Steph read over the sheet in her hand one last time before setting it down off to the side of her. She was done reading the ads on air for the day. Now came the easy part where she just put on a playlist and finished up some other tasks around the record store.
"Three hours to go before the date."
She sighed as the thought crossed her mind for the thousandth time today. Any down time she had during the broadcast Alex had flooded her mind. She was feeling a bit nervous, she hadn't been on a date in longer than she'd like to admit. Her usual confident self wasn't feeling so confident when she thought about how bold Alex had been last night.
She felt so dumb thinking back on it. She just stood there when Alex went to kiss her, then she felt awkward when she asked Alex out. Those thoughts were feeding into her nerves today and because of that she did something she thought would never happen.
"I'm going to regret this," She breathed as she grabbed her phone before exiting the booth. After checking to make sure no one was in the store, she pulled up a contact and pressed the call button.
After a few moments of ringing Gabe answered. "Wow, I wasn't sure you knew phone's could make calls. You realize you have to use your voice for this type of communication right? It's different from texting."
"I instantly regret this," Steph sighed with a shake of her head as she made her way up towards the front of the store to sit on the stool behind the counter.
"I'm just kidding," Gabe laughed as he stepped out onto the rooftop where Alex was sitting at a small table waiting for him. He walked over and set a drink down in front of her before taking a seat himself. They had spent most of the morning on the roof catching up. "So what's up?"
"I uh... I need some help," Steph admitted. She was really starting to wonder if this was a good idea. "Remember when I said I was hanging out with Alex today?"
Gabe nodded as he glanced over to Alex. "Yep, I recall."
"So, she might have actually asked to hang out in like a date kind of way," Steph said as the line went silent for a moment. She had recalled Gabe telling her to maybe take things a little slow, which this was the opposite of.
What she couldn't see though was the look Gabe was giving an oblivious Alex. They had talked all morning. Steph had been brought up, but it was because they were talking about the LARP.
"You still there?" Steph asked after the silence became worrying.
"Uh, yea," Gabe finally answered thankful that Alex didn't seem to be paying attention to him. "That sounds great. What are you planning on doing?"
"I don't know, dude. I am like actually freaking out right now. It's been forever since I've gone on a date and you're right, I don't know a ton about her."
Gabe glanced to Alex for a moment, he wanted to tell Steph to calm down but that might get Alex's attention. "You're right," Gabe interrupted as Steph went silent. "Just focus on that then."
"I know. I am," Steph said a moment later. "I was just planning on bringing her to get ice cream and then I don't know what after that. Do you got any ideas?"
"Well you must be desperate if you're calling me for help," Gabe chuckled as Alex glanced over to him with a raised eyebrow. He put the phone on mute for a second to respond to her. "Charlotte is asking for an opinion on something she is working on." Alex just gave him a nod before turning her attention back to the scenery in front of them.
"I just don't want her to think I'm lame and you're like my best friend. Also you somehow got Charlotte to not only put up with you, but actually admit to liking you. So I figure you must have some hidden secrets," Steph joked.
"True," Gabe agreed with a laugh. "You're worrying about nothing though. From what you've told me, I don't think you can mess up bad enough for her to hate you."
Steph remained silent for a moment. "I was kind of hoping you would have a killer idea for a first date, but maybe you're right. Maybe I don't need to do anything crazy. I guess it isn't the worst idea to just kind of see how it plays out."
"Exactly," Gabe said as he thought about the date. He was actually kind of curious on what they might end up doing. He was sure he'd hear all the details of their date. Steph was losing her mind over Alex after all.
He glanced to Alex quick as another thought crossed his mind, something he really didn't want to think about. "J-Just remember late nights can lead to mistakes. . . Also, maybe no drinking."
There was a moment of silence before Steph finally spoke again. "Fuck, why did you have to say that?" she asked with a sigh. The thought hadn't really crossed her mind until now. She had no intention of doing anything with Alex. She'd be lying if she hadn't thought about ending the date with at least a kiss. If drinks were involved though she knew how fast her willpower would be thrown out the window. She could barely think straight around Alex sober. "I hadn't even though about that.
Steph thought about it for minute. With or without alcohol she realized the outcome was the same. "Dude, I gotta be honest. If she comes on to me, I don't think I'm going to be able to resist her. Just thinking about her-"
"No, no, no, nope. Please, stop." Gabe said quickly trying to interrupt Steph from potentially continuing. Alex looked at him really confused, she had half a mind to try and read him, but she felt awkward prying into his life with Charlotte. "That isn't a good idea. Promise me you won't do that."
There was a pause as Steph tried to find any good excuse as to why she should disagree with Gabe. He was right though. She didn't want to potentially screw things up with Alex before they even really had a chance. "Fine. I promise," Steph finally said after a minute. "I hate that you are being an adult here with actual good advice. Not really what I was looking for, but probably more helpful in the long run."
"Good," Gabe responded feeling relieved. "You should probably get back to work though. I've got some stuff I need to do anyways. I'll see you later tonight," he said quickly before hanging up the phone and looking over at Alex. "Sorry about that, Charlotte hates the customer she's working with."
Alex just smiled, "sounds like you talked her out of a disaster."
"Something like that," Gabe chuckled.
At the record store Steph sat confused. "See you later tonight?" She asked before realizing the line went dead. She pulled the phone away from her face and saw that the call was no longer going on. "Dude, what?"
Later that afternoon. . .
Alex hesitantly entered the record store. She had just got done partially lying to Gabe. She was going to see Steph, but it wasn't about planning a LARP character like she had told him. Though technically it wasn't a lie, Steph had promised to show her some LARP stuff. Now that she was here and the reality of whatever was happening today was setting in, she felt kind of anxious. She had labeled it a date last night and she wanted it to be just that. She just hoped Steph saw it that way too because she wasn't sure what she was doing. The orphanage didn't really teach her much about dating, love, or really anything useful to be honest.
She shook her head, the last thing she wanted to think about right now was that place. She wasn't there anymore and even though she had only been here for a day things were great. Catching up with Gabe and talking about Charlotte and him. Later meeting Jed and getting some practice serving tables during the lunch period. Everything was going good so far. So instead of being nervous, she took a deep breath trying to ride out the positive day she had been having and made her way back towards the booth where the on air sign was lit up.
When she finally got in sight of the booth's window a smile formed on her lips at the sight of Steph's air drum display. She watched her throw the imaginary drum sticks and do a kick as the song came to an end. She laughed when Steph turned around and froze in place staring right at her. Alex had never seen a blush so deep and an aura so intense.
"Holy shit, she definitely just saw that. Is it possible to die from embarrassment? Am I dead right now? At least Gabe won't have to worry about us sleeping together tonight. . . Or ever."
Alex raised an eyebrow at her before feeling her own cheeks flush. If Steph had been able to focus on anything outside of wanting to die in that moment, she might have noticed. Thankfully the phone in the booth rang and got Steph to turn away from her.
It gave Alex a moment to sort through Steph's thought. She wasn't sure what she should focus on more. Steph wanting to sleep with her from the sounds of it, talking to her brother about sleeping with her, or the fact that she even talked to Gabe about her at all since she thought Gabe had told her to keep it a secret. None of this made sense, but any time Alex would have to dwell on it would be cut short by the booth door opening and Steph stepping out.
"H-Hey," Steph said, her face still very red. "So if you could forget what you just saw and maybe never talk about it, that would be awesome."
Alex looked at her for a moment with mock concern. "If that happens, how will that air drums family ever have a chance at knowing who murdered them?" She asked unable to contain the playful smile spreading across her lips. She couldn't hold the laughter back when Steph snorted in response.
As her laughter died down she noticed Steph was left smiling warmly at her. Whether Steph had realized it or not, there was an emotion in her that made itself known only briefly. It was so small, but strong enough for Alex to immediately pick up on it. The feeling wasn't quite like the night before though, there wasn't any pink in Steph's aura right now.
"How can she be so perfect?"
Alex's smile grew a little bit at the thought. "I hope I'm not too early. I can wait outside if you're not ready."
"Just on time actually," Steph reassured her. "Just give me a minute to shut things down for the night?"
Alex just nodded her response as Steph went back into the booth and started speaking to the citizen's of Haven Springs. Once she had that out of the way she turned the light off in the booth and joined Alex again in the record store.
"So what's the plan?" Alex asked curiously as a small but noticeable purple aura surrounded Steph.
"Shit, I have no idea."
"Well, I owe you ice cream at the very least," Steph reminded her as they walked towards the door. "The rest will be a surprise."
"Wing it! Great advice, Gabe! Last time I ever ask you for help planning a killer first date. . . Just wait until he meets Alex, then he'll know why I'm losing my mind over her."
"I like surprises."
"Don't get too excited. We're in Haven Springs. Some people here get excited about seeing birds believe it or not," Steph explained causing Alex to chuckle as she locked the front door.
"Seriously?" She asked as Steph thought of Ryan.
"Yep. Bird watching is basically this town's sport. I rank it right above watching paint dry and just below watching grass grow," Steph joked causing Alex to chuckle. "Alright, first stop is ice cream as promised," Steph said as she motioned with her head to start walking.
She had almost reached out and grabbed Alex's hand, but thankfully she had stopped herself. Even if she wasn't showing it now, she was still embarrassed enough about the air drumming thing. She also wasn't sure how Alex would feel about it.
"So what do you do for work?" Steph asked curiously. After talking with Gabe earlier, Steph had decided that he was probably right. She should get to know Alex better before doing anything potentially stupid.
The question may have been innocent, but Alex felt some level of stress about it. She liked Steph and didn't want to give her the wrong impression. "I am. . . I'm actually out of work right now," she said a little hesitantly before quickly adding, "just temporarily though. I've been looking at some places around town." She glanced to Steph trying to gauge her reaction and aura.
"That sucks. Where have you been looking?" Steph asked as she thought about some of the applications she had sitting at the record shop. Maybe Alex would be interested?
Alex smiled seeing that Steph didn't seem to care at all that she was jobless at the moment. "So far the bar seems interested in me. I'm open to suggestions if you have any though."
"The Black Lantern?" Steph asked as Alex gave her a nod in response. "I think you would like it. I know someone that works there. I think you met him last night actually, he said he sent you to the record store."
"Oh...that guy," Alex said feeling awkward about this. "I think his name was, Dave?"
She hadn't realized Gabe had told Steph she was on her way last night. She wasn't sure how much Gabe knew, but it was apparent Steph had been talking to him about her. In a way it was a relief because that meant he was probably alright with Alex seeing Steph like this.
"Gabe," Steph corrected Alex as they approached the door to the ice cream shop. She took a step ahead and held it open for Alex. "He is a total dork, but also one of the coolest dudes around. If you're working at the bar you'll get to know him."
"Sounds like you know him pretty well."
"Yeah, we go back a ways. I'll be honest, the only reason I'm still in this town is because of him."
"Oh, did you like date or something?" Alex asked curiously. She knew Gabe and Steph were friends, but she hadn't really gotten any info on their past.
"Ick, no way," Steph said with a grossed out look on her face. "First that would be like dating my brother. Two, I'm not sure you've noticed, but I am currently on a date with a super hot girl right now."
Alex couldn't help the blush at Steph's words. Since Steph was looking right at her she reached up covering part of her face and adjusted her glasses as a way to hide her blush. Steph just gave her a knowing smile.
"She definitely caught that I called her hot... The way she tried to hide that blush. Holy shit."
A smile spread on Alex's lips as she looked away from Steph feeling like she could melt into a puddle from her gaze. She tried hard to ignore that familiar urge to kiss her again. Thankfully before she could make a scene, that feeling was cut short by someone asking them what they wanted to order.
Steph on the other hand felt like she had just solved a piece of Alex's puzzle. Up until now Alex had seemed to be the forward one, where usually that wasn't the case for Steph. Seeing her turn into a blushing mess made Steph lose her breath almost. Alex was hot, but Steph couldn't help thinking she was just down right adorable at this moment. "Anything you want, my treat," she was able to finally remind Alex as they stepped up to the counter and looked at the menu board.
Once they had their ice cream they decided to head outside and find a small table to sit at in the shade.
"Thanks for this," Alex said before licking her ice cream cone and giving Steph a quick smile. "It's been a long time since I've had an ice cream cone."
"You don't need to thank me. I offered to get it for you last night," Steph reminded her. Alex shrugged in response. "Besides you agreed to this date, so I think my plan worked."
"Bribe me with ice cream," Alex chuckled. "That will get you very far with me."
"Will it?" Steph asked as her mind wandered back to the kiss that almost happened last night. She had thought about it a lot since it happened. It had been on her mind almost constantly. Every time her mind drifted to the moment she imagined what it would have felt like, what Alex might taste like. She took a deep breath as that feeling from the night before washed over her. She couldn't help her eyes settling on Alex's lips once again. She watched as Alex took another lick of her ice cream. She tried to look away, but all the sudden the kiss wasn't all she was thinking about.
Alex had picked up on it, that same feeling from the night prior. She could see that pink bleeding more and more into Steph's joyous aura. She could feel all those familiar feelings from the night before flooding in. To be honest she wasn't sure they had ever gone away. Where her own desires ended and Steph's began she wasn't sure, but the feeling was very mutual.
"I want to kiss her so bad."
Alex didn't say anything, she just looked at Steph in the eyes. There was an intensity that she hadn't seen the night before, but Alex knew what it was. She was certain the desire in Steph's eyes had been in hers the night before when she tried to kiss her. Then suddenly, it was gone. Alex blinked once or twice feeling like she had just awoke from a spell put on her from this feeling coming from Steph.
It seemed Steph had snapped out of whatever state she was in when melted ice cream started running over her fingers. Alex watched as she licked the melted ice cream off. That feeling still lingering in her as she tried to focus on something else.
"So when did you get to Haven Springs?" Steph asked trying to distract herself from staring at Alex. "I feel like I definitely would have noticed you right away."
The flirty nature of her comment wasn't lost on Alex. "Well you kind of did. I just got here yesterday. I decided to check out the record store when I saw this place had one. You and Ryan were the first people I met here," Alex explained causing Steph to smile.
"I knew I would have noticed you right away," Steph said proudly. "So where did you come from and why did choose this place above all others to come to?" Steph asked curiously. She realized she at one point had chosen Haven Springs too. Now that she had been there for awhile she wasn't always sure it was still the right place for her.
Alex thought about Gabe for a second. She thought about her promise not to tell Steph. He was making this part of her life very hard right now. Steph and him seemed to be good friends though, so she didn't want to interfere with whatever he was doing. "I uh. . ." Alex thought about what she could say for a moment before shrugging. "Guess I just wanted to get away from it all. I came from no where good, lot's of bad memories to be honest."
The expression on Steph's face softened a bit a the tone in Alex's voice. Wherever no where good was must have been bad.
"I wonder if it was a relationship gone bad or something?"
Hearing that Alex perked up a bit and shook the thought of the orphanage out of her mind, it had no place ruining her happiness today. "It was nothing terrible, I just hated that place. I didn't know anyone and the people were miserable to me. Well, to everyone honestly."
Steph frowned at that, so far Alex had been amazing. She couldn't imagine anyone wanting to hurt her. "Well I hope it wasn't a relationship gone bad or something. I feel bad about asking you out if it was. I'd hate if I forced you into something you weren't ready for."
"No," Alex responded quickly. "It was nothing like that. I haven't had a relationship for a long time. It just wasn't a good fit for me. I'm super glad you asked me out actually. . . I don't know. To be honest, I was looking for somewhere off the grid. I saw this place and thought there probably couldn't be anything bad happening here. So I grabbed my guitar and came out this way," Alex explained before looking at Steph straight in the eyes and smiling. "So far it seems I was very right."
"Critical hit to my heart. -10 damage."
Steph's cheeks burned as she struggled to keep eye contact with Alex. She was quickly discovering that Alex's flirting had a very big impact on her. She couldn't remember the last time a girl reduced her to a blushing mess that couldn't think straight. Not that there was anything straight about the thoughts she was having.
"That's awesome. I-I mean, I'm glad you're happy about being here...with me, or in the town. Er...," Steph stopped herself as her cheeks turned even darker red. Alex's gaze was now accompanied by a playful grin. Steph just shook her head as Alex chuckled. "What I meant was, I'm glad you like it here so far. Also, I'm super glad you went on this date with me...and are enjoying it?" Steph asked a little hesitantly.
"Could be better," Alex said with a shrug, but it only took a second of seeing Steph's uncertainty to cause her to break out in laughter. The wave of relief that washed over Steph was evident in her aura and on her face. "I'm just teasing. If I recall right though, you promised to show me some more LARP stuff."
"I did," Steph nodded. "You wanna go check that out now?"
About thirty minutes later. . .
Alex followed Steph inside and stopped in the doorway when she saw a ton of stuff laying around. There were costumes hanging from pretty much every thing they could be. The table in the room was covered with a bunch of monster masks. Leaning up against the table and against the wall were a few fake weapons.
"Whoa."
"Uh, yea sorry it's a bit messy. LARP is right around the corner and I don't throw props away," Steph said scratching the back of her head as she looked around the room.
"No, it's fine," Alex assured her. "I just can't believe how much stuff you have here."
"There is quite a few people attending this year, so I needed to make sure I had enough stuff to go around," she explained as she saw a red hat with a feather sitting among the masks. "I think I have the perfect thing for you actually."
"Oh? What would that be?"
"You said you played guitar earlier didn't you?" Steph asked as she went over and grabbed the hat for Alex. "This could be a pretty cool."
Alex looked at the hat for a moment before putting it on. "Well, how do I look?"
"Hot," Steph replied. "I think I know exactly what you can be in the LARP. I even have an idea as to what your role might be."
"Hot girl with hat?" Alex asked causing Steph to snort.
"Yes," Steph laughed. "I think I have a better title though. You will be the Magpie Emporium's official bard. A bard who unwillingly works for a mysterious witch that may or may not force her to play music for guests."
"Oh and who might this witch be?" Alex asked as Steph went into the other room for a moment.
"Me," she answered coming back into the room wearing a witch hat. "Besides, it will probably be easier if you are with me for your first LARP. You'll get to see what everyone is doing and I could answer some questions for you."
"Enslaved bard to a super cute witch. You sure being new is the only reason to be put into that role?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow and slight grin.
"Maybe," Steph shrugged though she couldn't contain the smile creeping onto her face. "I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some significant benefits for the witch."
"It seems that way. So what would the witch have me do then?"
"Well," Steph said before pausing. She knew the reason was that she wanted to spend more time with Alex. She didn't really have a plan outside of that. "You could play a song that could lure adventurer's in to the shop? I don't know, we can figure that out. You could also do something else, I don't want you feel forced into this role."
Alex could see the aura around Steph change a little, she felt a little scared that she might put Alex off the whole LARP thing by forcing her into something she didn't want. "Well maybe my mighty bard powers put a spell on the witch and I want to be there?"
Steph looked at her surprised, the fear in her aura vanishing in an instant. "Dude, that's awesome. Did the witch cast a spell on the bard or did the bard play a song so great, the witch fell under her control? That would be an awesome story to build on. We're totally writing that in, if you want to play that role."
"It is pretty awesome and I do want to play that role," Alex reassured her. "You haven't heard me play though, you sure I'd be good enough?"
"I'm not going to force you to play anything. Unless you want to of course. I know I wouldn't mind hearing what you can do, but we can worry about that later. Let's go work on your character sheet," Steph said before removing her witch hat and setting it on a nearby table.
Alex followed Steph into the other room. If the previous room looked like Steph was setting up for a play, this room looked like she was preparing a war, which Alex reasoned wasn't far off. The desk she was led to was covered with maps of fantasy towns and dungeons, pictures of various monsters and heroes, and of course plenty of sheets that seemed to define stats for characters.
"How do you keep this all straight in your head?" Alex asked honestly amazed at the amount of effort Steph put into this.
"Years of practice," Steph simply replied as she grabbed a nearby notebook and took a seat at the table. "Alright, let's start planning your character. We already have a small summary of what your story might be so far. I'll just write that down quick and we can change it later if we come up with any awesome ideas or you don't like it," Steph explained as she got to work writing.
Alex moved closer to her and hovered over her shoulder as she watched her work.
"Alto," Steph said a moment later as she turned her head only to realize Alex's face was right next to hers.
"Alto?" Alex asked curiously as Steph looked back down to the paper all the sudden very aware of Alex's close proximity.
"Y-yeah," Steph nodded trying to keep her cool, but that wasn't working at all. Alex was making it hard for her to think straight right now. "T-that could be your characters name. What do you think?"
"I love it," Alex almost whispered causing Steph to close her eyes for a moment and try as hard as she could to refrain from pulling into a kiss she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop.
"Don't do anything stupid. She's probably not doing this on purpose and she just loved the name, nothing else."
"Why don't you tell me more about Alto," Alex continued once Steph's thought had been received. She had only been curious to see what she was writing, but now after hearing that she had also become very aware of how close she was to her.
"S-She is a bard," Steph started before losing her train of thought. All she could think about was Alex almost kissing her the night before. She took a breath to try and collect her thoughts before continuing. "She is an awesome bard, who. . ." Steph stopped, all she could think about was Alex's lips.
"An awesome bard who what?" Alex almost whispered feeling the atmosphere between them change. She was fully aware of what she was doing to Steph and she was now needing to know where this would go.
Steph felt her heart pounding against her chest, never in her life had a girl gotten her so worked up over nothing. Realizing there was no way she'd be able to focus on anything but the girl beside her, she turned her head to look at Alex. She almost melted when Alex's eyes flicked to her and she smiled. Steph was done for. "Alex, I. . ." She stopped before shaking her head. "Fuck it."
Alex couldn't even question what Steph was trying to say. There was a burst of pink from her aura as she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against Alex's. At first it it was awkward, Steph didn't move almost as if fearing what she had done wasn't wanted. When Alex kissed back all of that fear drained away and soon one kiss turned into two and then three. The fire inside Steph burning brighter than it ever had mixing with the overwhelming feeling coursing through every fiber of Alex's being.
Steph's hands found their way into Alex's hair as she stood from her chair only breaking the kiss for a moment. Alex was the one who pulled her back into it, her own hands resting on Steph's hips and pulling Steph flush against her body. Feeling another overwhelming surge of emotion from Steph, Alex finally broke the kiss and let her head fall back to catch her breath. Steph didn't skip a beat as her lips found their way onto Alex's neck which brought a noise Steph could only describe as beautiful from Alex's lips.
Before Alex knew they were moving in unison, slowly as their lips met over and over again. She only realized where they were headed when she was being pulled down onto Steph's lap as Steph fell back onto a couch nearby. It was the first time they had both taken a second to collect themselves. Both breathing heavy and smiling, they looked into each others eyes for a moment. Alex didn't need her powers to see the desire looking back at her. She recognized it, she was certain Steph was seeing it in her own eyes and before it could have the chance to fade, Alex leaned back in and pressed her lips against Steph's.
Hour's later . . .
Alex grumbled as she woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. She was quick to reach into her pocket and grab it, but a sudden movement made her temporarily forget about the call.
"Who's that?" Steph asked with a yawn as she rubbed one of her eyes.
Alex blinked once or twice realizing her head was resting in Steph's lap. She glanced over towards the television where a movie they had put on earlier was still playing. She recalled Steph putting it on after they had finally found the will to separate from each other. Alex wasn't sure how long they made out, it was all just kind of a blur that stirred something deep inside her when she thought about it.
"No one," Alex responded as she declined the call from her brother. She wasn't sure how she would explain Gabe calling her to Steph.
Steph was too tired to think it was strange that no one was calling Alex at one in the morning. Instead she was busy trying to decide if she was comfortable sitting here and going back to sleep or heading to her bedroom. Realizing Alex was still laying in her lap she decided going to her own room was probably for the best. Alex might be uncomfortable. "It's pretty late. You're free to stay here with me tonight if you want. I can go crash in my bed and you can have the couch all to yourself."
"That sounds good," Alex yawned. "I'm too tired to leave right now."
"Cool," Steph said as Alex sat up to let her stand to her feet. "Hey sorry about tonight. I don't know how much of a date that was, but. . ."
"It was perfect, I wouldn't have changed a thing about it even if I could." Alex interrupted with a sleepy smile. This would definitely be a night she'd remember for a long time.
Steph gave Alex her own sleepy smile as a golden aura shimmered around her. "It was pretty amazing," she agreed. "I'll let you get back to sleep. Goodnight, Alex."
"Good night," Alex responded before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. The couch below her was still warm from where Steph had been sitting. A part of her wished Steph had never woken up so Alex would still be with her.
As she drifted back to sleep she couldn't help feel amazed at how much she was drawn to the girl in the other room. Gabe would have to come clean soon because this feeling in Alex's chest told her that she wanted to be more than just Steph's friend. Considering their make out session earlier, she was feeling confident Steph felt the same way.