Bates & Landon [Wattys2015]

BATES

Bates

"Uhm...favorite color?" she asked, her hands curling against the chains to the swing, her legs slightly pushing her forwards as she looked ahead of us.

"Red," I answered, watching as her lips curled into a smile. She had a beautiful smile, I acknowledge.

"Mine too!" She beamed brighter than the damn sun that was beginning to show past the trees.

It was my turn to ask her a question. I didn't know what to ask her. What should I ask her? Favorite food? Eh, too bland. Favorite animal? Favorite band?

"Favorite show?" I questioned her.

She answers instantly. "American Horror Story,"

"May I ask why?" I ask her.

"Because it is a amazing show." She explains somewhat dully, then goes into more detail, "but it has a good plot base. And each season is a complete different setting, yet they have the same characters."

I nod my head. "So you like horror stuff?"

Slowly, she nods. "Yeah, I do. A lot of scary movies are really entertaining, yes. I'm all brave in the beginning then somehow I'm shaking in my seat when something happens."

"Do you ever make it to the end?"

"On all the scary movies I've watched, yeah, except one movie." She says, shyly looking down. Her hair blew in her face, covering my view of her. I wanted to touch her hair and move it, but I decided not to. I wanted to get to know her, not creep her out. "The Exorcist," she admits, pulling her hair away from her face, still looking down at the ground.

"That scary?"

"Scary enough for me to chicken out on it," Landon chuckles softly, meeting eyes with mine.

I cleared my throat. "Yeah, well, I haven't ever seen it." I licked my dry lips, noticing how she glanced down at my lips briefly before glancing back at me quickly, "Maybe we could, uh, watch it sometime. Like, together."

Her eyes widened, lips parting, and she looked away. Her cheeks turned a dark shade of red, a red I'd love to paint on a canvas I have at home. "I... I," I began, trying to calm her flaming cheeks, but it just ignited them more. "I mean, we don't have to. Just a -- a, uh, a suggestion." I realize that just sounded like I was asking her on a date, or something. And maybe I do want to go on a date with her.

She doesn't reply right away, she kinda stared down at her shows as if she'd rather be talking about her converse than where out topic has taken the direction to; awkward and embarrassing. I needed to relieve some of the tension that's been building up in me.

I quickly stood up from the swing, standing in front of her. "Landon," I said quietly, "I have an idea. It's not about the movie though, something else."

I hope she liked what I had in mind.

"Oh," she stands up from the swing, grabbing her bag, and following me, "alright." And we began walking.

"Just stay right here," I set my hands on her shoulders. "I'll be back quickly." I ran off down the road, towards my house as quickly as I could. Arriving at my house, I snuck in through my window. Just in case my mom was still home, she wouldn't know. I grabbed what I needed, exited my window, closed it shut tight, and began running back to where Landon stood.

She was looking around, biting her lip. When she heard me approaching, we met eyes and she grinned at me. I slowed down my pace and started walking. "Come on," I called her over my shoulder as I walked past her.