I Hate That I Love You || 1x1

[adheline]

♠ C L A Y T O N ♠
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tagged⇨ Jessie locale⇨ home role⇨ meetings in the park boy

Pressing his lips together as Jessie backs away to savor the sensation there, Clayton feels the corner of his mouth hitch up when she turns the accusation of plotting towards him. She really doesn't let him get away with anything. Honestly, while it was a point of contention when they first met, it's one of the things that's endeared her to him. He's used to getting away with everything. Or, he was before Jessie. He could occasionally rely on Sky to put him in his place, of course, but she had the same issue as him, really. He turns his gaze on the camera, forgotten beside them, as Jessie mentions the photoshoot. Oh yeah. He has to agree with her, though. As nice as their little interlude was, and nice doesn't even begin to cover it, he also doesn't want to waste this opportunity. The room's about as photogenic as it could be, there's ample natural lighting, and Jessie happens to look even more stunning thoroughly kissed. Okay, that last one may just be a manifestation of his own ego, but there's definitely something different about her. She's lost all her lip gloss. Clayton has to deliberately look away at that thought, afraid he'll lose his inhibitions again. He puffs out a laugh at her comment on group shots. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." He takes the camera and stands up, turning the timer off again. Well, at least they got three pictures out of that venture. What he'll do with them, he's not sure. He has a sudden thought of her photo albums, and he wonders if it'd be weird if he started one for them. If it's too early in their relationship. Or, whatever this is between them. Even though, really, the largest incentive is just that it's photography, and it's something they share. And she likes making albums. The thought definitely wouldn't have occurred to him if she wasn't the one to introduce him to album making to begin with. Hm. It's probably weird. He'll hold off. "You first this time." He points to the macrame swing, framed by tall palms and flowering vines. "Take a seat in the swing."

✬ N A T H A N I E L ✬
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tagged⇨ Skylar locale⇨ restaurant role⇨ science project boy

Skylar looks nervous. Still. He's not sure why. She's one of the most self-assured people he knows. And sure, she might still be shaken up by the drama back at the venue, but he doesn't think that's it this time. He glances around the restaurant, guessing that maybe she's not used to this kind of place. Between her home cook and what he assumes are probably reserved dinners at fancy establishments, he thinks he'd probably be surprised to learn she frequents places like this. That's the only explanation he can come up with. That, and maybe she has some lingering embarrassment over her growling stomach. A thought that occurs to him as she rushes through naming a second dish. He lifts an eyebrow, but quickly lowers it in case she misinterprets it. He hopes she doesn't think he's the type of guy who'd think less of someone for having an appetite. He'd be worried if she didn't at this point. It's been a long day. So he nods contemplatively and peruses his menu some more. "That sounds good. I'll probably do the same." As he says that, he sees their waitress bustling over with a tray. He leans over and gently takes Skylar's menu from her so he can stack it with his at the edge of the table. Their drinks are set in front of each of them, and the large plate of various appetizers is settled between them. As she's setting down two small plates for them to use with the platter and picking up their menus, Olivia asks if they're ready to order. Nathaniel relays that they'll have two each of the dishes Skylar suggested, and like a flash she's off again to put their orders in. "Sorry," he starts, turning back to Skylar as he reaches for one of the straws the waitress left at the end of the table. "I don't normally order for other people, but since I was getting the same thing I figured it'd be easier." That, and he didn't want her to chicken out of asking for that second dish. He rips the paper wrapping from the straw, balling up the former and pushing the latter into his cup.

⊰ A U D R E Y ⊱
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tagged⇨ Michael locale⇨ museum role⇨ the third girl

It doesn't surprise Audrey that he doesn't think he can do the clover thing. What does surprise her is that he just sticks his tongue out and wiggles it around in an effort to find out decisively whether he can or not. She wants to see if anyone's noticed, but she's having trouble looking away from the spectacle herself. He's... a dork. She shakes her head minutely, mystified at how she actually finds that endearing. At least she's found another skill she has that he doesn't, however useless it may be. Lately she's been finding skills he has that she doesn't, and she thinks it's about time the tables turned. His followup to his failed efforts derail any thought she has, and all in one moment her face is on fire. She can't believe he just said that. Well, she can. But the words, paired with that smirk and wink, that's all a bit much collectively. To his credit, Michael tries to dampen the comment by turning it on the sub. She's not buying it, though. She shuts her jaw, which she's realized is hanging open in a gape, and promptly opens it again with an incredulous huff. "You..." She shakes her head and lets out a breathy, disbelieving laugh. "You're trouble, Michael. That's what you are." She turns and takes her food, then pivots and heads to a relatively isolated table. Not that she minds the trouble. It keeps her on her toes. But it also reminds her how much more experience he has than her. Or, more accurately, how inexperienced she is. How would one of his usual dates respond to that? By testing his claim? Just the thought of doing that makes her nervous. Gosh, what if she's a bad kisser? Audrey sits and takes a long draw of her soda. Her thoughts are spiraling and that's never a good thing. She needs to move onto something else. Something safer. "Tell me about chess." Literally nothing flirty about chess, which is exactly what she needs right now. "Were you good at it? Get any trophies?" She can just imagine. A long row of soccer trophies, proudly interrupted by a giant knight or rook or something.

[lucky ⋆]

❅ Jᴇssɪᴄᴀ Sᴄᴏғɪᴇʟᴅ ❅
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[ meetings in the park ] [ location: Clayton's house ] [ tagged: Clayton ]

Jessie stands up along with Clayton as he grabs the camera. She follows him, but not too close to give herself some room to cool off. She nods at his command and wanders over to the swing. Compared to before she's feeling more comfortable with posing for the camera now. She's not sure what exactly did it, but at this point, she thinks she already has her most embarrassing moment captured. That helps ease the pressure a lot. She takes hold of the sides of the swing and takes a seat. It's a bit of a struggle. She remembers her grandmother had a similar swing at her old house. She loved seating in it as a child but hated getting into it. She always had to fight the balance against the swing. And she's fighting it again. Thankfully, she wins against it much easier than when she was a child. Once she's got herself on the swing, she lets out a small breath. She starts to comb her hair just slightly before realizing that it was messy than she thought it would be. Then she remembered that it probably got a little messed up from what happened just beforehand. She fixes herself up as fast as possible, not wanting to make him wait too long. Especially since she already took some time to just get on the swing. There isn't much she can do on the swing, so she just tries to position herself as elegantly as possible. "How's this?" she asks. She tries her best to give some different hand gestures. She's mostly just doing whatever she can. Despite the constraint area, she's in, she's enjoying herself. She's been finding it hard to wipe the smile off her face for a while. After a few shots, she feels the need to try something else. She guesses she can shift the other way and flip her pose a little. She starts scooting over but soon feels like it would be easier if she just got off and got on again. "One second," she tells Clayton. She moves her body weight forward and her legs begin searching for their footing. Before she does though, she finds herself slipping off the swing early than she expects. Luckily, it wasn't too high of a fall and she was able to brace herself on her knees. The balance won in the end. She looks up at Clayton with his camera and realizes that he could snap pictures right now. "Don't you dare," she warns him. Getting up, she thinks that's about the end of her turn. She walks over to Clayton and asks, "How were they?"

♛ Sᴋʏʟᴀʀ Jᴀᴄᴏʙs ♛
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[ the science project ] [ location: streets, then restaurant] [ tagged: Nathaniel ]

One single eyebrow raise makes Skylar feel like she should reconsider her order. Despite how quickly it disappears, she can't help but focus on that one action. There's no further comment on her choice though, which makes her confused. She's not sure what to make of his reaction. So, she's surprised when he orders the same thing as her. She doesn't have any time to say anything about it as their waitress comes by some after with their appetizers. Before she even realizes it, Nathaniel has ordered for them and the waitress is rushing away once again. She's a little overwhelmed by the speediness of everything. All the restaurant that she regularly visits tends to take their time. It's often more about the presentation than the food itself. She blinks as Nathaniel speaks and starts with an apology. It takes a second to realize what he's talking about. "Oh, It's fine." she quickly assures him. She didn't even consider that being an issue with everything happening in a dash. "I probably need the help. I haven't been in a place like this for a long time." She tries to recall the last time she's been somewhere similar to here. After a few seconds, she finds that she's drawing a blank. Her family always to went to high-class restaurants. And whenever she hung out with her friends, they haven't ever chosen to just sit down and eat. "Or ever," she adds under her breath as she scoots her chair in. She grabs her fork and grabs a piece from the platter. With her stomach waiting for some long, she doesn't hesitate to have a bite. She tries not to be too eager though, so she's not stuffing her face. She's pleasantly surprised by how good it tastes. She gets a couple more bites in before their waitress comes by with their actual dishes. "So fast," Skylar mumbles in surprise as the waitress leaves. Not that she minds, she can appreciate their efficiency. Looking at the dishes in front of them, she gets a silly thought. She cuts a piece of her french toast and raises it towards him. "A toast with toast?" she suggests. "To celebrate, uh, getting through the day."

☀ Mɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ Hᴀʀʀɪsᴏɴ ☀
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[ the third pair ] [ location: museum ] [ tagged: Audrey ]

Michael finds himself holding his breath slightly as he slowly turns to face Audrey again. He's not sure what reaction he should be expecting or what reaction he's hoping for. He tries not to let that uncertainty showing on his face though, just appearing as he's waiting for her to pick up her food. Seeing her shocked expression is making that a little difficult though. He doesn't bulge as her jaw hangs open for an extended period. When she closes her mouth, he feels himself straighten up a little involuntarily. Her following laugh reverts that motion immediately as it seems she's not offended by the comment. Feeling the tension leave his body, he can't help but smirk at her response. He's tempted to confirm what she said but feels like he should leave this behind for now. He takes a seat in front of her and starts to unwrap his food. Her question makes him raise an eyebrow, simply because of the topic choice. He huffs out a short laugh immediately at her questions afterward. "Oh god no. Not even close," he says, shaking his head briefly. He didn't go too many of them and he doesn't think he only made it past the first one in one of them. "I know how all the pieces move and that's about it," he explains. That may be a little more than the average person, but not by much. Any tactics or strategies have been long forgotten. Not that he learned much initially. "I think I was only in like two tournaments and I don't think I got too far in any of them." he tries to recall. They're such buried memories from childhood, that he never really thought he would bring this up again to anyone. "Not a surprise since I barely made it to my lessons. I was too jumpy to pay attention to them anyways." He remembers his dad trying to convince his mom multiple times to let this go since he was always fairly miserable after every lesson. And she wasn't even putting in the time for it anyways. It just felt like a waste of time. He frowns briefly at this sour memory. Glancing up at Audrey after a pause, he figures that it was his turn to ask a question. Since they are keeping it academic, he asks, "So, you wanted to be a vet? What changed?" He remembers her very extensive plan into law.

[adheline]

♠ C L A Y T O N ♠
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tagged⇨ Jessie locale⇨ home role⇨ meetings in the park boy

Clayton realizes as Jessie's getting into the swing that it's a bit more of a reach for her than it is for him, so while he can usually just drop into it, she has to maneuver against its motion. He's about to offer his assistance, but she manages on her own. He fidgets with the camera a little, finding himself fixated on her attempts to smooth her hair. "Perfect," he answers when she's posed and asked about it. Jessie's actually a really great fit as a model for taking photos in this room. She has soft, pretty features, and a natural but chic style to her outfit and makeup. She's looks completely at home in the swing, framed by lush greenery and scattered blossoms. He hasn't had the opportunity to take pictures of many people, since he's kept this particular hobby a secret. When he does, it's usually just the occasional candid shot. In fact, this is the first real photoshoot he's done with another person as the subject. He loves it. He loves that he's met someone as passionate about this as he is. Clayton lowers the camera a little when she tells him to wait, wondering what she's trying to accomplish. In the span of a blink, she's off the swing and on the floor. He scoffs at her warning, pressing a hand to his chest. "I can't believe you think I'd do something like that," he tuts, shaking his head but unable to stop the amused grin from tugging at the corner of his lips. Despite the joke, he still glances her over. She seems fine, which is good. He tucks a wayward bit of hair behind her ear. "You okay?" The distance from the swing to the floor could barely be considered a drop, and she got up with no problem, but still. She fell. Which, now that he thinks about, he thinks she's done almost every day that he's spent with her. Fallen, tripped, and/or ran into something. It's a wonder she isn't covered with bruises every day. He passes her the camera, the screen lit with the first of the photos he took. "Here, take a look. They look good." He thinks they look great, actually, which is both a brag for himself and compliment to her.

✬ N A T H A N I E L ✬
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tagged⇨ Skylar locale⇨ restaurant role⇨ science project boy

Ah, so he's right. This is a relatively new experience for her. He digs into the appetizers as she contemplates the last time that she's eaten at an establishment like this. He's barely been to any fancy restaurants, and probably none even remotely as upscale as she has, but it's enough to know that homely diners like this are an entirely different affair. He prefers the understated, personal experience of places like these, even though they might not have any Michelin stars or fancy menus in foreign languages. He's more comfortable here. Unlike Skylar, who looks like she's caught in a whirlwind every time the waitress breezes in and out. Nathaniel can't help the fondly amused grin crawling across his face as she mutters something about the speed of their service. Which is pretty fast, actually, but since they've come at a quiet time the kitchen isn't too busy at the moment. Their orders aren't super complicated, anyway. He's just picked up his fork again when she offers him a literal toast, and the simplicity of the gesture makes him smile warmly. "And for your work on the dance." He cuts a piece of his own french toast and taps it to hers. "You did a good job today." Maybe the tour of the venue didn't end on a particularly good note, and there's still more to plan, but he's still really impressed with how she handled everything for the dance. The whole event seems to be mostly her own effort. He doesn't expand on it, though, instead he eats the piece of toast speared on his fork. Before he's finished with his first bite, he's cutting another one. "Wow, it's been years since I've had french toast. I forgot how good it is." Honestly, if she hadn't picked it out, he's not sure he would have ordered it himself. But he's glad she did. "I feel like every time we eat together you end up picking something out for me that's better than anything I would have gotten myself." Her personal chef's cuisine, the gelato, and now french toast. Of course, that also brings awareness to just how often they've eaten together. He hasn't even managed this many meals with Jessie. Especially not in such a short period of time.

⊰ A U D R E Y ⊱
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tagged⇨ Michael locale⇨ museum role⇨ the third girl

Audrey relaxes into an interested smile as Michael begins to describe his time with chess. So, despite the fact that he competed, she could probably beat him. She's actually pretty good at chess. Her grandpa challenges her to a match every time she visits ever since she was old enough to distinguish a pawn from a bishop. She's worked out a few solid strategies since then. It sounds like it's been a while since he played, too, and the more he says the more she can tell the faint memories aren't particularly good ones. Her smile falls into a curious frown, which she hides behind a bite of her sub. She hums thoughtfully when he turns a question on her. "A few things, I guess." It's been several years since she even contemplated the career. "I was a kid, so mostly the idea of being a vet involved hanging out with animals all day and helping heal them." She's always loved animals. "The older I got, the more it occurred to me that in order to help animals in pain, I'd have to see that pain. Every day. I still don't think I can stomach doing something like that." She doesn't even like to hurt the spiders that Lou makes her take care of. Audrey just catches and releases. It's not like the spiders know they're on private property. "But I also just grew more attached to law. I grew up hearing about all my dad's cases, and it's not like it sounds fun, or anything, but it sounds challenging and rewarding." Audrey's lips quirk into a smile as she meets Michael's eye. "And I like a good challenge." It takes a moment, but Audrey realizes that she's totally flirting right now. She blinks, startled. "So, you've been dumped?" she blurts out, grasping at the first thing she can remember that he said, and immediately winces. Yes, very smooth. Super. "I mean, more than you've done it. I was just a little surprised because..." she trails off. They were having such a nice conversation, and now she's brought up the forbidden subject again. She thought she knew why it bothered her so much, that his inability to commit was an issue for her. But if that were it, these intrusive thoughts wouldn't keep popping out of her mouth. Because that's already been settled. Maybe it has more to do with her. She feels like she's been very unfair about this whole thing. He's been nothing but upfront with her, but she's been nothing but hot and cold, and she really shouldn't expect him to compromise without doing some of it herself. She pulls in a breath and looks back up from the table, which she'd taken to staring at the moment she stopped talking. "I just think you'd be a very good boyfriend." Which is absolutely true. She wonders what led these girls to break up with him.

[lucky ⋆]

❅ Jᴇssɪᴄᴀ Sᴄᴏғɪᴇʟᴅ ❅
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[ meetings in the park ] [ location: Clayton's house ] [ tagged: Clayton ]

Jessie gives Clayton a skeptical look at his response to her warning. He's pretty clearly playing it up. The grin following it confirms that. She can't help but smile back a little. Her warning didn't have too much weight anyway. She didn't think he would have done that, but she thought it'll be good to throw it out there to make sure. When he looks her over and helps smooth out her hair, she realizes how ridiculous her warning was. Her breath catches briefly by his tenderness. She is reminded of the many times when he was there to help when she lost her footing in some way. She thinks back to quite a while ago when she jokingly referred to him as her knight in shining armour and how that has been surprisingly accurate over and over again. She tries to not blush too much at the gesture and gives him a reassuring smile. "All good," she tells him with a nod. "It's nothing I'm not used to." She deals with this kind of thing pretty much daily with limited control of her limbs. With that out of the way, she's quite excited to see the photos even if she's a little worried about how she looks. She takes hold of the camera and begins to scroll through them. She finds her pausing for a good while for a couple of photos. They are lovely. She looks like a natural fit in the surrounding environment. She's glad she at least looks as good as she felt at the moment. "They are." she breaths out in wonderment. "You're pretty good at this." She gives him a small affectionate nudge. She was about to hand the camera back to him before remembering that it was her turn to photograph him. She was getting into this posing thing. But being behind the camera is where she belongs. She perks up a bit more and knows exactly where she wants him. She walks up to him and ushers him towards the macrame swing again. "Come on. Your turn," she tells him. "You don't have to sit. I just like the view." She likes the swing as a prop and the backdrop is nice. As the words left her mouth, she realizes 'the view' could be taken differently. "I mean... never mind." she was about to correct herself, but in the end either way he takes it. It's just a little embarrassing for her. She turns her focus on checking the camera settings to hide her light blush. "It might be better to stand if you want to do a couple of different poses," she suggests as she feels more relaxed and starts to get into the zone. She lifts the camera, getting ready to take her first shot.

♛ Sᴋʏʟᴀʀ Jᴀᴄᴏʙs ♛
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[ the science project ] [ location: restaurant] [ tagged: Nathaniel ]

Holding up the piece of toast, Skylar starts to feel a little silly. She doesn't do small gestures like this normally. For whatever reason, she feels a little soft right now. Whether it's because of the atmosphere or that this is finally a moment of peace after a hell of a day, she's not too sure. Nathaniel returns her toast without any question, and she feels a little validated about her actions. She smiles slightly as he congratulates her on her work today. The words mean strangely a lot to her. She knew she did a good job because she always does. But a lot was going on with the dance that she had to get done today. And it feels like a weight has been lifted off of her shoulder with the confirmation that she was able to resolve most of that. Of course, she didn't do it all by herself. "Well, it wasn't just my work alone," she replies before popping the piece of toast in her mouth. Her shoulder relaxes as she savors the sweetness of the french toast. She didn't expect it to be so good. She doesn't realize it, but she's mirroring Nathaniel's movements as she cuts into another piece of toast. She nods along to his assignment of the food. She looks up at him when he mentions how good her food choices have been during their outings. "Sounds like you need to go out with me more," she concludes. "Leave all the ordering to me." It feels like she's been quite an effect in his life with all the time they've been spending together. The implications of that worry her. "Between being your stylist and food connoisseur. I'm going to have a lot on my hands." she jokes to take her mind off of any indication that might have. Skylar has a few more bites in silence. During this, she couldn't help but think of what she had to do next. For the dance, in particular, she has to wrap everything up next week for the actual dance the following week. She glances up at Nathaniel. He was helping her out today, but they didn't discuss him doing anything further. "So, uh, how busy are you next week?" she asks timidly. "I mean we have to finish our project obviously, but I was wondering if you could help me with some other things for the dance." She hopes that he doesn't just think that she's dragging him around to work for her. He's been a great help today and it'll be nice to continue to have that support. "You don't have to though, I know this was kind of sprung on you."

☀ Mɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ Hᴀʀʀɪsᴏɴ ☀
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[ the third pair ] [ location: museum ] [ tagged: Audrey ]

As Audrey explains her initial impression of being a veterinarian Michael is reminded once again of how she gushed about the sea creatures at the aquarium. That makes him think her change of heart is a little more confusing than when he first asked it. However, as she explains her thoughts, it starts making more sense. He had heard similar reasoning from people who wanted to be doctors but later realized how emotionally taxing it is. He nods along as she continues to explain how she got into law. When Audrey looks up and meets his eyes, he's caught by her expression combined with her tone and phrase. Is she...flirting with him right now? It takes him a moment to respond, but a corner of his lip lifts into a smirk to meet her smile. It's not that he doesn't like it, but it was just unexpected. He doesn't have much time to enjoy this or respond further as the subject suddenly changes with Audrey's next question. He's a little caught off guard by the topic. He knew they were going to get into it at some point, but he thought it would be later since Audrey wanted to move on earlier from it. She seems to realize the hastiness of her questions as she amends them with a statement that makes him feel a little flushed. Michael coughs slightly and doesn't comment much on how good of a boyfriend he can be. "Uh, well, yes. I have been dumped more." he starts. "Pretty much all of my casual dates were ended mutually." Even when they didn't he can't remember a time when he was the one who ended it. "But both of my serious girlfriends broke up with me." As he's saying that he realizes that's not a great look for him. He thinks a full explanation with set things straight though. "My first girlfriend wanted us to show off more in public and I wasn't into it. So she got fed up and dumped me." he shrugs. He was pretty close to breaking up with her since she just wasn't respecting his boundaries, but she did it before he could. "And my other girlfriend was only here for a semester for her dad's work and had to move back." he frowns slightly as he explains. "I suggested trying a long-distance thing, but she wasn't interested." He has to admit this one was quite hard on him at the time. He had thought they were pretty getting pretty serious with the relationship, so it was a bit of a surprise. He found out later why though. "I think it was because of an old flame she had back in her hometown." he elaborates further. Thinks is putting it lightly. He found out a couple of weeks after she moved back that she got back together with her ex.

(@.@ Sorry for the delay. Work has been really burning me out creatively.)

[adheline]

♠ C L A Y T O N ♠
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tagged⇨ Jessie locale⇨ home role⇨ meetings in the park boy

Jessie quickly brushes his concern aside, confirming that she's accident prone. He meets her smile with one of his own. Despite the frequent falls, she takes it in stride. He admires her ability to do that. As she looks through the photos he took, he's suddenly aware of a weird feeling in his chest. He's a little nervous. Not by much, but the more she looks at his photography, the more self-conscious he gets about it. She's really the only one he's shared his photos with. His parents have seen some, but that's pretty much the scope. He's kind of desperate for validation. Mathematically speaking, the more photos she looks at, the greater the chance she'll think something looks dumb. He really likes these swing photos he's taken, but would she? The answer is yes, apparently. Her reaction makes him grin, nudging her back. It makes him feel kind of amateurish, but the contact causes a warmth to touch his cheeks. He's been the recipient of much more intimate touches, but the simplicity and the fact that it's Jessie makes him almost giddy. Not that he'd ever admit to it. Then it's his turn to pose again, and he's surprised to find her urging him towards the swing. He glances at her, smirking as she tries and gives up on correcting herself. He knew what she meant, and he knows that she knows that he knows. Which is to say, they're both aware her intended message was received, but he's contractually obligated to mess with her over the wording of it. Maybe not contractually, but they both expect him to do it. So he does. "Standing's good." He rounds the side of the swing and grips the rope, shooting her a flirtatious, extremely cocky smirk. "You know. If you want to see the whole view." Having had his fun, he quickly sobers up and gives her some actual poses to work with. He slowly migrates around the swing, testing out a few positions and poses. Having been on the other side of the camera helps him to judge what might look good, but ultimately it's up to Jessie. After a sufficient amount of hard work, basically being that he ran out of ideas, he flops dramatically into the swing. "Wow. It's hard work standing around looking pretty. Get any good shots?"

✬ N A T H A N I E L ✬
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tagged⇨ Skylar locale⇨ restaurant role⇨ science project boy

When Skylar answers his compliment by reminding him that he contributed, he's oddly warmed. He's not surprised by it, but he still wasn't expecting it. He smiles, glad that he was able to help her out today. What does surprise him is the way she answers his comment on picking his food. He looks up at her, abandoning the french toast he'd just stabbed with his fork. He's not sure why he's so startled. Obviously when she says 'go out' she doesn't mean it like that. Even so, she is suggesting they spend more time together. It's not the first time, but still interesting to him that with all the people she has in her social circle, she's actively choosing him. Then again, he thinks she's more comfortable being herself with him than she is with them. Which is also weird. Everything about them is weird, honestly. Like how she's slowly becoming his personal assistant, if her small but growing list of fancy titles is anything to go by. Her joke relaxes him, though, and he smiles. "I'll try not to over schedule you." After a quick, cleansing sip of his drink, Nathaniel picks his fork back up and returns to his food. There's a comfortable silence between them, but not for long. He looks up again when she starts speaking. Now he's surprised for another reason. She seems shy. After everything, after 'hiring' her two minutes ago to be his food connoisseur, does she really expect him to reject her proposal to keep working on the dance? "I'd be happy to help," he answers, giving her a reassuring smile. "This dance planning is actually kind of fun. Of course, that probably has something to do with you." He moves on to the steak and cuts into an egg yolk. "Don't worry about springing things on me. We're friends, right?" Pausing in smearing the egg yolk over the whites, Nathaniel takes the time to meet her eye. "You can almost always assume the answer is yes." As Jessie and Audrey quickly learned. Exception being dress shopping at the mall. Nathaniel shrugs. "Honestly, I don't have that much going on anyway. I only work during the summer, so all I have to do after school is homework. Which I can do whenever." Besides, he tends to get homework out of the way where he can. He's not anywhere near Audrey level obsessed, but if he can find time during the school day to work on things, that leaves him more free time afterward.

⊰ A U D R E Y ⊱
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tagged⇨ Michael locale⇨ museum role⇨ the third girl

Seeing how Michael's thrown by her sudden twist in topic, Audrey feels even worse than when she blurt it out. She's not usually such a spazz. He just has a way of bringing out the stupid in her. Despite the awkward transition, he still answers her. What he says makes sense, about the ends of his casual dates being mutual. They would have known going in that it probably wouldn't be long term, and would both have been content with that. One of the many things that has confused her about how persistent he is with her, since he knows that's not the kind of relationships she's after. What she's really interested in hearing about are his serious relationships. It's pretty unfortunate that the only two girls he really dated ended up the way they did. She can see now some more of what Skylar meant when she mentioned that Michael was trying to avoid getting hurt. The first one didn't respect him the way he deserved, and the second more or less used him until she could get back to her other boyfriend. Audrey takes a long sip of her drink while she contemplates this, filing away the information into the larger picture she's putting together of Michael. It's obviously not his favorite topic, and the fact that she keeps bringing it up is probably incredibly annoying. But... his past matters to her. Considering she's close to deciding she'd like to be part of his future. Or his present, at least. "Well," she finally says. "I can see how they might have tainted the idea of relationships for you." She's sure there's more to the reasoning as well, but the two failed relationships sound significant enough. "Do you think you might give serious another try?" she ventures quietly, tracing shapes onto the table with the condensation from her cup. "If you happened across someone who doesn't need PDA," although she can be impulsively affectionate sometimes. She's not super touchy feely, but compared to Michael she feels like a leech. "Or who has grown up here and, conveniently, has no other flames?" Audrey finally looks up from the table, unsure how he'll take the admission but tired of tiptoeing around it. "Or who brings three other people to the mall just to help her pick out a dress for her first date with you." The moment it's out she regrets it. Almost. They're still in the middle of the date here, and so she could have just made the last half awkward as hell. On the other hand, this whole situation has been unnecessarily stressful. Once she has her answer, she can proceed accordingly.

( No problem, I totally understand! Hope you're doing okay otherwise. c: )

[lucky ⋆]

❅ Jᴇssɪᴄᴀ Sᴄᴏғɪᴇʟᴅ ❅
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[ meetings in the park ] [ location: Clayton's house ] [ tagged: Clayton ]

Jessie shakes her head at his retort. She knew it was coming. She can't help the small smile from appearing on her lips. This brief moment is just so them it makes her feel a little warm inside. It might seem nothing to make note of, but it gives a little boost to her already high enthusiasm for this photoshoot. She's more than ready now. As he flows through his poses, she follows closely along. Just pressed the button whenever she saw a good shot. And there were a lot of good shots. He's giving a lot more variety this time around, which fills her up with excitement. Another quality makes her job easy. He's much more open this time around as well. He was a little guarded the first time around. They were just starting, so both of them were just easing into it. But now seeing him just doing his thing is wonderful. She feels her breath catch a couple of times. Luckily, she remembers to take a picture every time that happened. She straightens up when he flops onto the swing, seemingly done with all his poses. She glances down at the camera at the last few photos as she walks toward him. She shakes her head once again at his comments. Standing in front of him, she looks up at him with an amused smile. "You're too pretty for your good." she chides playfully. She glances down at the camera briefly at his question. "I think so," she says with a small nod, and a small smirk rests on her face. "It's hard not to when you're so pretty." Looking back up at him in the swing. With him sitting in, the swing is a little more on level with her. It's also balanced by him. If she wanted to, she could probably flop down with him without much issue compared to when she was by himself. With that thought, she can't help but want to do that. She finds herself just staring at him for a couple of seconds. Hesitating a bit more, she decides to just throw caution to the wind. She approaches him, trying her best to not hurt him accidentally. It's a little awkward and with the space in the swing, she ends up settling on his lap. Not thinking before how close they would be, her face immediately reddens. She doesn't want to draw more attention to it, so she shoves the camera in his face. "Take a look." she breaths out in a rush, avoiding looking at his face.

♛ Sᴋʏʟᴀʀ Jᴀᴄᴏʙs ♛
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[ the science project ] [ location: restaurant] [ tagged: Nathaniel ]

Skylar slows down her eating as she spends a bit more time picking at her food nervously waiting for his answer. She's not expecting much. Their recent outings have all been impromptu. Every time with her more or less demanded them to change up their plans. It's hard to tell if he agrees all those times if he really wanted to or if he was just backed into a corner. She's pleasantly surprised when he agrees easily. She blinks at the following comment. This time she couldn't stop the blush from appearing on her cheeks. She doesn't think has ever referred to event planning with her fun. Effective and productive are more of what she hears. What he says next makes her pause and stare at him. Friends... She supposes that is what they are now. For some reason, Skylar still felt a little murky shout about their situation. Sure, it has been a good couple of days of her making peace with everyone. And they have spent a decent about of time together outside of school though some were because of school adjacent things. It still doesn't feel right though. She wouldn't be able to call Audrey or Jessie friends. But they haven't spent as much time together compared to her and Nathaniel. At the same time, she couldn't put Nathaniel in the same group as Clayton and Michael. "Right," she says with slight uncertainty. "We're friends." It might be a little off, but it's still probably the best way to describe what they have here. The status both brings her joy and makes her a little disappointed. "Well, there a couple of things." she starts, shaking herself out of those confusing thoughts. He's willing to help, but ye needs to know what He's getting into. "We have ticket sales happening. Probably the latter half of the week. During the lunch periods." she explains. "And then there's asking the culinary club about getting them involved with the dance." That's already a couple of hours out of a decent amount of days for next week. They still have their project, but that could probably be done in a day. But with all that he pretty much has to spend all days of the week with her in some way. "You won't be the only one though," she assures, though her voice wavers a little at the end of the sentence. "Hopefully." she sighs slightly. "People haven't been super dedicated to this event." She doesn't know if it's because of the shorter time frame or the later start of the whole planning process, but the team is much smaller and looser than her previous teams. "I have a couple of others I can count on though." The others are her friends that she will drag along to help somehow. It's not the most appealing work. If he accepts that she knows he has her back in this. "If you're up for all that, you'll officially be my second-in-command," she says, raising her fork like it's a declaration.

☀ Mɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ Hᴀʀʀɪsᴏɴ ☀
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[ the third pair ] [ location: museum ] [ tagged: Audrey ]

Reminiscing about his past relationships of a more serious nature always leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Michael doesn't want to think too badly of them, but he can't help it when thinking of how they ended their relationships. He has made peace with his first girlfriend since then. It was hard to avoid since they ran in similar circles. He would say they are friendly acquaintances right now. However, he would still prefer to limit their interactions since she's still too much sometimes. His second girlfriend was harder to get over. Because there was barely any opportunity to find closure. He remembers being uncharacteristically depressed for an unexpectedly long period. Skylar was not happy. Especially after she found out about his ex getting with her other ex. He still has some mixed feelings about her. If she ever shows up again somehow in his life, which is highly unlikely since he hasn't heard from her since she left, he knows Skylar will be there for him. He didn't realize that he zoned out until he hears Audrey speak. He braces himself for her reaction. It's not exactly a pretty picture he has painted for himself with all his past girlfriends pretty much ditching him. Not exactly what you would want to reveal on a first date. But he said was going to be open to any questions, so he going to stick to his word. Her response isn't what he expects though. He can't tell if it's good or bad. She seems to understand his position but doesn't express if she's taking it negatively or positively. Her following question makes him blink. The additional questions make him furrow his eyebrows together. He would call her out skipping his turn of questioning if he wasn't trying to figure out what she is trying to imply. Her first few descriptions seem too specific to his previous two girlfriends. But that last one, he has no idea what she referring to. It sounds like she's talking about someone in particular and it sounds like he should know who it is. He looks at her expression to see if he could get any clues from that. She seems a little embarrassed. He racks his brain to think about what she means. She mentions the mall. The last time, he went to the mall he saw Audrey shopping with Jessie, Skylar and Nathaniel. Wait... His eyes widen almost comically when he realizes she's referring to herself. He thinks. He doesn't want to jump to conclusions, but this is something he never thought possible. He has to take the chance. "I..." he begins, but quickly stops as he's still a little speechless. He wants to be tactful here. "I struggle a lot with my inabilities to maintain relationships," he confesses, looking down slightly. In many ways. "It doesn't mean I don't want one. I always hope I can." He takes a small breath before his next words. This is important. "Of course, I would be willing to try with the right person," he tells her sincerely, looking at her directly. He's making sure she can see him. "And the only person I have in mind is you." His words are firm, but his insides feel like a jumbled mess. He doesn't think he has been this nervous in a long while. "I just didn't think you were open to that. At all," he says as he tilts his head and shakes it. "But if you are..." He looks up at her once again. His hand reaches for hers instinctually and grabs it softly.

[adheline]

♠ C L A Y T O N ♠
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tagged⇨ Jessie locale⇨ home role⇨ meetings in the park boy

Clayton grins lazily as Jessie plays along with his casual bragging. He's glad to hear she got good pictures out of that, though. Or, at least that she thinks she did. It's not really a very confident answer. He quietly watches Jessie as she thinks. He wants to know what's on her mind, and usually when that happens he just has to wait patiently. Even when she's hesitant, she usually follows through with whatever she's mulling over. Quiet as she is, she doesn't really seem brave. But she is. This is no exception, and he lifts a pleased eyebrow as she settles in with him on the swing. It's a tight fit, but he's not complaining. Just as soon as she's sat down, there's a camera in his face. He jerks his chin back in surprise. Then he glances past it at her. Ah, cute. She's embarrassed. He takes the camera and starts to look through the photos, but he's got limited arm space with Jessie here. He holds the camera with the hand furthest from her, and he circles his other arm around her to hold the camera steady with both hands, effectively caging her in. Hopefully this doesn't overwhelm her, a thought that doesn't occur to him until just after he's started clicking through the pictures on the camera. He glances at her, ready to back away if he senses discomfort. There's a difference in these photos from the last ones. It's not super noticeable, but they're more natural. He guesses they both eased into the photoshoot after the first round of photos. "They're amazing," he compliments. "And not just because of your model's startlingly good looks." Resting the camera on their laps, Clayton leans back into the swing, getting comfortable. He studies Jessie's face for a moment, using his foot on the floor to give a minuscule amount of motion to the swing. She's the shortest girl he's ever been with, and she fits very nicely on his lap. He keeps noticing things like these, little perfections that he has only with her. "I don't think this is exactly what you had in mind," he begins quietly, gesturing towards their seating arrangement, "but this is nice."

✬ N A T H A N I E L ✬
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tagged⇨ Skylar locale⇨ restaurant role⇨ science project boy

From the way Skylar confirms that they're friends, he suspects she's unsure, and so he thinks he may have been too hopeful. Even though she's agreeing, he can tell she's hesitant to do so. It makes sense. He's more open to making friends and mending fraught relationships, but he doesn't really fit into her crowd. They may have been spending a lot of time together lately, but that doesn't mean she sees him the same way he sees her. He doesn't linger on it though, any more than to make a mental note to refrain from labeling them again. He nods contemplatively at the items left on their to-do list, recognizing them from earlier. He catches onto the lack of surety in having other people to help, feeling bad not for the first time that the group dedicated to helping her with this doesn't seem very committed. At least she's confident that she's got at least some people to rely on. And she's got him. Friends or not, he's committed to this venture of hers. He grins at her proclamation and raised fork, using his own fork to give as serious a salute as he can muster. "Deputy Vise reporting for duty. You can count on me." He likes this side of Skylar. Never would he have guessed she could be sweet and borderline silly like this. Not before he really knew her. But he's seen glimmers of it every now and then since they've been friendly. It's really coming out today, though. Perhaps she's growing more comfortable with him. He has managed to see in at her most vulnerable a few times in their short acquaintanceship. That's bound to connect people. He likes her stronger, austere side as well, but he suspects not many people get to witness her with her guard down. "Do you want to wrap up our project on Monday or Tuesday? Then it's out of the way and we can focus on the dance," he suggests. If the ticket sales are during the last half of the week, it would be good to not have to worry about the project at the same time. They're pretty much done with it, but they still need to combine their independent work and put the finishing touches on it.

⊰ A U D R E Y ⊱
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tagged⇨ Michael locale⇨ museum role⇨ the third girl

Audrey watches Michael take her questions in with a guarded gaze, becoming less sure of herself the longer it takes him to absorb her meaning. He literally just explained why he doesn't do relationships, what on earth was she thinking? Finally, his eyes widen, but when she can't immediately tell how he's taking the realization her leg starts to bounce under the table. Ugh, this is torture. He starts speaking and then pauses, and she inches forward in her seat. When he continues on, though, she leans back again, gaze dipping down to the table. It sounds like the beginning of a polite rejection. Which, well, that's fine. He's got boundaries she should respect, and she already knew this was out of his comfort zone. But... he's willing to try with the right person? Surprised, her eyes flash to his. He wants to try with her. She swallows, feeling dizzy at his touch on her hand. "I um," she breathes, pausing to find her voice. Gosh, that was poetic. She's never been the center of someone's attention in this way before. "No, you're right. I wasn't open to it," she confirms. Even after her feelings on dating changed, her mind didn't. "I'm not very good at trusting people, so relationships were always out of the question." Feeling both shy and emboldened, she shifts her hand to return his gentle hold. "But I trust you. And I like you," she adds quietly, never having said those words to someone before. "And I'd really like to give us a try." And... wow. It's out there. After all her prose against relationships and her dramatic denials to her friends - she kind of just asked Michael out. In a weird, backward, vague kind of way. Is that what just happened? She's actually really not sure. She guesses she probably can't call it asking him out. It was more like a really slow, mutual build-up. Or, she finally accepted his asking out by way of randomly bringing it up after the fact. Either way, this is officially more than a one-off prize date. The thought stirs another, and she leans forward again. "And that's not... I'm not trying to pressure you. I understand now, about you and steady relationships. I know I haven't always been very sympathetic about that." She pushes some hair behind her ear with her free hand. "Kind of hypocritical of me, really."

[lucky ⋆]

❅ Jᴇssɪᴄᴀ Sᴄᴏғɪᴇʟᴅ ❅
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[ meetings in the park ] [ location: Clayton's house ] [ tagged: Clayton ]

Jessie sits there with her head down as she waits for Clayton to take the camera. She's hoping he doesn't question or minds her doing this. Luckily, it seems that he doesn't as she feels him take the camera. There isn't time for any relief though as she feels his arms wrapping around her. She blinks rapidly as they shift slightly from this movement. She looks up at this point to figure out what's going on. As she does, she sees his hands taking hold of the camera. It quickly dawns on her that he needed to do this to hold the camera properly. She takes a slightly shaky breath, trying to settle down. It's a little overwhelming she's sure she's probably bright red right now. But it's not uncomfortable and she doesn't want him to think she is bothered by it. They have been closer before, it's something she should be used to. Every time though, it's like experiencing a new type of intimacy. It's overwhelming but exciting. He seems pretty satisfied with the photos. His light and appreciative tone makes her feel more relaxed. She glances at him briefly with a small smile. Her gaze then follows the camera down to their lap. As they begin to swing, she begins drifting a little closer, leaning back against her naturally. She lets out a chuckle when he finally brings up their position. "No, I...I don't know what I had in my mind." She's still not sure what exactly made her do this. She just wanted to. She's finding she only has this kind of impulse. "But you're right. It is nice." she agrees with a breathy sigh. "You're warm." For a quiet while, she simply sits there swaying with him, just enjoying the moment. At some point, she zones out a little. Her eyes settle on the camera in their laps and can't help but reach for it. She takes the camera from his grasp and lifts it. Their previous attempt of getting a photo together didn't go as planned. This could be a good second attempt at that. Working with the swing seems to have put out the best photos for them. Right as she takes the photos, however, she immediately feels herself getting flustered. "Ah, no, wait. Why is so embarrassing?" she exclaims softly. She puts the camera down on their laps again. One of her hands shoots up to cover her face as she turns into his chest. They literally have a picture of them kissing, but for some reason, this feels more intimate.

♛ Sᴋʏʟᴀʀ Jᴀᴄᴏʙs ♛
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[ the science project ] [ location: restaurant] [ tagged: Nathaniel ]

As commanding as Skylar is trying to be, she couldn't help but giggle as Nath plays along with her. Despite this being a little silly, she feels very comforted by his words. With so many people flaking on her lately, it's nice to have someone to count on. And she knows with certainty, that she absolutely can too. Even though their friendship is pretty new, she finds that she has a lot of trust in him. It's quite rare for her to find people she can put her faith in, so she's a little concerned about why she finds it easier to do so with him. She doesn't have time to dwell on it though. There's too much on her plate right now. Speaking of plates, she begins digging into her meal again. Steadily finishing up her food. She's taking a bite of an egg when he suggests finishing their project earlier in the week. She nods at this. "Good thinking," she says. "It's best not to leave that on the back burner." She has never had an issue with getting her schoolwork done even when her schedule is filled with other activities. She doesn't think it would affect her this time either, she wouldn't let it, but it's probably best to just make sure it's done before things start piling up. They are already starting to pile up. In that case, as soon as possible should be the plan. She considers her schedule for Monday and Tuesday. As far as she remembers, she doesn't have anything planned for either of those days. "Both days work for me. I don't believe I have any plans after school either day." she decides. "Let's try Monday and if anything comes up, we can just move it to Tuesday." The project will be her priority though. She rather moves any other plans back to complete the project sooner. Unless it's something extremely urgent. There is also the possibility of pushing the project back a little on the same day. With how much work they have done and how well they worked together, they probably could get it done pretty fast. "We can probably get it done in one session." she estimates. "I've been working on it little by little throughout the week." As she's thinking this out, she's noticed that her plate is getting quite empty. Despite finishing her french toast, she's still craving something sweet. Sheepishly, she asks, "Did they have any dessert on the menu?"

☀ Mɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ Hᴀʀʀɪsᴏɴ ☀
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[ the third pair ] [ location: museum ] [ tagged: Audrey ]

Michael watches her carefully. This is just the beginning. He finally put it out there. He's hoping he read the situation correctly. When her eyes met his, he felt his breath catch for a moment, but he doesn't dare to look away. Seeing her work through what he said is terrifying. He doesn't think he's ever been this nervous in his life. It's funny how he's been trying to work through the idea of this never being a possibility for the past week and now that he's given a sliver of hope that he's jumping straight into the deep end. He was starting to regret it a little with the first part of her response, thinking maybe he jump too far. But that quickly changed when her hand tighten around his with a confession following it. For a second, he forgets how to breathe. This was what he was hoping for, but he's still shocked nonetheless. When she voiced her concerns though, he quickly shakes out of his stupor to reassure her. "No, no. I understand," he says hurriedly, shaking his head slightly. "You didn't know the full details." He always was a little roundabout when talking about his dating history. It was until today really when he was truly open about everything. "And I didn't paint a great picture either with my dodgy explanations before." he chuckles lightly, looking down at their connected hands. "I also had my guard up too. I really didn't think you felt that way about me." When he looks back at her, he is determined. He reaches out and gently places his hand on her chin. Tilting her head up slightly, so he can look more directly at her. "I like you too. For a while now," he tells her firmly. He pauses for a couple of seconds to let what he says sink in before moving his hand to her shoulder. "And trust me. You're not pressuring me into this," he assures. His explanation before was probably a little confusing. Starting relationships isn't what his main problem is. It's the ending that's always sucked. Starting just opens it up to a potential end. "I don't feel 'pressured' by steady relationships. I'm...scared of what could happen to them." He can't let that hold him back consistently if he wants a successful relationship though. Especially when he has a chance with someone as wonderful as Audrey. "But if you're willing to work through that with me and give me a chance. I would love to try a steady relationship with you." His voice shakes slightly. "I think I've let my fears hold me back too much and that's not like me."

[adheline]

♠ C L A Y T O N ♠
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tagged⇨ Jessie locale⇨ home role⇨ meetings in the park boy

From the tremble in her breathing to the hue of her face, Clayton can tell that the embrace is a lot for Jessie. If he's being completely honest, he's not entirely unaffected himself. Being this close to Jessie, in this simple way of just sitting together, is immensely fulfilling. It's a closeness that he's not used to. There's no expectation, no pressure to do any certain thing or be a certain way. This closeness isn't a preamble to anything. It's just them, in this moment, gently swaying on a swing. He smiles when she confirms that she didn't have a plan climbing up here with him, and it turns soft when she agrees that this is nice. Even more so, he thinks, now that she's relaxing into him. He lets his gaze wander the room aimlessly, keeping their soft swinging in motion until he notices Jessie taking the camera. At first he's not sure what she's doing with it, until she lifts it away from them. Another picture together. It's a good opportunity, them being seated as they are with the swing as a prop. It takes no time at all for Jessie to get embarrassed again, and Clayton grins as she buries her face in his chest. He picks up the camera and gets a shot of it, because she's so freaking cute. It's a little clumsy because he's doing it one handed, but hopefully it turns out okay. He puts the camera back down, turning his head to press a kiss into her hair. "It doesn't take much to embarrass you," he murmurs, nothing but admiration behind the words. Jessie may be the most wholesome person he's ever met. Plus, this is all pretty new, and it takes time to ease into a relationship. Clayton's just more comfortable since he's used to being that way. He's never liked feeling hesitant or out of place, so he simply doesn't. "We'll get a proper photo together eventually, don't worry. We've got time.' This sun room will always be here, and he'd like to explore other photogenic locations with her as well. "And I won't mess with you next time we do." Though, even as he says it he's not sure he can help himself.

✬ N A T H A N I E L ✬
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tagged⇨ Skylar locale⇨ restaurant role⇨ science project boy

"Sounds good," Nathaniel agrees to her plan for when to meet up. When they were first paired up he sincerely doubted the resulting quality of their project, but he's very confident in it now. Despite the pressure Skylar has with the dance and her home life, she's been consistently dedicated to their project as well. Now he can see what their teacher meant about them working well together. Though, to be fair, their teacher should have also seen how volatile their pairing was to begin with. "I've been working on it as well. I guess all we really have to do then is combine our parts." Definitely doable in one session. It almost feels like that should be the end of them meeting up, but it won't be. He's helping, or at least trying to help, with the dance, and their friend groups are meshing together. It's far from the last he'll see of her, and he's actually relieved about it. It's... strange. A sentiment he's been repeating a lot lately, but it's accurate. He's pushing the last of his food into a scoopable pile when Skylar asks about dessert, and he grins at her. "I'm beginning to feel that you like sweets," he says. Between this and the gelato, that's his assumption. Glancing around, he spots their waitress and flags her down. After setting some drinks down at a nearby table, she makes her way over, and Nathaniel asks for the dessert menu. He doesn't get to ask for it often, since he and his parents don't usually feel pressed to get dessert after a meal, but nothing beats a restaurant dessert. It's warm, fresh, made one plate at a time. Kind of. Point is, it's better than anything he can make happen at home. Their waitress dips away and bustles back with the menu, dropping it off and stacking their empty plates on her arm. "Take your time and decide, I'll be back in just a minute to take your order," she promises, and then she's off again. Nath takes a glance at the list of pies, cakes, ice creams, and all the combinations therein. It's not a huge selection, or anything, but he's still impressed. Then he passes it to Skylar. "Anything you want?"

⊰ A U D R E Y ⊱
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tagged⇨ Michael locale⇨ museum role⇨ the third girl

Audrey's lips quiver into a faint smile at Michael's small laugh, relieved that she hasn't overstepped. Unraveling the source of his hesitancy towards long term relationships has been a bit of a journey, honestly, but she's glad to know the full story. And she understands, about having his guard up. She had hers up, too, which is why she probably shouldn't be surprised that he didn't even have a faint idea of her feelings for him. Yet, she is. It's felt lately to her that she's been so obvious, so unable to hide the way she reacts to him. Then again, she couldn't guess at his feelings, either. At his hand on her chin, her ability to breathe falters, and despite his words being almost expected, they make her blush. It's the first time she's ever heard the words with so much meaning, and certainly the first time she's heard them from someone that she likes, too. She's able to relax more as he continues on, because his sentiments are so familiar. It's a little different for them both, but she's scared, too. Of losing herself getting wrapped up in him, of abandonment, of failure. And that's also not like her. She's always considered herself to be a confident, assertive individual, and yet she's been holding herself back for the past couple years now purely out of fear. "Of course I want to work through this with you. If you're also willing to work through my fears with me." With the patience he's shown her thus far, he's already begun to chip away at what she's most pressingly scared of. In fact, as far as Michael goes, she's been pretty lucky to have him around. Even though she kept trying to push him away, albeit after a while even that became halfhearted, he never left. And, apparently, he's liked her for a while now. The thought makes her smile, glancing down at the remainder of her sub. Then she presses her lips together and turns her gaze back on Michael. "I imagined saying all that in a more romantic setting," she admits after a pause. She's not sure where, exactly, but definitely not in the middle of an open cafeteria-type area over half eaten sub sandwiches. "I didn't mean to bring it up so suddenly."

(( sorry for the wait, I was struggling to get any decent length to my posts and then black friday weekend beat me up at work ))

[lucky ⋆]

❅ Jᴇssɪᴄᴀ Sᴄᴏғɪᴇʟᴅ ❅
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[ meetings in the park ] [ location: Clayton's house ] [ tagged: Clayton ]

Too busy trying to hide, Jessie misses the shot that Clayton took of her. She could feel him shift around, but was too flustered to think about it. She loosens up a little as she felt his lip against her head, though her blush deepens. His tone is so soft. It makes her want to stay in his arms forever. She lets out a breathy chuckle when he tells her he won't mess with her next photoshoot. That's doubtful. She has noticed that he's rarely given up an opportunity to tease her. "We both know you can't keep your word on that," she says as she lifts her head to meet his gaze. She wouldn't want him to keep his word on this anyways. She doesn't mind it. Honestly, she has to admit she kind of likes it. It fires her up. It's not like she can't dish it out with equal fervor. "It's okay. I'll just have to return the favor if you do," she warns playfully with a mischievous in her eye. She lies her head back on his chest. This time, she doesn't bury her face in it. Instead, her gaze returns to the lovely greenery in the room. Taking in all the colors around the room as they swing. She considers his words a little more. "But you're right." she agrees in regards to having plenty of time to take a photo together. "We will." They both have the equipment. She even brings hers with her practically all the time. They could have a photoshoot like this anytime they feel like it. "Is this our new thing now? Having photoshoots like this together?" she questions with a chuckle. She's a little surprised that it took this long for it to become a thing for them. Considering their mutual interest in photography, she would have thought they have to do this sooner. Now that it's been done, she's hooked. "Because I would like to take more pictures of you," she tells him genuinely, glancing up at him briefly. He was a good model and she can tell he had a fair share of photoshoots. And because of that, she can feel a practiced nature in some of his poses. She enjoyed it when they were both able to let loose in their last sets. She's hoping she could capture even more photos of him like that. Perhaps, even more so. She does love getting a good candid shot.

♛ Sᴋʏʟᴀʀ Jᴀᴄᴏʙs ♛
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[ the science project ] [ location: restaurant] [ tagged: Nathaniel ]

At his grin, Skylar blinks and stares for a moment before shrinking back a little shyly. Already feeling sheepish, she tilts her head down and lets her hair cover her face slightly as she feels it begin to redden. "I do..." she confirms with a light chuckle. She knows he's not judging her, but for some reason, she feels so timid at the moment. Perhaps, it's because she hasn't been able to let go like this in a long time. She's letting her simple desires slip out. It makes her feel strangely exposed. Like he's not supposed to see this side of her. Which is kind of ridiculous considering he had just seen her most vulnerable side just a few moments ago. But that she could explain. A lot was going on, not just with them. This is just a simple action. It feels a lot more intimate. And she can't explain it. She lifts her head as she watches him call their waitress for the dessert menu, hoping that he was distracted enough with the task to not notice her flushed face. She perks out a bit more when the menu arrives. From the look of it, it's quite big. So, it must have a decent selection. As Nathaniel glances through it, she watches intently in anticipation. She smiles brightly as she's handed the menu. To her delight, it was better than she had expected. Her eyes widen in excitement as she read through the whole list. There were cakes, pies, and more. She has no idea how she was going to decide. Taking another couple of looks over the menu, she still hasn't narrowed it down to her choice yet. "Oh, this is hard," she says, biting her lip. She's tempted to order another bunch of plates just of desserts. But she's usually not this big of an eater. Considering she already had a massive meal, she should probably not have too much more. Plus, she's already had french toast and that practically could have been dessert already. She's already indulged herself today, she doesn't want to overdo it. She tells herself to at least narrow it down to two. She takes one more look over the menu, not wanting to make Nathaniel wait for too long. "I'm between the apple pie with ice cream or the classic cheesecake."

☀ Mɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ Hᴀʀʀɪsᴏɴ ☀
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[ the third pair ] [ location: museum ] [ tagged: Audrey ]

Michael let out a shaky breath of relief at Audrey's response. She understands. He should have known that she would. Ever since they opened up to each other, she has always listened and never judged him. She was always patient with him whenever he wasn't ready to continue further. He has tried his best to return the sentiment. And he'll continue to do so. He promises as he nods to her request of working through their fears together. He pulls his hand away when she turns her gaze down to the table. He chuckles at Audrey's comment on the timing and place of all this. "I definitely was planning a grand romantic gesture for this moment," he confesses. "It would have been a whole special date for it." He shakes his head slightly before looking down at the table. He can't lie that he ran through a few scenarios in his head of how he would have told her his feelings. But most of them were promptly dismissed because of his perception of her feelings about relationships and him. So, he doubt the romantic gesture he had thought of would have ever come to fruition. "I'm glad you blurted it out now though," he tells her. He turns back towards her. He glances down at her hand and gently reaches for it. "It would have taken me way too long to gather up the guts for that gesture." He gives her hand a little squeeze. Who knows how long he would have spent dancing around the matter? He admires her for being brave enough to take a chance with her feelings even with her hesitation about relationships, especially when he didn't help with that with his hesitation. He can't spend the whole day just looking at her in absolute awe though. They still have the rest of the date to complete. Michael glances up at a distant clock on the wall to check how much time they still have left. He's surprised how much later than he thought he would be. He had still a whole picnic and dessert in mind. "I had a lot more planned today, but it looks like we're running out of time and we still have the rest of the museum left to explore," he says. It's a little disappointing that they couldn't get to everything, but now this isn't the only date they'll have. "But I guess I can save those for the future now."

(No worries! ^^ The holidays are always busy. Hope you have a good holiday apart from work. c:)