The Date
“How did I end up here…?” You thought, the wind blowing through your hair. You adjusted the white helmet that Sebastian made you wear, seeing only through the visor.
Sebastian was wearing a black helmet himself, but you could see the bottom of his spiky black hair peeking out from under. It flapped against the racing wind.
Sebastian revved the motorcycle engine, and the two of you went flying down the highway.
You were naturally a nervous person. When you were younger, you would often panic before long car trips, asking God if he could keep your family from crashing and dying. Your father had been the opposite. He was always bounding with joy being on the road, and he always told you he got a license as soon as he could at 16. He would often spend summer days polishing his slick red motorbike.You liked watching him shine his bike, but often felt a quick panic grip your mind whenever he rolled out of the driveway on it.
You unconsciously tugged at Sebastian’s leather jacket, and he turned his head slightly towards you. “You okay?” He asked loudly, competing with the whipping wind.
“Fine.” You swallowed.
Sebastian took the hint and immediately slowed down. You were grateful, and relaxed your grip around him.
Slowly, the dusk faded to night as you traveled through the mountain highway.
The mountains quickly faded from your view as the highway pulled into a more metropolitan area. Surrounding streetlights and neon signs suddenly drowned the stars out from the night sky.
Sebastian drove down a few main streets. Many cars were still driving around, and you wondered what business they had being out still. But then, you remembered the old saying “Zuzu City Never Sleeps.”
The two of you pulled into the parking lot of a small pink shop that had a picture of a strawberry whipped cream crepe in the window. You stifled a giggle as you realized Sebastian had taken you to the most girly place ever.
He held the door open for you, the bell chiming to signify your arrival.
There was a woman at the front counter, wearing a pink apron with white shoulder frills. Other than that, her outfit seemed normal. She was in jeans and a white shirt, and her hair was tied behind her. “Hello! Welcome to Doki-Doki Dessert!” She said.
You squinted to read the menu that glowed behind her, and your eyes widened as you realized they had bubble tea. “Can I have a taro milk tea with pearls please?” You asked quickly. “It’s been so long since I’ve had bubble tea!” You thought. You used to go every Friday with your best friend Cherise when you lived in the city. Cherise was still new to the whole ‘bubble tea’ thing, and hated the pearls, but she would still accompany you to get your favorite treat.
“Sure. And what else?” She asked, looking up at Sebastian.
You almost forgot he was behind you. But, you could feel him standing close, towering over you. Not as tall as Sam, but still, plenty tall enough for you. Your chest felt warm as you heard him breathing above you. “I’ll take a brown sugar milk tea, and one strawberry-whip crepe.”
“Is that everything?” The cashier asked, to which Sebastian nodded. “Okay, that’ll be $16.45”
Sebastian eagerly got out his red credit card, and tapped it against the machine before you could even react.
“You didn’t have to pay.” You muttered to him.
“Sure did.” He smirked, grabbing the receipt.
The two of you waited for your order as the Japanese-pop hummed through the speakers. You smirked as you wondered why Sebastian chose this place.
You grabbed your order when it was ready and sat down in a bright pink booth. He sat across from you, setting the crepe between you.
“Why this place, Seb? Seems out of character.” You remarked, shoving your straw into the flat lid of your drink.
“I don’t want to tell you.” He said, suddenly becoming serious and stiffening his back.
“What? Come on! Now I have to know.” You teased, taking a sip of your drink.
He rolled his eyes and looked up at the bright ceiling lights that illuminated his pale skin. His dark hair fluttered against the sides of his face. “It’s so dumb.”
“Come on.” You chided.
“Ugh, fine.” He groaned. “I overheard Maru telling my Mom about this place. It’s new, apparently. And I thought while we were here, I could bring a drink back home for her.”
“Aw! That’s so sweet.” You giggled.
“No. I have an ulterior motive with her. She’s been a bitch to me all week, so I thought… Forget it.” He shook his head. “Try some of the crepe.” He said, sliding it towards you.
You picked it up and took a bite, a big chunk of strawberry and cream falling into your mouth. “Mmm.” You hummed with a full mouth. You passed it to Sebastian, who also took a bite.
He chewed carefully. “Pretty good.” He decided after a minute.
The two of you chatted while sharing the crepe and drinking your drinks. When you were finished, Sebastian went back up to the counter to get a milk tea for Maru.
The ride home was peaceful, and uneventful. Sebastian went slower than on the way there, and you felt yourself relaxing. “Maybe motorcycles aren’t so bad…” You thought, your grip around his waist tightening.
When you got back to his house, Sebastian ran inside for a minute to deliver the drink to Maru. Then, he came back out, and offered to start a fire.
You sat in two empty lawn chairs beside each other, gazing at the fire. There was something about a fire that made humans want to stare at it. This was just engraved in all of our DNA, all the way back from caveman times. There was something so easy, and so natural about it.
Sebastian’s hair lit up in the flickering firelight that reflected in his soft brown eyes. “So, how is this? Better than your date with Sam?” Sebastian asked.
“What? Was this a date?” You asked, your cheeks burning. “If I would’ve known that I would’ve stayed home.” You thought. You had sworn off dating, at least for now.
“Pretty much.” He grinned. “But don’t worry, no one will know.”
“Sebastian? Y/n?” You heard a familiar voice come from in front of you. You turned to see Sam, his expression somber, his eyes looking hurt. He must’ve come by to see Sebastian for one of their late night DnD sessions he told you about. You immediately wondered if Sebastian had set this up, but shook that idea off. You felt guilt, but you couldn’t place why. “What’s going on?” He asked.
“We got bubble tea. You want to join us?” You said quickly, pointing to the other lawn chair beside you.
“Oh, is that it? I thought maybe…” Sam said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with a strong hand. He sat down beside you, and joined you two in gazing at the fire.
“Yeah. We also had a really nice motorcycle ride.” Sebastian said, his voice hardening.
“Did you forget we had DnD tonight?” Sam asked.
“Kinda.” Sebastian groaned, rolling his eyes. “Y/N, want to join?”
“Yeah, Y/N, you should join us!” Sam smiled. His face looked so innocently cheerful, and his eyes puffed when he smiled. Your heart ached.
“No, I have to get going, actually. Um, thanks for everything, Sebastian. See you later, Sam.” You said, standing up, and brushing off your pants.
“Oh, okay. See ya, Y/N!” Sam smiled.
Sebastian didn’t say ‘bye’ to you at all. He just stared at the fire.
~
The next day, you tended to your crops and took a stroll to town to buy more baking supplies. You were craving lemon poppyseed muffins. You had a list of things you wanted to get in your sweater pocket.
You walked to Jojamart. Honestly, just because Pierre didn’t sell flour, and you only wanted to go to one store. Plus, it was much cheaper.
When you were at the store, you ended up seeing a bunch of stuff you wanted. Now, you were forced to lug giant grocery bags all the way home.
Your arms were already aching from the farm work, and the added stress of heavy groceries made your arms buckle. You made it to Pierre’s, and had to drop the bags for a quick rest.
“Hey, want some help?” A voice called.
You turned and saw Alex rushing over to you, his styled hair bouncing as he ran. He was wearing short gym shorts that showed off his thigh and calf muscles, and a golden chain that he layered over an oversized rock concert tee. He picked up your bags before you could say anything.
“Oh… Thanks.” You sighed. “I didn’t think I’d buy this much.”
“Been there.” He said, hoisting the plastic bags with ease. “Let me walk you home.”
You couldn’t say no. He was offering to carry your stuff. “Sure.”
The two of you walked, the sounds of birds chirping surrounding you. You loved spring. The air was crisp but inviting, and the birds had come back out after a long winter. You remembered the fishing trip your dad would take you on every May, and you smiled sadly. “Isn’t it nice out?” You pondered.
“Yep. There’s so many good festivals this time of year, but I’m just looking forward to summer.” Alex replied. He swung the grocery bags at his side with ease. His gold chain was sparkling in the sunlight.
“Why’s that?” You smiled.
“Looking forward to seeing you in a swimsuit.” He smirked.
You rolled your eyes. “He reminds me of the fuckboys in college. The ones in frats who only posted pictures of them at parties or them holding fish.” You thought. You glanced at Alex’s outfit sideways, and the memory of those boys only grew.
Alex noticed your sour reaction. “Not a fan of swimming?” He asked, his tan face twisting in confusion.
“Not a fan of being objectified.” You said.
“Objectified?” He asked like he hadn’t heard the word before.
“Yeah, objectified. Treated like an object.”
Alex paused thoughtfully. “But I wasn’t treating you like an object. I was treating you like a cute girl.”
“Oh, Alex.” You sighed, shaking your head. “He’s dumber than I thought”.
The two of you were now passing the bus stop, and the overgrown weeds on the dirt path. “Did I do something wrong?” He asked after a long pause.
“Forget it.”
“Done.” He agreed.
You approached your farm, seeing your strong parsnips poking out of the ground. Your barn was in the distance, and the cows and chickens were outside eating grass. You slowly breathed in the fresh farm air.
“Damn, it looks nice. Looked like shit when your grandpa died.” Alex smiled.
“Hm.” You smiled. You swung open your front door, holding it open for Alex. He walked in, wiping off his name-brand white sneakers on your doormat, still holding the bags of supplies. “Can you set those on the kitchen counter for me?” You asked, pointing at your kitchen. “No need to take off your shoes.”
Alex agreed, effortlessly walking over and setting down the heavy bags.
“Thanks, Alex. Can I repay you with some lemonade?” You asked.
“Only if ‘lemonade’ really means ‘a kiss on the cheek’.” Alex smirked.
You scoffed. “Jesus. Do lines like that ever work?”
“You already know they do.” Alex nodded, his handsome grin spreading across his cheeks.
You studied his face. “Are you actually serious?”
“Of course I am. Put it here.” He said, tapping his cheek with his finger expectantly.
Instead, you walked to the fridge, got out a glass, and poured it full of homemade lemonade. “Here.” You said, putting it in his hand, and pushing on his lower back. “Bring back the glass when you’re done.”
“Huh?” He asked.
“Bye. Thanks again!” You said, pushing him out of the door and closing it quickly, and turning the lock for good measure.
~
Later that night, you were huddled on your worn comfy couch in your sweatpants. You were watching your favorite trashy show, when you heard a knock at the door. You set aside your popcorn onto the coffee table, and walked to the front door.
You were surprised to see who was at the other side of the door.