"What?" Ken whispered.
"Yes, I will be your girlfriend. But I want to establish some conditions and rules before we do anything."
"Okay, that's fine. I'm just so happy right now!"
Grinning, he snatched her into a bear hug. Ravenna returned it with the same amount of vigor. Pulling away, Ken stared into her eyes.
"Do you mind if I kiss you? A real one this time?"
"Go ahead," she blushed.
Gently, he placed his lips against her's gently. They moved against one another in a sweet, chaste kiss. It felt as if there was no one else in the world, as if time was frozen for this single moment. When air was needed, they pulled away. Rave looked at him with sparkling, question-filled eyes. He smiled back blissfully.
Ken's mother called from the stairs, causing them both to jolt. Running his fingers through his hair, Ken stood up and went downstairs. After putting on one of his big t-shirts, Ravenna followed. They sat together at the table while his mother served breakfast.
"Why?" he mumbled huskily.
"Hm?"
"Why must you torment me so much, Ravenna?"
She looked at him to find his face full of lust. It was such a primal, breathtaking look, that she nearly kissed him. He beat her to it. They were about to pull away, when they heard a plate hit the floor.
"Ken! Ravenna!" she gasped softly.
"Yes, mother?"
"You-I mean-you two-how?!"
"Well, it's a funny story. Let's eat first though."
Nodding softly, she continued serving breakfast. Not a word was spoken between anyone. Rave and Ken exchanged several meaningful glances, communicating their thoughts a bit. It was something they had done since they were young. They knew each other well that it was almost instinctual.
After they all had finished eating, Ken led them to the living room.
"Start from the beginning. The very beginning."
"Okay. Well, since I was twelve, you have known that I was in love with Ravenna. Correct?"
"Yes. When she would leave, you would slide to the floor and sigh."
He blushed darkly and nodded. Rave giggled softly behind her hand.
"Anyway, I finally got the confidence to ask her to be mine. And she said yes."
"Well, congratulations! Just remember to be safe and careful."
"We will mom! God…"
"Just making sure. You know how her father is about her."
Both the teens shuddered at the thought of her ex-mercenary father. He used to be in the same platoon as his dad, but went rogue and became a mercenary. 'The best in the business for twenty seven years before retiring to a quiet family life' their parents would always say. His friendship with Ken's father enabled the two to have constant play dates when they were little.
Since it was a beautiful day out, they went for walk to the ice cream parlor. It was a cute little place with checkered floors and pastel pink walls. They sat in a booth across from each other, ordered sundaes, and waited patiently. Unfortunately, Amber appeared with her friends.
"Hello, handsome. I haven't seen you around before."
"Excuse me, but I have a girlfriend. Right here. So I'm not interested."
"What, that? That's a girl, but don't you want a woman instead."
"Hey!"
"Leave her alone, Amber."
"Oh, so you know my name? Of course you do! Everyone does."
"I wonder why…"
Ravenna chuckled and Amber shot her a nasty look. Their sundaes came and she sat beside him. Amber swiped hers quickly.
"Oohh, ice cream. You don't need the fat, obviously, so lemme some."
Rave and Ken watched as she took a single bite from her treat. Now, if there's one thing the couple knew, it was not to touch her ice cream. There was a reason they got their own. Ken sat back to watch the fun unfold.
The table shook as Ravenna stared wide-eyed, shaking like a leaf. Soon dry sobs wracked her body. The three snobs watched in horror as she stood, a diabolical look on her face.
"Y-you ruined it. You ruined my ice cream. The ice cream I paid for with my own money!"
"All I did was take a bite. Calm down."
"I will not calm down!" she screeched, "That was mine! You ruined it!"
Suddenly, she went back to normal and walked to the counter. Amber tried to ask why she was having a nuclear meltdown over ice cream, but Ken held up one finger. Ravenna returned with another sundae with everything on it. Smiling brightly, she took the original one and dumped it over Amber's head. Fudge, nuts, and ice cream oozed down her hair and face. The aforementioned girl screamed bloody murder.
"You psycho bitch! I'll get you for this, I swear. You will pay."
"Yeah, yeah, very original Wicked Witch of the West."
"Augh!"
With that last cry of frustration, the three antagonists left. Ken laughed hysterically as she returned to her seat to eat her well-deserved treat.
"That was awesome!"
"Better than that time with Bobby?"
"No, nothing can match that time. Does he still flinch every time he hears an ice cream truck?"
"Of course."
"I forgot to ask, but, did you keep that journal like I asked you to?"
Smirking, she pulled a small black book from her purse. He took it from her gingerly. As she continued eating, he read every page. The last thirty of which made him go silent. Ravenna watched him closely, reading his reactions and moods. Ken finished eating just as she finished eating.
They were both quiet as they walked out. He led the way, walking aimlessly down the street, through the park, and into the woods. She was about worry that they had gotten lost, when they came upon a clearing. It was a grassy field filled with wildflowers and daisies. Rave gasped in awe.
"Like it? I found this the day before I left. I've been wanting to show you this so I can make it our new secret place."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
His watch beeped and he sighed loudly.
"I need to exercise a bit, is that okay?"
"Um, yeah, okay."
Stripping off his shirt, he did twenty push-ups, ten pull-ups from a branch of a large tree, and twenty laps around the field. Ravenna made flower crowns as she watched. By the end of it all, she had made five. He returned to her with not a drop of sweat on his face.
"Well, what did yo-"
She interrupted by placing a crown on his head. Ken sat down beside her and joined. Too bad they didn't realize that a certain red-headed bad boy was keeping an eye on them.