Music And Silence- A Reylo AU

Chapter 16- The Date

If Rae was fashionably late, then Corey was just plain late; Rae had arrived at the Intrepid Fox around 8:20 and searched around for Corey aimlessly before heading to the bar, getting herself a drink and sitting at a table in the corner. Rae checked her phone to confirm she had the time right and was then annoyed that he wasn't there, which was hypocritical; she knew she had been late, so she had no real reason to be annoyed at him for being late, but still, she was. Rae was beginning to think she was being stood up when Corey came strolling up to her casually at around 9 pm; no excuses and no apologies, as though this had always been the time they'd agreed upon. Dressed as he usually did in the club, a dark t-shirt and slim jeans. Gorgeous and charming, whatever offence he'd committed was immediately forgotten as he sat beside her. With his wavy blonde hair and sun-tanned skin, Corey would've fitted in better on the coast on a surfboard than behind the bar anywhere. How was he naturally so brown? It was mid-May, and the sun had barely shown its face, Rae pondered to herself. Mind you, in his line of work, sunbathing during the day every day was probably possible.

The Intrepid Fox played their kind of music louder on the dance floor downstairs, but up in the bar, it was quieter, so a conversation was possible. However, Rae couldn't help but notice the superficial nature of their conversations and how extremely one-sided they were. They talked about music, his band and the bar. He didn't ask her any questions, and as he prattled on about a gig he'd done, she couldn't help thinking about her conversation with Ben in the pool and how it compared. Stop it, Rae. She reprimanded herself; you wanted this date- remember. They hadn't been at the bar long, maybe an hour and a half, when Rae felt Corey's hand on her thigh stroking slowly upwards and his little finger lightly brushing the seam of her jeans under her zip. He was smiling at her, dimples showing and perfect white teeth behind.

"You wanna take this to my place so we can finish our conversation more.... privately?"

Rae gulped her drink visibly. Wow, that was bold and unexpected. Rae inwardly rejoiced that she had worn her better lacy underwear today rather than her usual sporty/comfy choice. She was also grateful she'd made sure to shave everything this morning.

"OK," was all she could manage in response, so they gathered their things and left.

"My place isn't far; we can walk or take the tube."

Rae didn't fancy sobering up, so they decided to take the tube. On both the escalators and the tube, Corey couldn't and wouldn't keep his hands to himself, stroking Rae's waist, hips and back, nuzzling her neck, smiling at her while biting his lip. Rae hated PDA, and given that this was the first date and they were not in a long-term or loving relationship, she was feeling particularly awkward. The tube stop they got off at was the one she got off at for work.

"Oh, close to the club then?"

"Yeah, really convenient for work and cheap," Corey responded.

They stopped at an off licence, and Corey picked up some booze. Stepping out of the shop, he took out his key and opened the very narrow door directly next to the shop that led to a narrow staircase to the upstairs apartment. Rae inwardly grimaced. She had never much liked the idea of living somewhere like that, which is why she and the girls had chosen to live further from central, far enough south to get a decent amount of space and for less money. Don't be a snob, Rae, she chastised herself. Inside, however, it got no better. The apartment was tiny and beige and, like so many rental properties, very poorly managed and maintained. It felt like student flats from University where everything needed a good clean and things were left broken. The kitchen had a cupboard, an oven and a fridge in the corner of the living room. Rae wasn't convinced you could call it a living room, more of a space that contained a mix-match of different stained chairs and leading off of it were five doors, a bedroom for each of the inhabitants, and she presumed a bathroom. Corey went to the cupboard, got out two plastic cups, poured the drinks, and handed one to Rae, who gratefully accepted and drank speedily, hoping to feel tipsy again. Corey smiled, took her by the hand and led her to his room.