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Unlike his usual days, the last thing on Lance’s mind after finishing up his evening BioChem class midterm, was running into girls. Or, more specifically, a girl. Who ran into him. Literally.
It took him a moment to realize what was going on. One minute he was walking to his car, a spring in his step because he most definitely aced that test, the next minute a small body forcibly ran into him. Had they been any bigger, they would both be sprawled on the ground right now. As it stood though, Lance was able to grab the offender by their shoulders and steady them, as well as get a good look at who was in so much of a hurry that they didn’t see him.
“Let me go, I do- Hic- n’t have-” the girl in his arms took a shuddering breath “-t-time for this.” She broke out into a sob. Even though she was wearing a dress, and her make-up had run all over her face from crying, Lance realized he knew that bouncy mop of hair anywhere, though tonight it looked to be swept up in some sort of fancy hairdo.
“Pidge? Is that you?” He was ninety-nine percent sure, but it didn’t hurt to confirm his suspicions.
Another hiccup and a brief sob. “Lance? Oh thank God.” She started crying really hard, wrapping her arms around him and smashing her face into the front of his shirt..
Whatever happened to her had to be out of the norm. For one, Lance had only ever seen her cry once, and that was over some space robot that ceased working. And it was just a few tears. But this was the cry of the broken-hearted. An anger rose from within him as he imagined all sorts of scenarios that could have brought Pidge to this moment. “Who did this to you? What did they do? Who do I have to kill?” He was already balling his hands into fists, someone was getting punched tonight.
She shoved herself off him, wiping her eyes to look at him more fully, little sobs still punctuating her reply, “It’s..nothing like that. I just need to go on a think drive. Straighten things about...figure out what I did wrong…” She broke into full sobs again.
Lance pulled her back into a hug, trying his best to supportive. He could not imagine what would bring his no-nonsense friend to tears of this proportion.
“How’re you going to go on a think drive? I don’t see your car.” Lance looked around at the now almost empty parking lot. His car, “ole blue”, a beat up Chevy that never broke down for some reason, was a few parking spots away from them. Pidge’s electric hybrid was nowhere in sight.
“That’s where I was going. Back to the dorms to get my car.” She pushed herself off him again and started walking toward the dorms.
“Hey! Wait!” Lance ran to catch up with Pidge, wrapping a hand around her bare arm. “Let me drive you. You know what they say?”
She turned toward him, her eyebrow raised in question. “What?”
“Friends don’t let friends Think and Drive.”
That elicited a small smile from her. Lance watched as she worked through her decision. All the crying had made her look like a drowned racoon, but her eyes were still so big and expressive, Lance found it easy to pinpoint the moment she decided she would let him chauffeur her around that night.
Also, her audibly agreeing helped too.
“Okay, I’ll chance it.” She was already walking toward the parking lot as she added “You better not run out of gas this time.”
Lance had forgotten about the ill-fated day trip he, Pidge, and Hunk took (or tried to) last year. “Hey! I resent that remark!” It didn’t stop Lance from overtaking Pidge so he could open the car door for her.
She rolled her eyes at him.
“Let me be nice.” Sometimes Pidge’s perceived feminism annoyed him a bit. He liked holding doors for people. “Besides, I hold it for Hunk too, so boo.”
Pidge got into the car, she fidgeted with the hem of her dress before looking up at him. “Thank you.” Her weird meekness was back. Whatever had upset Pidge seemed to be back on her mind. Hopefully the drive would relax her enough to get her to spill. Lance still wanted to solve her problem, go after whoever upset her, but mostly, he never wanted to see her cry like she had been ever again. If he could help her feel less sad, then his day would be complete.
He slid into the driver’s seat, adjusting the vents and the radio volume. He always left it too loud and suffered any time he started the car back up. “Where to, Pidge? North First or the Airport?”
She didn’t hesitate. “The Airport. I really need to think.”
He slipped the car into reverse, placing his arm on the back of Pidge’s seat as he looked behind him. “To the airport it is.”
-------------------------------------------------------------
Think Drives had become a thing for them somewhere in the middle of Pidge’s Freshman year at college. She was technically a Junior, but the school recommended she stay at Freshman status for ‘social’ reasons. Whatever their choice, it seemed to work in her favor. She had made fast friends with Hunk during an engineering and robotics class, and, by proxy, became very good friends with his roommate, Lance. Her affection for Hunk was right up there with her love for her brother, and she’d like to say the same about Lance, but somewhere deep inside she knew it was different. Hunk didn’t make her heart flutter and her palms sweat, and she never really had the desire to put her lips on his, unlike how she felt around Lance. So, she reasoned, she liked him, but not enough to take a chance on ruining what they already had.
It was one of those moments of, as Pidge wrote in her diary, “hormonal insanity” that led them on their first Think Drive. The three of them had been playing video games and eating pizza in Hunk and Lance’s room, when Lance started to lose. So he stood in front of the TV, blocking Pidge’s view with his butt. A butt that Pidge had been noticing too much already.
She threw down her controller and stood up as heat rose to her face. Lance turned around to face her. A look of concern crossed his features. “Something wrong Pidge?”
In a panic, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, “I--Gotta go think! Sorry guys!” She grabbed her keys and ran for the door.
Hunk had just come back from the kitchen looking confused as well, “What did I miss? Pidge, you okay?”
“I’m-..okay. I just gotta--”
Hunk had grabbed his jacket and was tossing Lance’s to him as he said “We’re coming with you. I don’t know what happened, but we’re here for you.”
Pidge had no idea how to tell them she was feeling things for Lance that, honestly, she didn’t think she was capable of feeling for anyone. So she agreed with a shrug.
That first drive, they found the time together, traveling without destination, to be surprisingly soothing and a stress relief. Pidge never confessed what was troubling her. But, over time, they discovered two routes that led well to thinking, talking, and not needing to pay a ton of attention to what was around them. Pidge’s favorite, by far, was the airport loop. A fifteen mile drive on an access road that went around the town. And in one part, you could pull off the road and watch the jets take off and land right over your head. It was theirs and it did wonders to strengthen their friendship.
Tonight, however, Pidge really had wanted to go alone. Lance’s alarm at seeing her made sense though. And, once again, she couldn’t deny him anything. If she had paid attention to her preference for Lance, maybe she wouldn’t be in this situation tonight anyway?
Lance cleared his throat, “Sooo, are you going to tell me what’s wrong? Or is this quiet time?” She could feel him side-eyeing her. How was she going to explain being humiliated? She noticed how angry he had gotten when he thought someone had done something to her. And, he could be pretty rash at times. Better to hold back for now.
“I don’t want to talk about it yet. Think Drive Lance. Not talk drive.” She pulled the hem of her dress down. It was far too short for her comfort.
He shrugged. “Got it.”
There was very little sound the first time around the loop. The radio had been on, and Lance had been humming, but Pidge started to cry again because of the song that was on. Lance quickly turned it off. “Yo, Pidge, you sure you’re okay. I’ve never seen you cry this much...ever.” His hand came across her legs in a rush and opened the glove compartment, pulling out a handful of napkins and shoving into her hands. “Sorry, it’s all I have.”
It was these kinds of gestures that made Pidge’s heart beat harder when Lance was around. He was nice and thoughtful toward her, always expressing interest in whatever she was about.
Wiping her nose, she offered her thanks through the wad of napkins. It made her want to cry more. This kind of thing never bothered her before, so why was it so bad today?
“I’m-I’ll be okay. Just drive, alright.” She sounded short-tempered, even to her own ears. She made a mental note to apologize to him when she felt like talking again.
They drove in silence a few more miles, when Pidge’s stomach growled very loudly and very long. That’s right, she hadn’t eaten yet today. She was too nervous before hand, and too upset after the fact.
Lance burst out laughing. “You’re hungry. Did you eat today?”
“...not yet..”
He patted her shoulder. “Maybe that’s why you’re crying? I’m going to feed you. Hold on.”
She was going to protest, but he was already pulling off onto a side road.
“Where are you taking me?” He seemed to know exactly where he was going.
“Ssshh. It’s a secret. But, if this place doesn’t make you feel better, I don’t know what will.”
“Your opinion doesn’t hold much weight you know. Your track record is a little flat.” Why was she determined to be mean to him. It wasn’t his fault she was sad and angry.
“Hey! I’m trying to be nice again. Just take what you’re given.” Lance turned onto another side road.
Moments later a glowing sign, cracked with age, came into view. It illuminated the shake shingle roof and the parking lot of their destination. They pulled in front of a the building, windows all along the walls, giving a view of the interior of, what Pidge now realized, was an old family-style restaurant that looked like it hadn’t been remodeled since the 1970’s.
“The Kettle? Really?” Good thing she didn’t have high expectations to begin with.
Lance hopped out of his car seat, rushing over to get the door for Pidge. “Don’t judge a book by its cover, you’re gonna love this place.”
As the cool autumn air hit her bare shoulders, she shivered. “At least it looks warm.”
Lance made a bow, “After you, m'lady.”
“Never say m’lady again.”
“As you wish.”
-----------------------------
The smell of fresh coffee and breakfast foods wafted through the air the moment the pair had stepped into the restaurant. There were lights hanging above each booth, cobwebs gently blowing off the top of them, hopefully not a testament to the quality of food they would serve. Lance tapped her on the shoulder.
“This way. You can seat yourself this time at night. -Oo! My favorite booth is open!” He grabbed her arm and pulled her along to an empty booth in the far corner. They could see the parking lot and the road from the booth. There was duct tape patching up the old vinyl booth seats and chips in the laminated table. The menus were sticky. Lance was beaming.
“Soooo, how do you like it? It’s been my little secret since I found it a year ago.”
A draft blew across her causing her to hug herself for warmth. “You know my weakness. Breakfast foods and unlimited coffee. I hope you’re right about it being good.” Pidge’s face warmed though. She really did love breakfast food, and any chance to eat a stack of pancakes she would take. Lance knew her so well.
Two waters were sat in front of them.
“Why if it isn’t Loverboy Lance” An older waitress with a mop of dyed red hair piled up on her head leaned over and gave Lance a hug. “And who do you have with you?” Pidge extended her hand for a hand shake, but the waitress pulled her into a hug as well. “Aren’t you adorable.”
She let her go, dropping Pidge back into the seat with a bounce.
“I’m Madge, been working here my whole life. Ol’ loverboy over here never brings anyone in.” She winked at pidge.
Lance had a blush over his cheeks. ‘This is... Pidge.” He gestured toward her.
Madge straightened up, her eyes widening as a huge grin swept over her face. “THE Pidge!? Well this doesn’t just dill my pickle. Pleasure to finally get to meet The Pidge.” She winked at Pidge.
“Well, THE Pidge, what can I get y’all to drink?”
Pidge found the waitress kind of endearing, and a little thrill knowing that Lance may have never brought anyone there before, but he talked enough about her that Madge knew who she was. She felt a little extra special at that moment, which was something she really needed.
She smiled, “Coffee, lots and lots of cream, and sugar.”
Madge took her drink order,”I already know what Lance here is having. Now I’ll give you a moment to look at our menu and be right back with your drinks. All the sugar you’re gonna need is right here at the table. Sugar.” Madge winked and left to get their drinks. Pidge heard her holler as she went through the kitchen door, “Y’all won’t believe who Loverboy brought here tonight!” followed by a bunch of whoops and hollers.
Both Pidge and Lance had blushes on their face. It took Pidge a moment to realize the large glass cylinder with the silver lid was full of sugar. She grabbed a sticky menu, but Lance grabbed it out of her hands.
She stared him down.
“Now, I’m not expressing some latent misogyny here by trying to order for you, but I really think you should try the blueberry pancakes with the works. Madge’ll give you all you can eat. Trust me.”
It dawned on Pidge that she didn’t have any money with her. Though she had chose a dress with pockets, since the party was on campus, she only brought her student ID and her pepper spray. Not a card or dime at all. Oh, and a tube of chapstick. Because she had been really concerned that her lips might be chapped if the night had gone differently.
“Uh..Lance. I, um..I don’t have any money with me.” This was embarrassing.
He smiled at her. “This is my treat. I never expected you to pay anyway. You are the first person I’m sharing The Kettle with, besides, let me make up for you crying earlier.”
“Why, you didn’t make me cry. In fact, you’ve succeeded in making me feel a little better.” She crossed her arms.
Lance hopped up from his seat and rushed over and hugged her. “I’m glad.” He let her go and sat back down just as quickly. “My work here isn’t done though. I still need to find out who made you cry.”
“Let me get some coffee in me first. And pancakes. I’m starving.” Pidge’s stomach growled loud enough to remind them both of how hungry she was.
“Ooo! So you are going to trust me then?” Lance waggled his eyebrows at her.
She shrugged, “This once. But if this goes wrong, next time I get to choose where we eat.”
Madge came back, drinks in hand. “Here y’all go, one coffee with tons of cream and a large chocolate milkshake full of froot loops.” She placed the coffee down and Lance’s excessive beverage as well. “Y’all decided?”
Lance ordered “I’ll have the usual, and Pidge is going to have the blueberry pancake special. Lots of syrup.”
Madge made a note on her pad, “Now, will this be on one or two checks?”
Both of them blushed again, though there wasn’t really a reason. Lance answered, “once check please.”
Madge winked at him, “one check it is. Y’all enjoy your drinks.”
They sat in awkward silence while Pidge filled her coffee with sugar and cream. Why did she have to be so weird around Lance these days. However, she felt driven to fill the silence. “So, loverboy Lance? Why does our waitress call you that if I’m the first girl you’ve ever brought here.” So what if she was fishing for information. It took her long enough to get over the time he had dated her roommate for a few months. That ended poorly.
Lance was blushing again, “Well-you see-- you know how I liked to flirt with everyone? All these ladies here are adorable and I couldn’t help myself. The started calling me ‘Loverboy lance’ and it stuck. It’s definitely not because I kept coming to them for love and dating advice. Definitely not that. Pffft!”
Pidge laughed, almost spitting out her first sip of coffee. She could just imagine Lance sitting dejectedly in the booth spilling about his bad track record in dating and romance. The thought warmed her from the inside.
“Thanks...for everything.”
“You feeling better?” There was genuine concern in Lance’s voice.
“I am. Though I’ll be a lot better once I have food in my stomach.”
As if summoned by her words, Madge showed back up, a tray of food in her hands, the smell wafting off of it, amazing. Pidge realized the staff here may have also liked Lance because it looked like he ordered one of everything on the menu.
“You really going to eat all that?” Pidge pointed her fork at Lance.
“Heck yeah! I was too busy studying early to eat, and I aced my midterm, so I’m treating myself.”
They both tore into their food. Pidge had to give Lance props. Though the atmosphere was old and the decor left much to be desired, the staff was great and they made a mean cup of coffee. And the pancakes were amazing.
She spoke through one of her bites of food “Alright, I’ll give you this one. These are amazing.”
“Told ya. Now, are you ready to spill? I don’t mean to push, and I’ll stop if you want, but, man, Pidgey, I’ve NEVER seen you that upset and it concerns me. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” The words flew out of his mouth in a torrent, barely pausing to catch his breath.
Everything seemed a lot better, sitting here with Lance, her stomach full of breakfast foods, an expectant look on Lance’s face. Maybe her experience wasn’t so tragic after all.
“Okay, listen.” She pointed her fork toward Lance before setting it down.
His eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected her to crack yet. Clearly he did not understand the power of the amazing pancakes she just finished.
“You may have noticed the dress.” Pidge gestured to the green dress she was wearing, regretting how tight the top and waist was now that she was full of pancakes. At least the skirt portion was poofy and it had pockets. No matter how cute something may have looked on her, Pidge would not relinquish complete practicality.
Lance quickly swallowed the last sip of his horrendous milkshake. “I did notice. Very nice by the way.”
Heat invaded her cheeks for the millionth time that night, she did her best to push it aside. “A few weeks back this guy I’ve been tutoring invited me to his fraternity’s homecoming formal. I ignored him and kept on tutoring. You know, it’s just algebra so I could do it without thinking much.” She shivered as the vent overhead started to blow again.
“You’re cold!” Of course Lance noticed right away. He patted the spot next to him, “Come sit here, there’s no draft and I’ll keep my arm around you to keep you warm.”
Oh great, she was going to die from high blood pressure tonight, too bad all the blushing wasn’t keeping her warm.
“That’s weird Lance. People do not sit on the same side of the booth if there’s only two of them. Why don’t you just grab me a hoodie from that pile of clothes I saw in the back of your car? I’m sure there’s one in there.” Lance always had random clothing strewn around his car. He was a bit impulsive, but prepared for whatever weather.
“Nah, I don’t have a hoodie. Those are just dirty gym clothes I was taking to the laundromat tomorrow. Trust me, you don’t want to wear them. Now-” He patted the seat again, “- come on over and ol’ Lancey Lance will make sure you’re warm.”
How could she resist. It’s where she wanted to be anyway, though under better circumstances. Like, maybe, Lance being her boyfriend and wanting her beside him because he liked her that way too. But, she was getting colder, and his side of the booth looked so much warmer.
Lance grabbed her coffee cup and water cup and moved them to his side. Then he crooked his finger at her, beckoning her to come, a cheeky smile on his face. Like a deer in the headlights, she moved over to sit next to him. She could feel the warmth flowing off him the moment she sat down. Lance didn’t stop though. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her right next to him, tucking her along the whole right side of his body, her head in the crook of his shoulder, right next to his chest. He tipped her head up with his other hand as he looked down at her.
“Is this okay?” There was an expectant look on his face, along with the smile he would smile when he was holding something back. Closed lipped, a little dimple appearing at the corner of his lips on the right.
It was very warm and comfortable, part of Pidge felt instantly better. The other part of her was screaming because their faces were inches from each other and she could see the different pretty blues in his eyes and smell his very distinctly Lance smell and feel his hand pressing into her waist, tugging her closer still.
A squeak came out the first time, but she was able to confirm that she was just fine where she was.
Lance turned is body toward her even more. “Okay, so, dumb frat boy asked you to the dance.”
She looked up at him again, “I didn’t say he was dumb.”
“You were tutoring him in Algebra 101.”
She smacked his chest. His warm, firm chest. And left her hand there. Lance didn’t make any attempt to move it. Darn her hormones.
“That’s pretty arrogant Lance. Not everyone who matters is smart at everything.”
He chuckled. “You’re smart at everything, and you matter the most.”
Good gravy, was she going to make it through the night without a defibrillator?
“Anyway, yes. Dumb frat boy boy asked me to a dance. You know...it’s the first time anyone has ever asked me to a dance?” Pidge’s social life pre-college was fairly nondescript (discounting hanging with her family).
Lance’s eyes widened in surprise again.
“I didn’t say yes right away though. Cause, ‘why me?’ you know?” Pidge felt the tears starting to come back. She hated this.
Lance pulled her closer. “Why not you, though?”
It was getting harder to tell the story already, she pushed through, “He didn’t just give up though. He scheduled tutoring sessions every day. He brought a single flower with him every time. -‘Please come to the dance. You’re the only one I can imagine taking to this dance with me. I’m not trying to be pushy, I just really want you to go to this dance with me. It’ll be perfect.’- and on and on he went. It was overwhelming.”
“Sounds like a real tool.” An angry spark flashed in his eyes.
Pidge lifted her eyes and took in a deep breath. “In hindsight, yes. But I was feeling flattered he was being persistent and clearly interested in me. His frat and Allura’s sorority are partners, so I knew she’d been around him, so I asked her for details.” The memory of that moment had been a fond one before tonight.
“Anyway, she told me he was a really nice guy. He always treated her and her sorority sisters really well, and that I should say ‘yes’. Besides, she promised to do my hair and makeup and take me shopping.” Her free hand grabbed at her skirt, bunching it up.
Lance smiled, “You look really nice. If that helps.”
Pidge shrugged, not sure it helped her situation, but she liked the compliment nonetheless. “Thanks. Anway, I said ‘yes’ to him and it made him so excited that I actually became excited too. Allura and Romelle kept their word and fixed me all up.”
Lance sat up a little straighter for a moment, “Wait! Why didn’t Hunk and I know about this. Seems like a pretty big deal.”
How was she going to explain this one? “...Um….Hunk knew.” It’s not that she wanted to hide it from Lance, but, she kind of did.
“I’m betrayed! Everyone knew but me? How? You tell me and Hunk everything.” He looked sad.
“You were so busy with studying, and I.. I never found the right time. I’m sorry.”
Lance relaxed a little, reaching out to take a sip of his water. “Makes sense. Please let me know if you ever have anything else like this happen again? I’m here for you.”
She did want him to be happy she had a date. That was most likely the real reason, she realized as she searched her heart.
“Okay, back to your story.” He patted her arm.
“So, anyway, he asks me to wear a green dress, buys me a corsage-” which she had ripped off and ground into his face before running away “-and takes me to this dance.” Reliving those first few moments of wonder still did not make Pidge happy.
“I mean, it was magical. I felt like I mattered. His friends came up and said ‘hi’, he introduced me as his date, we danced a bit. It was fun. I should have known something was up when I ran into several people from my advanced physics program.” The memory of the joy on her acquaintances’ faces made her shake with anger. Tears started to well up in her eyes.
“Oh no. Pidge. Here.” Lance grabbed another handful of napkins from the middle of the table. Maybe this was his M.O. for tears? It made Pidge chuckle through the tears.
“A spot light suddenly shone on me. Everything that happened next was a whirlwind, it happened so fast. Someone from the fraternity announced my date as the winner, then brought out a trophy to him. To me they handed a gold plated pair of glasses that said ‘Biggest Nerd Ever’ carved into the framed. The guy was getting high-fives and everyone was laughing. I was in confusion--” The tears were pouring down her face again. It hurt so bad. “--I gathered from everyone around me that this had been a contest for who could bring the nerdiest date to the dance, and if that person could get the date to clean up and look the most not nerdy, then they would win. In a haze, I handed the glasses to the guy and called him a few choice names. Then--” She was crying harder now, she wondered how Lance could understand her. She figured he was though because he would grab her closer, or gasp, or make little grunts of anger. She was thankful he hadn’t interrupted though. “--He told me that no matter how much I got Allura to help me look good, I was nothing but an ugly nerd and would be nothing but an ugly nerd. And that being tutored by me made him sick because he had to look at my face every day. I snapped. I grabbed the corsage off my wrist and ground it into his face. I flipped everyone off, then screeched at the top of my lungs as I ran out the door. I was crying, and I didn’t want to give those a-holes another moment of my time.”
Lance’s fist hit the table with a loud thump, making everything rattle. “That son-of-a...I’m going to kill him. I’m going to find him, and I’m going to kill him!” Lance was pushing on Pidge now. “Let me out please. I have murder to commit.”
Pidge pushed back on him. “No, Lance. Don’t do that. He’s not worth your time. Besides, I can access all his academic files and his police reports and ruin him at the press of a button. I guess being the biggest nerd in the world is good for something.” She hiccuped.
Lance settled back down, wrapping his arm around her again. He scratched his chin with his other hand. “You’re right. A slow, gradual descent into ruin is what this guy deserves. We should go do that now.”
Pidge wrapped her arm around his waist. “I don’t want to yet. I don’t want to go home. I don’t want to see Allura.” more crying, “She’s the one I’m sad about…. How..*hic*.. How could she do this to me? I thought we were more than roommates Lance? I th-thought w-we were f-f-freinds.” Pidge cried hard.
This time, Lance grabbed the wad of napkins and blotted Pidge’s tears himself. “I know this seems like she was in on it, but, think about it, that’s not really how Allura is. She’s not a mean person, she’s just hot. You know?”
Pidge cried harder. She already knew Lance thought Allura was hot, but she thought he got over it when they broke up last year. Why wouldn’t anything go right in her life in the romance department? “I know you think she’s hot Lance. What’s that have to do with anything?!”
“No, hear me out. Hot people get treated differently. The whole world is nice to them. They get free meals, and always have a date, they never have to pump their own gas, and pretty much anyone will do whatever they ask. Allura is nice, but she’s hot, and, because of that, she doesn’t realize that some people are cruel. They’ve never been cruel to her. She probably believes that guy is nice, and was just happy that you would let her dress you up and do your makeup. You know how long she’s been wanting to get her hands on you.”
Pidge realized Lance was right. No one was ever mean to Allura. And she was a really great person. Pidge loved having her and Romelle for roommates. As if on cue, Pidge’s text alert went off.
[Pidge! Where are you!? I just found out about the dance. If I ever get my hands on that SOB I’m going to kill him. Right now, the sisters and I are working to dissolve the fraternity from our partnerships. Please let me know you’re okay. I punched a hole in our door. Sorry.]
Pidge texted back.
[I’m okay. I’m with Lance. I’ll talk to you when I get home.]
Allura responded immediately.
[Lance?! Well, I guess the whole night wasn’t a waste then. ;-P Don’t hurry home. Have FUN. ;-D]
That put her mind at ease, but also reminded her of her dinner partner. She turned her attention back to Lance. “You were right. That was Allura. She had no idea.”
Lance rubbed her back. “See, hot people don’t know.”
“If that’s true, how come you knew, Lance?” She wanted to take back the words as soon as they left.
“Hoohoo! Does this mean you think I’m hot?” He lifted her face up to look at him again.
Oh his nearness was overwhelming. “It does not mean I don’t. If you’re wondering.”
Their faces were inches away again, just a move forward from either one of them, and their lips would be touching. Pidge sat very still as they looked in each other’s eyes.
Lance spoke first, “Do you have any chapstick?”
That she did not expect. “Um..okay...yes?” She pulled it out from her pocket and gave it to Lance. It was strawberry flavored. He grabbed it and put it on his lips.
“You know, you’re hot too Pidge. Not that you need me approval or anything. But there are a lot of things you don’t know either. “
He captured her eyes with his again, “Like this”
In one fluid motion, he moved his free hand to the back of her neck and pulled her into him. His lips fell on hers, the taste of strawberry flavoring and syrup lingering.
It was heavenly. There was so much more to kissing Lance than she could have imagined. He didn’t pull back immediately, and, perhaps, it went a little long for a first kiss, but Pidge was floating on cloud nine until a voice cleared their throat near them.
“Sorry to interrupted. You kiddos done here?” Madge had come back to check on them.
Lance looked embarrassed. He coughed a couple of times. “Yeah. Thank you heaps, Madge. What do I owe you?” He reached for his wallet.
“This one’s on the house, my boy. You know, for finally taking our advice.” She winked at Pidge. Pidge slipped down into the booth a little further. How could she come back here after that display?
Madge went back to the kitchen, another round of whoops and hollers coming out shortly after.
Lance grabbed a $20 out of his wallet and threw it on the table.
“You ready to head home?” He stared questioningly at Pidge.
Was she? Clearly something had changed between them. She kind of wanted to flesh it out a little more before going to sleep. “I don’t know. Can we Think Drive some more? It seems I have something new to think about.” She smiled at Lance as she rose from the booth.
He followed shortly behind her. Pidge had to crane her neck to keep looking at him while he stood so close. “Hmmm...yes. I think we both have something new to think about. But then, home to sleep.” He bent down quickly and placed a little peck on her lips. Pidge blushed...again.
Lance grabbed her hand as they headed out the door, letting go just long enough to open the car door for her and go around the other side to get in. As soon as they were settled in and buckled, Lance reached for her hand again. She willingly slid her fingers between his.
“The Airport again?” He turned his head to Pidge while he was backing up.
“Look behind you Lance when you’re in reverse!” She whipped her head around to make sure he wasn’t about to back into anyone or anything. There, on his back seat, was a pile of hoodies. Probably four or five based on the size of the pile.
“Hey! I thought you said you didn’t have an extra hoodie?” She glared at him, though there was no real threat behind it.
Lance pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. He gave her a long stare accompanied by a wide smile. “Hmm. It seems I lied.”