Daphne felt as though her whole body was shaking like a leaf as she walked up to the small clock tower that Asher was leaning against, in the center of the town square. She had tried to fix her outfit in such a way that it could pass for a date, if it was supposed to be a date, or for a casual hang out if it was supposed to be to be just as friends. She was wearing a floral teal dress with tall brown boots. Both Maggie and Holly had insistently told her that if Asher had asked her out to the movies alone, that it was most certainly a date, but Daphne still wasn’t sure if she quite believed either of them. It still seemed too good to be true.

  As she got closer to the clock, she noticed that Asher had dressed similarly to how she had, in a nice button-up shirt and slacks that could pass for colored jeans if they were inspected closely. She couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, even though, simultaneously, the ambiguity of the situation increased.

  At least I’m not over or under dressed.

  Her heart skipped a beat as she got closer to him. I get to see him on the weekend. On a day that I normally wouldn’t get a chance to see him. We’ll even get to be alone for several hours. She felt herself gulp as he looked up at her and their eyes met.

  “Hey,” he said with a smile.

  “H-hello,” she said, tucking one of her flyaway strands behind her ear.

  The thing I’m most concerned about this how much I want to interpret this as a date. The last thing I want is to be rejected by someone I like so much.

  “Glad you could make it,” he said, as he gestured towards the theater.

  “Thanks for inviting me,” she replied, leading the way towards the ticket booth.

  I’ll know more as time goes on, she tried to reassure herself. If he asks me to dinner after the movie, the probability that this is actually a date will increase.

  “What kind of movies do you like?” he asked her as they slowly moseyed their way to the ticket booth.

  She laughed a little, her nerves getting the best of her. “To be honest, I’m not really sure,” she answered. “I haven’t had much time as an adult to watch movies.”

  She looked over at him and his eyebrows raised at the statement. “Oh,” he replied. “Well, what kind of movies did you like as a kid?”

  “Uh,” Daphne replied, having to take the time to think back. “When I was a little kid, probably fantasy was my favorite. Once I was a bit older, it was probably romance.” She felt her face heating up at even saying the word “romance,” and had to turn away from him.

  Oh goodness. If I can’t even say the word “romance” in front of him, will I ever even have the capability to kiss this man? Or even chase after him?

  “What kind of movies do you like?” she asked him.

  “I typically really like science fiction and fantasy,” he said, he was grinning a little at her as they got up to the ticket window. He gestured to the movie posters that were displayed. “Anything in particular you’d like to see?” he asked.

  I should have researched in advance. Daphne mentally kicked herself at not having thought of it.

  “Um,” she replied, scanning the posters. There was one called “Lovers Across the Universe,” that stood out to her as one that could potentially suit both of their interests. “What about that one?” she asked, pointing at the poster.

  “Sure, sounds good,” Asher replied with a nod before turning to the teller. “Two for ‘Lovers Across the Universe,’ please.”

  Daphne started pulling out her card in a hurry to pay for her part of the cost. “Don’t worry about it,” he told her with a smile as he handed his card to the teller. “I’ve got it.”

  “T-thanks,” Daphne replied, putting her card away. The last person who had paid for her was Gary, and even that was forever ago. Her heart felt like it was stuttering in her chest.

  Maybe this is a date after all.

  The teller handed Asher their two tickets and they walked into the theater. “Do you want movie theater popcorn?” Asher asked, as their eyes met again.

  “I, uh, honestly, am not sure if I like it or not,” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.

  His eyebrows rose again. “Have you had it before?” he asked.

  “Maybe once or twice as a kid,” she admitted, grimacing a little. “I don’t remember.”

  “Alright,” he said with a nod. “Why don’t we just get some for you to try then?” he asked.

  Daphne’s heart skipped several beats. To try?

  “Sure,” she agreed.

  They walked up to the snack counter and Asher ordered two drinks and a large popcorn. “I hope you don’t mind sharing,” he said with a small smile.

  “Not at all,” Daphne replied, already wondering if their hands were going to accidentally touch in the popcorn.

  Does this mean it’s a date? She shook her head at herself again. It’s also the most economical option, she thought as she looked over the menu.

  They started heading to their theater, and they got to the seats just as the previews started.

  “Coming soon to a theater near you,” the speakers blared as Daphne sat down on the seat next to Asher, and he began situating the popcorn between the two of them.

  Even just being so close to him was enough to make Daphne’s heart pick up, and then she felt his shoulder gently bump into hers. She flinched a little and turned to look at him at the same time he looked at her.

  “Sorry,” he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear over the previews.

  Her heart nearly stopped at how close their faces were together. She felt his breath across her cheek. She found herself struggling to break eye contact with him, despite the alarms blaring in her head that she was, perhaps, being too obvious.

  She glanced down at his lips, and noticed how full and soft they looked.

  Realizing what she had just done, she looked away, knowing that if he could see her face, it would probably be a deep crimson.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Thank goodness it’s so dark in here. She was barely able to pay attention to the previews. She took a sip of her soda in hopes of cooling her face down.

  “It’s not a problem,” she finally murmured back, realizing that she might have left him hanging after she had flinched back.

  The movie started after a few minutes, and Daphne found herself reaching up into the bag of popcorn. She pulled out a couple of pieces and popped them in her mouth, savoring the oily, buttery flavor that burst from them.

  This is what I’ve been missing out on? This is delicious. She reached for another handful, and then another.

  She felt a hand gently touch her hair, and then Asher’s voice in her ear. “Do you like it?” he whispered, sending shivers down her spine. I hope he didn’t notice my reaction.

  She reached over and cupped her hand near his ear, inhaling his clean scent. “It’s yummy,” she whispered back. He smiled at her, as she pulled away, and then he gestured for her to bring her ear closer to him.

  “I’m glad you like it,” he murmured in her ear.

  She turned back and smiled at him, and for a moment, she swore she saw him looking at her lips.

  Nope. He may not have been. If I try to interpret and determine if this is a date, I might end up missing the movie.

  Still, her face was blazing again as she turned back to the screen.

  The movie continued, and by the time they were about a quarter of the way through it, Daphne had determined she’d made an absolutely terrible choice. The movie was mediocre at best, the acting lackluster, the characters flat, and it was far more romantic than science fiction. Their ships were flying through space and seemed more like magic than science.

  I fucked up. She chewed on her lower lip. We’ll see if he can even look at me the same way after I chose this trash heap.

  She reached up into the popcorn, and felt his hand reaching up about the same time as hers. She felt his touch in the bag and quickly retracted her hand, feeling as though he had just electrocuted her.

  Her heart stuttered, but she looked over to him with a small smile on her face. She noticed he had a similar expression on his face. He gestured to the popcorn, and she nodded politely and reached her hand down into it, grabbing up a handful.

  After two long, torturous hours, the movie ended, and the main character ended up with a love interest that was a terrible choice for her.

  How dissatisfying. The pair walked out of the theater, throwing their trash away just outside the door. I’m sure his opinion is going to change of me after I picked that movie out. She grimaced.

  “What did you think of the movie?” she asked as they made their way back through the movie theater’s lobby.

  He shrugged, looking nonchalant. “It was alright,” he said. “Not really my thing.”

  Daphne felt the pressure in her chest building. At least he hasn’t walked way from me at this point.

  “What did you think?” he asked.

  “Honestly?” she replied, her heart thudding heavy in her chest. “I thought it was absolutely terrible. What a waste of money.”

  Asher started laughing loudly as they moved out of the theater into the town square where they’d met up. Daphne looked over at him, a bit surprised by his reaction. “What?” she asked.

  “You’re absolutely right,” he said, looking down at her. “I just didn’t want to say that in case you had really liked it.”

  Daphne let out a little chuckle of her own. “As long as you don’t dislike me for picking such a terrible movie, you can say how you really feel about it.”

  He chuckled a little. “I appreciate that,” he said, reaching out and grabbing the pole of the clock in the center of the square, where they had only met up a few hours earlier.

  I really don’t want to say goodbye yet. She clutched her purse straps.

  “Well,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, as if she was getting ready to leave. Her heart sunk in her chest.

  “Are you hungry?” Asher asked. “Do you want to get dinner?”

  Daphne immediately felt her heart lighten in her chest. It must be a date after all.

  “I’d love to get dinner,” she said, then patted her stomach. “But right now I’m really full form all that popcorn. Do you want to go for a walk in the park first?”

  Though the smile on his face had seemed nearly permanent since she had showed up, he showed it to her again. “Sure,” he said. “Lead the way.”

  The wind was chilly as they were over halfway through October already. Daphne pulled her jacket tightly around her as she looked up at the brightly colored leaves, probably at their peak color for the year. They contrasted with the blue of the late afternoon sky.

  “You know,” she said, a serene smile lightening her face. “I feel like fall is my favorite season.”

  Even in the moment, she was only just realizing it for herself.

  “Oh yeah?” Asher’s warm voice asked beside her.

  “Yeah,” she answered with a firm nod. “I never really thought about it or realized it before because I kept myself too busy.” She sighed at herself, shaking her head. “I never spent enough time paying attention to the beauty of the changing seasons around me.”

  She looked over at him, meeting his brown eyes, and noticing some flecks of green in them in the sun. He nodded. “I could see that about you,” he said. “You seemed to have changed a lot recently, though.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been trying to change,” she replied, looking away, and feeling a warm glow in her heart at his words.

  “Was there something that precipitated this change?” he asked her, his voice curious.

  “There was,” she said, looking back up at the sky and the breeze ruffling the leaves. “I realized that I’ve been wasting my life, and that it could truly end at any moment. So, if I wanted to be happy and not regret things when death inevitably comes from me, I need to live differently.”

  She caught a yellow leaf as it was fluttering down high from the trees above them. It landed softly in her palm, and she smiled at it, her heart feeling as bright as its color.

  She turned and looked at him, and he was smiling pensively, and he nodded. “That’s a hard thing to realize,” he said. “Did something happen that made you realize it?”

  “I was in a…” She cut herself off, realizing that she was about to reveal the truth. She shook her head and smiled. “Something like that,” she said.

  He was studying her face closely, as if he was searching for something in particular.

  Rather than letting him speculate about what she was hiding from him, she asked, “It sounds like you understand the sentiment. What made you realize it?”

  “It was also recently for me,” he said, looking up at the sky. “Someone I had always cared about suddenly passed away, and I really regretted not having told them how much I cared about them before they passed on. So, I also decided to try to do better moving forward.”

  Daphne’s heart ached for the person she saw in front of her, and the regret that was clearly playing out on his face. I’m incredibly lucky to have gotten this second chance.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said, turning away from him as they slowly meandered their way down the sidewalk.

  “I’ll be okay,” he murmured softly, behind her. “That person has just inspired me to do try to do better in the future. You regret all of the moves you don’t make, and all of that.”

  “I understand,” she said with a nod of her head while pursing her lips.

  After all, my biggest regret after coming back to the past was how little I lived my life the first time around.

  Ahead of them was a bench. “Do you want to sit for a moment?” he asked, nodding at the bench.

  “Sure,” she said.

  She sat down on it, feeling the cold of the wood seeping through her dress. He sat down next to her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off of his body, but not close enough that they were touching.

  Daphne let out a heavy breath, the faintest puff visible from her in the cooling evening. Her heart felt so full; fuller than it ever had been as long as she could remember.

  I’m…happy, she realized. Her stomach started to twist around inside of her. This happiness could be taken away from me at any moment. And for all I know, I may not even exist to be happy after December twenty-third.

  She bit her lower lip at the thought. Why was I so obsessed with Gary? I never felt this way when I was with him…and I failed to realize that there were other, better guys who may have been interested in me.

  If she had been alone, she would have let out an audible groan at herself. I should have tried harder my first time to live my life for myself rather than focusing so much on other people. I didn’t even know that I could be so happy, and that I could simultaneously feel scared to lose it.

  She looked over at Asher, who was staring at the trees, the breeze ruffling through his inky dark hair. The leaves from the trees started falling around them, like large confetti from the sky.

  He’s absolutely right. I can regret not taking a chance when I want something, too.

  He looked over at her, and met her eyes, the breeze washing over the two of them again. “Daphne,” he said, looking as though he was searching her eyes. “I really like you.”

  Daphne’s heart skipped a beat. Her face started heating up, but this time, instead of turning away from him, she pulled him closer to her, wrapping her arms around him, and gently meeting her lips to his.

  He responded, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. Daphne’s whole body felt alive, her whole being was focused on the way his lips felt against hers, and one thing became crystal clear to her.

  She couldn’t ever remember feeling this way before. She felt as bright as a full moon, able to light up even the darkest part of the night.

  They pulled away from one another. “I like you too, Asher,” she murmured.