This Date Thing

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

This thread takes place directly after This Phone Thing

Tag: Samson Abioye

He was not there yet when she arrived. Well, she did came early. Standing by the school gates, she observed her surroundings. There was a young boy outside - uh dancing? - with his headphones on. His moves were entertaining to watch, Lara Jean cracked a smile. She snapped a couple shots of him.

She was startled when she heard Sam's voice. Wide eyed, she turned to face him. It had not been long since she got here. "Hey," she greeted meekly, a little caught off guard. "You're erm early," she stated, turning her camera off. "Guess we both are." She laughed nervously.

Note: I'm sorry, I had no idea for a title lmao.

[Samson Abioye]

"You're earlier," Sam pointed out, nodding. He came to a stop a few feet from her, his gaze taking her in for a few moments. Sam didn't quite realize he was staring until he'd done so for perhaps a little longer than was strictly necessary. His gaze eventually settled on the camera, figuring that might be a safe subject to talk about. Though at the same time, he was also wondering if he shouldn't be offering her some sort of compliment.

"Did you want to take a picture of us?" he asked, before looking back up at her. Sam blinked, then shrugged. "I wouldn't mind if you did." it seemed like the camera was part of who she was, and Sam found it a little... odd, but he supposed that it was an eccentricity that could be somewhat appealing. It also occurred to him that her power might have something to do with it as well: people sometimes had to rely on certain objects when they were used to it.

Wait, he should use the photo thing to compliment, right? Sam frowned, realizing that he wasn't sure how to word it or what to do.

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

A tinge of blush came present on her cheeks when Lara Jean realized his eyes were on her. Okay, that felt nice. Her eyes then widened when her mind registered his question. Oh god, did he think she was one of those teens who wanted to document every single second of their lives on social media? Her fingers tightened around the camera strap. She hoped not.

Lara Jean was about to say no, but then rethink about it. Well, he did offer and he said he would not mind... Moreover, it would give her a good chance to know what he was wearing. Before she knew it, she agreed. "Erm sure. You should know it isn't because that I wanted to. Wait. No. I mean...yes at one point. Uh but uh okay..." her voice trailed off.

Lara Jean bit her lip as she fumbled taking her phone out and unlocking the screen. She took a step closer to Sam and looked up to him. "How about we erm you know just...take a selfie?" She handed her phone to him.

[Samson Abioye]

How had the picture thing made her tense? she was the one who seemed to have a camera on her nearly everywhere she went, not Sam. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd somehow managed to step in it; maybe the camera was just part of her power or something. Except that she eventually went with it, pulling out her phone of all things. That had Sam pausing, but he shrugged and moved in close to Lara Jean. He hesitated for just a moment, looking to her. There was a beat where he asked for silent permission before gently putting his arm around her waist, careful to steer clear of any areas that might potentially be... forward.

"Selfie's fine," he said, nodding. "I always look pretty stoic in these, so don't get upset. I swear I'm having a good time," another nod, a slight shift, and he even tried a smile.

it looked awkward.
And forced.
And slightly uncomfortable.

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

She gave a small nod of the head and was okay when his arm came to her waist. She was glad he agreed to the selfie. Lara Jean was never big on selfies, mainly because she was usually the one taking the photos instead of being in one, but this was an occasion that called for it. It was cool and plus, it would probably be odd if she just took a picture of him alone.

A giggle escaped the girl at his reassurance, just as the picture was snapped. "That's alright," she said, taking her phone back. She opened her gallery and tapped on the photo they took. "You uh don't look posed." She showed it to Sam. "I like it. Honest. Don't uh you know, worry about it." Lara Jean smiled up at him and shrugged. Maybe now it was her turn to reassure him over a photo.

[Samson Abioye]

She giggled. That was probably good, right? God knows that Sam couldn't have purposefully gotten Lara Jean to laugh; comedy was not a strong point as far as the young man was concerned. he leaned over to look at the picture after Lara Jean had taken it, noting that he looked... awkward and forced, but slightly more relaxed than he'd felt at the time. probably because he actually was happy about hanging out with someone like her; someone who he already knew to be about as pretty on the inside as she was on the out.

"You look better," he offered, adding a slight shrug. It was matter of fact, and he was already looking away, licking his lips slightly. "So,' he looked back to his date, "I think the deal was coffee or something?" he did drink it from time to time, and he'd gotten some ideas. It was sad that he couldn't quite remember. Hadn't they just come down from the school? Felt like a small eternity ago, like it all started a month or so ago now...

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

"Uh thanks," she replied, smiling shyly. After another quick look at Sam in the photo, she tucked her phone back into her pocket. "Yes, coffee." She nodded. "Or tea, milk, milkshake... Or any kind of beverage really." Not that she would mind any that he would opt for because most drinks go for her. "Or you know, we could just erm go to a cafe first or something?" That seemed good. It was not like they had to decide right there and then what drinks they wanted to have.

"Look, Sam, I uh don't really do this often," she said, gesturing between the two. "This going out thing?" A nervous laugh escaped Lara Jean. "So just to let you know...I might or more like very likely to trail off in conversations sometimes and might blurt something totally unrelated." The girl shrugged innocently. Saying it out loud now kind of calmed her. That was good. At least now he'd know what to expect, right?

[Samson Abioye]

Sam nodded at the thanks, more than willing to more or less take that on face value. The girl kept going, which suited him just fine: the more she talked, the less he had to attempt to hold up his end of the conversation. Plus, he really didn't blame her for being too nervous; he was pretty well there himself. He nodded right along with her conclusion, but did figure that he should probably add something: "Cafe works."

Sam started to move, only to pause as Lara Jean addressed him again. He turned, looking her in the eye as she gestured at the both of them. The nervous laugh had him actually smiling, and he looked away from her, more toward the direction he'd been heading. "It's fine," he said, before looking back. "You're not the only one," he added a nod, then took a few steps back to her. "Let's just... have a drink together?" Sam shrugged. "If it works, it works."

He paused for a moment, then extended a hand, feeling that a little contact would probably be reassuring and all. Plus, he more or less wanted to hold her hand. Seemed fitting for the moment and all.

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

The smile he had on had a smile slowly making its way onto her face. It was a relieve to tell him what she did. It probably was not something that was usually said before a date but hey, she did not have much experience here and was that not one of the reasons why she wanted to go out with him.

Lara Jean was happy to know she was not the only one. Though he did not look all that nervous but maybe Sam was the kind that always had a calming look or something. "Yeah... That sounds good." She nodded before - slightly hesitating in the beginning - placing her hand on top of his.

She followed him in the direction he was heading. "So erm what's your favorite color?" Just as the words left her mouth she realized what a silly question it was. She laughed. "No sorry. I mean, if you could jump into a pool of anything, what would it be?"

[Samson Abioye]

People generally used "stoic" when describing Sam, and he sometimes did lean into that a little. He was trying to open up and be a little be more... open here and all, but he knew that he probably still had the same stony expression and almost calming demeanor that he so frequently did. Hopefully the whole handholding thing would help ,as well as the slightly quicker pulse he could already feel going through him.

Moving along felt nice enough. There was something just pleasant in walking, and Sam could've about passed in silence. He did feel a slight ping of annoyance as Lara Jean resorted to what had to be the most basic of questions, but his face barely twitched. The other question drew his eyebrows up.

"That's a new one," he considered. He was almost tempted to comment on its oddity, but he was willing to bet that Lara Jean had already considered that. "I actually like tan, color wise," he supplied, offering the easy answer. He lapsed into silence for a few steps, before adding. "Marbles," there was another beat, "they'd take some of the motion and all, and it would probably feel good. Wouldn't hurt, and all the energy around me would probably leave me feeling juiced.' Another short pause, then: "Also it kind of sounds like fun."

He lapsed back into silence, though he knew he should probably be returning with a question of his own. Naturally Sam's mind had to completely blank out: he'd never been good at small talk even when he wasn't on a date, and that was proving even more true now.

[Lara Jean Reynolds]

From reading probably the most amateur fanfictions online, the girl knew asking someone their favorite color was a very plain question. She actually did not expect a reply to it hence why quickly bringing up another. Now that one was not a plain one.

Marbles? Lara Jean stared up at him - the sight of his skull did not even turn her eyes away - and blinked a couple of times wondering if she was hearing him correctly. Marbles were definitely not on the top of her list. "I supposed with such a strange question I should have expected an equally strange answer," she said, smiling.