Coffee, Books, and Social Anxiety [Benny/Beckers!]

[COININ CLISTE]

Bunny was trying to make friends. She really was, and that started with Benny. Mackenzie was okay--but Benny seemed to be a little bit more of a...what was that term? Kindered spirit! That was it! And the way he looked at Mackenzie, that was totally obvious. And almost hilarious that neither one of them seem to realize.

Bunny glanced around, shifting the various bracelets on her wrist, and the delicate chains around her throat. A lucky horse-shoe charm around her wrist. And around her throat was a gold clover, and a Claddagh. Stereotypical irish things, but it made her feel not so far away from home.

She smoothed out her pink dress, glancing out of the aisles every so often. Bunny has asked for Benny to meet her at the book store, just to hang out in a place that wasn't running on energy, or where they'd be looked at too hard. She pulled out another book, and smiled at the title. Winnie the Pooh. She always did love those stories. Bunny lowered her head, flipping through the pages to look at the little drawings above each chapter, and on some of the pages.

Being surrounded by books relaxed her. Afterall--she was nervous for nothing. This wasn't a date, or anything. Bunny suddenly glanced up and stared at the books through her glasses, without really seeing them. Oh crap. What if Benny thought it was a date? And didn't show? She was that strange irish chick, and maybe he didn't even understand her. Maybe he didn't understand this was where they were supposed to meet.

She ducked out of the aisle, her heart thrumming in her chest. And what if he was walking in now? What if he saw her? Her, in her pink summer dress, hair meticulously curled and flipped over her shoulder--she was awkward at school. But she was all dolled up outside. What if he thought it wasn't a date--and when he saw her, he thought differently. And then felt awkward too.

Shit, shit, double shit. Maybe she should get out of here. She was nervous the other day in the cafeteria when she asked. Did he even say he'd come out? She grasped the edge of the bookcase, feeling dizzy. Much like her name-sake, she seemed to be easily jilted. Her throat felt dry, and she took a cautious step out of the aisdle, her dark brows furrowing over even darker eyes.

BUT WHAT IF HE SHOWED UP AND SHE RAN!? He'd think she bailed on him, was playing some mean Irish-Girl-Joke, and he'd hate her forever. The one person that might actually have something in common with her. Bunny stopped, and pushed her face into her hands, staring down at her feet with her hands framing her forehead.

What to do, think fast. Think fast. Oh Jesus Christ on a bagel. She thought, her fingers drumming on her head.

Tags:Benny/Beckers, Coinin/Bunny/Ollie
Notes: Yeah. She's kind of a spazz.
Outfit:Bunny is totally rethinking her fashion choice.

[BENNY MOORE]

Well, this was what he had been hoping for, right? He had been wishing to have some sort of friend other than the one that he had loved since before he could walk, right? He had hoped and prayed for someone to accept him enough so that he could confess his biggest and darkest secret since he realized that there was no way in Hell that she could return the feelings, but now that he had finally managed to get someone to apparently tolerate him enough to fill that role, he was terrified. No, MORE than terrified. This was his one shot to finally have a friend, to finally have a confessor, to finally have someone understand the pain that he went through on a daily basis as the girl that he had devoted himself to both seemed to dance in front of him, tantalizingly kind and funny, and yet at the same time as unattainable as the moon in the sky.

So how could he be so scared? It was just an....an outing. Right? He was just meeting her at the mall. That was a perfectly normal palce for teenagers to hang out. She probably hung out at a mall just like this was in the malls in Ireland. She was probably just picking the most public space possible, in order to make sure it wasn't awkward for him. She probably pitied him, because she saw that he was so socially inept and wanted to coax him out of his shell before they were even properly friends because she was sorry for him. God, why did he have to be such a pathetic human being?

Dressed, well, as he would assume that any other normal guy who just instinctively knew what to wear instead of having to sit in his room agonizing about what each article of clothing would say about him to this new Irish girl, Benny stepped into the book store, looking around for Bunny. It would be fine. He just had to keep telling himself that. Everything would be absolutely fine, and he would tlak to her, and make jokes with her, and he would act just like he would if he were hanging out with Mackenzie, instead of curling up in his shell and being so awkward that in the end he just wanted to die. It would all work out for the better. He was walking into this store mostly alone, but he would walk out of there with an additional friend. An additionally person in the world who exactly understood why he was such a wretched, awful human being, and who wasn't utterly repulsed by that fact.

He ducked his head into several aisles, looking for the cute Irish newcomer to the city, disheartened a bit to find that she wasn't in the first few that he hunted through. That was fine. That was all right. She probably had just moved further into the store because he WAS, after all, a bit on the late side of things, as usual. She wouldn't have left. Would she?

And then he saw her. Or nearly collided into her, rather. She was standing right there, at the end of an aisle holding her head in her hands. Oh, God, she was hurt and upset already, and all he had done was show up. Oh well.... best to make light of it and at least make sure she wasn't a teary-eyed wreck before he wrote the entire venture off, right?

"Hey, uh, Bunny! Oh, gosh, you look....stunning! Thanks so much for inviting me. It was really, er-uh, kind of you!" Jesus Christ, what was wrong with him? Why did everything he say have to come out as a stuttered, mumbled wreck?

[COININ CLISTE]

Bunny's hands clamped over to her mouth when she felt someone nearly crash into her. Oh. My. God. Did someone put something in her purse? Did they think she was stealing. Oh GOD she was going to jail. Her chest heaved really fast, her brown eyes wide before peeking up, and seeing it was Benny. Looking just as much of a wreck as she did.

She let out a sigh of relief, and straightened up, smoothing the front of her dress idly, and looked apologetic. "Sorry, I'm not always watching where I go." She said quietly, her lips curled into a teeny little smile. Her cheeks flared to life at the compliment though; enough so, that she could feel her cheeks pricking. She wasn't use to that kind of compliment.

You look nice. Or, You look pretty today, Conin was said to her a few times. But stunning, wow. That was something used for those supermodels and celebrities on TV. It made her grin, and she idly picked at the pink dress, "Oh, thanks." She squinted her eyes at him for a moment, her expression changing a few times. Between embarassed, and sort of like she was trying not to laugh.

"You haven't got to be so formal, you know." She reassured, and her jaw shifted slightly, looking at the ground beside Benny, "Actually, I wasn't even sure if you were going to come. I didn't want you to think it was weird that the new Irish girl was trying to get you to hang out." She shook her head, and took a step back, and turned slightly, indicating he could follow her to the cafe towards the front of the bookstore.

"I'm not really use to trying to make friends or anything like that. It usually kind of backfires in my face." She said, walking at his side, glancing up at him, "I didn't have too many friends back home. I preferred to study, than to go out. Everyone thought I was weird." She rolled her eyes, doing her best to shove that nervous wreck that she was, back deep into her purse, and lock it away.

This was her chance to actually make friends. Mackenzie seemed nice. But she had way, way too much energy, that just seemed to leave Bunny feeling tired and completely worn out. Benny was a little more quiet, but he was enjoyable to be around. Calm, and refreshing. That's the kind of people that Bunny liked. "What about you? You and Mackenzie seem really close...are you guys...you know?" She raised her brows, tapping her index fingers together, indicating something a little more....more..

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[BENNY MOORE]

The way she spoke to him definitely helped him come out of his shell. Whenever he was in a situation without Zee he kind of, well, reverted to being stuffy and closed up and just a general stammering mess. He supposed that's what his default reaction was to any and all social interactions. Bunny though, well, she seemed to understand where he was coming from. She was nice and didn't seem at all hostile towards him like most other people did. Really, it was kind of refreshing to be able to go out and do something with someone other than Mackenzie. He had been going on adventures with her since before he could walk, but it was a rare event when he was brought out to play with someone new. Bunny seemed like a perfect test case to finding out what Benny was like when he wasn't around the girl he spent every day mooning over.

With his hands shoved firmly in his pockets, he meandered through the store behind Bunny, happy to just listen to her. Really, this was one of the nicest occassions in recent memory that didn't involve Zee. Bunny was certainly on the same wavelength as Benny, what with the whole "not many friends" thing and the hints at social awkwardness he had picked up in Art class. It was really like they were both made from the same mold.

He wondered if Bunny had yet to find her own personal Mackenzie. Maybe she had been forced to leave him (her? Benny didn't judge) back in Ireland! Oh, gosh, that would have been awful. He couldn't imagine being separated by thousands of miles of sea from Mackenzie for any period of time. Her visits to California were bad enough, and he was even allowed to talk to her then and -

Wait. No, he had to keep on track. Today wasn't about Zee. Today was about Bunny and getting Benny to make a new friend. He had to keep himself from letting his mind wander off to subjects like Mackenzie's laugh, and how her birthday was coming up and the dinner he had planned for the two of them.

"Trust me, I mean, you're not alone with that whole friend thing. Usually it's just me and Zee and that's about it," he laughed in response to her all too familiar comment about how people thought she was weird. She had no idea how close to home that comment had hit. Hell, half the time he wasn't with Mackenzie or in a class or something, he was having mental breakdowns over the fact that people probably thought he was some kind of awful, pitiful excuse for a human being. It was kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, really, that he was worried people would think he was weird and thus had been seen crying about it in public.

God, he had to keep back on track!

"What about you? You and Mackenzie seem really close...are you guys...you know?"

He couldn't help but laugh out loud at that question. "Oh, God, no. No, we're not. I don't think - no. Just.... no." He was desperate to change the subject. It was kind of hard to ignore Mackenzie if his friend for the day was the one bringing her up. "So, uh, hey! I'll pay for anything you wanna get at the cafe here. Promise, it's my treat. I'm not having someone new to the U.S. getting a bad idea about us just because of the price for a cup of coffee around here."

[COININ CLISTE]

Bunny walked in step with him, her hands folded carefully infront of her, peeking over her shoulder every so often to make sure he wasn't running off. Well this wasn't entirely bad. It was nice, having someone that understood her. She felt around inside of herself, wondering if that cliche romantic flame would sprout to life while she made the realization Benny seemed to be on the same page.

There was nothing. Just a warm comfort, and ease. Plus--she had already settled in her mind that Benny was Kenzie's; the way he looked at her was proof enough. If anything, Benny was like the brother she always wanted. One that understood her, and could relate to her. Not...pick on her, and throw her books in the mud.

A small smile crossed her face, almost like she had a secret with herself. Her brows raised up just the slightest, while she looked at Benny. That look of, 'Yeah, uh-huh. Sure.' on her face, though she didn't press it. It was obvious as hell to her, and if he hadn't yet realized it--that would be his own discovery.

Her expression went from silently amused, to looking like someone had just goosed her.

Appearing startled, and wide eyed, she stared upwards to Benny. "O-oh, no, no no!" She shook her head, color rushing into her face, "I mean, not that I don't want you to--I mean that would be lovely, in a gentleman kind of way--but I mean. I'm the one who invited you out, s-so it should be my treat!" She scratched her cheek idly, her eyes sliding back down to Benny's shoes, swallowing hard. There she goes. Into the nervous mess of girl all over again. "At least...that's my logic of it, I suppose." She said quietly, less flustered, glancing back up at him.

"I'm not use to going out. With friends, I mean. Or in another situation, as a matter of fact," She furrowed her brows, and squinted for a moment, her face flaring to life again, "Not that this is another situation, cause we're friends. But, I usually went places by myself, so I never had to wonder about courtesies, or how its done or things like that."

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[BENNY MOORE]

Benny was all ready to pay for whatever she wanted, be it a coffee or a frappe or whatever it was they exactly sold here in the bookstore (he personally always found his way over to the food court, but that was beside the point) when it seemed that she was rather distressed about the entire situation. Gosh, he really had no idea why. Had he said something wrong? He wasn't HORRIBLY freaked out about the entire thing, but then again, maybe he should be. She did seem to be rather in a tizzy all of a sudden. Perhaps she was vegan and insulted by the idea of getting something at a...coffee shop? Did coffee go against vegan diets? For the life of him, he couldn't remember.

"O-oh, no, no no!" She shook her head, color rushing into her face, I mean, not that I don't want you to--I mean that would be lovely, in a gentleman kind of way--but I mean. I'm the one who invited you out, s-so it should be my treat! At least...that's my logic of it, I suppose."

Oh, gosh, it was just the fact that he was paying? Was she some kind of super-feminine rights activist or something like that? Benny thought that he was just doing the chivalrous thing, or at least being polite. H really wasn't kidding about the prices. They were truly outrageous, and he had NO intention of making her pay for two drinks. besides, buying drinks for his lady friends was kind of HIS shtick, and he didn't plan on giving it up any time soon. He prided himself on knowing exactly what Zee's favorite drink was, and he planned on finding out what Bunny's was, so he could regularly surprise her with a glass of it on otherwise glum or cloudy days.

"I'm not use to going out. With friends, I mean. Or in another situation, as a matter of fact. Not that this is another situation, cause we're friends. But, I usually went places by myself, so I never had to wonder about courtesies, or how its done or things like that."

"Hey, it's alright! Don't worry about it. We can make up some rules to go by together. I have to admit, I'm not entirely well-versed on the subject either," he laughed as he motioned to a nearby table set out for the bookstore's patrons. "How about we sit down so we can work out exactly who has to pay for the day's beverages. Does that sound like a plan to you?"

Pulling out a chair for her, he stood grinning like an idiot behind it.

[COININ CLISTE]

Why was Benny looking at her like that? Like…she punched him in the face or something? Had she totally embarrassed him or something? Why couldn’t she be a normal girl and just accept the kind gesture? Was it so hard that a friend wanted to buy her a drink? And it’s not like it was a club, so she wasn’t going to get drunk. A little hyper from the caffeine and sugar, maybe. But at least it wouldn’t be to Mackenzie’s extent, right?

He laughed it off, which eased the tension in her shoulders. He was very calm about the whole thing, and here she was absolutely having a mental freak out.”T-that sounds like a good idea.” She smiled warily, and furrowed her brows, trying to look apologetic. Why was making friends so hard? It shouldn’t be this hard for normal people, right? Bunny silently followed him to the table, and bit the insides of her cheeks.

Though, when he pulled out the chair she seemed to light up, a grin taking her face. Well, that was sweet. It was something she wasn’t use to at all. Normally when her brother pulled out her chair, it was right as she sat down, sending her rear end crashing to the ground. Bunny lowered herself onto the chair, her fingers gently holding the side, just in case Benny was a trickster—which she highly doubted. Scooting her chair forward, she looked up at him, still smiling. “Thank you, it’s not…ahm, common that someone does that anymore.” She said, trying to feed off his energy, just to calm herself down.

“Every time I come into a bookstore, I go broke beyond belief. It’s like I need to bring a flat-bed to carry all the books. A truck, I mean a truck. We use different words, I lived a little more towards the country side. So.” She pressed her lips in a thin line, and slipped her bag off her shoulder, hanging it on the back of her chair. “It was a little presumptuous of me to invite you to a bookstore, wasn’t it? Do you like books?” She asked curiously, crossing one leg over the other, and placing one hand in her lap. The other hand reached up to idly toy with the Claddagh and gold clover necklace about her throat.

Something struck her that Benny was like her…just a boy, instead of a girl. He seemed quiet, and reserved, except when Mackenzie was around. At those points, he seemed to come to life. And it was painfully obvious, and yet—both of them seemed utterly oblivious to the fact of how Benny felt. Unless something happened in the past that prevented the feelings from coming out. She found herself wanting to know more about Benny, hear his story, hear about who he was. To see if her assumptions of them being so alike were true, or fabrications of her desperate mind.

Drawing in a deep breath, she carefully dropped her hands onto the table, fingers spread out. Her face suddenly looked very serious, “You know. I’m just going to be very, very frank about this. I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing. I don’t remember the last friend that I hung out with, or the last time I had a friend that wasn’t connected by family. Mackenzie is incredibly high energy, and she makes me sort of tired when I’m around her for too long, but you seem to get the way I think. So, I’m sorry if I’m nervous, and rambling like a bloody idiot.” She blinked a few times, before settling her hands back into her lap and clearing her throat.

She fussed with the gold ring around her middle finger, with the simple emerald stone set in, “Maybe a drink would be nice.” She said quietly, going from assertive, and almost like a normal person, back to her quiet, reserved tone; her cheeks turning pink again. God, Bunny. Calm yourself.

[BENNY MOORE]

Sitting down across from her, he rested his elbow on the table separating the two of them and held his chin in his palm, looking across at her. He hadn't really thought about it before, but he really did dig her accent. It was cute, in a flustered sort of way. the way she immediately attempted to correct herself about the whole truck thing was all too familiar. Benny stumbled over his words the same way. Heck, maybe this friendship would be good for the both of them. It could be like a self help group. They could work to fix each other of their shared shyness. It would be good for both of them to learn how to come out of their shells a bit more often.

Laughing, he replied, "Hey, I like books as much as the next guy. I'll admit I've never needed a flat to drag my book haul home before, but I don't mind! If anything I just like the atmosphere in here. It's all very...quiet, y'know? I don't think I've ever heard of anyone getting angry or freaked out or angry in a bookstore before. It's all so peaceful." He shot a glance back into the aisles of the bookstore, just to prove his point. No one seemed overly anxious or worried. Everyone was just calmly going about their business, shuffling from shelf to shelf and occasionally peering down at a certain book spine, or at the inside flap of a book. Really, Bunny had picked the best possible way for them to meet. Benny would have picked some generic place like a restaurant or a movie or something, and that could have been misconstrued as overly date-y or they would have to pt up with noisy people. Here everything was nice and mellow for them.

At her perfectly honest description of Benny, he was a little...well, he didn't know how he felt, to be honest. He thought it might be described as perhaps annoyed by the way she described her as high maintenance and he didn't agree with it, necessarily, but at the same time he could kind of understand where she was coming from. Mackenzie certainly WAS high energy, and to someone who wasn't so perfectly used to being around her and listening to her like he was he supposed that she could come off as a bit....much. Maybe. Oh, he didn't even know anymore.

"Uh, yeah, I mean, uh, lemee go get you that drink. Anything you'd like in particular? Coffee? I'll get coffee." He kicked himself for sounding so stupid, but really, he didn't know how to respond to that little comment about Zee. He kind of felt personally offended, and at the same time he desperately wanted to make sure Bunny wasn't uncomfortable. Ugh. He totally hated himself right now.

Standing up and pushing his chair in he smiled as best he could and then scurried off to the counter, ordering the first two drinks he saw. Stupid, he knew, because she would probably hate them, but he needed to do SOMETHING, and he hadn't exactly given her much time to respond to his question.