Rob Laird

LINK: He's still a little rusty on post-date ettiquette, but he didn't think sending flowers to her at work was technically classified as 'post-date ettiquette', just more just a way to tell her he was thinking of her... and couldn't stop.

7.8. Booty Call

Co-written with doesntwaltz
[Follows THIS, THIS and THIS]

Rob let out a rough, heavy breath as he sunk back into his sweaty sheets, kicking the away from his legs where they had gotten tangled around his thigh. His heart was pounding in his chest and he swiped some perspiration off his forehead with his palm, staring up at the dark ceiling of his room. This totally sucked. It sucked huge balls. His date with Leila had been perfect in every way. Thinking back on it, he couldn't fault it. There might have been some slight hitches in conversation as they wove their way through deeper information about themselves, but that was all part of the fun of getting to know someone. They danced a lot, they ate a lot, and even ended up sharing both pieces of apple pie for dessert rather than have one each. He had walked her home, holding her hand the whole way, but when they got to her place, the decision was thrust upon them whether they should have sex, or leave it on a high.

( At the time, kissing her goodnight and leaving it on a high seemed like the best option to Rob... )


Word Count | 3,815

1.30. And though my love is rare
And though my love is true
Hey I'm just scared
That we may fall through
'I'm Like A Bird' - Nelly Furtado

Co-written with doesntwaltz
[Follows THIS and THIS]

The truth was Leila had agonised over the choice of bar for a long time. Ever since Rob had left it up to her. She knew the City, or at least some of it, but that didn't mean she would pick a place he liked. Add in the dancing, and Leila felt under pressure. She was tempted just to take the easy route and make it at The Bondi. At least she knew for sure it had good food, beer, and dancing. Only she figured the point of a first date was to take Rob somewhere special.

Leila remembered a bar from the last time she'd been in New York, a place she'd hit one night after a gig to blow off some steam and grab some food. It was a few blocks from The Bondi in Soho, but it catered to a different crowd, and had never presented Luke with any competition. That was the thing about New York, it seemed to be able to support a never-ending number of nightspots. She remembered that the food had been amazing, and the cocktails had definitely aided in her dancing ability. She was never one for cocktails, but sometimes they just hit the right spot. Especially the chocolate ones. Now, here with Rob, the food was just as good as she remembered, but it was the company more than anything else. They'd managed to work in a bit of dancing already, and Leila had managed to ignore the cocktails in favour of beer like Rob.

( After another round of dancing to work off the main meal, Leila sat close to her date, her hand in his as they kept their heads together and their voices low... )


Word Count | 3,159

LINK: Getting a stuck zipper on his best pants couldn't be a sign of what was to come that night, could it?

1.15. "The thing people forget is how good it can feel when you finally set secrets free. Whether good or bad, at least they're out in the open. And once your secrets are out in the open, you don't have to hide behind them anymore. The problem with secrets is even when you think you're in control, you're not."
Grey's Anatomy

Co-written with doesntwaltz
[Follows THIS and THIS]

It might have been the last month of the summer, but it was still pleasantly warm in New York. The sun was hot and people were packed in the park trying to make the most of the nice day. They were lucky to find a free bench to sit on, let alone one that was right beside the lake. Rob watched a couple of little kids feeding the ducks a few paces away and smiled. The Park had been his choice, and although New York didn't exactly boast the freshest air in the world, the atmosphere in Central Park was still a very far cry from the deserts in Iraq. He liked being out and not cooped up. It was a date to make a date... and talk. They were meeting after lunch so he didn't have to feel like he should eat. His stomach was still pissed off at him for the Cosmo Onslaught the night before. He was feeling better, but didn't exactly want to attempt to put anything in his mouth beyond water for the moment.

( He cleared his throat, wetting his lips as he turned to look at her with a small laugh. She looked nervous... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 3,049

23.4.5. An awkward moment

Co-written with doesntwaltz
[Bendy time, occured the morning after THIS, but before THIS and THIS]

Rob woke quickly, suddenly, which did sometimes happen when he had been sleeping deeply. He was disoriented and it took a few moments to try and realise where the hell he was. It was during that process that he realised he wasn't alone in bed and he was being watched intently. Ohhh, that's right. He definitely wasn't alone. He remembered that fact when he had woken up in the middle of the night to the darkened room after the extremely hot sex he and Leila had after going back to her apartment. Actually it was more like three rounds of hot sex before the exhaustion finally claimed him and he gave into the sleepy urge. He never slept right through the night these days and woke after probably some disrupted dreams he couldn't remember once he was awake. He had been naked in bed with Leila and fought a small wave of panic at the fact before forcing himself to relax again and go back to sleep.

( And now it was morning, if the light coming through the gaps in the curtains were anything to go by... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 3,089

[LOCKED FROM doesntwaltz]

TEN Pros
1. Hot sex
2. We laughed
3. Could be myself
4. More hot sex
5. I want to know more about her
6. I didn't feel like I was doing something wrong
7. Hot sex again
8. She likes me ruffled?
9. There was a connection
10. Hot sex revisited

TEN Cons
1. Still technically married
2. Could be deployed again at any minute
3. She doesn't stick in one place long either
4. Am I rebounding?
5. She doesn't know the whole story
6. How do I tell her the whole story?
7. Two close cousins who could potentially get extremely protective
8. Not sure she realises the enormity of what deployment could mean
9. I've always sucked at phone sex
10. The thought of trying another relationship scares me

1.2. "Never underestimate the power of passion."
Eve Sawyer

Co-written with doesntwaltz [Follows THIS, THIS and THIS]

The jury was still out on whether Rob liked New York or not. It seemed everyone he actually met who was in New York, or knew New York wanted to point him in the direction of a bar. He had names of bars coming out his butt by this point, and a strange urge to eat a pretzel. As it was, he spent the day wandering aimlessly around the shops and not buying a single thing. It wasn't that he didn't have money, because he did. He had high plans to try and plump out his inventory a little and just buy something that didn't fit in his bag, but he really must just be someone who didn't need much. He couldn't see a single thing he actually wanted to buy himself. Saw lots of things he might buy a girlfriend... if he had one, which he didn't. No wife, no girlfriend, just an enthusiastic right hand.

( By the time he was done with the 'shopping', he really did need a drink. Especially after it took him nearly half an hour to get into a cab after maybe a little too politely offering it to a string of people before him who looked like they needed it more than he did... )

All muses referenced with permission


Word Count | 5,001

LINK: First New York experience, being nearly run over by a granny with her shopping cart in Walmart.

LINK: Goodbye Littlerock, hello New York City... now what?