"No, I don't think I'll wait around. Even though you know how I like to keep up with the latest gossip."

"I didn't think you would, but I can never be sure with you. You go on; I doubt we'll be much later than ten." Yui thumped Gendo on the back as she steered him toward the door.

"You're anxious to get rid of me. Embarrassed to show me off to your friends?"

"You know it's not that."

"So did you get a stripper or something then? I wouldn't mind."

"No!" Yui opened the door and shoved Gendo out. "You said you didn't want to be here, so go!"

"I'm leaving. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"I don't know. That really limits my choices," she said sarcastically, then waved at him. As Yui watched him walk away, she could predict exactly where he was heading. She didn't really approve, but he needed his personal time too.

And the bar hadn't really been an issue since the night she had gotten drunk. Still, Yui knew he didn't have a good history there and didn't want him to get in anymore trouble.

She was very aware of his temper and what could happen, especially if those four creeps happened to show up. Next time, it might be worse than a black eye, bloody nose and cut lip. Next time, they might take it outside and not be satisfied with rendering him unconscious.

Taking a deep breath and willing herself to relax, Yui shut the door.

"What's he like?"

Yui blinked at the question.

"What's he _really_ like?" asked a different friend. "You said yes, right? So what is it about him?"

Blushing a little, knowing some of the things they wanted to hear, Yui shook her head. "He's kind of quiet, but funny. And very sweet."

"You'd never know by the way he acts. He's creepy, always standing around like he's going to rob someone. That look on his face..."

Yui shrugged, not taking the comments of her friend badly. "He doesn't have a lot of friends, mostly because he's so smart, I think. And he doesn't like crowds, like parties."

The others nodded.

"So he doesn't like to go out like that. Usually it's just dinner or a movie or a walk."

"That sounds romantic. You know 'Hiko's idea of romance is not stinking like beer before he comes to bed," Yui's closest friend of the bunch said. "He's not romantic very often."

The others laughed good-naturedly at the comment. Their own experiences weren't all that different with college "men".

"But... it's not exactly the same," another said. "He's not exactly your typical college guy." She stopped, wanting the others to get her meaning and not make her say it. They just looked at her blankly though. "I mean, he's... old."

The look on Yui's face immediately turned sour. "He's not old. Only thirty one. And I know you all would rather have someone who is more responsible, knows how to treat you right than someone who throws up on himself because he's too drunk to move." She would just not mention that unfortunate incident with Gendo just after they had moved in together.

"Well, yeah," said the one who had made the offending statement. "But..."

"He's not bad looking," offered another.

"All that really matters is that we love each other. That's the most important thing. Ten years difference isn't so much when you're both adults," Yui said, getting the final say.

"He could be thirty years older and it'd be fine if he took me out to eat at someplace fancier than the bar," another said, and started the others giggling.