"So... Did you want to talk about it?" He ventured awkwardly. Not the greatest conversation starter.
She placed her fork down and wiped her mouth on a napkin. "I think we should talk about what happens next." She suggested.
He blushed, "Yeah, that's what I meant." Giving a nervous version of his trademark laugh. "So where do we go from here?"
She didn't answer for awhile, finally she came up with a response. "It... depends." She said vaguely.
"What do you mean?" He asked, looking puzzled.
"Well, it depends if this is a one time thing that is never going to happen again. You know, something unspoken that we never acknowledge aloud because it never meant anything. Or if this is... something else." She said, looking away and not reaching his eyes.
Schemer looked a little confused. "If it didn't mean anything to you, why would you allow it to happen?" He asked with genuine curiosity.
"It did mean something to me!" She said, startled from his question. "I just wasn't sure if it meant something to you as well..." She trailed off.
He reached forward and put his hand on hers. "Stacy, I don't want you to think that I think it didn't mean something. I would never want it to be meaningless." He said sincerely.
She looked up to meet his gaze, his warm eyes were pleading with her, she felt herself be moved by him.
Excerpt from Understanding and Promises, Chapter 2.
June 1997
Schemer perched himself on Billy's desk, looking quite pleased with himself.
"It's finally happening Billy, she's finally giving me a chance!" He pumped the air with his fist victoriously.
"Congratulations Schemer." Billy said wryly. "But I really don't want to hear any of the gory details of last night."
"I don't kiss and tell. But seriously, what should we do tonight for a date? I really need to impress her." Schemer looked serious, and that was usually a sign that he really meant business.
"Okay, I've got an idea. I was sort of figuring that you'd need my help so I thought about it in advance. Listen up."
A star and candlelit late night picnic, complete with a movie projected onto the white walls outside of Shining Time Station, concluded with a serenade by the Jukebox Band, was their date. They danced slowly in the middle of the station. Schemer held her tenderly in his arms and brushed a stray piece of hair off her face with the back of his thumb.
He kissed her softly with both hands on either side of her face and she responded by holding onto his shoulders tighter and sighing.
It was the happiest he could remember being, and hoped she'd never let go.
Crash Push - Draco Rosa
