Closed Hopes To Be Dashed

[Xinyi Huang]

Xinyi had never expected his rose deliveries to result in a date. A date. Was it really a date? Maybe it wasn't really a date. He made a point to avoid the twins and Soren, and eventually found himself by the drinks table, nervous and fidgeting. He hadn't seen Caleb yet, but he was sure he'd run into the other boy soon enough. Xinyi didn't hold out hope that it was an actual date- but still, he couldn't just forget what Caleb had said, and he had to know for sure. He bit his lip, fidgeting nervously with his sleeves as he watched the crowd.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb entered the great hall fashionably late with the Valentine's dance well underway. He considered shrugging off the whole thing and not come but Louis was going and he had a date, again. Were girls really so easily fooled by his charm? At least Rene was flying solo even though he knew he'd rather not be, but that wasn't his business. He smiled to himself as he took in all the decorations and made his way to the snack table. The best thing about Valentine's day was by far the treats and he stuffed a whole cookie in his mouth before pouring himself a drink.

 

[Xinyi Huang]

Xinyi was just sipping his drink, waving back shyly to Rosie and the others as he spotted them, when movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned to look, and immediately tensed up. Caleb had come up almost right next to him. Xinyi gripped both hands around his cup tightly. "Hi, Caleb," he greeted, giving the boy a shy smile. Xinyi was blushing furiously, unsure of what was about to happen. He didn't think the older boy had seen him.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb took a large sip of his drink as he heard someone say his name. He looked around for a second before he realized it was the boy next to him that spoke. He looked at him for a moment before things finally clicked in his head all at once. "Oh!" he said with his mouth still full. Quickly he swallowed and smiled. "Xinyi, right?" he said not as confidently as he would like. His name was unique but he also wasn't the best when it came to remembering names. "Glad you could make it!"

 

[Xinyi Huang]

Xinyi smiled shyly. "Yeah, that's me," He tried to sound more confident than he felt. He brushed a hand over his hair, still clutching at his drink with the other. "Well, I figured I could just hang around," He joked idly, trying to emulate his brother more. He was just like Jingyi, handsome and confident, of course he was.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

The conversation they had earlier was still coming back to him. Caleb wasn't sure what to do. The boy was cute but it wasn't nearly as cool to be seen with someone younger when Louis was somewhere around here with an actual date. He had purposefully tried not to make any solid plans to avoid just this but what was done was done and he had deal. He decided it was worth making the most of an awkward situation and he pulled his face into one of his more charming smiles. "Hang around?" he repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Was that all you had planned for tonight?" he teased.

 

[Xinyi Huang]

Be cool like Jingyi. You can totally do it. Xinyi tried to hype himself up, offering the most casual smile he could muster. "Well," Xinyi brushed his hair back, looking to his drink then back to Caleb. "No plans often lead to the most fun," He tried to sound nonchalant, sipping from his cup. "You never know what might happen."

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb let out a small chuckle as Xinyi smiled at him and brushed back his hair. He seemed less timid now and wasn't about to run away at the drop of a hat. He still wasn't sure about the younger boy but he took a step closer now. "I guess so." he said. It was a bit too philosophical for him and he would have settled for a simple yes or no. "Do you want to dance?" he asked with a shrug and nodded toward the dance floor. Maybe dancing would help loosen both of them up.

 

[Xinyi Huang]

This was working. He just had to try and be exactly like his brother! Xinyi gave a small smile and finished his drink. "Sure, that sounds fun," He gave his most charming smile and motioned for Caleb to lead the way. Thankfully, Xinyi knew how to dance. He had begged Xiuying to teach him at an early age. Trying to be a bit more confident, Xinyi offered out his hand.