The Early Bird - Tyler, tag any

[Tyler Durnham]

“In that case, I insist you don’t join the squad. I think I like the idea of being the only guy on the team with his own personal, beautiful cheerleader.” Tyler teased, content to continue flirting with the Southern belle. There was no harm that could come of it, Maggy wasn’t here to see, and even if she was, surely she wouldn’t mind, given that they agreed to see other people. Sandy seemed to accept the fact that he wasn’t a one woman man either, and everyone else knew that, so there was no reason he couldn’t have his bit of fun. Especially as Natalie was making it obvious she was enjoying his company just as much as he was enjoying hers. He wondered if personal cheerleaders still wore those cute, tight, little outfits.

“You can grill? Well, you just keep getting better and better Natalie.” he smiled. “It just so happens that some of my favourite food happens to be ribs and steaks with a good dry rub. Actually, I happen to have a really good set-up at my house, right next to my pool house. You’d love it, the views from there, and the pool. Maybe I could convince you one time to come over, impress me with your culinary skills. I’m afraid I have none to speak of myself.” He laughed. “Maybe you could teach me. Then I’d owe you one.”

“I try not to skip breakfast myself, though it often turns into a coffee and whatever food I can grab on the one sort of affair.” he admitted, “I enjoy my sleep far too much. I agree with you though, I’ve always been a big eater, runs in my family. It’s just a good thing I play so much football, or I think I’d find myself having to eat a lot more salad.”

The moment she touched his arm, Tyler moved his other hand to press on top of hers for a fleeting moment, returning the affectionate gesture. “Well, I’m fairly sure.” he laughed. “My father always thought it important that I be as such, have to live up to our good name. And just in case you were wondering, I also happen to know right cutlery to use for each course, and I’m a rather good dancer.” he grinned.

He saw Bree ready to address them and fell silent, eager to give his friend all the support she needed. She wasn’t nervous, it seemed to him, and that made him an odd sort of proud to see. He listened keenly as she spoke, clapping politely in all the correct parts, Dare Madison’s and his father’s generous donation reminding him he had his own cheques to hand over.

When all was said and done, he smiled at Bree, hoping she caught it, before turning back to Natalie. “A worthy cause. Well, shall we eat?”

[Natalie Webb]

Natalie laughed when he told her not to join and to just be his own personal cheerleader. "Well, I'll definitely take that into consideration when making my decision," she said rather diplomatically, although she did have a smirk on her face. Damn...why did he have to be so cute? And they were getting on really well... But Natalie wasn't sure if she was ready to date again. Weren't you supposed to have like a rebound guy? Natalie was pretty sure that Tyler was not a rebound.

She smiled again when he seemed to be impressed with her barbecue skills. "Well, I grew up with it...we always grilled a lot. My mom miiiiight just have a homemade barbecue sauce that she makes, that I might be able to get for us too," she smirked. Natalie knew some of the things she liked were impressive. In Texas it wasn't so uncommon, but even there the fact that Natalie could grill on her own and it wasn't just the men in her family had been a commodity. But mostly she was just very Texas.

"Yeah, admittedly I don't always get as big of a breakfast as I'd like either when I'm running late, but I always try to grab something." She told him, nodding when he mentioned that it was all the football that kept him in shape. But Natalie had the sneaking suspicion that Tyler also hit the gym, mostly because she was pretty sure he was probably quite muscular under that shirt, which would probably require some working out.

Natalie could feel herself blushing again when he touched her arm, even though she'd made the gesture first. She hadn't expected him to return any of her affection. Natalie was an affectionate person--sure she was starting to like Tyler, but truth be told, she would have wouldn't have hesitated to make the same gesture to someone she less into. "Well, that's very good," she said. "I think I've heard a rumor that you start from the outside and work your way in...but to let you in on a little secret I don't know the names of any of the fancy ones," she admitted. Natalie's family might have been wealthy back in Texas, but things were much more laid back there too. They had rarely gone out to many really fancy dinners. "A good dancer, huh, are you offering?" Natalie smirked once again. Man, she was on. She hadn't been this on flirting wise in quite awhile and she was very pleased with herself.

"Yes, indeed," Natalie agreed, nodding about it being a worthy cause when Bree started to speak. Money was tighter in LA but Natalie should still be able to donate some amount, but perhaps she'd be more useful donating her time. She'd have to talk to Bree about it later. "We shall," she agreed about the eating, starting with the scrambled eggs.

[Tyler Durnham]

“A homemade barbeque sauce?” Tyler made himself look confused at this, as if the whole idea was completely new to him. “As in one that’s actually made, like from scratch? It doesn’t come from a bottle? Well, I’ve never heard of that before.” he chuckled. “Are you sure you’re not making up this mythical thing to try to tempt me further? Because I assure you, I need no further persuasion.” Oh, he was back to the top of his game. This brunch was just what he needed to remind him who he was, a damn charming, sweet talking player. Something that the women around him got great benefit from, he believed, including Natalie at the present time. “I insist then, that you come over one weekend soon, impress me. Or you could refuse, and I’ll happily keep trying to convince you until you give in. I’m quite persistent, or so I’ve been told.”

For a moment, as they spoke about rushing for breakfast, he was sure her eyes roamed him for just a moment. Which didn’t surprise him, he knew he looked good, he put in a lot of effort to look this good, and it was only right that the effort was noted and appreciated by those of the fairer sex. And his effort was appreciated, over and over again, he remembered with a slight grin. He certainly wouldn’t mind adding Natalie to his list of admirers.

It seemed that a lot of the girls he set his sights on lately were prone to blushing, which both amused and interested him. The girls he was used to generally were well aware of their looks and any other assets they might have, and flaunted them whenever they had the chance. So when he did indeed compliment them, as they expected him to do, there were averted, embarrassed glances, not whispered thanks as Maggy was inclined to give, and certainly no blushing. And it would be hard to make them blush at such an innocent touch, unlike Natalie. He liked this girl.

“There’s names? Since when? Are you just making that up, cause I’ve never heard of that before.” he laughed brightly. “Well then, you keep me not knowing to yourself, and I’ll do you the same honour.” He leaned back in his chair, his eyes appraising her lightly. She was beautiful, obviously, sweet, could hold a conversation, and wasn’t likely to embarrass him. She’d be perfect on his arm at one of the business parties or dinners his father often made him attend. He’d have to keep her in mind in future. “Perhaps.” he chuckled. “And for no particular reason, just thought you might be interested to know, I also happen to looking very dashing in a suit. Just a trivial bit of information you might find useful, one of this days. Though if the dancing is where your interest lies, I can give you a bit of a demonstration here.” he teased. “Let’s see, there’s a spare bit of floor over there, I’m sure I can dig up some music, if you’re interested.”

He started digging into his own food with relish, like most footballers, he had quite an appetite. Taking a sip of coffee in between mouthfuls of egg and hash brown, he turned his attention back to the rather irrestiable girl by his side. “You know, I don’t think I get the pleasure of seeing you around at school often, I’ll have to make sure to keep an eye out for you a bit better in the future.” he offered with a grin. “Are we in any classes together? I’m sure I would know if we are.”

[Natalie Webb]

Natalie laughed about the mythical bbq sauce. "Well, like I said I can't make it myself, but I can get some of my mom's. It's pretty amazing," she grinned. Oh yeah, this was going really well. What ex boyfriend? Because Natalie wasn't thinking about him at all. She had one focus right now and that was Tyler. He was gorgeous and flirting with her and it was a long time since she'd had this much fun talking to a guy. Oh yes, Natalie was definitely enjoying herself. "Well, no need to be persistent," she said. "Just let me know when you're available," Natalie said. She hoped it would be some time soon.

"Okay...maybe they don't have names," Natalie said. "I thought it was more specific than eating from the outside in, but maybe I am wrong. But it is good to know that I didn't miss anything," she grinned, laughing along with him. "Dashing in a suit, right, mental note check!" she smiled. "I wouldn't have thought otherwise though." Natalie loved the way guys looked in suits...all put together and perfect. "Dance...right now...well...I dunno," she said. No one else was dancing...if she and Tyler danced would they be the only ones...or would others join in to? Or was that what she needed to finally fit in this whole group...to be seen with the most popular boy in school...to prove she was one of them. "Okay...I'll bite, if you can dig up some music, I'll dance with you," she agreed although she'd been a little reluctant at first, she decided to just force herself to be up for anything.

"Oh no, I'm only a sophomore, so we're not in the same classes," Natalie said. She knew very well that Tyler was a senior, because she had known exactly who he was. It was hard not to. He was often the topic of conversation among the girls in her class. She bet they would all be jealous if she hung around him in school. As someone who used to be one of the most popular girls in her old school, she secretly sort of liked the thought of that, even though she'd never been the mean girl. She' always been the nice one. It still felt good to be envied. "But I know I wouldn't mind seeing more of you around school. I'm locker 171," she told him. "Feel free to look me up." she grinned once more.

[Tyler Durnham]

“For you Natalie, I’d be more than happy to clear any plans I might have.” he offered with a smile. As long as those plans didn’t already involve entertaining one of his many female friends, he was sure there would be nothing he couldn’t put on hold. “Next weekend perhaps? I’m free so far, unless you really can’t wait and would prefer to do something after school one day this week.” he said teasingly, his eyes bright. “Something tells me we’ll run into each other at school soon enough, we can make our plans then.” He often favoured afternoon plans, for they often turned into evening plans, then as the evening wore on, sometimes inhibitions wore down, with the help of his charm. He really did love women.

“I was almost expecting you not to bite.” he admitted. “Dancing at a brunch, one a makeshift dance floor, when no one else is dancing, it’s a brave move. But I like it.” Grinning, he decided that he chose well with Natalie. In fact, if he was the dating sort, she was a girl he would happily pursue. But he wasn’t the dating sort, and while he wouldn’t seek anything remotely close to the boyfriend / girlfriend relationship that seemed standard, he certainly wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to spend any time with her if he could. The more intimately they spent that time, the better.

A sophomore, she was a little younger than he expected. And the fact that she didn’t ask about him, that she already knew, told him she had known at least a bit about him before today. It wasn’t surprising, he knew he was often the subject of gossip, admiration and crushes, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, it was something he would miss when it came to graduation, and college. Though he was sure it wouldn’t be long until the same took place in whatever college he attended. He loved the attention, and felt as though he rightly deserved it.

“You look older than a sophomore. Such a shame too, would have been nice to have an excuse to bother you for tutoring, or homework help.” he laughed, not that he needed it. He wasn’t stupid like some people might first believe, looking at him on face value. His father wouldn’t have had it any other way, he made his son work hard, to ‘stay true’ to the Durnham name. “Locker 171, now, unless I’m very much mistaken, I like hanging around that particular area. It’s scenic. I’m sure we’ll see much of each other then.”

Having finished all his food, he quickly did the same with his coffee. “If you’ll excuse me Natalie, I have something I have to take care of.” he smiled, a knowing look in his eyes. About five minutes later he returned, a small hand held CD player in hand. He set it in the corner of the room, pressing play, and soon classical music was playing softly. He returned to Natalie’s side. “It was either this or the best of MC Hammer, strangely enough. And as much of a fan as I am, I thought this might be a bit easier to dance to. May I have this dance?” He offered his hand, smiling as she took it and let her onto the ‘dance floor’. He was well aware of the attention of everyone, and enjoyed it, as he kept his hand linked through hers, resting his other hand in the small of her back as he started to lead.

[Natalie Webb]

"Oh really, I will have to keep that in mind," Natalie smirked, wondering if he really would cancel plans for her. "Well next weekend works perfectly fine for me, but you're right, perhaps we will see one another sooner than that," she said. "But either way, we'll save the grilling for the weekend," she told him. "I will make sure my mom whips up some of her barbecue sauce."

"Well, I think its fun to be adventurous sometimes," she said. "Life's too short to be boring." Natalie knew that this side of her often surprised people since she came off as quiet and shy. But Natalie wasn't shy at all. She wasn't even quiet really. She just had been since she moved to LA since for the first time in her life she was having a hard time fitting in. In Texas she'd always been very social, always the center of attention without really trying. Maybe she needed some help along this time around, but it seemed that with Tyler's assistance, Natalie was feeling much more like her old self again.

While Natalie did know his rep she didn't know he was completely anti doing the boyfriend thing. If she had, she might have been acting a little differently, but for now she was just having fun anyway. She wasn't really thinking past the BBQ date. And it would certainly be fun. She could tell that Tyler was definitely a lot of fun.

"Yeah I get that a lot...people thinking that I'm older," Natalie said with a shrug. "But maybe I could ask for some homework help, if you're real keen on the studying together," she quipped. "Yes, yes, it is a very scenic locker area, I definitely urge you to check it out sometime," she smiled.

Natalie watched as Tyler excused himself, not really sure what he was up to. Sure he'd mentioned the dancing but she didn't think that he necessarily had music on him. The music started and he returned, offering her his hand. Well, if there was one way to be the center of attention, this was it. "Oh and I have such a good MC Hammer dance," she joked, quickly adding, "well not really. But the dancing is very fun and nice either way," she grinned. Everyone was watching her dance with the most popular boy in school and she was loving it.

Wrapped/Tag for Wrap?

[Isaac]

Wrapped here is great!