head over heels, steve harrington

vi. talk too much

CHAPTER VI:
talk too much

( July 1985 )

      SKATING THROUGH THE STARCOURT MALL ON HER BREAK WAS ONE OF BEATRICE MARTIN'S FAVORITE THINGS TO DO, ASIDE FROM ANNOY STEVE HARRINGTON. It was calming even, to be able to do such a mundane thing without interruption.

      "Beebs, come here!" Almost without interruption.

Sighing, Bea maneuvered her board to roll in the direction of Scoops Ahoy to see Steve leaning on the entrance with his arms crossed and an adoring grin across his face. If Bea hadn't known any better, she would've thought that her heart skipped a beat.

"Afternoon, Steven," she greeted once she was within earshot of the sailor boy.

"So I was thinking-"

"What a rare thing," she interrupted. Getting off of the entrance, Steve moved his hands to have one covering Bea's mouth and the other pulling her flush against him by the waist.

      Her eyes widened and her chest suddenly became warm with their proximity and Steve's hand still resting on her waist. "Can I talk now?" he softly said while keeping eye contact with her. Blinking, she slowly nodded. "Great. I was thinking that on the fourth we could go to the fair? Just me and you."

      Steve waited for an answer from the girl, his eyes wandering to her duo colored eye makeup and bubble braids before he felt a sharp pain from his ring finger.

      "Did you just bite me?" he accused stepping away from her as he stared at the mark where her front teeth had indented.

      "You didn't take your hand off to let me answer," she stated with a shrug as if she hadn't done anything wrong. "And I'll go with you as long as you go with me to a party tomorrow and we have a date do-over after the fourth."

"Do-over? What was wrong with our last one?" he asked.

Bea's face twisted as if thinking he was out of his mind. "What didn't go wrong, Steve?" His heartbeat rang in his ears for a moment hearing her say his name. "You weren't paying attention to the movie, you tried to kiss me, I punched you, yelled at you, and you met my family," she listed off while numbering them with her fingers.

      "Right," he sucked air through his teeth taking a seat at a nearby table, "totally forgot about the kissing virgin part," he teased.

      The girl harshly flicked him in between his eyes when she sat down in front of him, "I told you not to repeat that, Dingus."

Steve leaned against the entrance groaning, "don't start calling me that. You're supposed to be my breath of fresh air from Robin. Don't be smog here," he whined.

      "Yeah, well get used to smog if you keep saying that and you're going to be dating smog forever," Bea dramatized with her hands. Steve gave her a bemused stare and she rolled her eyes. "So, fourth of July for the do-over date and party?"

"Since when do you go to parties?" he questioned, a spoon hitting him on the back from the front desk where Robin was getting impatient. He waved her off.

"It's a Christmas in July party," Bea reasoned. "They're probably one of the best parties aside from Halloween and actual Christmas."

      "And it's on the third of July and not the twenty-fifth?"

      "It's not my party so..." she trailed off with a shrug.

      Steve thought for a moment. "Is this some sort of costumes needed kinda party?" She nodded. "Alright, you've got yourself a deal, Beebs."

      "Pleasure doing business with you, Steven." She shook his hand with a grin that he was thankful to be sitting for.

"Hey, Lovebirds, do you guys ever separate?" Robin's voice brought the two back to the world around them. She seemed unamused with Steve and slightly teasing with Beatrice. "Like, seriously, Dingus over here ditched me for his girlfriend and left me to fend for myself against ten customers in a row. In a goddamn row!"

Robin had been standing with her hand resting on Steve's chair and a hand on her hip. Bea gave a wide close-lipped smile at her words. "He's all yours, Rob."

"Great, now you kinda have to leave before he makes more excuses to talk to you," Robin quickly shooed while Bea stood from her spot.

"See you tonight," Bea finally said. Turning to leave, she paused and turned around to plant a kiss on Steve's cheek quickly before turning around with a flush on her cheeks and leaving the two Scoops Ahoy workers.

      "Yeah..." Steve breathed out with widened eyes and moths hammering away at his chest. "See you."