I'll Love You For A Lifetime [Heartstopper, Tara x Darcy]

Year 11: Date (part 1)

Tara's pov

"I'm sorry too, I am in no place to tell you to come out."

As soon an Darcy said these words, I felt a knotted string loosen up inside my heart. She was in no place to tell me to come out, sure, but I had been ignoring how much my heart has been begging me to do it. I was too busy trying to make logical arguments with my brain, my heart had been left unheard for way too long.

Now that Darcy said it, I felt a sort of freedom. I felt like I was supposed to make this decision by myself. And in a minute, I was sure what that decision was going to be. But I was too tired to explain all this to Darcy, so I just cried in her arms.

Once I had pulled myself together, I sat up and leaned against Darcy's shoulder. I was too thrilled by the revelation to pause and think about how I should take communicate it to Darcy.

"Wanna go on a date?" I asked.

Darcy laced her fingers between mine, "Well, we are always hanging out." she said, looking at me carefully.

"I mean, like a proper date date," I said, "Where do you wanna go?"

Darcy looked at our hands intertwined together in her lap, "Tara...just because I apologised does not mean you have to give me something in return."

"I am not giving you anything," I said, "if anything, I am giving it to myself." I kissed the back of her hand, "To us."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yup, yup, yup," I said, springing on my feet and pulling Darcy up as well. I threw my arms around her, and planted butterfly kisses all over her face, "I love you," I said, my heart expanding, twisted and turning, "I love you. I love you."

Darcy giggled, "Love you more babe."

"Let's not ever fight again," I said, raising my eyebrows, "please."

Darcy ruffled her hair, "Not like I particularly enjoyed it," she stood up a bit straighter, "So...should I wear a suit?"

***

Darcy's pov

Ok, so me asking Tara if I should wear a suit was partially a joke. It was a joke because both Tara and I knew that I didn't own a suit(yet), but it was partially a joke because, well, I would have stolen it from my dad's clothes.

Except that Tara told me to keep it casual as we would be going out for a stroll. Who said suits are not suitable for walks?

Anyway, I obeyed my girlfriend dutifully as we just very recently had a fight and I was determined to be on her good side.

We met outside her house a day later and she surprised me with two things: a tight ten seconds long hug and a bouquet. Turns out she was also trying hard to be on my good side.

I chuckled, "Do I have to carry this around with me now?"

She pursed her lips, "You could keep it at my home for a while."

I shrugged, "I mean, I don't mind carrying it around though. It's not too heavy."

"It's literally flowers," she said.

"Exactly," I replied.

We walked down the streets with Tara's arm looped around mine.

"So, where are we going?" I asked after about twenty minutes of walking. I had asked before but Tara had responded with a...

"It's a surprise," she said.

"Better be worth the walk," I said.

Tara slapped my arm with her free hand, "Enjoy the journey."

I squinted my eyes. There was a sort of uphill a couple of minutes away from us. On the peak there was a house, which kind of looked like the homes where they shoot horror movies.

"I'm hoping we are not headed towards that house," I said.

"Nope, don't worry," she said, "we are going behind it."

I sighed. In about five minutes, we were behind the uphill thing-y and my jaw dropped. This was surely worth the walk.

There was a whole garden, with flowers I had never seen before. The scent of the freshly watered flowers and soil filled my lungs to the brim. I looked down at the bouquet and realized where the flowers had come from.

"Belated happy birthday, babe," Tara said.

I scoffed, "My birthday was ages ago. And we already celebrated it."

"Why not celebrate it twice a year?" she said and then pointed at one bright purple flower. "This is my favourite. This flower is the only one of this kind here."

"Wait, you planted all of these?" I asked, looking around.

As if on cue, a voice behind us said, "With a little bit of help."

I nearly jumped out of my skin, while Tara casually turned around and said, "Wasn't expecting you here today."

"Expect the unexpected, honey," the voice said and I finally turned around to be greeted by two different eyes. I was so confused at this point that I said, "You are a single person?"

The boy chuckled, "Why? Do you see two heads?"

"No, two eyes," I said. As soon I said it out loud, I realized how absolutely stupid I sounded.

"Everyone has two eyes, Darcy," Tara said, equally amused as the boy in front of us.

"I mean they are different coloured," I said and it was true. One eye was bright blue and the other a striking shade of green.

"Oh yeah, sorry about the confusion," he said, "I have heterochromia."

"Whatever, they are cool," I said. Tara side-eyed in a way that made me feel like cool was not the right answer. The boy on the other hand laughed, "No one has responded 'cool' to my eye condition before."

I sucked my lips inside, "Well, it does look cool, not gonna lie."

"You think so?" he said, comically batting his lashes at me.

"Excuse me, that's my date right there, Holden," Tara said. "Darcy, this is Michael Holden, my companion in growing and creating this garden-"

"I live right here," he said, pointing at the house on top of the hill.

"Let me finish," Tara said in a way that made me realise they had known each other for quite a while, "And Holden, this is my girlfriend, Darcy."

"Oooh," Michael said, "I knew you were fruity."

"Thanks," Tara said, monotone.

"Happy to be of service," Michael Holden said in a mock courtesy.

I cleared my throat and Tara looked at me, "If you guys are done, can I get a tour?"

"Sure!" Michael said, looking like a little kid who was excited to show off his new toys. We walked around while Michael rattled off a myriad of names that I could not remember at all.

Eventually, it started getting dark and Tara suggested we should leave. As we turned back, Tara whispered in my ear, "I have another surprise." I felt a smile tugging at the ends of my lips.

***
A/n

If you know who Michael Holden is, you are cool by default.

xx