If we're being honest, I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I had a date with Seven tonight. It feels like yesterday I was bitching at him for blasting Mr. Brightside at the ass crack of dawn. But now, he was taking me on a date. Like…A proper date. And all because I did a little tweaking to his office. Or maybe, just maybe, it was because of something more. Something special deep down in his little heart of hearts. But I still didn't know quite what this evening would entail. It is Seven.
Maybe we're just going to the diner. Honestly, I'd be totally cool with that. Something I didn't have to put real pants on for and I could gorge myself without any judgment. And I liked when we went to the diner. That meant me having pancakes at an unorthodox time of the day. Although, under regular circumstances, that would mean midnight and Seven just finished a job. But that's ok. Maybe I should text him. That'd be a good idea. But the question is, would he tell me?
I'm sure he would, if I asked him nicely. I shot him a quick text. But because I was texting Seven, of course, I couldn't get a straight answer. Instead of a place, Seven texted me back a series of numbers. Goddammit, Seven. All I wanted to know was where we were going for dinner tonight. Is that so difficult? Oh, well. Nothing a quick search wouldn't figure out. Obviously, these were coordinates. Hopefully, if I put them into Maps, it'll tell me exactly where in town this was.
Oh, holy shit, Seven…I didn't expect the Rose Garden. It's one of the more high end places in town. It's classy as shit. And of all people, Seven was taking me. I've seen this boy lick his plate clean at the diner after he finished his short stack. If he's looking to impress me tonight, color me impressed. He didn't have to impress me. He's already got me wrapped around his finger without even knowing it. And if we play our cards right, he won't know it. He'll only feel it. And that's all that matters.
Despite it being one of the higher end restaurants in town, I didn't have to be overly formal. I still didn't have to wear real pants. Instead, I went with short, lacy black leggings and a more casual dress. I'm feeling…Maybe blue? Blue sounded nice. I had a turquoise dress in the black of my closet that didn't get to come out too often that looked pretty damn good on me, if I do say so myself. This, the leggings, and a long, gray cardigan. It was supposed to cool off a little tonight and I'd rather not freeze entirely. There. If I dare be so bold, I look pretty damn cute.
After a few finishing touches and finding wherever the hell I put my black flats, I took a seat on my couch and waited for Seven to show up. Thankfully, I had Pinterest on my phone. I could get started on the pin board for Zen's place. After Seven's office, I did need a little bit of a break, but call me a workaholic. A mother's work is never done and every project was my child.
Let's see…Zen. I met him the other day. He seemed like a minimalist. I've always wanted to do a full on minimal space. Maybe monochromatic? That could turn out perfect in the right space. I just hope I have the raw material to work with. A little black and white action with some gray accents here and there? Oh, yeah. It's very film noir and I loved it. And if I can get Zen on board with it, I'll be a happy girl. Big furniture could be white. Little furniture could be black. Accent pillows could be gray. But if he's got a studio apartment, it could get a little tricky. The idea would be to make the space feel bigger, not smaller.
Knock, knock.
And there's my ride. I got up from my couch and checked the peephole. Surprise, surprise. Guess who was on the other side? I'd hate to keep him waiting, "Hi, Seven."
"Hi," Seven stood awkwardly in my doorway. That's weird. Even for him, "Are you ready?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "Let's go."
"Ok."
And that's how our night began. Saeran was right. If I did any sort of pushing back and gave him hope that the relationship wasn't one sided, he'd get weird. Weirder than he already was. By the time we got to our table, he still wouldn't say a word. When Seven's quiet, it gave me the same vibes as when my dog stopped eating when I was a kid. I don't want to have to have Seven put down, too. I liked him.
"Seven…?" I gave him a little nudge under the table, "Are you ok?"
He sat quiet with a desperate look in his eye. There's something going on. And he's not telling me. Instead, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Usually, I couldn't get him to shut up. This? This had me nervous. But then, out of nowhere, my phone beeped. And things only keep getting weirder.
I don't go on dates very often.
I'm shocked.
This is a rarity for me, so talking is a little difficult.
Do you think we could do this for a while first?
-707
So, it's more than just Seven playing shy. This is a full on social anxiety tick. I've seen it before with a few other bloggers. Granted, when we're online, we're talking to our readers from the comfort of our desks. When we go out and about, it's a little more intimidating, given the volume. I have no doubt in my mind that Seven's the same way. I opened up the text box on my phone.
Absolutely.
I'd be more than happy to meet you halfway.
-MC
It was enough to make Seven smile. And that's all that matters at this point. As long as he's comfortable. But then, he put his face back in his phone.
Thank you for understanding.
If you're ok, can you still talk?
I like the sound of your voice.
-707
"Ok," I nodded, a little flattered.
Beep.
Why are you so good to me, MC?
-707
"Because," I explained, taking a little bit of a risk here. I know Saeran said that if I push back, he's going to pull away. We'll see about that, "I like you, Seven. Why else?"
Beep.
But why?
-707
I felt a sudden ache in my chest. And I didn't like it. Oh, Seven, Seven, Seven…How broken are you? It's alright, though. Because whether you wanted to know it or not, you have me, "Well…You're sweet. You're smart as hell. You're cute as a button. I don't know, Seven. There's more to you than most people see. I feel like I've known you all my life, yet I hardly know you at all at the same time. You're just…You're different, you know? Yeah, I've been around some of the most beautiful models in the world. Some of the most educated people. But they're not you. And I'd take one of you before I took a million of them."
Seven stared hard into his screen, not a hundred percent sure how to take that.
Taptaptaptaptap.
Beep.
If there was more than one of me in this world, it would implode on itself.
-707
Good. He had me worried for a second. Like he wasn't in there. I giggled a little bit, "That's true. But…I don't know. You're more than just my exasperating, pain in the ass neighbor, Seven. That's half the reason why I snuck into your office and gave it some personality. I don't do that out of the goodness of my heart for just anyone. You're special to me."
Suddenly, the life drained from his face. And if I didn't know any better, I'd think he was about to throw up. Slowly, but surely, he opened his mouth, "I…Bathroom…"
"Ok," I let him go, "Go ahead. I'm not going anywhere."
"Geuge naega museowoss eo…" Seven mumbled to himself, taking off like a bat out of Hell toward the bathroom.
And so, I sat and waited.
And waited…
And waited…
I hope he's ok. Did I maybe push a little too hard? Damn my honesty. But it was all true. In the few months I've known Seven, he has grown on me. Whether he likes it or not. But I didn't think he'd freak about me wearing my heart on my sleeve just a little bit. I could've flat out told him I loved him (even I wasn't entirely sure on that one), but I didn't. But in these trying times and with Seven having been in the bathroom for the last twenty minutes, I think it's time to call in reinforcements. Not necessarily to come and join us, but just for a little advice.
"Let me guess," Saeran didn't even say hello. It's almost as if he knew, "You pushed back, didn't you, MC?"
"Yeah…" I hung my head, "But just a little."
"And now," he assumed, "He's holed up in the bathroom, isn't he?"
"Are you psychic, Saeran?" I wondered, starting to sweat a bit.
"No," Saeran confessed, "I'm on the other line with Saeyoung. He called me saying he was holed up in the bathroom. His words exactly. Whatever you said scared the shit out of him. Normally, I'd be down for a little Saeyoung freak out, but this got to him more than normal. What did you do?"
"I kind of pushed back," I reiterated, "He asked me why I liked him and I told him."
"Honestly?"
"Yeah," my voice broke, "This wasn't what I wanted, Saeran. I should've thought it through better."
"It's not your fault he's got a screw loose, MC," Saeran settled me, "I know you didn't mean to do this. You can't control how he's going to react to shit. Especially someone like him. His brain is a game of Russian roulette while he thinks he's playing regular roulette. No one knows when that gun's going to go off."
"So…" I pulled myself together, "What do I do? Is he going to come back or is Seven already slipping out the back window?"
"I'll talk him down from the ledge," he promised, "He'll be back to the table shortly. But you want to know what'll make him a little more comfortable?"
"God, yes."
"I want you to go through your phone," Saeran suggested, "And find a meme. Any meme will do. Old memes, new memes. Doesn't matter. Saeyoung is internet trash from the word go and nothing will put him at ease quite like a meme. If you want to go above and beyond, make him one. But just a forewarning, if you do make him a meme, then there's a chance you're his forever."
"Thank you, Saeran," I smiled, "Go take care of your brother. I think I got it from here."
"No worries," Saeran hung up on me to go back to talking Seven down from the ledge. So, if I show him a meme, it'll be enough to get him to calm down. But if I make him a meme, he's mine forever. Interesting. I scrolled through my camera roll and unfortunately, I didn't find a single meme. They weren't really my thing. I know they're mostly unavoidable, but I think I might have found one that made no sense, but it might just work. Mostly because Seven himself makes no sense more often than not. And with a little editing, I think I might have him hooked.
I kept an eye out on the bathroom doors to see if Seven was going to come back out. I hope so. Even if we have to continue our entire dinner through his phone, I don't care. As long as he comes back out of that bathroom, I'll take it as a win. This wouldn't even crack my top ten worst dates. And my worst one ended with me having to wash his puke out of my hair. Good times. We don't talk about it.
However, I could rest a little easier. Seven, despite his skittishness, walked out of the bathroom and sat back down in front of me, "Hi, Seven."
"Hi…" his voice was a little hoarse, but not too worse for wear.
I did a quick tap on my phone screen and held back a smile, "Check your phone."
Seven pulled his phone out of his pocket and immediately, his face lit up at the image of a long legged frog riding on a unicycle that bared a striking resemblance to a certain someone I know, "MC…"
"Hmm?" I bit the inside of my cheek.
Slowly, but surely, a smile crept across his face, "Did you seriously make me dat boi?"
"I might have," I had no idea that thing had a name, but I didn't care. It made Seven smile. And by the looks of it, he could breathe a little easier, too. My work here is done. Thank you, Saeran.
"It's perfect," Seven awed, instantly changing it to his phone's lock screen.
"Are you ok?" I worried, shaking the sillies out.
"Yeah," he nodded, "I got a little lost in my head for a minute, but I'm good now. Thank you…How are you?"
"I'm good," I assured, taking his hand, "How about we get out of here and go back to my place?"
"That sounds like a good idea," Seven agreed, "But no porn theaters this time."
"Deal." On our way out, I noticed Seven had yet to let go of my hand. And the entire way home, he didn't let go of my hand. Whatever you said to him, Saeran, remind me to kiss you the next time I see you. Although, I think I should probably kiss your brother first.
This poor boy had been through enough tonight. The least we could do was kick back in my living room and watch a movie. There was one I had watched all the time as a kid and a good, warm, fuzzy nostalgia trip would be just what we both needed. It was about a witch and a wizard and a simple girl that lived in the town. But it had been one of my favorites since I could remember. Although, in a shocking twist of events, just as the girl and the wizard met, I looked down at Seven, sleeping soundly on my tummy. I gently kissed his forehead and readjusted our position. Good night, Seven…