andrew -- meat night

[luisa]

A great deal of the time, Luisa was a vegetarian. Almost all the time, in fact, the operative word being 'almost'. But one day out of every month, two if she was feeling really sorry for herself, she designated 'Meat Night'. The one day she could eat any animal product she chose in any quantity she desired. It was like a holiday. Luisa's vegetarianism had nothing to do with the special bond to animals that working with horses had given her, and it had nothing to do about the corrupt and altogether disgusting American meat industry. It had more to do with the fact that if she got fat, she would have to buy new riding clothes, and riding clothes were expensive. She'd had the same show coat since she was fourteen, bought used, and didn't plan on getting another until she was in the Olympics. Maybe not even then. By restricting meat-fats in her diet she could be sure that she wouldn't have to spend any more money than absolutely necessary.

Andrew was the only one who knew about Luisa's Meat Night. It was always too complicated to explain to people that she was only a vegetarian 353 days out of every year, and so after a while she just stopped trying. But on Meat Night, she could trust her buddy to know what was up, and recognize how special this occasion was. Luisa was a frugal girl. She shopped at Costco to save precious pennies by buying in bulk, she cut coupons, and she only ate out on meat night, and that would usually be the only full and balanced meal she'd have during the month. She'd leave feeling like a king.

She sat at her favourite table at the steakhouse, the one right beside the window, and looked at the menu - even though it was obvious what she was ordering. She was ordering what everybody ordered: steak. Giant piece of beef on a plate, medium rare, with potatoes her way and steamed vegetables with butter. It was always tender and perfect here, without a whisper of gristle, perfectly seasoned, beautifully served, coleslaw on the side. It was like eating a dream. She awaited Andy eagerly, partly for his company and partly so it would be okay to place her order.

[andrew michael hayes]

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[atrb=background,http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t456/Awengera/AndyNewTableMid_zps1054dbc7.png] Having only been here for a few months, and not spending much of his time socializing, Andrew didn't exactly know many people. That doesn't mean no one, though. He stands in his bedroom, dressing himself for the occasion of the night. The wonderful 'Meat Day'. While he is no vegetarian, and happily intakes his share of meat daily, his friend Luisa is not, and tonight is her night to indulge herself on a nice steak. He doesn't dress himself up to much, just converse, black jeans, and a plain black v-neck shirt with a fitted gray cardigan should suffice. Seeing as this is certainly qualified as a holiday, he followed the conventions of gift-giving, and got Luisa a necklace with a bird pendant, tucked away neatly in a box and wrapped up to look all pretty. A quick glance at his phone assures him he is only a few minutes late as he arrives to the steakhouse, not to bad. Entering the restaurant, he explained to the hostess that he should have a friend waiting, and was directed to the table. He held up the box for a moment to get her attention, placing the gift down on the table. He smiled, sliding into the seat across from her. ”Happy meat day!” He chimes cheerfully, his eyes meeting hers. Grabbing a menu, he pretends to look at it for a moment, but he already knows what Luisa plans on getting, and that's exactly what he wants too. Typically, he eats alone, whatever cheap thing he can find, since he doesn't have a dependable income until he can find himself a job. What is a celebration of being able to eat an animal one day a month to her, is the delightful day of the month he allows himself to eat out and order whatever he'd like. ©credits : table by ironman(awengera) lyrics : it's time – imagine dragons

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[luisa]

As always, Andy was looking much better put together than Luisa, even though she had made an effort to dress up for Meat Day. She didn't own anything that was between super casual and nice, which was the problem. Luisa owned one dress in a somber gray, and it was reserved for weddings, funerals and dates with rich people. Then, she had her regular clothes; jeans and plain shirts, and then her barn clothes, which were absolutely dismal. In the end, though, it came down to her hair and how much of it she had. It was hard to keep it all organized, and so it usually hung around in a giant curly mess, making her casual clothes look in a way messier. However, it did nothing but enhance her looks when she wore her dress. Interesting how that worked.

When he showed her her Meat Night gift, she raised her own, which had been hiding in her basket under the table. She wasn't particularly good at giving gifts, but booze was always a sure bet. So, she got him some Jim Beam, wrapped up in paper that had little birds wearing Christmas hats. It was the only paper she had, and it was kind of relevant, since it was the Christmas season and birds were made of meat. The Jim Beam was partly for her, since they had a 2 for 1 on at the liquor store and Luisa loved bourbon like a brother, but it had all kinds of sentiment behind it- any other day, any other person, and Luisa would have kept the other bottle as well. "Happy Meat Day to you, too. It's the most wonderful time of the month." She folded her menu, eager to place her order, and caught the eye of their waitress. When prompted, Luisa said the most delicious words of the month, the ones she had probably practiced the night before in bed. "Steak, please, with caramelized onions and chips- make it medium rare, and red wine- make it the cheapest kind you have because I honestly can't tell the difference." Luisa was practically bouncing with excitement.

"So what's new with Andy?" Luisa asked, touching his forearm as if to get his attention. Luisa had always been a person to make physical contact with others, probably due to both her mother and her father's separate cultures having a much narrower sense of personal space than what was traditional in the US. A lot of time it was treated as romantic by people she didn't know too well, but she never seemed to have that problem with Andrew.

[IRONMAN]

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[atrb=background,http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t456/Awengera/AndyTableMid_zps2e6c3063.png] Andrew eyed the gift she offers gratefully, dipping his head in thanks and setting the bottle down in the empty seat beside him, unbuttoning his cardigan and tugging it off, throwing it on the chair as well. ”True to that!” He comments as she speaks, reaching for his water and making a fake toasting gesture. The waitress nears to take their order, and he sets down his menu, switching his gaze to Luisa as she orders. Of course, everything she orders sounds absolutely delightful. After she finishes off her list, and the waitress turns to him, he shrugs. ”I don't think I can think of anything better. I'll have what the lady's having, minus the alcohol.” he says, watching as the woman collects their menus and walks away. Damn that year he has until he can drink in public. There's always Luisa's gift for him for later, though. Andrew is unfazed by her physical gesture, he'd always been a hands-on kind of person as it was. He thinks for a moment. ”Nothing particularly interesting. Trying to find myself a real job still.” he says. He'd just been doing little things for money, no steady income. Nothing romantic, either. Life wasn't very eventful lately.

[luisa]

Luisa couldn't help but check out the waitress as she walked away. It totally wasn't like her to do, but it was getting to the point where she would simply because she could. Damn it, she really had to break that stupid habit. Luisa was in no way attracted to the waitress, nor was she planning to do anything in any way sexual with the waitress. It was all this repression, it was making her stupid. She shook her head and picked up her glass of wine, sipping it and finding that, actually, she could taste the difference. She guessed that meant growing up and maturing her taste.

It also meant that the cheap wine she'd been getting by the case to drink alone in her apartment was some good stuff, so that was a plus.

She heard Andy speak about a job, so she put her glass town, eager to help. "There might be something up at the barn, have you checked? Or maybe here, I mean that would be a really great excuse for me to eat steak right?" She put her napkin on her lap, preparing for the meatiest experience of her month.

She paused, wondering if the growing up and checking out thing had any meaning. "Andy, you're gay right?" she asked, picking up her glass and trying to make it not a big deal. Maybe she was just trying something on, but either way she had to be a man about it and say something to someone.

[andrew michael hayes]

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[atrb=background,http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t456/Awengera/AndyNewTableMid_zps1054dbc7.png] Andrew glanced at Luisa as the waitress walked away, when she shook her head, an odd look on her face. After a moment, he was about to ask her if she was okay, but she spoke before he could. He smiled, thinking for a second. He would enjoy to work at the stables, but he wasn't very educated on horse care at the moment. Maybe he could work here though. He lifted his glass of water to his lips to take a glass when she asked her abrupt question. Well, that was blunt. His glass stayed lifted up to his lips, but he didn't take a drink from it, peering over the cup at Luisa, staring at her for a moment. He wasn't offended that she thought he was gay, because he was. What was surprising was that she had to ask. Andrew was so used to figuring that people just assumed he was gay without having to ask, and since they were right he didn't mind it. People rarely bothered actually asking him. ”Oh, no, I'm straight as a line.” he deadpanned, a totally serious look on his face. That expression lasted about twenty seconds before he chuckled slightly, placing his glass down and leaning back in his chair. ”Oh hell yeah, I'm as gay as they come.” he smiles, which quickly fades as he thinks. He places the puzzle pieces together, thinking of how Luisa looked at the waitress as she walked away. She had been checking her out. Now that he thought about it, that wasn't the first time she's checked out a girl. ”Oh.” He says quietly, and then his eyes light up, a grin spreading over his face. ”You are too, aren't you?” He asked, not able to hide the excitement in his voice. It made him feel so good when people felt comfortable coming out to him. ©credits : table by ironman(awengera) lyrics : it's time – imagine dragons

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