"Well, do you like it?" Chad asked her with an impish smile.

Cordelia was still taking in the place. As soon as they approached Chad's neighborhood she had known that he wasn't her average date. She'd landed a rich one this time. His home was spacious and the majority of items within were tasteful and of high quality. She ran her hand over the back of an intricately carved wooden chair. It was obvious that he enjoyed the occasional indulgence as well.

"It's not bad," she responded.

Chad burst into laughter. "Not bad? What's it going to take to impress you, a castle?"

Cordelia turned to regard him once more. She smiled and shook her head. "No, that's not it. It's just… while I can get some idea about your characteristics based on your space it's you as a person that I'm interested in." Or at the very least, she was interested in the intimacy and affection he could provide.

"Me as a person, hm?" Chad said. There was something about his expression when she said that which Cordelia couldn't quite pin down. She decided not to think too hard on it and move on.

"At any rate, you didn't bring me here to watch me gawk at the place," Cordelia pointed out. She placed a hand on Chad's arm. "So why don't we continue where we left off?"

"I'll be more than happy to," Chad smiled. "Fancy a glass of wine?"

Cordelia nodded. "I'd like that."

Chad lead her to a seating area that was no less carefully curated than the rest of his space. Then he offered her the choice of several wines, to which she had to admit that his collection far outweighed her expertise in that area. She ended up letting Chad make the call.

"I have no complaints," she commented as she slightly raised her glass after taking the first sip.

"Didn't think you would," Chad chuckled. "It's all good stuff."

Once they had finished their wine the focus was all on the other. It was quite obvious that Chad was intending to bed her, but Cordelia headed him off every time, redirecting to standard flirting. He seemed somewhat miffed when she announced that she'd be going home and they still hadn't gotten anywhere, at which Cordelia chuckled softly.

"We decided to make a game out of this, remember?" she smiled impishly. "It wouldn't do to discard my entire hand in the first round. I want to see more of you."

"Is that so," Chad responded. "I suppose I have only myself to blame for this. Perhaps our next encounter will inspire more trust in me."

"I'll look forward to it," Cordelia said.

Chad handed Cordelia her jacket as he showed her out, then kissed her on the cheek. They had come by his car so he drove her home. A quick embrace and a few kisses later Cordelia was on her own again. They had agreed on a future date. What remained to be seen was whether Chad was going to show or not. Based on the evening's events she expected he would.

Cordelia jumped up and hurried to the door when her doorbell rang. It was probably Chad. They were meeting at her place this time.

Her eyebrows still rose in surprise when she opened the door. Chad stood on her doorstep smiling and holding a large bouquet of flowers. It wasn't simply a small bundle of two or three kinds of flower tied together, no, this was the carefully arranged extravaganza one would expect to see at big occasions such as a wedding. As if that wasn't enough he raised his other hand to offer her a box of fine dark chocolates.

"My… I didn't expect this," Cordelia chuckled.

"I hope that's in a good sense. Wouldn't want all my hard effort to go to waste," Chad quipped.

"The best," she confirmed, leaning forward and placing a quick kiss on his cheek.

"My lovely lady deserves no less," he said, giving a small bow as he handed her the flowers.

Cordelia couldn't help smiling as she accepted them. This was the sort of relationship she had been hoping for. It almost seemed too good to be true.

"I'll have to see if I have a vase that's big enough for these," she chuckled as she headed inside. She beckoned for Chad to follow.

"If you don't I'll turn back and buy you one in a heartbeat," he offered.

It took some searching before she was able to locate a suitable vase. Her place was small in comparison to Chad's, and more cluttered out of necessity. Her saving grace might be that she too opted for quality over quantity where new purchases were concerned. She carefully watched Chad for a reaction as he took in the surroundings.

In the end, it was a smile.

"Not too fancy, and not too shabby. Exactly what I'd expect from such a lovely lady." Chad nodded his approval.

Cordelia let out a sigh of relief she didn't know that she'd been holding in. Then again, it made sense. If he liked her personal style their relationship was more likely to be of some duration.

"I'm glad it's to your liking," she responded as she led him to the living room where she had prepared wine and some snacks.

"It's not as fancy as what you have over at your place, but I hope you'll enjoy it," Cordelia said gesturing to the wine.

Chad lifted the bottle and had a look at the label. "Appears decent enough to me. Variation is the spice of life, isn't that what they say?"

Cordelia chuckled. "You're just saying that for my sake, aren't you?"

"Maybe, maybe not?" Chad replied with an impish grin. "Either way, I'll have a glass."

While he already had been acting flirty, the wine served to make Chad more pushy. A not uncommon reaction and not one Cordelia minded.

"My, someone sure is eager today," she smiled when Chad placed an arm around her. Responding in turn, she moved closer to him. "You're quite the charmer. You must be popular with a lot of women."

"But none of them shine as bright as you," Chad responded without missing a beat.

"Oh? That's a bold claim," Cordelia chuckled. He was obviously exaggerating, but it felt good to be flattered. She decided to fish for some more. "So, how does my shine compare to theirs?"

"Blinding," Chad answered. "You put everyone else to utter shame."

"I suppose we can't have me disappointing you in that case," Cordelia chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. It would be interesting to hear whether he would make the same claim after a week.

They continued flirting and this time Cordelia allowed the transition to the bedroom. He was surprisingly gentle and attentive to her. Once the deed was done Cordelia figured that she might as well ask about a relationship. She enjoyed his affection enough even though she didn't expect it to last.

Chad's eyebrows rose in response to the question and Cordelia cursed herself for getting too eager. However, the next thing Chad did was to wrap his arms around her.

"I'd like that," he smiled. "You'll be my shining star."

Cordelia sighed with relief.

"Seems like I was right to take the chance on you." She caressed his cheek.

"And I'm glad you did," he said.

At some point she fell asleep in his arms.