The Date

It was the longest week of Ren's life, but it wasn't a bad week or anything. He talked to Aria every day and progressed their story at a great pace.

Aria always got excited as Ren told the story, even though he never let her see the artwork. Aria, on the other hand, surprised the boy with such random and impulsive ideas that Ren knew wouldn't be good, but he was enchanted by how her mind worked.

“What if there were aliens?”, “you should kill everybody in the end”, “maybe the reader was a character in the story the hole time” it was the kind suggestions she gave. She also gave some good ideas, like naming Erika’s character Astrid, just because the name sounded cool.

But actually, his week was long because of the anticipation for the weekend and the date that Erika had arranged for him. Apparently, Erika had convinced Aria to be a part of their group of friends, all people Ren barely knew and he felt a little insecure about being close to them. The only relief was that Leo would also be there, which wasn't one hundred percent good, as he was also meddlesome, but at least Ren knew he would have some support.

They were going to a park where an event was taking place, full of food stalls and activities that would last until the evening.

Until then, Leo tried to help Ren with ideas and support on how to confess to Aria. Just the thought alone made Ren freeze, and he could hardly hold a conversation while Leo continued to relax his friend so that he would be ready during the encounter.

Deep down, Ren thought nothing would happen. He wouldn't have the courage to confess to Aria, and even if he did, it's not like he had any chance, right?

These thoughts whirled around in Ren's mind during every free moment until the fateful day finally arrived.

He opened his closet, looking for cool clothes to wear, when he remembered that he hadn't bought any new clothes in a long time. He cursed himself for not being well-prepared and dressed as casually as possible.

He met Leo halfway, and they went together to the designated meeting place. Leo looked much more stylish than Ren, with gel in his hair and clothes that actually matched the occasion.

"Hey, man, are you ready for your date?" he asked with his typical radiant smile.

Clearly, Ren wasn't ready. He tried to control the trembling in his leg and not let everyone see how out of control he really was.

"What about you? Isn't Erika going to try to find a girlfriend for you?" Ren asked, trying to change the subject.

Leo shrugged.

"Today is not about me. It's Ren's day. Will you have your first kiss today?"

Just the idea made Ren freeze. He thought everyone could hear his heart from a distance, but besides that, he was somewhat embarrassed that he had never kissed anyone before.

"And you, have you ever kissed anyone?" Ren asked defensively.

Although Leo was much more popular than Ren, he knew that his friend also didn't have much confidence when it came to talking to girls their age. And Leo's expression made his answer clear.

They took a few more steps in silence until Leo spoke again.

"What do you think it's like?"

"What?" Ren asked, still trying to recover from the idea of kissing Aria.

"The first kiss. It must be something fantastic. Like a hurricane!"

Ren found Leo's metaphor strange, but he had to admit that he had thought about it before.

"I imagine it a bit differently. It must be like a fireworks display, like on New Year's Eve."

The two of them imagined how magical the first kiss would be, and they barely noticed when they arrived at the park. There were half a dozen young people, and they soon spotted Erika among them. As soon as she saw them, she pulled them closer to the group.

Ren and Leo recognized most of the people there, classmates, all from Erika's class, and people that they normally wouldn't talk to.

As he glanced at the people, Ren made eye contact with Aria, who was a step behind the others, with her hands in her jacket pockets, displaying a slightly uncomfortable body posture, but she smiled when she saw him, and he smiled back.

The silent smiles continued until Erika led the group to the activities they would do. Enjoying a day at the park and eating tasty treats.

Although Ren talked to Aria every day at school, things were different on a date. He didn't know what to do, and they barely talked at the beginning of the event, each staying on opposite sides of the group.

After an hour of Ren thinking only of escaping to end the torture, everyone sat on benches, and thanks to Erika, Ren and Aria ended up sitting side by side.

Their bodies touched, and anyone observing could see the nervousness of both young people.

"So..." they both said at the same time, trying to break the silence, which caused laughter from both.

"We haven't really talked much," Aria commented.

"Yeah... to be honest, I don't usually go out like this. I think I'm out of practice, haha."

He forced a laugh at the end, knowing it wasn't convincing at all.

"Me neither. I really like Erika, but this kind of event full of people I barely know... it's not really my thing."

In a way, Ren felt relieved. It seemed like they were on the same page about this matter.

"Next time, we can do something we both like more," Ren ventured, already giving up on this date but thinking about the next one.

She turned her face towards him, and they were very close. Ren was clearly embarrassed, but Aria seemed determined.

"And why not this time?"

She looked around attentively, as if searching for something.

"What are you doing?" Ren asked.

"Looking for something magical," she replied as if it were enough to explain everything.

Ren had talked about magic with Aria before, but apart from the discussion about participating in the contest, they had never delved deeply into the subject, and he found the girl's determination strange.

"There!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Before Ren could see what it was, Aria stood up, grabbed the boy's hand, and ran away.

Not knowing how to react, he let himself be carried away, abandoning all his companions as Aria guided him toward something magical.