"I can't believe my mom gave you my number," Ted said with a small embarrassed laugh. "Sorry. That's...uh, that's very uncool of her."

"It's sweet!" Alexis laughed, laying back in her bed. Her phone pressed to her ear, she shot daggers to David, who mimicked her laugh. "So, um...did you wanna go out sometime, Ted?"

She twirled her ankle in the air, waiting for a response, but silence on the other line left Alexis looking at her screen to see if the call had dropped. She frowned and tapped the screen.

"Hello?"

"Sorry, I'm still here," Ted said. He hesitated for a moment. "My mom didn't put you up to this, did she? She thinks she's helping, but-"

"No, of course not," Alexis lied smoothly. "Is it really that strange that I want to go out with you? You're pretty cute, Ted. Unless you've got skeletons in your closet I'm good to go…"

"Well, you kind of brushed me off in the diner this morning," he said, frowning. "And no skeletons, unless you count the cat, but that was for feline anatomy...and it's plastic." He laughed.

"I didn't brush you off," Alexis said with a little laugh of her own.

"You shushed me and told me to keep away from your Gucci dress with my scrubs-"

"It was Prada," Alexis said. "Besides, I stand by that. It's dry clean only, and when I asked Twyla where the dry cleaners were around here, she said that her mom's boyfriend had worked at one, but the clothes would probably come back smelling like pot, so…"

"I'm sure you'll find one," he said. "You seem like the kind of girl who gets what she wants."

Alexis raided her eyebrows. "You think so?"

Ted laughed but didn't give an answer.

"Anyway, let's say eight, hmm?" Alexis said, glaring as David opened a bag of tortilla chips in the noisiest way possible.

"Eight?" he repeated. "Sorry. It kinda sounded like the line was going bad."

"Eight o'clock," she confirmed, hauling herself off the bed and grabbing the chips from David. "Where do you wanna take me?"

"Oh, well, I know this really nice spot in town, it's rich-"

"Alexis, give me those back! Trans fats are the only thing I have right now and-"

"Sounds good to me," she interrupted, pushing David away with one hand and holding the phone to her ear with the other. "Pick me up at eight, then?"

"Oh, sure," he said, sounding a little flustered. "Um, from where, exactly? You didn't say where you were moving to. Eight is perfect, actually, because-"

Alexis frowned. The thought of him showing up at the motel was mortifying. "Let's meet at the diner."

She ended the call before he had a chance to say anything else and turned to David. She grabbed a handful of chip crumbs and threw them into her mouth before tossing the pack back to David.

"I can't believe you actually went through with it," he said. He threw himself down on the bed across from her. "You better not bring him back here afterwards."

She rolled her eyes. "It's only meeting for dinner, David. It's not like I'm catfishing him. What harm can one date do? And if you think I'd bring him back here, to this…" she shuddered.

"It kind of is like catfishing," David replied, his nose wrinkled. "What happens after this one date, then?"

"You forget that I actually was catfished, David. Don't you remember Jesse?"

David smirked. "Oh, I remember. I still don't understand how-"

"He was a very charismatic guy, okay? I'm not sure how I was supposed to know he was a 47 year old con man. It wasn't that deep." She huffed. "You're just mad I'm going out for dinner somewhere nice and you're stuck here, watching Mom cry over her wigs and eating ramen made with a microwave from the eighties."

"Thank you for reminding me," David said. "Where are you going, anyway?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "But the word rich was mentioned, so nowhere local, I assume. Don't wait up," she sang.

"Wasn't planning on it," David sang back.

Eight o'clock rolled around and though Alexis had been ready since seven thirty, she consulted her watch before finally heading off for the diner.

"Have fun, darling," Moira called. "Try to stuff a salt cellar into your purse on the way out. Your father says Himalayan salt is a luxury we cannot afford and I can't stand another day using Great Value. It's having deleterious effects on my skin and I won't stand for it a moment longer."

"Yeah, I'm definitely not doing that," Alexis called back as she slammed the door behind her.

Outside, the air was sticky. Her hair clung to her collarbones and she breathed in the silence for a moment. Before, her life had been busy, but at home, it was usually quiet. When she got back from a party, opening her front door was like pressing a reset button. Now everywhere she turned someone was there. Honestly, it was suffocating. A quiet, intimate dinner was exactly what she needed.

The walk gave her a slice of silence too, and by the time she reached the diner, she found she was actually craving conversation. Wining, dining and partying was what she was used to. It was almost like she was withdrawing from it as she yanked the diner door open with a jangle of bells.

"Alexis," Twyla said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Alexis checked her lipstick in a compact mirror. "I'm waiting for a date."

"Oh, you're who Ted is going out with tonight!" She wiped the counter down and shook her head, gesturing towards a booth in the corner. "He's been here awhile."

"Oh," Alexis murmured. She leaned against the counter and watched him for a moment. He was fiddling with the salt and pepper shakers. "That's sweet."

"Ted is," Twyla said, smiling as she glanced over at him. "Anyway, I hope you enjoy your date. I'll bring some menus over."

Alexis waved her hand. "Oh, it's not here."

"Oh."

"No offence," Alexis said. "It's just...it's not really first date material, is it?"

Twyla shrugged. "My mom's boyfriend has all of his first dates here."

Alexis blinked. "All of them?"

"Yeah." Twyla nodded, tapping menus down on the counter to align them. "He says the chicken parm never gets old. Plus, it's cheap. Family discount, you know."

Relief flooded through Alexis' veins as Ted interrupted right then, because she had no idea how to respond to that. A cloud of aftershave followed him, and Alexis breathed in the scent - whatever it was, it smelled expensive. She was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

"Ready?" he asked, leaning against the counter. He looked at Twyla. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"Well-" Twyla started.

"Nope!" Alexis cut in. "I'm ready."

Out of his scrubs and dressed in a crisp light blue dress shirt, he looked like he spent a lot of time at the gym. The thought of him working out flashed through her mind. She reached across to place her hand on his forearm, her nose scrunching as she smiled.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he said. He leaned down and picked up a backpack, swinging it over his shoulders. In an instant the sexy facade was shattered, and her lips quirked downwards.

"Oh, a surprise!" Her voice was flat despite the acting classes the producers of A Little Bit Alexis had insisted on. "Does this surprise involve...hiking?"

"No." He laughed as he walked toward the door. "Just close your eyes and follow me."

"Close my eyes?" Alexis asked, glancing back to Twyla, who gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up.

"Yeah."

"You're not some kind of killer, are you?" Alexis asked. "Because I once dated a guy who tried to kill me, and let me tell you-"

"No." He laughed. "Well. I have unfortunately euthanized an unholy amount of rabbits and dogs, but that I wouldn't say that makes me a killer."

"Oh, now I'm sad."

Ted slipped his hand into hers, braver now her eyes were closed. She gripped it tight, following after him. The only sound as they walked was the staccato rhythm of her heels against the sidewalk.

"Can we walk there?"

Ted steadied her on her heels. "Oh, yeah. It's not far."

After a few more minutes of walking, Alexis felt him slow down. She could only hear the cicadas singing and the slight hum of a generator in the distance. What she couldn't hear was diners and the clink of cutlery, real silverware, or a band playing music...

"Are we nearly there?"

"We are here," Ted said. "Wait a sec. Don't open your eyes yet."

"I thought we were going out for dinner."

"We are," he said, shrugging his backpack off his shoulders and delving into it. "I was going to set it all up before we got here, but I didn't want the raccoons to get it before we did. When you said eight, I knew the exact place we had to go. It's beautiful when the sun sets, and it should happen right when we're finished eating."

Alexis hummed. At least the money she was getting for the date would pay for a nice dinner. Maybe. "What should happen?"

"Turn around," he said, ignoring her question.

"Turn around?" Alexis laughed, but she did turn as he asked. "Why? I have my eyes closed."

"Because I can see you peeking."

She could hear the smile in his voice and couldn't help but smile herself. "Anyway, about dinner...I just heard you say rich and assumed…"

"It is rich here! Rich with diverse species. Rich with…"

"It's just not quite what I expected," she admitted, disappointment swelling in her chest. Still, she kept her eyes shut tight.

If Ted heard the dissatisfaction in her voice, he didn't react. "Open your eyes. Isn't it beautiful?"

Beautiful hadn't been the first word to pop into Alexis' head. Desolate, humid and mosquito-filled, those had been the words she'd thought of. She swatted as insects buzzed around her head, a v forming between her brows.

But then she looked properly at what he had done. On the grass, a red and white gingham picnic blanket had been spread out. A woven picnic basket sat on one corner, illuminated by candles encased by empty mason jars. A little pang of guilt gnawed at her as she looked at all the effort he had gone to. Low in the sky, the moon illuminated their tiny slice of paradise. She had to admit, that when she looked up in the sky and saw smatterings of stars lighting it up, that maybe beautiful was the right word.

"Yeah," she nodded, her voice catching in her throat. "It is beautiful."

The moment didn't last long, though, as mosquitos and other bugs flew around her head. She batted her hand up in the air to deter them, and reached a hand round to scratch her back as one landed there.

"Sorry," he said. "I should have told you not to wear perfume. They love it." He ducked his head.

"And lipstick too, apparently," Alexis said through gritted teeth, too afraid of swallowing a bug to talk properly. She swatted her leg as one landed on her thigh, and cringed as she flicked the dead insect away. It wasn't exactly an attractive look, she thought, as she couldn't help but scratch at her collarbone, where a raised and angry looking bite was forming.

"The good news is," Ted said with a laugh. "I brought bug spray."

He fished in the pocket of his cargo pants - cargo pants! - and held it up like a gun. "Here. I'll spray and you spin. Ready?"

Alexis screwed her eyes shut tight. The bug spray was surprisingly refreshing against the sickly heat of the evening and she spun like a ballet dancer as he kept the nozzle pressed down. With no one around to watch her except Ted, she felt almost...free.

He watched as she twirled, almost captivated by her. She was, he thought, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. As she pirouetted, her caramel locks blew in the gentle breeze and though she looked elegant she did not look balanced. He smiled as she wobbled on her heels on the uneven grass, and held a hand out to steady her. She held onto his arm, nails digging into his arm.

"Are you done yet?" Alexis squealed, her eyes still firmly shut.

He took that moment to just stare at her and then gave a soft laugh. His hand wrapped around her forearm.

"Yeah," he said, eyes glued to the way her lips puckered as she waited for his answer. "All done."

She opened up her eyes and stared at him. Then she took another look at what he had organized. "You did all this for me?"

"I thought you'd like it. You're used to the big city. I wanted to show you that you can have a good time here too."

"How retro," she remarked, settling down on the blanket. She squirmed to get comfortable, wishing she'd worn something looser and more boho than the tight minidress she'd actually picked, which made it hard to sit cross-legged like he was. "I didn't realize people actually owned picnic baskets."

"Haven't you ever had a picnic before?"

"Of course I have," she said, watching as he sat down on the blanket and took food from the basket. "Well, kind of. There wasn't any food...unless you count mushrooms. And come to think of it, we weren't really outside, either, we were in a glass igloo. Now I know why." She swatted another bug.

"It's worth it," he promised. He looked up. "Look, it's starting already."

Alexis looked up to see what seemed like a thousand fireflies. A swarm of light buzzed above them, swirling dots of dazzling brilliance. It was a beauty that couldn't be manufactured, and she was glad, despite the sticky heat and grass tickling her legs, that she was out here to see it.

She watched, entranced, as they danced above her head. Like a thousand miniscule fireworks, or twinkling string lights on a Christmas tree. Magical. That's how she would have described it.

As Alexis watched the fireflies light up the sky, Ted watched Alexis. He watched as her lips slightly parted in surprise. He watched the bugs lighting up against the green of her eyes. The way her chin raised a tiny bit as she tried to see every inch of the sky.

He decided then that it had been worth it. It was so worth it.

"You don't have to walk me home," Alexis said, turning round to face him. "I'll be okay."

Ted shrugged the now pretty empty backpack further up his shoulders. "I can't let you walk home alone at this time of night."

"Oh, I was once held up by gunpoint at the Swiss border - long story short, I'm alive," she said, poking him gently in the chest. "So I think I can handle this town's little league criminals."

She walked backwards, smiling until her heel caught on a rock on the side of the road, and her heel snapped with an audible crack. Ted rushed over toward her and caught her just as she was about to hit the floor.

He smiled as he held her just above the ground. "Aren't you glad I stayed now?"

Alexis laughed as she righted herself. "No, because these shoes were my favorites."

"I have a friend who works at the Blouse Barn. I could ask her to let you know if they come in any time," Ted offered as he helped her limp down the sidewalk.

Alexis smiled at his naivete. "Mm, thanks."

"Which way?"

Alexis considered ditching him, but the fact that he was holding one side of her upright soon put paid to that idea.

"Left," she said softly.

"Oh," he said, his brow wrinkling. "Are you sure? It's confusing in the dark. I'm pretty sure the only thing there is the motel."

"Yeah, I know," Alexis said, clearing her throat. She waved her hand like it was no big deal. "It's just a temporary thing."

"Oh," he said.

She waited for him to make his excuses, but he just kept walking with her. His strong arm stayed just as snug around her waist. He didn't look at her any differently.

"I stayed there once, you know. It was prom night, and well...you don't need the details."

Alexis smiled as they reached her door. "Thanks for a really nice night, Ted."

"I hope we can do it again sometime."

Alexis said nothing but squeezed his hand as she opened up the door. She turned to face him and waited for a moment, half expecting him to kiss her. When he didn't, instead choosing to give her a little wave and then walk away, she didn't quite know what to feel.

"How did it go?" David asked as she stumbled in through the door. Laying in bed, he watched her trip over her own feet. "Jeez. How much did you have to drink?"

"I didn't drink anything!" She glared at him, hopping over to her bed, where she threw herself down. "My shoe broke in the mud. So much for getting what you pay for."

"The mud?" David wrinkled his nose. "Where was this restaurant, then?"

Alexis hesitated. The evening had been so quiet and intimate. Private, even. Something she wasn't used to. Her friends hadn't texted her the whole time, demanding to know every detail. It certainly hadn't gone on Instagram - she didn't want anyone to see how far she'd fallen from where she used to be. Yet it had added something to the night, too...something special. She found that she didn't want to share it.

"Somewhere uber niche. You probably wouldn't have even heard of it."

She walked over to the bathroom where she took the pins out of her hair and washed her face. Toothbrush hanging out of her mouth, she stared at herself in the mirror.

David watched her and could tell from the way she held herself that something had changed in her from that morning. Despite the shoes - her favorite pair - she was still upbeat. She hummed to herself as she shimmied out of her dress, she smiled as she took off her earrings.

"Did you bring me anything home?"

Alexis poked her head round the bathroom door. "What are you, a dog? No, I didn't bring you any table scraps. You already ate all my yoghurt."

"Well, you stress eat. I was saving you from yourself."

"Don't be a dick, David." Alexis snapped the light off and slid into bed. She snuggled down under the covers and closed her eyes.

"I'm glad you had a good time," he said, now she couldn't see his face in the dark.

A silence hung in the air between them for a moment before she answered. The hum of the decrepit aircon system filled it. "I didn't say I had a good time."

"You didn't have to say it," he said.

She opened her eyes to look at him in the darkness. "Goodnight, David."

"Goodnight, Alexis."

A/N:

Thank you for reading. I didn't expect to leave it so long between chapters, life just got a little crazy...hope you enjoyed anyway!