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Dhomo glanced at the clock on the wall anxiously, the minute hand had inched closer to six pm, she was late . He fidgeted his collar and flowers on his lap. He had picked them out just for Pcell, they were her favorite. They were daffodils from the best shop in the area. The restaurant’s door opened again, the bells jingling softly, Dhomo turned his head sharply to see if it was her. A man had entered in her place. He cursed under his breath, maybe she wouldn’t show, Pcell was absolutely out of his league. It was amazing she even accepted his request to take her out, every guy in the Academy was madly in love with her. Dhomo had selected a restaurant that he thought a schoolgirl like Pcell would enjoy, he had also heard the food and service were good as well.
Once again, the door opened. This time, a ray of sunshine stepped through the threshold. Dhomo felt his head get lighter, his hands became clammy. How is she so beautiful! He thought to himself while staggering to his feet to greet Pcell. Instead of her usual school uniform, she was wearing a stunning baby blue summer dress, her long black hair in braids. Her dark eyes gazed at him as Dhomo fumbled to find the words to say hello. Dhomo felt his face reddening and looked away from her, waving to the table he had chosen for them. Their table was next to a window that overlooked a large lake that reflected the rays of artificial light created by The City. They sat facing each other, Pcell gazed out the window for some time. Her face softened as she turned to Dhomo.
“So, I’m here.” She said straight-faced. Pcell rested her head in her hand as if bored.
Dhomo felt his heart plummet. Of course she doesn’t like you, you moron. You’re just another guy to her, nothing special, he thought angrily. Dhomo clenched his fists, after a long moment of contemplation of what to say he managed to stammer out “Did you want something to eat?” He could feel a cold bead of sweat running down his side and worried she would somehow know how nervous he was. Pcell nodded slowly, seemingly unaware of Dhomo’s anxiety, and waved a waiter over.
When the waiter arrived, she could clearly feel the tension between the pair. Dhomo and Pcell gave their orders without a glance to the other, the waiter scribbled it down and scurried off to the kitchen. Dhomo felt a lump rise in his throat when they were alone again, staring at the flowers next to him. The daffodils had begun to droop slightly, looking just about as sad as the predicament he was in. Pcell twisted her braids in her hand while looking into Dhomo’s eyes. The air between them seemed to fill with a thick tension, their eyes locked in a quiet battle, only interrupted by the waiter returning with baskets of food and shakes.
Dhomo reached into his pockets to fumble out his wallet, but Pcell was already placing her card on the table for the waitress to scan. He felt his cheeks reddening further, if that was even possible at this point. The waiter smiled and left them to their meal. For a long while they once again sat in silence until Dhomo worked up the courage to thank Pcell for paying the bill but was interrupted by her standing up abruptly.
“We should eat somewhere else. I know a good spot.” Pcell stated flatly and grabbed her shake and basket of sandwiches. She whisked away and stood at the door, “Aren’t you coming?” She asked expectantly and motioned with her head.
Dhomo fumbled, carefully balancing the food and flowers in his hands, and trekked over to her. He felt clammy all over. Pcell opened the door for him and turned down the road.
“There is a nice bench down by the lake we can sit at,” Pcell turned to him and smirked, “I think I’ll give you a chance.”
They continued down the road until they reached the lake. The artificial light reflecting on it had turned a soft orange shade, just like a sunset was supposed to look like. Pcell motioned to a bench close to the water’s edge. There was a soft breeze in the warm air. The two sat at the bench, the mood became more relaxed in the evening atmosphere. Dhomo felt the knots inside him slowly dissipate and he was left with a sort of empty feeling. Pcell hadn’t said a word, instead, she looked across the lake surface.
Her face had become somewhat somber, her eyes sad. “It’s pretty, don’t you think?” Pcell looked back at Dhomo expectantly.
Swallowing Dhomo muttered, “Yeah,” he wasn’t sure how to continue and gripped the flowers in his hand. “It is nice. The orange looks nice.” Pcell laughed a little at his remark.
“I’m sorry if I was distant earlier. You probably thought I was a stuck-up bitch, right?” She swung her feet, “If you don’t want to continue the date I understand.”
Dhomo flushed, suddenly feeling bad for not talking either, “No! It’s ok, I was nervous too,” the meal on his lap suddenly felt like a pile of bricks. “I brought you some flowers,” he stuck his arm out awkwardly, still gripping the bouquet tightly, “They’re daffodils.”
Pcell gently took them from him, brushing her hands against his. The motion sent electrical shocks down Dhomo’s spine, and Pcell blushed slightly. She laid the bouquet on her lap and pulled two daffodils out. They glowed softly in the golden light. Pcell placed it gently over Dhomo’s ear and put the other on hers. They looked at each other for a moment, suddenly it felt to Dhomo that she liked him in the same way he liked her. His stomach filled with butterflies at the thought. Pcell looked at him curiously and smiled. Her face was red, but maybe it was from the evening light. Dhomo’s eyes darted away, embarrassed of the fact that she might like him.
Suddenly Pcell leaned in quickly and lightly kissed him on the cheek. Her eyes widened and she turned away hurriedly, face as red as a tomato. Dhomo sat stunned, raising a hand to feel where she had touched him. Pcell’s lips were soft on his cheek, they left a warm feeling on his skin. He stared at his hand for a moment.
“I suppose this means another date?” He asked cheekily.
Pcell glanced back at him, she was still blushing furiously, “Maybe.” she said shyly.
The pair sat quietly on the bench, waiting for the artificial light of The City to fade away to darkness. The lake shone from the lights lit around it. Dhomo looked at his watch, it was getting late. He looked over at Pcell, she had slowly inched her way towards him and was now resting her head on his shoulder. It felt natural to be with her, he thought, maybe it was meant to be. Dhomo shook his head at the idea. High school romances never last long, or so Killy had told him. Pcell fidgeted, she looked cold. Dhomo maneuvered his jacket off of him as though not to disturb her and draped it over Pcell. Maybe just for a while, he could live the dream, he thought.