fire on fire | void stiles [au] (DISCONTINUED)

SEVEN ━ HOW ICE MELTS BEFORE FIRE

chapter seven

AVERY WAS NERVOUS, BUT not your typical first date nervous. It was really just this faint, unsettling feeling she couldn't shake. No matter what she focused on, or did, it never settled down, sizzling in the depths of her subconscious. Of course she did her best to hide the fact she was underwhelmed.

She wanted to be excited. She wanted her body to feel all tingly and her heart to beat in anticipation of what was to come by the end of this rather peaceful night. The girl had a handsome boy beside her in the driver's seat, one that didn't hesitate to tell her how beautiful she looked when he first laid eyes on her. He was the guy that always offered his hand to hold and smiled his typical sweet smile every time she did anything he thought was cute. He was good for her... too good.

Teddy had picked her up on time, even bringing her a bouquet of freshly picked roses to start the date off perfect. She remembered how surprised she was, telling him he shouldn't have, but she shouldn't of been. This was normal behavior of the dirty blonde — he would go to extreme lengths to make sure this date was the best one Avery had ever went on. He could tell she needed a break, a night out, and when she finally agreed to go out with him, Teddy swore to himself he wasn't going to blow it.

And he didn't. The conversation during the ride to the theater was comfortable and entertaining, not awkward in the least like the brunette expected. He opened the door for her, paid for the tickets and popcorn, and was overall a perfect gentleman throughout the entire film. Avery was so at ease that she even leaned her head on his shoulder after he put his arm around her, getting used to his warm embrace and understanding that maybe this wasn't so bad.

The movie had been great, laughter tumbling out from both of them at the comedic parts. The plot keep them interested, kept them invested, and there were even some scenes that made Avery's gray eyes water at the sadness unfolding on the massive screen in front of her. She felt Teddy hold her tighter during those emotional moments.

Now they were on their way to a local dinner to get a meal that would fill them up unlike the bucket of popcorn they didn't end up finishing. She allowed him to hold her hand the entire drive, his other hand on the wheel while he drove unhurriedly to the location. Her gaze ended up focusing on the charcoal sky through the glass of the window, noticing a lack of stars that usually were sprinkled throughout. The moon was nowhere in sight either, vanished after saying goodbye with its crescent-shaped glow the night before.

It was just a small detail, but one that she couldn't help but focus on more than she should've. Avery could have thought about their intertwined hands, the dazed expression Teddy had every time he looked at her, or even the cute dimples he had when he grinned wide enough. She couldn't though. She couldn't be interested in him like that or be in awe of everything he did, because the stars were missing from the night sky and there was also something missing from this date.