cut to the feeling

[oscargarrett]

Anyone who knew Oscar could confirm that he was a hopeless romantic, usually with emphasis on the hopeless part. He didn't really stop to think of the turbulence involved with falling for someone. For whatever reason, though, that feeling didn't exist with Maia. She was cute and funny and one of the coolest people he knew. He could've sat in that booth for hours just talking with her, however he was starting to think of a much better option than talking. His hand moved to tug her in a bit closer, or as close as legally possible. Getting booked for public indecency was much more a Josie or James move, not so much him. He was liking their Philly trips, too, not wanting to jinx anything.

He was sure there was a tinge of redness reflecting on his own face as they broke apart, but seeing it on Maia's? It made it very hard for him to stop grinning back at her. "That wasn't why I did it, but good to know for the future," he teased back. He felt his brows raise towards the following statement before nodding. "You're so right. We gotta really make sure that it's your favourite, get that second opinion and everything." With that, his lips found hers once more.

He didn't realize how long they'd been at it. Honestly, he could've spent the rest of that day just making out with her in that 50's diner booth if it weren't for their waitress. "Ahem," he heard, pulling away from Maia a little breathlessly. "Yeah?" he asked before meeting the eyes of the poor middle-aged lady that held their cheque and had clearly been waiting a while for them to wrap things up. "Oh. S-sorry, and thank you," he nodded once she gave him an annoyed sounding mmhm and set it on the table. He waited a few seconds for her to walk out of earshot before chuckling. "Whoops. I might've just gotten us banned from this place for life."

[maiagrainger]

Maia's arms slipped around Oscar's waist as they kissed. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, only that when the waitress came to interrupt them, she felt an uncharacteristic burst of irritation, because it hadn't felt like long enough. She probably should have felt a little more bashful about it, if not for the fact all she could think about was how much she had enjoyed kissing him, and how much she wanted to do it again. Unfortunately, she didn't think the waitress would be very understanding towards the urge.

"I'm sure they'll welcome us back with open arms if we leave a big enough tip," she pointed out. "And if not... it was kinda worth it." As much as she loved their Philadelphia adventures, it wasn't as though this place was the only place in the state they could grab lunch, no matter how good their milkshakes were. It might have been corny, but she would have been happy anywhere, so long as she got to keep hanging out with Oscar.

Reluctantly, she withdrew her arms, shuffling away a little and digging in her purse for her share of the bill. "Besides, this place is open twenty-four hours," she said. "I'm sure they've seen more scandalous things. Maybe she's just the real life version of Mrs. Crumplebottom from The Sims. That was her warning before she starts hitting us with the menu."

[oscargarrett]

"Oh, that's definitely what it was," he nodded with a grin, automatically going along with whatever backstory the two of them could spin it into. "She had one incredible trip to Spain and was forever changed. It one of those trips you take with your girlfriends, you know? The one every woman apparently has during her mid-life crisis...or the crisis of whatever age Ms Chowder is, that's what happened. She went on a gazpacho spree and never looked back." He watched with a bit of concern, taking a moment to try and act as if he didn't notice them at all while she did the exact opposite. "Honestly, no, it's not weird at all. I feel like if I leave here before learning if she also orders soup while eating out, I won't sleep. It'll haunt me forever."

Oscar hoped how he felt about the teddy bear comment didn't appear too obvious, although the sudden warmth in his cheeks had him thinking it might've been revealed already. Not too bothered by it, though, he'd already moved on to listening to her talk about her sisters. It was nice that, considering he once pined stupidly hard for Raye, hearing her name brought nothing more than the tiniest heartstring tug. That was it. It was nostalgia more than anything now, especially considering what he had in front of him. Her reaction did have him take a quick glance around and shooting the diners next to them an awkward smile and wave before turning his attention back.

If Oscar wasn't blushing before, he certainly was now. He was okay with it, though, given her answer. "Yeah? Cool," he replied automatically, hesitating when he realized how dumb that sounded. He tried to pull up any Elijahisms from memory, thinking of when he essentially said to make a move once he felt the vibe. He held up a finger, signalling for her to wait a moment. He took around fifteen seconds or so to slide out from his side of the booth, take a few steps, and settle in right beside her. "Okay, so I really wanted to get a better view of Sips and Slumps," he let out a quick snicker before relaxing into a grin and letting his eyes fall to her lips. "But more importantly, I wanted to do this." He reached over, using his thumb and pointer to tilt her chin up slightly. The smile he wore only left once his lips found hers and he let himself get lost in kissing her.

[maiagrainger]

"Like Eat Pray Love, if it was Spain instead of India or wherever she goes in that movie. I don't know. I haven't seen it," Maia snickered. Whereas before it had been difficult not to keep looking in the direction of Chowder and Tumbles, though, now she was finding it difficult to keep her gaze away from Oscar. There was a huge, dorky smile on her face that had planted itself there when he first said the word girlfriend, and wouldn't quite go away. She knew if Dahlia was there, she'd be roasting her for it. But Dahlia wasn't likely to show up here in Philly. It was one of the nice things about their relationship - in their own little bubble away from home, they had been allowed to get to know each other as Oscar and Maia without everyone else they knew butting in.

For a moment, she was slightly confused when Oscar stood up from his seat. It seemed like an odd time for a bathroom break. Her cheeks turned a little pink when she realised he wasn't going to the bathroom, but coming to sit right beside her. "Hi," she said, suddenly feeling an explosion of butterflies just from being close to him. It was nothing compared to what happened when he leaned in to kiss her, though, less butterflies and more like a fleet of jumbo jets taking off at once. Maia wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she kissed him back, momentarily forgetting they were doing so in a public diner.

By the time they pulled apart, Maia's cheeks weren't just pink anymore - her entire face had flushed entirely red. She smiled at him again, almost shyly. "You know, there are easier ways of getting me to shut up than kissing me," she said, her tone making it clear it was a joke. "But I think your way is definitely my favourite. We might have to try it again though. Just to be sure it works."

[oscargarrett]

"I know that in different cultures or whatever, there are certain soups you traditionally eat cold. That I'm all good with. It's her way of deciding to take part in that by buying a tin can of soup from the store that upsets me. Do you think she carries a can opener in her purse? God, I wish I could check." He sighed almost wistfully, knowing that'd have to remain one of lives little mysteries. His brows knit with s split second of concern, wondering if he'd fed any ducks recently. Feels like something I would do. "I'll confiscate the next pack of frozen peas I find, and we'll look for a pond and test that out," he grinned.

"Thank you. I'm never in yellow, either," Oscar pointed out. "I'm much more of a nature toned guy, I guess. I also have a weird amount of cardigans. Not, like, old man ones or anything, but the number of them is actually a bit concerning now that I think about it." He didn't think that explaining he just likes being cozy would fix anything, so he shook his head and carried on. “I don’t know, I think you should try it. Call one of your sisters ‘lil buddy’ and see how they react.” Deep down, Oscar actually felt a squish in his heart at the realization that James didn't solely see him as his baby brother. That, as well as what she'd said next. Metaphorical cartoon hearts might as well had been popping up all over the place in Oscar's mind. Hers. They'd tip-toed around it, but hearing that made a switch flick in his mind.

He let out a light chuckle, knowing fully well that what he said next could potentially kill this outing. There was a weird sense of bravery there, though. If she was his, he might as well show that he was hers right back. "Well, there was one specific nickname I was thinking of. I've been thinking of it for a while, too, but it's not as good as Maia Papaya. And I mean, obviously, there's nothing that can beat that," he teased before letting his expression settle into something a bit more serious. "If you're cool with it, I was thinking the nickname 'girlfriend.'"

[maiagrainger]

"Oh, totally. Gazpacho? Totally fine," Maia paused for a second. "Or at least, it is on paper. I wouldn't object to you eating gazpacho. I don't think I'd be ordering it myself, though. I still think I'd rather my soup warm. Wait, do you think Gazpacho is what kickstarted it? Like, she had a really good bowl one time and now she's chasing that high?" She craned her neck a little, before realising Chowder hadn't brought a purse with her. "I'm super curious to see what they order, now. I feel like we can't leave until we know. Is that weird?"

Her eyes flicked to his attire. Now that he mentioned it, he did wear a lot of cardigans, more so than the average guy their age. It suited him, though. His love of knitwear was one of the things that made him unique, and the more time she spent with him, the more Maia found herself appreciating the differences between Oscar and pretty much everyone else she had ever met. "On the plus side, you give great hugs. Because of the cardigans, I mean. It's kind of like hugging a teddy bear." She thought about his suggestion for a moment. "I think it would have to be Dahlia. Raye wouldn't say anything even if she thought it was weird. I'll let you know how it goes, though."

She wasn't sure if her face reflected the journey her feelings were going on, but Maia had always been a bit of an open book emotionally. What started in curiosity jumped to surprise, then a sort of excitement mixed with affection. Given most of her self-retrained was going to not bouncing up and down in her chair, and not controlling her facial expression, she would have been surprised if he didn't see every step of the journey. "Are you kidding?" she said, loud enough that the people at the next table glanced over. "'Oscar Garrett's girlfriend' is way better than Maia Papaya. Blows it out of the water, in fact." If that wasn't enough of a confirmation, Maia nodded her head. "Yep. Yes. Definitely cool with it."

[oscargarrett]

"Is that so, huh? Well, I guess my cold soup from the can days have reached their end," he sighed, fully playing out the bit. "I'm gonna miss those perfectly square chunks of chicken and carrot...and now I see exactly what you mean." His expression wrinkled in disgust towards his own words, now shuddering at the thought of either of those ingredients cold. "Great. Guess we have a shared ick now. Maybe Tumbles is into it, too? Or something of equal weirdness, like he uses a frozen bag of peas for his injuries and to eat." He nodded, hoping the way his eyes followed the maraschino as it reached her lips wasn't too obvious. He willed himself to focus anywhere else.

He let out an automatic groan once he knew explanations were needed. "Big Bird is courtesy of my stupid friend Elijah. I think it's more cause of the tall thing, but he's also that friend you'd look through school textbooks with, and he'd point to the ugliest person on the page and go 'that's you.' It's kind of the same thing, but at the moment, it's photos of Big Bird supposedly looking like me." He shook his head, Elijah's antics seeming to follow him no matter how far from home he'd gotten. "Lil Buddy is what my brother James calls me...older brother, obviously. I guess that's just how he sees me. I love him, though, so he gets a pass with the silly nickname." He found himself grinning while listening to hers, James's nickname not seeming as silly now. Like the one's Maia's sister had for her, it was actually cute. More feelings of that cuteness stirred up while listening to her memories of younger him. Oscar was many things, but cool? Absolutely not, so he was both flattered and amused she saw him that way. He cocked an eyebrow before finding himself smirking with her next admission. "'Gas station hottie', huh? Very interesting. I feel like I need to get an actual name-tag with that engraved. I'll just wear it around campus and see if it sticks," he teased before shooting an almost bashful smile. "Kidding. I don't think I want anyone else calling me that. It's reserved special for you."

[maiagrainger]

"I'm touched you''d give it up for me, but it's truly for the best. Once you discover the joys of hot soup, there's no going back." The disgust on Maia's face gave way to something more thoughtful as she seriously gave consideration to Oscar's hypothetical. "What do you mean, like, straight from the bag, still frozen?" She paused to chew her cherry. "He's like a duck, probably," she declared when she was done. "You know how you're not supposed to feed ducks bread anymore? I think I read somewhere they really like frozen peas." She wondered briefly if it was too much to ask to go and feed the ducks together, not having done so since she was a kid but somehow figuring it would be an activity both would enjoy.

Her head cocked to the side, eyes raking over Oscar as she mentally compared him to Big Bird. "I'm not seeing it, to be honest," she shrugged. "I mean, apart from the height thing. You have that in common, sure, but it's not like you wear a lot of yellow. But, uh... maybe stay clear of that colour when you're in Elijah's company. No point feeding the fire and all that." Any protectiveness she felt over his friend's less flattering nicknames was brushed aside at his explanation behind Lil Buddy, finding the story behind it adorable. "It would be a little weird if your younger sibling was calling you Lil Buddy," she pointed out. "But I think that's cute. It's like, you're not just his brother, you know? You're his little friend." The idea of Oscar letting other people call him gas station hottie was clearly a joke, but it still made her feel a little jealous at the prospect. Despite the fact he wasn't being serious, she was still a little relieved when he revealed the joke. "Thank you. I don't think I'd like hearing other people call you that. It's like, you're my gas station hottie, you know?" She made a V with her hands, placing the point under her chin to frame her face and smiled at him. "What about me? What nicknames you got?"

[oscargarrett]

Being on his own at university was a whirlwind for Oscar. Considering a year ago he was all broken up about his former roomie, he thought he'd be going through the 'shit-I'm-alone' blues all over again. Maia being there somehow made it easier, though. A lot easier. She was the first person in the longest time to make Oscar feel excited to just be alive and in her presence. The best part was he didn't have to tone it down for any of his friends or family or anyone else in between. Whatever was going on between them was theirs. He'd been mid-reach to the basket of waffle fries on the table when his hand froze in place, eyes widening and darting from left to right. "Chowder and Tumbles? You're lying." He was suddenly just as invested if it was actually them. His eyes searched between them before not-so-accidentally dropping a couple sugar packets to the floor. "Oh, gosh! Clumsy me!" he dorkily exclaimed, quickly moving on from the horrid acting so he could bend over, grab the sugar and sneak a peek. "Holy shit," he half-whispered, half-snorted. That was the last couple he ever expected, but from the little tug he felt in his chest, Oscar knew he was fully rooting for them.

Once he'd scurried back in his seat, his brows rose as he considered the amount of nickname's he'd already been dubbed with. "Well now I do," he chuckled. "I'm hoping the people here are more creative than my friends and family back home. I've got Osc, Ozzy, Lil Buddy, and Big Bird, so there's room for improvement." He propped his arm up and rested his chin into his palm, really taking her in from across the table. "Pretty sure that right now, it'd be 'long-limbed-French-fry-guy' and, uh...'cute-blonde-sitting-across-from-him', or something like that. I really shouldn't speak for other people, though." He didn't feel like the most natural flirt, but with her, it didn't matter. There was no fear of wondering how she felt. He just knew. "Now you've got me wondering what our nickname history is, or what you remember from when you first saw me."

[maiagrainger]

"I swear to God, Oscar. They just sat down on the table near the bathroom." Maia watched him as he bent to scoop up the sugar packets, her expression undeniably fond. He was different from pretty much anybody she had ever met before, in the best possible way. Something about him set her totally and completely at ease with herself, and he made her laugh until her belly hurt. It was all green flags in her book, despite the fact it was still early days. "Do you think he knows?" She lowered her voice to make sure nobody else was listening in, leaning over the table slightly so he could hear her. "About the soup thing, I mean? Because I'm not going to lie to you, I can't think of anything less sexy than finding out the person I'm holding hands with drinks soup from the can." Just the idea of it made her feel a little queasy. She pointed to their milkshake. "Do you mind if I eat the cherry? I feel like I need to get the thought of cold chowder out of my mind."

A grin grew on her face. She'd yet to really meet Oscar's friends, still learning more about him inside the little bubble they'd created for themselves. It wasn't that she didn't want to meet them, either, more that there didn't feel like there was any rush to. On her end, she was pretty set on this turning into something that lasted, which meant their paths would eventually cross, and she didn't feel the need to push the subject. "I'm gonna need an explanation on Big Bird," she said, the look on her face showing her confusion. "And actually, Lil Buddy, too. You're not little. You're tall." She gestured to him as she said that, as though to emphasise his height. "My sister Dahlia gives me weird nicknames sometimes. When I was little she used to call me Maia Papaya or Mimi." She could feel her cheeks getting a bit warm when he questioned the names she had referred to him with in the past, but she answered honestly anyway. "When I very first met you, I think you were just 'Oliver's cool little brother', back when he and Raye were dating," she mused. "When we ran into each other again, though? You were definitely 'gas station hottie' for a minute, until I realised it was you. Not that you're not still! It's just, I realised that I knew you, so your real name kind of replaced the nickname in my head."

[maiagrainger]

"Okay, don't look now, because she's just saw us and it'll be too obvious." Maia's attention was fixed at a point just over Oscar's left shoulder. "Or if you do, pretend you're trying to catch the waiter's attention or something. But remember that guy we saw roller-blading in the park? The one who kept falling down? He's just walked in holding hands with that girl we saw in the library who was drinking cold soup straight from the can." In an attempt to make it look like this was a completely normal conversation, Maia leaned forward to take a sip of their shared milkshake. To some, it might have been corny, but one of the great things about being with Oscar was that she didn't have to worry about looking lame for actually liking the cheesy stuff. "Do you ever wonder if the people we see remember us, too? Like, what would our nicknames be in their heads? Because I think about it all the time."

@oscargarrett