// the heart of it all

[derek]

[style=font-family: times; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 1px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #989898; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;]536 WORDS FOR RYAN DUBOIS two more :D DREAM [/style]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #6d6d6d;] [style=padding: 10px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; height: 475px; overflow: auto; color: #1e1e1e;]The steak was exactly what Ryan built it up to be. The meat was cooked just the right amount, and the seasoning was different than he was used to. A good different. He licked away the excess juice from his lips and took a sip of wine. As Ryan predicted, his silence had been bound by the food set in front of him. He approved of her taste in food, and anticipation for another plate so rich in flavor begged for another visit to the jazzy restaurant. Hadn't he seen some sort of burger featured on the menu? The Jules burger, he was sure it was called. Piled with mushrooms and other good eats, Derek was convinced by the quality of his steak that the Jules burger might just surpass the greasy mass that McDonald's served for an eighth of the price. Edible meals came with a price. "You were right," Derek replied, nodding. "This place is great." He hadn't eaten so well in awhile. Life on the go was sometimes cruel in that sense. Derek took yet another gulp of his steak. A new song was prying into the air, and he couldn't help the gentle sway of his head that followed the rhythm presented. "How'd you find this place again?" He wasn't sure if that had come into the conversation at that point. He was ninety-three percent certain they had not discussed the topic, and if they had, well, he'd chew that if such an event occurred. His mind slowly lingered on Ryan's relationship with Leonardo once more. He didn't understand why. Their lovefest was no business of his. Quite frankly, he didn't even care. Why, then, did he continue to contemplate their chemistry? He'd known Leonardo while he was dating Honor Zadian. The pair was one hell of a match, though Derek dubbed them hopeless from the moment their commitment to each other went public. About fifteen minutes later, he was nearly finishing off his plate. His wine had already been long gone. The combination of the wine and the steak definitely hit the spot. His stomach was now comfortably full, just in time to realize that he should probably be on his way. He wasn't one to dine and dash, but the thought implanted itself inside his time table to marinate. He pushed away his plate and accepted another glass of wine when the waitress offered him some. He'd finish off one more drink before excusing himself from Ryan's presence, but not before he could cover their dinners. It was the least he could do to repay Ryan for her hospitality. He'd probably be eating in solitude had she not offered to share her table with him. Besides, what was a few bucks off of his paycheck? He was a movie star! Money was far from a concern he faced on a day-to-day basis. "If you're not up for dessert or anything, I'll take the bill," he told Ryan courteously. "It's the least I could do after everything you've enlightened me with tonight." [/style]

TABLE BY CALIFORNIA DREAMING @ CAUTION 2.0