To Be A Hero

Chapter 26: On Top Of The World

I bite the inside of my cheek as I finish up my eyeliner. It's taken me a good thirty minutes, but the wings are even. That's good enough for me.

I let out a shaky breath as I smooth out the wrinkles of my dress. Well, it's not my dress. I borrowed it from Jody. She's about my size even if she is taller than me. All this means is that the dress comes down just below my knees instead of a few inches above them.

My hands shake as I check myself over once more. My hair is pulled back into a simple bun, my makeup consisting of eyeliner and some red lipstick, and my dress is a simple blue that flares out at the waist. It's a little odd for me to be wearing it in this weather, but I'm sure we'll be inside for most of this.

I sigh, crinkling a piece of paper between my fingers and absentmindedly putting it in my pocket, wondering if I should just call this whole thing off. I've thought about it more than once, actually. More than a dozen times. But this is the closest thing I'm going to get to a date with Sam, or anyone, really.

Plus Sam worked really hard on this. At least, I think he has. It's what I asked for for my birthday, and he usually tries to go all out on whatever I tell him I want as a present. It's nice, and I know because of this I can't just cancel.

So, grabbing a jacket and putting on my flats, I head out towards the coms shack, visibly shaking.

I was never this nervous with Wes, but then again, I never went on a fake date with Wes.

It takes me a moment to gather the courage to knock on the door of the coms shack, but my fists only lands on the door twice before it swings open, revealing a bright eyed Sam.

"Hi," He says, a bit breathlessly.

"Hi," I reply. The words feels heavy on my tongue, but I'm glad I at least managed to get that word out because holy shit, does he look good in a tie.

I mean, he looks good all the time to me, but wearing a white collared shirt and a black tie with black slacks is just... wow.

This was a really bad idea.

I swallow, forcing myself to look at Sam and offer him a shy smile. He gives one in return, and by the look of it, he hadn't noticed that I was ogling him for a good minute or so.

I clear my throat, praying that my voice won't crack as I speak. "So, uh, can I come in so we can, uh, get started?"

"No," He replies, and he speaks quickly when he sees my eyebrows go up in surprise. "I-I mean, no. The-the date's not happening here... in the coms shack. I uh, had something else planned, if you're okay with that."

It takes me a moment before I can reply. "Okay. You're the one who planned this, after all. But uh, is it going to be outside? If so I might need to get a thicker jacket."

"No, it's not outside. But I brought blankets anyway. I know you get cold a lot so..." He steps away from the door, grabbing his basket with blankets. I'm guessing the food is underneath it. He gives me a half smile as he steps out of the coms shack, using his free hand to close the door behind him.

"Shall we?"

I nod, following his lead. I itch to reach out and take his free hand into my own, but I don't. I can't. This isn't real. I know this is a date, sort of, but I don't want to make Sam uncomfortable. That's the last thing I want.

"So, where are we going?"

He flashes me a grin over his shoulder. "Greenhouse."

I raise a brow. "Greenhouse?"

"Yeah. It always looks so pretty in there. Perfect spot for a date, I think. Even a fake one."

A hum out a laugh. "Yeah."