In Charge

5.Evidence of Purity

"Wow. It's crowded here." Regina tells Andy, as they make their way inside the pub. It was dark but beats of music and strings of light beamed the place. There was your standard bar, and a dance floor around the center. It also had three pool tables in the back and the booths were up in front.

"Well, the reason I brought you here was their famous deluxe cheeseburger with fries on the side. You said you were craving for a burger earlier today, I thought why not treat you to the best burger here in town."

"That's really nice of you, Andy." She smiles, trying to tell herself to relax. She did not know she was going to be in a crowd, especially like this one. Not that she wasn't familiar with crowds but she just preferred places that are to be less congested.

"We can go somewhere else, if you like." Reading her expression, Andy offers.

"No no. I'm fine, really." She says, determinedly.

When the waitress came by to take their order, she was greeted with a cold face. "You're the lass that's in the same house as Xander."

"I'm sorry?" Looking confused as Rene tries to comprehend where was she trying to go with this.

"You do know he isn't the one you mess around. I suggest you watch your back."
Before Rene could refute, Andy interrupts on time telling her their order and shooed the woman away.

"Wow. Why is that everyone is so intimidated by that jerk?"

"Well, you're the first to not stand down and that gives these town folk to gossip. It's a small town. You'll learn to live with it."

Trying to refrain from voicing her opinions, she concentrates on this ..was it a date? She couldn't tell. Although, she has seen Andy giving her the goggly eyes from time to time. When she agreed to come it was just to try to keep that 'grouch' comment off her mind. There she goes thinking of Xander again.

"So what's your story?" Andy leans on his elbows on the table.

She tried to refrain her urge to cringe at the cheesy line. Well, she hasn't been on a date since her last boyfriend and she never would go out with guy who asks her 'story' but she wanted a change. She needed to widen her horizon.

Her last couple of boyfriends were mostly docile and submissive in nature. They were flirty and cute but no one dominant or cocky. Like Xander.

She wanted to take out her mind from her head and wash away the Xander thoughts in them. More than being excited about this date, she was looking forward to sleeping and arguing with Xander. And yes, in that order.

She begins to tell him what he should know, skipping on the major parts of her life. Once their food came, the topic thankfully shifted to Andy.

She never was the one to share intimate details of her life. One of the main reasons why most her relationships ended. They said she was too closed off and somehow managed to emasculate them. She didn't know whether that was offending or complimentary.

A loud roar erupted at the back of the pub, where the pool tables were aligned. Seeing her curiously, Andy smiled and explained, "Oh they have their weekly competitions and a huge pile bets on pool happen in here. It's sometimes fun. Do you wanna check it out?"

"Why not?" Scooting out of the booth, he leads her to the pool tables. Anything just to get rid of this stupid weird ass thing/meal/not date.

Not surprisingly, she straight way notices Xander, standing in a ink black tank, with green camouflage pants, his big muscular arms stretches over the table as he focus and shoots. When he glanced up, his eyes locks with hers.