“Don’t be so nervous. You look good.”

Hayley turned around at Tay’s words, biting down on her fingernail. “I’m not nervous about my appearance.” She confirmed. “It’s just … I haven’t been on a date since Chad. It’s weird.” She then spun and watched Tay take a spot on Hayley’s bed, pulling out a magazine to read. “Let alone this is also a date for a fake relationship.”

“Okay, Hayles, come here.” Tay tapped the spot beside her, and Hayley hesitantly sat. “As much as you tell us that this plan is okay with you, you don’t have me fooled. I know you’re not fond of this, but Taylor will go ballistic if you don’t do this. Plus, if this goes well, you’re totally going to be picked as leader when Taylor graduates.”

Hayley had been thinking of the leadership opportunity for a while, and as much as she thought she wasn’t right for the job, she had also liked the idea a little. She thought she might as well push herself to do different things in her senior year and get out of her comfort zone, and don’t forget to look for colleges.

“I know, I know.” She sighed, even though Tay’s speech did make her feel a little better.

“So I want you to put a smile on that pretty face for Alex and go out on this date with him. I’ll be right here when you get back and we can do one of our famous sleepovers.” The brunette smiled, making her friend do the same.

The girls heard a car door slamming outside, and Tay stood up, looking out the window. “It’s Alex,” she beamed when she turned back around. “Have fun!” She exclaimed, pushing Hayley out of her own bedroom and down the stairs to meet Alex outside.

---

The car ride was mostly quiet, except for Alex’s Blink CD playing in the background, to Hayley’s enjoyment. She tapped her hands on her legs to the beat, humming the words under her breath and unaware Alex was sneaking glances at her while she did this. He pulled into the famous cinema on Thames street, opening her own door for her as she threw him a fake smile.

Hayley waited to the side as Alex bought their tickets, hugging her leather jacket closer to her chest from the cold. Alex quickly looked at her as he handed the cashier the money, realizing how fierce she looked in the cold. But in an ironic way, when he was near her, he was warm enough, probably because of his butterflies.

Or maybe it was because the tension between them was like a fire.

He approached her and handed her the ticket for the movie they’d be seeing. She looked down at it, raising an eyebrow. “Pride and Prejudice?” She almost scoffed. “You were serious about seeing this movie?”

Alex’s eyes almost bugged out as they walked into the hall with four theaters, each playing a different movie. “Well … um―yeah, kinda.”

“I’m not really into chick flicks.” She looked down. “They’re so sappy and unrealistic. I’m more into action or science-fiction.”

Alex looked up at the signs for the different movies playing near them. “We could go see War of the Worlds?”

She furrowed her brow. “We didn’t pay for that movie.”

He smirked at that, bringing a finger up to his lips for her to be quiet. He took her hand hesitantly, and before she could rebuttal, started sprinting with her to the nearest theater playing War of the Worlds. They almost got caught by one of the passing security guards, but made it into the theater without a scratch and just as it started.

Hayley enjoyed the movie thoroughly; it had everything she wanted, including Tom Cruise. During the movie, Alex tried to play it cool and yawn while putting his arm around her, but he ended up getting shy so he put his arm back to where it rested, next to hers. After that, he finally decided to downgrade and tried to hold her hand, but she quickly slid her own hand away. She wasn’t ready to play him like this; she knew he liked her a lot. She almost wanted to walk out of the theater and never come back.

But finally, at the end of the movie and they were walking out, she let him cup their hands together, noticing how sweaty his hand was. She tried not to look his way, afraid she’d see the huge grin on his face that her skin was brushing his. She couldn’t ever look at him when he was happy and thinking of their reciprocated feelings, because what he believed was a lie, and it hurt her.

He drove her home, letting the soft sounds of his CD and the air brushing past the car fill the awkward silence. Hayley stared out her window the entire time, only hearing Alex’s question if she liked the movie, to which she replied, “Best movie of the year.”

When he parked his car in front of her house, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was home and didn’t have to do anything tonight that made her too uncomfortable. She knew she’d be doing things later in the relationship that’d make her uneasy, but for now, it was just the beginning and she could feel relief that she didn’t have to kiss him yet. Sure, she could agree with every girl at the school that Alex was cute, but she couldn’t kiss him or interact lovingly with him without feeling a pang of guilt. She was a horrible person.

“Do you need me to walk you to your door?” He asked after a moment of silence.

She opened her door. “I think I can manage.” She stepped out of the car, waving to him. “Thanks for paying. I had a good time.” She smiled falsely and closed the car door, letting out a sigh of relief as she walked to the front door of her house. Now all she had to do was go inside and tell Tay everything―

“Hayley!”

She was almost on the steps of her porch when she spun around, furrowing her eyebrows as he made his way to her. “Yeah?”

He finally reached her and drew out a breath from the running, sliding his hands in his pockets. “I just … um―” He scratched the top of his head and cleared his throat. “I kind of wanted to―”

Oh, no, she thought.

He sighed and took a moment before continuing, “Can I kiss you?”

She rubbed up and down her arm, biting down on her lip. “Actually, I don’t think that’s―”

He didn’t let her finish as he pressed his lips to hers quickly. When she recovered from the surprise of the kiss, he put his hand to her cheek, deepening the kiss just enough for her not to feel uncomfortable. And as much as she thought she was going to be, she wasn’t. She was surprised that she actually liked the kiss a little and that he was good at it.

He blushed awkwardly when he pulled away, looking down at the ground. “Sorry, I took a leap of faith.”

She smiled softly, and without thinking, she leaned in and kissed his cheek. His face turned even more red. “Making a Hustler blush,” she noted, surprised at her sudden change of mood, “I’ll have to add that to my list of accomplishments.”

“Kissing an Anklebiter,” he then replied, “I’ll check that off my bucket list.”

She chuckled a little. “Goodnight, Alex.”

“Wait, Hayley! Can I―”

“Yes, Alex,” she nodded as she took hold of her doorknob, “you may see me again.”

Notes

Hayley's outfit
*cue audience "aw"-ing*
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