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Ok, calm down…
Leon Kennedy took in a deep breath as he nervously tapped the steering wheel of his car, his blue eyes darting over to the lightly decorated front porch.
Keep it together. It’s just a date…
The cool air of the late Autumn night picked up into a slight breeze, gently jostling a bamboo wind chime that hung near a window just to the left of the small house’s front door. He let his eyes linger for a beat before turning away and resting his forehead against the steering wheel.
Yeah… just a date…
It had been such a casual phone call with Claire… The two of them simply catching up with each other and joking around when he’d just straight up asked her out. It hadn’t been planned and probably surprised him more than it surprised her.
Upon realizing what he’d just asked, Leon had fallen silent, half expecting to hear the small click of her hanging up on him.
Instead she’d asked him to clarify and for a fraction of a second he considered asking something else and pretending it had never happened. But, he swallowed hard and asked her again anyway.
And… for some reason… she’d said yes.
And here I am. Week later and feeling like my heart is gonna explode.
Leon shook his head as he looked up. It all felt so out of character for him.
He’d survived unimaginable situations.
Taken out dozens of terrorists.
Fought LITERAL MONSTERS!
…and yet here he was. Nervous about a date.
Because it’s Claire. He told himself as he took a slow breath. Stakes are a little higher than if she was just some woman I met at a bar-
Leon jumped as his cell phone rang. After a moment of fumbling around, he answered the call.
“Yeah?”
“Whatcha doin’?” Claire asked in a sing-song voice.
Looking back toward her small house, he just caught sight of the curtains of the front window falling back into place.
Crap… hope she doesn’t know how long I’ve been out here…
“Oh just… sittin’ in my car,” he said as casually as he could before letting out a nervous chuckle. “About to go on a date.”
“Oh, what a coincidence! I’m about to go on one too!” Claire teased over the phone. “I’m just sitting here waiting for my date to come knock on my door, but he seems to be stuck in his car…”
Leon once again gave his steering wheel a few quick taps before saying, “Well… maybe he’s nervous?”
Claire snorted loudly.
“He wouldn’t be the only one,” she said with a small laugh. “I’m kinda losing my mind here.”
Leon looked back at her window and saw that the curtains had been pulled to the side again.
“Oh yeah?” he asked as he leaned back in his seat. “Truth be told, I’m a bit nervous about my date too.”
“Really? Leon S. Kennedy nervous to go on a date?!” Claire tittered before adding. “I don’t buy it.”
“You’d be surprised…” he said quietly as he lowered his eyes to the hand that was still lightly tapping away.
A moment of silence hung between the two and Leon was becoming more and more sure that Claire would call the whole thing off at any second.
Maybe it’s for the best… maybe this is too-
“So…” Claire started suddenly, pushing away Leon’s wandering thoughts.
“This girl you’re going on a date with… what’s she like?”
Leon couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped him.
“Well, if you must know…”
“Oh yes, I must. Wanna be sure she’s good enough for you.”
His smile growing, Leon once again turned to Claire’s window. There, he could just make out her silhouette.
Always so playful…
“Well… she’s smart, kind… and one of the toughest people I’ve ever met,” he said as he finally unbuckled his seat belt before continuing, “She rides motorcycles and can shoot a grenade launcher with… decent accuracy.
“Oooh, she sounds fun,” Claire said with a smile in her voice. “And you don’t really need THAT much accuracy when shooting explosives so maybe get off her back, Leon.”
The young man laughed loudly at this and could hear Claire doing the same.
“Alright, alright… I’ll be good. So, what about your date? What’s he like?”
“Oh him? He’s strong… relatively smart-”
Leon let out an exaggerated scoff.
“-And he’s pretty funny. I would never tell him that, though.”
“Uh huh…”
“...and Leon?”
“Yeah?”
“This guy, he… he’s probably the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Leon held a moment, surprised by her admission.
He knew how he looked. He’d noticed the lingering eyes of plenty of women… and some men over his life.
But to hear it from Claire…
“Oh yeah?” he said as he opened his car door and stepped out. “Well, let me tell you about this girl I’m about to take to dinner-”
“Oh? Is she pretty?”
He could see her now.
Standing at the window, watching him.
At the sight of her, Leon’s heart began to pick up the pace again… but not from nervousness.
“She’s gorgeous, Claire.”
In spite of the cool air around him, Leon’s heart warmed at the shy smile that spread across Claire's beautiful face.
“Oh, is she?”
“Yeah,” Leon whispered as he closed his car door. “I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind all week… hell, I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind for years.”
The two of them held each other’s gaze for a moment as Claire’s shy smile grew into one so bright that all of Leon’s remaining doubts and fears melted away.
“In that case, I’m glad you finally asked her on a date,” Claire said softly. “She’s probably been thinking about you too.”
“Yeah, starting to think she has been,” he said as he began to step away from his car.
I shoulda done this years ago…
“Well, it’s been nice chatting with you Claire, but I’m heading to her front door now.”
“Yeah, my date seems to have dislodged himself and looks to be heading my way.”
Leon chuckled again as he neared her door, “Alright, I’ll let you go. Hope you have a great date.”
“I know I will,” she whispered. “Enjoy your date too.”
“I will,” he said quietly before hanging up.
He held a moment, listening to the gentle breeze and pleasant sounds of the bamboo wind chime.
Well, better late than never…
With a final deep breath, Leon knocked on Claire’s door.