Sushi Sasabune

[[from James & Luke's apt.]]

Luke got off the subway and crossed the strret. A couple blocks later, he was near Central park and in the heart of Manhattan. He reached the Sushi place and slipped inside, taking a table by the window.

[[From School Campus/Dorms.]]

Alexis came up the opposite side of the sidewalk then what Luke did and looked at the busy road before rushing across and to the Sushi place, pulling the doors open and heading in, looking around to spot the tall blond. She was slightly getting weird looks for carrying in a soccer ball but she ignored them as she spotted Luke and headed over to the table.

Luke glanced up and cracked a half-grin so the dimple in one cheek deepened, eyes dancing. "I'm starv-," he greeted Alexis and then paused to give her a once-over. "Um, you look...different." His eyes widened.

She really doesn't look like Lexie at all.

Alexis paused, stopping her twirling with the soccer ball and sat down in the other seat. "Bad different or good?" Alexis asked as she set the ball down in her lap, looking at Luke. He looked shell-shocked.

"Um," Luke paused, gnawing his lip. She looked good. He could see that, definitely. She needed to wear her hair down more often; it was all wavy and he had the childish impulse to yank on it to see if it were as soft as it looked.

"Different in a good and bad way." He smiled to lessen the blow and added quickly, "I mean, you look pretty, don't get me wrong. You just don't look like you, is all. I'm just wondering why."

Alexis paused, looking at him for a moment before looking around. "Uhm... Evelyn got me new clothes today so I figured I'd wear them."She half lied, her cheeks going a bit red. "Thanks though."

Luke had to grin. "She seems a little too excited about this, huh?"

The waitress approached them then, handing them two menus. Luke glanced down at his, scratching the tip of his nose absently.

"You have noooo idea..."Alexis said quietly, opening and looking at her own menu, knowing she'd need to get something for Evelyn also. She gnawed at the inside of her cheek a little as she tried to figure out what Evelyn would want.

Luke glanced up from his own menu, eyes thoughtful. "I'm not really sure why though. Even Ash seems really, um, elated. Even when I told her we were playing soccer and she was welcome to join us." He glanced back down at his own menu. "Don't know what you want?"

"Yeah, they are just being um. girls. Anyway- I have no idea what I want and what Evelyn wants. I told her I'd get dinner for her."Alexis said, raising her eyes to look at him. "Any ideas?" She asked.

"She loves anything with rice," Luke said, remembering a conversation in which Evelyn had mentioned this. "So...there's steamed rice with a seaweed veggie wrap? I'll get that for James too. I think he'll like that." He cracked an amused grin.

Alexis gave her own amused grin. "Seaweed veggie wrap it is. I think I'm just gonna get the California Roll."Alexis mused as she tapped her nail against her chin, glancing up at Luke every now and then before grinning as she remembered their conversation.

Luke gave the order for four seaweed wraps with rice to their waitress and she smiled at him. She was pretty, in her late teens. Luke nodded at her and looked back at Alexis, catching her glance.

He raised a blond-brown eyebrow, smiling. "What?"

"Bite me."Alexis said simply to see if he'd remember and smiled with amusement at him as she put her menu down, lacing her fingers together and resting her chin over the top of them.

Luke opened his mouth, confused for a second, and then froze, before a blush rose to his face. He dimpled, embarrassed, and looked around at the restaurant. Across the front counter, a sushi bar was set up. Chefs brought in freshly steamed lobster. "Oh, um....right."

He cleared his throat, remembering his shock when he'd seen Alexis' words: And if I do?

Truth be told, he'd had no idea how to reply. He thought about passing it off as a friendly joke, but he didn't want her to think he hadn't picked up on that tiny un-platonic vibe. So he'd tried to play it off for a later time.

Later was now.

Luke swallowed, and for the ten-thousandth time, wished he had some of James' confidence. James would definitely have known what to say. He'd have turned this right around and asked Alexis to a dinner date in the time it took for Luke to collect his thoughts.

Ashlee was always telling him he just needed to be confident. he cleared his throat, meeting Alexis' eyes, and gave her a small smile. Forget she's a girl. Forget she's a pretty girl. Think of her as, um, oh God, I have really no idea.

He sucked at this, he thought dismally. James was the suave, smooth-talker. Luke was the blundering sidekick.

He studied Alexis. She had her fingers laced together, chin resting on the tip, and the overhead lamp cast a glow to her gray-blue eyes. Evelyn had definitely chosen her clothing well. The blue top worked in Alexis' favor.

"I might be inclined," Luke managed to say, "but it'd hardly be appropriate and I kind of want to eat before we get kicked out."

Alexis tried her hardest to keep a straight face but failed and laughed lightly. "You would seriously do it?"Alexis asked, smiling at him with amusement still. In all honesty, when he threw off her reply while they chatted on facebook, it threw her off track for a moment, herself. She expected him to make a comment about catching a disease or something playfully insulting like they would usually do. It was a almost refreshing different turn to their jabs.

She did a sneaky scan of his face, the blush in his cheeks she had to admit was pretty adorable and the embarrassed look that spread over it when he finally got what she was talking about made him look like a freshly-dating teenage boy. This made her smile slightly more and clear her throat quietly to not laugh or giggle.

She didn't even seem like herself- She wasn't being a cold hearted bitch for once. Sarcasm, however, was still granted.

Luke opened his mouth and then realized he had no idea what to say. God dammit, James, where are you when I need you? Oh right, skunked.

"You were joking, I'm assuming. I'm fairly sure you'd slap me if I did," he replied. The waitress appeared then, setting down their plates. Luke had asked her to pack two of the meals as takeaways for James and Evelyn.

"I might have been."Alexis said to maybe keep him guessing, looking down at her food as she grabbed her packet of chopsticks and ripped it open before pulling them out and then apart.

He ripped open his own packet of chopsticks, twirling them in his fingers for a few. "You're playing with me." It wasn't a question. He smiled briefly, and then caught a piece of vegetable on the end of his chopsticks. "And you're winning."

Alexis giggled. Actually, giggled. If you knew her, Alexis Rene'e Smith was one person you would hardly ever hear giggle. She picked up some of her roll with the chopsticks, glancing up at him.

Luke exhaled, but felt his own lips twitch into a smile. "You giggle now, Lexie?" he asked softly.

Alexis' cheeks tainted red and she blinked a little as she realized she really had giggled. It just came out really- She was starting to wonder what was wrong with her. She usually hated people who giggled.

"Um... apparently."She said, still blushing lightly as she pushed some hair behind her ear and popped the piece into her mouth in hopes that it'd get her mind off the heat in her face.

"People have really changed, huh?" Luke commented, starting on his rice. He eyed her red cheeks, stifling a smile. She looked cute, but hell if he'd ever say that aloud. "I mean, some peole. Others, like our roommates, never change."

He hoped she'd go with the topic. Talking about the arrogant James and buttheaded Evelyn's tragic saga was comfortable ground, gave him time to recuperate, so he oculd bring their talk back to more level ground.

Alexis smirked slightly, the red from her cheeks fading as she finished her bite. "You mean like that completely expected Facebook war that they had earlier?"She asked, playing with her chopsticks a bit as she looked at him. "Evelyn mentioned something on the subway to Frogger. About liking fixing problems and getting down to the bottom of them or something like that- I almost blurted out why the hell she and James hasn't fixed their yet then."

"I know, huh?" Luke replied, amused despite himself at Alexis' usage of Frogger. "You'd think...honestly, I doubt they remember why they're mad at each other."