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Cal can tell she’s provoked some thought about it, given his answer, but again she doesn’t push. It’s food for thought. And like him, she’d rather keep the fun of their date present.[break][break]

The last thing she wants is for this to turn out the same way the night at his place did because she managed to bring down the mood. Again.[break][break]

She laughs, hand lifting to cover her mouth. “Sounds suspect, Mr. Black,” she teases in a dubious tone. Then she shakes her head. “As long as you’re not an ax murderer, I think it’s fine.” Calla gives him a light nudge with her elbow.[break][break]

That would be the plot twist of the century, but she doesn’t believe it, obviously.[break][break]

“As nice as it is here…I doubt it’ll be very fun staying through the night.” She drains the last remnants of her glass and sets it on the bartop. “Probably the sooner we go, the better.” If they waited it out, then they wouldn’t have any choice in the matter.

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while drinking through the night does sound fun to a certain extent, it pales in comparison to the thought of weathering the storm in his cabin with her by his side. the choice almost seems easy then.[break][break]

agreeing with her, he downs the rest of his drink and sets it down as well.[break][break]

"okay! then let's get going."[break][break]

he pays up, reaches for her hand, and leads them out of the bar and towards his family cabin. luckily for them, it turns out to only be a short ten-minute walk away before they find themselves there.[break][break]

warm lights flick on to reveal a cozy cabin made mostly out of wood decor with furniture that looks years old. despite that, it still looks comfortable. much more than the freezing winds outside, at least.[break][break]

"make yourself at home! i gotta quickly start a fire."[break][break]

he steps away to approach the fireplace, kneeling by it to start sorting that out.

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“Sounds good.”[break][break]

Calla bundles up while he settles everything, and when his hand finds hers, it makes her feel a giddy sort of silly that she doesn’t often allow herself. Not around others, anyway.[break][break]

It’s a good thing, though, that it’s only a quick walk to the aforementioned cabin, because by the time they reach their destination, they’re covered in a dusty layer of snow, and the flurry is growing heavier with each passing minute. Even though she wore boots, she can feel the cold in her toes.[break][break]

“This is nice,” she comments once she unbuttons her jacket and drapes it over a wooden chair to dry off. It gives off a warm feel, she decides–the lived in feel of it a comfortable one.[break][break]

As he fiddles with starting a fire, she makes her way over and settles on the sofa just behind him, hands on resting on her knees neatly. “Super cozy.”[break][break]

That suits her just fine.

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"right? i've missed it a lot."[break][break]

he pokes firewood, making sure they're positioned properly and quickly calls out his combusken. it breathes a FLAMETHROWER into the fireplace before being recalled back into its pokeball. the fireplace burns not too brightly but definitely warmly.[break][break]

stepping away, he shrugs his jacket off and joins her on the couch before realizing.[break][break]

"oh i forgot! do you want something to drink?"

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“I’m glad you’re able to have a chance to visit, then.”[break][break]

Once the fire roars to life thanks to the combusken’s help, she rubs her hands together–grateful for the warmth that quickly begins to spread throughout the small cabin.[break][break]

Is this weird? Happening on the first date, and not in a drunken rush after a bunch of shots and beer pong. She hopes not.[break][break]

When he sits, she’s juuuust about to scoot closer when Uriah asks. Calla stills, head tilting. “Uh- hm. What do you have?”

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"uh, good question."[break][break]

oblivious as ever, he stands and walks over into the kitchen to pull open some cabinets as well as the fridge. he pokes his head back around the corner to call out their options.[break][break]

"water, whiskey, or wine! both red and white."[break][break]

the wine sounds good, actually. but he'll wait for her to answer.

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Okay, so maybe he missed the cue she was about to set up, but that was okay. She doesn’t mind. If anything, it’s almost sort of cute. He’s eager to play host, and Calla can live with that.[break][break]

It’s sweet. Sweeter than she thinks she deserves.[break][break]

But she’s determined to not let thoughts like that creep in again and spoil something good. Not again. Not after she’s just managed to untangle the after effects of her blunder last time.[break][break]

“Wine is fine!” she chimes, twisting around and propping her arm on the back of the couch so that she can look back at him. “Either, I don’t care which.”

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"gotcha!"[break][break]

when he walks out of the kitchen, he's pleasantly surprised by the sight of her looking back at him. it makes him smile, feeling warm even before he reaches her side once again.[break][break]

he offers her one glass. he had picked red, deciding it to be a little more fitting and comfortable.[break][break]

"you, uh..."[break][break]

not sure why he fumbles but he chuckles after, managing the words out.[break][break]

"you look really beautiful tonight, by the way."

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Calla tucks her knees under herself, smoothing out her skirt before taking the offered glass with a quiet thanks.[break][break]

She chews on her lip as she turns the wine stem between her fingers. Biting down on the smile that slips across her face as he fumbles. "You're not so bad yourself, you know?"[break][break]

Finally, she scooches a little closer on her knees before taking a sip of her wine. "I'm really glad we decided to do this." There's a thrill that comes with it, despite the setbacks that came before.

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he scooches a little closer as well, folding a knee underneath him so he can angle his body towards her.[break][break]

"yeah, i mean, this is nice. the wine, the fire, the snow."[break][break]

it's almost as though the forces of nature willed it so they'd be here, as insane as that sounds. he finds that he much prefers being here than in the bar.[break][break]

he sips his wine, gaze never quite straying from her.[break][break]

"thank you for coming."

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It’s funny— there’s like this magnetic pull there drawing them closer, but at the same time they’re still tiptoeing around each other a bit, aren’t they?[break][break]

“Yeah, like I said.. cozy.” A nervous giggle follows.[break][break]

Removed from the bar itself, the privacy allows for a little more vulnerable exposure—even if it is nice, like he says. Weirdly enough, though, she’s grown more comfortable with the idea of being open in a way that goes beyond her prior drunken shenanigans.[break][break]

At least with him, specifically, anyway.[break][break]

Her free hand tentatively strays to find his. “You don’t have to thank me for that. I’m just glad you gave me another shot.” One she’s begging herself to not fumble.

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cozy. one of his favorite feelings in the world.[break][break]

when her hand finds his, he inches just a little bit closer, drawn to her yet not daring to take the leap as of yet. but with every word shared, every look, he draws closer and closer.[break][break]

"to be honest i didn't think i'd get another shot."[break][break]

he really did think that it was over. that he'd have to move on or risk losing her for good.[break][break]

"but like i said that night, i really like you, cal."

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Bit by bit, the pull is there, but they almost seem to be playing some strange game of chicken. When he speaks again, though, his words quickly throw her.[break][break]

“What?” A disbelieving laugh creeps free, and she gawks at him somewhat. Mouth hanging partially open as her brows shoot up, she sets her glass to the side and abandons it so that her other hand can join her first over his.[break][break]

“Uri, I’m the one who fumbled that night, not you. You were just being honest.” She sighs, lifting his hand and turning it in hers so that she can kiss his knuckles. “You shouldn’t have to feel like you can’t be.”[break][break]

Peering up at him over the soft ridge of skin and bone, the curled corners of her smile are barely visible, but still very much there. “I like you too. A lot. Like, kinda freaks me out a lot.”[break][break]

She can at least laugh at herself a little bit right then. “I’m not used to that, and…I don’t exactly know what to do going forward, but..I dunno, I think it’d be nice to find out?”