The weekend arrived quickly, far too quickly in Gregory's opinion. He was nervous about spending time with Josie alone, and out of school grounds. At least at the school if things got awkward he could beat a retreat to his room or find some member of the P4 to distract her from himself. In this situation there would be no such luck, and he would be on his own. It was both terrifying and exciting all at once, enough so that he wondered if he might be crazy for feeling that way.
It also left him in doubt about what to wear. He was so accustomed to wearing his robes that the thought of being without them almost caused him more anxiety than simply being alone with Josie. But he was not actually allowed to wear them outside of school grounds. It took him longer than what he would have expected to decide what to wear, but the decision was really taken from him as his clothing options were limited. He had clothes that would be far too formal for the occasion so they were not even considered; others were not chosen because they would not be suitable for the weather. In the end he decided on the clothes be would normally wear around school but without the usual purple robes. He looked like a polite member of society, he thought, as he quickly glanced at himself in the mirror. He might seem too thin to some but he has always been that way. His hair was longer than one would expect but it was usually hidden beneath his robe, he had brushed it out so that it fell around his shoulders, and despite being fully dressed he felt exposed; as if he were a rabbit running across an open field in clear site of a hungry hawk.
He kept his head down as he left his room and quietly locked the door behind him. When he reached the main lobby, there were not many students around but the few who were there stared at him curiously, they had never seen him without his hood and robes before; but if they thought it was unusual none of them uttered a word and went back to their days. He hesitated at the door that would lead down to the basement and to Josie's room; then he braced himself and opened the door and walked down the steps before the door even had a chance to close. At the end of the hall the light was streaming in through the stained glass window; it cast soft shadows as it reflected off the stone. It highlighted Josie's door and he could see that it was open.
He approached quietly and knocked on the wooden frame to get her attention, his he kept downcast just in case she was not ready to be seen. He heard her laugh and he looked up as she finished pulling a shawl around her delicate shoulders and smiled at him. Her hair was down instead of up like it would be if she was cleaning and once again he was struck with how long it was, it trailed lightly over her back. She looked as lovely as he had ever seen her. Though Josie was a pretty girl she was not a stunning beauty, rather it seemed she gave off this kind of welcoming warmth that seemed to remind him of the sun. It was enough to make him smile, something that he did only rarely and now was only doing subconsciously.
She came towards him and wrapped her arm around one of his, using her free hand to wind the newly competed purple scarf around his neck. "It might get cold out so I thought I would give this to you now." She grinned up at him.
He wrapped the scarf tighter around himself using one hand to hide his own grin. He was thankful for it he felt more at ease with something covering his face. "Thank you," he said earnestly.
She smiled a soft and delighted smile and led him out of the door and up the stairs; together they made their way to the entrance of the school grounds; and after that they would reach the shopping area where students tended to go when they had any free time or the kitchen staff bought their food stuffs.
She glanced up at him and grinned," you look nice today," she said a little shyly. He looked down and didn't know what to say to the compliment. He felt like he should be the one complimenting her but at the moment he did not know what to say.
So instead he said nothing and subconsciously buried his face in his new gift, the scarf, in an effort to stay hidden. He had never been self-conscious about his introverted ways but now he found himself regretting his own personality. If he was more outgoing he was certain he would know what to talk about, what to say, and how to compliment Josie as she deserved. But, as they would be spending the whole day together, he realized that he might still have the chance to learn. Perhaps by the end of the day he will have shown Josie he was also a gentleman and not just an introverted artist.