It's the thought that counts.

Everything was perfect. His dorm was decorated with candles, vases of flowers, paper hearts, etc. Honestly, he hated Valentines Day decorations but it was perfect for today's occasion. None of the guys would've decorated the place like this, so he technically had Maria to thank for her girly charm. He would've preferred to have Jane com over on actually Valentines Day but with all the festivities that went on, the day after would have to do. He tidied the place up a bit before she came over, making sure any random crap wasn't laying around.

Earlier that day he made a trip the the Roseburry florist, and picked out a bouquet of tropical assorted flowers. Wrapped around them was a pink ribbon tied in a bow, it was perfect. They laid on a side table by the door, filling the room with their wonderful aroma. Jake looked through his closet, trying to find the best outfit. Nothing too fancy, but not too casual... He thought to himself. The tall student hummed a happy little tune, finally finding the perfect clothes. A spritz of cologne, ruffle and jell his hair, he was ready. But, was he?

Jake had never spent the time with a girl like this, usually it was at a club or getting wasted. He thought about all that time he spent, wasting his life away and wondered what he was doing. Am I growing soft? He sat on a chair in the kitchen, staring at the clock. What am I doing? Do I look like an idiot? The student started to feel nervous, pulling at his shirt collar. Could he do this? Did Jane even like the bear he got her? Was he wasting his time? Thoughts and questions raced through the Autumn's head as time grew closer to her arrival. He clenched his fist, sitting up straight. Don't make a fool of yourself, got that? the more he thought about it he realized girls were like hamsters. They could sense fear. So it was pretty easy, all he needed to do was not show any fear, right?

Knock, knock.

It probably would've been more prudent and courteous to let the lovely gentleman open the door, but she let herself in, glancing around to drink in all the surroundings. Candles, flowers, paper hearts. A day late, but he really wasn't pulling any punches with the decor, was he? Jane twirled around, smiling. You had to admire the devotion put into it for a night spent in a dorm room, honestly. Either that, or he had very festive roommates.

"Hello, hello!~" she greeted with a tilt of her head. She hadn't wanted to overdress, so she'd slipped into a pair of dark skinny jeans and thrown on a plaid flannel over a black tank top, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her hair was tousled artfully over her shoulders, casual, but not lazy. A few bracelets were on both wrists, jangling as she gave a sarcastic wave. "Long time, no see. Happy late Valentine's Day." It was a simple look, but she'd spent a lot of time in front of the mirror trying to make it all come together. "I don't think I've gotten to thank you for the bear, yet." He was sitting back in her room on the corner of her bed. "You look nice." Jake always was handsome, but he stood out tonight. This whole scene was perfect.

She's here! Jake rushed to the door but she had already let herself. Wow, even in somewhat causal wear Jane look fabulous. Jake started to say hello but chocked on the words. "Uh, ya! You look great too!." He walked over to the side table and picked up the flowers, holding it out to her. "These are for you." He said a bit awkwardly. Idiot! Fuckin' idiot! He wanted to punch himself. "Oh ya, the bear. No problem, I was deciding on what to get and came across that. Thought it would be perfect." He smiled and walked over to the kitchen table, moving the chair out for her to sit down on. Good job, remember what you read on being a gentleman.

"I was thinking of making us dinner, if that's okay." He asked. He was a pretty good cook for a guy like him which was kind of unusual, and knew some ladies prefer to go out to eat than stay at home. So, he knew asking was the "proper" thing to do.

Jane took the flowers with a gracious thousand-watt grin, breathing in the scent. "These are beautiful!" she exclaimed, hugging them close. He really was playing the gentleman tonight, wasn't he? She peeked over the petals, a glint in her eye. A teddy bear was a cliche, but still a tried-and-true classic. She definitely didn't have any complaints. Jane followed him over, daintily taking a seat with the flowers still in her hand. "Thank you very much."

His next comment made her blink. "Really?" she asked. "I didn't take you for a cook." He still knew how to surprise her. That made her think of someone else, but thoughts like those weren't very appropriate at a time like this. "Of course that's okay with me."

Jake gave a smile, walking over to the kitchen. "Ya, I get that a lot." He chuckled, shuffling through the cupboards, grabbing ingredients, and placing them on the counter. There wasn't much space in the tiny kitchen, but he would manage. "It's honestly kind of weird though, how cooking comes... naturally." He said happily. "So, how was your Valentines Day?" Jake asked wanting to keep his guest from becoming bored. Besides, it could be rude to leave a lady alone at a table.

She let the flowers rest on the table, watching him as he entered the kitchen and started laying out ingredients on the counter. That made two guys she'd met so far with hidden cooking talents. Maybe that said a lot about who you were? Jane twirled a lock of hair around her finger as she watched, laughing a bit. "I'm the opposite. I've always been a mess in the kitchen." She didn't have the nuanced taste or flashy skills to throw something together and make it taste just right. Even when she tried to take things slow, chances were she'd still manage to set something on fire. It was a shame. She loved food, but couldn't make it on her own. "Surprisingly uneventful, aside from a certain bear," she answered. "And yours?"

Jake gave a chuckle as she told him about working in the kitchen. "I bet your not that bad." He said, turning the page of the cook book. "It wasn't that interesting, I really just hung around school. He replied but was soon back to work. Deep in thought, he shuffled around the kitchen for supplies, turning the oven on, and making sure he had everything. "Hope you like chicken! Tonight's dinner is a specialty." He joked. Tossing some potatoes on one of the pans, and a bag of green beans into another pan. He took the chicken he'd bought out of the fridge and started slicing it, careful not to ruin the tender meat. Hearing the potatoes and green beans start to sizzle, Jake turned the heat down and put half a stick of butter in the pan. He worked with haste, yet caution until everything was ready. He delicately set the chicken, vegetables on two plates, pouring some sour, yet delicious sauce and placing a cilantro leaf on top. The presentation looked splendid.

"Tangy, crispy chicken on a bed of roasted potatoes and green beans, surrounded by a lemony sauce." He carried the plates to the table where Jane sat. How is that for a perfect dinner? He smiled at his work. Cooking came natural to him, but he'd never gone this far in making a dinner dish. Pleases like the food. He silently prayed. Food with lemon was a risky meal and some people disliked the taste. Before sitting down he realized he forgot something. "What would you like to drink?" Jake walked back over to the fridge. "Let's see... We have water, apple juice, orange juice, soda, and maybe even a bottle of wine hidden in my room." He looked back to Jane after he listed everything they had.

She was glad that he had faith in her, but no, she really was that bad. It was probably best that he handle dinner alone tonight. Maybe, if they made a suicide pact, she could return the favor and cook for him sometime. Until then, she was fine with seeing what he could do in the kitchen. Jane watched him as he moved around. He looked natural in the kitchen, despite his whole bad boy persona. "A specialty, huh?" she replied with a smile as he got to work, frying some vegetables up in a pan and slicing up a chicken. That sounded like something she could get behind, but she wasn't sure what to expect, exactly.

It was ready before she knew it, and she couldn't help but be surprised. It looked like something you'd get at a serious restaurant, and he even talked a bit like a chef, the way he was selling at her. "This looks amazing!" she said, looking it over. It smelt amazing too. She almost didn't want to touch it, just in case she messed it up, after all the work put into the presentation. Was this why people took pictures of their food on Esper?

The question made her perk up. With such a classy dinner, a simple soda felt like it wouldn't live up so well. Besides, even if she'd never been too much of a wino, she couldn't deny that it sounded tempting on this day-late-Valentine's. There was a mischievous glint in her eye as she picked up a fork, twirling it in her fingers. "I hope you're not joking about that wine," she said. "It wouldn't be nice to get my hopes up for nothing."

Jake gave an excited smile, glad she liked it. "I wouldn't tease someone like that." He gave a wink and went to his room. After a few moments of shuffling around through a box, he brought out the bottle. It was red wine, perfect for the occasion. Life. Exotic wine. Read the label. He was surprised the cupboard had wine glasses but gave a shrug. He popped the cork off with a bottle opener and poured the wine. "This is pretty perfect." He said softly, sitting down at the table across from Jane. "You're pretty perfect."

Wine glasses too? It was a bit surprising to see in a student dorm. If the school had supplied those, it was like they were asking kids to break the rules. Maybe someone here had gotten them in Rosebury and smuggled them in for a scenario like this? Jane grinned as he poured some wine out for the both of them. The comment caught her off guard, admittedly, and Jane took a moment to formulate a response, lightly hiding her smile behind her hand. "My, my," she teased, regaining her poise. "Making me blush already? We haven't even drank the wine yet." She reached out, grabbing the glass and lightly swirling the liquid around before bringing it to her lips. It wasn't as good as Paris, but that could be forgiven in a picture-perfect night like this, with what they had. Her eyes didn't leave Jake's as she drank.

Jake gave a small laugh. He drank a sip of the sweet wine and then held it up. "Here's to the nights we'll never remember with the friends we'll never forget." He said with a smile, looking at Jane. But somehow, he felt that he should've worded it better. Friends. Jake wanted to be more than just friends. But, he didn't want to say anything too soon so it was probably best to keep it that way for the time being. The two ate in silence for a few moments, enjoying the food. Drinking some more wine, he looked at Jane. "I'm glad you're here." Cause I'm lost without you.

That was a nice toast. She raised her glass and clinked it against his. "To the nights we'll never remember and the friends we'll never forget," she answered, pulling the glass back to her lips. It was a perfect description for her, for Valentine's, for everything. The chicken was delicious, no way around it, and she had to work to eat away at it in measured bites. It wouldn't be a very good impression if she started pigging out, even if that might've pleased him as a chef. "I'm glad I came," she answered.

After their glasses clinked together, the two sat in silence once more and ate. She seemed so graceful while eating and it was difficult for him to not gulf it all down. Jake gave a happy "mmmm" when he finished the dish and sat back in his chair, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I haven't cooked food that good in a while." He chuckled. "Guess I've never had a reason to cook a gourmet meal." He got up and brought his dish to the sink. While Jane sat at the table, he opened the cupboard and brought out a small box of chocolates. "Compared to the meal, it's not much, but I thought it would be a nice dessert." He handed it to Jane with a smile.

Ha. When you could cook that good, it was a crime not to do it all the time. "I'll have to come over more often to give you a reason," she said with a sidelong grin, but it sounded more like a warning than a tease. You couldn't get this kind of hospitality everywhere, after all. "Thank you for the meal." He hadn't needed to put in all that effort for her, so it was a nice gesture. Jane smiled at the candy. Man, he really was spoiling her tonight. She'd really expected that to be it. "You're not pulling any stops, are you?" she said, taking one of the chocolates and popping it into her mouth. "Alright, I'm impressed."

"No, it's all legit." He grinned. "And my pleasure. It's not everyday I get to cook for a beautiful lady." Jake gave a small, butler-type bow. He was defiantly not the best at being a gentleman, but tried his best to show Jane he really cared about her. "So, what do you want to do? It's up to you."