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[recoined]

	you've reached kimberly — you really should have texted me. who leaves a voicemail anymore? audio | text | video | snapchat | action
kimberly hart.

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[acuerdo]

It's a surprise. [he grins and chuckles a little as she looks around, as if whatever else he has going on is in the room. fun fact: it's not.]

One that means we're leaving the house. Enjoy your breakfast. We're not due to head there until 11.

[recoined]

( eleven??? he woke her up early to eat breakfast when they don't even have to leave the house until eleven? if there wasn't a particularly sweet valentine's breakfast laid out across her lap, he might have just earned himself a glare. instead, a soft huff over a spoonful of fruit and yogurt is all that details her opinion on the matter.

not that time takes that long to pass. he leaves her to eat, takes his own shower and changes, and sweeps away her dirty dishes in an effort to encourage her to shower and change as well. she's not entirely sure what she needs to be dressing for, but at least he leaves her a few hints — apparently, her gymwear is fair game, though she opts to match his color palette today in the spirit of sharing and caring, greys and blacks represented in an off-the-shoulder sweater and partially sheer leggings chosen mostly to keep her warm.

when eleven comes around, she's more than ready to go, impatient and bouncing on her heels as he gathers up the last few things he'll need. )

Are you going to tell me where we're going now?

[acuerdo]

[he'd worried that waking her early might be cause for concern, but honestly, robbie figures the thought behind breakfast and the considerations he's made for their day ought be enough to make up for it.

while she polishes off her breakfast, he heads off to get cleaned up. when he finishes, he's dressed in a soft hooded sweatshirt and track pants, casual attire fitting for what they're going to do. he handles the dishes while she takes care of her hair and so on. robbie can't help but think that they make a pretty effective team. he hopes their activity today will only help with that.]

Not quite. But I'll give you a hint. It's a class and then we've got lunch and something in the evening. I hope you don't mind me taking your whole day from you.

[recoined]

( if it was anybody else, she might have been a little cranky about the early morning rising, but robbie gets a free pass as a general rule. it helps, too, that he's thoughtful about it — pairing it with a delivered breakfast definitely takes the edge off.

and, similarly, he gets a bit of a pass for claiming her entire day at once; she offers only a fond roll of her eyes as they trade the inside of his apartment for the inside of the car. once they're settled and out on the road, kimberly shifts, turning to face him with a bemused smile curving up the corners of her mouth. )

I don't know about you, but I was kind of planning on spending today with you anyway, so it works out okay. ( a beat, and she reaches out, letting her fingertips drag over the top of his hand currently occupied atop the gear stick. ) What kind of class did you sign us up for?

[acuerdo]

There's definitely not anyone else I wanted to spend the day with. Unless you count the dog, but he's not exactly a good kisser.

[he teases, grinning fondly at her from the driver's seat as her hand comes to rest atop his.]

It's a dance class. I thought we could learn together and then make a go of it tonight?

[it's maybe another fifteen minutes (five of which is waiting for the trolley to pass) before they've parked at barred to partake in one of their newest classes being offered: salsa. it's not a private class, sadly, but there's only four more couples that will be joining them and the instructor in the brightly lit studio.]

Ready?

[recoined]

( salsa is a dance kimberly's never attempted before. it's not exactly top 40s, but she's heard enough latin-influenced music to feel comfortable with the beat, and while it's not quite as easy as a clap or step to the beat, it's not impossible. she picks up the steps after a little bit of repetition and a few helpful suggestions from their instructor, and after half an hour or so of practice, feels fairly comfortable. not competition ready or anything close to it, but enough to try out in public.

robbie, on the other hand? not quite as comfortable. she can't help but laugh as she guides him along the beat, trying her best to make him feel comfortable enough to release the tension that's got his legs locked into stiff patterns rather than fluid moves to the beat. )

Relax, babe, you're not a robot...

[acuerdo]

[relax she says. as if dancing should be something that comes naturally to him. but the statement is fair enough. he is tense and his movements do feel a little stiff. robbie sighs, slipping away from her long enough to shake out his limbs.]

I'm not exactly a twinkle toes either. Who knew this was so hard?

[but to his credit, he pulls her back to him and carefully tries to follow the beat of the music, to feel the rhythm that he should be moving to.]

[recoined]

( he does get the hang of things, eventually. after a while, with a little help and guidance from their instructor, he manages to move like he spars — if not entirely trained, there's passion in it, natural ability and agility that helps him once the tenseness flows out of him. kimberly's proud of him; there's a warm, fond smile that curves over her mouth as they dance so close together, so different from the teasing, flirtatious ones that used to show themselves when they'd first met.

there's something with meaning there. it's shown in the careful way he holds the small of her back, or in the way her hands drape confidently over his shoulder and upper arm, secure without gripping tight, knowing he'll catch her if she falls. their eyes meet every-so-often, mostly a smile or two exchanged as they move, but it's enough opportunity to exchange a few errant thoughts. )

Are you having fun now?

[acuerdo]

[if anyone had bothered to suggest that this might be how his life would turn out, that he'd care about someone enough to want to step out of his comfort zone, that he'd actually go out on a date — many dates, in fact, which he hopes he'll be able to tell canelo and the boys about some day — he would have laughed and reminded them that he only cared about working on his car and keeping his kid brother fed, clothed, and in school.

but here, hand in hand with kimberly, robbie's willing to overlook the awkwardness of trying something new that he's not amazing at doing, he's able to ignore the polite instruction and hands correcting his posture. he smiles at kim and twirls her about, tipping her over with a flourish before tugging her back into his arms.]

Surprisingly enough, yes. You?

[recoined]

Yeah. ( she's a little breathless from the motion as she says it, but her eyes are bright and there's a clear grin curving her lips upwards all the same. ) I always have fun with you.

( which is true, at least recently. perhaps that's the blessing of being in a city where the worst thing that can happen is a sudden snowstorm. there's no world ending around you to make you cranky or unhappy, and no stress of having to make ends meet to ruin your day. it's like being on permanent vacation, as far as kimberly's concerned, and she's pretty content with her choice of vacation partners. )

Do we have anything planned after this on your super-secret itinerary?

[acuerdo]

Ditto. [the lack of words isn't any kind of indication of a lack of feeling on robbie's end. kimberly is the kind of unexpected surprise that a place like cadelle has net him. for someone who'd arrived fully convinced that he'd be a loner until he was inevitably sent back to try and prevent his death, he's made more connections that he ever thought possible. he's got friends, coworkers, and more importantly, he's got a reason to stick around — a girlfriend, who he cares for in ways he really hasn't even begun to scratch at.]

I thought we could grab lunch and then actually take these skills for a test drive. Valentine's day is a good reason to put on a nice suit, isn't it?

[recoined]

I could go for lunch.

( that breakfast in bed had turned into more of a sampler session in between lazy attempts at grabbing his ass, so she could probably stand to fuel up. especially after a dance class. she wasn't starving yet, but give her an hour and she'd probably be too hungry to even enjoy it. better to eat now, in any case, then wait too long. )

Do you wanna get out of here? ( a grin in his general direction ) Maybe we could get something to go this time... see if our spot in the mountains is cleared up?