Closed First Dates

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily was nervous, but excited, but nervous. She had given up on even the hope of romance so long ago. This was surely just a one time thing, he would find some reason to end this before it began, right? She brushed it aside, not wanting to focus on the inevitable end before the night had even started. She liked AJ, she liked him a lot, and she wanted tonight to go well. She slipped into the outfit Alice had helped her to pick, standing in front of the mirror and smoothing out her skirt one more time, checking over her look and making sure it was perfect.

Lily was still playing with her hair when she heard the knock at her door. She almost jumped out of her skin, squeaking. She was glad Rose wasn't home; her sister would probably not be the nicest to AJ in this particular moment. Lily took a deep breath, brushing her hand over her skirt again, and walked out to the door. Suddenly she worried she hadn't done enough, that despite her best efforts she wasn't going to look cute enough for this date; her mind flashed back to Clifton ignoring her to stare at Nell's shorter skirts. She shook her head, dispelling the thought. Lily loved this outfit, she felt pretty. If AJ couldn't see that, well, then he wasn't the man Lily needed.

She paused with her hand on the doorknob, letting out another slow breath, before carefully opening the door. She smiled shyly up at AJ, hoping he couldn't tell how badly she was blushing. She held onto the door, feeling bashful. "Hi," She managed, giving him a tiny wave. Oh dear, what are you doing? She brought her hand up, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "Y-you look handsome," She stuttered, but managed to get out the compliment, putting her hand on the door and leaning against it slightly.

 

[AJ Ari]

AJ resisted the urge to shove a hand through his hair as he double-checked the address Lily had given him before knocking on the door. He'd spent far longer than he wanted to admit in front of his bathroom mirror in various states of hair up and down before finally pulling it back in a ponytail. The brief gap between his knock and Lily opening the door were enough to have him reconsidering the idea all over again, hand already half-way up towards it when Lily opened the door and he hurriedly dropped it, giving her a bright, if nervous smile as she stood in the doorway.

"Oh, uh thanks! Beat me to the punch but you look nice too, promise I'm not just saying that to be polite," he said sheepishly. "Ready to go?" He said, taking a step back and hesitating for a moment before offering Lily his arm as she stepped out. Tonight had been the culmination of weeks worth of casual flirting and chatting that apparently had all been far too subtle so AJ figured maybe a few overt displays of his interest might be required just in case Lily somehow thought he took all his new friends to candle lit dinners or something.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily giggled shyly, locking the door before stepping out. She took his arm, slipping one hand through the crook of his elbow and resting the other on his forearm. "I'm ready," She spoke gently. She hesitated a moment before giving in, leaning in for a moment and laying her head against his shoulder a moment, shutting her eyes and smiling warmly before forcing herself to pull back. She stood a little closer than perhaps she had to, but she couldn't quite help herself. Her heart was fluttering in her chest. He looked so handsome, and she loved how nice this felt, how warm and strong he was. She swallowed nervously, trying to keep it together. "Where are we going?" She asked, hoping her voice wasn't too shaky.

 

[AJ Ari]

AJ felt his face heat up as Lily took his arm, aware the warm line of her body against his shoulder as she leant against him for a moment before pulling back causing his brain to short circuit for a moment. He had to give himself a small shake when he realized Lily had asked him a question, giving her a small smile before leading her out into the early evening. “Oh, right yeah there’s this Italian place I found recently, they have this enchanted fountain that sings and I thought it uh. Seemed very… Romantic,” he said, eyes forward as they walked down the sidewalk together so he wouldn't do something embarrassing like trip if he looked at her for too long.

The restaurant had seemed like the perfect date spot and AJ had been aching to take Lily there pretty much since he’d found it. He just hoped he didn’t end up smelling like garlic or something, making a note to get any garlic bread. “Hopefully the food’s good too, but I bet the desserts have nothing on yours,” he added, giving her a gentle nudge with the arm she was holding, still tightly aware of where her hand rested on his arm.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily followed Aj, walking a little bit closer than perhaps she needed to. She couldn't help it; he was tall and strong and warm, and he just drew her in. She was smiling softly, a light blush heating her skin. "Oh, that sounds absolutely lovely, I love pasta," She replied gently. She kept glancing up at him, admiring the light against his profile. It felt surreal, honestly, that he would be taking her somewhere so lovely.

She giggled breathlessly as he nudged her. "Oh, I'm sure they're divine," She reassured him, rubbing his arm. "I just hope my treats are alright... I've always wanted to open a bakery," She went on a bit, a little nervously, reaching a hand up to twist a strand of her hair around her finger. "I've been saving, I should have enough by next year, I know it will be a lot of work and early mornings but I've always enjoyed mornings, watching the sun come up is just- it's so peaceful, watching the world wake up,"

Lily bit her lip, trying to stop herself from rambling. "Oh, dear, don't mind me, just going on," She giggled shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "What about you, AJ? Have you always been into Quidditch?" She asked, placing her hand back on his arm and looking up to him, trying to still the fluttering of her heart.

 

[AJ Ari]

AJ tried to repress the urge to smile like an idiot when Lily seemed excited about the restaurant, feeling a warm bubble of hope that tonight was off to a good start. She was walking close enough that AJ could swear he could smell something warm and sweet drifting off her hair, like sugar or maybe flowers, the smell making his chest heat and he hurriedly cleared his throat, hoping he hadn’t just been sniffing her something weird like that, smiling as she rubbed a hand along his arm.

“You should, I’d be there every day,” he said earnestly when Lily mentioned opening a bakery. He thought he’d already pushed his luck stopping by her stall so much, but the realization that Lily just hadn’t been catching that he’d been flirting with her emboldened him to think maybe he wouldn’t be an unwelcome figure if she opened something more regular. “If you ever need help with anything or uh, getting stuff off high shelves or something, just ask,” he said sheepishly, twisting his arm under where Lily’s hands were resting. “Beater strength’s gotta be good for something I’m sure."

His eyes softened as Lily giggled, shaking his head. “I don’t mind, I like hearing you talk,” he said simply before shrugging, careful not to dislodge Lily, when she asked about Quidditch. “Honestly no? I mean, I liked it sure, my family’s Canadian so they all followed it pretty closely growing up but going to an American school I didn’t have high hopes. But being on the team so long I realized I was pretty good at it and when the offer came to play on a team I mean. I couldn’t turn it down,” he admitted. It wasn’t exactly the idealized story, but AJ was aware he was lucky to get to do what he did and get paid for it, even if it felt weird to be considered a “pro player”.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily giggled shyly, faltering as he flexed under her grip. "Oh," She breathed, a blush heating her cheeks. She had to resist the urge to pull away, keeping her touch light, swallowing hard as he told her about his Quidditch career. "I'm sure you could just sweep me right up- oh, dear, not that- I don't mean-" She stammered, laughing nervously. "Goodness, I'm sorry, I read far too many Victorian romance novels," She took a deep breath, gently withdrawing her hands and folding them carefully in front of her, letting her hair fall to cover her face like a lush golden curtain. She took a deep breath, trying again. "What I mean is, you must be very good, and I do hope you enjoy it," She murmured.

"I must admit I was a little nervous at first to know you were on Blake's team- no matter how I've tried he's not quite warmed up to me. But Lars is one of my best friends in all the world, and Blake makes him happy. That's all I need," She smiled shyly, twirling her hair around her finger. "Fortunately, Elliot's girlfriend Alice and I are much closer, it's nice."

 

[AJ Ari]

AJ had to clear his throat to avoid spending the rest of the date with a stupid grin on his face after Lily's reaction, face heating at some of her stammering. "It's alright, I think it's cute. And I could definitely pick you up," he said after he'd regained some of his wits. It helped that Lily had let go of him but he immediately felt at a loss to not be touching her anymore, eyes lingering on where he'd folded her hands away from him, feeling his fingers twitch. "It's not how I expected my life to go, but it's working out. In more ways than one," he said with a soft smile, deciding to let his open hand simply linger near Lily's side, within reach. After months of thinking he was striking out with Lily he wasn't about to forget that she needed more overt displays of affection, but he didn't want to push her either, not when she was so flustered (even if the result was cute).

"If it helps, Blake doesn't like me either," AJ admitted sheepishly, tugging on a lose lock of his hair. "I knocked him off his broom back when we were both playing in school and apparently he's never forgiven me for it. Don't think I've met Lars though. But it's nice you have friends like that, difficult partners aside," he said honestly. AJ hadn't really had anyone like that so much in school. There was Dominic, he supposed. And Hope, of course, he thought with a pang of fondness, but nothing like what Lily seemed to have with her friends. "Elliot was the roommate right? Ex-roommate? Speaking of, I gotta admit I'm kind of glad your sister wasn't there to give me the talk when I picked you up earlier," he said with a laugh. AJ had just enough awareness of Rose to know he probably needed to keep his distance for as long as he could if he wanted to avoid being hexed for accidentally making Lily pine or cry or something.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily's heart stuttered when he told her he thought it was cute. She hesitated, peeking up at him a moment and considering. She saw his hand, and after a long moment of debating, she slipped her hand back into his, lacing their fingers and falling back against his side, letting her other hand rest gently on his arm. She could feel the blush on her face, and hoped it wasn't too noticeable, even if part of her knew with how hot her skin felt she must be positively glowing.

Her eyes widened when he said he'd knocked Blake off his room. "Well... unfortunately Blake is the type to hold grudges." She admitted slowly. "He used to be best friends with this one boy, Tyler, and Tyler was- he was very mean. He was bullying me one day, he made me cry, saying all sorts of mean things about me, but- well, he said something bad about Elliot, and I slapped him. A few days later someone jinxed me in the halls after class, it was horrifying. I don't know for sure, but I'm almost certain it was Tyler. He and Blake must have had some falling out and couldn't get past their mutual grudges," She mused, before shaking her head and peeking back up at him again.

"He was, yes, I was living with him and Alice after school for a while." She nodded. At his words about Rose, she giggled. "Oh, that's perfectly understandable. Rose has mellowed quite a bit since she punched Jasper for taking me into the Forbidden Forest, but she's still a touch protective." She rubbed her thumb against his arm absently. "I've never had much luck with romance, and she's grown more protective because of it, I think."

 

[AJ Ari]

AJ bit his lip to hold back what had to be a ridiculous smile when Lily slipped her hand back into his, giving it a quick squeeze but otherwise not acknowledging it just in case she got all flustered again.

He laughed at her comment about Blake, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, I think we’re kind of at a truce now, he doesn’t think I’m out to get him anymore at least, but I don’t think he’ll ever be my friend,” he said, raising one shoulder in a shrug so as to not dislodge Lily where she was holding onto his other arm.

AJ listened for a moment to Lily’s story, frowning at how Lily was treated at school. “Sounds like they deserved the slap,” he said, giving her hand another quick squeeze. “Man, your school life sounds way more exciting.. And violent than mine was. And I was a beater,” he said with a small laugh. “Worst we had was some in fighting on the quidditch team. Some of the guys in my year had some egos on them, I’ll tell you,” he said, glancing down at Lily and giving her a soft look. “Well I hope your luck improves. In the romance department, I mean,” he said, eyes lingering on where her eyelashes fell on the soft round of her cheek for a moment before clearing his throat as the reached the restaurant, moving to hold the door open for her. “Annd here we are, hope it lives up to the hype!” He said, trying to appear confident. Things had been going well, he was sure he could keep it up.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily giggled shyly, listening to AJ go on. "You were on the American team, weren't you?" She asked, feeling bad that she couldn't quite remember. She'd never paid much attention to the games, mostly sitting in the back of the stands and knitting to take her mind off of the height. Watching the actual game made her dizzy, though Lars and Elliot had always seemed understanding of it.

She giggled gently as he wished her luck in the romance department, looking down and tucking her hair behind her ear. "I hope so too," She smiled shyly, pausing as he held open the door for her, releasing his arm to walk inside with her hands folded in front of her. She took in the restaurant, letting out a soft breath as she took it all in. She turned back to AJ, a gentle smile on her face. "It's beautiful," She spoke softly, waiting for him to get closer so she could take his arm again.

 

[AJ Ari]

AJ smiled softly at Lily's laugh, aware he probably looked completely smitten but not sure he minded enough to care. "Yeah, for a few years. I didn't even know Americans cared about Quidditch when I first started at Ilvermorny so it was a nice surprise. Wonder if we ever saw each other at the games at Hogwarts," he said, trying to imagine a school aged Lily in the crowd.

The restaurant looked nice, AJ agreed, much to his relief, letting the host lead them to a table out on a little patio strung with lights, the aforementioned singing fountain gurgling a quiet melody nearby. Things had been going great so far, he thought, but it felt a little different now as he sat across from Lily, more formal, and he struggled to keep the easy conversation going like he had all these past weeks at her bake stand. "So, the baking's going well? Can I expect a permanent location to come bother you at any time soon or?" He said, latching onto the thought to keep the conversation going.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily giggled a little bit. "You might have seen me, but I wouldn't have seen you... I'm deathly afraid of heights," She admitted, smiling shyly. "But I had friends on the teams so I'd sit in the stands and knit, focus on anything but how high up the stands were," She told him, trying to still the fluttering of her heart. "I actually hid once, to avoid the flying lessons. I can't handle being on a broom,"

Her voice trailed off as she took in the restaurant- the lights, the fountain, the view from the patio. Her breath caught and she put a hand over her heart. "Oh, wow," She breathed, somehow finding herself in a seat, looking around with wide eyes. She blinked when AJ spoke again, coming back to herself. She giggled shyly, turning towards him and brushing her hair back. "Oh, I think it's going well, but it may be a while yet," She offered, her hands in her lap. "I've actually started to take some business classes at a local college," She admitted shyly. "I was thinking, and well, I'm going to need more than just some good pastries if I'm going to own a bakery someday,"

 

[AJ Ari]

"Ah, so no flying for you any time soon, then?" AJ said, quietly filing that bit of information away for the future and hoping he didn't look disappointed. "It's sweet you showed up anyway for your friends, those stands are no joke, especially when it's windy," he said with a small smile, trying to envision a school age Lily knitting quietly under the bleachers. "I love flying, uh. Obviously. Which is good you know, considering," he said sheepishly. "But I mean I like other things to like uh, you know..." AJ trailed off, embarrassed to realize he'd barely gotten to do anything lately between intense practices and trying to squeeze in time with Lily every weekend while he tried to work out if she liked him or not. "Going for walks? Maybe. Merlin sorry walking is probably the most boring hobby in the world, huh. I promise I'm cool and interesting, I play Quidditch for a living," he added quickly, laughing sheepishly.

Thankfully, Lily seemed taken enough with the restaurant and their table that AJ figured he was still mostly coming out on top on this date so far, at least hopeful that he could manage a second one soon by the way Lily was acting. "I think you can do it, people would have be eating nothing but acid pops if they think your food isn't worth every galleon," he said determinedly. "But that's smart, that's how I know you'll make it," he added cheekily when Lily mentioned the business classes, pausing to fumble for a wine list when the waiter arrived and awkwardly ordering something that sounded expensive and impressive, glancing over at Lily and trying to remind himself to act confident here.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily thought she saw a little look of disappointment in his eyes and lowered her own, feeling guilty in turn. "I..." She stammered a little, taking a deep breath. "I... did manage to fly once, um..." She peeked up at him before looking away, twisting her hands a little in her lap. "My friend Jasper flew me around a bit, I just... hid my face in his back the whole time," She offered with a nervous laugh. "It- It's not so bad if I can't see,"

She hesitated as he fumbled over his words, and she offered a shy smile, reaching over and brushing her fingers against his hand. "I think taking walks is lovely... and you are really cool," She offered gently. "Is there anywhere you like to walk especially?" She asked, trying to encourage him to tell her more.

She blushed as he complimented her, giggling shyly. She pulled her hand back as the waiter came, smiling as AJ ordered a nice wine. As the waiter left, she offered out her hand again- it had been nice, she'd thought, and hopefully he did as well. Maybe it was a little silly, but Lily had always been affectionate, holding onto Elliot's sleeves and nestled in against her friends when they let her.

 

[AJ Ari]

If AJ had been nervous that things weren't going well, it was quickly expelled when Lily reached out to take his hand, keeping it there the second time once the waiter had gone. It was a little difficult, but he did his best to keep their hands linked as the meal proceeded, notably nearly ended up with his elbow in his dinner in the process but definitely decidedly worth it.

The evening moved slow, AJ easily losing track of time as he and Lily talked, barely noticing the time passing as other guests finished their food and left and their own places emptied and were taken away. "I guess we've probably more than outstayed our welcome at this point," he said with a small laugh, noting the time with a quiet surprise as they finally finished up, AJ hurrying to pay before Lily could even comment as they made to leave. "Let me walk you home?" He offered, holding out his hand purposefully this time as they exited the restaurant. After so long holding hands at the table, he was already missing the feeling of her small hand in his.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily was almost surprised how easily they fell into things after that. His strong hand wrapped around hers, causing her heart to tremble in her chest, and he didn't let go. She didn't either, shifting in her seat specifically so that she could keep holding his hand easier. Before she even knew it, dinner, and then dessert, were gone, and they'd chatted their way through most of a bottle of wine. The candle that had been burning on the table was almost gone. She blinked, surprised that so much time had passed. She let him pay, standing and straightening out her skirt. She was glad she had worn a long sleeved shirt as they stepped out into the cool night air.

She smiled shyly, slipping her hand into his again. Perhaps it was the wine, but Lily felt more comfortable now. She leant into his side more, bringing up her other hand and letting her fingers wrap into the crook of his elbow. "I would really like that," She offered up with a gentle smile. "I had a wonderful time tonight, AJ," She murmured as they started to move, and for a moment she let her head fall to rest against his shoulder, her eyes closing.