Dinner and a Movie
Disclaimer: I don't own Crescent Moon.
Summary: First dates never turn out the way we expect them to.
A/N: Takes place during the summer after book 6. Enjoy!
Mahiru never thought she'd be one of those girls that would claim to have nothing to wear when she had a closet full of clothes. Of course, going on her first real date with Mitsuru put everything in a new perspective, and her under a lot of pressure.
That shirt was too casual. That skirt was too formal. That blouse had a stain on it (even though it could only be seen with a magnifying glass). That dress made it look like she was going to a funeral. Those jeans made her look like a streetwalker. Nothing was good enough.
Keiko, her reluctant fashion consultant, eventually suggested lying out whatever she liked best on the bed, closing her eyes, and whatever she pointed at would be what she wore. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Mahiru did just that and ended up with a blue sundress and black ballet flats. Keiko also did her make-up, which was just enough to give her a natural glow.
However, because of Mahiru's indecisiveness about her wardrobe, Mitsuru ended up waiting downstairs for half an hour. Though Nozomu reassured him that was normal and part of the whole dating process.
He was just about to yell at her to 'hurry the hell up, already!' when Keiko sprinted down the stairs and nearly crashed into him.
"Whoa! Sorry Mitsuru, but she's ready!" She turned the boy back towards the stairs and quickly left to go find her camera.
Mitsuru was glaring at the door the psychic had just gone through when a creak from the stairs made him look back and see Mahiru. He could say that he was speechless, but he didn't want to be a cliché, so he cleared his suddenly dry throat and said, "Took you long enough."
Mahiru simply smiled at him and responded, "Sorry, Mitsuru. You look very nice tonight."
He knew he was blushing and he hated it. "Uh, thanks. You too." They turned to leave, but Keiko came running back in, camera in hand.
"Sorry guys!" she said. "Just want to get a quick picture before you go." Mitsuru rolled his eyes but gave a half-smile, half-scowl for the camera anyways. When Keiko got three good shots, she pushed the couple out the door, wishing them a good time.
Despite Keiko's well wishes, things were not going very well.
Mahiru had never felt so unsure of herself in her life. She had no idea how to act in this particular setting. They were already dating, yet it felt like a first date. Which it essentially was, but at the same time, it wasn't.
She was so annoyed with herself for feeling this way. It had taken awhile for them to get used to just simply holding hands in public, let alone kissing. But they had eventually gotten over their awkwardness, even when Nozomu continually teased them.
But it felt like they were taking three steps back. They couldn't get a conversation going in the car and during the movie whenever they accidentally touched, they'd jerk away as if they were burned.
Now they were eating dinner and things couldn't be tenser. Earlier, they each had mentioned how nice the restaurant was and how good everything looked on the menu. Neither of them had said anything else after ordering.
Mitsuru glanced up from his steak to look at Mahiru. He wondered if she was just as miserable as he was. There was no way she couldn't be; this had to be the worst date ever. He didn't know what was wrong with him. It wasn't like Mahiru and him hadn't spent time together by themselves, but something about the whole "first official date" thing made him feel like he had certain expectations to live up to that he just couldn't reach.
Nozomu had told him about what happens on the typical first date. For most people, it was to learn about the other person. Their jobs, their families, their dreams of the future. But they already knew all those things about each other, so what could they talk about? Whenever he even tried to think of a topic, his mind would go completely blank and he'd end up blurting out something stupid about the weather or restaurant décor.
The check couldn't have come any faster. Both waved off dessert, neither wanting to sit in that restaurant for a moment longer. Once they got outside, Mahiru was ready to cut their losses and head home, but Mitsuru was suddenly struck with an idea.
"Wanna go for a walk?" he asked as he pointed to the park that was just a few blocks from the restaurant. Mahiru smiled and nodded. Perhaps this date could be salvaged after all.
The summer night air was thick and smelled like rain as they made their silent trek in the empty park, but both feeling the awkwardness slowly begin to lift.
Finally, as if on the same train of thought, they moved closer to each other. Mitsuru put his arm around her shoulders and brought her to his side, while Mahiru wrapped her arm around his waist. They looked at each other and smiled, happy to be together.
Just as they were leaning in for a kiss, the heavy clouds above began pouring down on them. They laughed and kissed anyway, not caring that they were getting soaked in the tropic rain.
The door bursting open caused Keiko to jump from her seat on the couch. She looked to see a giggling Mahiru walk in with a smiling Mitsuru following behind her.
Her amusement settled down a little when Mitsuru pulled her to him and tucked a dripping wet strand of hair behind her ear.
"I'll go get something to dry off with," he said quietly, then moved upstairs in search of a few towels.
Keiko smirked at the deliriously happy look on her friend's face. "I take it the date went well?"
Mahiru turned to her and smiled. "It was perfect."
A/N: Hope you liked it and don't forget to review!
"…I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."
-Crash Davis, Orion