Scene 11 - Date
The shopping trolley rolled across the supermarket floor noisily and Brianna was rushing to get the grocery shopping done before the ice cream melted. Standing in front of the freezer door, she looked through the shopping list to strike off all the products that were in the cart. "That's about done… no – argh! I forgot the sack of potatoes." She raised her voice, a little frustrated at her absent mindedness.
"I saw the potatoes a few aisles away. You can wait here while I go grab them." Kaldur replied as he turned away to heard towards the spuds. It was an interesting punishment from the team to go grocery shopping after the Helmet of Fate fiasco. He never saw that much anger in his friends' eyes before and Brianna was quite furious that it felt like she might have combusted on the spot.
It took a couple of days before she resumed speaking terms with him. The team, mischievous as always, decided to set them up by allocating this "punishment" where both he and Brianna had to do shopping, hoping that they would take a step further into their relationship.
A gentle smile tugged the corners of his mouth at the thought of that memory as he heaved a sack of potatoes on his shoulders before heading back to the frozen food section. There appeared to be a conversation conducted in front of the freezers and the blonde Atlantean just stood behind the shelf to eavesdrop.
"Bri! What a surprise to see you here!" An excited chirpy voice rang out as Brianna replied a quick lie, "Just doing some grocery shopping for my apartment. My family is visiting and I promised my parents that I would cook for them."
"That's lovely! I worry about you living on your own sometimes. You ought to crash my place once in a while. My folks are open to friends sleeping over."
The brunette shook her head, "I don't want to trouble them, Cate. It's perfectly alright. This whole independence thing is teaching me quite a bit."
A sigh was heard, "We might only have known each other for a few months but you know I do treat you like my closest friend. I know! You could come to the masked senior's ball at the end of this month. It'll be a blast! We haven't had the chance to properly hang out together."
"Oh… I don't have a date since I'm new here and most of the guys in school are already… taken. Megan and Conner are sophomores so I can't ask them to tag along along… I just don't want to go to the dance and lean against the wall, all alone." Brianna ended her sentence awkwardly as she looked to the side.
"Nonsense! You have us and we'll keep you company!"
The pyro chuckled, "I don't think your boyfriends would be pleased. It's alright, I'll be fine. I don't want to be a party pooper on your special night. Really, I'm perfectly okay with not attending the ball. And I really ought to get going, the ice cream's going to melt." That was the truth and Brianna did not feel like answering any more awkward questions from her well-meaning friend.
"Oh, alright. You must promise me that we'll hang out though." Cate extended a pinky and Brianna hooked her finger around it.
"I promise."
Kaldur'ahm waited for the other girl to move further away before he returned with the sack.
"I know you heard all of that. I could see your shadow skulking behind the shelf," Brianna said as she gave him a little glare.
Placing the potatoes into the trolley, Kaldur whispered apologetically, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to put you in a spot if your friend saw you with me."
She sighed as she began to wheel the cart to the cashier, "You're right…" The line was thankfully short and in no time, they loaded all the bags into Brianna's car.
"If you don't mind, I am willing to take you to your school's dance." The Atlantean spoke shortly after the drive began and Brianna tensed slightly before replying, "I thought you had duties with Aquaman?"
"I have asked for time off with my family and friends before. I believe he will accede to my request. Besides, I heard from M'gann that the senior dance is the most important event in a teenager's life? I don't want my friend to have regrets."
The brunette's shoulders relaxed and she heaved another sigh. "If you insist… It's on the last Friday of this month at 7pm. We can meet at the cave half an hour earlier and I'll drive us there."
Kaldur'ahm smiled, "It will be an honour."
The day of the masked senior's ball was finally here. M'gann was super excited that she spent ages styling Brianna's hair and the poor brunette had no chance to stand up to stretch her legs. "M'gann, I really need to put my dress on soon." She whined just a tiny bit and the Martian nodded, giving one more spritz of hair spray to the elegant curls before leaving Brianna in peace.
The pyro had to thank M'gann though. That girl was really up to date with the latest hair styles and make up and Brianna was sure that in a couple of years, the green alien would spend probably a week getting ready despite being a shape shifter. Pulling a shimmery blue halter dress from her closet, she admired the fabric closely and ran her hand down the cloth. It was beautiful. She tugged the outfit on gently and fastened the clasp on her neck and looked in the mirror. The dress was quite graceful and showed off a small portion of her back without being too vulgar. Brianna was not big on showing off anyway and she was glad that there would be no "wardrobe malfunctions" tonight.
Grabbing her keys, she left her room and walked down the corridor to the meeting area. Halfway down the path, a red-headed archer stepped into her path. Roy Harper. Brianna was not too fond of him since he was always so cold and looked down on the team. Despite being about a year older than her, he did not deserve the respect he demanded. "Pardon me, I have a meeting with Kaldur," She said coolly, frowning just a bit.
"Is that what you call a date now? A mere meeting?" Roy folded his arms and quirked an eyebrow at her.
Brianna stared at Red Arrow with annoyance before replying curtly, "Whether I go on a date with Kaldur or not is my business, not yours."
The redhead huffed a bit and leaned closer to intimidate her. "He is my friend so it is my business to look out for a friend. You better not toy with his feelings."
"I assure you that I'm not."
"Really? Then why aren't both of you official yet? You know how much he likes you." Roy frowned some more before adding on, knowing that she and Kaldur were pressed for time. "I'll cut to the chase. He had his heart broken in Atlantis and I'm glad he found someone on the surface. You better take care of his heart or else…"
Brianna was shocked. She never knew that Kaldur'ahm had a lost love under the sea and all she could do was bite her lip and whisper, "I give you my word."
Leaving the archer behind, the destination to the meeting area was fraught with a lot of deep thinking. Even though she liked the Atlantean too, love could not be forced. Maybe time would let things blossom. Perhaps she loved him but did not know it.
The sight of the blonde guy standing in the foyer smartly dressed in his navy blue suit brought her to a stop. "You look dashing," she praised him as she walked over to help him cuff his sleeve.
"I would say that you look exquisitely beautiful too," Kaldur replied as he could not help but stare at her beauty. They slipped their masks on which elicited praise from everyone in the cave.
After some light hearted bantering with the other members of the team, they were finally allowed to get into her car so she could drive to her high school.
The loud music was finally gone and was replaced by a soft melodic dance tune with the singer belting out a ballad. Kaldur'ahm swayed with Brianna amongst the couples on the dance floor and he was relieved that his ears could take a break from the techno beats. "I'm sorry, I thought the masked ball would have some soft tunes instead of the loud pop you heard." Brianna said softly into his ear and he shook his head in response, "It is alright. I suppose that you can say it was quite an experience. I am feeling a little parched though. Would you like a drink?"
"I don't think you want to drink from the punch bowl. It has been spiked with alcohol which would dehydrate you even further." The brunette stopped dancing and gently maneuvered them through the crowd to the food table. She grabbed a plate and placed a couple of cucumber and tomato sandwiches on it before handing it over to the Atlantean. "Here, these have water in them. I'll go grab some cups and head to the water fountain outside the gym."
Before he could even reply, she had already moved across the gym at rapid speed which left him standing against the wall beside the snack table. A group of girls and their dates decided to stop by to drink and eat as well and a familiar chirpy voice rang out, "Ah, you must be Brianna's date! Nice to meet you. Where did you come from? What's your name?"
The girl from the supermarket could recognize Brianna even with her mask on and Kaldur chewed slowly before swallowing his food and replying, "I'm Kal – Kelvin. I used to live in Brianna's old neighbourhood."
"Ooo. So she has a boyfriend back home? Lucky her." Another girl piped up and the entire clique was almost surrounding him while their dates looked on, a little unamused.
"W-well… We're not together yet - " the girls gasped loudly while Kaldur continued, "I do like her though."
Cate slapped Kaldur's shoulder in a friendly manner and encouraged him, "I might have known Bri for only a few months but I believe in due time, she'll be aware of her feelings for you. Just wait, okay?"
"Cate, we're supposed to be dancing." A masculine voiced sounded behind her as she turned and waved. "In a moment, dear." She turned back and shook Kaldur's hand as the girls rallied around him, "Good luck!" They soon dispersed like dandelions.
Brianna returned a couple of minutes later with cups of water in hand, "Sorry it took so long, Kaldur. It seems that there were others who wanted water as well." He accepted the drink with thanks and thinking about her friend's words, Kaldur knew he would wait for her because she was worth it.
Author's Note: Admit it Brianna, you actually like him. =P