Author's Note: Surprisingly, all of you like Ginger. I do too, however I may be a little bias. As promised, this chapter is juicy and I am almost happy with it - I hope you are too. Thanks for the reviews - they got me through two assignments and an academic breakdown. Keep them coming (please).
"You look homeless." Magus said with a sigh.
I had thrown a lumpy knitted cardigan over an old band t-shirt that was three sizes too big, a plaid pleated skirt, an odd pair of argyle socks, and some secondhand boots. My glasses were perched on the end of my nose. The entire ensemble gave me the appearance of a homeless heroin addicted librarian. So, yes, technically he was correct, although I wasn't about to admit that.
"That's rude, isn't it?" I said. "You're gay, aren't you? In a stereotypical sense, you're meant to be good at this thing."
"Quite honestly, your Gran is probably better at this sort of thing." He said, rummaging through my wardrobe.
I contemplated the mirror. My hair, at least, looked decent enough. It wasn't as frizzy as usual, however, that could be credited to some product I stole from Molly. Not like she needed it.
"You know," I said, still glancing at the mirror. "If I keep my face entirely expressionless, I could probably pass as quite hip."
"Don't say hip." Magus answered, not even turning around. "Or else I'll break yours."
I ignored him. "I'll consider changing the socks but nothing else."
"That's at least a start." He mumbled, moving towards my sock draw.
I hadn't really needed Magus's help with finding an outfit, and he should have assumed I'd ignore his input. I had, however, wanted to spend time with him, which made me feel awful for Seth, who was supposed to pick me up in half an hour. Typically, I'm not interested in thirty boys at once and rotate boyfriends weekly, but I assumed it would be best to move on from my homosexual best friend.
"Are you going to take a bag?" He asked, handing me a plain pair of matching socks.
"Why would I?" I snorted. "This skirt has pockets."
Magus gave me a disgusted look. "That skirt should be burned."
I sighed and shoved some money into my practical skirt pockets, as if to prove my point, and sat next to Magus on the bed. I could feel his shoulder brush against mine, and tried not to think about how it made my skin feel tingly.
"I can't believe you're going on a date." He said conversationally.
"What do people even do on dates?" I asked. "It's not like we can make out for five hours straight."
"I think you're meant to talk to him," He said with a smile. "Generally, that is. However any date with you is going to be completely out of the norm."
"What do you mean out of the norm?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like we're going to go skydiving on the moon or anything."
"I don't know." He laughed. "He is quite old though, you guys might go play lawn bowls or bingo or something."
"I probably should bring Gran along if that's the case." I mused. "She needs to get out more, I don't think she's ever left the house."
Magus laughed and we fell into a comfortable silence. I, however, was eyeing the clock nervously. I hadn't really been on a date before, and I certainly wasn't prepared to gaze into anyone's eyes over a candle-lit dinner. If there were candles involved, I'd likely set on fire. Actually, if candles or something as equally lame were involved, I'd willingly set myself on fire.
"You'll be fine." He said softly. "I know you'll probably dry-retch if I tell you to be yourself so I wont."
"You know me so well." I sighed.
There was a knock on the door and I leapt up, nearly knocking Magus out as I did so. He clutched his head as I sprinted out the room.
"Make good decisions!" He yelled after me. "Use protection!"
Obviously I planned to murder him later, but I had bigger concerns at that point in time. I managed to shoo Gran away from the door, grateful she was too slow to open it before me. I didn't want Seth pursuing her instead.
I yanked the door open and was met with a nervous looking Seth.
"You look really nice." He said earnestly, shyly eyeing me.
"Yeah," I began sarcastically. "I usually wear this when I go dumpster diving."
"What an interesting hobby." He said, guesting for me to follow him to his beat-up looking car.
I couldn't help but notice how nice he looked. He was wearing a black t-shirt that was kind of tight in the abdominal area (not that I'm complaining) and around his arms, and a pair of jeans. The jeans were also tight in a certain area, which was why I was walking behind him.
"So I was thinking a candle-lit dinner?" He suggested, opening the car door for me. He glanced at my face and laughed. "I'm kidding, obviously."
I was a little concerned Seth was able to read minds, especially if he knew why I liked walking behind him. That would be difficult to explain.
"We will be eating though." He said as he got into the drivers seat.
"I have special dietary requirements." I said. "I only eat unborn children."
"Good, because I cooked all the food myself." He said with a wink before pausing as he put the key in the ignition. "Well, my mum helped."
"Your mum helped?" I asked disbelievingly. "What kind of elderly man still lives with his mother?"
He looked a little embarrassed and mumbled something about the economy as he pulled out of the driveway. I rolled my eyes but smiled nonetheless. Seth drove slowly and with the windows down, just like you'd expect from an old man. He was relentless with questions too, he asked about school, my work, and my family.
"Photographers?" He asked in surprise. "That's quite interesting, do you see much of them?"
"Last time I saw my parents," I said, pausing to think. "Christmas when I was eleven."
He glanced at me, looking a little sad. "Doesn't that bother you?"
"Not really, seeing as they can't bother me." I said, hoping he'd laugh. He, however, remained silent and looked pensively ahead. "They send me postcards."
"So it's just you and your attractive Gran?" He asked lightly, changing the subject.
"And my younger sister, Molly." I told him, suppressing a sigh. "She's a pain though."
"My sister is too – or was, I should say." He said, and when I looked at him curiously he added; "She ran away a couple of years ago."
"I suppose both of our families have a habit of running away." I said, although my tone wasn't sad.
"I don't though." He added, giving me a smile.
"Well, I'm not very good at running so I suppose that means I don't either." I said, grinning back.
He laughed and pulled off a main road and into a secluded track, surrounded by a dense canopy of forest. The sun, although dimmed by the clouds, had not set yet, and filtered through the cracks between the leaves.
"What is it with you a trees?" I asked quietly as the car came to a gradual stop.
Seth jumped out of the car, and before he reached my side I had already opened the door and climbed out. He seemed as though he were about to protest his chivalrous rights so I gave him a look.
"Unbelievable as it may seem, I am able to open car doors." I said. "However, if I suddenly lose the use of my hands, feel free. The thought was nice though."
He looked a little shocked for a couple of seconds, before giving me a warm smile. "I'll keep that in mind."
"However," I said, pausing to look at a sign signaling that we were at a hiking trial. "If we're walking far, I would not protest to being carried."
"I would be perfectly happy carrying you. It's only a ten minute walk though." He reassured me as he made his way to the back of the car to pull out a picnic basket.
It had rained earlier that day, and the loose dirt stuck to the bottom of my shoes. Seth walked ahead, offering his hand to help me over rough sections of the trail. His hand was warm, soft, and big against my palm. We made quiet conversation, and it was clear that Seth enjoyed the hushed atmosphere of the forest.
"Are you sure you're not planning to take me somewhere isolated to murder me?" I asked jokingly.
"Yeah," He laughed. "You're very perceptive Ginger."
"I like to think so." I muttered, averting my eyes from a particular area of his body.
He turned around and smiled at me, gesturing to follow him through a clump of trees. We reached a secluded overlook that looked down on the grizzly and grey sea. The waves clashed against the rocks below, and I could smell the trace of salt in the air.
"Planning to push me over the edge?" I asked, peering at the steep drop below.
"I was planning on enjoying your company." He said before grinning at me. "But we'll see how that goes."
He set to work unpacking the basket, and I watched him unload sandwiches, pasta, cake, fruit, and eventually ended up losing track of what food he had brought along as it piled up.
I gawked at the mountain of food and gave Seth an odd look. "Is anyone else joining us?"
"I'm a growing boy." He said defensively.
"I didn't realize men grew much after they hit seventy." I said, sitting down on the picnic blanket he unraveled.
He took a seat next to me. He was so close and warm, and as the sky turned shades darker and the temperature grew colder, I leaned into him. He was not as hard and muscular as I expected him to be. He was toned, but soft, and his woodsy scent was comforting, even though it reminded me of how he liked to leap out from behind trees.