w 1 t n e s s

twenty

tyler

Her forgiveness was one thing to be thankful for. I'd spilled the most terrifying part of my childhood to her, and she hadn't run away screaming. I'd expected some revulsion, at least. Instead, tender and sweet Halle had greeted me. She'd taken me into her arms and held me there until my chest stopped heaving and I was relaxed. Then we'd sat back down and enjoyed a perfectly normal breakfast. The bond was back. I would accept even the smallest strand of connection between us. We still hadn't talked about Kirby, but I figured that would happen in due time. I'd let her bring it up first.

I had a game the next night, but now Halle and I had basically a whole day to reconcile more. I had a specific plan in mind. I'd wanted to do this with her for awhile, and now I finally had a chance to put my ideas into action. Only if she said yes to the date.

My heart beat as I sat down next to her on the couch. I was tentative to broach the subject. It was only a few hours after our talk. Would she be willing to go out with me? Would she want to deal with me more than she had to? I could help myself. I needed to know.

"Hey Halls?" Her perfect eyes blinked up at me. The sight melted my heart.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go out tonight? With me?"

"Um. Yeah, sure. Where do you want to go?"

"I kinda had an idea already. It's a surprise though. You'll just have to trust me." My smile was wry at the irony of my words. Halle didn't return the favor as strongly.

"Ok. But...can you give me some idea of what it is? So I know what to wear."

"I'm taking you on a date. A proper one. Fancy. All the bells and whistles. Get ready, Halle Finch. I'm gonna knock your socks off with my date planning." That earned a genuine smile from her. Making the girl I loved happy would never get old. I winked in Halle's direction before hopping back over the couch and off to my room. Right before I opened the door, I called back to her. "Be ready at five." I caught the faint sounds of her angelic laughter.

"I will."

&&&

I was dressed by the time Halle disappeared into my bathroom to get ready. Another twenty minutes passed before she emerged. I was sitting on the couch still, scrolling through my phone. I had a protein shake sitting on the coffee table, and was currently guzzling some from the shaker. I almost spit the drink out when I saw her.

Halle was beautiful all the time. She could pull off anything. I'd seen her in sweatpants, and casual clothing like jeans. Hell, I'd even seen her in a bikini on multiple occasions. But this was different.

She was dressed in a tight royal blue dress. The shimmery material wasn't too revealing, but it was enough to make my heart thump. Her feet were daintily placed inside matte black heels. The added height accentuated her longer legs. She looked stunning. As much as I enjoyed the dress on her, I could tell she wasn't completely confident in it.

"What's wrong?" I asked her tentatively.

"What? Oh...nothing." She flashed me a fake smile. Her light eyes flashed over my attire. She relaxed slightly. I didn't completely believe her, but I didn't want to push for information. Instead, I held out one arm for her to take. She wrapped herself in a tan trench coat before accepting my arm.

"Good. Because you look stunning right now." Even through the layer of makeup coating her face, I could see the blush that crept up her cheeks.

"And you look like you're most at home in dress clothes. Did I ever mention how much I liked the all-black tux from Vegas?"