He laughed, but then his mind wandered. All things considered, she probably would have plenty of bad things to say about him, in time...after all, he was kind of hiding the fact that he was a conman at heart. And he had no idea how she felt about that. But for some reason...he cared. A lot. Well, he figured they'd have to cross that bridge when they came to it. If they came to it.

"Good," he murmured, shaking all negative thoughts from his head. He figured at the very least, he should enjoy this as long as he could. Live in the moment, like most dogs do. They never think about being left alone, or something bad happen, they're just happy as long as they can be. And when time runs out, be happy again. But the human side of him knew it wasn't always that easy.

"Italian sounds good, but I'm not picky," he replied after a moment. He really wasn't picky; after all, he'd eaten dog food on more than one occasion. And once you've tried that sawdust-tasting dry stuff, you'd try anything at least once. However, that wasn't exactly first date material, so he kept it to himself.

Zelda was hoping this would go somewhere - despite her life prior to the mansion, before SUPER, before everything that happened, this would complete it. Granted, he probably did need to know that a CIA organization from across the rip had been interested in her. It wasn't something she really wanted to bring up, considering everything. Then there was Abel, ugh. Lots of crap she'd have to confess to. But tonight wasn't the night. Tonight was going to be great.

And worst case, it was going to be a great few weeks. 

And Italian food would definitely satisfy her. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted it. "Italian is a great choice. I know the perfect place, too. It's the L'Artusi. No idea if that is how you say it or not, but I hear it's absolutely great." She smiled, entering the parking garage and unlocking her car doors from afar. She opened her side of the door to her car (which she made sure she got extra cleaned just the day before.) She wasn't sure if she was ready to go ~just~ yet, though. 

While Jay definitely wasn't looking forward to any sort of 'confession time,' he had to say he was looking forward to any time he got to spend with Zelda. She'd already seen his place, and it was probably obvious to her that he wasn't rolling in money or anything, and she stuck around. So maybe that meant it'd take alot to run her off. He hoped. But..that was a problem for another day.

"Yeeeeah, I'm not even sure I could spell that, so I'll give you points for effort, either way," he teased lightly, bringing himself out of the dark recesses his mind had decided to wander. When they got to her car, he reluctantly let go of her hand and got in on his side, shutting the door behind him.

Once she was inside as well, he let a hand run gently through her hair before leaning in, kissing her rather passionately. Besides the wild, not-all-positive thoughts that were running through his head, they hadn't shared a real kiss all evening. And like he'd decided, he needed to savor what moments he could, because people didn't stick around forever.

She chuckled. She was a scientist, not a linguist, after all. Granted, she always told herself she'd learn Spanish - but never has. At least he could respect that.

Once in the car, he must have thought exactly what she was thinking - time for some kissing. She quickly leaned in for the kiss, enjoying the passion that seemed to radiate from the two of them while there lips were engaged. She let her head softly trail his cheek, her eyes closed. Zelda wasn't sure how long the kiss was but she didn't want it to end. 

They did need to get to the restaurateur before they would be considered jerks for coming in 30 minutes before closing, so Zelda slowly slipped back into her seat. She smiled towards him and gave him a wink, "We'll have all night for that." She cranked the car up and drove them to the restaurant. 

In the car ride, Zelda reached over and held his hand. Maybe she could ask some questions about his childhood or something on the way there - traffic wasn't the best, even at this time in NYC. "So, were you always from around here or did you move here?" Nonchalant conversation. That would keep her mind at ease instead of drifting into remembering how good he looked with no clothes. 

He closed his eyes, quite enjoying the kiss and the intimacy of it all. And then she pulled away and said something that he knew to be true.

“I guess you’re right,” he murmured softly, pulling back and settling for holding her hand. “Not my fault you’re so damn addictive, though.” He shot her a mischievous grin, followed by a wink.

“Oh, I was born in Georgia,” he answered, thinking on his childhood. “Shortly after the little…uh…incident…that triggered my mutation, my Mom divorced my Dad and we bounced from state to state. I remember finishing school here. And my Mom is buried here, so…I guess you can say this has been my home for quite some time. And…I may as well stick around.” he gave her a weak smile, trying to push the sad thoughts from his head. Being around Zelda did seem to make that easier though.

Zelda gave him a flirtatious look, with a small giggle. He was a sweet guy, that was for sure. Flirty, definitely - just the way Zelda liked it. 

A Georgia kid? That was interesting. He definitely didn't seem like a Georgia kid. She nodded as she listened though. His mom had passed away and was buried here and a frown crossed her face. Zelda would be devastated if her mother died. Granted, her mom was in Oklahoma right now. She wasn't sure when she'd bring her back, but she knew that she was safer there for now. Probably would be fine now, but can never be too careful.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mom," she gave his hand a squeeze before moving on to a different topic, "I'm originally from Oklahoma. Lived in California for school. Ended up here to a job offer." She gave him a smile, "Yeah, mine as well stick around." She stuck her tongue out playfully, "We're almost there... Hopefully we can find some street parking."

"Oh, it was about seven years ago," he said with a shrug. Though it obviously still left a scar on his emotions. After all, it was after his Mom died that he'd sort of lost his ability to care--or so he thought--about others. He'd hadn't had a steady relationship since he was twenty, and yet...Zelda came along, threatening to turn his world upside down. And he'd be willing to let her. If he even knew how to initiate a serious relationship. And besides, one date was too soon, wasn't it?

He nodded as she spoke. "I think I briefly lived in Oklahoma. But like I said, we spent so much time moving between the time I was thirteen and seventeen, all the states and cities just seemed to...blend together where I couldn't tell one from the next." He gave a small smile, somewhat kicking himself for revealing so much about his past, but at the same time, he didn't mind.

"Yeah....street parking would be nice. But if you can't...then that's just another few blocks to walk with you. And...I can't really argue with that," he said sweetly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

She gave him a weak smile. That was pretty sad, but it was probably better for them to move on to different topics. After all, she didn't want to depress him on their date. This was a serious thing and she really, really did not want to mess it up. She nodded as he talked, "I understand. It can be hard as a kid moving around like that." She did find a street parking, but it was about a block away from the establishment. She slipped her jacket on and hopped out of the car. Once he was out, she locked the doors.

As they walked to the Italian restaurant, she leaned against him, letting their bodies just barely touch. She really couldn't keep her hands off of him. "Well, looks like we have a block. A good compromise, right?" She winked as she led them to the restaurant, where they entered. It was a pretty fancy place - clearly high dining, expensive. Lots of wine imported from Italy floated around, with the sweet smell of lasagna, spaghetti, and other Italian delights. Zelda wasn't sure what she was going to get, but at least they had a menu for that. 

"Um, just 2, please." She smiled towards the server as he led them to their table, where she slipped and opened a menu. After a few moments, she perked a brow towards Jay, "What are you going to get?" 

He nodded. "Is okay though. I mean, I prefer that to what the alternative woulda been," he murmured. Jay hadn't seen his father since the day his powers triggered, and he didn't even know if he was still alive. But...frankly he didn't care. He was better off without him. Especially now.

He walked with her, loving how their bodies touched. "Good. I gotta say I enjoy times like this," he said, briefly brushing against her as they walked. His mind wandered again, this time back to Zelda, and more importantly how she made him feel. It wasn't just the feelings he had, it was the fact that he felt emotions at all. Jay hated to admit it, but he was afraid. Emotions are what get people hurt. And yet...

Before he knew it, they were at the restaurant and being seated. It was a really fancy place; perhaps too fancy for a guy like him. But he did note, looking over at Zelda, that she looked quite lovely here. Like she fit. And here he was, so out of place and thinking he had a chance at something long-term and serious with her.

He smiled as he looked over at her. "I've always been a fan of chicken parm, to tell you the truth," he said with a smile, though honestly, it was the only thing on the menu that he knew. Not that he really minded. After he spoke, he just sort of stared into her eyes, letting himself get lost in them.

Zelda smiled as they walked towards the Italian restaurant. It was enjoyable - not just for the physical touch, but the connection they had was tremendous. It wasn't every day that two people met that had the kind of connection they had. Granted, they were just really starting to know each other. They might secretly be crazy different people, but despite the secrets and potential secrets, they might could move past them. It was something she was deeply thinking about ever since they first met. 

Once they were in the restaurant, Zelda ordered a wine plus a coke. After all, water didn't taste great with Italian, at least to her. Water may have been some peoples choice, but not her. She gave him a grin as he mentioned a chicken parm. She perked a brow, unsure if that was really true. He didn't really seem like the kind of guy to go to these kind of restaurants - after all, his choice of shoes plus outfit kinda showed that. She put down the menu, already deciding on gnocchetti di ricotta. A delicious dish. She placed her head in her hands and stared back at him, her eyes locked onto his.

She wondered what kind of story he had. How fate had brought them together. She sighed contently with a small smile, "Well... Do you need any help with the menu? I don't think the ordinary person would even know half of these dishes. H*ll, I don't even know most of them." 

When she spoke, he was almost speechless. If he didn't know any better...did she just read him like a book? That...wasn't something most people could do. And as far as he knew, she wasn't a mutant. If she was, surely that would have come up the night they met, right? And yet...he sort of liked that, even if it did hurt his ego just a bit. After all, as someone who conned people for a majority of his income, he sort of prided himself on his poker face. But at the same time, when he was around her, he wasn't that good at keeping up the act.

"I uh...yeah, actually," he slightly stammered, feeling his face flush a little bit. Was it that obvious that he was a fish out of water? Yeeeah probably, actually. But he didn't mind asking her for help. "I don't know if you noticed, but I'm totally clueless here," he said with a sly chuckle.

Zelda smiled as she stared into his eyes, waiting for a response to her offer for assistance. She simply dazed into his eyes. Daydreaming about the potential future would be nice. If they had a future, at least. He might run at her more dirtier secrets, but at least she could enjoy his company for now. Live in the moment, right?

She smiled sweetly and giggled, "No worries. It's okay, I understand." She pulled the menu and went to sit on his side so she could show him some of the meals. "So, if you like chicken related stuff, you'd probably enjoy... chicken marsala. If you're looking for more Americany yet Italian, the Italian baked chicken and pastini is a good choice, too." She looked through the menu some more as she pointed at several of the entrees, "if you really like tomatos, chicken caciatore is pretty good, too." She perked a brow to see if any of it seemed to strike his interest, "I think the chicken and pastini is a good choice for you. It'll be familiar enough I'm sure you'll like it but different enough that it wont' come as a shock. Unless, you know, you want to just try something random." 

Since she was on his side, she gave his hand a squeeze. It was probably out of his element. It really wasn't a place Zelda expected to find herself, but living in California in a prestige medical degree program full of rich kids taught her about the finer things in life.

He liked when she moved so she was on his side and explained the menu to him. He chewed his lip, thinking it over as she explained each meal. "The chicken marsala sounds good to me," he said softly, his usual demeanor having been replaced by this more nervous, almost lost-puppy type. He didn't like it in the slightest, but at least Zelda was here; that made him feel better.

And he hoped she'd stick around for awhile. Maybe his secrets and the lifestyle he was now questioning wouldn't drive her off. For once...he was actually worried about scaring a woman off. But this wasn't just some woman. There was something special about her; he wasn't sure what, but it made him fall for her that much harder.

He bit his lip again as the thought about this, his heart beating furiously in his chest as his stomach turned cartwheels. He wanted to say it, but...he couldn't. Could he? He sighed, taking a deep breath.

"Thanks," he finally said, his mind swimming as he sort of leaned into her, giving her hand another squeeze as his thumb gently stroked the back of her hand.

Zelda smiled towards Jay as she explained some of the menu options that she thought he might like. After all, she did want him to enjoy his meal. Although, she could tell he was new to this kind of dining establishment. She sat so she was practically leaned against him. She nodded at his choice, "Good choice." She confirmed, setting the menu down. The waiter had already poured them both a glass of the wine, apparently when they weren't paying attention. She smiled as she handed his to him and she held hers, "Too us." She smiled as she clicked her drink on his, taking a sip.

Us. That was something she wasn't prepared to say, so she immediately blushed a little. She cleared her throat, "It's a fancy place, but don't be nervous. Everyone here is people, with their own f*ck ups and good deeds." She squeezed his hand. He seemed nervous, more so after they had decided on the meal. Listening to him sigh, she wondered if it was more than just this place. "Something on your mi-," the waiter appeared, ready to take their order.

After a few moments, there orders were placed and Zelda still didn't leave his side of the booth. She was pretty comfortable here and she hoped he didn't mind - it wasn't like they were having issues with personal space to begin with. "Now, though? It'll probably be a little while before the food gets done." 

He smiled, and then grabbed his wine glass. His heart skipped a beat when she said "us." Jay took a sip of his wine, his head and heart both racing like crazy now.

When she tried to comfort him, he knew she had no idea what he was nervous about, but then she asked. And luckily, the waiter interrupted them. His mind was now planning, thinking of something to say once the waiter had left, but he was drawing blanks.

He leaned against her as she asked him what was on his mind, and there were no interruptions. He sighed. "I was just...thinking..." he said quietly, putting an arm around her. "I'm just wondering..." God he was so awkward and stammering. Why am I like this?!?[/color]"

He took a deep breath. "I was wondering how you'd feel about maybe...seeking something...more serious?" He looked at her, sort of biting his lip. The first(second?) date wasn't too soon for all of this, right? Hell, he had no idea. But the way he felt about her...he at least had to know something, right.

"If not, though, we can still...you know. Do stuff like this," he said after a moment, then looked away, his face blushing.