Wesley finally got up the nerve to ask Anya if she wanted to meet up after a few weeks of online chatting. He didn't use the term date when he asked out of fear of rejection, but the way his nerves were acting up as he got himself prepared for the meeting, it might as well have been an official date.
They met at The Dot, which seemed to be pretty much the only place Degrassi kids wanted to go. Wesley arrived an hour early and ordered two iced coffee drinks that ended up being watery due to the ice melting before Anya got there.
"I appreciate you buying me this." Anya said, her voice as sweet as ever. "I don't like my coffee too strong anyway. I'm kind of a wimp. I like sweet stuff."
If Wesley were someone different, someone more confident like Drew Torres or even Dave, he'd reply with 'you're sweet stuff', but instead Wesley just imagined himself saying it in his head about three times til' he got completely lost in his head and the moment had passed.
Anya popped the thought bubble above his head. "Whatcha thinking about?" She asked.
"A lot of things." Wesley spoke honestly. "Most of all, why are you here? With me, I mean." His words hung in the air for uncomfortably long.
Anya stirred her coffee with her long pink and green nails gripping the straw tightly. "Because I like you, Wesley. You're awesome."
Wesley reached down and pinched himself. "Not a dream. Wow." He tried to think of another rational explanation for Anya MacPherson saying she liked him.
Anya flashed her pearly white teeth. Wesley remembered the first time that he laid eyes on her. She still had braces and she had the prettiest metal mouth he'd ever seen. Most teens with braces were insecure and tried to hide their teeth until they were fully corrected. Not Anya. She smiled and joked and laughed out loud without a care in the world. Her sweet, goofy and confident yet approachable manner was one of Wesley's favorite things about her. Sure, she was hot, but there was so much more to her than that.
"You okay?" Anya waved her hand in front of Wesley's face to capture his attention. "Did ya pop another boner pill? I was hoping our outing wouldn't end in the ER this time."
Wesley usually hated when people made fun of him, but Anya didn't do it in an insulting or demeaning way, so he chuckled. "No, I mean — yes. Wait, no. Sorry. I got caught off guard when you said you…" He paused. Maybe he heard it wrong. No, he heard it right… "You like me?"
"You were the sweetest guy I had ever met back when you were in grade 10. Two years have passed and all I've realized in my post-grad adventures is that sweet guys — truly sweet guys, are rare." Anya explained. "Maybe I just pick the wrong guys, but in my experience, most guys are usually just trying to get something out of me. You're not. At least… I don't think you are."
"I'm not," Wesley quickly confirmed. "I swear, I'm really not." He felt his palms start to get a bit sweaty. Go away, nervousness, he thought. This is not the time.
Wesley repositioned himself in his chair, doing his best to puff out his chest and seem confident and cool, which was something he hadn't quite mastered yet.
Anya smiled at his nervous demeanor. "I didn't mean to freak you out, I just thought…"
"Is this a date?" Wesley blurted out. "I mean… yeah, that's what I was going to ask, I was just hoping it'd come out a little smoother…"
Anya slowly stirred her watered down iced coffee as she seemed to deliberate for a moment. "Sort of? I really just wanted to see you after all these years. When we started messaging I couldn't believe that we got back in contact. I always thought about you and how sweet you were… even when I was dating Owen. I found myself constantly comparing the people I was dating to you, even if I didn't really realize it fully at the time. I'd go on a date with Owen or any of the other multitude of jerks I've given a chance and they were all so self absorbed or they wanted me to be someone else…"
Wesley couldn't believe what he was hearing. Anya was going out on dates with college dudes and comparing them to him? And he was winning? Maybe all those people who reassured Wesley that popularity and looks weren't everything were onto something. Wesley knew he tried to treat Anya like a princess in his own misguided geeky awkward way, but he thought his attempts fell completely flat. Now Anya was telling him that wasn't the case?
"Even though our auction date was kind of a mess," Anya continued. "You still made me feel really special in a weird way."
"And you like weird?" Wesley asked, because that was what she was likely to get if she were serious about dating Wesley. He had definitely grown since grade ten in many ways, but he was still a geeky outcast at heart. After all, he didn't even fit in with his own parents. Wesley really didn't know much about feeling wanted or like he belonged.
Anya took a sip of her coffee before she spoke again. "I am weird," she stated simply. "I LARP, I have several sticker books, my best friend is my mom…"
"None of that is so weird," Wesley tried to reassure her, though his mind was wandering to just how cute he found each of Anya's statements to be. She had mentioned that she did live action roleplay before, but all of Wesley's blood wasn't exactly rushing to his brain at that moment, so he never got to tell her just how cool he thought that was. "I think you're the coolest girl I've ever met." Even though Wesley was complimenting Anya instead of the other way around, he could still feel his cheeks filling with pink. She was so cool and cute, it was hard for Wesley to keep his cool. Especially considering she actually liked him back now.
Anya's cheeks were already slightly tinted pink from the makeup she was wearing, but Wesley could've sworn he saw her cheeks get blushy too. This had to be a beautiful dream.
"Do you want, uh, ice cream?" Wesley offered, because he didn't even know what else to say at this point. They were just sitting there together with pink cheeks and goofy smiles.
"Ice cream and a walk?" Anya suggested.
Wesley nodded. "Sounds perfect to me. Which flavor do you want?"
"Mint chip," Anya blushed, thinking about how Owen scoffed at her when she ate it because "it's like eating toothpaste."
"That's my favorite!" Wesley grinned.
Wesley and Anya end up sharing the same ice cream, stealing glances at each other and giggling.
On their walk, Anya's phone buzzed.
She stole a quick glance - it was an email from Ontario Veterinary College. Anya held her breath and clicked on it.
"Oh my gosh! I got into vet school! I can't believe it!" Anya broke into the biggest smile.
"I knew you could do it, Anya!" Wesley's heart sped up. He gently reached out his arm and she grabbed him into a tight hug.
"I always believed in you," Wesley whispered into her ear.
Anya beamed, "Thank you Wesley. I missed you." She put her arms on his shoulders, eyes flickering to his lips.
"I missed you too," Wesley's stomach flip flopped and his hands started shaking.
He felt a jolt of bravery. "Anya? Can I kiss you?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Anya pulled him close and kissed him, on the lips this time.
Wesley wrapped his arms around Anya's waist, kissing her softly. She ran her hand through his curly hair.
He stopped kissing her for a moment and looked into her eyes, blushing. "I - I really like you."
"I really like you too, silly," Anya kisses him on the cheek, just like she did two years ago. This time, it meant something different. It wasn't a kiss out of pity or to cheer him up, it was something real.
They walked hand in hand, and neither of them could stop smiling.
