Sunsets and the Stars // Johnny x Ponyboy

Chapter Twenty One // Coffee & Tea

"Oh my god, he's here!" squealed Two Bit. I froze.

"Wait, how can you be sure its him? There was a knock on the door! Steve knows that he can walk in any time!" stated Dally. He had a valid point. Two Bit crossed his arms.

"Maybe he just wants to be a gentleman!" exclaimed Two Bit. I sighed.

"Two Bit, why don't you go downstairs and see if it's him? If it is, come and get me," I suggested. Two Bit stopped to think for a second, but then nodded his head.

Two Bit walked out of the room, making sure to close the door after him. I could hear him walking down the stairs.

Suddenly, realization hit me.

This was my first real date ever, and I had no clue how to act.

I buried my face in my hands.

"Hey Pony, is something wrong?" asked Dally, concern in his voice. I looked up at him.

"I've never been on a date before. How do I act? What do I do?" I questioned. Dal looked down at the floor quickly, and then up at me.

"Just act like yourself. Don't act fake or stuck up or selfish. Show interest in him, if you want to hold his hand, hold it. Don't play mind games. You got to be straight up if you like something or don't like something," he stated, putting his hand on my shoulder. I widened my eyes.

"What?" he asked insecurely.

"Nothing, I just think that was really good advice for someone who claims to sleep around a lot," I mumbled. Dally turned pink.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I still know a few things," he replied with a shrug.

The bedroom door opened.

Two Bit stepped in.

"Steve is here," he exclaimed with a smile. He was really excited for me for some reason.

"Great, I'm gonna go now," I replied. I walked out of the bedroom.

I took a deep breathe before I began to walk down the stairs. I could do this. It was only one date. My life wasn't going to end.

I walked into the living room, where Steve sat in a chair. He was sitting silently, looking like he was thinking about something.

Suddenly, Steve looked up at me. His blue eyes suddenly lit up. He stood up onto his feet, too. He walked over to me.

"Hi, Ponyboy," he said shyly. I could tell that there was a slight blush on his face.

"Hi," I replied with a smile. Steve smiled, too.

"You look really good tonight," he stated. I smiled wider.

"Thanks, you do too!" I exclaimed. Steve glanced down.

"Would you like to go?" he asked. I nodded enthusiastically.

Steve and I walked out of the house, and by his car. I always loved his car. It was a pretty blue color.

I walked to the passenger seat, but Steve rushed to my side, opening the door for me. I smiled shyly.

"Thanks," I said. He was clearly going to go all out with his manners. He just smiled in response.

-

Steve and I were driving down a long road, the sky stretched in front of us. I had the window open. I loved to put my hands outside of it, feeling the air pass through my fingers.

"Where are we going?" I asked. I was sort of familiar with the area, but it was dark so everything looked foreign to me.

"We're going to go to a coffee shop first. Is that alright?" he replied. I nodded, but then I decided to mess with him.

"That's fine, but there's a problem," I said. Steve took a sharp intake of air.

"What is it? We don't have to-," he started.

"I don't drink coffee, can I get tea instead?" I giggled. Steve let out the air he was holding in, and began to laugh.

"Shit, don't scare me like that! I was scared that you were going to say something bad!" he stated. I shook my head.

"No, no. I just wanted to see your reaction to me messing with you!" I exclaimed. Steve was smiling, but he shook his head.

I don't know what came over me, but I leaned over the seat, and then kissed Steve on the cheek.

Even though it was dark, I could see him blush deeply.

-

Steve and I walked into the coffee shop. We didn't hold hands, but that was okay. We knew that most people wouldn't be okay with seeing queers holding hands.

"Where would you like to sit?" he asked. I looked around quickly.

I saw this cool booth that was round, with a table right in front of it. Steve and I could sit next to each other.

"There!" I exclaimed, pointing to the interesting booth. Steve chuckled.

"Alright," he stated, following me. We both sat down, sitting next to each other.

There were already menus on the table, so we both scanned them quickly. A few seconds later, a waitress was in front of us.

"Hi! What can I get for you guys?" she questioned cheerily. She seemed really happy.

"I'll get a black coffee with sugar. What about you, Pony?" Steve asked. I thought for a second.

"Can I just get a black tea with sugar, please?" I asked her. The waitress nodded, and then wrote it down. She flipped the page of her notepad, writing something.

The waitress ripped the piece of paper out of the book, and handed it to Steve.

"Here. Call me sometime," she said with a wink. She then walked away.

I couldn't help but uncontrollably laugh. Steve glared at me.

"It's not funny!" he exclaimed. I could tell that he was stifling a laugh.

"It's hilarious!" I stated with a giggle. Steve's face was giving away his emotion, and eventually he started to laugh too.

-

Steve and I must have spent at least two hours in the coffee shop, talking about everything and anything. We both had a lot of things to say, and we never had any awkward fits of silent. We were able to laugh, we were able to cry, and we were able to enjoy each others company.

Eventually, it was time for us to go. The check sat on the table. I instinctively grabbed for it, but Steve slapped my hand away.

"What?" I asked. I was confused.

"I'm paying," he stated. He pulled out his wallet.

"Are you sure? You don't have to-" I began to say.

"I want to. I'm taking you on a date. I want you to enjoy yourself completely. Don't worry about the money, Pony," he said sweetly. He grabbed my hand under the table.

I decided not to put up more of a fight. I decided to be grateful for his generosity.

-

Steve ended up driving me home. We were now outside of my house in his car, talking.

"Did you enjoy the date?" asked Steve. I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, it was great. Thank you," I replied. Steve smiled.

We both leaned over, and our lips met. I felt Steve's hands play with my hair. It was a sweet, soft kiss. It was good.

We pulled away, and smiled at each other.

I got out of the car, and walked into my house.

I couldn't wait to tell everybody how it went.