Unexpected House Call – Tyler, tag Maggy

[Tyler Durnham]

Tyler wasn’t nervous. He was never nervous, especially when it came to what he knew well. And he knew women best of all. Except Maggy it seemed. He couldn’t pretend otherwise, his usual charms all failed on her, given that he was still having to try to win her into his bed. He had decided it was because of this, her resistance, that he was still so keenly interested, when he would have normally dropped every other girl by now. It wasn’t much of a challenge to him, the women he wanted, he generally could have. And then Maggy showed up, a complete puzzle to him, giving him the trial he craved. And he had learnt well from his father, if you wanted something, to never give up until it was yours. After all, Durnhams never lose.

Which was why he was on his way to the girl’s place now, a few hours after work, dressed as he would if this was a date with someone he wanted very badly to impress. Because while it was far from a date, turning up unannounced at her door, there were people he wanted to make an impression on. It was obvious from their first date that Maggy didn’t want him to meet her family, so that was exactly what Tyler planned to do. He planned to turn on the usual charm, win them over, before hopefully emulating that success with Maggy, especially with her family on his side. A bit underhanded, he knew, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

He figured he would need all the help he could get anyway, with this latest plan, as encouraged by Bree. Complete honesty. Well, some honesty anyway. Bree seemed to know what she was talking about, as seeing how he wasn’t making any leeway himself, he figured it couldn’t hurt.

Pulling up his pride and joy outside of her house (it wasn’t difficult for him to get her address), he eyed the quaint little house with some amusement, taking his time in walking up the front door. With his dark blue Calvin Kline jeans, his grey Armani shirt and Aviator sunglasses, it was clear he was out of place. At least by appearances anyway. Tyler prided himself in being able to socialise with anyone. Pulling off the sunglasses and slipping them into his pocket, he rang the doorbell and waited patiently for it to be answered. “Hello, my name is Tyler Durnham. Is Maggy home?”

[Magdalena "Maggy" Veloz]

Lorena Veloz had never, in almost eighteen years of raising Magdalena, expected anyone who looked like Tyler Durnham to show up at her doorstep. He clearly took pride in his appearance, and though his outfit was lacking ornamentation there was no question but that it had cost him a pretty penny. After years of seeing the same two awkward outcasts as visitors Lorena was nothing short of delighted to see that her daughter's social class was, to all appearances, elevating. She didn't even question what reason the boy had for visiting, thrilled as she was that he was asking after Maggy at all.

"Of course!" She beamed, opening the door wide and gesturing for the boy to step inside. "You must be a classmate...?" She prodded, pushing dark hair behind her ears as she appraised the boy she so hoped was interested in Maggy -- but he could just be like her daughter's friends and have no interest in dating her, just in hanging out. He looked far more normal, though, and which hopefully meant he was....well, more normal.

"She's just in the living room," Lorena explained, leading the boy down the hallway and popping without warning into the living room, where Maggy was curled up on the couch with a collection of HP Lovecraft stories. Lorena couldn't fathom how anyone could enjoy the gratuitous suffering and chaos and insanity depicted therein; Magdalena had attempted to explain the plot of several of the stories to her parenst, once, but atavistic cults and malevolent alien-gods were not to the taste of either of the elder Veloz'.

"Maggy, you have company," She announced, ushering the visitor into the room.

Magdalena dropped her book, jumping to her feet with a shriek. She wanted to tell her mother to evict him at once so she didn't have to talk to him and face their....whatever it was. But her mother was already slipping out of the room with a wink. Infuriating!!

She bent down to snatch her book off the floor. "What are you doing here?!" She demanded, "Shouldn't you be with Bree?"

[Tyler Durnham]

Considering the reception he was expecting to receive from Maggy, the very warm reaction he received from her mother, at least he assumed her to be her mother, surprised Tyler to say the least. And it was a warm greeting he welcomed, it looked like he wouldn’t have to go to much trouble to win over the woman. He was curious however, when she enthusiastically ushered him into the house, wondering what the cause for all this friendliness. Obviously Maggy didn’t talk to her mother about boys, or him at least, for if she had, he would have expected a very different reaction.

“Yes, she and I both go to Gould.” he smiled, using the chance to look around the house. It could almost be said to be the complete opposite of his own home. He was sure the whole house could fit into a few rooms of his father’s generous mansion, and even his pool house was close in size. Quaint, he thought once more, and oddly enough, seemed to suit his potential friend / fling / something he hadn’t quite worked out yet. “Magggy, well, the school band, sometimes plays at my games. I’m on the school’s football team.” he explained, amused by the woman’s apparent pleased reaction to this, the last thing he managed to get out before being led into the lounge room.

It was almost a relief when he caught sight of Maggy, and she him, things suddenly becoming what he was used to. “Well, I came to see you. And hello. You look as beautiful as always.” he smiled, not at all put off by her reaction. He had been expecting as such, so of course he was ready for it. He leant down when she did, grabbing the book before her and as he straightened, held it out to her, making sure that their fingers touched when she grabbed it off him.

“No, I shouldn’t. And that’s why I’m here, to be honest. I felt as though you deserve an explanation.” He smiled once more, a little nervous. And a little was more than he liked. He already planned what he was going to say, debated over it, changed his mind before changing it back. She was causing him a lot of trouble, this woman. She really should appreciate it more.

“You see, the thing is...ok, I’m feeling stupid. Mind if I sit?” he chuckled awkwardly, sitting on the longue before she could answer, and motioning for her to do the same. “I was planning on coming over here, telling you that Bree and I have decided we’re better off as friends, but, I’ll be honest with you.” Partially honest anyway. “Bree and I, we were never a couple, or whatever you thought us to be. It was actually a plan, a bad plan I’ll admit, to get you jealous. And it backfired. You see, I really enjoyed our date last week Maggy, and I don’t date. So, I’ll admit, it caught me by surprise.” All truth so far, maybe he wasn’t as bad at this thing as he thought.

Tyler let himself continue, nervously fidgeting with one of the corners of his shirt. “But, it seemed my...affection was one sided, and I had hoped that maybe if I could make you jealous, you might be interested in me once more. But, now I fear I’ve completely blown my chance with you. I would really, really be grateful if you would let me make it up to you. Tomorrow night, maybe?” he asked in earnest. “Or if not, I understand, but I hope we could still be friends. You interest me Maggy. And let’s be honest, we both know my reputation, you’re the first woman I’ve ever wanted to date. So I’m new at this. Hence the stupid idea.” He thought that all sounded good. Now all Tyler had left to do was figure out himself which words he spoke were a fabrication.

[Magdalena "Maggy" Veloz]

Magdalena folded her arms across her chest as Tyler began his confession. This seemed uncharacteristically honest for the football player, and the niggling thought that he was, for once, not involved in some sort of mind game, intruded, making her far less comfortable than she cared to admit. She claimed to despise the sorts of dishonest, manipulative mind games people like Tyler routinely played, but hiding her true feelings was much, much easier than admitting she liked one of the popular boys, particularly when the popular boy in question was a known womanizer. It just wasn't smart to get entangled with someone like Tyler!

But in spite of all this, she found herself wanting to give him a chance. She wanted to believe that everything he was telling her was true, and that he was going through the effort of wooing her because he really, truly was interested in her as more than a conquest. She sat beside him when he indicated she should, too interested in seeing where his speech was going to think to refuse. He wanted to date her. Oh, yes, she did so want to believe this....

Dark eyes gazed at the floor as she silently contemplated his admission. After a moment, she dropped her hands to her side and looked up into Tyler's face. "Okay," She agreed, surprised by her own readiness. She was tired of cynicism and paranoia; she wanted to trust him. "Tomorrow night, then." She paused once again, then continued timidly, "Ummm, how fancy do I have to dress?"

[Tyler Durnham]

Well, that was easy. Tyler had been worried he might have overdone it a tad, seemed a bit more nervous than he should be, or that his ‘total honesty’ approach might not work on the girl in question. The thought that she might not be interested in him any longer didn’t even enter his mind, there was no point in considering the impossible after all. His only concerns were that the girl had some sense of pride which he offended too much to be repaired, or that he wore her patience thin. But, it seems such concerns were pointless. Of course Maggy would still be interested, he realised now, look at him. What girl wouldn’t give anything for even the slightest chance to date him.

Even if dating, proper, good old fashioned dating, he presumed, was a subject he knew very little about. There was a first for everything though, and if he tired of her, he could do what he did with many of the women who came before her. Sweep her off her feet, sleep with her, and leave her pining. Now that was something he knew how to do well. But, maybe after a little while, at least. He may as well see what all the fuss about dating, just sticking to one girl, was all about, he told himself, not allowing himself to think it had more to do with the girl, and not the notion of dating.

Then she looked at him with eyes he found himself happy to look into, and asked a question that could only derive one response from the footballer. He laughed, the sound echoing around the room as he settled back against the comfy couch. “Well, I suppose that depends on where we’re going. Hmm, let’s see, well, guess it’s my turn to pick. I’ll take you out to dinner, there’s this Italian place my family often goes to, I think you’ll enjoy it. And admittedly it’s a bit...fancy.” he grinned. “But, wear whatever you want to wear Maggy.” It would be interesting to see just how she dressed, for such a date. “And, don’t forget, it’s my turn to pick you up too.”

He let his eyes drop down to the book now on her lap, reading the cover. “HP Lovecraft? How stupid will I seem if I admit I’ve never heard of him? Or is it her?” he laughed. “Lovecraft... is it anything like those Mills & Boon novels? I know my stepmother likes to read them.” He found it quite hard to believe though, that both women could have something in common.

[Magdalena "Maggy" Veloz]

Magdalena raised an eyebrow at Tyler. She had never, not once, encountered anyone who had not at least heard of H.P. Lovecraft. Granted, she tended to run in nerdier circles than most, and even then not everyone she knew read him, but any references to Yog-Shoggoth or Cthulu would never miss the mark in her (admittedly small) circle of friends. She bit the corner of her mouth, wondering how best to explain her favorite author to someone who not only had never heard of him, but probably wouldn't even understand the references -- as most nerds, even those rare few who hadn't heard of him, would grasp references to the mythology he had begun.

"Umm, he's kind of a pulp horror writer?" She offered uncertainly. "From the twenties. They're really interesting." She decided to leave out the racism and the chaos and the despair that shadowed all of his books, because the man was a genius! She didn't care if he would have thought her inferior; at least, she told herself she didn't care. He was only the author of her favorite stories, and he was allowed to hold absolutely repulsive viewpoints as long as his works were good. And they were, if one enjoyed endings where the heroes went insane hearing their children devoured by dark gods and secret cults -- devoured in a literal sense, rather than figurative, most of the time. "You've never heard the phrase Lovecraftian horror? No Cthulu?" She waved her fingers in front of her face like tentacles. Well, he was a football player, she supposed she couldn't expect him to know about good literature.

"You can borrow it, if you want, I've read it loads of times." She offered, wondering if he would accept and if she wanted him to. If he did read it he would probably be so scarred he'd never talk to her again. But he could surprise her, and really enjoy them; in fact, she hoped that was what would happen, because neither Phil nor Mew appreciated Lovecraft in the least. Phil detested the man's pessimistic view of religion (this objection annoyed her, as she happened to agree with Phil that God was benevolent and life was not as horrible as a Lovecraftian novel) and Mew preferred colorful and simplistic fantasies filled with pretty 2-D girls and boys. So much for sharing literary tastes with her friends! Perhaps if Tyler read Lovecraft she would have someone to fangirl with...

[Tyler Durnham]

It wasn’t as though Tyler didn’t enjoy reading. He did, and though it was usually magazines that ended up as reading material, he enjoyed the odd book, and even in his bedside table kept the by now well-worn copy of Animal Farm he had to study in English as a freshman. It’s just that he usually found much more interesting and / or fun ways to spend his time, like football, women, partying, women, hanging out with his friends and of course, women, instead of curling up on the longue with a good book. It seemed like he might just have to make an exception however. Oh, the things he went through for a pretty girl. And at least this was proof he had far from lost his touch, something he could gloat to Sloane about, when she wasn’t in the presence of her own current toy. Which wouldn’t be an easy accomplishment it seemed, the two lovebirds apparently attached at the hip. Something else he would happily exploit and taunt her for.

“No, can’t say I’ve ever heard of those terms.” he grinned, amused by how passionate she seemed about it, and it was clear to him she was holding back a little. Probably because of him, wanting to make a good impression and all. He was long used to that by now, usually from pretty little things that looked good hanging onto his arm, always interested in what he was interested in, always agreeing with what he had to say, always wanting what he wanted. And while it was fun, sometimes he grew tired of it, and wanted to be around a girl who had her own opinions and interests. But then again, there was something to be said for an eager to please, not to mention, beautiful woman.

And he was still going soft, he caught himself out in the middle of his thoughts and turned his attention back to the subject at hand. He could always go out afterwards, get drunk and find a cute thing to while away the rest of the night. That would be the perfect way to get back to feeling normal. “Well, I don’t mind horror. Normally of the B-grade flick kind, though aren’t most horror movies cheesy B-grade ones?” he laughed, and then reached over to take the book. And being Tyler Durnham, he made sure his fingers gently grazed her inner thigh, seemingly oblivious to this. Just like he was attempting to be oblivious to how good she smelled.

“Thanks Maggy, I’ll try starting on it tonight.” he smiled, placing the book in question on the longue next to him. He then relaxed back a little more, turning to place the girl better in his line of sights. Maybe if she grew her hair out a little more, showed off an admittedly pleasant looking body in a dress, put on some heels and just a touch of make-up, he could quite happily take her to one of his father’s parties. But, he also liked how she was different, it was a refreshing change. “It’s a nice home you have here Maggy. Any chance of me being able to talk my way into seeing your room?”