You anxiously cleaned up the remaining pieces of your burnt dinner, and got dressed. Your heart pounded all the way, excited at the prospect of getting to see Connor. To go on a date with him!! But wait, this wasn't a date... was it?
You stood at the door waiting for Connor, and when you saw his car pull up on the street, you tried to calm your breaths. You were just friends... just friends.
You held the coin he had given you in your right hand, squeezing it for good luck, before placing it inside an inner pocket in your bag. You hoped that everything would turn out okay.
Connor walked up to the door, and rang the doorbell. You waited for a few moments, before opening the door.
As you gazed at him, you felt at a loss for words. Connor was as handsome as ever, wearing a white dress shirt and jeans. It made you feel self conscious of yourself, even though you were wearing your favourite dress.
"Hi Connor..." You said meekly, unable to meet his gaze. His beauty was so bright, it seemed to blind you. As you looked away from Connor, you felt his eyes on you, piercing into you.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked softly, and you finally looked at him. His brown eyes softened as you met his gaze, and you allowed yourself to give a small smile, before nodding.
Connor led you to his car, and he drove in silence. It was a car you had not seen before, and you wondered why he had not driven it before. The car, although nice, seemed like an older model. You wanted to ask, but felt uncomfortable to speak. There was an odd tension between you both, yet you could not tell what it was. Your heart continued to pound, and you wondered if Connor could hear it in the silence.
"U-Umm..." You started, and at the same time, Connor started to speak.
"Sorry, what did you say?" He muttered, and you shook your head, insisting he speak first.
"Well..." He continued, his face getting more flushed. "I just wanted to say that... you look really pretty." You also blushed. You both sat there for a moment, your faces turning red.
"Thank you," You replied, "You look good too..." You reprimanded yourself at your half-compliment. Connor was handsome, a high school boy with the looks of a supermodel, and yet you couldn't bring yourself to tell him. To avoid another awkward silence, you reached forward and switched on the old radio. The voice of a female news reporter filled the car.
"Yes Tod, police are currently investigating an attempted armed Bank robbery in Detroit. Witnesses say they saw a group of suspicious individuals enter the Bank earlier today, before being confronted by an onlooker. According to the eye-witness reports, the onlooker entered the scene and proceeded to disarm the offenders, and handle the situation. It is believed that the man may have been an off duty officer, however, the hero fled the scene before he could be questioned. If you or someone you know, knows more about the incident, please contact the-"
Connor reached forward and turned off the radio. You had been so taken in by the report, that you glanced up at him in surprise. You could not read his expression. It was a mix of curiosity and frustration, but there was also awe in it. You wondered why Connor had reacted that way to the report. From the look on his face, you decided not to ask. Instead you asked, "So, where are we going?"
Connor told you about the diner his family used to go to. Although it was nearby, you had never been there, though you had seen it on your way to school.
He pulled the car into the parking lot, and led you inside, holding your hand. You wondered if Connor had intended for this to seem more like a date. Even though you liked Connor a lot, you still struggled to read him. You did not know how he felt, or what his intentions were. But for now, holding onto his hand, you felt safe.
You walked inside and found a table near the back. To your surprise, the diner was very popular, and you passed several packed tables to reach the end. Connor slid in first, and you sat opposite him. To your right was a window, where you could see cars passing on the road nearby. Old 80s music played on the stereo, and your mind wandered away.
"This brings back so many memories..." Connor murmured.
"You said your family used to go here," You interrupted, "Did you mean with Mr Anderson and your mother?" You realized that Connor had never told you about his mother before.
"No, I meant with my dad, Amanda and Cain," Connor replied, clasping his arms together on the table. He suddenly looked very serious. "I didn't really get along well with my real mother."
"I'm sorry..."
"It's okay," Connor gave you a slight smile. "You know, things weren't always so bad... with my family."
"Then what happened?"
Connor absently traced old marks on the table. "Well... we all grew up."
You nodded. You too could relate to Connor's words. You reached across the table and took his hand. He looked down at your hands held together, and swallowed nervously, before speaking again.
"My real mother didn't seem to like me. When she looked at me... I don't know... it was as if she was seeing someone else." He turned your hand over, and seemingly without thinking, he traced the lines on your hand. "She got along the most with Cole. When he died, she practically disappeared. I haven't seen my mother since."
"Why was she like that?"
"I could never figure it out either..." He murmured, "Maybe it was because I reminded her of Cain, and she had her reasons for disliking him." You looked at Connor in surprise, and Connor gave you a sad smile. "At a time of depression for my father, Amanda led him away. My real mother will never forgive Amanda for that. Therefore, she cannot forgive Cain either. To her, Cain is the child that she was supposed to have. And I... I'm just the one who is stuck in the middle." He squeezed your hand, seemingly coming back to reality.
"You know [F/N], sometimes I don't really know who I am." He looked up at you, still holding your hand. "I don't really belong anywhere. My real mother hates me. My father gets depressed when he sees me. Amanda pretends I don't exist. And my step-brother acts like I'm dirt on his shoe." He paused, closing his eyes. "Just who am I? Why am I here?"
As you gazed at Connor, it looked like he was about to disappear. You squeezed his hand tighter, as if trying to keep him with you. "You're more important to others than you realize Connor. You think your family hates you, but really, you're the one keeping your family together."
"Not true..." He replied, pulling his hand away. "That was Cole."
"Perhaps once..." You continued, "But then it was you... Cole gave that role to you." Connor's eyes snapped open, and he stared at you. His gaze was so intense that it made you blush.
"T-That's not true..." He finally said. "I'm not like Cole at all."
"No, you're not," You agreed, "You're yourself. And that's more important." You gazed absently out the window. "You help your family in your own way. You might not be like Cole, or like Cain, but you have your own important role. You are in your family for a reason, and they need you more than you think." You blushed, looking down at the table. "I-I need you too... we all do..." You looked back up at him. "So don't discredit yourself. Please..."
Connor gazed at you. He leaned closer, and he looked like he was about to say something, when the waitress walked over.
"Are you ready to place your order?"
Connor scowled, turning towards her, and placing your order. What he was about to say remained unsaid.
Your food arrived, and unfortunately the food was uncooked. The staff apologized profusely, but instead of complaining, Connor offered to share his chips with you, which were fortunately cooked and delicious.
You left the diner, and Connor promised to buy you an icecream, since the dinner plans had gone so wrong.
You walked together towards the ice cream shop near the beach, but felt your heart sink to see it was closed. Connor frustratedly glared at the closed sign, as if staring at it for long enough would make it change.
"I'm sorry [F/N]..." He finally said, slumping against the wall of the building. "It seems like none of this is going right."
You smiled at him. "It's alright. I had fun anyway."
He gave you a slight smile, but he seemed embarrassed. You wanted him to feel happy too. You looked around, and noticed that in the quiet, you could hear the sound of the waves. The beach was across the road, and was always open.
"Why don't we go and look at the beach?" You asked, and Connor looked away sheepishly. "Come on... the ocean might be uncooked, but it's never closed." That made Connor laugh slightly.
You took Connor's hand and led him towards the beach. As you walked closer to it, Connor took the lead. You both removed your shoes and walked along the sand together. This time, something was definitely different between you both. You gazed at Connor, and could see yourself reflected in his eyes.
"You know... I never really liked the beach," Connor murmured as he watched the waves roll in. "I have Cain to thank for that." He turned his head, looking at you. The evening light cast a slight glow over his face. He reached forward, touching your cheek. "But you know... maybe we can make new memories. Maybe this time, we can start again."
You smiled, but you could not reply. You were too distracted by Connor's gaze; The way he watched you; The feeling of his hand gently stroking your jaw. Instinctively you leaned towards Connor. As you did, he leaned down, meeting your lips.
As the sun faded in the sky, you kissed Connor. It was as if the rest of the world faded along with it, and all you could see and feel was him.