Mafia

14 Damon: Lunch

For a few weeks, Lupin and I spent a lot of time together. Getting to know each other. Getting comfortable with each other. Well...getting her comfortable around me, mainly.

By the time I could finally debrief her on the details of the job (Emma would barely let me mention the job until Lupin's injuries were healed), I'd learned a lot about her and what she does, and the more I learned, the more I wanted to know.

She still shied away from any questions about her past, but, unlike that night in the gallery, she didn't run away when asked about it. Overall, I'll consider that an improvement.

While we were spending time together, Emma had suggested getting out of the apartment and going around the city some. She said it was to give Lupin credibility as my new fiance, but, knowing Emma, it was more likely that she was using the job as an excuse to try and set us up on an actual date. Still, it wasn't a bad idea. It would give Lupin's cover more credibility and help her with being around people. Lord knows she could use all the help she could get, especially when it came to being the center of attention.

For the first few times out, I took Lupin for a picnic in some really secluded spots in the city. That way, it could be just the two of us. (I'm kind of a celebrity in the city, and I figured she wouldn't handle the paparazzi very well.)

Eventually, we started going out to do some things. Just small stuff like lunch, the movies, or even just a nighttime walk. Nothing special and absolutely no pressure. It wasn't just the two of us anymore, but I made sure to distract her whenever I saw, or even thought I saw, her slipping into herself.

After a few more panic attacks, I managed to pick up on some of Lupin's warning signs. If she's just anxious, she'll tap her foot or her hand will twitch back and forth. If the anxiety is starting to get to her, then she'll also start chewing her lip at the same time. If she's about to have a full on panic attack, her eyes will start darting around the room like she's anticipating an attack to come out of nowhere and her breathing will change. Right before she has a panic attack, Lupin will sort of slip inside of herself. It's like she'll disconnect with the world before she goes into fight or flight mode.

"Hey," I said as I knocked on Lupin's door, "You ready to go?"

"Yep," she said with a smile as she finished adjusting the brace on her knee. She'd been here for a while now, but Emma still wouldn't let her go anywhere without the brace on her knee. And no one argues with Emma.

When she was done, Lupin jumped off her bed and walked towards me. She was wearing jean shorts, an oversized hoodie today, and sandals. She wasn't petite, but the gigantic hoodie made her look tiny.

"Where are we going today?" she asked.

"Just lunch," I said.

"Good," she replied, "cuz I'm hungry."

"When are you not hungry?" I asked. She thought for a moment, sticking the tip of her tongue out from the side of her mouth a little in the process.

"Um," she said, "Never?" We both laughed. The only other girls I'd met that loved food as much as Lupin were Roxy and Emma, but even they didn't have Lupin's appetite.

The elevator ride to the garage was spent in comfortable silence. It was something I'd gotten used to, since I was around Lupin so much. She's a naturally quiet and introverted person, and when you add in her dislike of talking to or even being around most people, there's a lot of quiet time.

While we were in the elevator, I made sure to stand just a little too close to Lupin. Still trying to get her comfortable being close to me, or anyone for that matter. Today must've been a good day for her because she was smiling and swaying a little the whole way down, not even noticing how close I was standing.