Second Date
Social Ladder
"You can't give me a tiny hint?" Chanyeol begged, looking down at ______ and sticking his lower lip out on purpose. She looked up at him and laughed, swinging his hand slightly.
"Don't act cute with me! And you never gave me a hint on our first date, so it has to be fair!"
"Fine, fine," Chanyeol laughed, giving up. It was worth a shot. She smiled, continuing to swing his hand making him chuckle softly to himself. It was amazing how comfortable she made him feel, and he was usually always uncomfortable when he was out in public. Seeing groups of friends laughing or cute couples holding hands or even old ladies walking together made him wish he had someone. Not that Baekhyun wasn't someone, but he wasn't exactly the outdoors type.
But now Chanyeol had _______, and he hoped he would never lose her.
"We're almost here~" she sang playfully, turning down a busy side street. They were downtown and there were several people walking around and chatting loudly, making Chanyeol even more glad that he had the girl next to him. He held her hand a little tighter as he looked around curiously, wondering where she was going to take him.
He was beyond surprised when she passed the bustling food stands and noisy clubs, instead walking into a small, mostly empty bookstore at the corner of the street.
"A.. a bookstore?" he looked around in confusion before looking down at her, pouting slightly. "Hey, just because I'm good at school and stuff doesn't mean I-"
"Yah, calm down, silly," she said, laughing softly and looking up at him with bright eyes. "This isn't because I think you're a nerd or something, which I don't." She sighed happily, looking around at the cramped shelves and taking in the quaint smell that all old bookstores seemed to have. "Me and my dad used to come here when I was little. It's not just a regular bookstore, it's a used bookstore. So people donate books and they're really cheap to buy, too."
Chanyeol nodded listening, realizing her date idea was similar to his. A place with childhood memories. He slowly smiled and tilted his head, looking down at her. "Then lead the way!"
She giggled softly and pulled him to the back of the store into one of the small corners, gesturing to the shelf. "This used to be my favorite section," she explained softly, smiling remembering. "The dog books. I had always wanted a dog growing up. I would read so much about them, I learned almost every breed and what each kind was like." She smiled playfully, cocking her head. "Which one do you think is the cutest?"
Chanyeol laughed softly and looked through the titles and pictures on the shelves, cocking his head thoughtfully. He finally pulled out one with the name "Samoyed" and held it up, grinning at the white, fluffy dog on the cover. "This one! It looks so soft! And it's a good size, too."
_______ smiled approvingly, looking excited. "I like that kind, too! I wanted one when I was younger.." She looked through the books before finding the one she wanted and pulling it out, pointing to the giant dog on the cover. "But this breed has always been my favorite. The Newfoundland. Or Newfie," she smiled cutely, making Chanyeol practically melt right there. He knew it was usually the girl who mentally spazzed about cute actions, so why was he doing it now?
"It's so big," he commented quickly, staring at it with wide eyes. "And even fluffier than this one!"
She laughed and put the book back, nodding. "De, which is why I could never get it. I want one when I'm living on my own, though."
That sent Chanyeol right into his world of daydreams; he could imagine him and ______ living together in an apartment during their college years, having fun and studying together. After college was over, they would get a house and buy two dogs- a Samoyed and a Newfoundland. And then they would get married and have kids and...
"Chanyeol oppa?? Are you okay?" ______ obliviously interrupted his daydreaming, seeing his blank, zoned out expression. He immediately snapped back and quickly coughed, laughing awkwardly feeling his cheeks redden. 'This is your second date, Chanyeol!! What are you even thinking?!' he mentally scolded himself but smiled down at her, flashing his bright white teeth.
"Mianhe, I was just thinking of something. It isn't important," he added quickly, still looking a bit awkward.
She raised an eyebrow but laughed softly, accepting it and gently took his hand again taking him to another part of the store. "And now for my second favorite," she smiled, leading him to a variety of colorful books, maps, and tour guides. "The travel section.."
He scanned the shelves with his wide eyes, making her giggle softly to herself. It was as if he was actually exploring different countries in person rather than simply admiring book covers of different countries. She watched him as he slowly pulled a book out, looking at it with interest.
"France?" she questioned, reading the title before looking up at him in surprise. "You want to go there?"
He immediately turned red but nodded, laughing awkwardly. "De.. they.. they have some of the world's best museums and artwork there.."
She blinked and laughed softly, punching him playfully. "And to think I thought you were a secret romantic there for a second."
He widened his eyes and reddened even more, waving his hands quickly. "Ah, it is a romantic place, really!" he bit his lip shyly before adding, "I just never thought of it that way because I've never.. really had a girl.."
She barely frowned and slowly took his free hand, squeezing it gently before smiling slightly and whispering, "I've always wanted to go to France to see the artwork, too. Especially the Louvre. It looks like such a beautiful place.."
He blinked, slowly turning his head to look down at her. How did he manage to get a girl like this? She was so perfect, it scared him sometimes.
His lips curled up into a smile once more, forgetting his embarrassment of never having dated a girl before. Only ______ could comfort him so easily, with just a few words with her soft, sweet voice.
"Let's go there someday," he blurted out in a low voice, holding her hand a little tighter and courageously. "No matter what happens, we have to promise to try our best to go there together. Araso?"
She widened her eyes, looking up at him truly touched. She had no idea how he made such a far fetched plan seem so reasonable, especially when they were only in high school and couldn't even dream of leaving the country alone. But she could almost perfectly imagine going to France with Chanyeol; walking through the streets together talking and laughing, getting lost but barely caring about it, and admiring the pretty sights together without anyone there to bother them.
"I promise," she finally said softly, her heart racing. She wasn't sure why she was getting so anxious about this. It wasn't like he was proposing to her. He smiled happily but nodded seriously, his lips barely forming a cute and determined pout.
"I promise, too."
Her eyes were focused on his lips, admiring the adorable pout she couldn't get enough of. "Should we do something to seal the deal?" she found herself joking, although she wasn't joking at all. He looked down at her, blinking behind his big glasses.
"You mean like a handshake?" he smiled goofily and stuck out his hand obliviously.
Although she was disappointed, she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at his idiotic grin. As she shook his hand, she thought that maybe this was better, for now. Chanyeol had never dated other girls before, so she didn't want to rush their first kiss.
She just wasn't sure how much longer she could resist kissing his plump, pouty lips.
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