I walked next to Tao down the street, talking easily. He told jokes, making me laugh the entire way to the ice cream place. Once inside, Tao showed me to a table and pulled out my chair for me. 
    "My lady," Tao said, sitting opposite me and smiling. "What do you want to eat?" I looked at the menu, scanning until I reached the ice cream section. 
    "1 cone of mint chocolate chip, please." I said, and Tao nodded. He walked up to the ordering counter, leaving me behind. I tucked loose pieces of hair behind my ears and cleared my throat, straightening my sweater. 
    "You look great." Tao said, making me look up suddenly. I hadn't realized he was watching me, and I gave him a sheepish smile. Tao sat, handing me an ice cream cone and his own. 
    "Thanks." I said hastily, taking the cone. Our fingertips brushed for a second, and Tao smiled at me. I started my ice cream, and Tao ate his. 
    We enjoyed the comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Tao suddenly clutched his head. I stopped eating, worried, and gave him a concerned look. 
    "What's wrong?" I said, making Tao look up at me with a rueful smile. 
    "Brain freeze." Tao said, chuckling as he massaged his head. "I always eat too fast!" I laughed, glad it hadn't been anything serious. 
    "My dad does the same thing." I said, and Tao continued eating his ice cream. He nodded, finishing his cone with a crunch. 
    "So, tell me about yourself." Tao said, making me look up. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms out and making the hem of his shirt ride up. I tried not to stare at the smoothly muscled strip of golden skin, instead looking at his eyes. 
    "What do you want to know?" I asked, taking my time with my ice cream. Tao shrugged, tipping his chair back and smiling. 
    "Everything. Your favorite color, hobbies...first kiss." Tao dropped his voice at the end, leaning forward with a wink. I rolled my eyes, biting into the cone with a crunch. 
    "My favorite color is blue—" I started, interrupted by Tao nodding and agreeing. "I like to read, listen to music and write. Oh, and take care of my flowers." Tao leaned froward, waiting for the answer to his last question. 
    "And I haven't had my first kiss." I said, making Tao bite his lip thoughtfully. He raised his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side. 
    "Seriously?" Tao asked, and I nodded. "Well, if you stay with me..." Tao motioned me in closer and I leaned forward. He put his lips next to my ear, whispering. "I'll fix that."  
    I pulled back, my cheeks flaming, and Tao chuckled. I swatted his arm, finishing off my ice cream. We stayed seated at the table, talking for hours. Tao told me all about himself, and I told him about myself. 
    "You move a lot, huh?" Tao asked, looking thoughtful. I nodded regretfully, biting my lip. "Too bad. Hopefully you'll stay here for a long time." Tao said, making me nod. 
    "I hope so. It's not likely, though." I said sadly. Tao remained silent for a moment, seeing my frown. 
    "No. No frowning tonight. Tonight is our night." Tao said, standing up suddenly. I looked up, surprised, and Tao escorted me out of the ice cream shop. We walked along the dark streets, silent. I was almost bursting with curiosity, but Tao didn't even look at me until we reached a large park. 
    "Tao, where are you taking me?" I asked, but Tao didn't respond. He shot me a smile, taking my hand in his and leading me through the fresh green grass. Dew soaked the outsides of my boots, but I was focused instead on a large building in the middle of the park. I had never been here before, and I wondered how Tao had found it. 
    "Just wait." Tao walked up to the building, opening a side door and leading me inside. He flicked on the lights, and I looked around in amazement. 
    We were standing in a huge greenhouse, filled with hundreds of blossoming flowers. A small fountain was at the center, with benches positioned around it. Tao led me to a bench, sitting down next to me and looking at me. 
    "What do you think?" Tao asked, letting go of my hand and spreading his arms widely. I looked around in amazement and smiled at him. 
    "It's amazing! Thank you." I said, throwing my arms around Tao. He flinched, surprised, then hugged me back. He was warm and smelled good, and I wanted to stay in his embrace forever. I forced myself to pull away, instead walking over to the nearest blooms and sniffing them. 
    "I thought you might like it because you like flowers so much." Tao said. He shrugged, watching me from the bench. 
    "I just told you I liked flowers a few hours ago." I said, looking back at him and continuing to walk around.  
    "Well, yeah. But you draw flowers everywhere. And I saw you looking at the school garden." Tao said shyly. I was touched that he had noticed so many small things about me. I didn't even know the extent of his crush yet. 
    "How did you find this place?" I asked, seeing Tao lay down on his back on the bench. He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. 
    "I volunteer here on weekends. I work mostly in the park, taking care of the trees and lawns and things. Maybe you could join me sometime..." Tao said, not daring to look at me. He was so hopeful, like a little kid. 
    "That sounds great! How about this weekend?" I asked, and Tao smiled. He nodded, and looked up at me. 
    "Oh, and there's also a kid's camp I help with in the park. In case you're interested." Tao added, shrugging. I smiled, and nodded. 
    "Sounds like fun." I said. Really anything that Tao was doing sounded like a good idea. Tao checked his phone and sat up, showing me the time. 
    "I'm sorry, but I need to get home. I have an 11 o'clock curfew." Tao said, looking at me apologetically. 
    "It's fine." I smiled, walking outside with him. Tao locked up the greenhouse and I shivered while I waited. The night had cooled off, and I was cold. 
    "Here." Tao removed his long coat, wrapping me in it snugly. It was warm and smelled just like him. I sighed contentedly as its warmth seeped into my heart, warming me from the inside. Tao laughed, wrapping his scarf around my neck and taking my hand in his. 
    "Your hands are freezing." Tao said, cupping my hands in his large ones and blowing on them gently. I laughed as his breath tickled my fingertips, and Tao laughed too. 
    "Come on, ice princess." Tao held my hand and led me back to my home. I loved how naturally he held my hand, seeming like he was born to do this. Tao and I stopped outside my house, and I opened the door. 
    We walked inside and Tao picked up his backpack. I walked him outside, finding Jia and dad already asleep. Tao and I went out to the porch and faced each other. 
    "I had a lot of fun." I said. "Thank you, for everything." I smiled, and Tao nodded. He seemed shy now, rubbing his neck and not meeting my eyes. 
    "Thank you for coming. I'm really glad you said yes." Tao said, looking at me with a smile. I smiled back, nodding my head. 
    "Do you want to do this again sometime?" Tao asked, meeting my eyes finally. I smiled, and he mirrored me, a smile splitting his face. 
    " I would love to do this again. Thank you, Tao." I smiled and Tao nodded. "Good night." I turned, opening the door. A strong arm around my waist pulled me back and a warm hand tipped my face up. Tao kissed my cheek softly, closing his eyes when he pulled away.
    I didn't move, shocked, as Tao immediately smiled and turned. He ran down the street, stopping at the end of the block and raised his hand in a wave. I returned the wave, feeling Tao's kiss burning my cheek even as I saw his smile even from my door. 
    "Good night!" Tao called, turning and jogging away. It was only after he left I realized I still had his coat and scarf. 
    Hoping for a quick escape to my room to think, I turned the door knob soundlessly. I didn't want Dad to know how late I had been out—it was 11:15 pm—and I didn't want to wake Jia. All hopes were dashed when the door remained unmoving, locked shut. 
    "Jia!" I called softly, knocking. The door opened, and I whispered my thanks while taking off my shoes. "Jia, I'm so glad Dad didn't catch me out so late with Tao! It was so amazing, he even kiss—" I broke off, looking up. Looking up straight into my father's stern, overprotective face. 
    Crap. 

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—Taoris95