saltwater

[Deleted]

"I love you too." He could pen a million poems and never write anything close to being as stirring as those four words. Kissing her back, he makes a point of committing this moment to memory; the dim yellow light, the waitress's barely contained disdain, the taste of powdered sugar on her lips. When they pull away he rolls his eyes. "Ah, classic Judith. Always suggesting things you're good at that I suck at. But ok, since it's you."

[Judith Haddock]

Judith grins, and rests her head against his chest. "It's the only way I'll ever beat you," she admits, as Lucas seemed to have a talent for winning no matter what the game. Raising her head, she combs her hand through his unruly hair and scratches the nape of his neck. "First date means you're paying, right? I'll pay for the second!"

[Deleted]

He holds her close, breathing in her familiar scent and kissing the top of her head. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Right on cue the waitress places their bill on the table, giving it a tap once she's placed it as a not-so-subtle hint that they should settle up. Glancing at it, he places a couple of bills down and stands, holding his hand out for her. "You're a cheap date. I might even treat you to a Coke at the bowling alley, if you play your cards right."

[Judith Haddock]

She slips her hand into his and waltzes towards the door. "I can't believe you love me, yeesh." There's an icy chill that lingers in the dark and as Judith exhales, her breath draws into the sky. "I think we should walk," her hand pulls him past the car and she brings him closer, closing the gap between them. "Have you been thinking what we should be for Halloween?"

[Deleted]

"It is pretty hard to believe." Pushing open the door to the outside world, a gust of cold wind envelops them just as she suggests walking. "Alright, on one condition," he shrugs off his well-worn leather jacket, slipping it over her shoulders before she closes the distance between them again. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he squeezes her as he mulls over the question. ""Hm. How about Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes?"

[Judith Haddock]

She tries to brush off his chivalry, but once the jacket is slipped over her thin frame it's hard to deny. Judith's arm holds him close and she listens to his offer, her lip protruding into a put and her head shaking. "They're too sad!" she cries, unwilling to imagine Sylvia Plath without moping. "What if we were like.. Bob Ross. Both of us though. Really trip people up."

[Deleted]

"How about you be Bob Ross and I be the mountain you've painted?" Lucas had always been something of a fantasist, and it's in moments like these that he has to check that he's not making this all up. They're engulfed in a low mist as winter creeps towards them, making the light from sparse streetlamps seem hazy. She smells like she always does, sweet and sultry, and he feels drunk without having had a sip of alcohol. He squeezes her again, overcome with affection as he kisses her. "I love you so much I don't even care about how humiliatingly you're about to beat me."