Find me in the evening [attn: Owen]

Lynne wrapped her towel around herself and swiped a hand across the steam-covered mirror and looked at her reflection. "Here goes nothing," she muttered to herself.

She set her mobile phone down on the floor so she could see it when she flipped her head upside down and turned on her blowdryer. Lynne didn't know if Owen intended on sleeping together tonight or just staying the night, but after probably the longest shower in her life, she was prepared either way. All that was left was to dry her hair and get dressed. As much as she wanted to impress him, she longed to just be comfortable. Should she compromise between the two by wearing her pajamas but still keeping her make up on...?

"Decisions, decisions," she sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair with one hand and shot the hot air from the dryer at it with the other.

Owen checked his watch. A little after 7:30. He looked at the paperwork in front of him. Eh, there wasn't that much left, and Jack told him he could go if he finished his work and things stayed quiet, which, they mostly had. A few small things here and there, but nothing overly serious. He looked at his mobile, which was sitting as desk, by the computer's keyboard. He should probably call Lynne and tell her that he was just about done with work. Yeah. He should.

He never hated ringing phones before today.

Lynne's phone lit up and began to dance slowly across the floor as the vibrating alert went off; she was getting a phone call.

Owen Harper Calling.

Grinning, Lynne turned off the blowdryer and picked up the phone, flipping her hair back over her shoulder as she stood upright. Setting the dryer down on the sink, Lynne picked up the call.

"Hey, you," she answered, the smile clear in her voice. "You about done for the night?"

"Hey, you," she answered, the smile clear in her voice. "You about done for the night?"

"Hey!" he said, a bit overexcited that she answered. "Yeah, uh... I have a little paperwork left, but it shouldn't take too long. I just wanted to, uh... To let you know."

"Yeah, uh... I have a little paperwork left, but it shouldn't take too long. I just wanted to, uh... To let you know."

Lynne let out a silent puff of air in relief. Good, because I still look a hot mess right now...and I've got too much hair. I should cut it...

Shaking her thoughts away to focus on Owen, Lynne rolled her eyes at herself. "Okay, cool. D'you want me to grab anything before you get here? Alcohol? Food? Movies?" she asked lamely, hoping that he'd decline the offer, since she didn't think she would actually have time for any of that. She'd just have to make time, if he accepted, she supposed.

"Okay, cool. D'you want me to grab anything before you get here? Alcohol? Food? Movies?"

"Well," Owen said, a bit downhearted, "I was going to surprise you with Chinese takeout and wine..."

"Well," Owen said, a bit downhearted, "I was going to surprise you with Chinese takeout and wine..."

"Aww," Lynne giggled. "Well...you could've just said no..." she went on, biting her lip against another set of giggles. She'd never have known about his surprise if he had just declined her offer to pick something up and hadn't mentioned it, after all...

"That's really sweet, Owen," she added with a smile, feeling herself begin to blush. "That sounds really good, if you still want to..."

"Aww," Lynne giggled. "Well...you could've just said no..."

Hm. Shit. "Well... Yeah... I guess I could have." He rubbed his hand through his hair. Brilliant, Owen, you're a genius.

"That's really sweet, Owen," she added with a smile, feeling herself begin to blush. "That sounds really good, if you still want to..."

He smiled again. "Yeah, of course... Well, I gotta go. Gotta finish up this paperwork otherwise I'll never get there." He gave a small laugh. "I'll see you in a bit, then."

"Yeah, of course... Well, I gotta go. Gotta finish up this paperwork otherwise I'll never get there." He gave a small laugh. "I'll see you in a bit, then."

"All right, see you then," Lynne replied. Now that he was ready to get back to work, she was ready to get back to making herself look presentable. "Bye," she added softly, still slightly saddened at having to hang up, even though she had things to do before he got here.

Mentally, she made a list.

Finish blowdrying her hair, put on her make up, get dressed, run around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to clean the flat so he didn't think she was a slob. Man, procrastination is a bitch... she thought.

Owen closed his mobile and clung to it again. After a moment he set it back on his desk and continued with his work.

About 15 minutes had passed and he was done. He went into Jack's office and bid him goodnight.

It was about 20 minutes after that he was standing at Lynne's door with Chinese and a bottle of wine, ringing her doorbell.

Having decided, just after hanging up with Owen, that it was wiser to clean the flat first and then primp, Lynne was back in the bathroom trying to finish getting her hair dry when the door bell rang.

She thought she'd heard it, turned off the dryer, and paused. Then, it rang again. "Shit..." she hissed, yanking the plug from the outlet, wrapping the cord around the base of the dryer and shoving it back into its place under the sink. She yanked her still-damp hair into a sloppy bun at the top of her head and secured it. "Fuck, he's fast," she breathed, frowning at her reflection, but not really having time to do anything else. "I'm coming!" she shouted as she bounded out of the bathroom and across the flat. "One second!"

Owen rang the doorbell. No answer. He waited a few seconds and rang it again.

"I'm coming!" she shouted as she bounded out of the bathroom and across the flat. "One second!"

Owen waited, as patiently as he could, but in almost no time, his patience was gone, and his gaze darted around anxiously.

It felt like an eternity had gone by before the door finally opened, and as soon as he saw Lynne he smiled and leaned in, hands still full, to kiss her.

Lynne hurried across the flat and pulled the door open, hoping Owen wouldn't change his mind and run off when he saw her disheveled hair and severe lack of make up. She'd only put on her eyeliner; the rest she'd wanted to do after blowdrying so that it didn't run from the heat.

She was relieved to see that, rather than recoil, Owen was already leaning forward for a kiss. Lynne smiled. Far be it for her to deny him. She closed a fist gently around some of his shirt and brought him to her, pressing her lips against his as she guided him blindly into the flat.

Lynne had grabbed Owen's shirt during their kiss and pulled him into her apartment. As they broke from the kiss, he looked at her, make-up incomplete and hair all disheveled and beautiful as ever. "Hello," he said gently.

"Hi..." Lynne breathed, reaching around Owen with one hand to push the door shut behind him.

She stared at him for a moment, too happy to see him to do anything else. Then she snapped out of it. "Oh, uh...well, come in. Sorry...it's a bit of a mess in here," she apologized. She'd had time to declutter, but the flat wasn't in as pristine a state as she'd have liked.

"How was work?" she asked a little awkwardly as she stepped back in a further gesture to let him into her home.

Lynne seemed to be in a bit of a daze, just staring at Owen. It made him a little nervous, but he used the opportunity to admire her.

"How was work?"

"'Salright," Owen started, "This morning was slow, but it picked up a bit after we talked. Not too much though, and it died down again a few hours ago. Enough time to fill out paperwork." He rolled his eyes at the thought of it. He spotted a counter in the kitchen area and held up the food and wine, "Where should I put these?"

"This morning was slow, but it picked up a bit after we talked. Not too much though, and it died down again a few hours ago. Enough time to fill out paperwork."

"Ouch, sounds like a boring day..." Lynne sympathized. "I hate those."

Owen held up the food and wine. "Where should I put these?"

"Oh, anywhere," she replied. "There's the breakfast bar..." she offered. It had two bar stools that her roommate had picked up mainly for them to leave their purses on, but Lynne had cleared them off before Owen had arrived. They could sit there to eat, perhaps, since Lynne and her roommate still hadn't gotten around to buying themselves a dining room table to fill the small, empty alcove off to the side of the kitchen.

Owen put the food and wine on the bar, and turned to look at Lynne. This was something he hadn't done in years, and he was finding himself increasingly more awkward about the whole thing. After a brief pause, he hesitantly asked "...plates?"

Lynne watched Owen curiously. It had been years since she'd had a man in her flat who wasn't disrobing her on the way to her bedroom. There was something decidedly domestic about the way the night was going so far and while Lynne missed the feeling, she almost didn't really remember how to deal with it.

"...plates?"

"Right," Lynne said quickly, shaking her head to rid herself of thoughts that felt, to her, a lot too premature. "In the cupboard on the left, just over your head. I'll get glasses," she said before turning from him to pull open the cupboard in which she kept the glasses. She took out two of her roommate's stemmed wine glasses and turned back to Owen, pausing before crossing the kitchen to where Owen was standing.

Owen got two plates down and started emptying the bag he'd brought, putting a set of wooden chopsticks next to each plate. He missed this feeling. A night in with the woman he lo-- ...Liked. The woman he liked... a lot. He smiled to himself over the thought of how quickly he could get used to this again. He looked towards the doorway and saw Lynne standing there with two stemmed glasses. He walked over and took the glasses from her, setting them down. As he began to pour the wine, he looked at her, "Are you coming? Or am I eating this by myself?" He smiled at her warmly.

Owen took the glasses from Lynne and as he was pouring the wine, he looked over at her. "Are you coming? Or am I eating this by myself?"

Lynne smiled back at him and crinkled her nose, a bit embarrassed at her somewhat frozen state. This thing with Owen was still really new and she felt like they were moving really fast...while simultaneously taking things really slowly. It was oddly comforting while at the same time being a little uncomfortable and fleetingly terrifying. The last time Lynne had been with a man for anything other than sex - save Dan; she didn't figure he counted, since he was still pretty much a stranger and she wasn't romantically interested in him at all - had been years ago.

"Yeah, sorry," Lynne laughed nervously. "I'm just..." she paused and made her way over to Owen, taking a seat on one of the bar stools behind the breakfast bar. "Maybe it's just me, but this feels...I don't know, uncomfortably comfortable. That probably makes no sense," she admitted, feeling her face growing hot. "I mean...weird that I feel so comfortable with you when I barely know you," she clarified so that he didn't think she was having second thoughts; she absolutely wasn't having second thoughts.

Owen turned towards Lynne, but didn't look at her. Instead, he focused on an arbitrary point, taking in what she had said. After a moment's thought, he looked back at her. "Yeah. But I sort of... I don't know... like it. It seems... right, to me." He paused and sighed. He knew what he was thinking, but not the words for it. "I think... I've met a lot of women, and none of them... fit... like you do. I'm babbling. I don't... I don't babble."

"Yeah. But I sort of... I don't know... like it. It seems... right, to me." He paused and sighed. "I think... I've met a lot of women, and none of them... fit... like you do. I'm babbling. I don't... I don't babble."

Lynne smiled and nodded. She understood his difficulty with words; she understood the feeling.

"I like it, too," she said quietly, looking at him quite seriously. "It does feel right...and that makes me so happy, all the while scaring the everlivin' out of me..."

She paused, considering her words so as not to overwhelm Owen unnecessarily. "I...really like you, Owen," she decided on. "And I haven't felt like this in a very long time. I don't know what it is about you," she went on.

Yes, I do. It's Katie. He's been in love; he knows what it feels like and how horrible it is to lose it. He's not just some stupid frat boy out for a good shag before calling it quits. He's...a keeper. she thought, but didn't say.

"I don't want to mess this up. I have fun with you...I like being with you. You make me feel pretty and worthwhile and I don't even think you're trying."

Lynne looked away from him for a moment and let out a soft sigh. Her eyes drifted back up to his. She had nothing left to say that wouldn't make her sound too needy or possessive, so she kept her mouth shut and just looked at him, gauging his face for a response.

"I don't want to mess this up. I have fun with you...I like being with you. You make me feel pretty and worthwhile and I don't even think you're trying."

Owen smiled shyly. "I don't think I have to with you." He stepped closer and hugged Lynne tightly, whispering "I... really like you, too."

'I can't do this, not yet--' Owen tried to chase the thought out, but it was too late. His body had jerked suddenly at the thought, and he stepped back from her, praying she hadn't felt it. He smiled at her as best he could, trying to reassure her he... they were okay.

Owen pulled Lynne into a hug and whispered, "I... really like you, too."

Something that resembled panic filled Lynne's every fiber of being. Ican'tdothisI'mnotreadyIcan'tIcan'tIcan't... She felt Owen jerk ever so slightly before pulling away, but it didn't really register; she was lost in her own thoughts. He's just going to hurt you. They always do. Every. last. one. He's no different; he's just better at hiding it...

Owen gave Lynne a somewhat reassuring smile and she forced the same back to him. She looked away from Owen, lifting her glass and taking a less-than-dainty drink of the wine before looking back at him. "I should...say something," she said gently. Lynne took a deep breath and set down the glass. "And it's okay if you want to just walk back out the door after I do; I'll be disappointed, but I'll understand."

Taking another deep breath, Lynne locked her eyes on his. "I don't want a title. I mean...I want to spend time with you, Owen, lots and lots of time with you...but I'm really..." her voice trailed off and she furrowed her brow, frustrated with herself for feeling the way she did. "I'm scared," she admitted. "Not of you...but of this. All this. It's been a really long time and I was really badly burned. I know you know how I feel, or at least I think you do, but...let's..." her voice trailed off again and she took one of Owen's hands in her own. "Can we take it really slow and just see where it goes? No pressure from either of us?" she asked hopefully.