𝑻𝑨𝑺𝑻𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑯𝑶𝑵𝑬𝒀, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔

✵ 𝑩𝑨𝑫 𝑭𝑰𝑹𝑺𝑻 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑬 / 𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑶

bad first date
༊
teddy boy rings

i turned my head back once more to bid ringo good night, but was met with a tuft of hair facing the other way instead. he shifted his head slightly and i made out the outline of his round nose and thick lips, could see his eyelashes quietly rise and fall against his cheek. his face was sullen and grey under the rows of street lamps that lit the darkened pavement and though his hands were deep in the pockets of his overcoat, i could tell he was fidgeting with his rings. it was written all over his hunched frame that he was disappointed.

i released my hands from my door and rubbed them against my own coat, pressing my tongue to the roof of my mouth as i stared at him with a look not quite like pity, but still riddled with concern.

"richard... it's okay," i said timidly, taking a small step toward him. my eyebrows furrowed as he remained unmoved, shrugging me off and returning his gaze to the ground. the silence was so thick either one of us could bang our fist on it and it'd remain unscathed.

i noticed his mouth beginning to try and string some sort of sentence together that might impress me or woe me or make me forget his evening of adorable clumsiness. his frustration and stress, which had been accumulating within him all night, was quickly bubbling up inside. the pallor that normally drained his face began to darken to a reddened hue.

"(y/n), i'm sorry..." he finally mumbled, a sniffle following his trail of words. he kept his eyes fixed on the ground and dug his booted heel into the pavement. "i just wanted to... to show you a good time... i wanted to be good..."

i tilted my head slightly and frowned, "who's to say i didn't have a good time? sure, we got caught in the rain, drenched our movie tickets, spilled most of our soda, and got lost in the park for a little while, but-"

"sounds pretty lousy..."

"it wasn't-" his eyes darted toward me in an almost accusatory manner and i shut my mouth before looking down at my shoes which had been dirtied trudging through the park. i couldn't help but feel a blush fall on my cheeks when he looked at me. i was excited to just hold his attention for a few moments let alone an entire evening. i could tell he wanted me to see something in him, too. he wanted me to see that he wasn't some hoodlum asshole like most people say. i was charmed that he would even like me that much to try something so bold.

"alright... it was a lousy date," i sighed and lifted my face to look at his which was now fully turned to me for the first time since he'd walked me home. he was searching me, reading into my expressions with deep, sad eyes. him holding such an inquisitive look on his face made me hesitant to open my mouth and interrupt him. i moved a bit closer and touched his arm gently, holding him with both hands. he watched me stiffly, eyes still gazing down into mine.

"but there's always the second date..." i piped, offering a small smile. i watched as his face softened and his eyes became hopeful and young.

"you'd... you'd let me take you out again?" he replied, his voice soft, the stale odor of cigarettes lingering on his breath. pulling myself a little closer i nodded, my smile growing wider at his sudden interest.

"is- is next friday alright?"

"next friday's perfect," i nodded again and let go of his arm to walk backward toward my door. he looked mildly satisfied as he glanced toward the next block over where he had to walk to get himself home.

"alright..." i heard him murmur and when he glanced back up at me again, he removed a hand from his coat and gave me a short wave, "well, goodnight, (y/n)."

"goodnight," i replied shyly and returned the gesture. he had already begun to walk into the night when i'd quickly turned my gaze back to the street.

"ring- richard?" i called hesitantly, clenching my fists.

with an abrupt turn, i saw his brooding face again and for the second time that night i caught a glimpse of all of him. i was surely left charmed by his level of composure during all this. i wouldn't have expected this to be a guy who'd just been sulking over a girl he fancied.

"would you... would you like to come inside? wait with me until my parents get home?"

i hated being alone on the nights that my parents worked late like this and i would hate even more for ringo to have to stay out in the chill any longer with those damp clothes.

"oh, i couldn't, i-"

"please?"

i saw a flash of hesitation come over him before a subtle smirk appeared on his lips that had the power to make my knees buckle. he dug his hands into his pockets again and breezed up to me. his tough guy façade automatically lifted again as i gave him a warm smile and finally unlocked the door, welcoming him inside.