just how good I am at tossing rings," Rosemary responded. "Well, now we have to go to prove who is the best. Though no complaining when I crush you. When would you like to go get your ass kicked?"

@ Sweet.Persephone
Orlando grinned and rolled his eyes again, smiling as she looked at pictures of Hades. That was his boy. Orlando also knew dogs, or cats, were the way to a girls heart. Second was food. “He’s a good boy, about two years old. Strong dog and very playful.” He told her. “You’ll have to come to my apartment to meet him.” Orlando purred and have Rosemary a smile.

Orlando grinned and chucked. “I think I was. I was a defensive master in hockey, great at checking. The refs didn’t think so though. I lead the team in penalty minutes. Actually, I hold the school record for penalty minutes.” He told her with a light laugh.

He nodded as rosemary spoke. “I live the opposite way, it’s a nice place. I like variety so I visit all the ones around.” He told her. When his phone went off he grinned, saving her contact in his phone. “Awesome, now I can bug you whenever I feel like it.” He teased.

Orlando tapped his chin for a moment. “I can pick you up at five and we can go to the fair, that way if there’s time after we could grab a quick bite from the diner across the street if we get hungry.” He offered. “How’s that work for you?” He grinned and moved his hands into his pockets. “You doubt my skills, bad idea.” He teased.

@ BadStreetBoys

All Rosemary offered was a little smile as Orlando mentioned her going to his apartment to meet Hades. It sounded like fun but she was not so keen to go to a man she just met apartment until they at least went somewhere else first. Though with Orlando, she wasn't worried about being alone with him as much as she just wanted to keep getting a feel for exactly who he was.

"All I am hearing is that you apparently did know the rules of the game and were consistently penalized for it," Rosemary teased him, a huge smile on her face. Of course she knew that was not how hockey worked and it was normal for players to be in the penalty box but it was certainly more fun this way. "So you definitely weren't kidding about being able to protect me from someone wanting to snatch me up then."

She nodded as her eyes shifted towards the opposite way. She wondered how far that way he lived as the further you got, the nicer the places tended to be. Well, unless he wasn't actually that far away and then Orlando probably lived somewhere similar to hers. Either way, it was curious as to how far he lived if she were to visit his apartment at some point. "So you don't have a favorite coffee spot then? And yes, I suppose you can bug me whenever you feel like it but if you really take advantage of that, I will mute you,"

"That sounds perfect," Rosemary told him as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Five it is then. And if you are so confident about your skills, perhaps we should make a bet. Though I'll let you think about whether or not you are so confident."

With that, Rosemary moved up another step on the stairs. "I should get going. I do have some homework to finish up still."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Orlando grinned and chuckled slightly, she sure liked to give him grief. He liked it. He liked the give and take in their conversation. "Hey now, I didn't take any shit from anyone." He told her and bit his lip. "I don't kid around, sweetheart." He tole Rosemary with a wink. Of course physical stature was one piece of his protective abilities, but his gang affiliation was much more of the reason. But that was a fact for another day. Orlando wasn't keen on sharing this information, not with his dates, or at least not on the first date.

He didn't really date much, however, mostly one nigh things or short flings. Many of those women knew he was in a gang and seemed to feed off the 'danger' or being with him which quickly dissipated. Those he did truly try to date usually left after learning of his real line of work. So he stopped telling them. He would tell Rosemary if things got serious or if she questioned him, he wouldn't lie, he just didn't think he needed to tell the truth yet.

"No not a particular one. But maybe I will now that I know you have one." He teased, his eyes sparkling slightly. Orlando rolled his shoulders and looked around before his eyes moved to Rosemary again. "Don't worry. I'm no crazy stalker guy. I get busy too. Just a tease." He told her with a smile. "Have a good night Rosemary, I will see you tomorrow at five. I'll text you in the morning and when I'm heading over. Look for a green convertible mustang. Hard to miss." He told her and grinned again. Orlando watched as Rosemary made her way into the building, waiting to walk away until he knew she was safe inside before walking back to his apartment.

Orlando made his way back to her apartment, he figured he would send her a text, just to let Rosemary know he got back. Back home safe, not kidnapped ;) He sent her.

@ BadStreetBoys

A light laugh giggle left Rosemary as he called her sweetheart and said that he didn't kid around. "Well, I guess that we will have to see about that. Though nice to know that you'll be by my side at the fair. You know, just in case a clown tries to grab me." Of course, Rosemary was not really worried about that. Though it was always nice to have someone strong around anyways, just in the off chance that something were to happen.

"That sounds great, Orlando. I'll look forward to your message then." With that, Rosmeary walked away and made her way towards her apartment. Once inside, Rosemary settled down at her desk and started to work away on the remaining homework she had. Though, of course, the woman had to spend some time in re-ordering all of the items she had dropped on the ground. But to say that she was a little distracted was an understatement. Her mind was a little stuck on the handsome man that had just walked her home.

When her phone buzzed a bit later, Rosemary glanced down at it and smiled when she saw the message. Orlando seemed to be a bit of a comic, but she liked that. She picked up her phone and messaged him back, Glad, you didn't get snatched up. I was a little worried when I didn't walk you home ;)

---

-Next Day-

The more time that had passed, the more excited Rosemary became for her date that evening. Not only was she going to the fair, which was a place that she really wanted to see, but she was going with a guy that she was beginning to like. After all, he had been a lot of fun the day before so, at the moment, she was curious as to how it would go with him.

Soon, it was time to start getting ready and Rosemary made sure to take enough time to look nice. She certainly did not want to go overboard as they were going to a fair but, Rosemary wanted to still impress. Rosemary settled on a pair of black ripped jeans, a crop top and a pink jacket for when it got cold. When the clock hit five, she was just pulling on her shoes.