"Oh man, that was bad!" Kate groaned as we made our way back home, she'd been waiting to let her emotions of the Calculus test out all day.
"Heh, guess that mean I won again?" I teased looking over at the beautiful girl next to me. She never would have acted this way in school, now that we were out of ear shot from the school, she let herself pout.
"Hmm…" Kate, practically growling, gave me a sidelong glare. Eek… She would not have done that in school either.
"Fine…" She eventually conceded with a sigh, though, by now this was a common occurrence. Every math test would end up like this and for Literature tests, the roles were reversed.
We continued down the street enjoying the chilly February afternoon, it had almost slipped my mind with school, but Valentines Day was on the horizon. It was about time to act out my plan.
"What are you doing next week? The fourteenth to be exact." My question came off more rigid than I had hoped, it was only natural to be nervous though. We spent this and other holidays together before, though nothing was beyond food and maybe a movie. Each time nothing romantic had occurred, I wanted this time to be different.
To my surprise, Kate's cheeks reddened slightly, and she stopped walking, "W-Why?"
I was taken aback; I couldn't remember the last time I heard her stutter. Being reminded of a scene from the anime I watched last night, I made my move. "I thought we could go out for Valentines, some food or a movie?" This came off better than my last statement, cool, calm, and collected.
"O-Oh, well, if that is all, then I'll join you." Kate regrouped and answered with a small smile. Plan failed! I thought she would have been a tomato by now with how smooth I was! And what did she mean by 'if that is all.'
"A-Ah, I was thinking about going for food and then going to the movies actually, unless you had another plan." I laid out the plan to her as we walked. Since she was used to being with me on these holidays, I had to do something to make it more romantic, more special.
I proposed we go to a relatively expensive steak house for dinner the night of Valentines and after we go to the movies, all on me of course. She protested saying she would pay for her meal and ticket, but I simply shook my head and put my hand up.
"Nope, I couldn't look at my self in the mirror if I let a girl pay for herself on Valentines Day." With that, she quieted down and accepted that I would pay for her. I noticed small adjustments in her pace and flush of her cheeks as we talked.
At the mention of a fancy restaurant, she looked at me with surprise, though quickly returned to looking ahead. She was excited, the pace of her steps increased too. Two signs of physiological arousal, I didn't know why I was so worried about rejection. After years of being close friends, I knew so much about her, I was confident.
We walked home and I further elaborated on the planned day. We both owned cars, though school was very close by and only in early January or hot months like August did we use them. I preferred it this way, the warmth Kate gave off was enough for me to be okay without the insulation of a car.
"When do you want me to pick you up?" Offering to pick a girl up was usually a big step, learning where she lived and maybe even meeting her family, but all I had to do was back out of my driveway and pull into Kate's.
"I'll talk with my mom about it; I don't usually go out late. I will text you later." I nodded, but was confused about this reply, we'd spent other holidays with no curfew, why is that needed now.
"Okay, just text me later." Outside of family, Kate was the first and last girl I had on my phone. Kate nodded to my request, and we finished our walk in silence.
We split and walked up our own driveways, when I reached the front door I turned to see that she was waving with a smile on her face.
"I love you." I said in my normal speaking voice, it was just enough that she was unable to hear me.
"Did you say something?" Kate shouted across the road.
"Nope, I will see you tomorrow." I shouted back as I opened the door to my humble abode.
I was greeted warmly by my mother who had just gotten off work, my home life was a calm and enjoyable one. My dad was out picking up my sister from school and would be home soon, for now however, I talked with my mom about my plans for Valentines Day which got a little laugh from her.
"So, you're finally making your move." She let out a little sigh as she spoke, as if she were tired of waiting for something.
I just shook my head, ignoring my mother's teasing and excused myself to my room. I would catch up with my dad and sister at dinner, just as my door closed I felt a vibration I the pocket of my khakis.
The school uniform was a bland one, with very little colors and no chance for self-expression. I shrugged and grabbed my phone from my pocket. The screen lit up with a message from Kate.
It read, I talked with my mom, she said we can be out but would like me to be back by midnight. I am really excited about it.
I threw my phone on the bed and let out a sigh of relief as I changed out of the school uniform and into some comfortable clothes. It seems I had actually gotten a true date planned with my childhood friend.