𝑊𝐴𝑁𝑇 𝑇𝐻𝐼𝑆 (locke and key gabe)

10 rewritten

"So, is this like- a date, then?"

The question lingered between them for just a moment too long, and Avery immediately regretted asking it, deading his response, and all the ways it could go wrong.

But Gabe only shrugged and gave a half-hearted smirk as he twisted his fork against the pasta, "That was the intention, yeah."

She almost exhaled in relief, fearing her blurted question may have easily made things awkward between the two. "You've set the bar high, Gabe. Let's hope the second one lives up to it." She teased him, sipping her prosecco flute. It was sweet and bubbly, and made her throat tickle a little with each sip she took. It made her feel a little hazy, not disoriented or tipsy, just...fuzzy. Her surroundings were a little blurred at the edges, like paint that had bled between the lines, yet somehow, it only made their secluded spot feel all the more magical.

Gabe had laid out a picnic blanket under the stars, overlooking the ocean below them and the bright constellations above. He'd set out an array of her favourite foods, adding details he'd picked up from her diary, like a bouquet of white lilies, and pine-nut free pesto. Every detail was so thought-out and precise, Avery felt like she was living through some sort of novel. Only boys she read about in books were as perfect and caring and detailed in their acts. Everything he did seemed to reel her in further, everything about him so precise and poised and perfect she couldn't help but wonder if she had dreamed him up.

Gabe chuckled- a light-hearted sound that made her stomach flutter like a lovesick teen, "I poured all my creativity into this one, the second may well end up your typical boring restaurant date."

Avery quirked a teasing brow, setting down her glass beside her. "Boring? Really? You're meant to say you could never be bored when you're with me, because I'm just too fabulous for it to be boring."

Gabe rolled his eyes, his arm coming to rest around her shoulder, a small action that made her cheeks flush pink. She was grateful for the veil of the night, which she could only hope concealed the blush creeping across her cheeks. "I don't care if our next date is takeout in Doug's basement, I'll love it all the same."

"That's more like it," She grinned like a fool, leaning into him.

Avery felt like she was living through a cheesy romance movie. She'd spent her nights scrolling through Snapchat Memories of days out with Gabe, videos of them laughing at school, pictures of them roller-skating or watching movies or going on dates. She always found herself grinning madly. He made her feel things she'd never felt before. And on every photo, no matter how different things were, there was one thing that seemed to be consistent- her smile. Not the polite, pretty smile she usually had in photos. The cheesy, happy grin that she absolutely hated. She hadn't smiled like that in a while.

For the past week, everything had been pretty perfect, or as perfect as life could get, given well...everything. But with no sign of Dodge, Duncan fixed and Avery feeling like your typical lovesick teenager, things were starting to look up. Tyler had been hanging out with Eden's far nicer friend, Jackie, and he'd been noticeably less distant recently. 

It felt like things were finally getting back on track.

And her first party- Avery had that sort of nauseous excitement fluttering around in her stomach as she finished up her makeup. She'd never been to a party before, or any sort of social event really. She didn't exactly have many friends back in Seattle.