Raulson and Character One-shots

Hotgomery

Prompt: Billie Dean arranges a dinner for her and Nora as a first date.

POV: Billie Dean

   First dates always scare the shit out of me. You would think that after 20 years of dating men and women, I would get the hang of it. But I haven't. 

   It's the combination of things that get me. Making sure everything is right for the person I'm seeing, making sure I like it as well, making sure that everything goes smoothly. But the ultimate burden is seeing if the person actually likes it. I can work on something for as long as I want, but if the person doesn't like it, then it won't matter. 

   And yet, I constantly take it upon myself to take charge of the dates, leaving little room for someone else to take over. There isn't a specific reason for it, it's just the way I work.

   The stakes feel a little higher for Nora Montgomery though. She's a lady of her time for sure. It took a lot of communication and a little arguing for her to understand that her attraction to women is normal. That she isn't this horrible person, that she deserves to be with someone she truly wants to be with, no matter their gender. 

    We've been taking things slow. We started officially dating 4 months ago and tonight is the night of our first date. Tonight, there wasn't much of an option on who would be in charge of everything. Since I'm the only one who can leave the house, it was my responsibility. Nora also viewed it as my responsibility. In her time, it was always the man who got everything together, so Nora didn't have the first clue on what to do, even with the whole home at her disposal. I assured her it was okay, that I would take care of it. 

   I wouldn't say Nora has high expectations or that she demands a lot, but she is definitely someone of higher status and is used to more expensive and generally nicer things. I wanted to impress her, but being a medium isn't the highest paying job, and I still have bills to pay and a nicotine addiction. 

    I chuckled to myself as I set the table, waiting for dinner to be done. I did as little cooking as I could, I was never the best at it and usually my dates and I would go out to eat. But, since that wasn't possible, Vivien and Moira helped me out a lot. We decided on steak with baked potatoes, steamed asparagus, and bread rolls. I also went out and bought my favorite cheap wine. 

   I saved a bit of money on decoration by searching through the house and taking what I thought would be cool. After a thorough cleaning of everything, I found a two glass wine glasses with gold branches going down from the rim and wrapping around the handle, two silver plate covers, an ice bucket and scoop, a glass vase with a white lily in the center, and recently polished silverware. 

   For the last item, I knew they were okay to use because Nora is constantly cleaning her spoons, forks, and knives. 

   "It always makes me feel better." She says with a smile.

   "Girl, you need therapy." Hayden responds.

   "How dare you suggest such a thing! I'm not insane like...them." She hisses. 

   "Watch it." Ben says.

   And that's usually the end. 

   I always tell myself one step at a time with Nora. God only knows how many changes she's had to go through, only being able to leave once a year, being stuck with the same people. I give her slack when I can and credit where it's due, and sometimes where it isn't. She has a long way to go, but I'm proud of how far she has come. 

   The timer on the oven brought me back to reality. I pulled my light purple silk shirt down a bit to fit me more and cuffed my skinny light blue jeans pant ends so that my black boots could show a little more. I had my blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail for style and efficiency.