Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with a new update. I was just saying to Shannon that it feels like yesterday I wrote this but it was over a month ago already! She gave me the idea for this following a conversation that we had about our characters. As you probably know by now, Katie (Ash and Misty's eldest daughter) ends up dating Jessie and James' son, Jayden, when she's a bit older, and their other son, Justin, is gay. And he is fully aware of that here but has only told Jazmyn. But he has a few friendly dates with Katie over the summer before he comes out to everyone and when she's struggling with her stutter. The first one is written about here :3 I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own the story and the OCs mentioned :3
The deep purple haired male was trying to concentrate on playing his guitar quietly to himself while sitting on his family sofa in the living room but something was distracting him. He started biting his lip but his guitar playing remained perfect. It remained focused. But that didn't last for long. He bit his lip a second time and exhaled lightly out of his nostrils. And then, all of a sudden, he played the wrong note on his guitar. His finger hit the wrong string. It was barely noticeable to anyone else, but it was noticeable to him. He stopped playing right away and started to focus instead on what his brain was truly itching to study. With a second sigh, he held his guitar by the neck and rested it over his lap. With a third lip bite, his neck craned towards a person sitting on the arm chair across the room from him. With a frown, he studied Katie.
She had been sitting there with him for a good three quarters of an hour at that point, silent. Poor Katie, that's what I thought to myself. Poor Katie, that's what Justin was thinking too. But it wasn't really a pitying situation. She was okay. Really, she was okay.
She had been waiting to spend the afternoon with her beloved lavender haired Uncle and the pair was so ready to do so when the male got a phone call that took up all of his attention. It was an important phone call. It was from the doctor's. It was regarding he and Lynne's new and unborn little child and some further tests that they needed to do on both her and the mother. But it was nothing to worry about. It was fine. And Katie was fine. She was fine with it. She had been kept waiting rather a long time but she didn't mind. In fact, she secretly actually really enjoyed the silence of words and only Justin's soft guitar playing to keep her company.
So that's what they had both been doing. Katie had perched herself on the arm chair in the living room of the Morgan Mansion while she waited for her lavender haired Uncle. Justin had enjoyed a nice long lie in due to no school or work shift that day during the summer break and since waiting, he had got dressed and just sat playing with himself. He had wholly enjoyed that. He always enjoyed his moments with just himself and his guitar. But that day, was different. That day, something took his attention away from his beloved instrument. It was Katie. And even though he tried so hard not to glance over, after a few minutes, he couldn't resist any longer. He wanted to ask her something. But he was afraid of it being out of the blue or it ending in her feeling uncomfortable.
After another few moments of him trying to push his intentions out of his mind and trying to distract himself, he lightly touched the fedora on his head before putting his guitar down for good and resting it against the sofa. And when he glanced over at Katie that time and swallowed, she looked up at him at the same time. Their eyes met. His words that were in his head were soon enough on the tip of his tongue. Then, they came blurting out.
"Do you want to go out for a bit?" he asked her, a frown of shyness taking over his forehead before he forced himself to crease it out, wanting to appear the confident one out of the two. After he was just met with blinks from the orange haired female, he cleared his throat quietly and clarified. He played with his fingers. He kept it casual. "You and me. Do you want to go out for a bit? My Dad could be a little while yet."
Katie's eyes widened even further upon hearing this and she found herself pausing for quite some time. This left a lot of regret in Justin's throat. He hadn't wanted to make her uneasy. It was just an idea. It was something that had never been hinted or mentioned before, but he was only being friendly. Needless to say, the orange haired female didn't feel uncomfortable one bit. She just felt… Surprised. She hadn't expected that from her Uncle's deep purple haired son. She shuffled on the armchair cushions and blinked a few more times. And then she spoke, making the older male feel a little more at ease.
"Go… Out?" she repeated some of his words slowly and shyly, her aquamarine orbs flickering from side to side and becoming laced with even more innocence when the older male nodded his head and offered her a sincere smile. She found herself smiling back but she was still confused. She was used to that from her Uncle, not his son. "Go out? Just us?"
"Yeah." Justin responded to her rather quickly but he was careful enough to not make it too hasty in case she got the wrong idea about him. Instead, he continued nodding and casually went over to the wall to lean his guitar against it properly. He remained talking to her the entire time. He kept up his genuine smile. "Why don't we take a walk into town or something? Don't worry. I'll leave my Dad a note and bring you back home as soon as he's ready for you."
I tilted my head on one side and listened. Part of me was telling myself off for not being slightly baffled and anxious by the interaction that was happening between Justin and Katie. I had come over to the Morgan household to join Katie and James for their movie afternoon, not chaperone her and James' son on an outing! Part of me was telling myself off for not reacting. But the other half of me didn't feel the need to at all.
It was Justin. It was Katie. They had known each other for years. It was friendly. It was innocent. I was certain of it. And besides, both of them had looked a little lost behind the eyes for a good while at that stage. They deserved to have a connection and a little bit of fun together.
I imagined that Katie was having a little bit of internal conflict too and that's why she was, once again, hesitant to answer Justin. She continued blinking her pretty eyes, looking up at him. She also ducked her head in shyness once or twice as well and I understood. Even though she had known him for many many years, his proposal was completely out of the blue. It made her feel strange. It made her feel shy. He was a guy. He was a guy and he was asking her out. That had never happened before. She was used to that from her Uncle.
She was secretly hopeful about it happening with another of the Morgan Clan. But that day, it had happened. It had happened because Justin was asking her. And after a few more seconds of thinking, her trusting side took over. It was Justin. He was being nice. And she was grateful. She couldn't let him think she was anything other than flattered.
"That… That sounds like it could be fun." She responded to him quietly and she chose her words selectively and carefully but that was nothing new. She always did that. And Justin was a lad straight from his father's heart and he was a good one. He was caring. He wasn't very judgemental at all. He didn't overthink her nonchalant words. He was just glad that he hadn't offended her in anyway.
Katie started to sheepishly sit up from the arm chair after smoothing down her pretty summer dress and even though Justin was already standing up, he seemed to brighten up even more that he had received a 'yes' in her own way from the younger female. He grinned at her, showing off his dimple, and quickly and almost clumsily moved over to the kitchen area for a pad and paper to write a note to his father as promised. He moved back over to Katie to write it while she fetched her shoes, still smiling.
"I'm looking forward to this." He told the orange haired female while he hurriedly wrote in messy but eligible words to his father and his mother too, signing his name at the bottom and adding one or two kisses. After putting the lid back on the pen with a click, he turned his head to speak to the orange haired female while she was tying the laces of her shoes. He charmingly rubbed his freshly shaven jawline with his fingers. "I'll get you back as soon as my Dad is ready for you or whenever you want to head back, don't you worry."
Katie nodded her head and smiled upon hearing this and of course, Justin nodding his own fedora wearing hat back and continued smiling himself. But somehow, I smiled more than the pair of them. I sat watching for a few moments before I jumped down from the window sill to join them as they walked down the hall. But even though I followed, my brain remained thinking. Even though I was right behind them, my mind was still focusing on Justin's previous words. I smiled more to myself.
I liked how casual and friendly and genuine he was with everybody but I especially liked how he was that way with Katie. The truth was, she had been having a hard time since she stopped her Pokémon Journey before her Uncle's new baby was due in the fall. When she was out in the massive world with her Pokémon and her brother at her side, she wasn't thinking. She wasn't overthinking. She wasn't overthinking about her stutter.
She was glad to be home and she was glad to be around everyone again but somehow being back around familiar faces made it harder for her to forget what she viewed as a "flaw". She somehow thrived in meeting new people for the first time with a stutter and them not knowing her without it. So since returning home, she had been having a bit of a hard time.
But Justin didn't care. Of course he did care and he wanted her to be content. But he didn't make too many great efforts to cheer her up and make her feel better about it. He knew that it was mostly up to her and she would have other people around to lift her spirits if she needed them. First and foremost, he was just going to be himself with her. And that's exactly what she needed. And truthfully, that's what Justin needed as well. Because he was going through inner conflicts and confusion as well.
The two continued making small talk with one and other while they walked along the halls of the Morgan Mansion before exiting out of it and heading down towards the quiet town. I followed along, keeping my pace brisk and almost hopping from the heat of the summer Kanto sun on the concrete. Justin had his hat to shield himself from the beaming light but he still held his hand up to protect his eyes as well while squinting. That made Katie laugh. She really laughed. Her own dimples showed and her shoulders shook while she giggled. She couldn't help but comment.
"Mind you d-don't catch f-fire." She warned him teasingly and even gave him a light nudge, continuing to walk down the road with him. She continued giggling, at her own words and his reaction to the summer heat, for once, not beating herself up over stuttering once or twice. That made my walking pace even friskier. "M-Maybe you should s-swap a guitar for open curtains once in a while."
During the whole walk down to the little town, Justin had been smiling to himself, very pleased and very relieved that Katie hadn't been offended by the idea of alone time between the two of them. But when he heard her giggling and her teasing him - that made him smile even more. He pretended to gasp and shake his head, offended. Soon enough, he own shoulders shook. They laughed together.
"Hey! You're the one with all that long red hair and pale skin." He commented and gave her the same light nudge that she had given him earlier on in their little walk. After she looked up at him and just smirked at her own comments, he shook his head and folded his arms over his slim chest. "In fact, you're the one who probably needs this more than I do. So here."
I looked up and watched as Justin stopped folding his arms over his slim frame and took his hat off his head and plonked it on her head. She gasped at his actions and then she burst into even more shy giggles when, as soon as it was on her head, it fell down over her nose. It was so big for her! Justin laughed even more. Together, they laughed even more. And I did too. That was really what both of them needed.
Needless to say, following their amusing comments and actions together, the conversation was flowing between those two and even though Katie was stuttering, it was invisible to Justin. And it was almost invisible to the orange haired female as well for once. That was the most astounding thing. That was the most pleasing thing. They continued teasing and one and other even as they walked into the town.
After a few moments of quiet and all their talking and their laughter dying down and the sun going in, Justin took the hat that was swamping Katie's head and put it back on his own. She continued looking up at him and she smiled but she didn't say anything. Justin stopped. He put his hands on his hips. He thought to himself. For the first time that day, his overthinking part of his brain was starting to take over. Katie tried not to study him as he scratched his forehead.
He had wanted to take the orange haired female out, just the two of them, he knew that much. But the truth was he hadn't expected her to say yes so when they were standing in the centre of the town and by the clock, he hadn't really a clue where to take her. He was suddenly secretly worrying to himself.
Was his Dad going to be mad that he had whisked Katie away when they were meant to have time together? Even more importantly, were her parents going to be furious that he had taken her out for some alone time. He had seen how protective Ash was of Jayden with Katie, even when they were small children. Surely he was going to react the same way and even worse that he had taken his little girl out? Oh man. He really was starting to panic.
But like how it often worked out between people in our group and between people beyond that, a balance was restored. Peace happened. There had to be some sort of rule in the universe where (most of the time) only one person in a pair was meant to worry at a time. Justin was secretly worried. So Katie saved the day when she wasn't. For once, she wasn't the slightest bit worried. She was mildly shy but that didn't deter her.
She continued looking up at Justin and after seeing so much of her beloved Uncle in him, she gave him a light poke to get his attention. When he looked down at her, she nodded her head in the direction of one particular building. She then used her pointing finger that she had used on him to point to the direction in mind. She spoke sheepishly but calmly.
"That looks fun." She told Justin and before she could stop herself, she took hold of his wrist and started tugging him in the direction of where she had previously pointed. The deep purple haired male was still recovering from his bout of nervousness and didn't respond to her words or actions for a few seconds. She almost had to drag him for a bit. She didn't seem to mind. "L-Let's go there."
It was her second words that snapped him out of his thoughts and soon enough, he was walking along beside her instead of her having to drag him along. She kept her hand around his wrist for a few more seconds before she dropped it and went on ahead. This is what snapped him out of it for good. His head snapped towards the building before tilting on one side.
An arcade. It was an arcade. He hadn't expected that from her. The noise that was coming from inside. The harsh lights. The smell of food. But soon enough, he shrugged. Ketchum's were full of surprises. Red heads were full of surprises. Red headed Ketchum's were most certainly full of surprises. But like how he did with most things in life, he went along with it.
The smile on his face soon came back. He nodded his head. He almost couldn't believe his luck. He had worried about her turning him down and that was shut down when she agreed to going out with him. He had started to be concerned about where he was going to take her when that faded away after she suggested something herself. He couldn't believe his luck. And on top of that, he was proud seeing her coming out of her shell.
"Sounds good to me." He told Katie with a smile and he couldn't stop himself from quickening his pace to catch up with her, his hand moving to touch her shoulder lightly when he did so. He smiled at her even more, almost scrunching his nose up. He continued earnestly. "That sounds great to me."
Justin said those words to Katie right as together they both stepped inside the entrance of the arcade. I followed close behind them. That's when things started to change once again. That's when things started to change. As a group, we had a little bit of a déjà vu. I pointed out before that (most of the time) only one person in a pair could worry at a time. And seeing as Justin had perked up and his worries had faded away and he was smiling once again, it was Katie's turn to feel a knot in her stomach.
Like the deep purple haired male had been doing before her, she started to feel very anxious. She started to feel very hot. She suddenly was very aware and very self-conscious over what she was doing. What was she doing? She was about to hang out with someone else when she was meant to be with her Uncle. Granted, it was Justin and he was James' son and he was basically family but still. She had a sudden nervousness about it. She suddenly felt very guilty. Her mind was about to flicker to a lavender and magenta haired male that was very close to them both when she was stopped. Katie was stopped. Justin stopped Katie's whirring thoughts.
He placed an innocent and gentle hand on the back of her head and looked down at her past his shoulder. He gave her a smile. He looked at her with caring eyes. He had sensed her hesitance and after seeing her face, he could feel her nervousness. He felt very protective. Katie could feel his gaze looking at her and even though it was kind, she felt almost defensive. She felt the need to shake it off. So she did so. She shook her head. She tried to smile. Then she opened her mouth to say something casual – or perhaps make a bit of a joke about her hesitance. But she couldn't. Her chin started to tremble and she knew that if she spoke, she was going to stutter.
She didn't mind too much in front of her family. She minded even less in front of her Uncle James. She was starting to care less and less in front of Justin. But it wasn't just those two anymore. It was, and it wasn't. They were in a public place. Other people could potentially hear her. That was something that she hadn't considered when Justin had asked her out.
All of a sudden, she felt very frightened and overwhelmed. She felt very frightened indeed. I had to stop myself from swallowing the lump in my throat at her out of depth expression and jumping on her shoulder. I was stopped. I stopped myself. But Justin also did something before I could.
Katie was almost looking at him with helpless eyes. She had to stop herself from gripping onto his wrist once again. But thankfully, only one of them was panicking at a time. At that point, Justin was most certainly not panicking. He smiled at Katie and kept his hand on the back of her head for a moment longer. He nodded his own head encouragingly before pointing to a quiet corner.
"Why don't you cover there and get used to this place while I get us two drinks? Then if your mind is still changed when I get back, we can leave. Sound good?"
I blinked. I blinked and I listened but then I couldn't help but smile. The deep purple haired male knew that the orange haired female felt out of her comfort zone and most likely wanted to leave right away. But he couldn't stop himself from testing her. Not in a malicious way of course, far from it. He just didn't want to see her give up. He wanted her to see for herself that she was capable than more than she believed.
Katie just blinked at first. It was apparent that Justin assumed her nervousness had come from the hustle and bustle of the place and all the sounds and smells but that wasn't the truth. She knew the truth. And I knew the truth. But it somehow made it easier that he had got it wrong. Not everybody knew everything about her and her difficulties like she assumed they did. And what made it even easier for her not to want to leave right away and try something new was Justin's kindness. He was so kind. He really was kind. And it was a pity that he didn't always act that way to himself.
Following a few moments of not responding, the orange haired eldest Ketchum finally nodded her head and lightly squeezed Justin's hand after he squeezed her shoulder and went over to the quiet corner that he had previously pointed to. I of course followed. I stuck right by her but I still gave her space. I didn't look over my shoulder as Justin headed to another area of the building to fetch their drinks like he said I would. My focus remained on Katie. And I couldn't stop myself from feeling vast pride for her.
I smiled to myself but I didn't do it too openly in case she noticed and got defensive once again. But it was true that my heart was thumping with love and pride for her. I had missed her. When she was on her Pokémon Journey with her twin brother, I had missed her so much. I had enjoyed all of her tales and her triumphs but I seemed to understand them and appreciate them even more when I had a moment to gaze upon her face. I saw everything that she had been through on her face. I saw everything that she was going to accomplish in her eyes. I saw it all. I saw every win and I saw every loss. And my heart was filled with pride. I knew that she would do it. I knew that she would hold her head up high and be herself to the world with not a single regret. And I knew that Justin would do that too.
I wish that I had had more time to study her and enjoy the love that I felt for her but what felt like after only a few seconds, Justin returned and with drinks in his hands. And like I had been doing while he was going, he took a couple of moments to squint and study Katie. He wanted to judge whether he needed to make use of their drinks being in takeaway cups and leave with her right away. But as soon as she looked up and met his eyes and smiled bravely, he knew that that wasn't the case. And he was glad that that wasn't the case. Not even for him. He was glad for her. He was wholly glad for her.
He smiled contentedly at her when she looked up at him and he didn't hesitate to slide round on the circular table and sofa to sit down next to her. He kept his own drink in his hand that he had already taken a few sips from before sliding Katie's order across the table towards her. She played with the straw as soon as she took hold of it. Justin did too. The orange haired female smiled. She was feeling much better since her little wobble of anxiety. But because she was slightly drained from it, she didn't feel like talking all that much. She felt like talking less than she had done up to their point on their little get-together. But that was okay. She still showed her gratitude towards the older male.
"Slurpee's." She commented simply as she used her straw to stir the ice mixture in her plastic cup for a few more seconds before she took a sip. After recovering from the brain freeze and Justin laughing gently at her, she continued. She smiled at him. "Like your Dad."
Straight away, the eldest Morgan son understood that Katie probably wanted to have less conversation since they were in public and after she spoke simply, he accepted that. He knew exactly how she felt. He understood exactly how he felt. And he knew just what she was getting at. He smiled at her even more and nodded his head, replying to her after taking a few sips of his own drink. His own nose scrunched up at the coldness of it.
"Uh huh." He mumbled at first to give himself a few moments to recover from the sweet and icy treat before giving her another shy grin, showing off his dimple. He took his fedora hat off his head and placed it on the table. I had to move just a fraction so I could still see what was going on between those two. "They take me back. They remind me of summers when I was really little and my Dad would just order dozens of them and store them in the freezer for us. They were good memories. And to this day, neither of us can resist one of these things."
I had been watching closely and almost suspiciously as I felt a protective and Ash-like side taking over after my view had been temporarily blocked by Justin's hat. But upon hearing his words, I soon got over that fact. I found myself smiling to myself and nodding my head instead. And then I looked at Katie. Her eyes flickered. They flickered with momentary happiness. They flickered with contentment. She enjoyed hearing stories about her Uncle so much. She nodded her head. She had remembered that about him as well. She smiled. But like how Justin had found his thoughts and his gaze wandering to her when he was playing his guitar, her mind started to wander as well.
The long haired male had been in the middle of telling Katie another story and memory of their dear Father and Uncle when he trailed off upon seeing her gaze flicker. He could sense that she was thinking of something else. He could feel that she was thinking of perhaps more important things than his story. She knew that he had noticed. She ducked her head apologetically and tried to give him a look to continue. But Justin just smiled at her. And she knew it was okay. Whatever she wanted and whatever she felt was okay.
She tried to ignore it. She really had. She didn't really know how to act when a guy asked a girl out on what was a friendly date but she was certain that they didn't bring up what she was about to talk about. But she couldn't stop herself. She had secretly been observing Justin for a while, long before he had asked her out.
Since she started speaking less and less because of her stammer, it gave her more of a chance to sit back and observe. And while watching, she had noticed the confusion and the loss in Justin's eyes for a good few months. He had always intrigued her. Of course he had, he was a chip off the old Morgan block. She spent way more time with his brother and felt a lot closer to him and that was potentially a good thing. Because she didn't know Justin all that well despite the connection between them, she could almost see him clearer than ever.
She could see he was constantly mulling over something. She could see that he was hiding something. She didn't have a clue what and didn't like to dig too deep. That was for him and only him. But she found him very interesting. Some days, she had noticed, he was very moody and very uncertain. Then others, he was so very creative and so very perky. He changed day to day. And that didn't worry her. That interested her. She was comforted by someone acting how she felt inside.
She tried to stop herself but soon enough, she couldn't any longer. She took a few more sips of the slush puppy that he had bought for her and stirred it with her straw before she spoke to him. Her eyes locked onto him but despite their intensity, they were very soft and very gentle.
"A-Are you ups-set that things didn't work out with your girlf-friend, Justin?" Katie asked the older male quietly and respectfully but full of intrigue. But despite her approach and despite her gentleness, Justin was still greatly surprised by her words. You could tell.
He had been holding onto his straw and stirring the ice in the bottom of the cup like Katie had been doing when, upon hearing her words, he dropped it. His eyes widened a fraction, showing the whites around his teal orbs mixed with green. He managed to stop his mouth from falling open. He didn't say anything. And that caused Katie to suddenly worry that she had done something to make him uneasy.
"I'm sorry." She quickly told him and ducked her head and almost blushed, squinting at him. Even though she was slightly regretful of her words, she bravely looked at him. She squinted. She swallowed. She wanted to apologise for her words further but she didn't have time. She didn't have time to pause and gather her words before she spoke and stuttered. Justin answered her.
Even though he wanted to, he didn't reassure her that her words were okay. Him going along with the subject was proof that he wasn't offended. And even though he wanted to as well, he didn't take obvious time to ponder Katie's words and how she just came out with them. She had just come out with them. What was on her mind, she had just come out with. He almost wished that he could do that.
Part of him couldn't believe that she had said them. He felt like lots of people wanted to ask but they didn't want to bring it up in case he had already forgotten. But Katie wasn't like that. She got her straight-forward and blunt side from her Williams' blood. And not only did Justin admire that, but he respected it as well. So he answered her.
"I… Yeah, of course I'm disappointed that things didn't work out, Katie." Justin answered and that time he was the one out of the two of them to stammer. But Katie barely noticed. She was relieved when he replied and she was reassured when he said her name in the conversation. She felt like her question really was okay.
The deep purple haired male's eyes flickered as he thought to himself but he soon answered truthfully. He found it very easy to do so. "I mean, I had it all. I was so young but I had it all. I'm not sure I'll ever get that again. Actually I'm definitely sure I'll never feel that again. A good part of me is upset that I had to give up. But I've seen plenty of relationships and know some stuff. If it's meant to work out, then it will. If two people are meant to be together, then there's nothing that can stop them from being together. So I guess it just wasn't meant to be."
I couldn't stop myself from smiling sadly upon hearing this. Looking back, his words were filled with lots of hidden clues and notices and Katie noticed them all. Katie noticed them all. I didn't. While I was smiling sympathetically and taking note of the deep purple male's maturity, the orange haired female was frowning. She had noticed that about Justin since she had been quieter and it was the same thing she had noticed in her Uncle years before – what they said was very important, but what they didn't say was even more so.
And that day and that moment, Justin didn't say an awful lot. But to Katie, it was like he was saying a whole lot. She understood without being told. She knew without really knowing. Her feeling of uneasiness started to fade away when it was Justin's brain to flicker thoughtfully at his own answer. But then he too had important things to say. Really important things. He tried to push them away for a bit but he figured that it had worked out before so, soon enough, he just went for it.
After he had a few more slurps of his red coloured slush puppy and Katie swallowed some icy mouthfuls of her blue one, Justin's eyes locked on her. And they had the same intensity but kindness and acceptance that her Uncle's had. Both of them made her feel very visible.
"You know, Katie…" he began and he found himself hesitating but after doing that, he frowned at himself. He didn't want himself to hesitate about hesitating. So he tried going for it again. And eventually, words slipped out that had been on his mind about her for a good while. "Your stammer is okay, you know that? It's fine, it doesn't matter, you-"
Upon hearing this, Katie felt a knot in her stomach. She started to frown but, soon enough, she stopped herself. And soon enough also, she forced that knot in her stomach to go. She shook her head – not at herself or at Justin – just at the conversation. She wanted it to go away. She didn't want to hear it. She knew that he was being kind but she just wasn't ready to hear it. She was only twelve years old. Her moments of acceptance would come. But it wasn't there. It wasn't then. She changed the subject. She found it easy to. She spoke another thing that had been on her mind.
"W-Why did you ask me out? H-Here? T-Today?" she asked Justin and as soon as she asked the words, he blinked. He hadn't even had the time to feel guilty that he had started speaking words she wasn't ready for because he knew it was okay. She had moved past them gracefully and maturely so he knew that he didn't need to linger on them. So instead, he lingered on blinking. He blinked a few more times while Katie continued. "It was out of the blue."
The orange haired female breathed out when she said a sentence without stammering and Justin did too. But it wasn't because he had noticed. It wasn't because he was proud, even though he definitely would have been like I was. Justin wanted to answer Katie. Justin wanted to answer Katie and he wanted to tell her the truth. But he was worried that the truth wouldn't be good enough for her.
She was a romantic soul like her mother. She liked elaborate things and great stories. He thought that the truth wouldn't be good enough for her. But after a short time, he figured that it would just have to be good enough. Justin shrugged.
"Even I'm not really that sure, Katie." He told her and his genuine teal orbs mixed with green latched onto hers and he didn't look away from her. He gave her a half-smile. It was filled with somewhat shyness. He breathed out Katie. "I felt like I wanted to take you out. To get to know you. Sat on that sofa, I felt like I wanted to ask you. So I did. I know that you would have probably preferred if it was Jayden."
The orange haired female's eyes had been looking into Justin's too as he gave her an answer but they really intensified on his at his latest comment. She didn't even try to stop herself. Her nostrils flared lightly upon hearing his words and her eyes widened. For the second time that session, Justin had said something to her that didn't sit well with her.
But she did something that proved she really was maturing into a young little woman. She pushed past it. Though she blushed defensively, she pushed past it. After sticking her nose in the air, she focused on his previous words.
His words were not elaborate. His words were not romantic. But his words were genuine. His words were the truth. She was a little annoyed at him for bringing his little brother into the conversation like lots of people often did but she moved past it. She moved past that. But she couldn't move past something else.
One thing that they both clearly had in common was having thoughts popping into their minds and finding it hard not to act on them and not to come out and speak them. A thought popped into Katie's mind. And because Justin had said the wrong thing twice that day, she decided to go for it. Even if it was wrong of her, it would have meant they were even.
"I-I'm glad that you asked me." She found herself telling the deep purple haired male and even though he was slightly wary since he knew that he almost made it into her bad books, he smiled at her, his dimple appearing once again. She resisted the urge to smile back at him with a shy nose scrunch. She didn't want to lose courage. "B-But Justin… Justin… Is this a date?"
It was my turn to feel my eyes widen. I felt myself threatening to choke even though I hadn't had a drink like those two had had. My eyes widened even further as that protective side of mine threatened to come back. I had viewed it as friendly. I had viewed it as innocent. I was certain that it was exactly that. But Katie coming out and asking made me wonder whether she hoped that it was. I tried to quieten my thoughts up. She was only twelve years old. Even if she did hope that it was a date, it didn't necessarily mean anything. I made myself feel better. I made myself feel even better by making myself have faith in Justin. I was certain that he was going to lightly let Katie down. I was wrong. I was very wrong.
He was surprised by her coming out and asking him that but soon enough, he wasn't so much. He remained quiet for a few moments. He scratched his nose and just smiled at her. He then squinted. Since finishing his drink, he folded his arms back up casually and rested them over his slim chest. He finally answered her, smiling and his dimple decorating his cheek. He thought about asking her how she felt about it but he decided against it. He wanted the truth. So he gave it to her. If she didn't agree with him and thought it was something more, then that was up to her. If they weren't on the same page, that was okay. That was more than okay. They had had fun in each other's company. Them spending some proper time together was a long time coming.
"You know what? I guess it was. I guess it was a date. One between people who have known each other forever. But I hope that that's okay with you, Katie. I hope that that's okay with you." Justin told the orange haired female with such sincerity and casualness that even I found myself relenting a little bit. But I knew that I had to be slightly weary for loyalty towards my best friend's sakes. I knew that he was wary about Jayden. I didn't know how I was going to break it to him that he had to be wary about Justin too!
I responded successfully to Justin's kind nature so needless to say, Katie did too. She blushed and ducked her head for a second but apart from that, that was it. I knew that it would hit her later. I knew that the realisation that she had got to know Justin like she always hoped that she would, would hit her later on. Or maybe it wouldn't. That was the fun thing about it.
She could feel the deep purple haired older male smiling at her and she wanted to smile back so she did. She then scrunched her nose up and stood up. She pushed her empty cup gratefully towards the centre of the table and stood up. She looked down at Justin and was soon looking up at him when he copied her actions. Her fingers moved to play with her side plait.
"Is it okay if we got back now? I-I've had fun but your D-Dad is probably waiting for me." Katie told Justin and right away he moved around from his side of the table and I obliged. I hopped down from my seat. I couldn't help but tilt my head. If I knew James as well as I believed I did, then I imagined that James would have been ready for her but purposely not text, respecting that they were having time together. I would have to tell Ash about that too!
Justin knew that Katie was ready to leave as soon as she stood up on the table so when she made it clear with words, he didn't hesitate to go along with her. In that moment, he was proud that she had stayed talking to him. And in that moment also, he told her this in his own way.
"That sounds great to me, Katie." He told her and as the two of them walked out together, he grabbed her hand and held it. Even though she had grabbed hold of his wrist earlier in the day, it still shocked Katie with the gesture being returned. She still couldn't quite believe she had been asked out by James' son. She had held hands with many of the Morgan's before but never in her knowledge had she held Justin's. But it didn't feel bad. It felt good. In fact, it felt comforting. And she knew that she had found a new friend.
Together, they both started walking towards the centre of the town to head back to the Morgan Mansion where they had both come from. I was left following after them and even though I was following quickly behind them in my own pace, I felt very separate from them both. I tilted my head on one side as I trotted. I really had to tell Ash about it all. When the time was right, that is.
Even though I was just a few paces behind them, I felt very separate indeed. And that gave me time to think while they both wandered towards the clock tower. He was quite a bit older than her. She was quite a bit younger than him. She was so strong yet shy. He was so confident yet uncertain. They were an unlikely match. They were an unlikely pair. It didn't make much sense to me. I was confused. But my confusion didn't last long.
As they made it to the clock tower, Justin found himself dawdling in the exact same way that he had done on the way down and when he was worrying about so many things. For once, Katie barely noticed at first, but she did when he let go of her hand. She blinked. She looked up at Justin. Her hand felt empty. But then her mind didn't. When he gave her a smile, he knew that his words to her were not over. When he looked down at her, she knew that their moment wasn't over. And she was right.
"I had a nice time today, Katie." Justin told her with a shy smile and he took off his fedora to talk to her to show his sincerity. He smiled at her. He squinted at her. He moved closer to her. He ran his fingers briefly through his long locks before continuing to her. "I had a really nice time with you."
And with that, Justin leaned further forward and he planted a quick but genuine kiss on Katie's forehead, causing her eyes to widen and then flicker and almost water when their eyes met after he pulled away. I was gobsmacked. It hadn't been the worst thing but it hadn't been what I was expecting. It hadn't been what Katie was expecting either.
But for once, she didn't get too shy about it. She didn't get too flustered. She didn't overthink it. Justin didn't smile at her. He just looked at her. He nodded his head, only just a fraction. But Katie seemed to understand. It was like they had spoken without speaking. And Katie understood without being spoken too.
She held her breath for just a fraction, but then she let it go with a sigh. She openly nodded her head. And then she smiled and took back hold of Justin's hand. Katie walked him home, with her head held high. Justin smiled to himself and put his hand in his pocket. He had told someone without really telling anyone.
And it was then after that little interaction that all of my worries and concerns over Katie and my loyalty to Ash faded away. I figured it out. Or so I thought I figured out what their little nod and smile had meant. I was partially right but I was partially wrong. But the most important thing for now is that I was somewhat right.
Justin and Katie understood each other; that's what their little nod was about. Though they didn't completely understand what each other went through on a daily basis, they acknowledged it within each other. And when Justin kissed Katie's forehead, he told her that she could do anything and that she could always come to him, if she needed to. And when Katie grabbed hold of Justin's hand, she told him that she understood all of the things that he didn't say.
She understood that there were days where he woke up feeling lost. She understood that there were days when he felt so very confused. She understood that there were days when he felt brave and was ready to tell someone and then that faded away. She understood. And she felt exactly the same way but in her own way. She understood all that about Justin and she felt the same way too. And on top of all that and even after all of their conversations and understanding of each other, Justin still wanted to hang out a second time. And guess what? Katie understood that as well. And she felt the same way.
The End.
There you go! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy :3 I have to say I'm a little nervous about this story. Justin and Katie's few dates are definitely innocent and not romantic so I don't want it coming across in ways that it's not meant to be intended. They're both family friends to each other and have known each other forever. James is very protective of Katie so if he needed to worry then he would. But he isn't worried :P I like the idea of Justin and Katie having a friendship. After she ends up properly dating Jayden, she and Justin will get to spend more time together and understand more about each other through Jayden. Their bond is definitely an almost kinship by both going through things that make them anxious about being perceived. And then of course, they cut their hair off together at the same time and I wrote about that a while ago now. So they have some experiences together! Thanks again and I will be back next Wednesday so see you then :3
AmyBieberKetchum signing out!