September 29, 1982
Jonathan Byers felt like he was living in a dream. It seemed surreal that he was going out that night with Clara Dreyfuss. Sure, they were going out as friends to a concert in Indianapolis, but he still couldn't believe that she'd asked him to go with her. He watched her from across the cafeteria as she ate lunch with her friends, laughing and joking.
He'd been nervous when they were partnered together for their photography assignment, unsure about how they would get along and whether it would be awkward between them. Yet, Clara had a natural confidence that quickly put him at ease. She was easy to talk to and she always gave him the feeling that she enjoyed talking to him.
She was one of the popular kids in the school, but it wasn't because she was rich or beautiful or a bully – it was because she was nice. To everyone.
Jonathan had always kind of admired her from afar. She had this kind of brightness to her that pulled him in. When they'd started working together his admiration had developed into feelings of a different kind and he couldn't be around her without getting incredibly nervous. He didn't want to ruin what little semblance of a friendship that they had though and therefore tried to keep his feelings in check.
Jonathan panicked when Clara turned in her seat to look at him, and he quickly glanced away, missing the smile she had at seeing him.
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"I told him that he'll be a star one day, and he just turned around and said 'baby, I'm already a star, it's just that I'm the only one who knows it yet'".
Clara recounted her earlier conversation with her friend Leroy, deepening her voice to imitate him. Her friends, who were sitting around their lunch table just laughed.
"You have to admit that he's insanely talented," Viv, Clara's best friend commented.
Clara hummed in agreement, taking a bite of her lunch. She looked over to her left when her friend Maddie tapped her on the shoulder.
"Jonathan Byers is staring at you," Maddie commented to her quietly.
Maddie's gaze was fixed onto the other side of the room and Clara followed her line of sight. Sure enough, Jonathan was staring right at her. She sent him a wide smile, but as soon as their eyes met, he quickly looked away.
His shy and reserved nature still took her off-guard at times, but Clara wouldn't change a thing about him. She felt excitement bubble inside of her as she thought of the concert they were going to that night. Her uncle worked as a roadie for the Who and had given her two tickets to their Indianapolis show that night. She had almost instantly asked Jonathan to go with her, and was overjoyed when he accepted.
"Hey, aren't you two going to that concert tonight?" Maddie asked, as though she could read Clara's thoughts.
"Oh yeah!" Viv cut in. "Do you think he'll finally make a move? You've liked him for ages!"
Clara felt her face heat up at Viv's words, only confirming what her friend had stated. It still felt surreal to her. She'd had a crush on Jonathan for a while before they were partnered together in photography. Their assignment allowed her to get to know him better, and without realising it, her crush developed into something more.
"He's so shy," Clara said. "I don't think he'd try anything."
"Is it just me, or do you sound disappointed?" Viv teased.
Clara blushed once again and lightly shoved Viv's shoulder, signalling for her to shut up.
"Are you nervous?" Maddie asked.
"Yes," Clara admitted. "But I don't want to make things awkward between us, so I'm just going to try and act naturally."
"Sometimes I think you're too level headed, Clara," Viv told her.
"You haven't seen me around him, Viv," she argued. "I can't stop blushing and it's like I've got butterflies in my stomach. It's insanely hard to keep my cool around him."
Her friends just laughed, reassuring her that everything would be fine. For Clara, the evening couldn't come quickly enough.
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Later that afternoon when Clara heard the doorbell and opened the door she almost melted on the spot. There wasn't anything different about Jonathan, he was just the same as he always was, but the fact that she was going out with him that night caused her to feel like she was seeing him for the first time and falling for him all over again.
He gave her a small smile, bringing her back to reality and she stepped out of the house, giving him a smile in return.
"Hi," she said bashfully.
"Hey," he returned, seeming a bit shy himself. "Are you ready to go?"
Clara nodded, turning to lock the front door. When she turned around she saw Jonathan looking in the driveway.
"Is your mom at the hospital?" He asked.
"Yeah, she's working all night."
Jonathan frowned and she wondered what was on his mind, but didn't get a chance to ask him as he'd already started walking towards his car. She quickly moved to follow him and climbed into his passenger seat.
"I made a mix-tape," she said, pulling it out of her bag. "I hope you don't mind."
He looked surprised but smiled at her anyway.
"No, that's fine," he said, taking it from her and putting it into the player.
He smiled when Led Zeppelin's In the Evening began to play.
"I love this song," he commented, smiling widely at her.
"Me too," she grinned at him in return.
He pulled out of the curb and they began the drive into the city. As they got further and further away from Hawkins, Clara slowly began to relax. She and Jonathan seemed to slip into conversation easily talking about anything and everything ranging from their families to their favourite bands to comparing the weirdest conspiracy theories they'd ever heard of. The trip seemed to fly by and before Clara knew it they were in the city.
The concert was already pretty crowded when they arrived but thanks to her uncle they had very good tickets. Clara noticed that Jonathan really perked up when the Clash, who were the support act, were playing. She smiled as she watched his enthusiasm for the music and began singing along to the songs with the rest of the crowd.
Eventually he noticed her staring and turned to look at her, confused. Their gaze was interrupted though when Clara felt herself being pushed forwards by the crowd, straight into Jonathan. Luckily, he reacted quickly and caught her in his arms. She looked up at him with an apologetic smile but felt like the air left her lungs when he helped her back onto her feet and then grasped her hand in his.
Jonathan's gaze was focused pointedly on the stage, though Clara noticed a faint pink tinge to his cheeks. She smiled to herself and subtly moved closer to him, enjoying the warmth she felt from being so close to him.
As the concert continued on, the two of them let themselves get carried away with the music, unable to really converse as it was too loud to hear each other. When the Who were on and began playing Clara's favourite song, Baba O'Riley, she couldn't help but sing a little louder and jump up and down to the music. It was only when her hand accidentally slipped away from Jonathan's that she turned to look at him, only to find his attention was entirely focused on her.
When their eyes met, Jonathan quickly diverted his gaze, looking back at the stage. Clara was slightly taken aback and just watched him for a moment before her body seemed to act on it's own. Jonathan's eyes widened when her hand came up to cup his cheek, tilting his head towards hers. Before she could talk herself out of it, she was leaning up and pressing her lips against his.
She wasn't sure exactly what she'd expected his reaction to be, but it certainly wasn't that he'd go stock-still and give no response to her kiss whatsoever. Clara panicked, wondering if she had overstepped boundaries and made him uncomfortable. She felt like an idiot for believing that he might feel the same way about her. She pulled away from the kiss, feeling dejected. Her eyes met his and she noticed that he was in a daze more than anything else. Wanting to give him space, and still feeling like an absolute fool for kissing him, Clara stepped away from him.
She let out a yelp of surprise when she felt his hand on her arm, pulling her back towards him. Jonathan didn't waste any time, leaning down and kissing her properly. She was shocked at first, but eventually she melted into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body closer to his. The kiss was fairly innocent, but it was enough for Clara. She couldn't believe that Jonathan Byers was actually kissing her.
They were brought back to reality when the song ended and the crowd erupted into cheers around them. Pulling back slightly, the two stared into each other's eyes. Jonathan seemed bewildered once again and Clara gave him a happy grin, which he returned with a small, bemused smile. She moved her hands from around his neck, running them down to rest on his chest.
He tried to say something to her, his hands still firmly gripping her waist, but she couldn't hear him over the music.
"What?" She asked, furrowing her brow.
He shook his head, with a small smile, silently telling her that it didn't matter. Roger Daltrey began talking up on the stage and she turned back to look in that direction. Jonathan let go of his grip on her waist, but she took a hold of his hand once again, staying close to him.
As the concert continued on, the two of them stayed close together. And although they weren't able to say anything to each other, they didn't need to. Both of them were just content to feel the other one nearby. Clara didn't think she'd ever felt so happy.
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So that was the first chapter. This story is also on ao3 and wattpad if you prefer those reading formats. My account name is always the same. Please let me know what you think! I know this chapter isn't the best, but I'm working to make future chapters better.
