You Can Be My Bad Boy: Stop The Plot

~Evening~

As I was unpacking I heard my phone buzz. I looked down to see that Colson had texted me. We'd exchanged numbers for the group project ages ago, but this was the first time that he'd used this fact to contact me. The message was a simple and sweet message, if not a little awkward. He wanted to take me to lunch tomorrow . . . to check on me. I smiled at my phone as I remembered how he'd been at the dance and afterwards. I also remembered the plan that we'd made earlier. I figured it was worth a shot.

Me - Like a date?

Colson Klark - If you want it to be

I smiled at his reply. It had taken a while. I imagined his slightly sunken and pale face turning pink and bringing some life to his look when he'd read my response. We discussed the when and where of the date before I went back to unpacking. This was good and I was excited. Colson was sweet and decidedly not unattractive. Not to mention, not a Bad Boy. I couldn't remember the last time someone liked me outside of the curse. It was nice. I was still smiling as I put my makeup in my bathroom. I saw myself in the mirror and my smile dropped. This hoodie was like a curse itself. One I just couldn't break.

~~~~

I was sitting on the couch, waiting for Colson. It was getting cold out, so I was wearing jeans and one of my nicer sweaters. I'd even done my hair and make up. I was really excited for today. It'd be good. Not just for the plan, but also because it'd been so long since I'd been with someone in a remotely romantic way. And this was normal. No curse involved. As I waited I pretended that it hadn't taken all my will power to change out of the hoodie that I'd slept in that smelled like flowers and dust.

Thankfully, Colson was right on time, so I didn't have to spend too much time trying to leave the fantasy that had taken root in my mind. One where a different, more annoying, more intrusive, more relaxing boy was on his way to take me to lunch. I preferred the boy who really was coming. I just had to keep reminding myself. I opened the door and smiled at the boy who was here and that I wanted to be here. He looked nice. He was wearing similar jeans to my own and black band t-shirt. Just a t-shirt. No hoodie. I'd never seen him without a hoodie on. His arms were thinner than JJ's, but seemed relatively strong. He'd done his hair today. Nothing much, but it had been styled. I looked at his face and my smile grew. He looked slightly dazed. By me. It was nice.

"Hi," I said.

"Uh," he said as he came back to his senses, "Oh, um, hi. Ready to go?"

I giggled a little, "Want me to grab you a sweater or something before we go? You'll get cold."

He looked down at his shirt before looking back at me, "No, that's alright. I have something in my car."

His car was only slightly nicer than Mari's. It smelled weird and was somehow hot despite the cool weather. I guess that explained why he'd just had a t-shirt when he picked me up. The radio didn't work and the engine made mildly worrying sounds when he started it. I was so used to JJ's expensive cars that he had bought with money that he'd inherited that it took me a moment to get used to, but it was nice. We were silent as he drove. We weren't going very far, so I didn't mind. Eventually we pulled up to a diner. We got out silently and didn't say anything as we sat down. I wasn't used to sitting for so long in silence, but maybe this was just how Colson liked things. If that was so, then I didn't really mind. Even if it wasn't the silence was nice.

After a while Colson peaked out from behind his menu, "Hey, Eve?"

I looked at him and smiled in a gesture to continue.

"Why," he said quietly as his cheeks started to dust pink, "why did you agree to a date with me?"

"Well," I said as I put down my own menu, "I'm avoiding a curse that forces assholes to fall in love with me and then stop being assholes so I'll like them, which is sweet except after a while they just don't care anymore and are assholes again. There's a particularly persistent one and I was hoping that by going on this date with you he'll leave me alone."

Colson just blinked at me, "What?"

I laughed at the surprised look on his face, "I'm kidding! I agreed because you're a really sweet guy and . . .if I'm being completely honest, I think that this could be nice. I'm not sure, though. If you want to stop now because you don't want to do this if I'm not completely into it - "

"No," Colson cut me off, "I'm just . . . glad that you agreed. And that . . . you think this could be . . . nice."

I smiled at him, "Great. Ready to order?"

~~~~

By the time we'd finished eating I'd gotten Colson to smile. It was a nice smile. Quiet and kind. Before he took me home, Colson and I went on a walk. Most of where we walked was shaded and windy and I had started to get cold. Colson noticed and offered up his jacket that he'd brought saying he didn't really mind the cold. Apparently, he wore so many sweaters not because he was prone to being cold but because he felt uncomfortable in just a t-shirt around most people. I wasn't most people. I took it and I smelled what must've been Colson. The jacket smelled like deodorant and his natural body odor. It was nice. We joked a bit as he drove me home. It wasn't silent and I liked it. I liked Colson. He was fun and good and nice. When we pulled up to my house we both got out. Colson walked me to the door like a proper gentleman.

"I," he started a little awkward, "I had fun today."

"I did, too."

"Can I kiss you?"

He was as red as I'd ever seen him. I swallowed thickly before nodding. He seemed to brace himself before he put his lips on mine. He didn't move until I began to. It was like he'd never kissed anyone before. He picked it up rather well, though. It was a good kiss. Not dull like those guys that I'd kissed for the bet, but not as exciting as kissing JJ. But exciting was tiring. This was nice. He pulled back looking very red before saying goodbye and leaving. I watched him leave before going inside.

After I'd showered and put on more comfortable clothes, I flopped on my bed. I layed there for a moment before I smelled something. Flowers and dust. I was laying on the hoodie. I sat up and took the hoodie. I buried my face in it and smiled as I breathed it in.

It was terrific.