@curbsweptāĀ said : ā watcha doing ? ā ( vanessa )
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā at first, usnavi doesnāt hear her. ( heās in the bathroom at the bodega, seemingly talking to⦠himself. itās stupid in practice, and he feels like an idiot the longer he looks at his own reflection. but, benny said this would help ā heās a man teetering on the edge, and if he doesnāt have the confidence to do something he reallyĀ wants to do, he can at least pretend he does, right? be his own hype man, get inside his own head and knock the insecurities away, if only for fifteen minutes. )
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā the knock against the door frame, however, pulls him out of his routine, and usnaviās eyes are wide as he turns to face vanessa. ( heās sureĀ heās blushing, face flushed red as his lips part on a nervous smile. ) ā ā hey! ā he greets, voice loud and brightĀ as he practically shouts. he stops, chuckling nervously through his teeth as his arms fold over his chest. ā you, uh ā you been standinā there long?Ā ācause i was just.. workinā. startinā the day off right with a lilā self love. ā a beat, as he adds, ā per⦠sonnyās orders, ā as if that some how makes it moreĀ believable.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā a hand moves to scratch at the back of his neck, and usnavi clears his throat a little too loudly as he steps away from the sink, towards the shop. ā we aināt open yet, but ā you need some cafĆ©? i can start brewinā up somethinā right now! ā ( itās a pathetic attempt at a topic change, but usnavi has to hopeĀ and prayĀ he wasnāt caught red handed. )
(Ā the proposal sentence starters | accepting!Ā )
Vanessa isnāt really usedĀ to getting away with sneaking around--not that she snuck up on Usnavi on purpose. Between the total stalkersĀ on the block, and Daniela keeping an eagle on her when sheās on the clock, Vanessa never really considers herself inconspicuous.Ā
She almost laughs when Usnavi jumps out of his skin but manages to COVER and bite her thumbnail, smiling.Ā āNah, I just came in,ā she assures him. āPlace was empty, so I came lookinā for you.ā Definitely just because of her morning coffee. No other reason. None at ALL.
āĀæNo manches?Ā Sonnyās gotcha talkinā to yourself now?ā Vanessa shrugs, but her smile never falters.Ā āWhatever FLOATS YOUR BOAT, man.ā
Only her eyes follow Usnavi as he exits the bathroom; she remainsĀ POSTED UPĀ against the door frame, arms folded over her chest. She only loses the composure when he mentions that the bodega isnāt yet open.Ā āOh, shit, forreal? My bad. I didnāt even check my phone when I left home. Had to get out of there, ya know? One of those mornings.ā Vanessa takes the few steps to catch up to him.Ā āIf youāre brewinā, Iāll take some, but I didnāt mean to throw off your whole routine. I can hang out a minute.ā