Winter Air [H.S.]

Sixteen

The restaurant was dimly lit. The lingering smell of pasta and garlic bread filled the room. The host led Harry and Ava to their reserved table near the back. After giving the menus and taking their drink order, she walked away leaving the two to themselves. 

Harry, looking down, cleared his throat. He could feel the eruption of butterflies overtake his stomach. His mind was going a mile a minute attempting to come up with a coherent sentence. 

"They have really great lasagna." Was all he could think to say. He was nervous. He looked up from his menu and caught Ava staring. Her cheeks turned a deep crimson and a small smile crept its way to her lips. 

"I do like lasagna," she replied. 

Harry smiled, "well, you should definitely try it." She let out a small giggle and looked back at her menu. 

He was in complete awe of her beauty. The way she would nervously twirl her hair in between her fingers, furrowed her eyebrows, and bit her cheek- it drove him completely mad. He was not sure how he got to this place. He knew that if there was in fact a god, his sense of humour was impeccable. He never thought that he would be back in this position: at a restaurant, with a girl while feeling like a resident of cloud nine.

This feeling was foreign.

"Have you been here before?" Her voice was loud- trying to be heard amongst the chatter of the tables surrounding them. 

"Once or twice," he coughed. His voice came out raspier than usual. The nerves. 

He shook his head, an attempt to dispose of the fluttery of his nerves. "Rose and I discovered this place not too long ago. The food's good and the price is decent." 

She nodded her head while taking a sip from her white wine. 

"Well if the food is as good as their wine, I might need to come back." Her smile lingered. Her eyes shined even in the dimly lit room. 

Ava's mind was racing. This had been the first date that she'd been on in a long time. Her palms were sweating and her heart was beating quickly. She kept finding herself drawn to him. She couldn't help but stare at the way he would squeeze his menu while his eyes gazed over each word. 

She couldn't help but compare him to Adonis- the greek god of desire and beauty. The way his jaw was perfectly in line and how his dimple would peek through whenever he smiled. She couldn't deny how desirable he looked. The way his hair curled back to reveal his bright jade eyes. He was handsome. 

As she studied his strong, beautiful features she slowly became confused. Why was he here with her? She was no Aphrodite. Her eyebrows were thick and her face pale. Perhaps it was only her female insecurity that felt that she was unworthy of his time. It was normal for a girl to feel less attractive when the man before her was the reincarnation of a greek god. Yet she couldn't help but feel flattered by his admiration. 

The more she examined him the more she felt the need to be near. She slid her chair in closer. Her foot carefully touching his own. She didn't dare look up. She kept her foot still in hopes that he would make the next move. 

Harry felt a shock of electricity when her foot touched his own. However she moved it away as quickly as she moved it close. He quickly peeked  over his menu and caught her blush ever so slightly. He took that as his cue to move his foot against hers; brushing the tip slightly over her own. It gradually became a flirtatious game of footsies. A battle of subtle touching and lingering traction. He gave up after a few brushes and left his foot against her own in hopes that she would not move. Much to his pleasure she did not move it away. It was a subtle touch, but the connection sent a jolt of electricity throughout both limbs.