First date

    After they left the alley next to her house, Ellie noticed Theo was carrying a basket. She debate for a bit with herself, before finally deciding to ask about it.

"It's a picnic basket" he texted 

"How come?"

    At this, he turned slightly pink and looked away.

"I heard you talk to one of your friends... while she was visiting you at work. You said you'd love a picnic date... I think"

    He was perfectly precious. At that moment, Ellie decided that even if they didn't turn out to be a good match as a couple, she'd do anything to protect his happiness.

"Did your mom prepare it?"

    Now he was positively red. If she looked hard enough, she'd probably see steam coming out of his face. He shook his head, then pointed to himself. Yup, he was definitely a must protect.

"I do feel a bit bad about this... You put a lot of effort into it and I haven't really contributed in any way"

"It's a date and I invited you, not to mention I didn't bring much. If you still feel bad about it later, you can take me out next time :)"

    He could really type fast. Ellie supposed that both this and his good handwriting were to compensate for his inability to speak. She couldn't help admiring his stubborn determination to improve his situation in any way possible.

    They walked for quite a bit, thought Ellie wasn't about to ask Theo where they were going. When they finally stopped, she was looking at a small pond in the middle of a park she hadn't known existed. He put down the basket, pulled out a blanket and spread it out. Afterwards, they both sat down, unsure of the appropriate distance they should put between them.

    Theo pulled out the food: some sandwiches, a thermos with tea and a bottle of water. They ate without talking. After finishing she received a text:

"How come you work at the bookshop?"

"Well, after grandpa passed away, mom couldn't bring herself to close it. She also can't quit her job at the hospital, the shop doesn't make quite enough money for that at the moment. Besides, I help for the three hours after school and before closing"

"I suppose it has a lot of sentimental value. The shop, I mean"

"Oh, it does. My mom was raised there, it would break her heart to close it"

"And your dad?"

"He's currently deployed, he won't be able to help until he finishes his service"

"It must be rather though"

"Not really, I've gotten used to the schedule"

    She looked a little down, but he wouldn't bring it up. He decided not to pursue this line of questioning and shifted the focus.

"My father works a factory job, so we don't get to spend that much time with him. My mom on the other hand is a teacher, so she's home quite a bit"

"We?"

"I have a younger brother, he's 14"

"I'm an only child, so I am a little jealous"

"I suppose he's a tolerable brat, however I think you're fine as an only child. Having siblings is an exercise in frustration a lot of the time "

"Come on, I bet you love having him around"

"I never said I didn't, though that doesn't mean he's not infuriating"

"Still, it must be nice to have someone you can always rely on... someone who's always there"

"It is, however it doesn't have to be a sibling. I have a friend I would trust with my life. We have known eachother for a very long time, but we aren't related" Theo wrote 

"I suppose you're right" Ellie replied

"On an unrelated topic, what do you do in your free time? You know, when you're not at the bookshop "

"I spend a lot of time reading at home too. I also like to draw sometimes, even if I'm mediocre at best. Most of the time, if I go outdoors it's either with Liam or my family"

"Liam?"

"The friend I told you about. It's a lot more nerve-wracking if I go out alone. If I'm with him, I know things will be fine"

"It's nice to have a friend like that. I have Sonia, so I can't complain"

    Theo looked at her questioningly. 

"Oh, right. Sonia is the girl we bumped into earlier at my house. We met in highschool and got close really quickly"

"Is she the person who drags you outside?"

    He smiled at Ellie, while starting to put things away. She picked up her own leftovers. 

"I'll have you know I'm a rather social person. I also enjoy the outdoors, too much to stay inside all day"

"What do you like to do outdoors?"

"Walking, running, hiking. Anything really"

"Would you like to walk around for a bit?"

"I think I would "

    Theo got up and tried to shake the grass off the blanket. Ellie grabbed on to it to help him. They shook it out twice and on the third, Theo pulled a little too hard on it. It ripped out of Ellie's hands, slipped out of Theo's and flew to the middle of the pond. 

    They both watched as it floated for a few seconds, before soaking in water, getting heavier and heavier until it sunk. They looked at eachother, both unsure of how to react. Ellie was the first to speak.

"I'm not going in after it"

"Neither am I" he wrote 

"Well" she said, assuming a military stance and saluting towards the pond "Rest with the fishes"

    She heard a dull thud. Turning towards the sound, she saw Theo was on the ground, wheezing and shaking. Ellie's first instinct was to worry, then realised he was laughing. She frowned at him, thought about what she'd said and started to laugh as well.

    After recovering his breath, Theo got up, grabbed the basket and they started walking along the pond and through the park. The spring air carried the scent of flowers, everything was coloured brightly. Ellie was glad to be there, especially with Theo. Even though they barely knew eachother, his kind and sweet demeanor put her at ease. 

   Theo was having one of the best days of his life. At this point, he was afraid he would either wake up and realise it was a dream or he'd find a way to mess it up. He looked at Ellie, who was looking up at the trees in bloom. She was lively, beautiful and he wanted to know so much more about her. He noticed some swings in the distance, so he signalled her.

"Let's go" she replied 

    They both sat down and started swinging. Theo met Ellie's eyes and saw the challenge in them. They started going faster and faster, it was childish and it was so much fun. He never wanted to be above such thing.

    The wind blew petals all over the place, like perfumed snow. Despite her speed, Ellie's hair was full of them. She grabbed a handful from a branch above her head and blew them in his face. She made him think of a mischievous fairy, one of the fairies in Irish tales, doing whatever they pleased and causing mayhem in small ways. Theo wasn't going to complain about it.

    A voice broke through the laughter. They both turned towards it and Ellie noticed a boy not very far from where they were standing. 

"Theo!"

    While she was confused, Theo seemed to know him. The boy was a little shorter than Theo and looked like a troublemaker. He was dressed in a black tank top that left the tattoo on his shoulder fully exposed, he hand a bunch of ear piercings and his dark hair was dyed silver towards the tips. Ellie didn't like judging people based on apareces, that being said she wasn't perfect.

    Theo on his part seemed to light up after seeing him. The boy made some gestures with his hands, to which Theo replied with some of his own. They communicated like that for a bit, while the only thing Ellie caught was the ominous slashing motion from the stranger. She must've blanched, because when the boy left and Theo turned to her, he looked worried.

"Sorry about that. That was Liam. It was pretty rude of him, he speaks to me in sign language on purpose when he doesn't want others to understand"

"Do you usually speak to people in sign?"

"No, only my family and Liam. Most people don't know it"

"Now that you mention it, I don't think I know anyone who does"

"Either way, he's just worried about me and was mad I didn't tell him about the date"

    She wanted to ask why Liam would be worried, but decided not to. 

"What else did he say"

"If it's okay with you" he wrote, a little nervous "He said he'd want to meet you. You could bring Sonia, so it's easier on you"

"Oh" Ellie started to reply 

     She swallowed back. Liam had been frowning the entire time, he didn't seem to like her. With that said, she wanted to get closer to Theo and this was his best friend. With a bit of trepidation, she replied.

"Makes sense. Let's go out, all of us "