next s t e p //perri//

[hprules]

Toby had dressed in a pair of dark jeans with a button-down shirt to meet his girlfriend. He carried his usual calm demeanour, but inside he felt incredibly nervous. Due to no influence of his mother, Toby had decided to propose to Perri that day, he had even gotten the ring and everything. But Toby wasn't sure about it, they had only been together about a year, would Perri think it too soon? But it felt right, and he hadn't ever been one to not act on his gut feeling.

With his wand Toby conjured a bouquet of roses before knocking on Perri's door. He had everything planned out, he would take her to the restaurant they had gone to on their first formal date, drive with her to an abandoned pier where they could walk on the dock and be alone... It was a little cheesy, but it would be perfect.

[pridgeon]

Perri hurried to the door, pulling on a single black heel hastily. Her wavy hair was tamed, and curled, and pinned back, lightly framing her face. She donned a new dress, one she had gotten just for the date that day. It was a subtle blue dress, but it was beautiful all the same. It was nice, being able to wear dresses and such now, since the weather was warm. She opened the door just as she slipped the shoe on her foot, and straightened up to greet Toby. Was it just her imagination, but did he look tense? Perri hid her confusion with a smile and leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.

[hprules]

Toby gave Perri a peck on the cheek in return, allowing his face to relax into a gentle smile. "You look gorgeous, as always," said Toby, offering the roses to his girlfriend. He had taken special care with the spell, making the bright red blooms thornless. The ring he had gotten still felt cold in his pocket, being a constant reminder of what he was going to do that evening.

[pridgeon]

Perri smiled brightly, taking the roses from Toby. He complimented her on a daily basis, and usually she wasn't so giddy, but Toby's comment brought a blush to her cheeks. What was in the air that made her feel this way? Something new was hanging in the atmosphere, and it was making Perri act like a school girl... Which was saying something, since, in school, Perri never blushed. Shaking off he funny feeling, she hurriedly conjured up a vase, then delicately set the roses inside. "Let's go, love, I'm starving," she replied with a small smile. Taking Toby's hand, she left her house, locking it as she went.

[hprules]

"Yeah, me too," said Toby, giving Perri's hand a gentle squeeze. He lead the way to his cherry red sports car, it was usually the one he drove when he and Perri went out. Although he did only have two cars, the other was a sleek blue, but he favoured the red. Toby, like always, opened the door for Perri before getting in himself and starting the car. The engine roared to life, settling into its usual soft purr.

[pridgeon]

Perri settled easily into Toby's car. It still made her swoon, to think that he was a part of her life now. This was so strange, still, even after a year of being a couple. The wealth, the extravagance... the idea that her dream man had quite literally swept her off of her feet. It was all so... magical. Perri glanced over at Toby, and, for the second time in the few minutes he had shown up, noticed a tense edge in her boyfriend that hadn't been there previously.

[hprules]

Toby hoped he wasn't appearing to be too tense, but he couldn't recall a time where he was more nervous in his life. Sure, he usually had a healthy dose of nerves before each match, but never anything like this, not even the important ones. Toby was thankful for the short drive to the restaurant, their reservation wasn't for another ten minutes, but as it was a Tuesday it shouldn't be a problem for them to show up a little early. After he had found a place to park, Toby went to open the door for Perri, offering her his arm and a dashing smile like a gentleman.

[pridgeon]

Perri was shocked at the silence. It was eerie, but Perri wasn't going to let the strangeness put a damper on her evening. She exited the car, took Toby's arm, and offered him her own, bright smile. They'd become a sort of regular pair at the restaurant. So much so, in fact, that they had their own table they reserved each time. The entered the building, and the host greeted them with a smile, then lead them personally to their seats.

[hprules]

Toby quietly thanked the host that lead them to their customary table, and waited until the waiter had pulled out Perri's chair for her to sit down himself. It was a quiet little Italian restaurant, often frequented by guys on the team. Although now they did have Force, a seventeen-year-old girl. She was good, but it was odd to have a female on a team that had been all guys for so long. "The European Quarterfinals are next month," said Toby, "would you like to come along?" They were in Spain this year, although the Spanish team had not done well in a long time.

[pridgeon]

Perri looked up and opened her mouth to answer, when the waiter came up. "Good evening," he began, but before he could continue, Perri smiled and interrupted him. "White wine for me, and a salad to begin. Then, I'll take the... spaghetti. Please," she added, as an after thought. The waiter looked blown away, but he hid it behind a smile, then he turned to Toby. Perri grinned at Toby, shrugging. They'd been there so many times, it didn't take long for her to order... ever.

[hprules]

"Oh, the chicken parmesan for me, thanks," said Toby to the waiter, who nodded, wrote down their order and then scurried off to the kitchens to get it started. He smiled at Perri, and then took a casual sip of his wine. This would be his first and only glass of the evening, he did still have to drive that evening. And that was fine by him, evenings for getting drunk were when he played poker with the guys from the team. "I've got tickets with your name on them if you'd like to go," said Toby, "you'd get to sit in the top box and everything."