Seventeen

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I should have worried that I hadn't had any sight of Ariana. But I was too busy rushing through my tasks at home with an urgency that simply screamed Leo in my head.

I made a mental note that I needed to go back to Ariana's house, as I had promised her mom I would. Also added to my list of things to do was to go back to the cemetery to visit Ariana. It's not that I was avoiding her on purpose. But I didn't want to somehow spark my nightmares again; or worse, make her visit me when I was awake.

I lived on borrowed time. Leo had asked me to dinner one evening, giving me the perfect amount of time before seeing him to get stuff done that I had been avoiding at home. I cleaned my room, did laundry, and finished some artwork. As I changed clothes, I spent a little extra time fixing my hair and headed out the door.

Leo arrived at The Treehouse restaurant a few minutes before I did. This place had been his pick, and I had never been there before. Opening just a few months ago, The Treehouse was set up to resemble the inside of an actual treehouse, but with a modern feel. The walls were lined in a dark cherry wood, with wooden booths offering a provocative, private atmosphere. The lights were dimmed low. A giant tree grew from the center of the restaurant's main room, high enough that it reached through the vaulted ceiling. Candles lit on each table offered a slight glow.

When I arrived, I walked in and allowed my eyes to adjust to the darker lighting

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When I arrived, I walked in and allowed my eyes to adjust to the darker lighting. Leo slid up next to me silently and handed me a single white flower. I held the long green stem in my hand and beamed.

Our table was located in the back and provided a direct view of the giant tree's trunk. I marveled at it's size, following it up until it split into branches, dark emerald leaves sprouting from it in a zig zig pattern. I scanned the menu after my eyes adjusted. Leo held my hand under the table, sitting next to me on the booth's one wooden bench.

His eyes twinkled as he sat within the candle's light, looking over the menu

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His eyes twinkled as he sat within the candle's light, looking over the menu. Our waiter came to take our orders and left to get our drinks.

"This might sound weird," Leo warned. "But, it seems like you've been doing pretty well lately. I mean with the nightmares?"

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