Country Dancing & Sunflower Fields
Maka somehow found herself behind the barn in a fenced off area with a bucket of feed and chickens pecking the ground around her. She wasn't sure how it had happened. All she remembered was wandering around the property with one of the cameramen when suddenly Wes popped up, forced the bucket in her hands, and left. Even the cameraman had been surprised by Wes' antics.
Taking a fist full of the feed, she sprinkled it in front of her as the chickens pecked and ate it. She waved to the cameraman who awkwardly and shyly waved back. Maka had seen them - she wasn't entirely sure what gender they were - following her and the others while filming, but she had never asked what their name was. It always seemed like the person was too nervous to talk to anyone that wasn't Marie, and seemed out of place amongst the rest of the crew. Naturally, she sought to help them feel more comfortable being there. As was the norm for her when it came to people like them.
"Ow!"
She jumped back as a fat, black chicken pecked at her leg, begging for more food. A few pieces of feed fell to the ground which drew its attention away from her.
"Eat that, not my skin, you heathen!"
She bent over to inspect the bite. A few curses were mumbled under her breath upon seeing that the fowl had broken skin. Thin, red blood dripped down her leg; it wasn't enough to kill her, but it was enough for her to consider murdering the chicken. It had already snacked on her leg five times since she had been given the feed, and in her book that was five times too many.
"Ah! No you don't!" she yelled, jumping back from the devil incarnate himself as it went for her again. "Stupid, pea-brained - Here!"
Another fistful of feed flew out of her hand as it rained over the chickens. The one that had taken a liking to human flesh attacked it first. It was no wonder that it was the biggest one in the coop; it was a bully.
"I hope Evelyn cooks you for dinner one of these days," she mumbled. "Or sends you to the slaughter house so you can become dinner for someone else."
"Ma usually slaughters her own chickens," came a familiar voice behind her.
"Tell her I said to kill this one first." Maka looked over her shoulder to see Soul standing on the other side of the fence. One leg was propped up on the bottom board while he hunched over the top. "What're you doing here? Thought you were on a date with Blair."
"I was. It ended already." He nodded to the space in front of her. "Chicken's coming back."
"Son of a-!" She swung her leg out of range of the same beast and dumped more feed in front of it. "What kinda chickens are you raising here? Flesh eating ones?"
"Nah, just ones that like eatin' you," he grinned.
Her eyes narrowed at him as she dryly said, "Haha, very funny." She took another fistful of the animal feed and sprinkled it on the ground before the murderous chicken decided to snap at her again. Setting the bucket against her hip, she said, "You didn't answer my question. What are you doing out here?"
He shrugged and looked over at the camera person. "See you got company."
The tech hid behind their camera and said, "Y-yes, sir. I don't mean to interrupt, though. I-it's just part of my job."
Soul raised his hand, palm up, and gave the person an apologetic smile. "Ah, don't worry. Not mad or anything."
Maka gave the tech a reassuring smile to ease their worries as well.
"To be honest, I kinda got used to 'em bein' here," Soul directed to her.
"Really?"
"Kinda."
"I'll take that as your way of saying no then."
"You know me so well," he said nonchalantly. She sprinkled feed over the chickens again as he spoke. "I came over to tell you that our date's later tonight."
"I thought it was tomorrow. Didn't they want them on different days?"
"Change of plans," he said, reaching behind him and revealing a plaid red shirt. When next he spoke, he kept his gaze down so that the brim of his hat concealed half his face. For a brief moment, she thought his cheeks were pinker but excused it as being out in the sun. "Brought you this to wear, too. Figured you didn't have the right attire for where we're going."
She stared at the shirt and tried to figure out where it was they were going that required her to wear it. But her brain failed to connect plaid with anything she had experienced before. Unless it had something to do with lumber jacking and cutting wood, of course. That was the only explanation she came up with; she highly doubted Soul was secretly a lumberjack, though.
"Can you tell me where we're going that plaid is a requirement?" she finally caved and asked. "Unless it's out to cut wood like lumberjacks, I'm coming up blank."
He chuckled to himself and grinned wide and toothy at her that made his eyes turn two shades lighter. "Can't tell you, but I can say that you'll probably wanna wear Ma's boots as well."
Maka looked down at the shoes in question. They were more comfortable than she expected them to be after years of being broken in most likely, and were quite practical for walking around the ranch. She didn't have to worry about mud seeping through the leather to get her socks wet or ruining her shoes from manure. It surprised her more than it should've and more than she was willing to admit.
"As long as it has nothing to do with manure, I'm fine," she said, turning her attention back to him.
Soul scoffed. "I'm more romantic than that."
"Considering it's Marie who chooses the dates, I highly doubt that."
"Marie didn't plan that last one."
"First timers luck," she said with a sly smile.
"She didn't plan this one, either," he flatly said.
Her eyes narrowed. "Don't try to take credit for Marie's ideas. I know she's the producer of this show and the one calling all the shots. You can't trick me."
"If you say so," he sighed. There was a slight curve of his mouth as he smirked, though. "Chicken."
He said it so calmly that it took Maka longer than it should have to look at the creature in question.
The black chicken jumped and flapped its wings as it sort of flew at her. Maka's reaction time was slow, though. Her leg moved out of the creatures path, but not quickly enough as its beak snapped at her skin. It took another small bite at her leg before landing behind her, and Maka cursed as the wound stung.
"You son of a - Argh! I'm so gonna kill you!" she screamed while it bawked and ruffled its feathers.
Behind her, she heard Soul laughing and whirled around, green eyes glaring daggers at him. The thought of how adorable his laugh was as his shoulders shook and he flashed a genuine smile at her briefly crossed her mind before being replaced with her anger.
"It's not funny!"
"From where I'm standin', it is," he said a little breathless. "Jus' can't catch a break with the chicken, can ya?"
"My leg is bleeding, and you're telling me you think it's funny?"
"It's just a scratch," he waved off.
She growled under her breath and pursed her lips. "Let's see how funny it is when you're the one being attacked," she mumbled to herself.
Taking a handful of the feed, she tossed it toward an unsuspecting Soul. Sure enough, the chickens followed suite and ran over in his direction with the blood-thirsty one in front. The brim of his hat lifted as he looked up to see them coming at him. There was a brief look of panic on his face as he jumped away from the fence with a small scream of terror.
Maka burst into a fit of laughter as he fell flat on his butt.
"'S'not funny," he said, taking his hat off and shaking it before pushing himself off the ground
"It is from where I'm standing," she echoed. She laughed at him again as the same chicken leapt up when another got underneath it. "What? Afraid of a chicken?"
He placed his hat back on top of his head and angrily pouted. "Jus' the murderous kind."
"Aww, are you seriously afraid of a little chicken?" she teased.
"No!"
"Because it seems to me that you're afraid of-"
"I'm not afraid of it!" he cut in. "'sides, weren't you the one tryin' to get away from it a few minutes ago?"
"That was different," she countered. "The damn thing was taking a bite out of me for no other reason besides the fact that I'm over here. You jumped away from it when there was a fence between you two."
He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and huffed, crossing his arms in front him. Maka stood a little straighter at winning the argument and gave him a smug smile. She had more reason to be scared of the chicken than he did considering she was the one inside the fence with it.
"The thing can jump," he tried to defend but his voice sounded defeated nonetheless.
"But you have more skin covered than me."
His eyes automatically shot straight to her shorts, and she felt more than saw them slide down her legs. She suddenly felt self-conscious as she hugged the bucket of feed to her.
"Don't check me out!"
Carmine snapped back up to meet emerald. "Then don't talk 'bout your skin if you don't want me looking." He pursed out his lips and mumbled under his breath, cheeks turning redder by the second. "Ain't got a reason to check you out anyway."
Maka rolled her eyes. "Say whatever you want to protect your manhood, but I know what I saw. Perv."
"I'm not a perv! You were the one who brought your skin to my attention. If I was checking you out, it's your own fault."
She opened her mouth to counter his argument, but closed it promptly after realizing he did have a point. If she hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have found the need to give her a once-over. Still, she wasn't one to back down that easily.
"At least I'm not afraid of a chicken!" she said. She stuck her tongue out for good measure.
"I'm not afraid-"
He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as Maka threw another wave of chicken feed his way. The black monster from before leapt up and almost snapped a bite of Soul's finger that had been dangling over the fence, but he jumped back with a yelp before it could. She cackled at the sight.
"Told you you were afraid of the chicken!"
"I'm not-" He lowly growled under his breath and looked at the camera person. "You film all that?"
The poor tech looked like they were ready to run away as they shied away from Soul and hid behind their camera. "M-miss Marie wants us to film everything. I'm sorry."
"It's a reality TV show, Soul," Maka said. "Of course they're gonna film everything. Now America will know it's bachelor is afraid of a chicken."
"I'm not…" he started before trailing off and hunching over like a wounded man.
His hand the side of his face as he sighed.
The laughter died down from her as she watched him, and she felt a little bad for being a dick to him. After chiding him for doing the same thing her first night there, it wasn't fair for her to go around and be one as well. Even though her words were meant to be more teasing than mean-hearted. Usually she saved it for when she knew the person after a few months - not weeks. Guilt weighed heavily down on her like a cast iron fist. She dropped her shoulders solemnly and bit her bottom lip.
"Look, I'm-"
"I'm not scared of the chicken, and I'm gonna prove it," he cut in.
Her head cocked to the side in confusion. "Huh? You're gonna - wha?"
Soul's chest heaved up and down as he took a deep breath. Maka stared at him wondering what exactly was going through his mind. She had blatantly been teasing him about the chicken, and now he was going to do what? Kill the chicken? To prove that he wasn't afraid of it? That didn't make any sense.
He placed his hands on top of the fence and grunted as he pushed himself up. Her brows knitted together when he swung a leg over the fence so that he was straddling it. His other leg moved to mimic the first, except the toe of his boot caught on the top plank, and everything afterward happened in slow motion. Soul's eyes bulged as he tipped forward; his hands flew out to the side, flapped like a newborn bird trying to fly, before he fell face first onto the ground.
Needless to say, she wasted no time laughing at him.
"Was that your grand plan?" she cried in-between her laughter. "Falling on your face?"
Through her tears, she saw Soul pick his head up and spit dirt out of his mouth. The glare he gave her was a watery mess as she continued to laugh. Her sides hurt, and the bucket of feed had long since hit the ground spilling the contents inside. Chickens wasted no time as they pecked at it. She bent down to grab a handful of it and tossed it on top of Soul where he had managed to at least roll on his back.
"Ah! No!" he yelled when a few chickens jumped over to eat the feed she had thrown. "Godda - Ugh!"
Maka continued to throw feed at him as he unhooked his leg from the fence and tried to get away from the evil creatures.
"Would you stop?"
Her laughter had toned down to fitful giggles which made talking manageable again. "Nope. This is too much fun!"
A few splutters of dirt and animal feed later, Soul finally stood up. His hat remained upside down where it had fallen when he fell which coincidentally was also where the chickens were busy eating. She grinned at the slight mix of horror and acceptance on his face when he realized it was hopeless getting it back.
"Go on," she pushed. "Get your hat. I'm sure your mom has some bandages in the house."
Red eyes narrowed in her direction. "I'd rather keep all ten o' my fingers, thanks."
"But what's a cowboy without his hat?" she teasingly asked.
"I'm gonna get you back." His voice said he was angry, but the twitch of his mouth told a different story.
"What are you - Eek!" The noise that had come out of her sounded like a mix between a tiny kitten and a shriek as Soul suddenly started chasing after her.
She high-tailed it - running around in circles in the small chicken coop with Soul hot on her heels. Laughter filled the small area as they both ran and the camera person filmed the entire thing. Maka jumped over a few chickens and fallen debris that were in her way as she tried to escape from Soul. Chickens squawked and flew out their way when they passed by. Neither of them miraculously tripped during the chase which she wasn't sure would have been more embarrassing for her or for him.
It wasn't until she felt strong arms wrap around her waist that she knew Soul had caught him up to her. A squeal broke through the chicken coop as she was lifted off the ground. She playfully beat her fists against his arms and kicked her feet out in front of her. Though she was struggling to get away, her excitement was clear as day as she giggled and smiled - a wave of happiness and warmth floating through her body. Too much time had passed since she had this much fun with someone of the opposite sex.
"Put me down, Soul!"
"You really want that?" he heaved behind her.
"Yes!"
"As you wish."
He grunted as he threw her to the side and into a pile of - what she prayed was clean - hay. Her face got a good helping of the scratchy, yellow straw; a few pieces got stuck to her mouth that she had to unattractively spit out.
"Is this clean?" was the first question out her mouth and the only thing she wanted to know.
"Yea."
She rolled onto her back to look at him, a satisfied grin on his face as he looked back. "What was that for?"
"Payback."
"I didn't toss you on the ground, though. You did that yourself, clumsy." Her tone was only slightly intimidating, and the smile on her face didn't help her in matters of being angry - that much she knew for sure.
Soul chuckled. His eyes sparkling as he did so. "I'll at least help you up."
Her hand slid in his as he pulled her back onto her feet. She straightened her clothes out and picked out the hay that was sticking out on the sides.
"Ah, you got, uh-" He motioned to his own hair. "You got some hay there."
She looked up like she was actually able to see it and felt around the top of her head for the object in question. There were a few pieces of straw stuck in her ponytail that she pulled out, letting them float to the ground. Once she was done cleaning herself up, she smiled at Soul.
"Thanks for, uh, telling me bout the straw."
It wasn't what she had actually wanted to say, but she also wasn't sure what she did want to say. The words were there, she felt them, but they weren't being communicated through her mind. They were buried deep inside her; locked away after years and years from lack of usage.
"You're welcome." He inhaled deeply and sighed; pink dusted his cheeks as he shyly smiled. "I'll meet you at seven for our date? When the sun goes down."
"Um, yeah. Yeah that's fine." As an afterthought, she added, "Where's the shirt you were gonna give me to wear?"
He pointed over his shoulder where it rested on the fence post. "Didn't wanna get it dirty."
"Yeah, I'd hate for it to have gotten ruined when you fell," she teased.
Soul laughed at that. "Would hate for the murderous chicken to mistake it for human blood and tear it apart."
It was her turn to giggle. "That would be a tragedy not even Shakespeare himself could write."
There was a small moment of non-awkward silence between them. Maka thought she saw Soul sway a bit toward her. The idea of him kissing her briefly crossed her mind as hope fluttered in her heart of its own accord, but turning her gaze back on him, she knew it was false. His hands were stuffed in his pockets as he remained standing still and smiling down at her.
"See ya later," he said. He put his hand on her arm and gave her a gentle squeeze.
"Yeah. Later."
She did a half-wave as he left the coop through the gate.
"Not gonna try and hop the fence again?" she teased.
"Not worth the risk," he called over his shoulder.
It took her several seconds longer than it should a regular human being to realize she was inadvertently staring at his ass as he walked away. She quickly looked away, her cheeks burning, before going to grab the shirt from the post and leaving as well.
She was dressed and ready close to two hours early. Her legs swung out idly over the edge of the bed as time slowly ticked by. It wasn't in her original plan to be done so soon; in all honesty, she wasn't going to do anything until six. But then a few of the girls bugged her about the date - asking where she was going, what Soul had planned for her - and she decided better of it. Even taking more time to bathe.
Despite that, she was still done earlier than expected and bored out of her mind.
A heavy sigh filled the room for the hundredth time in the last thirty minutes. She flipped on her side to watch Blair as she painted her toenails. The small brush delicately coated her big toe in a purple, iridescent color while her tongue stuck out in pure concentration.
Since she had decided to open her heart to love, she was ten times more nervous than normal about this date. It was like waking up with a new set of eyes; she saw the world in a different color. Her chest was staticy with anxiety. It wasn't going to be like in the past where her intentions had been to get to know Soul as a friend. They had changed to get to know him with the purpose of the show, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for it.
Dating was easier when she knew it wasn't going to turn into something serious.
"You got any tips for me?" she asked the older woman, hoping for some kind of distraction as time droned on.
"Yep." Blair popped the P like a balloon. "Don't sleep with him on the first date."
"Blair!"
"You're right. You two have been on at least three dates by now so I guess it's fine to sleep with him."
"Blair, I'm not sleeping with Soul."
The older woman finished painting her second toe before looking over at Maka with puckered lips. "Nyah you're no fun. Where else is America gonna get their juicy drama for the show?"
"I'm sure they have plenty with Meredith and Natalie's confessional sessions."
It was true. The pair had raked up the most time spent in the little room on the first floor complaining and gushing over the show.
"Mm, suppose you're right. Though a scandal where you and Soul sneak off somewhere together would be fun," she mused. There was a brief moment of silence between them. "You nervous for your date?"
Maka chewed on her bottom lip as she debated on whether to tell the truth or not.
"No, not really. It's Soul. Not some random stranger," she lied. "I just wish I knew where we were going."
"He didn't tell you?"
"Nope."
"Hmm," Blair hummed. "And he gave you that shirt?"
"Yeah."
She picked white fuzzies off the plaid shirt she had on. It didn't sit on her the way she usually liked her clothes to - it was a little too loose - but it was comfortable. To save herself from flashing people, though, she had put on a tan tank top underneath, and it gave her freedom to keep it unbuttoned. Liz would be proud of her for doing so as well. It showed off her girly figure rather than hid them like the shirts she wore to work and on weekends.
The only off-putting thing about the plaid shirt was the lingering scent of a man's cologne.
"He said it was appropriate for where we were going."
"That man likes to keep things mysterious," Blair said. "I think you'll have fun tonight whatever it is you two're doing. Meanwhile, I'm gonna get to know his brother."
For a moment, Maka was caught of guard. "Wait. What?"
Blair twisted the cap back on her nail polish and hopped off the bed. "Gotta go shower. I'll see you after your date with Mr. Right!"
"Wait! What do you mean you're - Nevermind," she huffed as the woman had already ran out of the room faster than Flash himself.
Maka checked the digital clock on the nightstand behind her to see that she had managed to waste an hour and a half with Blair.
Groaning, she fell back onto the bed in a Jesus pose. There were no TVs in the house and their electronics had been confiscated so there was nothing for her to distract herself with. She did still have Soul's iPod, but there were no games on it. Her only other option was to communicate with the other bachelorettes, but she wasn't much in the mood to squeal over her date with Soul.
A bird tweeted outside the window drawing her attention away from the ceiling. The sky outside was a pretty vibrant blue with white cotton candy clouds staining it. An image of sunflowers gently blowing in the wind flashed in her mind, and she didn't have to think twice. She slid off the bed, stuffed her socked feet in Evelyn's spare boots, and made her way outside to where the flowers were.
The last time she had been in a sunflower field, she was seven and her parents were still together. It was before her papa had gone and fucked up his relationship with his wife - both figuratively and literally. It was before she knew anything about her papa's infidelity and secrets and lies; before he hurt her mama and indirectly his daughter as well. It was also one of the happiest memories she had from her childhood.
When things were tough, it was always the sunflowers that came to her mind first. The way the yellow petals stuck out around the large brown center and followed the sun as it paved a path in the sky. The intricate details that littered the inside; how yellow and green and brown merged together to create the center of the flower. Fuzzies as they stuck out along the stem to tickle her fingers when she brushed against them. Sunflowers were sundresses and smiling parents as they watched their daughter run across the mud staining her pink shoes. They were stolen kisses when the parents thought their daughter wasn't looking, and the sweet smell of summer.
They were her child innocence before it went up in flames.
Even now in her adulthood the flowers brought back the memories she held so dear to her heart. Rows and Rows of yellow stretched out around her a few yards away from the main house. A small smile danced on the edge of her mouth as she reached out to cradle one of the flowers in her hand and leaned in to smell it. There wasn't a floral scent like most flowers. It was a smell more similar to that of hiking through the woods on an early Sunday morning: fresh, green, and alive.
Smiling, she stood back up, stretched out her back, and fell to the ground. Her hands curled into the cool dirt beneath, little chunks sticking between her nails and skin. She was tempted to take off her boots and socks, but thought better of it since they weren't the easiest type of shoe to take off. While her Converse slipped on and off, boots were a bit troublesome to put on.
Either way, it didn't take away from being out there.
Maka stared up at the sky. Yellow petals gently danced in the wind as they reached out for the sun's rays above. A few clouds lazily floated by like sailboats in the ocean, and the sun warmed her skin as she sat there. She closed her eyes and allowed her senses to feel the world for her. From the wind as it whispered through the trees to the buzz of a bee as it flew around the giant flowers, she felt it all. How they tickled against her skin and wrapped her in warm summer blanket. For a brief moment, she forgot she was on a dating show.
For a brief moment, she was seven again and running through a sunflower field in California.
It wasn't until she heard the rustling of flowers that she remembered where she was.
"Oh, no," she gasped, her eyes wide open. "The date."
She looked in the direction that the sun was in to determine the time. Upon seeing that it was closer to the horizon than she remembered before, she assumed it couldn't be more than half an hour to six. Five at the earliest. It wasn't completely clear. The whole telling time via the sun teaching had never been taught to her so any guess was good enough.
"Should still go back to the house," she mumbled to herself.
Dusting dirt off her hands in front of her, she made to get up when a white, mopey head poked out from the wall if yellow and into her little clearing. Her heart that had calm moments before started to beat wildly at the sight of Soul. A rush of excitement and warmth rushed through her, and she forgot to breath for a second.
"Maka, you alri-" He stopped mid-sentence and blinked There was a slight shine on his forehead as if he had been running for a while. "Oh. You're fine."
"Yeah. Why I wouldn't I be?" Her brows scrunched together at the same time that he rubbed the back of his neck. "Why'd you come out here?"
"Uh..." he trailed off. Pink faintly tinted his cheeks as he stood there; he seemed to mumble his words when he spoke again. "Saw you walkin' out here and then fall. Thought you might've - uh - fainted or somethin'."
"Oh," she said. "I was only sitting down to buy time until our date. Guess it might have looked like I collapsed or something from wherever you were."
She hugged her knees in closer to her body and smiled at him, a little confused as to why he went out there, but flattered all the same that he was willing to check on her.
"You were just… Just sittin'. Right." He rubbed the back of his neck, lips pursed slightly, and blushed harder. "Shoulda realized that. Sorry."
"Don't be. You didn't know."
"Why're you sitting on the ground, anyway?" he asked like an afterthought. "Aren't you worried bout getting dirty?"
"It's just dirt. I can dust myself off when I get up, and if that doesn't work, a little dirt never hurt anyone," she said, waving off his last question like it was nothing. "And I'm sitting here because - I dunno," she shrugged, "it seemed like a good idea. Haven't you ever just sat out here for no reason?"
Of course, she had a reason for sitting out there, but that wasn't Soul's business.
"Uh, no?" he nervous laughed. Crossing his arms, he continued. "Isn't it a little silly to be sittin' on the ground, though?"
Her lips pursed out at his comment. "No. Maybe if you went and sat in the middle of the pasture where the cows and horses are, but you're with sunflowers out here. It's different. Don't have to worry about sitting in anything that came out of an animal's rear end."
He chuckled at that. "Well, most people who've been on a ranch long enough know to look where they're goin'."
"I haven't been on one long enough to know that so I have an excuse."
"Most people are smart enough to know to look, too."
"I am smart enough!" she said, puffing her cheeks out. "I just wasn't paying attention when it happened. Besides, your mom's gonna clean my shoes off anyways. Surprised they aren't done yet."
"It's been a week. Pretty sure they are if you want 'em."
She mulled it over for a bit - debating on trading the boots for her Converse again - but thought against it. While her other shoes were comfortable, there was something about the boots that made her feel like she belonged on the ranch. A feeling she much enjoyed having. Even if she wasn't the kind of girl who roped and wrangled cows and did other ranch type things.
"I'll ask her the next time I see her. I kinda like these boots," she said.
"Glad to hear that." He took a step forward and made to join her, but then thought about it again and stepped back, rubbing his neck as he did so. "Guess I'll leave you to yourself. Sorry to intrude on you and your, uh, time with nature?"
Maka blankly stared at him for a few seconds before shaking her head slightly. "You didn't intrude. It's nice to have company sometimes, and I don't mind yours."
Red consumed his cheeks that she waved off as nothing more than the sun shining down on him and not at the implication behind her words. Nevermind he was wearing his hat that shielded most of his face from the sun's rays.
"Sit down with me," she offered, patting the spot next to her. "If you don't have anything better to do, that is."
Soul seemed to think it over a bit. "You really don't mind?"
"No."
"Alright," he shrugged. He hesitated briefly. The toe of his boot rocked back and forth as he debated whether to take her invitation before he finally plopped down beside her.
They sat there in silence. Maka smiled at Soul who seemed to be nervous as a single drop of sweat slid down his face and flushed cheeks. She laid down on the ground and stared up at the sky. Lacing her fingers over her stomach, she crossed her feet and relished in the moment. It was relaxing to be out there. With Soul. All the noises of the ranch came together to create a serene setting; a relaxing warmth buzzed on her skin as she sensed Soul when he laid down on the ground too.
It was nice.
"See, it's nice, isn't it?" she asked.
He pursed his lips as if he wasn't enjoying himself, but Maka saw passed it. His eyes had a certain gleam in them that told her he actually was. Even his expression gave himself away. While he tried to play off the nonchalant act, the edge of his mouth tucked up into a small smile.
"I guess it is. If you like bein' out here like this."
"Don't lie to yourself, Soul." She playfully hit him on the side. "I know you're enjoying yourself."
Snorting, he said, "Don't lie to yourself. I'd rather be inside."
"Then why don't you?" she challenged. He didn't say anything; only pouted harder which made her giggle. "Exactly. You like it."
"Do not."
"If you really didn't you wouldn't have stayed out here," she singsonged.
"Whatever," he huffed which only made her giggle again.
A moment of silence fell between them before she broke it.
"Hey, Soul?" He hummed for her to continue. "I hope this isn't rude, but why do you try to hide your accent in front of the cameras?"
"Guess I'm too worried 'bout what others'll think of me," he supplied.
She turned to look at him. "You didn't seem that way when we first met."
Soft, unguarded carmine eyes turned to her. "Not everything is what it seems on the surface, Maka."
Maka didn't say anything else as she went back to staring at the sky. She felt Soul's own gaze burn into the side of her face for a minute before it was gone.
They stayed out there until the sun casted orange and red hues and made the clouds an eerie blue like rain clouds. Soul's phone buzzed which surprised Maka; she hadn't expected him to still have it since The Bachelor people had taken hers and the other girls' away. She voiced her irritation as well while he read the text on the screen. His only response was that it probably had to do with him being cooler than her which she responded with a light punch to his side.
After he read the text, he told her it was time for them to go and helped her up off the ground before leading the way back to the front of the property. She asked him questions about what the text said and where he was taking her, but he refused to answer her. The only thing he told her was that he was taking her on a proper date - as if the others they had been on hadn't been. Soul really did like to keep things a mystery; even if he failed at doing so about 90% of the time.
He led her to the back of the barn where a sleek black motorcycle sat with two helmets waiting on the seat. Maka stopped a few feet away while Soul kept walking.
"Where's your truck?" She was confused as to why he had chosen this as their vehicle.
"It's, uh… It's being used by someone else," he offered. He dug in the side pouch, pulled out a leather jacket, and handed it to her. "Here. You might need this for the ride."
She took it, but tucked it in her arms rather than putting it on. Standing there, she watched as he placed his cowboy hat into the pouch, placed one of the helmets on his head, and mounted the bike. "Do you know how to drive this?"
The helmet buckle clicked under his chin. "Uh, yea? If I didn't, we'd be going in somethin' else."
"Where does a cowboy learn how to ride a bike?"
"Not everything-"
"I know," she cut in. "Not everything's surface deep, but you're asking me to get on a motorcycle. They aren't the safest of vehicles when it comes to getting in accidents. So before I risk my life, I wanna know how you learned to drive it."
Soul sighed, but nodded. He rubbed his hands over the handles of the bike before answering her. "Uh, I had a phase."
"A phase?" she asked a little incredulous.
"It was a short lived phase, but Wes likes to tell the story at holiday dinners so you'll probably hear it if you stick 'round long enough."
Her thumb scratched along the lining of the jacket. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit curious about his phase, and made a mental note to ask Wes later on.
"I'll take it," she said. She slipped the jacket on which was noticeably a few sizes too big for her, grabbed the spare helmet, and slid on the bike behind him. "But I'm definitely asking your brother about this phase of yours."
He chuckled as he stuck the keys into the designated hole. Maka wrapped her arms around his middle, scooting herself closer to him. She thought she heard him suck in a breathe, but wasn't positive as the bike roared to life.
"It's not all that interesting." His voice was thick and heavy before he cleared it. "The bike was orange."
"Really?"
"Yea. Really gaudy orange too. Thought it was cool." He chuckled to himself again. "Even had tassels on the handles."
"How old were you?"
"Twelve."
"Twelve? And your parents let you drive a bike?"
"No," he laughed. "I was eighteen, don't worry."
"Oh, so ten years ago. That makes a difference. Now I'm definitely asking Wes."
He made a noise that sounded like something between a groan and a laugh. "Feel like I'm gonna regret tellin' you that."
"You will," she said with no hesitation and a smile. There was a brief moment of silence between them in which she wondered why they hadn't gone yet. "Are we going yet or not?"
"We're goin'. In a minute. Waitin' for a text first from Wes."
She looked over his shoulder to see his phone resting in the space between his legs. "What's he supposed to text you?"
The answer to her question came in the form of his phone lighting up with a text from his brother. Everything good on my end, yours? it read. Soul swiped to unlock it and sent a quick response to his brother. She pressed her mouth against his shoulder blade, hiding a little pout and giving them their privacy. Even though she was curious, she didn't want to be snooping in his business.
"You're lucky you still have contact with the outside world," she mumbled. "I miss my phone."
"Don't worry, Taylor Swift hasn't put out a new CD."
A small scoff sound came from the back of her throat and he laughed at the same time. "I wasn't worried 'bout that, thank you." She lowered her head further down his back and into the jacket as he prepped the bike to get going. "Besides, I already have her next one pre-ordered."
That made him laugh harder. She wanted to be mad and swat him for laughing, but she smiled instead.
They reached their destination in little to no time. If someone asked about the drive, Maka was more than positive she wouldn't be able to recall a thing, though. She had spent most of her time with her face buried in Soul's jacket. The wind had been harsh as it blew around them. Riding on bikes seemed romantic in movies, but were awful when put into practice. A part of her wished that they had taken his truck or any other form of transportation, but another part of her was happy they hadn't.
It gave her an excuse to be close to him.
Her heart was still pounding against her chest when her feet touched the ground. She unbuckled the helmet and handed the headgear to Soul who stuffed it back in the side pouch. While he took his hat out and put it on, Maka stared curiously at where he had taken her.
It was a large, old barn but was different than the ones on the Evans' ranch. There were two large openings on the side that revealed people dancing and drinking inside. Twinkling lights flashed around in time with the music that boomed out into the night, and a faint tobacco smell wafted over to her as someone smoked a cigarette. She scoured the place for the source to see a group of people laughing and talking outside.
"Did you bring me out dancing?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.
The light from the barn behind her cast weird shadows on his face making him look more handsome than normal. Butterflies fluttered around her stomach at the thought, and she tried to bat it away as quickly as it came. Just because she agreed to give love a chance didn't mean she was going to be some silly school girl. They hadn't even known each other for that long. Five weeks wasn't long enough.
"It's different than what you're used to, but yea. Pretty much," he shrugged.
"What do you mean different than what I'm used to?"
"It's an old barn."
"Well, thanks for that clarification, Captain Obvious."
He smiled. "Don't gotta be sarcastic. Was just-"
"I can see it's a barn, Soul. I'm not blind."
"Point taken. But do you know what kinda club it is?" he asked, putting finger quotes around the word 'club'.
Gazing over the property, she saw people were dressed similar to them: in cowboy hats, boots, and plaid shirts. The music emitting from inside sounded indistinguishable from the very few country songs she had heard throughout her lifetime. What tipped her off wasn't the barn aspect of the place, but the rowdy cowboys leaving the place who whistled as they passed by her and Soul. She glared at them as they walked away and noticed Soul was doing the same thing as her.
"A country club?"
"Most people 'round here prefer to call it dance hall, but yea."
"Soul, I don't…," she trailed off, unsure of how to tell him that the last time she went dancing was when she was six. It was one of the yearly father/daughter dances her city put on, and the only time she danced after that it was mostly to techno music.
"You don't what?"
She twiddled her thumbs in front of her as she tried to find the right words that didn't hurt him in the end. It was really sweet that he wanted to take her dancing, and it wasn't his fault that she wasn't a fan of it. Mostly because she didn't dance. Which he had no way of knowing beforehand. The only dancing she knew was standing on her papa's toes while he moved them around and unrhythmically moving her body in time to Deadmau5.
Licking her lips, she said, "Soul, I don't know how to dance to this kinda music. Or anything besides club music really."
"I'll teach you."
"I thought you didn't like country music."
"I don't like the music, but I know how to dance to it."
"I'll step on your toes, though."
He quickly glanced down at her feet, snorted, and then back up. "You have tiny feet. I've been stepped on by worse." Soul started to walk toward the barn, grabbing her elbow as he did so. "Come on. It'll be fine."
"Wait, the cameras! We can't do anything without them!" she tried to stall.
Soul smirked at her. "They aren't coming."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Wes took care of it. It's just the two of us tonight. No cameras."
"Wait." She wiggled her arm out of his grasp. "Is that why he text you? And why we took your bike?"
Stopping, Soul bashfully rubbed beneath his nose as he looked at her. "Uh, you can say that's the reason."
"Did you plan this?"
"Uuuhhh," he droned out. That was all she needed, though.
"Marie's gonna be so pissed off!"
"Eh," he shrugged, "so what? Won't be the first time."
"You're horrible."
"Do you wanna talk about the ethics of being here without the cameras? Or go dancing?"
"As long as you teach me and don't mind me stepping on your toes, then the second option."
He laced their fingers together and smiled. "I like that choice."
Soul led her to the entrance of the club, paid for them both, and walked over to an empty table. A stale scent of woodcarvings and sweat wafted in the air, but the general atmosphere was lively. Music blared out of the speakers, but it wasn't eardrum bursting loud. Rather more pleasing to fit the country music that was playing. Lights lit up the hall in a variety of colors from pink, blue, green, and yellow as people danced around the middle.
The dance floor itself was large and full of patrons. All of them were of various ages and doing different dance moves. There were more couples than anything as they twirled and swung around in ways Maka didn't think her body was capable of. A few girls were at the bar in similar outfits as herself while they flirted with cowboys. It was definitely not as crowded and nasty feeling like the clubs she had been to in the past.
"So this is what you guys do for fun out here?" she asked as she shrugged off Soul's jacket and laid it on the table. She adjusted her shirt and realized how many clothes she had on that weren't her own.
"Eh, some of us."
"Let me guess, you don't? Because country music isn't cool?" she teased.
"No, but close. Not a fan of picking up college girls for a one night stand. That's more of Wes' scene… Though he ain't too picky with which sex he gets."
Maka looked back at the bar where the girls were being too touchy with the guys they were chatting with. She now saw the hungry gleam in the men's eyes as they stared the girls up and down. It was the one she had seen her papa use when he was out picking up his conquest for the night. Her nose scrunched up in disgust as she watched them, a sickeningly feeling churned in her stomach, and she was ready to walk out of there.
Lucky for her, she wasn't with any of those cowboys.
"Thought cowboys were gentlemen, not pervs," she mumbled.
"Only to people we're interested in for the long term," Soul whispered behind her. She flinched in surprise at not having noticed him there. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."
"No, you're fine. But that's good to know," she smiled. "About the cowboys being gentlemen thing."
He returned her smile and offered his hand. "Ready to learn to dance to the atrocious music you like?"
She slid her hand in his without a second thought and glared at him. "It's only Taylor Swift that I like. I've never listened to anything else in the country genre."
"Same thing."
"No, it's not."
"They're both horrible."
"You're the one who brought me to a country dance hall, though."
Soul opened his mouth to say something, but then promptly closed it and sighed. "Lemme jus' teach you to dance," he said before dragging her out to the dance floor.
Under her breath, Maka muttered, "And apparently you know how to dance to it as well."
They found a small corner of the dance floor for him to teach her. Her heart leapt to her throat when he placed his left hand on her lower back while her own instinctively wrapped around his neck. Sparks of electricity shot up her arm as he laced their fingers together. She forgot how to breath for a moment when he pulled her close. Maka tried to push the feelings away as she stared up at him, though. They were things she didn't need.
But they refused to go away.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Alright. Good." He paused to lick his lips. "Dancin' is real easy. All it is is movin' two steps to the left and two steps right and repeat. We won't do any spins until you're ready. Think you can do that much?"
"Not really, but I'll try," she smiled.
"It's easy. Don't worry," he smiled. "I'll lead."
He took one step back. Maka followed.
After two steps away from their corner, her eyes shot down to look at her feet, but his finger tapping her hand caused her to glance back up at him. It was intimidating staring at him like that and being so close. But at the same time there was something intimate and sweet about it. A warm, gooey feeling filled her middle as he led her around the dance floor and she counted the steps in her head. One, two, one, two. Soul was a good teacher, she decided at that moment before she stepped on his foot and cringed at her own stupidity.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Didn't feel a thing. Jus' follow me, and you'll be fine."
She swallowed and nodded while he lowly counted her steps for her and spinned them around so that he was still in the lead. The music of the club vibrated through her, and she felt a burning sensation crawl along her skin that she didn't think was because of being in public place. Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips as she kept in time with him. Mind racing, she tried to think of normal things that had nothing to do with Soul.
Kittens. Puppies. Rainbows. Fluffy white hair.
Her hand twitched as she felt the nape of his hair tickle her. She had the urge to run her hand through his hair and tug on the white strands, but thought better of it. They really hadn't known each other for that long. It was too soon. For all she knew he didn't want anything to do with her, and only kept her on the show because he was waiting to eliminate her. Even as she told herself that, though, she knew it wasn't true. The circumstances weren't normal, but something about him and the way he acted around her was.
Something told her that making the decision to open her heart to him had been made long before she had done so.
"Alright, ladies and gents," the DJ said into the microphone. "Line up because it's time for some good ol' line dancin'."
"What does he mean?" Maka panickedly asked Soul.
He grinned down at her. "Looks like you getta learn 'bout line dancin'."
"Wait, but I don't - Soul!"
Not bothering to hear her out, Soul led her to the opposite side of the dance hall where there was an empty spot and placed her beside him. "Don't worry. It's not that hard. Just follow me."
"But what am I-?"
Soul didn't wait to hear her, though. Hooking his thumbs in his front pockets, he worriedly looked at her before dancing in the same fashion as the other patrons. He stepped back twice on the right leg, did the same on the left, then repeated it going forward, kicked one boot in front of him, kicked the other, and turned so that he was facing her. She knew he was trying to share a part of his life with her, but he looked so different line dancing. The Soul she knew didn't seem to be the type of person who knew how to do these kind of things - at all.
But not everything was what it seemed on the surface.
The thought didn't prevent her from bursting into a fit of giggles.
"Come on, Maka. Don't laugh."
"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. But." She sighed. "Soul, I never took you to be this kinda person! You look so silly doing this!"
"Well, if you did it with me, I wouldn't."
"I'm not - what are you doing?"
He walked behind her, placed his hands on her hips, and started guiding her in time with the music.
"I'm not doin' this on my own. If I make a fool of myself, you're join' me."
It felt weird having him move her body for her, but she also quite enjoyed it. Even if she knew she looked ridiculous and couldn't help but to laugh at herself more than him. She heard him start to chuckle to himself as well as he rested his forehead on her shoulder for a moment. A scorch mark burned her skin where his face had been when he moved away.
"Soul," she breathed out before giggling again. She placed her hands on his to pull them off her, but she was having too much fun to do so. A few of the people at the bar were staring and pointing at them as they whispered things to their friends. "Soul, we look so ridiculous. You know that, right? People are actually talking about us."
"Let 'em," he whispered in her ear. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he continued dancing close to her and started singing the lyrics of the song in the worst southern accent she had ever heard. "Heel, toe, docie doe come on baby let's go boot scootin."
"Oh my god, Soul!" she laughed. His own laughter rumbled against her back as he pressed himself closer to her.
"Cadillac black jack," he continued, "baby meet me outback we're gonna boogie. Get down, turn around go to town boot scootin' boogie." He took her hand and spinned her around on the part of the song that said so, and pressed her against his chest as she continued to laugh. "You had fun, though, right?"
"That was a first for me," she admitted, but it shouldn't have surprised him. "I can't believe that's an actual song!"
"Better than Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy."
She waited for him to say 'I'm kidding'. When it never came, she laughed again. "You're not serious. That can't be an actual song."
"Alright, ladies!" the DJ yelled into the mic once again as another song began. "This one's for y'all. Remember: when in doubt, save a horse and ride a cowboy!" There was a female chorus of the last few words as almost every woman in the bar screamed it out that caused Maka's cheeks to burn.
"Oh, I didn't think you were serious," she said into Soul's shirt. Glancing up at him, she asked, "Can we go outside for a while? Until this song is over?"
"Yea," he laughed before twining his fingers with hers and leading them outside.
Maka deeply inhaled the fresh air before sighing and stretching her arms out. Stars twinkled in the dark sky as the moon shone down on them, and a small smile tugged on her mouth. Crickets duly chirped in the distance as a lazy cow mooed. The sounds of the patrons inside wafted out to meet them as a few others talked amongst themselves some distance away. She felt herself falling harder in love with the country lifestyle that Soul was slowly showing her, and she wanted nothing more than to take it home with her.
"I haven't seen this many stars in years," she whispered. "Not since before I moved out to New York City. Too many lights."
"Mm, yea. That's one bad thing 'bout the city."
"I'd give anything to see this every night. It's so beautiful."
"Yea."
They stood in silence for a few seconds. Maka glanced over at him to see that he was staring at her with a dreamy look in his gaze. She immediately became a little self-conscious as she touched her hair and worried there was something wrong with her appearance.
"Is there something on me?" she asked.
The dreamy look vanished as he shook his head. "No. Why?"
"Then why were you staring at me like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like I had something on me."
"That's not why I was starin' at you."
"Then why were you?" she pried, curiosity getting the best of her. "You don't just stare at someone for no reason."
"Dunno," he shrugged. "Didn't know I was starin' at you. Sorry."
She shyly smiled, feeling stupid for being so accusatory. "No, it's okay. I'm sorry for getting upset about it." After a while, she added, "Thanks for bringing me here, by the way. I've had a lot of fun learning how to dance. Including the whole line dancing thing."
The side of his mouth pulled up into a half-smile as he stuffed his hands in pockets. "Glad you liked it. Was kinda worried you wouldn't."
"Now I guess I'm a real cowgirl," she grinned. "Got the boots and the outfit already, and now I know how to dance like one."
"That doesn't make you a cowgirl," he laughed. His gaze dropped before he removed his hat, grabbing it from the edges, and stepped forward to place it on top of her head. She blinked as he adjusted it on her.
"What are you doing?"
"There," he said when he finished. "Now you're a real cowgirl. You were missing the hat."
"Thanks," she smiled.
A flutter of warmth danced across her chest while her cheeks burned at the sweetness of his words. Inside the dancehall, the song slowly faded as another one played, and she needed a distraction that didn't involve her spending more time outside with Soul. She didn't know what she would do if he was kind to her again.
"You ready to go back inside?"
"Yea. Still gotta dance with you some more."
Soul laced their fingers together as they walked back inside. Not even a foot inside the hall, she automatically recognized the song that was playing. It was a slow song by Taylor Swift from the Hannah Montana movie that she used to be a fan of. A love ballad, to be more precise. Which meant there were more couples on the dance floor who were all dancing close to each other wrapped up in their significant other's arms. Standing on the sidelines, it felt intimate and private.
Too intimate and private for her and Soul to dance beside them.
"We can sit down or get a drink and wait until the next one," she offered.
"Or we can dance to it," he offered. "I know how much you love Taylor Swift."
"But it's a slow song, Soul. I don't think we're meant to dance to it."
"Why not?" he shrugged. "I thought the whole purpose of this show was to do couple things."
She opened her mouth to counter his remark, but she realized she had nothing to say. "Mama always did say it was rude to decline a dance from a gentleman."
Maka followed him down to the dance floor. He placed his arm around her waist and rested his hand on her lower back while the other one held her hand. She rested her cheek on his chest as they slowly began to sway in time with the song; she heard the steady beating of his heart against her ear. Her body relaxed as a familiar scent invaded her senses. A scent she recognized as the one that had been on the plaid shirt he had given her. Closing her eyes, she felt herself let down her wall a little more.
When they arrived back at the ranch, Marie was definitely not happy about being tricked.
The producer was waiting for them at the front door of the main house and stormed up to them before Soul had the chance to park. She was shouting into the night as they both slid off the bike, and continued doing so when they stuffed their helmets into the side pouch. Every word Marie yelled went in one ear and out the other. Maka knew it was coming; she had even imagined the scenario on the drive back. Though, having it play out in person was so much better.
"And you left me without any footage for the two of you this week!" Marie shouted, pointing to Soul as she did so.
Soul had his usual 'I don't care' expression. Eyes droopy and unfocused; facial muscles relaxed. Maka had to fight back a smile to prevent herself from getting on the receiving end of Marie's anger.
"I can't believe you pulled a stunt like that! Bribing your brother to work as your accomplice, having my people go off on a wild goose chase down back roads, only to have it end up that you took Maka off by yourself." She paused to rub her temples. "This is not what my show is about."
"You could always have us go on another date," Maka offered.
Marie waved her hand as if dismissing the idea. "It's too late. The rose ceremony is soon. Your date with him was supposed to be the last one we shot, and now it's ruined. My show is ruined," she cried. "All because of some stupid cowboy!"
Maka's hand pressed against Soul's chest as he made to step forward at Marie's comment, and took his place instead. It wasn't worth it to start drama over nothing.
"Well, you know one of your camera guy's did film us over at the chicken coop?" Maka said, ignoring the wince from Soul as he remembered the murderous chicken incident. "Maybe you can use that?"
The producer's hand dropped from her forehead and she blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"I was feeding the chickens earlier and one of the techs was filming me when Soul came over. I think there might be some footage in there?"
Pulling out a notebook from her pocket, Marie scribbled down something inside. "And what did the camera guy look like?"
"Pink-ish hair, short, scrawny-"
"Oh, Crona. I'll ask them to see the footage tonight, and hopefully we can salvage something to give America once this episode comes out," Marie cut in. She closed her notebook with a snap and glared at Soul. "But if you pull another stunt like that, mister, I will not hesitate to wring your behind! You are not going to single handedly ruin my show by running off on some secret rendezvous!"
Maka glanced at Soul who still held his nonchalant expression. Though he tried to seem like he didn't care, she noticed the way he was sucking in his lips far too hard to be normal. She didn't blame him. Marie was a scary woman when she was angry. There was a fire in her hazel eyes that spelled out death to anyone who crossed her. They were probably lucky she needed Soul to do her show or else the show would be renamed to 'Death of a Bachelor'.
"Yes, ma'am," Soul muttered. "Won't happen again."
"Good. Now off to bed. Both of you," Marie huffed, her anger seeming to subside. "We have a big day of filming tomorrow, and I want you both to be well-rested."
She walked away from them and toward one of the trailers that they had camped out on the property, a large The Bachelor logo on the side.
Once she was away, Maka turned and smiled at Soul, seeing the blinking red light of a camera some distance away as she did so. She hadn't been aware that their exchange a few moments ago was being filmed as well. The show really did film everything.
Unless naughty cowboys went under the producer's nose and prevented them from doing so, of course.
"That was fun," she said.
"If you think getting chewed out by Marie in front of a camera is fun, then sure. Guess it was."
Oh, so he at least knew about the camera.
"No, I meant the dancehall. I had fun there."
"Ah, right." He rubbed the back of his neck.
"And Marie getting angry was a little fun as well," she smiled.
"Maybe a little," he smiled back.
They stood there in silence. Maka rocked back and forth on her feet as she was unsure of what to do. Soul scratched the hair beneath his hat. In the dim lighting, she swore his cheeks were flushed, but wasn't completely sure either. She excused it as being hit by the wind on his bike or the aftermath of his embarrassment from being yelled at on camera.
"I'll see you later, then?" she finally said.
"Yea, later."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Before she knew it, her lips pressed themselves against his cheek momentarily. She fell back on her heels and blinked in surprise, unsure of why she had done that. They both blinked at each other. Her mouth dropped as excuses flourished in her mind, but each was worse than the last.
"That was for tonight," she quickly covered up before walking toward the guest house.
Maka didn't bother to give Soul one last glance before entering the house. She went straight to her assigned bedroom and got ready for bed, wanting nothing more than to pretend that what had happened didn't. But try as she might, her mind had other intrusive thoughts about the cowboy and a gooey warmth filled her entire body.
Later that week at the rose ceremony, Maka avoided all eye contact with Soul as she conveniently stood in front of him yet again. One by one he called off the names of the girls, and all during that time, she felt his gaze stay on her. She already knew he was saving her name for last. What made that ceremony any different from the others? There was no doubt in her mind that he wasn't going to call her, but what worried her the most was what he thought of the cheek kiss incident.
His no kissing rule had been broken. On camera, too.
She was woken out of her daze by the sound of Soul calling her name. Her eyes snapped up to meet his, and he smiled causing her heart to stop beating for a moment.
Taking a deep breath, she walked forward and took the rose from him - answering the same question he asked all the girls. He kept eye contact with her and held onto the flower longer than normal. It took Maka several seconds to notice his thumb gently caressing her hand. When he let go, her skin felt like he had branded her with a hot skillet. Butterflies fluttered around in her stomach as she stood by the other girls and waited to say goodbye to the one who was going home that night.
As she was hugging Jenna, her mind and gaze were focused on Soul who stared at her showing no emotion whatsoever.