Chapter Fifty-Nine: Almost There
When Katsuki finally got back to his room after training, he immediately stripped out of his sweaty clothes and hopped in the shower. Fortunately, there was an adjoining bathroom in all the rooms so Katsuki wasn't forced to go downstairs and risk seeing his other classmates. He didn't feel like being harassed tonight, not after the day he'd been having. Seeing Deku, or god-forbid, Kaminari, would make him lose it. Even the thought of seeing that dumbass spark plug made his fists clench in anger. The way his filthy hands had laid out on Aisla's ass, fingers curling like he was trying to lay claim there…
I'll kill you… he promised as he rubbed some suds into his hair, flattening the spiky strands but doing nothing against the tangles. He spent five minutes picking through them until he could finally run his fingers through every piece. He didn't care much for how his hair looked, but he knew he'd gotten sweaty and gross during training, and he hadn't had a chance to shower after his pool date the day before.
Date… He scoffed at himself. Like Aisla would consider that a date. Katsuki didn't know anything about dating, but he was pretty sure it involved dinner or a movie or going out somewhere that wasn't a school sanctioned event. Not that there had been anyone else there, but… he still wasn't sure if it counted as a real date. If it had…then did Aisla also consider it to be one? Or maybe her standards were higher than a trip to a free pool on a summer afternoon.
She deserves more than that, he realized. Soap dripped into his eyes just then and he let out a curse before washing it out and rinsing his hair.
Once he'd finished showering, he dried off with a towel, then wrapped it around his waist to go in search of clothes. He wasn't sure what plan Aisla had in mind for tonight, but he didn't have many options as far as outfits went. So, he pulled on a plain black shirt and gray shorts before making his way back into the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb his hair. It was already tangled again and sticking up in some places, much to his dismay. He had just started to run the brush through the strands when a knock sounded on his door.
Dammit, he silently swore as he threw the brush onto the counter and went to answer the door. He pulled it open to reveal her. Blonde curls cascading down her back, held back by the black ribbon he'd gifted to her long ago. His gaze slid down the midnight blue blouse she wore over black shorts, all the way down slender legs, to the white painted toes fitted into black wedges. She looked so gorgeous just then—Katsuki had to resist the urge to pull her in for a kiss, knowing she wouldn't reciprocate his sudden affection.
"A-Aisla," he stammered lamely. "You look…" What the hell do I say? Every possible word he could think of was too…intimate. And they weren't a couple anymore. What platonic word was there in existence that could possibly come close to describing the way she looked to him?
A small smile touched her lips. "I like your shirt!" she offered, poking a finger into his chest. "Ready to go?"
His chest was burning where her finger had touched him; he was sure she'd left a singed hole there but was too stunned by her question to check. "Uh, go?"
Her smile widened. "Of course, silly! I thought we were hanging out?"
"Where are we going?" he asked as he closed the door and walked alongside her. He thought for a moment that she'd been expecting him to decide where they would be doing their…hangout or whatever, but within seconds it was clear that Aisla had a destination in mind.
"Bowling!" she exclaimed proudly, then peered up at him with sheepish eyes. "Or…I mean, we can do something else if you want?"
"I haven't been bowling in years," he mused. At her hopeful expression, he offered her a small smile. "It sounds fun. But I'm gonna kick your ass, you got that, Aisla?!"
Her grin returned. "Counting on it!"
Aisla led them down to the lobby and through a door marked Recreation & Events. He wondered briefly how she even knew where to go in this maze of a hotel but, knowing Aisla, she'd probably studied a map of the place before they'd arrived.
They found the right room and each got a pair of shoes. He noted her small shoe size with amusement. How cute, he thought, then blushed and looked away as they walked to their assigned station.
"Can you grab the balls?" Aisla asked as she sat down to slip into some socks and change her shoes.
Katsuki blushed. "W-what? Balls?"
Aisla quirked an eyebrow and gestured at a rack where various bowling balls sat in neat rows. He nodded, cleared his throat, and walked stiffly toward the rack. He pulled out a heavy fourteen pound ball for himself, then a lighter ten pound ball for Aisla. He wasn't sure of her exact weight, but she was pretty small so he figured the ten would be a safe bet. She could always go change the weight if she needed to. That was the weight his mother always used when they'd gone bowling as a family, so it should work for Aisla.
When he walked back over to her, he found her already entering their names into the system. She put him as the first bowler, meaning she probably didn't know how to play and wanted to watch an expert first. Katsuki grinned smugly and sat their balls down in the ball return. He plopped onto the bench next to her and started switching out his own shoes for the uncomfortable, never-quite-the-right-size bowling shoes that were all hideous, but somehow still looked cute on Aisla's dainty feet.
"Thanks for paying," she said cheerily as he dropped a sneaker onto the floor. "I was planning on paying, though. Since I was the one who dragged you out here."
He snorted. "I'm not gonna let you pay, idiot."
He saw her blush from the corner of his eye and the way she toyed with a strand of hair. "Why not?"
"Because…" He trailed off, unsure how to continue. Because you can't make a girl pay on a date? "Because I felt like it, okay?!" he finally snapped, then winced when he realized his voice had risen louder than he'd meant for it to. He peeked over at her and found a shy smile on her lips.
"Okay, Katsuki," she replied softly, then tugged her lip between her teeth in either embarrassment or nervousness.
God, don't bite your lip, he silently begged her. The unwarranted image of Katsuki pulling that lip into his mouth and sucking the soft flesh there had him suddenly hot. He shook it off and tried to focus on the task at hand.
Once they both had shoes on, they stood up to start the game. "You sure you don't want to go first?" he offered, gesturing at the ball return.
She shook her head. "No, I want to watch you."
Even though he'd been expecting this answer, his cheeks heated for some stupid reason, and he had to turn away from her pretty face. He cleared his throat again and picked up a ball before making his way over to the lane. He stood behind the foul line, lined up his shot, then took a few steps forward before letting the ball leave his hand. It hit the track loudly, rolled a few feet, then slid into the gutter and slowly made its way to the end. He counted each agonizing second in his head. Twenty-two.
He clenched a fist and growled. How the hell did that happen? He used to be so good at this!
"You can do it, Katsuki," Aisla's soft voice encouraged him. He turned and found her smiling sweetly at him as if she hadn't even noticed how much of a fool he'd just been. "Try again."
His anger left him at once and his fingers relaxed. He waited for his ball to return, then grabbed it and lined up another shot. He was never the best bowler, but he used to be pretty decent at least. When his family went out for bowling night, he usually ended up in second place, though he could never beat his dad. That man could have gone pro if he'd wanted to.
Katsuki tried to apply the lessons his dad always drilled into him during those nights. The number of steps he needed to take before releasing the ball, the board number a ball needed to hit to get the right hook for a strike, and the arrows that helped center the ball so it would properly enter the pocket. He knew all the right terms and understood the basic principle, but his follow-through needed some work. It had been a while since he'd last bowled, though he wasn't too worried about losing to a novice. If he missed one or two shots, it would be fine since Aisla didn't know how to bowl at all. He was probably going to have to show her the proper techniques. That was fine, he was an excellent teacher!
He threw the ball, and this time it didn't immediately hit the gutter. It went a little too far to the left and he only ended up hitting three pins, but it was better than a score of zero.
"Good job!" Aisla praised him when he returned, feeling dejected despite his earlier claims. He'd kind of wanted to start things out with at least a spare.
He gestured to the ball return. "Go ahead," he said flatly. "Do your best or whatever."
"'Kay!" She skipped over to it and bent down to pick up her ball. Her shorts were tighter than he'd originally thought, squeezing her cheeks as she bent, and reminding Katsuki of when that idiot spark plug had touched her. He scowled as she started forward but resisted the urge to make a comment. He had to remind himself that it wasn't her fault some jackass had copped a feel.
He waited while she moved around in front of the lane like she was trying to find the best place to stand, then cocked her head to one side, then the other, stepped back, took a step to the right. He sighed, wondering if he should offer to help her now rather than wait for her to ask. Finally, she swung her arm back, then propelled it forward and released the ball. It hit the track and rolled. Katsuki leaned forward, eyes wide in astonishment as her first ball hit six pins.
Shit, she does know how to bowl, he inwardly moaned.
She turned a sheepish grin his way. "Oops. I guess it went a little too far to the right."
He huffed and sat back in his seat. Of course she'd be good at bowling, she was good at everything. This girl…
"Katsuki?" she asked tentatively. "Would you help me?"
He blinked in bemusement. "What the hell for? You're already beating me."
She blushed and tugged on a strand of hair. "Yeah, but…" She looked away and bit her lip.
He sighed and stood up, walking over to her and placing a hand on her arm. "But what?" he asked softly.
She looked up at him with those crystal lakes that always threatened to pull him under and drown him in their depths. "I don't actually know how to bowl," she admitted.
"But you just hit six pins!" he pointed out.
She shrugged. "It was a lucky shot. But you seem like you know what you're doing, so I thought maybe you could…I don't know, give me some pointers?" She looked hopeful.
She wants pointers from me? The one who fucked up and made a fool of himself in front of her?
He shrugged and grabbed her ball as it rolled into the return and plunked it into her hands. "Come on, then. I guess I'll help you."
Even though you're beating me, he silently added. Maybe he should be asking her for advice instead.
"Turn around," he instructed, pointing toward the lane. She did as he asked, and he wrapped his fingers around her upper arms before gently pulling her into a decent spot. Then, he stood behind her so his front was pressed to her back, ignoring the sharp intake of breath as he directed her arm back. "This is where you'll want your swing to start," he told her, fingers gliding up and down her arm as he tried to show her which muscles to use. "You'll want to aim between those arrows, and it's up to you which board you want your ball to hit on landing. That's called your 'area,'"
"That makes no sense to me," she mumbled.
Katsuki laughed softly. "It will once you get used to the game. Try not to get too much air in your release or the ball will hit the boards roughly and travel too slow."
Like my first ball that nearly busted a hole right in the track…
"Okay," she agreed with a shrug. "I guess I'll try that."
He stepped back and watched as she took in his words for a moment before taking a few steps forward and rolling the ball. It hit loudly against the boards, but still moved at a decent pace until it reached the pocket, knocking down the corner pin before disappearing in the pit.
Aisla slumped. "Aw man, I guess I didn't do very well."
He snorted in amusement. "Aisla, you did great."
She shrugged and sat back down as Katsuki stood to play his second frame. To his immense relief, he scored a spare, which made him feel a little better about his embarrassing start. Aisla went next and scored the exact same as her first frame. For the third, she somehow managed to earn a strike, while Katsuki only hit three pins.
"I'm hungry," Aisla complained after they finished the fourth frame.
"Didn't you eat dinner?" he asked in surprise as she sat down beside him.
She shook her head. "No, I wanted to shower and change. And I thought I would eat with you instead." She offered him a shy smile.
She deprived herself of food just to eat with me? Why did the thought make pride blossom in his chest?
"Well, what do you want?" he asked, standing up. "I'll go get us something."
"Coffee," Aisla moaned.
He laughed. "Coffee is not food," he pointed out.
She widened her eyes dramatically. "Are you trying to deprive me of what I so desperately desire, Katsuki?"
Why did she have to say it like that?
"I'll just pick something," he mumbled, then turned toward the food counter. They didn't actually have coffee in this place, but since Aisla had to go make a big deal out of needing it, he decided he'd better get her some. He sent out a quick text before slipping his phone into his pocket and ordering some food.
"Bring us a french vanilla coffee, the biggest one you can find. Right now."
The reply came instantly. "Sure, man! Where are you?"
"Bowling," Katsuki sent back.
A string of laughing emojis assaulted his eyes, and he pursed his lips as he watched the ellipsis at the bottom of the screen. "I'll be there in ten. Save me a seat!"
"Not a chance," Katsuki responded, before tucking the phone away once more. He waited for the food, then grabbed the tray and took it over to where Aisla sat patiently. She peered over the tray with a frown.
"Where's—"
"It's coming!" he cut her off before she could ask. "Eat your damn food."
She hid a smile and pulled one of the plates of pizza he'd ordered in front of her. "I like pizza," she mused as she took a bite and chewed.
"I figured you would, being American and all."
She huffed indignantly. "I'll have you know that I'm only forty-percent American!"
This surprised him. "What's the other sixty-percent then?"
Aisla leaned forward like she was going to divulge some secret to him. He waited for her response. "I'm forty-percent American…and sixty-percent awesome!" She winked, then let out an adorable giggle that was almost too contagious for him to handle. Somehow, he managed to hold back the snort of laughter that threatened.
"Only sixty, huh?" he said nonchalantly, though his twitching lips ruined his façade. Aisla laughed even harder and poked his cheek with a finger.
"That's so cute!" she cried.
This time his lips pulled all the way back, even as he tried not to let her know she'd amused him. He rolled his eyes as a chuckle escaped him. "Whatever, you weirdo. Eat your damn—"
"Yo, Katsuki!"
He turned instinctively at the sound of his name and found Kirishima waving exuberantly at him while balancing two cups in one hand. Katsuki scowled at the display, both because it was embarrassing and because he was worried that idiot would drop Aisla's coffee.
"Aisla, hey!" He was grinning widely as he approached. "Got your coffee order, Sir, Madam." He held out the two cups, and Katsuki snatched them both before Kirishima could drop them and ruin everything. He checked the order, then held one out to Aisla, who eagerly took the proffered item and sipped.
"Mmm. My favorite!" She moaned into the cup.
"How'd you know I like it black?" he asked Kirishima who had already plopped into a free seat across from them, much to Katsuki's annoyance.
"Because it's bitter like you," he said without missing a beat.
Katsuki growled, but Aisla giggled. "I'm not bitter!" he snapped.
Kirishima ignored him. "So, who's winning?" He peered over at the board and gave a whoop. "Wow, Aisla, you're kicking some ass! And here I thought you were one of those girls who'd let her date win so he'd feel more manly."
Katsuki bristled at the word 'date,' but Aisla started speaking before he could yell at the other boy. "No way!" she answered, voice muffled around the coffee cup she refused to put down. "I like to win, too!"
Kirishima winked at her. "Good for you! Don't let Tall, Dark, and Bitter make you submit! You're a capable woman, Aisla Haru! Just like my Hana!" His eyes danced with emotion.
"Aw, that's so sweet!" Aisla cooed. "How is Hana? I haven't seen her around for a while."
"HEY," Katsuki barked before Kirishima could be given free leave to ramble on and on about his girlfriend, which could easily take hours, "get the hell out now!"
The redhead gave him a look of mock offense. "Leave? After I brought your darling Aisla the coffee she so desperately desired?!"
"How did you know?!" Aisla cried with wide eyes.
Katsuki growled. "KIRISHIMA!"
The other boy stood up and put his hands out in a placating gesture. "Okay, fine! I can take a hint. But…" he eyed their tray, "can I take a slice of that back to my room?"
"Fine, whatever!" Katsuki groaned and pushed the tray across the table. Kirishima eagerly took a slice of pizza and booked it out of the room before Katsuki could change his mind.
He slumped back in his seat with a heavy sigh.
"You ordered me coffee?" Aisla spoke softly beside him as she sipped her beverage.
He shrugged. "You wanted it so badly," he explained. "They didn't have any here, but I wanted you to have it. So, I sent the human boulder on a hunt, no big deal."
"That's sweet of you," she praised, and when he looked over at her she was giving him a pleased smile.
Beautiful, he thought before turning back to his own drink.
"You can share my pizza if you want," she offered, pushing the half eaten slice toward him. "Since you gave yours away for the sake of coffee."
"Nah, you eat it," he said.
"Are you afraid of my germs?" she teased.
He turned wide eyes on her. "What? No! You said you were starving!"
She wiped invisible tears from her eyes. "Katsuki, you're such a cruel boy…"
He grumbled under his breath as he grabbed the slice and took a huge bite. "There," he mumbled around a mouthful of cheese and bread, "happy?"
She grinned. "Immensely!"
"Are we gonna finish this game or what?" he asked when they'd polished off the pizza and coffee.
Aisla nodded. "Yeah! You're up!"
He stood up and stretched his arms over his head, noticing too late that he'd exposed part of his stomach. Aisla's eyes were wide as she stared at the inches of skin he'd accidentally revealed. He quickly dropped his arms and moved away from her before he got any funny ideas. It wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. He must have mistaken the expression for something else. Surely she didn't appreciate the way he looked just because he'd stretched a little? He did that all the time in training, and besides…
Your hands have been all over my chest before…
The unbidden thought invited heat to his cheeks. He shook it off and prepared to make his next throw before other thoughts invaded his brain. He aimed center left, then let the ball go and hoped it would curve toward the middle pin. It did, striking it just hard enough to earn him a seven-ten split. He groaned. This happened to him every time he bowled with his family, too, and each time he lost the spare because he could never hit both pins on his second throw.
"Oof, that's bad, right?" Aisla's voice came from right over his shoulder, causing him to drop his second ball right onto his foot. He swore loudly and Aisla jumped back. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!"
He hopped on one foot as pain shot all the way up his leg, then he noticed his ball rolling down the lane. "DAMMIT!" he hollered and tried to catch the thing, only to trip and fall over Aisla, who stumbled on top of him. They both looked up and watched with wide eyes as his ball rolled and hit the pin on the right before falling into the pit. Katsuki's jaw dropped when the pin flew sideways and knocked the last one down, a feat he'd never accomplished before.
"Wow! That was impressive!" Aisla cheered. She was laid out on his back, pressing him into the hard floor.
"Get off of me," he growled, but made no effort to push her off.
"Oops, sorry!" She scrambled to her feet, then hopped up and down like a huge spaz. "Great job, Katsuki! Can you teach me to do that?"
He narrowed his eyes. "You're joking, right?" She shrugged. He looked up at the ceiling. "You're so weird," he said.
Aisla jabbed a finger into his chest. "You take that back, Katsuki Bakugo!" She warned him. "I am not weird! I'm sweet as apple pie~!" She batted her eyelashes at him dramatically.
He snorted. "More like crazy as that birthday cake shit my mom used to make me."
She put her hands on her hips and looked up at him with a petulant expression. "That just means I'm fun," she retorted. "And that I'm like a party! And everyone wants me because I'm delicious!"
His cheeks heated at that last part. She wasn't wrong about that… Everyone did want her—Kaminari had made that obvious earlier, and Katsuki was no exception. As for the last thing she said…well, he wasn't going to think about that.
He cleared his throat.
Aisla frowned. "You've been doing that a lot tonight. Are you getting sick or something?"
"Of course not!" he grouched. "I don't get sick!"
"Are you sure? Want me to check your temperature?" She reached forward to touch his forehead, but he seized hold of her wrist before she could manage it and yanked her toward him. She stumbled into him with a small gasp, eyes going wide in surprise. "K-Katsuki," she stammered.
Kiss me… Her eyes begged, he knew they did, but…
"Hey, lovebirds! Let us join you!"
Katsuki growled and dropped her wrist in exchange for someone's shirt collar, which he gripped tightly as he pinned the intruder with a death glare that instantly made him shrink in fear.
"H-hey now!" he sputtered. "D-don't kill me, please!"
"KAMINARI!" Katsuki roared, pulling his collar so tight he could feel the fabric protesting the action and threatening to tear. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?!"
"I-I'm sorry, Bakugo! I didn't mean to interrupt or whatever!"
"I MEANT WITH AISLA!" he snarled, shaking the idiot roughly. "HUH?! YOU WANNA EXPLAIN YOURSELF, YOU DAMN PERVERT?!"
"Katsuki?" Aisla said gently. "Maybe don't kill your friends? You're causing a scene…"
Katsuki wanted to do more than kill the guy, but Aisla's tone, shaky and fearful, reminded him that he was trying not to have such a temper around her. He glanced around them and found several people staring over at them with wide eyes and shocked expressions. He let Kaminari go and turned around, grabbing Aisla by the hand and pulling her along behind him.
"Take the damn lane!" he called behind him. "We're finished here!"
He dragged Aisla behind him as he made his way back into the lobby and toward the elevators. He wasn't really sure where he was going, only that he wanted to be away. He should probably just take her back to her own room and then go sulk alone about how damn pathetic he was, but…
"Katsuki?" she said softly as they reached the elevators. She tugged on his hand to keep him from walking inside and looked up at him with pleading eyes. His own widened at the unexpected expression. Wasn't she scared of him? Or angry? Maybe he was seeing the look wrong. Maybe she was those things and Katsuki was too stupid to see it.
"I don't want to go back yet," she murmured, so softly he had to lean down to hear it.
"What do you want?" he asked carefully. She averted her gaze and tugged on her poor, abused bottom lip once more. "Aisla?" he tried.
She took a deep breath, tightened her hold on his hand, then looked back up at him. He waited with bated breath as she continued to stare up at him with that same pleading expression, like she was begging him to accept whatever she offered.
Yes, he silently conveyed before she even said a word. Whatever you want, Aisla, I'll do it. Just tell me what you want, please…
"I don't know…" she whispered, but her eyes told him she knew exactly what she wanted.
"Tell me," he breathed, thumb brushing the side of her face as his eyes shifted down to parted pink lips.
God, please say it, he begged. Say it and it's yours. I'm yours.
"I can't…" The words were a broken plea that tugged at his heartstrings and made him want to cry.
"Then, show me," he said boldly, even as a blush burned his cheeks and the instinct to flee grew so strong he felt himself start to pull away from her. Instead, he slid his hand into her hair and tangled his fingers in the soft curls, gripping hard and using her as the anchor preventing him from running away again. "Show me, Aisla," he commanded.
Her eyes registered surprise at the same time a gasp escaped her delicate lips. Those were the same words she'd used long ago when Katsuki couldn't bring himself to say the words he needed to say. She'd asked him to show her instead, and he'd answered by bringing his lips down to hers for a kiss.
He wanted to kiss her now, he'd been wanting to for a while, but was afraid that she'd reject him. After everything he'd put her through, he could only hope that she still felt the same way about him that she did all those months ago before he ruined everything with his hurtful reaction.
She hesitated for so long. The tension between their faces, mere centimeters apart, was tangible. Her lip quivered, her eyes sparkled with unspoken thoughts and mysterious feelings. She was so close. They were so close to being whole again. "I can't…" she echoed in a pained whisper. "I…have to go." She wrenched free from his grasp and turned away from him.
No, he thought with a sudden panic, not again!
"Wait!" He rushed after her and pulled her into his arms, making her suck in another sharp breath. He held her there with her back against his chest and her nails digging into his arms. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and breathed in the sweet orchid fragrance of her shampoo as they both shuddered. "Don't leave me again, Aisla," he pleaded with her. "Don't disappear again."
"I won't," she promised, but he could feel her trying to pull away from him despite her words.
"I need you…" he whispered into her hair.
Another tremor passed through her. "Katsuki, please. I can't do this right now."
"Why not?" he asked, hating the whine that crept into his voice.
"Because…" she trailed off, and he thought she wasn't going to continue. He waited for her to pull away and leave him there again, aching and broken. "Because I'm afraid," she finally got out, words barely above a whisper.
"Me too," he told her honestly. "So, let's be afraid together."
She sniffled, and it was then that he realized she must be crying. "It's not that easy anymore, Katsuki," she said through a sob. "I'm struggling so hard just to stay afloat. I don't know if I can take another tear in my armor."
"Trust me, Aisla," he begged her, holding her tighter, afraid to let go. "Please. It will be different this time."
"I'm sorry," she said, and gently pulled out of his embrace. She turned back to him with tear-filled eyes so full of heartache Katsuki felt his own eyes start to burn. "I can't do this right now. I need…" She took a breath, and let it out shakily. "I need more than empty promises this time. The truth is, Katsuki, I trusted you before. I trusted you with everything I had, and…" She bit her lip to force the words back down.
"And I broke that trust," he finished numbly. It was as true as it was painful. He'd hurt her, he'd broken her heart and her trust in him. He'd messed up beyond repair. She'd never forgive him for that.
She shrugged. "It wasn't entirely your fault. I played a role, too. I'm equally to blame here."
"That's not the point!" He snapped in his sudden frustration. He wanted to make things right, he wanted to fix things, but he wasn't good at this stuff. He wasn't good at expressing his feelings or making people happy. He was just Katsuki Bakugo: human bomb.
Say the words and she'll forgive you…
"Aisla, I—"
"Don't." She cut him off before he could finish his sentence. She held up a hand between them, and a dark look crossed her eyes. "Don't say it—not like this. Not because you want to placate me. It won't mean anything."
His jaw dropped. "Aisla, that's not what I—"
"Please," she moaned. "Please let me go, Katsuki."
No, not again. Don't let her leave!
"Don't leave," he tried again.
She gave him a small smile. "I'll come back, Katsuki. I promise."
Hope rose in his chest at these words. "You'll come back?"
A soft, humorless laugh. "Katsuki, if I was going to stay away, I wouldn't have asked you on a date tonight."
He sucked in a sharp breath. So, it was a date after all…
"Now, please let me leave so I can go cry alone," she appealed. "This is what I need right now. I'm too overwhelmed to deal with anything else, okay?"
He nodded numbly and watched her retreating shape until it disappeared around the corner, and he was left alone once again.
A/N: I'm not a bowler, and any terms or phrases I used I got from some bowling how-to site on Google (insert sweatdrop emoji). It was a cute date, okay?! SUE ME.
Beta: yellowchikadee