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Post by Julian Auriole on Feb 27, 2009 18:59:46 GMT -5
Home! Julian was getting sick of his hotel room. He'd do anything to be in a place that someone considers as his or her home, and the mere mention of Lily's apartment sounded so nice that he nearly demanded her to let him a have a peek. The thing with holidays in hotels, even though you can get room service whenever you like, it wasn't the same as being in a more comfortable setting. Julian was a real home buddy, preferring home-made dinners, home bedrooms, home kitchens, home gardens. If he were to wish for something right now, he'd ask Lily to come away with him and have home-made Italian spaghetti.
But Julian's infamous reputation as a ladies' man might get him in the wrong direction here. Such propositions do not sound too good at the onset of a chance meeting, and he wasn't sure if news of his alleged philandering during his school years had reached the ears of the young lady in front of him. Were he to suggest what he was thinking of suggesting, Julian cannot tell whether Lily will be able to tell that he was merely homesick.
Bah, who cares. There's this thing called an explanation.. can't he use it?
"If I were to ask you to have lunch with me, will you refuse?" Julian began casually, "Not fancy lunches in restaurants though... I was thinking of a more homey setting, like wine, spaghetti and pizza? I can cook.. and my treat. What do you think?"
Well that wasn't as explanatory as he would like, but it's a good start, isn't it?
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Feb 28, 2009 0:54:02 GMT -5
Lily had actually been thinking of inviting Julian over, but was afraid that would seem too forward, and didn't want to give him the wrong idea. She knew how hard it could be to live out of a hotel, having lived in a hotel for two months before finding her flat. She had, of course, heard of Julian's "reputation with the ladies", but honestly that was not the first thing on her mind. Actually, far from it.
"I would love to have lunch with you," Lily replied honestly. "A real home-cooked meal with someone to actually share it with would be a nice change. I don't know that I have much to cook with right now, I haven't gone shopping in a while." She hesitated, knowing she needed to do some cleaning up before having him over. Taking a pen from her purse, she jotted down her address on a napkin, thinking what a cliche that was the entire time, and then handed the napkin to him.
"Why don't you get what you need and then come on over?" Him shoping should give Lily the time she needed to straighten up the house, although she made a mental note to not go completely crazy. Having things immaculate just seemed...unnatural to her, but there was certainly no need for him to see clothing strewn about the entire flat.
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Post by Julian Auriole on Mar 1, 2009 23:26:41 GMT -5
Julian smiled, feeling relieved that Lily accepted his invitation; it was great that she didnt think it was inappropriate for him to suggest they have lunch in her apartment. More than happy to oblige to the set up that she suggested, Julian took out his wand to transfigure the napkin into a small card with her address written on it in the same elegant script, and placed the said card inside the pocket of his jacket.
He would have liked to have her come and shop with him so he could be sure of what she would like, but she had given him free reign over the food choices. Julian decided it would be best if they'd have the traditional Italian menu, which, when prepared, would have a touch of French in it, unlike what Julian would get in hotel restaurants.
"I'll be there," Julian said with a smile, abandoning his late breakfast for what seemed a more interesting lunch. The man stood up after carefully placing some galleons to pay for his and her breakfast. "I'm gonna go ahead and buy the necessary things for lunch and then drop by later."
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Mar 3, 2009 22:23:33 GMT -5
"Sounds like a plan," Lily agreed with a smile. She was really looking forward to this, and was impressed that Julian had paid her tab without even thinking. Not many men that she'd dated did that anymore. "I'll see you later, then." Gathering her purse and putting on her sunglasses, Lily stood. Pausing for a moment, Lily impulsively gave Julian a quick hug before heading off to her flat.
Bustling around the place she called home, it didn't take Lily too long to tidy up. Dirty clothes were tossed into the laundry basket tucked away in the corner of her walk-in closet. She ran the dishwasher, a Muggle convenience that she adored, then put away the clean dishes. In a short while, the place was tidy, but not freakishly neat. She liked having a little bit of...character to the place. Popping back into the bathroom, she finished up by tidying herself up a bit. Lily didn't want it to look like she'd "gotten ready", but also didn't want to look like she'd run a marathon. Cleaning complete, Lily puttered around the apartment, keeping busy until Julian arrived.
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Post by Julian Auriole on Mar 3, 2009 22:43:21 GMT -5
After quite sometime, Julian was on his way to the address given to him, making progress by getting inside the building and taking the lift to the fifth floor. Soon enough, with his bag of groceries on one arm, Julian was knocking on the door of the apartment.
He had gotten ingredients for pizza margherita, carbonara and shellfish spaghetti, and a whole slew of cake ingredients enough to feed Lily with sweets for the next two weeks. He even got two bottles of red wine of impressive quality, so used was Julian on a luxurious lifestyle for a musician. He wasn't extravagant on parties, but on home food and living, expect the former Eau to want the best.
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Mar 3, 2009 22:59:10 GMT -5
Hearing a knock on the door, Lily bounced over to it and opened it wide, revealing Julian standing there, his arms full of groceries. "Oh! Please come in, before you drop something. We certainly wouldn't want that," she said as she ushered him inside the apartment, closing the door behind him before leading the way into the kitchen. "So, how do we get started?" Lily loved to cook, having spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen with her mother growing up, and loved cooking with other people. It made it all the more enjoyable for her to have a bit of company.
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Post by Julian Auriole on Mar 3, 2009 23:14:45 GMT -5
Julian followed Lily inside the apartment, taking note of the neatness and home-like quality of the place, much like the one he used to have in Nice. He especially liked the kitchen, which looked capable of holding what Julian termed as 'cooking fests', something along the lines of 'cooking to one's heart's content'.
"Lovely place you've got here, Lily... got a spare room I can rent for the rest of the week?" He was kidding about the rent part, though if Lily would be oddly up for it, Julian might go ahead and check out of the hotel right after lunch. He placed the big bag of groceries, which held more than it looked, being magically expanded by the shop where Julian had bought all the stuff from. He began taking out the wines, bags of flour, fresh ingredients, pasta noodles and even an odd bag which looked like it contained live seafood.
"Maybe we can decide on what to do with this?" he held out the clams cheerfully.
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Mar 4, 2009 19:12:08 GMT -5
"Thanks!" Lily said brightly in response to his compliment, accepting the clams while considering his half-joking request for a room. She did have a second bedroom, although it was much smaller than her own. Taking the clams to the sink and beginning to prepare them, Lily thoughtfully chewed on her lower lip. There certainly wasn't any reason why he couldn't stay with her. She'd enjoy the company, and it wasn't as if there were something more pressing taking up her time or her room.
"Southern Italian clam chowder," Lily said, seemingly out of the blue despite it being a response to Julian's last question. "If that's all right with you, of course. Delicious, with bits of bacon, some rosemary, vegetables, and if you would like to stay in the second bedroom, you're more than welcome to." She said it quickly enough that it sounded like she was just rattling off a list, but she couldn't help it. Lily had honestly never had a man stay with her before, and it promised to be a new and interesting experience.
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Post by Julian Auriole on Mar 4, 2009 19:37:26 GMT -5
"Great," he replied to the suggestion of a clam chowder. He was busy rereading the packet label for an obscure ingredient that he found at the bottom of the grocery bag, wondering how on earth did it get in his shopping list. Julian didn't remember picking it up, nor paying for it; perhaps it was placed there by mistake? He was listening to her list the ingredients, and was trying to make sure they've got it when Julian paused halfway through reaching out for a bag of tomatoes, apparently not missing the last part.
He turned to the young woman near the sink, a slightly surprised look etched in his face before it relaxed into an amused smile. "Seriously?" he asked.
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Mar 4, 2009 19:56:57 GMT -5
Julian had, indeed, caught the last part of her sentence, though the expression on his face as he realized what she'd said was most amusing. Lily straightened, looked at him with a smile, and nodded. "Sure," she said. "You're fun to have around, and I could certainly use the company." Besides, it would be nice to actually use that second bedroom for the first time in six months.
"Does it surprise you that I'm so willing to have you in my home?" Lily asked, curious to know what he was thinking.
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Post by Julian Auriole on Mar 4, 2009 20:29:17 GMT -5
Julian shrugged with perfect ease. "Not really," he replied. "It's just amusing to see that here we are, completely comfortable with each other after years of literally not seeing each other," he offered as an explanation. Perhaps there was this natural ease among former students from the same house, as if there was still a sense of solidarity between them.
"One thing though, you might want to think twice?" Julian suggested as he joined Lily near the sink to wash the tomatoes. "I'd probably say this anyway, even if I do think I'm the safest person to be around." he said, giving her a small wink. Julian wanted the company as well, for during the past week of his holiday, he had more than enough time to be alone and think of all the things that he needed to think about. It was time to spend the holidays with occasional company; otherwise he'd feel so bored and fly immediately back to France.
"I'll bring a piano," he added, signifying that he was, indeed, going to move in for the rest of the week.
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Mar 4, 2009 20:45:12 GMT -5
She couldn't really say that Julian's reply surprised her. His suggestion to think twice, however, did catch her a little off guard. Tossing the clams in boiling water to cook, Lily dried her hands off and leaned against the sink next to him, her arms crossed as she looked him in the eyes.
"Julian, if I had thought I needed to think twice, I wouldn't have offered," she said quietly, though still loudly enough to hear. He had never seemed the type to be....ungentlemanly, even at school where he'd acquired his reputation. She had no reason to feel unsafe with him, and therefore didn't give it a second thought. "And I think a piano would fit beautifully in here. I was actually thinking about purchasing one, even though I haven't played in years." Lily's mother had played a little, and had tried to teach her as a girl. Predictably, the young girl had hated practicing, and had given up on the venture rather quickly.
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Post by Julian Auriole on Mar 4, 2009 22:17:33 GMT -5
Julian smiled. "It'll be a fun week then," he concluded, leaving the tomatoes on a bowl on the counter. He went back to the packets of flour to make some dough for the pizza, but not without boiling another pot of water for the pasta. He got the bowl to mix in the yeast, salt and water, and then the flour and olive oil. Julian's fingers worked on the mass, kneading it until it was ready for the rolling pin. Without realizing it, Julian made enough dough for two 16 inch pizza.
Leaving the mass of dough to rise, Julian went to preheat the oven. "Maybe we can invite the neighbors over, tell them you've found your long lost cousin," he joked, referring to the color of their hair. It finally occurred to him that Julian might really pass off as some distant relative.
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Post by Princess Ami Selomna on Mar 4, 2009 22:33:49 GMT -5
Lily laughed at the joke about their similar hair color. "No doubt the neighbors would be happy to come over, if they knew we were cooking food this good! Though if word gets out, we really will have people knocking on the door," she said teasingly, enjoying watching him work. It was interesting to her just how at ease she was with him, but she assumed it was because they'd been in the same house. They were alike enough, she supposed, that it was easy to get along with one another.
Lily looked over the mounds of ingredients he'd brought with them, a twinkle coming to her eyes. "Do you know, my favorite sort of cooking is baking? I love making tasty treats," she said as her gaze alighted on some chocolate. Hmmmm...."What exactly did you have in mind for dessert?"
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Post by Julian Auriole on Mar 4, 2009 22:54:42 GMT -5
"Well, I'm a loser when it comes to chocolate, so if you'll notice, there are tons of ingredients for chocolate.. stuff. I nearly bought this Muggle contraption for a chocolate fountain. Good thing I know a neat spell to improvise," he mentioned with a laugh as he went ahead and rolled the pin over the dough, expertly worked it to fit the pizza pan in Lily's kitchen. He greased the top with olive oil and began adding the Parmesan, which was, given that the maker was Julian, a little more than what was necessary. Apart from chocolate, Julian loved cheese and tomatoes, which was why he had specifically chosen to make this certain pizza.
As he went back to the counter to claim the tomatoes, Julian asked, suddenly remembering, "There aren't any entities around you that might get their feathers ruffled if they heard I'm staying here for the week, are there?" He carefully peeled each tomato, glancing at the young woman every once in a while.
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