Rebecca Catalina glanced down at her watch, her foot's tapping increasing as she watched the seconds tick by.

He should be here by now, she thought, looking up from her watch to scan the area around the small café where her and her Mystery Date that Riza had found for her were scheduled to meet.

At first, Rebecca had found it rather shocking that Riza had taken an interest in Rebecca's love life. Riza and Rebecca had been friends for years, but Riza had always, at best, been bemused by Rebecca's habit of man chasing. More often then not, whenever Rebecca would regal the story of one of her man one-time dates, Riza would peer back over her coffee, give a slight shrug, and suggest Rebecca settling down and taking it easy for a bit.

"No use rushing to find your perfect man," Riza would say, taking another sip of her coffee and setting it down. "Trust me, he'll come eventually."

But, alas, patience was not one of Rebecca's strong suits. She was almost 35, damn it! She didn't want to end up an old maid. Besides, who was Riza to talk. She had Roy Mustang, a fine catch if there ever was one. As for Rebecca? Well, so far, she'd had her array of boyfriends and one night stands, but so far, nothing remotely concrete. And that frustrated her.

"Maybe my standards are too high," she murmured to herself, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair, casting the waiter a brief smile as he refilled her espresso for the seventh time.

Once the small cup was filled, Rebecca leaned forward, taking a sip and returning to scanning the area around the café. As she scanned, her eyes caught on the tall, lanky man standing on the street corner, face screwed up in a look of confusion as he looked down at what seemed to be a piece of paper in his hands. Catalina's eyes narrowed slightly, as she set her cup down and squinted.

Is that him? she thought, watching the sandy blond as he looked up at the sign of the café again, before looking down at the paper before giving a slight shrug and stuffing the paper in his pocket. He started across the street, his gait gaining some confidence as she spotted his mouth moving, no doubt trying to assure himself that he found the right place. As he grew closer, Rebecca could notice more details about him, and her eyes widened as she recognized the perma-stubble on his rugged chin, and the cigarette clamped in his mouth.

"Jean Havoc?!" She called out incredulously, causing the man to halt mid stride and direct his attention towards her with raised eyebrows.

"Rebecca Catalina?" He asked back, the cigarette dropping from his mouth as his jaw dropped.

"You're my date?" They both gasped in perfect sync. Rebecca let out a groan, her forehead connecting to her palm with a slap as Jean muttered something under his breath.

"I can't believe Riza set me up with you…" Rebecca groaned, already replying tales and legends of Jean's skirt chasing through her mind. She peered through her hand as Jean came to sit down, awkwardly shifting his chair, no doubt also not expecting to be paired off with the most boy crazy girl in Central.

There was an awkward silence between the pair as they looked at each other. Neither really sure of what to say. Rebecca watched as Jean's eyes looked her over, before awkwardly darting to look down at the table top and salt and pepper shakers that sat there. Rebecca's own eyes, meanwhile, began to scan over Jean's features.

I suppose he's…handsome… she thought, eyes focusing on the way his blue eyes seemed to almost sparkle in the sunlight. Rebecca's eyebrows rose. Did she just describe his eyes as 'sparkly'?

"Uh, just so you know, Rebecca, I didn't know it would be you either. Roy told me–"

"Wait, Roy Mustang told you about me?" Rebecca replied, cutting Jean off mid sentence. Jean gave a slight nod, a shared look of dawning realization sprouting up on their faces.

"We just got played, didn't we?" He said, shaking his head and letting out a laugh. Rebecca huffed, trying to keep her face serious in spite of Jean's infectiously sunny laugh. She was supposed to be mad, damn it! Mad that Riza, prime logician and consummate professional, had paired her up with the playboy of Central, the biggest, silliest…handsomest dork Rebecca ever met.

"Yeah…I guess we did." Rebecca finally said, letting out a sigh and shaking her head, smiling in spite of herself. "You have to admit though…it is a little funny when you think about it. I mean, Riza Hawkeye playing match maker."

"Riza? I had to deal with Roy ordering me into his office and saying that he found me 'the perfect girl'. Roy Mustang, Mr. 'Stop Fooling Around'." Jean replied, laughing as he rubbed his forehead.

"I guess we'd better make it worth their while then?" Rebecca mused, looking down at her espresso. "I mean, I suppose an afternoon swapping stories over espresso with a handsome man such as yourself isn't so bad, is it?" She instantly noticed her slip and clapped her mouth shut, blushing noticeably.

Jean gave a slight shrug, rubbing the back of his neck self consciously (and looking positively adorable). "I suppose not. Could be worst then doing it with a pretty lady such as yourself."

Rebecca felt herself blush furiously at the compliment. "Well, you're not so bad yourself," she answered with a slight stammer, biting her lower lip slightly.

There was another awkward pause as Jean's eyebrows rose slightly, and he smiled back with a lopsided, sincere grin.

"Wow, uh…" he trailed off, his hands clasping together on the table top and his thumbs beginning to twiddle furiously. "Want anything to eat? I mean, you've probably been waiting for me for awhile…"

Rebecca's eyebrows rose. Was he offering to pay for lunch? "Uh, sure! Sure, I'd appreciate that," she found herself saying, blushing like a school girl. Jean smiled back, and Rebecca felt her heart skip a beat.

As Jean called for a waiter, Rebecca couldn't help but laugh to herself. A mental image of Riza's self assured, confidence smirk came across her mind, and Rebecca laughed again.

I guess I'll give him a try then, Riza. she thought, resting her chin on her hand. And I guess he isn't so bad after all…