forum Who wants a romance o/o? (OPEN)

Started February 12, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

He kicked his legs up and jumped up in one motion, then spun around and sat next to her on the bench, holding out a hand. "Nicky."

She smiled shyly. "Laura." She closed the notebook that had been sitting on her lap.

"Well then Laura, are you free this Friday?"

Wait… was he asking her out? No one ever asked her out. "Uh, yeah. Sure." She ran her fingers over the patterned cover of the notebook.

Nicky grinned and thought for a second. "I should be off work around seven, that work for you?"

She absently tugged her hair a bit more over her face as a small family passed by. "Sure."

"Perfect! I know this little cafe slash bookshop, you seem like the kinda gal who would dig that." He said happily in an attempt to distract her from how uncomfortable she was.

She looked over at him and tried a shy smile. "Uh, okay."

"Uh, do you want me to leave you alone now? If I'm bugging you or something, I can leave…" He trailed off, suddenly unsure of himself, especially after she smiled.

She quickly looked away. Dammit, Laura… This is what happened when you try to be social… "N-No, I… just don't hang around people a whole lot…"

"So…it's okay if I just sit here and talk to you?"

"Sure." Her eyes darted around for a minute before resting their gaze on a growing tree. It was supported by all kinds of ropes and such to keep it upright.

"Good. I really didn't want to leave." He shot her a bright smile. "You live around here?"

"Close enough," she answered. Her gaze was still fixed on the tree. Slowly, her fingers opened the notebook and turned to an empty page.

Nicky didn't seem too put off by her short answers, just moving on. "I live about a block from here, in a flat with my brother. You got siblings?"

"Hold on," she said shortly. Her eyes flickered from the tree to her paper as she wrote quickly.

Nicky followed her gaze back and forth, and nodded, slipping into silence.

After a minute, she read what she wrote and shook her head. "Still not good enough," she mumbled, shutting the journal and putting it aside.

"What isn't?"

"My writing," she murmured softly, tugging at her hair anxiously.

"Can-can I see it? My mom used to say that a writer thinks what they've made is bad because they've seen it a million times." Nicky smiled, slightly awkward. "You're biased because you wrote it."

Laura looked a little surprised but handed over her notebook. "It's the last page with writing."

He flipped through to the last page, reading quietly.
((You got smthn?

(Yup!)

Little tree
Little tree
Is it really you I see?
I planted you so long ago
After the winter –
after the snow.
Here you stand, my little tree
Preparing to grow tall as can be
I hope you grow up quick someday
And provide me with a bit of shade.
Someday I will come back to you
And rest my weary legs upon your roots.
And looking up into your graceful branches
Where the birds dwell and the wind dances
I shall say
"Little tree
Little tree
Is it really you I see?"

Laura bit her lip, looking at his face in an attempt to judge his first reaction.

Nicky's eyes widened, and a smile slowly made it's way onto his face. "Holy shit. You're like, really good. I would pay to see you at poetry slams!"