"I hate Mr. Thomas", Ashlyn fell exhausted on the bed, head on the pillow. Aiden lied next to her. 

"I hate him more" he groaned back.

"Date spots? Stupid. What is this all about?!"

"Wait, I'll read what Mr. Thomas gave me." Aiden reached for one of the sheets with teacher's instructions. " 'Organize date spots that will be prizes in the Valentine's Day lottery. the school will purchase the necessary tickets or vouchers. There should be about 10 date spots. Be creative.' Okay, that's really stupid...!"

"How do we know where to go on dates? I've never been to one." 

"Seriously?" Aiden asked before he could stop himself. 

"...Yeah." Ashlyn said slowly. "I think it's quite obvious, considering that I've been a loner all my life." 

"Umm, right. I just thought... I didn't expect that". 

He didn't? So... He was thinking about it...?

She glanced at him. He was staring at the ceiling (wait is this our fav ship again? A/N) , his eyes shone gold in the brightness of the Christmas lights that had been hanging since Christmas. 

"And you...?" she asked quietly. "You've been on a date before, right?" 

"N-no..." he hesitated for a moment. "I told you once, I've been traveling since I was a child. I haven't had much of a chance to fall in love or anything... I had no way of even making deeper acquaintances." 

"That must have sucked." Ashlyn felt a lump in her throat. He must have had a terribly lonely life. True, she had always been lonely too, but in the end it was her own choice. "Have your..." she stopped. 

No, don't ask him about it. It certainly hurt him that his parents didn't care about his opinion. 

 "Have you ever been to another continent?" she finished the sentence and Aiden nodded. 

"I've been to Australia and Asia, but not for very long. My parents got bored quickly. To be honest, I didn't expect that they would be willing to settle in one place." 

"Oh. And you didn't like it? Traveling, I mean." 

"Not in the long run. I like it much more now, cause I finally have friends", Aiden turned to her. "What about you? Are you glad you have friends now?" 

"I..."  Ashlyn stopped for a moment. "I think so."

 They were silent for a while. Then she smirked.

"You know, we wouldn't be friends if you hadn't started hitting on me a few months ago." 

"Hitting on you?" he snorted. "Don't imagine too much." 

"Excuse me, who is imagining too much here?" she laughed. "It was you who clung to me from the beginning." 

"I just wanted to find a friend, ok?" he nudged her playfully with his elbow. "I didn't know how else to do it". 

"But why it has to be me?!" 

"Because you looked like someone who was hard to be friends with, and I like challenges.

"And do you regret you thought that?" 

"Of course no."

His gaze moved lower, to her lips, and Ashlyn quickly looked away, realizing his face was much too close hers. Her heart was beating at least twice as fast as normal. 

"Let's return to date spots then." 

"Shit, I almost forgot!" 

"Me too, and it's almost half past nine." she glanced at the clock. "So, where you would go on a date?" 

Damn, it sounded so direct... 

"Hmm, maybe a kebab?" 

"A kebab?! Who would go for a kebab on a date?!"

"But I like kebab!" Aiden looked at her offended. "Do you have a better idea?" 

"Of course i do" Ashlyn rolled her eyes. "Cinema - here you are. The best date spot you can imagine."

"You meant the worst? Cinema is the most trivial idea I've ever heard. Even McDonald's would be better."

"But everyone goes on dates to the cinema."

"That's exactly why this idea is completely hackneyed!" 

"So what do you suggest, Mr. Not-trivial-and-not-at-all-hackneyed-idea?" 

"What about... ice-skating?"

"Okay, it's not as stupid as kebab... Well it's very good idea." she looked at Aiden thoughtfully. "Sometimes your little gray cells speak up."

"Thanks!" Aiden grinned. "Okay, now it's your turn." 

"Karaoke bar" she said, staring at the ceiling. "I was at one with my parents once and it was great." 

"Karaoke bar?" Aiden glanced at her. " I've never been to one." 

"Then regret it. I remember it was so much fun."

"I can still catch up, right?" he smiled wider. "Would you like to visit that bar again?" 

Ashlyn felt her cheeks getting red. Is he... trying to invite me on a date?! 

"Umm... maybe once." 

"OMG. I need to see singing Ash! So, when we're going?" 

"I said 'maybe once', Aiden."

"Doesn't it mean 'yes, of course' in your language?" 

"Ugh, Aiden, stop pushing!" she hid her face in her hands. "I don't like to singing around others." 

"Oh. If so, I can wait." 

Ashlyn gasped with surprise. 

"Well, now it's my turn." Aiden said as if nothing happened. "What about amusement park?" 

"Good idea, write it down" Ashlyn replied, but Aiden's words were running through her head. 

Even after they finished the project and she had walked Aiden to the door at nine, his words stuck irritatingly in her mind, refusing to let her rest. 

"We are amazing that we managed to finish the entire project today." Aiden said as he left her house and ran down the porch steps. "Get well, Carrot Top!" 

"Wait, Aiden...", she called and he turned to her. "I'm free on Saturday." 

He was surprised for a moment, but then his face lit up with a wide smile. 

"See ya, Ash!" he waved at her, then turned away and disappeared into the darkness. 

Ashlyn closed the door and leaned her back against it. 

What the heck?

Why the heck did I say that?!

She closed her eyes, trying to calm her pounding heart. Annoying. 

What did he mean when I told him I didn't like singing in front of others? He just... immediately stopped pushing. And why the fuck did I agree to go on a date!? On a DATE! 

Something has changed, she realized. Why do I suddenly agree to hang out? Especially with Aiden! Why is it so hard for me to even think about what I'm saying?! 

She didn't know if it's good or not, but she felt something has changed in her. She took a deep breath and went upstairs to her room. 

It's all Mr. Thomas's fault, and his damn idea with Valentine's day. 

Because of that I have a date with Aiden. 

And... it's not that bad.

__________

Ok guys, Sorry if I ruin the vibe but it's time for my conspiracy theory (I have several, but one for now). 

Let's take a look at their hobbies.

Taylor: mechanics

Tyler: sport

Logan: astrology

Ben: music/art

Ashlyn: ballet

Aiden: Rubik's cubes. 

Guys. Rubik's cubes? For real?! It is not even a hobby! 

Guys, it's sad. It'so so sad. I feel so sorry for him. He is so broken he doesn't even have a normal hobby. 

I'm going to cry.