February 18th 2018

Chapter 49
Their Celebration of a Date

Saturday came along, the last two days having been an unbroken chain of sweet merriment for the both of them, until finally the day came for them to have their proper celebration of this year between them. Of course it wasn't as though the occasion hadn't been noted already, from the Halloween party, to the morning of the 1st, the pancakes and fancy dress… When they'd gotten to school that day, Maya had found her locker contained two roses twined together, secreted in by Riley, if she had to guess. And they'd had lunch on their own, a practice for Saturday, as they'd call it. After the day was done, they had gone to his house, hanging out a while before she had to head home. He'd driven her back, leaving her with the promise of Saturday just nearly there.

Friday had been here and there, and now here they were. It seemed as though they had only just been in this state, dressing for occasion, back on the anniversary itself, though here and now, there was most definitely an added level to it all. Lucas had gone to get his hair cut, had debated, it seemed, for much longer than anyone should have to pick from less than a handful choices. But he had told her he was aiming for 'this would be way too overdressed for school,' which had made her laugh before taking his challenge with a handshake and a glimmer in her eye, and so the choice had needed to be made.

If Lucas thought picking through his clothes had been rough, he would have gone mad if he'd been in Maya's position. She had known far ahead of time she wanted to treat this day specially, and she had set herself to finding just the right look, all components involved, maybe since before the school year had started. She'd had it all figured out, finally, even as she was putting together her costume for Halloween. And then, when they'd gone back to his house after school on Thursday, Lucas had given her a present.

The necklace hung from her neck now, unaware, like the boy who'd bought and gifted it, of the mad dash it had initiated. She had to wear it for the Date, she had to, but it just didn't feel as though it fit with the rest of the look she'd assembled, and so before she knew it, she was rethinking everything. The hero of the story here had been Shawn Hunter, her father seeing to it that the store where she'd bought her dress would take it back, so she could then buy the one she now wore in its place just the night before. And then she'd had to work this morning, which meant running back home as soon as she was done, so she could shower and get ready, because who wanted to smell like sweat and a diner at a time like this?

She'd been sure that she'd be cutting it down to the second when the doorbell rang, even with her mother aiding in her preparation, but finally here she was, all set and waiting for a certain tour guide… cowboy… Huckleberry… boyfriend guy…

He arrived only minutes later, and much as she'd tried not to sneak a peek, she'd spent those last minutes perched in her window, watching for the approach of his car. Instead, she saw him walking up the street, no car in sight, not that she noticed its absence right away. She was somewhat distracted by the sight of him, looking without a doubt like he'd followed his own challenge, and not for the first time in the time she'd known him, she could say he had made her heart skip a beat, dizzying her into a smile before moving out of his line of sight. Just because she'd seen him early didn't mean she'd let him do the same. She wanted to see the look on his face from up close, and she wanted to send his heart looping loops on a rollercoaster.

Her parents weren't there, having left just ten minutes before to go and spend the evening at the Matthews', and so when Lucas rang the bell, she was there to open the door and witness his reaction all on her own.

A year ago, on their first Date, after the chaos of rain and running had been over and she'd slipped into a dry change of clothes, he had told her how he was ready for so many more outings with her, in 'fancy dresses or jeans and a t-shirt,' and she knew he meant it. All she had to do was recall the way he would look at her, no matter what she wore. It wasn't going to change the way he felt for her… but it would certainly take him by surprise, and giving him those new surprises, that was always what she aimed to do. Whether she would have presented herself with the look she had assembled over several weeks, or the one she'd been left scrambling to create in just about two days, he would have been as he was now, and it relieved her of whatever silly nervousness she'd put herself through in order to get to this moment.

Lucas had found her, standing there in the silvery embroidered tulle dress, which made the pendant at her neck stand out and match, her hair pulled into a braid which looked somewhat similar to how she'd had it the year before, this time left to be draped over her shoulder rather than pinned around her head… If he had to put words to the effect the whole look had on him at first sight, he might have called her angel, called her magic, called her… heart.

"Hi," he smiled.

"You're early," she declared, smiling back.

"Oh… Do you want me to come back later?" he pointed back up the street, moving as though to leave, only to find his arm claimed by her hand on the fly.

"Don't you even," she laughed, and he caught her up with a kiss. "Hey…"

Taking up her jacket and her bag, they were off, walking at ease down the street. When she asked where his car was, he said he'd decided to leave it behind. He wanted to enjoy every minute with her, and at the wheel he couldn't have that, not the same, so they would leave their transports at the mercy of the good bus drivers of Austin for the night. Maya was all too pleased to go along on this reasoning. Buses had sort of had a good place in their relationship, hadn't they, even back when they had been only friends still, even the best of those.

"Did I ever show you the drawing I did once? After my, uh… that time with Joey?" she asked as they stood in wait at the bus stop. He stopped to think for a few seconds, then shook his head. "I didn't? Really?" Again, he shook his head. "Okay, come here," she took his hand and gave his arm a yank, forcing him to start to run so he would get to keep that arm connected to his body.

"What are you doing? We'll miss the bus!"

"There will be other buses, this is important, now hurry up already, I know you can run faster than this, you have those long legs and I don't, so what's your excuse?" she urged him on, and it worked. They ran all the way back to her house, went on in, and Maya released his arm at last, scurrying into her room. Lucas followed, stopping just at the door to find her crouched next to her bed, rising again a moment later with a familiar sketchbook in hand.

"Hey, I gave you that," he pointed.

"Yeah, you did," she laughed, pulling it open at random before flipping through the pages until she found the one she was looking for. "Here," she went to sit at the window and he followed, sitting next to her. The only other person she'd ever shown it to was her mother… the morning of November 1st. "This might not make a whole lot of sense, it's just…" she handed him the book, "It was the best way I knew how to put on paper the moment I knew… that I liked you, that I wanted to be with you. Took us a while to get there, but this… it changed everything for me, and I never wanted to forget. I can still remember, every time I see it."

He was looking at it all, the little bits and things traced into the page, eyes moving from one to another, smiling, beaming. He didn't have to say it, she could see it there on his face; he knew exactly what that page said, and of all the days she could have showed it to him, this might have been the best. It was her gift to him, and a most appreciated one.

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners