The spaces between my fingers Who: Aaron and Alanna When: 7:00 p.m. Where: Restaurant and drive-in
Getting dressed for a date. Getting dressed for a date with Aaron. That was one of those things Alanna knew most girls got really excited about. Her? She had needed to text every one of her girlfriends and ask what she was supposed to wear. A nice top had been easy to agree on for everyone, but choosing between jeans and a skirt had been an entirely different matter... luckily, Alanna had managed to make the choice and she was sure that she looked pretty good. Good enough that Aaron would not change his mind and run away the second she answered the buzzer. Oh no, that would not be right, making him hit the buzzer and wait while she came down... stealing a glance at the clock, Alanna saw that she had five minutes. Lacing her Converse up - no, she saw nothing wrong with wearing those on a date, especially not since it was her first date ever and she was allowed to make mistakes if anyone ever was - she rearranged her hairband and darted out the door.
Toying with her gloves, Alanna settled down on the bench just outside the Court's main entrance to wait. The skirt was a little uncomfortable, she had not worn one for years, but Ariana had thought it was a good idea and surely even a fellow clairsentinent - you're a former, genius, do you really have to keep reminding yourself about it? Things will be so much easier tonight if I can just forget it... yeah right - had a better idea of what to wear on a date than someone like Alanna. Hopefully Aaron would like it. She knew at least that much, it was important to look good.
Aaron, too, was worried about what to wear. He decided to go with khaki pants and a hunter green polo shirt. That way if Alanna wore jeans, he wouldn't be too dressy and if she wore a skirt or dress, he'd fit in too. Alanna... never did I even think of the day that we'd be going on a date... It was a dream come true for him, he'd crushed on he for such a long time. He couldn't help but be cheerful as he drove to pick up Alanna.
When he saw her sitting on a bench outside her apartment complex's entrance, his eyebrows drew together in concern. He parked on the curb and hopped out to go over to her. "Hey there! I would have come in and gotten you - you didn't have to wait outside for me." He grinned at Alanna, his eyes crinkling on the sides. "You ready to go?"
Looking up when she heard the car, Alanna could not help but smile back when Aaron hopped out. "Well, yeah of course you would, but I thought it'd be easier this way," she explained, unable to fiddle with her hair like she wanted to thanks to the headband. Instead she stood up and nodded. "Yep, ready to go!" On a date. With Aaron. "Hey look, green and green, we match." She laughed and shook her head, a little surprised that she was so remarkably calm. Probably because she had not quite accepted the fact that she was on a date, not just going out somewhere as friends.
Nope, this was definitely a date as far as Aaron was concerned. "You look beautiful," he told her, his eyes lingering on her bare legs. He didn't think he'd seen her in a skirt until then. She'd looked gorgeous in her prom dress, but that was ages ago. Ever the gentleman, Aaron opened the car door for her and even offered her his hand if she needed help climbing in. Getting a glance of her green converse shoes, he chuckled, "The shoes are great." Only she would wear converse tennis shoes on a date and he loved it... it was her through and through and it made him happy that she was comfortable enough around him to be herself. What he wasn't happy about were the gloves she was wearing. He was used to them, of course, but he'd hoped after the lunch in his office that she might not mind touching him quite so much. But, he knew she had a lifetimes practice at avoiding touching and it would take a while for that habit to break.
Once she was in the car, he hurried around to his side to get in. He eased out into traffic carefully, fully aware of the precious cargo he was carrying. "Did you have a good day today?"
Beautiful? Oh look, I did it right! And he did not even mind the shoes, which was good because Alanna had had no intention of wearing some uncomfortable shoe just because it happened to look good. "Glad you like them, your shirt's a really nice color," the redhead remarked as she slid into the car, rearranging the skirt carefully before fastening the seatbelt. She was also glad that there was no remark on her gloves. They were more a habit than anything else, but a tiny part of her admitted that she had pulled them on because it would make it that much easier if Aaron tried to hold her hand or something. Alanna did not want to flinch away from him again and she knew he was naturally touchy so it made sense, to her, to take precautions.
"Oh, yeah!" Alanna replied with a bright smile. "A guy I met at the library the other day came by to get his teeth checked out. He's a were. And after work I stopped by the electronics store to see if I could find a better cover for my iPod and had a chat with one of the cashiers." So long as people did not give her a fright upon first meeting, Alanna was probably too willing to talk to them for her own good.
Alanna needn't have worried - Aaron wasn't going to touch her unless she initiated the touch or unless he asked ahead of time. He'd learned his lesson from the last time. Even though he wanted to feel her hand in his, he would be patient and wait until she was more comfortable with everything before trying to push his luck.
"Thanks," Aaron blushed at her compliment. He thought it turned out pretty cute that they ended up matching.
As she detailed her day, Aaron couldn't help but feel the smallest pang of jealousy as she talked about the guys she was meeting. Even though he had no rights or claims to her, he wanted her all to himself. "Did you find a cover?" If she didn't, he was going to make a mental note to pick up one for her as a surprise. It was how he rolled.
Had she made Aaron blush? That was a nice way to start off a date and the redhead had an almost smug smile on her face. People had made her blush throughout her entire life - though usually for completely different reasons - so it was very nice to find out that she could do the same. "Oh, yeah!" She reached into her small purse and pulled out the iPod that she was never without to show it off. "I thought about just getting a new one but that'd be way too expensive right now and it's not like there's anything wrong with this one." It was just possessed by a ghost. Now that sounded like something a crazy person would say. "It just got a little bit possessed by Josette the other day when I was out for my jog, that's all."
"Do what now?" Aaron wasn't quite sure he'd heard her correctly. "So your iPod, is possessed by a ghost?" Now he prided himself on his openmindedness but this was a little much for him to process while driving. Her iPod was possessed? Seriously now?
"Uhhh, no," Alanna shook her head. If Josette had decided to stay in her iPod, Alanna probably would have thrown it away because that was just weird. "It was possessed for a bit, because Josette was lonely and wanted someone to talk to. She saw me jogging by and decided that I was a good choice. Once I, you know, stopped freaking out." That had taken a bit of time but once she had remembered to breathe, Alanna had found that chatting with Josette actually was not so bad. "I know it's weird, but, well... we exist don't we? Not that big a stretch to imagine ghosts hanging around too sometimes." After all, mediums existed too, right? They had to have some sort of a purpose.
"A lonely ghost. Uh huh." Aaron kept his voice even but the corners of his mouth were twitching up in a grin. She was just too cute. "Have you ever met anyone you wouldn't talk to or befriend?" It was an endearing trait, one he really appreciated. She almost never met a stranger and put everyone at ease with her personality and chattiness.
Alanna honestly put some thought into that question. "Yes," she remarked after a moment, nodding her head. "If someone scares me then I won't talk to them. Or I'll try... not..." Oh, right, she had sat right down for a conversation with Liza in the bookstore the other day and she was a were-wolf. Predator if ever there was one. And she had not even managed to stay scared of the vampire, Gideon, once she realized he was no real threat to her. Her smile was a little embarrassed. For someone so skittish she sure talked to a lot of people. "I guess not, I just like talking and if people listen then I don't see much of a problem with it. You never mind when I carry on." And oh, had Aaron ever heard her go on when she was hanging out at his and Jamie's house during school.
"It's really cute," Aaron said giving her a reassuring smile. "And yeah, I have the scared thing too - must be a chipmunk trait." It was a quirk of his and one his friends in school used to love to make fun of. They'd sneak up on him in the locker room or showers and scare the living shit out of him, just to see him run away. He knew Jamie was equally as skittish so he deduced that it must be a chipmunk thing.
Chipmunk trait... that was true, Alanna had been skittish before the change but that had been due to her fear of being touched. Now she was skittish because it seemed like a good idea, and completely natural. At least it was nice to have that in common with a few other people. "Well, we'll both run away together when the waiter drops the tray and spooks us then," Alanna grinned. "Speaking of which, I've completely forgotten where we're going because I was so excited." Of course she would find out shortly, but sooner was better for her.
Aaron chuckled, "Let's hope that doesn't happen." He didn't want anything to ruin their first date...you could never redo a first date, so it was important that it was perfect, or at least as perfect as possible. "We're going to an Italian place and then to a drive in." He turned his face to grin at her. "I'm glad you're as excited as I am. I haven't been on a date in so long." Usually his dates sucked because they were just superficial girls who liked him because of his looks. Not Alanna though - they had history and he knew that she was a genuinely nice person.
Oh, right, Italian. That was always a good choice. "You think you haven't been on a date in a long time?" Alanna asked with a laugh, shaking her head. "I've never been on a date, which I'm actually happy about because it means that you're my first and..." Her voice trailed off as she realized what she had said, a little embarrassed. Of course it was no secret that she had not dated anyone, but it was still weird to actually say it when she was on a date. With Aaron. Who had definitely gone on a lot, all she had to do was look at him to know why. Though really... Alanna realized she had not done that in a long time. Huh, he is pretty handsome. She was quite grateful for the distraction of their arrival. "Oh, I've never been here! Heard they're pretty good."
Aaron parked and went around to her side to open the door. "It's one of my favorite Italian places," he confessed. It was an intimate restaurant without being too fancy so he felt comfortable there.
Once she was out of the car, Aaron leaned close to her, not touching her, but his lips were close to her ear. "I like that I'm your first date. I hope that it's a good one." He resisted the urge to kiss her temple before moving away and walking inside with her. "Reservation for Drake, please." The were led to their table, which was nice and tucked away, which was the intimate setting that he'd asked for. Aaron held out Alanna's chair for her before taking his own seat.
Hopefully no one considered Alanna to be under-dressed with the shoes she had pulled on, but so long as Aaron did not mind... which he clearly didn't, it was fine. And then Aaron was whispering against her ear, sending a little shiver right down to the tips of her toes and the redhead felt herself blushing a little when they walked into the restaurant. "Thank you," she murmured as Aaron pulled out her chair. "You're such a gentleman." Giving him a smile, she let her gloved fingers brush over his hand before reaching for the menu, eyes flicking over it carefully. "Anything to recommend since it's one of your favorite places or is everything pretty good?"
She had touched him willingly! Granted, she had on gloves, so he wasn't so sure that counted, but she'd actually reached out and touched him! Aaron gave her a broad smile before looking over his own menu. "I usually get the Chicken Parmesan which is amazing. Their pastas are really good as they make the pasta and sauce fresh in house daily." With his meal selection settled on he put the menu down and gazed at her. "Do you want any wine to drink?" He wasn't exactly sure what her policy on drinking was...he, himself, wasn't much of a drinker, but he liked a glass of wine with Italian for some reason.
Alanna was caught up in the menu - oooh, fettuccine alfredo! - and it took a moment for her to register Aaron's question. "Wine? Sure I could have a glass, but only if I get some pop too because I'm a bit of a lightweight and any more than just one glass and I'll end up stumbling and not all that much fun for a movie." She had gotten drunk once during her college years and it had not been pretty, as Jamie would attest to, having been the one there to brush her hair back out of her face. When the waiter returned she placed her order, having been a fan of doing it ever since her mother had determined she was old enough to not mess it up, and toyed around with her silverware a little. "You still haven't told me about your day," she informed Aaron, "Fair is fair since I told you about mine."
"Don't worry, I stop at one glass as well...besides, I'm driving, so I really can't have more than that." He ordered a nice white wine and placed his order as well. The waiter returned shortly with their pop and wine, along with a basket of bread.
"My day? I didn't really do a whole lot really. I ate lunch with some of my kids and worked on some activities that are coming up later in the summer. You should come with us sometime - we go bowling and different stuff. It might be fun." Aaron loved hanging out with his youth. He loved it even more when they started warming up to him and considering him someone they could confide in. He worked hard at being a positive influence on their lives because being a teenager these days was tough. A lot of them didn't have good parental support, so he tried to be a good role model for them.
Having not expected much else out of Aaron, Alanna was nonetheless pleased that he did not seem to be a fan of drinking a lot. She had friends who did, sure, but she was not dating them and the idea of dating someone with tastes that different from her in that regard would have been intimidating. "Hmmm, if it doesn't interfere with summer classes then I might have to take you up on that," Alanna agreed, nibbling at a piece of bread. "Though me and bowling is pretty hilarious, so not my thing." Not that she could imagine Aaron being bad at anything, he just had that... thing around him that made one think he could do anything he wanted. "Now if you go canoeing or anything like that I'm definitely game. Me and the outdoors, excellent friends." Yep, she was babbling again, more than was even normal. I'm going to blame that on the nerves. Because they were fluttering in her stomach like butterflies.
Aaron grinned at her babbling - she was so cute when she was nervous. Well at least he was chalking it up on nerves as he was slightly nervous too. "Oh yeah, we definitely do stuff outside. You forget, I like the outdoors too," he smiled. He often felt most at home in the outdoors probably because of him being a chipmunk and all. "The kids like to see me in my chipmunk form mostly. I don't shift much when I'm with them because I can't be the responsible adult while being an itty bitty chipmunk. Plus, the shifting back and having no clothes... yeah, awkward." In fact, Aaron was blushing from just mentioning it.
"You're right, I forget," Alanna smiled. It was so nice to have so many things in common with him just by virtue of that... really, don't think about that. "Must be interesting to have so many people knowing what you are, not to mention being in such a supernatural friendly place." Using the word church was steadfastly avoided, Alanna did not want to have any sort of breakdown like the previous day. They were in public now and it was a date. So much different. "Are there a lot of supernaturals there? That you know of, I bet even in a place like that not everyone's quite comfortable enough revealing themselves."
"It really is. I couldn't be anywhere that turned their back on supernaturals....obviously. But even if I wasn't a were, I wouldn't be able to be so discriminating." He hated that a lot of people judged on being a supernatural - most supernaturals couldn't help who they were. He couldn't help the fact that he was born a were...he had nothing to do with it at all.
"We do have some supernaturals. I have suspicions about a couple of them but they aren't out." Their group was a definitely a diverse group, with a couple of weres, several elementals and a few psychics. "The kids are really more curious than anything. It's fun sometimes just to see everyone's powers."
Another reason why Alanna had always gotten along so well with Aaron, even before all the business with supernaturals had started up. He had not judged her even when she was just Jamie's weird best friend that never got along with any of the others. Things like that were hard to forget. Especially when, well, now they had those things in common. Sort of... okay, not really, but occasionally Alanna could try and think of herself as just another were. "Sounds like you have a good gathering," she remarked,finishing off her bread and taking a sip of the wine. Not bad. "Anyone like me? You know..." She made a snapping motion with her teeth, not actually liking to say it.
Aaron took a piece of bread and broke it apart into small bits before nibbling on it. He liked to have a little mound of food - it was the chipmunk in him he supposed.
"No chipmunks...I'm the only one," Aaron grinned although he felt a little sad that she couldn't even say what she was. Damn Jamie for doing this to her! "We have a couple of wolves, a bird and a dog." Pausing to take a drink of wine, he continued. "You're welcome to come along with us anytime. I know crowds and you aren't the best combination but I can talk to them ahead of time and tell them to be careful around you. They'd just enjoy hanging with you, really."
"Oh, uhh..." Alanna felt herself flushing, knowing that she had not made herself clear and hoping Aaron did not blame himself for not understanding. "I meant bitten, not born." Her mind had a distinct difference drawn between the two. Aaron and Jamie were lucky enough to be on one side along with most of the other weres she knew. She knew far fewer bittens, having a very strong feeling that they did not like owning up to it. Why should they? Even she did not like doing so with people who knew already. "Yeah, me and crowds... tell you what. Date ends well and I'll come to your next function that isn't at the church." Her eyes sparkled, fully expecting that it would do just that. "Deal?"
"Oh! Sorry, I misunderstood. The dog were is bitten. By his little brother actually. He was only three and was playing around on a full moon and bit his older brother accidentally. That was like a year and a half ago now, I think." Aaron knew the kid had some of the same issues that Alanna did, but he also found being a scary hybrid form dog really cool.
Aaron's eyebrows raised. "If the date ends well? Are you expecting it not to?" He chuckled to take any sting out of his statement, but was actually curious about her answer. He'd thought things were going quite well so far.
Just then the waiter showed up with their food and Aaron leaned back so he could put the hot plate down in front of him. "Mm, yours looks delicious," he said, glancing over at her plate piled high with pasta. He took a minute to say his blessing silently to himself before grabbing his fork and digging in.
Bitten dog... by his brother no less. Alanna imagined that that must be a little harder than just your best friend, though the accident part would make it easier to handle. Sometimes, when she was in a bad mood, Alanna had thoughts she did not like about the possibility of Jamie having done it on purpose. Not that she would ever voice that to Aaron. He would probably not react well. "Oh I think it's going to end very nicely," Alanna smiled sweetly as she spun her fork into the pasta that had just arrived. Mmm, it smelled absolutely delicious. "I wouldn't have come if I thought otherwise." Trying things just because she had never done them or everyone thought she should was not Alanna's thing. The policy worked well for everything, hopefully it would here too. After all, had anyone else asked her she probably would have ended up thinking it was just a joke.
"Do you think it's going well? You're the one with all the experience," her tone was teasing, but it was true she realized. Aaron did have that much more experience than her.
Alanna might be surprised, because Aaron had had similar thoughts of his own. He'd even voiced said thoughts to his sister, who had taken none too kindly to them, of course. But it was a legitimate question in his mind. She'd denied it of course, but Aaron still had his doubts.
"I'm glad you think it's going well." Aaron grinned at her, still marveling over the fact that she'd even agreed to go out with him. He took a bite of his chicken Parmesan, which was delicious. "And I don't have that much experience... but yes, this is the best date I've ever been on." And that wasn't a line either, it was the truth. He'd never really connected to some of the random girls he'd gone out with. Very rarely had any of his first dates morphed into a second date or beyond. "Does it bother you that I've dated more?"
Flushing - she was his best date? - Alanna nonetheless managed to shrug as she chewed her next mouthful. Dainty little bites may not have been her style, but at least she was not stuffing her cheeks full like she usually did. Little impulses like that she knew could be blamed on her chipmunk side, which meant Aaron would understand, but she was pretty sure she would look ridiculous. And that was very low on her to-do list in front of Aaron just then. "Doesn't really bother me, that's just how things are. You're the sort of guy girls like going out with and all that. I'm just a little worried I'm going to say something that's just too weird or will make you think of Jamie's best friend again. Not very, mind you, only a little worried." He did not need to worry about things like that, Alanna knew she was pretty lucky.
She was flushing and it was too precious. Aaron couldn't stop himself from reaching over and brushing his fingers against her cheek. He knew he was potentially crossing the line but he couldn't stop himself. "I like you for you," he reassured her. "Be yourself and that's what will make me happy." It may have sounded cheesy but that was honestly the way he felt. He liked her, all personality quirks and all.
Instant reaction screamed that Alanna pull away the moment Aaron started to reach out, but she pushed that down and kept her face where it was, smiling a little at the feel of his fingers against her face. See? He doesn't feel dead, he feels warm. And he liked her just as she was. Which really, she should have suspected because there was nothing that had changed except for maybe that addition of extreme flightiness and chipmunk traits. "Well then you'll be extremely happy," Alanna laughed with a shake of her head, pushing a noodle around her plate. "I like you like you are too, not just doing this to get back at Jamie or anything like that." That niggling thought had entered into her mind during her run - what if Aaron started to think something like that? She had to cover all of her bases.
She hadn't pulled away! Aaron gave himself a mental high five, all sorts of giddy that she seemed to be warming up to him in some small way. Although her next comment caused him to look at her, confusion written all over his face. "...I never thought you were." But now he wasn't sure. What if she really was. He didn't think she'd do something like that, but then again, she hated what Jamie had made her. Did she know something he didn't? Would Jamie really hate it so much that they were dating? "Is Jamie going to have that huge of a problem with the fact that we're dating?" He was very concerned...he didn't want to come between best friends.
Oh well done! Alanna was really going to need to look into a filter for what went through her head and then came out of her mouth, because really, it looked like she was doing more harm than good. "Probably not... I don't know. Asking her would solve the problem." She fidgeted with her pasta some more. "I just tend to worry. A lot. No, really, a lot more than anyone needs to worry about anything ever." Her warm eyes were concerned. "And because I worry so much I think that everyone else does when really, they don't, and that's actually really good! So... yeah." Letting out a sigh she set her fork down and picked up her wine.
"So what you're saying is, that you're worried but only because you worry a lot so that means I shouldn't be worried?" Saying that all nearly made his head spin and he grabbed his wine glass and too a healthy gulp. Now he really wasn't sure whether or not to worry. "I think you're right though - we need to tell her. Do you want to or do you want me to? I'm fine either way. I just think it'll help us clear up all of these questions and be able to have a fresh start." He ate the last bite of his chicken Parmesan and finished off his wine.
"Yes, that's it exactly," Alanna nodded, swirling her wine. "And I should probably tell her... that's the sort of thing one likes to hear from their friends." She knew she would want to be told if any of her friends wanted to go out with her brother. Not that they had a very good relationship. "Really, don't... don't worry just because I'm a bit of a spaz. Haven't quite grown out of that whole thing just yet. Do you, uhh, want me to call her right now or something? Would that make you feel better?" Because suddenly it was not her being edgy that seemed so important, she did not want Aaron to be worried about that. Her cell was already out and ready to hit speed dial number two, Jamie. "Because I totally can."
"You don't have to call now unless you want to. Or it'd make you feel better." He didn't want to make things difficult but it would lessen the tension and stress a bit. Although really, no matter what Jamie said, he was going to date Alanna if she was willing. Jamie had already had her bout with selfishness when she bit Alanna, she wasn't about to take their relationship away if he could help it.
Alanna raised her eyebrow a little and hit the 'send' button before raising it up to her ear. "Hey Jamie... yeah, good to hear you're okay too. Mhmm, oh yeah, actually I'm at dinner with him right now. It's a date." She paused for a moment, nodding occasionally. "Should have told you first, uh-huh, I know and I'm sorry... oh, okay, I promise I won't do that. Yes, if I do you can bite me again. Love you too. Bye." The redhead slipped her cell shut and put it away. "She threatened to bite me if I broke your heart, but other than that... she's surprisingly calm, provided I never give her any details because of the whole you're her brother thing." Surprised? Yeah, Alanna was definitely that.
Surprised was quite the emotion that Aaron was feeling as well. It took a minute for the news to sink in before a gigantic smile broke out over his face. "So we're in the clear? We can stop worrying about her?" His eyes were literally sparkling with happiness and he reached over to grab Alanna's hand and gave it a brief squeeze. He didn't hang on to her hand long, knowing that it was still weird for her but he had to have that moment of exuberance.
Aaron's surprised was reflected in Alanna's face for a moment before she giggled, not even tugging her hand away, letting him hold it until he got his excitement out. "Yep, we're all nice and clear and like I said, I was worrying for nothing like I always did... I'll try to be better about that with you, but it's probably going to take a lot of practice so don't be too surprised when I freak out over some completely typical thing." Her grin was sheepish as she took a long drink of her pop to wash out the taste of the wine. "And this dinner, it was really good, I can see why it's your favorite Italian place. Might be mine too." Partially because it was so good... and also because, well, Aaron had taken her here for their first date. She could be silly like that sometimes without feeling guilty, especially since she never had been before.
"I'm really glad you enjoyed it," Aaron said warmly. He motioned for the check and already had his credit card out when it arrived. He glanced at his watch and noted that they still had some time to get to the drive in place. "I'm glad everything is okay with Jamie... and anytime you need to worry, let me know and I can worry with you." Aaron was serious about that last statement. He didn't want her worrying over something that he could easily help with. His receipt came back and Aaron signed everything and then took a final sip of his pop. "You ready to go?"
Worrying for Alanna came as naturally as breathing, so telling Aaron every time that she did was probably completely ridiculous. It was a touching offer though and she appreciated it. "If it's something that can be helped, then I'll definitely tell you, promise." Finishing her pop she nodded at his question and stood, rearranging her skirt carefully. "Yep, I'm good to go. Looking forward to the movie!" It was not until they were out in the car that she realized she was looking forward to something when she did not even know what it was. "What movie exactly is it that we're going to see? I haven't been paying much attention to what's playing."
"You better tell me," Aaron warned playfully. He stood up and had to completely resist the urge to wrap an arm around her as they left the restaurant. He was slowly but surely getting used to this no touching rule. "The Proposal? Is that okay with you?" He figured he couldn't really go wrong with a chick flick and it's supposed to be pretty funny anyway.
"I'll tell you when it matters," Alanna repeated with a laugh. "And that sounds good, I've seen previews." It looked pretty funny, if completely ridiculous... but that was probably the point. It always was with movies like that, absolute ridiculousness. She sighed happily, stomach content, and relaxed back into the seat, smiling over at Aaron. "Nice of you to agree to a chick flick instead of, like, Transformers. That's what all of the guys I know keep wanting to see if they haven't already." Giant robots? Not so much her thing.
Aaron glanced over at her, his nose wrinkled. "I don't really like action movies just for the sake of action. I need a plot and character development somewhere along the line. I figured this movie would be funny if nothing else."
They pulled up at the gate to the theater and he paid their way inside. He found the screen and pulled in to a good spot a few rows back, then killed the engine. He fiddled with the radio to tune it into the station that would provide the audio for the movie on screen. Finally he grinned over at Alanna and couldn't resist brushing a piece of hair off her cheek. "You can lean your chair back to get more comfortable if you want to." He did, sliding his seat all the way back and reclining just a tad to get comfortable.
What Aaron said was pretty much how Alanna thought so she nodded her agreement. She just knew how a lot of guys thought and had not been quite sure if Aaron was like that or not. It was hard to know how people felt about certain things without asking and she babbled more than she asked things. But then they were parked and his fingers brushed against her cheek and Alanna's mind did an amazing thing; it stopped racing. The redhead was really starting to understand why girls seemed to like little things like that so much, so long as she could master her instinctual desire to flinch away. "Yeah, uh, good idea," she agreed, fiddling with the levers on the side of her seat until she had it reclined enough to be comfortable while still being able to see. "This so definitely trumps being in a movie theater, way quieter and nothing on the floor that's going to stick to your shoes." Not that she was starting to babble because she was nervous... only that was totally it.
His enhanced hearing came in good for something and Aaron grinned to himself with Alanna's heart stopped beating when he touched her. So she does like it...Interesting! And there she was with the nervous chattering thing again. It was really cute and endearing though so he didn't say anything about it. He just reached over and gave her hand a squeeze, letting it linger there lightly in case she needed to pull away. He rolled his head to the side and smiled at Alanna with a chuckle. "Eww yeah, this is so much better than a theater... more intimate too." That last bit was said with a blush that was red enough to be visible. Aaron tried to turn his head away but it continued down his neck so he knew it was futile to turn away.
She could have pulled away, Alanna was very capable of doing that and a part of her mind demanded that she do so, but to her surprise she decided to leave her hand right where it was, even turning it over so that she could slip her gloved fingers between his. Oh my god, am I seriously holding his hand? And did he really just say that?! Alanna did not even notice that Aaron was blushing because her own cheeks had heated up. Intimacy was one of those things that she had spent the majority of her life avoiding for a pretty good reason. Reason's gone now, remember? "Yeah, umm... intimate." Normally a babbler, Alanna was always surprised when she ran out of things to say. Aaron had actually shocked her into near-silence for a moment and that was something to be proud of. "Sorry I'm not so good with the whole... touching thing. I'm trying, really."
Alanna surprised Aaron when she twined their fingers together. He didn't cling to them like he wanted to, instead just holding her hand in a normal grip so if it became too much for her, she could easily slip her hand out. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Aaron said. "That's my intention at all. We don't have to hold hands... I completely understand. I just want you to feel comfortable with me. If it's too much, that's okay." He gave her a reassuring smile so she would understand the sincerity behind his statement. Sure, he would be a smidgen disappointed, but she had a lifetime of avoiding touches - that wasn't going to change in two days and he understood that.
"I can hold your hand," Alanna informed Aaron, more focused on keeping herself calm. If she could just get through the initial thoughts and waves of feeling as though he were simply not alive because there were no thoughts that were not hers, then she could do it. Now if she pulled away and tried again... then she might very well be sick to her stomach. "That's probably pretty much it but it's better than nothing." Her smile was sincere. So long as the glove stays on too. Skin to skin contact? Definitely not happening unless Aaron really wanted to see what it was like when Alanna got freaked out. And she had a feeling he would not appreciate her destroying his car.
Aaron squeezed her hand gently and smiled at her, "I am perfectly fine with hand holding. Thank you for telling me - It helps to know my boundaries." And he would be a perfect gentleman and abide by her boundaries. After years of crushing on her and dreaming about a date with her, he wasn't about to mess it up now. "Do you want popcorn or a drink or anything?" he asked, nodding over to the concession stand. They'd just come from dinner, but it was only polite to ask and he could probably go with something to drink himself.
Alanna really had been lucky that Aaron liked her... not every guy was near as understanding as that. A lot probably would have told her to get out if what she heard from other girls was true. Man that'd be terrible... don't know why anyone goes out with them. "No popcorn for me," she denied, glancing over at the concessions. "But a Pepsi would be really good... and..." She grinned, knowing that Aaron would definitely understand her next request. "If they have any peanuts, I totally can't resist those no matter how much I've eaten recently."
And Aaron did grin, totally understanding her request. "Of course... peanuts for us both then." He hopped out of the car and ordered at the concession stand. Within a few minutes, he was juggling a Pepsi, a Coke and two bags of peanuts. "I want you to know, it totally pained me to order you a Pepsi.. I'm such a die hard Coke fan," he teased, passing her the soft drink and one bag of peanuts. He knew it was the chipmunk in them that liked peanuts so much and it was actually really cool to be able to share that part of himself with someone who would understand.
"Coke is okay only if there is no Pepsi to be had," Alanna informed Aaron with a grin, taking a long drink before opening the peanuts. Like she had done constantly since being changed she popped a few in and they went right into her cheek, absorbing the salt before she chewed and swallowed. Most people would find that either weird or really weird, but she knew that Aaron wouldn't. She had seen him and Jamie do things like that since she had known the two of them. "But thanks for overcoming your little obstacle to get me the drink that I enjoy." The redhead offered a fond smile before turning her eyes on the screen as the previews started to roll. "Who do you like better; Ryan Reynolds or Sandra Bullock?" Random twenty questions was definitely one of her favorite things to do.
Aaron followed suit with his own peanuts, stuffing a few in his cheek and sucking off the salt before he chewed them. He'd had many of his youth look at him weird when he did it but laughed it off when he announced it was a chipmunk thing. "And you're welcome, dear. Coke will always reign supreme, however," he teased back.
Turning his attention to the screen when the previews started he pondered her question. "I like them both really. They both have great comedic timing. I guess I admire Sandra Bullock more because of the success she'd had. She's in comedy, drama or action and that's pretty great." He peeked over at her. "And you?" he asked, tossing the question right back at her.
Alanna snorted and shook her head, swallowing her mouthful before responding, "Coke will never be as good as Pepsi, sorry to tell you that but someone needs to pull the wool off of your eyes." She made a tugging motion over his face. Although she had to admit that Coke did have the cute mascots in those little polar bears every winter. Not so much with the Santa bottles. Those were kind of creepy.
"Sandra Bullock wins for success," Alanna agreed, "but Ryan Reynolds makes me laugh that much more." A gentle blush suffused her cheeks. Even she had her guilty pleasures like any other young woman her age. "And, you know, he's cute when he laughs."
"You're crazy," Aaron scoffed playfully. "Pepsi will always be inferior to Coke. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this issue." He winked at her before loading his cheek with more peanuts. "And of course you like Ryan Reynolds... the girls in my youth group say he's dreamy. Whatever that means."
The movie started and Aaron and Alanna held hands through the entire thing. He felt good, comfortable around her and hoped that she felt the same way. The movie was good - definitely funny in parts but with a really good romantic storyline in there too. Only when it was over did Aaron pull his hand away from Alanna so he could adjust his seat for driving. "So, what'd you think?"
Alanna stretched out with a smile before mimicking what Aaron had done to fix her own seat. "Pretty good!" she remarked. "Not too mushy... pretty funny... definitely has my mark of approval." She reached up to rearrange her headband. It had definitely not been meant for reclining and staying as it was. "Date still remains to get my opinion because I'm not home yet, though I expect to be soon." She tried a serious look but it did not really work. "Class in the morning and all that nonsense..." She had been having fun though, quite a bit of it. If only her stomach had not decided to try and do somersaults at the thought of what was going to happen when they said good night.
"I'm really glad you enjoyed it," Aaron smiled. He laughed when she said that the date still doesn't get an opinion because she wasn't home yet. "What do you think I'm going to do, kidnap you?" The girl was definitely interesting, that was for sure. He started the car and backed out of the theater and headed in the direction of her apartment. Aaron was kind of nervous for that typically awkward doorstep part of the date as well. He knew he wouldn't try to kiss her or anything - she was so not ready for that and that was fine by him. But still, he was just as nervous, his heart already being slightly faster with the anticipation.
"Yes, I totally think you're going to kidnap me and never get caught for it because no one would ever believe I was out on a date," Alanna teased. "Except for Roxy, Melody, Ariana... Jamie. Yeah, you wouldn't get away with it." Still smiling, she leaned her head back against the seat as they neared her apartment, butterflies still flittering in her stomach. Aaron would not try to kiss her... right? Too late to try and think much on it because all of a sudden they were stopped. "Walking me up?" she asked, already suspecting the answer as she opened her door.
"Well there goes my big plan," Aaron joked, snapping his fingers with remorse. His butterflies were just starting back up, after having calmed down during the drive. "And yes, I'm walking you up." Aaron parked and went around to open her door for her. As they walked across the parking lot, Aaron grabbed Alanna's hand, lightly intertwining their fingers together. "This still okay?"
"Yeah, still okay," Alanna said squeezing his hand lightly, her typical chatty nature failing her as she led the way up to the landing outside her apartment. "Okay, this one's me, which means that the date is over and I say it was pretty awesome for a first date." She tilted her head and glanced up at Aaron, biting her lip. "Do I get a second one?"
"Definitely." Aaron smiled at her and raised her hand, kissing the back of her gloved hand. "Thank you for the great time. I'll call you?" He pressed another kiss to her palm before giving her her hand back.
The butterflies in Alanna's stomach nearly erupted when Aaron kissed her hand through the glove, a blush heating her cheeks. "That'd... that'd be great," she smiled, a giggle almost bubbling out as she unlocked her door. "Have a good night, Aaron, and thanks a lot."
"Goodnight, Alanna." Aaron stood back while she went inside and waited until he heard the lock engage before heading back to his car. He just knew he had a big goofy grin on his face, so pleased that the evening went well.