Punk Isn't Romantic

Cloud nine

Dean

I checked myself in the mirror one more time and scanned my outfit. I felt incredibly weird. This was my first date with a guy and I had no clue where I was going, or what we were doing. Axel had only given me a time and said he'd come pick me up for our date. He hadn't responded to any of my paranoid texts asking who, what, where, why, or when. 

I heard the doorbell ring and I practically fell over my own feet sprinting down the slippery wooden staircase. My mum was stood at the bottom of the staircase, casually chatting to Axel who had stepped inside. My dad was not so subtly craning his neck to peer at Axel, his eyebrows raised and mouth tugging down slightly. I didn't really mind my dad's reactions to Axel; I could only be happy that he was fine with me going out with a guy littered in tattoos.

"Have him back by eleven, kid." My dad yelled over his shoulder as I took Axel's hand and headed out of the door.

"Midnight is fine." My mum whispered, giving me a thumbs up. 

"They seem nice." Axel commented once we were out of earshot, the nervousness in his voice apparent. 

"You can meet them properly sometime, if you want." I shrugged, climbing into the passenger side. 

We made conversation about our day and some other things as Axel drove us into the middle of nowhere. The distance between houses grew larger and larger as we drove further into the countryside, street lamps and light pollution disappearing. It was incredibly dark and the lanes we were driving down were narrow and windy. I became a bit nervous but Axel grabbed my hand and held it as he drove.

He indicated left and pulled into a little field and I tried to read his expression in the dark; what the hell was he planning? He turned the engine off and turned to look at me, a wide grin on his face, although the nervous expression was still hiding behind it. 

"It doesn't look like much yet, but wait." He reassured me.

He climbed out of the car and I followed suit, watching him go to the boot of his car where he had clearly placed some things. He pulled out a few blankets and pillows, a picnic basket, lights and some book. I gave him a hand carrying them over to a spot in the field and he placed the blankets down with the pillows, setting them up into a little nest and placing lights all around it. 

"I thought we could have a picnic and star gaze?" Axel shrugged, looking over his date setup.

My heart melted. This was absolutely adorable. He looked so nervous but I felt like tackling him onto the sheets and showering him with kisses. He had clearly put a lot of thought and effort into this; he even had a little book on constellations for us to read. This was so much better than anything I could have dreamed of.

"I love it. I'm speechless; this is amazing." I walked closer and gave him a peck on the lips, wrapping my arms around his waist and hugging him. 

"I really like you, Dean, and I wanted you to see that. I didn't want to do some boring date because you're better than that and deserve so much more than me, so I'm so lucky I have you." 

I held my breath, was this it? I felt like this was the lead up to him finally asking the big question: whether I would date him or not. I had 'of course' on the tip of my tongue. I really wanted us to be together. This date was so perfect and I loved spending time with him more than I had loved spending time with any other person. 

However, he dropped to the floor in the nest and began to make himself comfortable. No question, then. I shrugged and got cosy with him; it was only the beginning  of the date. I don't know why I was trying to rush it, he had all night and he was probably working his way up to it. 

My stomach growled furiously.

 Axel laughed and flipped open the picnic basket to pull out some food. My mouth was watering. My eyes could have began watering, too, at the adorable levels of effort that went into it, had I not been so starving.

"Axel, this is amazing. I can't believe you did all this." I cooed, kissing his cheek and reaching for a sandwich.

"Well, admittedly, I had some help. Having Bones in a kitchen is a nightmare but he's surprisingly good with his hands." Axel shrugged.

I choked a little at that and Axel burst out laughing, explaining that he meant good at cooking and not the other thing. He then proceeded to tease me for having a dirty mind and we spoke about their friendship; they had met at that mosh pit club place and had practically been inseparable ever since. I was surprised they had never dated. Then, he fed me fruit and tried to catch some in his mouth while I threw it at him with incredibly poor aim; I was a football player not a rugby player.

We then put the picnic away, snuggling up next to each other. I had my head on his chest, looking up and his arm was slung around my shoulders. We had been using the book to find the constellations and talking generally about our plans for the future and such. He was unsure about what he wanted to do and I was looking into medicine. I had the grades for it so far, so I thought it would be something I'd love to do since I have massive respect for doctors. 

Admittedly, we made out a hell of a lot too as we laid there. It was a lot of fun; not just the making out but the getting to know Axel more. He had so many layers to him and hearing his opinions and thoughts on time, space, aliens, and religion, was so interesting. Conversation flowed so well and we had so many moments where we both were just breathless, smiling and staring at each other. 

I helped him pack up around midnight and pack it into the car. The drive home was filled with comfortable silence; it was obvious we were both tired. However, I couldn't help the anxious feeling settle over me. He hadn't asked me out. Although I didn't want to ruin my mood, what his friends had said under the bleachers wouldn't leave my mind as I went up to bed. They had been right, but why would he not ask me out? Commitment problems? Only wanted some fun? 

I decided to just block it out. I would worry about this another time. Right now, I was on cloud nine from an amazing date with an amazing guy.