When I'm With You

"Not much, just filling in conversation while we wait for you guys to arrive," I said.

Nina looked to me with a raised eyebrow before she looked down to her menu. I shook her head as I followed he lead, reading the menu while drinking at my drink. I found something I liked, which happened to be a caesar salad, but then I thought of what everyone else might think of me if a girl as skinny as me would be having something like that. It wasn't like I was one of those girls that went straight to the bathroom after I ate something. I was the way I was because I worked hard to get where I was and sometimes, that included the fact that I didn't eat. I tried to find something else to eat upon the menu but failed to do so.

I sighed and pushed myself away from the table, relaxing into the seat that I shared with Ian. I began to feel slightly woozy, my head getting sore. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, thinking of how I needed to have some food soon enough to help settle my stomach and make my world less dizzy. I reached over the glass of water that Ian had given me earlier and practically drained it in one go. I set it back down, my dizziness still there but dying off a little. I tried to refocus upon the menu so I could try and get the full extent of my dizziness out of my head.

I gripped the edge of the seat that Ian and I sat upon while I read the menu over again to try and find something that would be substantial and wouldn't be judged for. Ian must've noticed my hands gripping the edges of the seat because I felt his hand gripping mine. I didn't bother look down at it because i knew what was happening and it's not like I wanted to bring attention to it, especially under Nina's watchful gaze. The hostess returned to our table with Nina and Paul's drinks, looking to the rest of us if we were ready to order. Ian kept his hand there as he ordered his food. I tried my best to ignore the fact that Ian was holding my hand as I let my eyes run over the menu quickly again when the hostess' eyes turned to me.

I looked up to her and went with my first choice, saying, "Can I get a caesar salad, please?"

Nina glared at me and I shrunk back into my seat, Nina turning to the hostess, saying, "She won't get that, she'll get the burrito and another beer."

In returned, I glared at Nina as the hostess nodded and left our table, saying, "Why did you do that? It's not like I wanted it in the first place."

"You need something to get some meat on you," she said. "Not rabbit food."

"It's not rabbit food!" I argued, taking my hand from Ian's and leaning to Nina across the table. "I can't help it if I want to eat healthy."

"And guess where that is getting you?" she said as Paul placed his hand upon her shoulder, trying to pull her back. "Thinner than ever?"

"It's not like I wanted to be this way!" I retorted, not sure if she was understanding what I was saying. "It's taken a lot of hard work to get were I am and sometimes, certain things have to suffer."

"Like your health?" Nina said. "Are you serious? That's just not right."

"Like you trying to hook me up with Ian even though we hardly know each other," i said, shifting in my seat and ushering Ian off it.

"Nothing wrong with a one night stand," she said as I got up from the seat and Ian looking to me hesitantly.

"I'm not thats kind of girl," I said, storming out of the restaurant towards my second hand almost ruined car.

Behind me, I heard Paul and Nina arguing with Ian's voice mixed in the middle, although his wasn't was prominent. I got into the drivers seat and started up the car. I was about to drive off towards my decapitated apartment when I heard a knocking upon the door of the passenger side of the car. I jumped in my seat and quickly halted my car, looking towards the passenger window to see Ian. My brows furrowed as he motioned for me to wind down the window. I did so and saw him lean upon the the door where the window had once been and ducked his head inside the door.

"You mind if I get a ride home?" Ian said. "I don't think I can be around Nina right now. She can be a bit over-dramatic sometimes."

"You're telling me," I said as I unlocked the car and let Ian in. "Still hungry?"

"Definitely," Ian said.

"I'll make you something at home," I said. "I'm inviting you over so we can't be interrupted by unwanted things."

I saw Ian smile out of the corner of my eye as I took off from the spot that I had parked in and drove down the street. It took a while for me to finally realise where I was before I managed to direct the car into the parking space out on the street in front of the apartment building I lived in. I could see Ian's studying eyes search the building as we got out of the car, locking it behind us before walking towards it. He raised his eyebrows as he followed me inside and he paused slightly, looking around. Confused, I turned back to him as I was about to take the stairs.

"Lift's in repair," I said as I headed up the stairs. "Time to get some exercise, Damon, without your supernatural powers."

Ian laughed as he followed me up the stairs to my floor. I hovered near my door and shoved the keys into the keyhole, shoving the door with my shoulder to try and open it. Ian was beside me in a second and pushed me gently out of the doorway when he gently gave the door a shove when it opened it. He smiled at me widely as I rolled my eyes and slipped passed him into my apartment. It wasn't that hard to pass him but when I felt him against my back when I slipped passed, I tried to suppress any feelings that I was getting from him. I turned on the light and began to move about my apartment to prepare the nights meal. I but my make-up case into the bathroom and my bag into my room before I returned to the kitchen to find Ian still by the door, looking about the room and slowly closing it behind him.

"Make yourself at home," I said as I opened the fridge and searched it. "What do you feel like having?"

"Something simple and homely," Ian said, sitting at the bench upon one of the stools.

"Spaghetti Bolognese sound good?" I said as I got some pasta and some meat from the fridge.

"Sounds amazing," Ian said, watching me move about the kitchen.

"Did you want to watch tv while?" I suggested as I set a pot to boil with the spaghetti within while I prepared the meat.

"I'm good," he said. "But do you have iPod speakers?"

"Sure do," I said as I disappeared into my room and came back into the kitchen where I set a pair of worn iPod speakers.

"Do you have anything that isn't second hand?" he asked me as he pulled out his iPhone from his pocket and set it into the speakers.

"It's what happens when you don't earn as much as everybody else thinks you do," I said, throwing the meat into a frying pan and mixing a sauce into it.

A John Mayer song started to play as I hummed along to "Waiting On The World To Change". Ian moved from his seat beside me to where I stood, watching me attend to the food. I dipped my finger into the sauce and was about to taste the sauce when Ian reached over to me. He took my finger that had been dipped in the sauce and licked it off there. I gave him a weird look and pulled my hand from him. I made a disgusted noise as I continued to cook.

"Maybe it was a bad idea bringing you back if your going to act like that," I said. "I'm no Nina."

"I'm really starting to figure that out now," Ian said, leaning against the bench. "You're not all you seem to be."