Chapter 3: The Open Air Cafe
Wade and Ember left the Open Air Cafe, stealing glances at each other as they moved down the sidewalk, standing a couple inches closer together than they had in the past.
"Sorry you couldn't try the drinks," Wade commented, recalling how it evaporated before it even reached her lips.
Ember shrugged and didn't meet his eye. "It's okay," she responded, "I'm used to it."
Wade exhaled. He hated that there was so much of the world that was inaccessible to her. "I'm sorry you're used to it," he said finally.
Ember glanced over at him for a moment, then looked down at the ground. "Why did you hold your hand out to me?" she asked.
Wade swallowed, and started staring at the ground too as they walked. "I'm not sure. Everyone else was dancing, I just thought . . ." His voice trailed off.
"Well," Ember cut in sharply, "you can't think that anymore. We can't touch."
"We technically don't know –"
"No," Ember interrupted, stopping and turning to him. "No, Wade. We can't."
Wade stopped next to her and studied her sadly. Then he nodded. "Okay," he responded finally.
After holding stern eye contact for a few moments, Ember looked down. "What are we doing, Wade?"
Wade shifted uncomfortably. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"I think you know what I mean, Wade," Ember said, folding her arms. "What are we doing?"
"Well," Wade started, scratching his neck, "we're hanging out. As friends."
Wade and Ember stared at each other again. Ember's flame gently flickered.
"Unless," Wade started again, scratching his neck and not meeting her eye, "you see us as . . . more than –"
"No," Ember said quickly, looking away. "You're right. We're just friends."
Wade exhaled silently and nodded, looking down. Then he smiled slightly and looked up at her. "You're the most fascinating friend I've ever had," he said gently.
Ember looked down for a moment, her flame softening. Then she looked back at him. After studying him for a moment, she smiled. "Same to you, Wade."
Author's Note: As with the last chapter, at the time of writing this, I don't know what the restaurant that Wade and Ember were in was called. If the canonical name of the restaurant is revealed in a later movie or short, I wrote this before knowing it.