"So," Thorin began, laying his napkin across his lap as they sat at a booth at a small cafe. "What sort of clubs are you a part of at school?" he asked with a charming smile that nearly had Billa in a puddle of what was left of her own dignity.

"Oh I, uh, I..." Billa stuttered nervously, shakily sipping her water. "Just the, uh, the environmental group..." She cleared her throat. "Uh, you?"

Thorin smiled and placed his elbows on the table. He tried to look into her beautiful emerald eyes that were, sadly, trying to focus on anything but him. "Football team, Student Body, and Track and Field."

He noticed she didn't reply or even look remotely interested in what he had just said. He carefully watched her nervous shakes for a few more moments before his concern got the best of him. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Her eyes widened. She nodded quickly and tried to give him a reassuring smile but all she could muster was a trembling lip. She cursed at herself. What would he think of her? "Sorry, I'm just a little n-nervous," she admitted in a quiet voice. "It's really nothing to be concerned over."

He cleared his throat. "My apologies, it just seemed like you weren't interested... Perhaps I am also overthinking this - I am quite nervous as well, but I was only wondering if you did not want to be here with me."

"Oh!" Billa suddenly gasped. It dawned on her how her behavior had looked to him. "No! Of course I want to be here! It's just, this is pretty embarrassing, but I've never been on a proper date before... and I don't know how to act because I'm just going to be turned down in the end." She cringed; she couldn't stop talking now. "So why bother putting on a show of who you are when you know you're going to be rejected by the most handsomest guy at school?"

A concerned frown found its way onto Thorin's brow. "Billa, what makes you think that I will reject you?" he asked carefully.

Billa stuttered. "Well, it's just... I've been- I mean, it's the one thing I know that's going to happen, so I am preparing for it... I haven't told my mother about you either," she added on the side.

Thorin reached forward and grasped her small and pale hands gently. Her heart fluttered in surprise. "I really like you, Billa. I wouldn't dream of rejecting you. Ever," he admitted. "You're too beautiful to be broken again."

She tried to hide her shy smile. "No one's ever said that about me."

The handsome teenager grinned. "And no one's ever gone on a date with me."

Billa couldn't contain her giggles. "That is hard to believe," she giggled. "I mean, you are this handsome and very attractive young man. How can you say no one has ever been on a date with you?"

Thorin chuckled confusedly, not knowing what was so funny. "Because I have never been on a date with anyone before...?" he answered just as confusedly as he felt. "What is so funny?" he asked, a real laugh surfacing as Billa kept giggling.

"Oh, excuse me," she said, clearing her throat and forcing a straight-ish look on her face as she stopped laughing. "I am so sorry," she apologized. "I thought you were joking about never being on a date. I am so sorry. You must think me an idiot insulting you on the first date."

"It is quite alright," he said with a twinkle in his blue eyes. He smiled easily. "And what's this I hear about you not telling your mother about me?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest in mock-anger.

"I didn't tell her about you, because most guys that are into me don't really care about me and..." She sighed heavily and looked down at her lap. Well, she hadn't exactly envisioned telling him this so soon, or at all, really. "Thorin, my father died ten months ago. My mother has had a h-hard time trusting other people, especially the ones she doesn't know-"

"Billa," Thorin nearly gasped in shock at her explanation. "I am so sorry your father passed away. I promise you that I will never give you a reason not to trust me." He smiled softly at her and rubbed the back of her soft hand with his rough thumb. "And I would very much love to meet your mother if that is alright with you?" he asked with a playful smirk.

"Well..." Billa trailed.

"When you introduce us," Thorin mused. "The date after that can be the first official date."

"That my mother knows about," Billa added in agreement. "Alright, I guess you can meet her."

"Excellent," Thorin said with a cunning wink. "I cannot wait for that day."

Billa blushed and sighed.

He looked at her, prompting to know what was on her mind.

She ducked her head and smiled. "I am just speechless that you would actually want to be in a relationship with me."

"I have seen you around school and I was wanting to ask you out, but I didn't know how," he admitted. "Then I saw you at prom and I was going to approach the table, but you got up. So I followed you."

"Did you run into me?" Billa asked, raising a suspicious but playful eyebrow.

"No," Thorin said with a smile. "That was my freshman brother, Kili."

Billa smiled. "I knew you couldn't have ran into me."

"I would never," Thorin grinned.

"Dinner was lovely," she smiled as she and Thorin returned to his car. "Thank you."

Thorin cleared his throat and smiled. "I was wondering if you'd like to catch a movie," he said with mild confidence.

"Oh," Billa said in surprise. "Well... I don't know. My mother thinks Arwen and I-"

"It's fine," Thorin cut in as much as his chest hurt from being rejected. "Another time. Yes?"

Billa nodded. "Yes."

Thorin smiled weakly and opened the car door for her. "Home?"

"Yes," Billa answered. She watched the other solemnly start the car and quietly drive. "I'm sorry, Thorin," she said. "Don't look so sad-"

"I'm fine," Thorin interrupted.

Billa sighed and gazed out the window until the car pulled up by the school. "Thanks," she said awkwardly. "So... I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Yes," Thorin smiled.

"There's that smile I wanted to see a few minutes ago," Billa laughed.

Thorin blushed. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye."