The Future's Tale of Teenage Love

The Date

Daniel was normal, or at least as far as I could tell. He was not argumentative like Luke had been. He was pleasant, and always made sure to face me when he was talking. His eyes were brown, but they were not captivating. They weren't critical, and they had a soft look them to them. They were a chocolate color, while his lips were a tan color. They looked a little cracked and chapped, not the soft, pretty ones I was expecting on my mate. His skin was the same color as his eyes, and his build was decent. He had broad shoulders, and I could see muscles under his short-sleeved sky-blue polo. He was about the same size as me. His legs were hidden by black dress pants, and he had on black and white saddle shoes. He looked nice, like he cared about the way he looked. His smile was big and bright, and his hair was shaved close to his head.

We were at the food court in the facility. He was taking me to a frozen yogurt stand because he figured solving a math problem together would be too intimate for our first meeting. I argued to Dr. Edwards some people are already conceiving children during their first meeting, and that by eating and facing each other we were forced to speak to one another, when math only required a piece of chalk and silence. I was thrown out of her office and told to show up, dressed appropriately, at the food court by 1700 hours, or 5 o'clock for people not obsessed with military time.

I was unsure by what my counselor considered "appropriate," so I just put on a dress. As unpractical as I find them, the olive green dress seemed comfortable enough. The fabric was light and soft, and the dress conformed in the torso and let out at the waist, falling to my knees. I paired my favorite pair of silver ball studs with it, and a necklace with an black, smooth, shiny stone in it my father had given me before he died; I think he called it obsidian.

I sat at the table waiting for Daniel to order our yogurts. I had told him to get me a strawberry, with whipped cream on top. He had smiled and taken both of our meal cards to swipe, and promised to return with both of the cards. He smiled as if he was making a joke, but I didn't really get it.

The food court was nice for meetings. It was big, with different kitchens, with different counters that put out different food. The walls above each counter were white, decorated with competing signs. The floor was tiled with white tile like the classrooms, and the tables and chairs were green. The chairs were made out of a plastic and had padding that was upholstered with a shiny, green, sort-of plastic-like fabric. The tables were just made out of a green plastic, with a green slab of stone on top, cut into a circle. I had picked a couple's table, with two seats facing each other. I had chosen the table because my chair faced the yogurt counter, giving me a perfect view of the flavors and possible toppings so I could figure out the total number of possibilities. I was in the process of doing this when Daniel returned to our table with two cups.

He handed me a cup, and smiled. I smiled back out of politeness. He sat down and started to make small talk, but I could tell by the look in his eyes he was hiding something. I was never very good at reading facial cues, so I knew it must be obvious if I was picking up on his weary look.

He pursed his lips, telling me he was just nervous. He locked eyes with mine, but not in the same way I had with Luke. Luke's eyes had held a feeling behind them, behind the desperation for a mate. My friend Kiana had told me that is the look lovers have in their eyes when they first meet.

Something about this look was different. It did not hold attraction, just desperation and perhaps respect.

I didn't believe him.

He sensed my weariness. He knew I did not buy his excuse.

He asked me why I had asked for a trial period. I told him I struggled with human contact. What confused me is why I did not feel ashamed of myself as I had with Luke. Something about Daniel made me feel comfortable, almost calm and at peace.

He smiled. He promised me we could go as slow as I wanted. He seemed to be relieved, and I wondered why. He let out a sigh ever so lightly, something only someone cued into facial changes and lip movements could pick up.

I challenged him on it, pointing out his facial changes. I asked him if he had a similar fear.

He nodded. He swallowed hard. Something about his eyes was telling me he was not telling me everything, but I pushed aside my fears and looked forward to an uncomplicated relationship with someone who understood my fears.

******

What do you think? Do you ship her with Luke or Daniel? Do you think there is more to the characters than what can be seen?

Comment/vote and I'll update again soon!