Love Is in the air.

1. What do you want?

"What do you want from me?"

The man, startled by Clark's sudden question rubbed the back of his head almost nervously.

She had silently watched him whenever he wasn't looking at her the nights before, which was very rare but there was no glint of a ring on his hand.
He was clean-shaven, with a nice suit that hid a wrinkled shirt and showed off a rather colorful tie, even the curls in his hair were tamed.

Clark had waited nightly for this mysterious stranger to announce himself with a cheesy pick-up line for hours every night after work, he never did take that step though.

"I'll ask again, What do you want from me?"
The man kept his eyes on hers, never wavering but there was a tremble in his lip before he finally spoke in a hushed tone, his hand tilting the glass of beer side to side.

"I just wanted to give you a drink, I didn't want to make you feel awkward."

That was a possibility Clark hadn't considered, perhaps he was just an awkward guy who was just trying not to be creepy by suddenly asking a random girl in a bar out. But was that possible? He was a good-looking guy who didn't look like he'd be the nervous type, and in this day and age, it was odd that he might just be trying to be a gentleman.
How many guys were like that right now? Clark remembered most of the guys she grew up with from school to college had their pants by the legs and the most dismissive attitudes, barely any wanting more than just a load of flings.

"You just wanted to buy me a drink? Every night for the past two weeks?"
As Clark asked she lowered into the seat by the man, still gripping her bag by her hip.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I was trying to not be a creep I swear I just...don't know how to do all this."
He waved his hands in the air as he finished the sentence, being careful not to spill the beer across the table. Clark raised an eyebrow before clearing her throat, she understood what he meant about this. The meeting at a bar, she had only done it once and it turned into a nightmare but from his words, the mystery man was completely new to it.

"Your name."
"What?"
Clark released a deep breath, giving him a small smile.
"To me, you are a complete mystery, I don't know your name or anything about you except that every night you buy me a drink down the menu and I believe to start this properly we should at least know each other's names."

His eyes lit up as he held out his hand for a handshake, Clark hesitated before taking it. Surprise filled her mind as she took in how small her hand felt in his, his hand was smooth but felt worked like he was a builder.
"Pierce."
"Clark, nice to officially meet you and put a name with the face."

Pierce was still smiling as Clark let go of his hand and fiddled with the strap of her bag, trying to ease herself while he started looking at the menu.

"Do you want something to eat? Or drink?"

The bar was mostly quiet now with all the rowdy crowd leaving just before the two spoke, while it was mostly a place to drink there was food and a menu. It was more like a tavern than a bar and Clark was watching the man before her,
"Are you asking me for a date Mr. Pierce?"

She enjoyed watching his face flush at her question, he was definitely more of a shy guy and for a moment he was silent before shaking his head and placing the menu in front of Clark.

"No, I want to take you on a real date in a nice place where it doesn't smell like peanuts and beer. Right now I am offering food because you haven't eaten since entering those doors which was nearly five hours ago, I want you to have a meal and use that meal to take the time to get to know me a little, and then when I ask you for that date...I really hope you'll say yes."

Clark took that declaration to heart and felt herself smile once the initial surprise passed, ordering herself some chips and chicken wings. She then met his eyes and returned the menu, placing her handbag on the back of her seat.
"Well then be warned, I will not hold back. I will eat to my heart's delight and not apologize for using my hands, No trying to be overly careful of what I say or do to make you like me."

His eyebrow was raised as he ordered some fish and chips for himself and mentioned,
"You sound like you've rehearsed that quite a bit, don't worry I don't mind."

Clark watched as he took a swig of his beer, tilting her head slightly.

"Did you even consider how old I might be?"
"I did, you're over eighteen 'cause you can drink but you're definitely not anywhere near thirty so I wanna guess around twenty?"

Clark tried not to let him on that he was correct and instead slightly teased him as her chips and wings arrived, taking a bite of a chip.
"What if I was using a fake ID for the drinks?"

There! In his steel eyes, there was a sudden alertness that woke and he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Had he really been so innocent to not even consider that perhaps I was a stupid teenager using a fake ID to make poor choices to get drunk and speak to strange men in a bar? He must've because he lowered his voice,

"Are you...?"
"No, but I could've."

Clark watched his shoulders slump in ease as his food arrived and the visible relief made her grin, eating some more of her chips cheekily.

"And you were correct, Twenty-two. You?"
"Just turned twenty-three a few weeks ago."

She was surprised Pierce was younger than she imagined but also pleasantly enjoying the company of someone around her age who wasn't a complete bonehead.