Soul rubbed his hands together, willing them to warm up, even if just a bit, because it was cold, and he didn't have gloves, and he had gotten to the diner 10 minutes earlier, just in case. He had pondered going in, but he clearly remembered Maka telling him that they would meet outside the diner, so he stayed put, regretting his poor life choices and the fact that he had ignored his brother's advice to dress for the cold.
He was close to finally giving up and let the diner's heat claim him, when the door opened, and out she came. He noticed how she was dressed in something much more weather appropriate than him, even if she kept the short skirt that she seemed to like to wear so much. He smiled at her, warmly. "Good evening, miss."
She giggled, a faint pink dusting her cheeks as she held her hand out for him. "Good evening sir."
He kissed her out stretched hand and she spluttered, caught off guard, which only made his smirk grow wider, before he took her hand and held in in his. "Where are we going tonight?" He asked, his eyes still not leaving hers because he would never get tired of them.
She shrugged, looking around. "I haven't been around. Do you know somewhere we could go?" She asked, hopeful, eyes shining.
He thought for a little while, about many places he could take her, but a restaurant didn't seem appropriate, and being outside was not an option. It's much too cold. "There's an arcade downtown." He suggested. "We could go there."
She immediately perked up, tugging on his hand and exclaiming that she enjoys games, very much, and that it's been way too long since she got to really have fun. He felt excited, because she's contagious, and they both hurried to the poorly lit arcade.
Once inside, he decided to stick to the sidelines, not really a big fan of putting himself on the spotlight while playing one of the several games, but he was delighted to see her genuinely laughing and enjoying herself.
After a while, she came to his side, panting, but glowing like she wasn't before, and while her eyes seemed doubtful, he felt warmer. "Is there something wrong?" She asked, quietly. He shook his head, but she pressed on. "You haven't been playing." She pouted, and he chuckled softly.
"I'm having fun watching you play." He shrugged, but followed her nonetheless when she returned to one of the machines.
"Creep." She threw at him, smiling and sitting on one of the two available seats. He saw that it was for a car race, and laughed before he joined her, hands gripping the steering wheel.
He didn't try his best, and she easily outran him, but he had seen how competitive she could become, and was trying not to get on her bad side. When she complained that he was making it easier for her, he told her that he had always been better at driving motorcycles. She had been shocked, but quickly moved to the bike race instead, and while Soul won the first, he lost the next two, and while she accused him of not trying hard enough, he was thinking that he had actually tried. She was just a force of nature.
Soul told her to pick a table while he went and ordered for them, and that's what Maka did, choosing one of the tables by the corner, more secluded, because in the time they had spent together, she had realized that he was not the kind of guy who liked to draw much attention to him. Watching him from afar, she reasoned that his odd looks would probably earn him a lot of stares, and she thought that was why he didn't like attention.
While she waited for him to get back, she stared out the window, thinking about how she really didn't regret going out with him. It had been fun, much more fun than anything she had done recently, and she dared to say that she had felt alive, as opposed to just living.
Soul brought something out in her, something that turned her longing for adventure and change into an actually will to change and leave everything and go. It was a feeling she enjoyed very much.
"Stop thinking Albarn." He said, jokingly, sitting across from her and placing down their tray, with two milkshakes, a burger, and a box of chicken nuggets. She was quick to reach for the nuggets, while he grabs the burger and takes a bite, once again letting her see the sharp teeth he usually hides.
"How do you know my last name?" She asked, because she didn't remember ever telling him.
"You're known around town." He said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "The daughter of Spirit Albarn, a woman as clever as she is deadly."
She almost chocked on the nugget she was eating. "People don't know me as deadly!" She all but whined, because while she liked to think of herself as a woman who could easily stand her ground, she knew her appearance made most people think the opposite.
He chuckled. "You're right. I'll keep that detail a secret." He said, chewing on his burger while she played around with the straw of her milkshake.
"Talking about secrets." She started, but he froze so quickly that she backtracked immediately. "Never mind."
The air got thicker and she could feel he was more tense than he had been all night, although he started eating again, even if more quickly this time. Or maybe she was just overthinking the situation.
The silence was long and heavy, and she felt like she needed to break it. "I'm sorry." She said, lowly, slurping from her milkshake right after so she would have something to do.
He rolled his shoulders and looked away. "It's okay."
And he changed the subject, asking her about the last book she had read and if she'd ever like to ride his bike. She was quick to say yes, that she'd like it very much, and they're soon immersed in a conversation about books, bikes, and the best stories Maka had to tell about the customers that had dropped by the diner. Talk came easy to them, but Maka couldn't help but notice that his eyes were dimmer somehow, like he had remembered something he didn't want to. She hadn't even had to think twice, she made a vow not to mention secrets around him ever again.
Even if she was dying to know what the white haired boy could be hiding, she'd wait for him to do it when he felt like it. And she hoped he'd one day trust her enough to tell her all about the things that dwelled in his heart.
Hi again! To all of you reading this for the first time, I hope you're enjoying the story so far!
Too all of you who waited around for an update, I am, first of all, very sorry, it's been too long since I updated, and second of all, so so thankful that you stuck around and liked my story enough to continue reading.
(It's also note-worthy that I rewrote some of the previous scenes, nothing too important, nothing that changes the outcome of the story, but rather things that weren't as gramatically correct as I liked them to.)
To everyone who's left reviews, thank you, those words make my day and are what makes me want to keep writing.
And finally, no more vague promises that I'll try to update this regularly, this time around, I'll try my best to not leave you waiting as long as I usually do.