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Checking her reflection for the umpteenth time, Ororo felt more than a little nervous and a little less than a lot confused. The nervousness came from worrying about how the date, her first in a very long time, would turn out, while the confusion, well that came from an equally simple thought.

‘Why am I even nervous? Its not like its my first date or even a blind one at that?’ She shuddered recalling the last and thankfully only blind date she had been on. It was during her college days and man was that an experience. It was so…memorable that it would be three months before she even looked at any man (except her father) with something other than disgust. That stupid idiot, he actually had the temerity to finger his nose in front of her. And of that wasn’t enough, he then went onto examine the treasure that he’d dug out, rolling it into a ball before flicking it onto the couple seated behind her, feeling rather smug with his accomplishment when it landed on the man’s head.

Thankfully Logan wasn’t like this. “At least I hope not.” She wondered, frowning a second later at even thinking that. How many times had it been that she’s met him now? At a dozen and that too without the weekly gathering over at Marie’s. And though not debonair and polished, Logan had never been anything but courteous towards her.

“And besides, I already know Jubilee and Amiko,” that supported her line of thought. After all, if you wanted to know the parents or as it was in this case, the parent was, just take a look as the children.

Feeling rather settled, she quickly finished applying her lipstick, using the simple yet classically time tested red. Reaching for a perfume her hand still, wavering midair at which one to pick. Though not quite sure where their dinner was going to be, she knew enough to know that it wouldn’t be in the usual haunts where Scott and Jean went for their weekly night outs.

‘Scott and Jean.’ The two names caused her nervousness to jump a couple of notches. She still hadn’t told them about her Saturday evening/night jaunts, let alone this evening. Why? Because she knew what their reactions would be.

‘Sweety, are you sure you want to do this?’ Jean would ask in a schooled tactful tone. ‘After all…’

‘Are you out of your mind?’ Scott would interrupt her, his face flushed as he tried to maintain a semblance of control. ‘How could you even think of…’

DING DONG

“Saved by the bell.” Ororo sighed at the intrusion pulled her out of her thoughts.

One last look at the mirror and she started towards the door.

---

One hand in his pocket, the link allowing the coat to be draped from it, Logan let out an audible sigh, his ears perking at the tapping of a heel from inside the house.

‘Here goes,’ he had just enough time to once last fly-check before the door was pulled open, and he lost all any form of comprehensive thought. Good thing that the zip was there, ‘cause otherwise surely something woulda shot out.

“Good evening Logan.” She might as well have been talking to empty space. “Logan? Uh…”

‘Fuck! Leather.’ He swallowed, doing his best but failing to raise his eyes above her waist. “You said somethin’?” His question though for her face was asked to her knee-high boots and tight leather skirt.

“Yes. I said…” ‘Look up Bub, look UP!’ “Good even…in…gg.” Ororo herself was busy appreciating the fine male specimen before her.

Even dressed in a simple black pant and coat combination, okay, the coat isn’t quite there. But even then, dressed in black trousers, his shoes polished and reflecting the porch light, his full sleeved sky blue shirt giving making for a perfect blend of semi-formal and laid back, Logan looked almost, he looked different. ‘Just remove the muttonchops and he might as well be from country club,’ she mused, in her own examination missing out how he was the doing the same to her. ‘Then again, the ‘chops do look good on him. Even more so with the rest of his hair nicely combed back. Give him a…classic feel.’

“Uh, these are fer you,” starting first, Logan was the first to recover, gulping down to catch any possible drooling.

“Oh…thank you,” the smile she flashed lit up her face, and for the first of many times that night, Logan thanked his two date-gurus, the slightly experienced Marie and the cosmo-hopped Jubilee. Well, more Marie than Jubes. Never in his life would Logan trust himself with anything that those crap-bags said. Hundred tips to get yer man. Fuck. Ya didn’ need no stikin’ hundred tips to do that, and if ya did, then ya sure as hell weren’t going to get it.

It was as if you’d follow hundred tips to get your dog to love you more. Men and dogs. Dogs and men. The same.

Feed him. Fuck him. Shut the fuck up. There. Three simple ways. If ya want yer pup happy, throw him a bone, get him a bitch and stop fuckin’ playin’ with him and making him wear clothes the same as yers.

An’ if ya want to add two more, then…get another TV and sure as hell don’t talk about yer girl-friends and their lives with him. ‘cause then you’d ask him for his opinion and if he said something that you didn’t like, which would be every single time, then he too was in the doghouse, which in his case would be the living room couch…if he was lucky.

Just like the men of those friends of yers that read cosmo and tried those flamin’ hundred tips.

Hundred tips? Sure. Hundred tips to get him to flee running for the hills, the TV in one hand and his beer in the other.

---

“Did you say something?” Ororo’s soft voice brought Logan back into the present. Okay, what did just happen. One second he was handing her the bouquet which the way they both had their hands on it, he still hadn’t, and the next… ‘Shut up.’ A snarl from the Wolverine ended any further cosmo-thoughts.

“Nah. Nothing,” he let go of the flowers. “Just uh…you look…nice.” In his fumbling he even forgot the words that Jubilee had dictated to him to use in praise of her dress. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Stunning. Totally-bend over-and… okay, that last once came from the Wolverine.

The day Jubes talked like that, that would be the day Logan would go shopping for a cyanide pill, for himself…after he killed the fucker who touched her.

“Th-Thank you,” Ororo was surprised at the simple yet heartfelt complement. “You also look…nice,” she returned in a tongue in cheek manner, her slightly teasing tone finally breaking through the wall of tension that had propped up between them.

“Thanks. Uh…ready to go?”

“Yes,” Ororo smiled over the flowers. “Just let me put these in water and grab my stuff.”

“Sure.” It wasn’t like he had anything better to do, well except to keep his tongue in check. ‘Leather. Why’d she haveta wear leather. An’ that top….’

---

Five minutes later,

“Uh, I forgot to ask,” having helped Ororo in, Logan bounded over to his side. “Where’d you wanna go?”

“Oh, you mean…” he hadn’t got any reservations. And that too on a Friday. Clearly he wasn’t experienced…

“No no, I got three reservations,” Logan blurted out.

“…with dating?” Three reservations! ‘Not trying too hard, are you Mr. Howlett?’

“Yeah,” he scratched the back of neck consciously. “Didn’t know what kinda food you liked, so got three, Chinese, Indian an’ Italian. Could only get them. If you don’t…”

“Indian!” Ororo piped up, by now fighting hard to contain her giggles. It was clear that the normally laid back Logan was completely out of his depth when it came to dating.

Wanting to put him at ease, “I am trying to control my fat intake,” she found herself explaining her choice. ‘Don’t talk about your weight. Don’t. Talk. About. Your. Weight.’ Her conscious beat at her, complete with a weighing machine in its hands.

“Huh?” He pulled out of the driveway.

“Nothing. I’d like Indian…only if its not too spicy.” She clarified, knowing from experience how spicy Indian food could be.
“No worries about that,” Logan had on good authority, namely Betsy’s boyfriend Neal, that this place was A-1 grade. Not only was the food great, they even made it according to your liking, less spicy, more spicy, less oil, more butter…anything you want. “Its good. Besides after what happened with Jubes….” He trailed off, realizing a second too late at the secret he’d almost let out.

“Jubilee? What happened to her?” It was only this afternoon that Ororo had seen the bubbly teenager.
“Nothin’. Nothin’ happened…” Once glance at her bright inquisitive eyes and he caved in. “You gotta promise not to tell her. She’d kill me. Fer real.”
“Is it bad?” Ororo was getting worried now. “Something serious…”
“Nah, it ain’t but if she found out that I told ya then it would be for me….serious I mean.”

“Oh,” her lips curved up in a smile. “In that case, I promise I won’t tell.”

Another glance too confirm the veracity of her words and Logan started,

“Well, it was after our last eat out. It was Indian that time too. And Jubes she….”

Note: Well, when I started this was going to be a mushy-sappy chapter. Then somewhere along the way I decided that with all those ‘date’ chapters out there, why not try something else.

Don’t know if I will do a date or just jump over to the afterwards part and just do a small flashback. For now….let Logan tell Ororo about what happened to Jubes after she had one to many piece of Karahi Chicken.