[se] worth the wait

One last look in the mirror was enough for Shaelyn to take a deep breath. She didn’t often wear much make-up, preferring a more natural look.

Today, however, was a date, and the first since they decided to be exclusive. She felt giddy and excited, so she put in extra effort. She added some reds around her eyes and styled her hair into a messy bun, loose strands framing her face. The marks he’d left on her neck were clear as day.

She wore red pants, a stark contrast to her usual white, but today was a day of colour. They hugged her hips and fell loosely around her legs, ending just below her ankles where simple heels allowed for an easy day. Her crop top revealed her stomach and shoulders, with loose sleeves falling around her upper arms, accented with slight red detailing.

The red gem still adorned her neck, complemented by several bracelets on her arms, completing the look she aimed for.

With a deep breath, she walked up to her date, smiling as her eyes found his. That morning, Mister Lu had brought her her Pokémon. The Espeon and Skitty were now asleep on the bed, while her Delphox was safely tucked inside its Pokéball. Vik hadn’t met the Delphox yet, and she realised it was best done outside.

“Ready to go?” she asked, a smile on her lips.

Outfit of the day x

It was their second time going on a date. Technically. The first had been when he invited her to his match, and they’d gone to dinner afterward. While it hadn’t all gone according to plan, it had brought them closer. The moment he’d told her about the things he held close to his chest, revealed that anger he seemed to try and push back, she knew she was unravelling him bit by bit.

By now, a lot had changed. It was almost hard to imagine, considering how little time had passed. But she’d spent so much of that time at his place, which had started to show signs of her practically living there. From her stuff in the bathroom to the little things spread around the apartment, it was becoming more and more natural to stay without texting her driver to bring over this and that.

A quick kiss was pressed against her lips, and Shaelyn eagerly took the hand he offered her. Excited to get going, she pulled on his hand a little to drag him toward the elevator, a clear skip in her step. There had been a time when she thought they wouldn’t make it to the festival because of his leg, and she thanked Lamar for helping them out.

“How do you want to go? It is a little ways from here,” she pondered. They could take his bike, a car, ask her driver, or go for a slightly longer walk as the sun set over the city. “Have you ever actually been to the festival?” she continued, a smile on her face as she found herself a little giddy with excitement—mostly because of their actual date.

Shaelyn knew they would get looks when they walked outside like this. It had been something she’d taken into consideration the very moment she decided to show him life again. It didn’t bother her—not in the way that she worried about her own reputation or about the laughter and jokes other girls would make.

Instead, she worried he’d get sick of it—realise it wasn’t worth it. It had made her hesitant and had been one of the reasons she, at first, had told herself nothing could ever grow out of this.

Her heart, however, had cared little for society’s expectations. And so, neither did Shaelyn. The world could guess what it was that lured her in, what had made her put her hand in his. It didn’t matter.

“Oh?” she asked curiously when Vik told her he’d prepared a ride. Once again, she chuckled, feeling like she was being taken out on a proper date to this actual festival she had been looking forward to for so long. Considering she’d already spent so many nights in his bed, it ought to not get her so giddy—but she couldn’t help it.

Vik admitted to having been there once or twice, but that it hadn’t been fun alone. She could understand that much, so she squeezed his hand softly, a warm smile on her lips.

To his question, she nodded. “I used to go with friends,” she admitted. “We’d always go near the end, when the people with kids had returned home, and the sun was setting.” So, the same as she was doing now. At this time, most people left outside were those who didn’t have those responsibilities, like a family, or people who were out to party. To her, it was beautiful.

Shaelyn easily followed her man as he stepped out of the elevator, her hand in his while his hurt leg kept him from walking too fast. For the first time in a while, she was able to walk next to a man and not feel like she needed to resort to running to keep up.

He mentioned something about a parking spot, and Shaelyn raised her brows in surprise. Still, she followed him wordlessly, turning the corner as he told her about the color—having picked one she’d like.

To think she had assumed the man was so poor he couldn’t afford a bed. It still surprised her from time to time that he wasn’t, so casually did he treat the money he had.

Shaelyn didn’t know much about cars, but even she had to admit it had character. It was an older car, something she imagined was right up Vik’s alley. Watching him open the door for her, she chuckled and walked up to the car, standing on her tiptoes to press a kiss against his cheek before stepping inside.

“How’d you guess my favourite colour?” she asked amusedly, glancing down at her red pants and the other red details in her clothing and accessories.

“It’s stunning. You mentioned picking one, though. You have… more?” she asked, a little surprised. Vik hadn’t seemed like the type for expensive things or collections. Still, if he did have more, she was glad. He deserved to spend his money on himself, to treat himself, even if he often seemed to think the bare minimum was enough.

Vik mentioned that white had been a viable option and Shaelyn couldn’t help but laugh. His following comment, however, caused her to smile softly. “I know you do,” she reassured him. While Vik was definitely a strange soul at times, she knew he paid attention when it mattered. He had never made her feel unseen, unwanted, or like her words didn’t matter. That was the most important part.

The roof slid off, and an enthusiastic smile pulled at her lips as her eyes widened when the space around them suddenly felt so much wider. She didn’t mind cars as long as she wasn’t the one driving them, but like this, with the roof off and the wind in her hair, she actually enjoyed it.

Vik said he preferred the bike, but that this had been a good opportunity. Leaning one elbow out the window, Shaelyn smiled at him, her hair flowing softly in the wind as he drove onto the road.

“We should take a road trip sometime,” she said with a smile. “Pick your favourite car, pack some things and just drive to some spot outside the city.” The idea made her feel a little giddy. A picnic, a night away from it all. It sounded… nice.

Shaelyn suggested a road trip, and Vik was quick to remind her of the drive-in he’d been wanting to take her to. He suggested she pick the car, and that they make it a whole day. As he summed up the ideas, her smile only grew wider, a faint blush on her cheeks as he squeezed her knee.

She wondered if he realised how easy he made it to be with him. The ideas for the outings caused her heart to skip a beat, and those soft touches made her want to melt into the seat.

“I’d love that,” she nodded, a genuine smile on her lips as she looked down at his hand before her red eyes found his again.

Despite so many things needing work, loving him was easy. Perhaps one day, she’d be able to admit that to him.

Entering the city centre showed the festival was already busy, with people walking the sidewalks in laughter, covered in different colours. She waited patiently until they arrived, then opened the car door and stretched her arms above her head for a moment before closing it behind her.

“Alright,” she muttered softly to herself, turning to Vik with a smile as she held out her hand, wanting him to take it. She took her Pokéball in the other, but decided to wait a little longer as she put it back in her bag.

“Anything you want to check out first?” she asked curiously. From the artists to the booths, or the area with the snacks.

Vik confirmed it’d be a date, and Shaelyn’s smile widened. His hand on her cheek caused her to lean into his touch immediately, appreciating the moment and the ease with which it came. There were no games, no playing hard to get, no desperate begging for his attention. He saw her, and she finally stopped feeling so invisible.

There was something undeniably attractive about a man driving. Or maybe she was just unreasonably attracted to this particular man. She looked to her side when he placed his arm over her seat and smiled as he pulled into the parking spot.

Gods, what she’d do—

Alright, time to get out.

She quickly hopped out of the car and stretched for a moment, waiting for him to take her hand as she asked if he had anything he’d like to see. Raising her free hand, she placed a finger against her lip in contemplation once he told her she’d have to decide.

“Let’s go by the artist stalls,” she decided with a smile. She wasn’t sure if Vik was much into art, but she loved to see how people displayed their own creations. And it’d be best to do that before heading into the main road, where they’d be covered in paint and risk ruining their art.

And so, she guided him to the small street where simple wooden stalls stood. It would only be a little while until the artists went home, and a lot of their merchandise had already been sold, but Shaelyn didn’t mind coming here when it was less crowded.

“Anything artsy you’re interested in?” she wondered as she stepped towards the first booth, smiling at the person behind it as she looked at the various paintings of Pokémon.

It seemed like her words had been missed entirely, and Shaelyn chuckled softly. She stepped closer, her red eyes following his gaze to something surprisingly simple: a man carving figures out of wood. It reminded her of a little wooden figure she’d gotten during her travels to Midgard.

“Do you want to get something?” she asked with a smile, her eyes tracing the intricate figures the man had already carved. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had sold many already, as his skill was evident despite her limited knowledge of the craft.

She picked up a small Cubone, turning it in her fingers as she studied it. “They look nice,” she admitted, smiling as she held the small Pokémon up to him. His apartment was still painfully empty, but these sorts of things could eventually find a home there.

Vik told her to pick one she liked, and Shaelyn hummed softly, turning the Cubone between her fingers while glancing at the other carved figures in the stall. There was a small Fennekin that reminded her of when her Delphox had been young, but... she looked back at the little Cubone between her fingers, raising it slightly before chuckling softly.

“I like this one,” she decided. She didn’t need to tell him that the little figure resembled him a bit in her eyes—such a sad, lonely thing that needed to let it all out to grow.

Especially with all the progress he’d made already. While she never considered him ‘broken’ the way he did, she was glad to see him open up to her so easily, as if his heart had been locked and waiting for her.

While Vik stayed with the wooden figures a moment longer, talking to the owner, Shaelyn wandered to the next stall. Behind it was a girl, twenty years old at best, selling her poetry books. Shaelyn opened one, reading and discussing the poems with the girl when two arms wrapped around her from behind.

A pleased sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back into his embrace, not needing to look to know who it was, even before he spoke.

“Hmm... I think I did now,” she murmured softly, before chuckling. How she’d love to spend days wrapped up in his arms. Instead, she lifted the poetry book she’d been reading so he could see the page.

“It’s good,” she nodded. It wasn’t written in traditional verse, but modern poetry had changed so much—words on paper filled with the anger of a new generation.

some days i wish i was too afraid to love,
but i am not.
i could have my heart broken a million times over,
and yet i’d still find a piece to give away to someone.

Vik told her to buy the book if she liked it, and Shaelyn chuckled. The owner was probably happy to hear it—this was the girl’s debut, and Shaelyn wondered what more she’d have in store.

For a moment, however, Vik’s next question distracted her, and she looked up at him with a smile playing on her lips. “Maybe,” she grinned, deciding to swallow back the undeniably cheesy comment about him catching her eye.

“Can you send this to me? I’ll throw in a bit extra,” she smiled at the girl, not feeling like carrying something sensitive like a book around. Taking some money from her wallet, she handed it over and contemplated for a moment whether she’d write down her own address or Vik’s, finally deciding hers was easier to collect mail.

The girl in the stall was trying hard not to stare, but failing, as Shaelyn turned around, smiling as she looked at Vik’s bag. “Anything else you want to get?” she wondered. If they walked on, they’d reach the stall with the colorings before heading into the main road, but there were still plenty of artist stalls left.