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 Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 7:50 am
Watching her get riled up over something as simple as his birthday was cute, but he dismissed any of the yearning that might've come with the notion. Sophie had made it very clear over the years that she wasn't interested and for all his teasing, he knew that no meant no.
She was only here because of nostalgia, he knew that. For all his I don't give a s**t attitude, Austin wasn't stupid.
He didn't say much, choosing to open the car door and let his long legs slide out of the vehicle. Fingers toyed with the keys still in the ignition, rubbing the car keychain between thumb and forefinger before the engine was killed and the keys were slid into his pocket.
"Dunno, Soph. It's easier to not make a fuss." And then he didn't have expectations that could be disappointed. "Besides, you know me. I wouldn't show up for s**t." Half the time he only showed up for s**t when someone would stop pestering him about it.
"C'mon, it's my birthday, isn't it supposed to be about me?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:10 am
His light-hearted teasing drew her out of her somber thinking and the girl had the decency to blush as he reminded her of just why they happened to be going out for shakes. It wasn't to catch up, wasn't because they'd missed each other - no, don't be silly, Sophie.
The passenger door opened and she climbed her way out of the low seat, using the siding to help boost herself out. He was already making his way around the car and, having missed his momentary pause to quietly admire the keychain, she simply offered him a smile before closing the door behind her.
Taking a deep breath, she opted for a bold move of looping her arm through his as she started in the direction of the familiar shop she hadn't frequented in some time - it was too painful to go there alone, these days - as she pretended like it wasn't out of the ordinary for her to walk side-by-side with an attractive boy to get a couple of milkshakes.
Her inner thoughts, however, screamed.
"Gonna go with vanilla, I think." The words sounded foreign as they left her own mouth, every nerve acutely aware of the fact she was now holding on to his arm. Thoughts and reasoning debated among themselves as they walked, amethyst eyes making a point to not look up in the direction of the older boy. Nope, nope. Going to pretend it was a normal, every day gesture. Yep. Nothing to see here - no need for concern.
As they arrived to the door, she released her hold and the nerves breathed a sigh of relief, as if she'd been holding in her breath the entire time and was finally allowed to exhale. Both hands took hold of the door's bar and she tugged backwards, offering him first entry.
"After you, birthday boy."
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 11:48 am
He didn't react to Sophie grabbing his arm and sliding hers through it. Instead, he continued forward like it was an everyday thing. Which, it could have been if it had been any girl but the one on his arm.
Austin was oblivious to the way Sophie was screaming internally.
"You would," he teased, the crooked smile starting to take up his mouth as he led them inside, choosing to stare up at the menu board like he was actually debating his options. Green eyes flicked over to watch his purple-haired friend's expression as he mused.
"Probably just gonna stick with chocolate malt, a classic." It was what he'd always gotten growing up and it seemed like a dumb thing to change because chocolate was a classic and, as Sophie had said, it was like old times.
Kinda.
It was definitely more tense and awkward than old times but he was trying not to make a big deal about it. Soph never wanted to spend time with him and the last time they'd tried had been a disaster so he was actually trying to make sure it wasn't a (total) s**t show.
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 6:04 pm
"Sounds like a plan to me, Mr. Lynch."
She watched as he sauntered in, as if being touched by her was nothing more than a typical, everyday sort of reaction to expect. For all she knew, it was for Austin - didn't he have half the cheerleading squad trying to get in his car (among other things)?
Sophie wasn't sure why exactly the thought disappointed her but it did. In an effort to keep things light and fun, she intentionally bumped him (playfully) as she made her way to the counter, pulling out her wallet in the process.
The girl behind the counter wasn't one that she was familiar with. It was probably silly that she was hoping to see the same old man serving shakes as had been around when they were kids - some things were bound to change, after all. She also noticed how the girl kept casting glances in Austin's direction, despite Sophie being the one to place the order.
Sigh.
Paying the girl (and trying not to focus too hard on the way she was staring at her companion), Sophie turned around and tucked her wallet away before moving her hand to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
"C'mon, let's just... find some place to sit, okay?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2018 7:48 am
He felt weird, letting Sophie pay for the milkshakes while he stood behind her getting the <******** me eyes from the girl across the counter. He didn't return her gaze, opting to pull out his phone and scroll through it and the few texts or twitter notifications that were about his birthday.
Soon enough, Sophie was back at his side and he was slinging an arm around her shoulder and tucking her against his side. "Yeah, yeah, I think I see our old corner booth's still vacant and waiting for us."
Leading her over was easy, just as it was easy to coax her into the booth first and he slid in right beside her instead of across from her. If she protested he would cheerily remind her that it was his birthday therefore he could do what he wanted.
And what he wanted was for things to feel like old times again, so that's what he was going to get.
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