@kingdonmicrofic day nine: gift | 446/446 | rating: g
The Fort Pitt Museum's gift shop isn't very big, but she still wants to browse. He does, too; he'll be damned if he lets today pass without commemorating it with some sort of memento.
He follows her as she looks through stickers and magnets, coos over an off-brand Lego set of George Washington. He explains the That's it, Fort Pitt! t-shirts to her, a phrase he only knows from spending time in Pittsburgh as a child.
Those items are forgotten when she sees the tricorn hats in a basket at the corner of the store. She darts over, picks one up and places it on her head unselfconsciously, turning towards him with a beaming smile.
“How do I look? Trinity asked me if I could pull one of these off once, and I told her that maybe I could…”
“You look beautiful,” he says helplessly, honestly, as she trails off.
She blushes, her smile turning shyer but more pleased.
“Really?” she asks, almost in wonder, like no one has really said that to her before, especially while wearing a replica colonial hat made of felt and plastic.
“Really,” he promises, reaching and lacing their fingers together.
“You think I should get it, then?”
“Absolutely.”
He reaches into the bin with his free hand and pulls out a second hat. He stares down at her confused expression fondly; he wants to kiss her, but she's already informed him she's not the biggest fan of PDA. He's taken that as a challenge, mostly, but knows he has to ease her into it. That he would never do anything to make her uncomfortable.
“You think I'm not gonna get one to match?”
After all, he'll be damned if he lets their first date pass without commemorating it. He knows this is the last first date of his life.
“Plus,” he says, starting to walk toward the register, “Tanner is gonna think this is so fucking cool.”
He only takes three steps before he's stopped by the resistance from her hand that's still holding his. He turns to find her staring at him, eyes shining.
“Thank you, Frank. This is…I'm having a really nice time. The perfect time.”
He means to say of course, that he's having the perfect time, too.
“I love you.”
Her eyes widen, and he curses mentally. It's too early – it's their first date – and he's going to scare her away.
It's just…he’s wanted to say it for such a long time.
Before he can apologize, her smile morphs again, into something warmer, more intimate.
“I love you, too.”
She closes the space between him and stands up on her tiptoes, presses her lips to his.
