#zimogen

He’d order a black coffee in a takeaway cup and a shot of espresso. In actuality he would pay, down the espresso while he waited for his coffee to go. Exactly like clockwork. 

On early mornings he would tell her to make it double. He would pay. He’d down the second, as it was served to him with the other hand.

She hated her job but she was instantaneously brightened by a guy she saw on a day to day basis. She didn’t know his name, despite her coworkers wrote his name, all she could do was look at him. He was a tall guy, she was just the girl with the crazy glasses by the counter absolutely transfixed by him. He had dark hair, he liked to slick it back, she loved the way he cut his hair and the way he carried himself with this majestic chip on his shoulder but she knew better than there was more than met the eye. She could never quite muster up the confidence to talk to him, despite the possibility he couldn’t been interested in her. 

Imogen wasn’t what you would call someone who knew how to talk to people. Shed mostly hide behind personalities and pretend to be someone she wasn’t. It made it easy if she wanted to remain transparent. She didn’t have too many friends, most of which all but moved away aside from Becky and Drew. She spends time with them, but like mentioned before she’s transparent. She wears her heart on her sleeve, she’s been worn down by the past of shut downs and heartbreaks. While working at the coffee shop she has gotten better acting in human interaction. The boy most often left after his coffee was finished, she shorted him once by mistake but instantly recovered her mistake, he offered her a dimple-smile and went on his way with a wink. These sorts of exchanges were common, he would always look to her nametag as he said her name, often getting her flustered. 

On this day, when he left, he turned around on his heel she turned to the back afterward and sighed, “Oh crimitty.” She whispered to herself as she relegated resigning herself to the break room in the back behind all the machinery.

She would die for human interaction at any time, her coworker dropped in and nudged her while sitting behind her stuffing her face with a banana walnut muffin from the case up front by the register, plenty of people were friendly toward Imogen, they liked her quirky sense of humor but they wanted more of that to go around, more than she could emotionally bear. They always looked for her for a pick-me-up. “He’s cute.”

"He’s mine." She mumbled drinking her coffee, met only with an awkward silence, "not really."

"You know, I was going to say you should really go for him, if you won’t I will."

Grace was cut from a different fabric than Imogen. She had a unique sense of humor and fashion, she was laughably sarcastic and almost always was on the arm of many guys. She rarely was dateless, she rarely was single. Imogen was smart to know that Grace meant well. They had been working together for almost a year, they tend to have the same shift. 

Imogen darted her brown eyes, behind those rather large glasses, “I just, I lose my nerve. I sound like I’m in high school.”

Grace shook her head and chuckled, “Fits you to a tee, Miss Immy.”

"It’s not funny. He’s - he’s really attractive."

Grace bit her lip, “You know, he goes out for a cigarette right after he leaves - you should follow him out when he comes in when you’re working.”

"You won’t corner him?" Imogen asked.

"What do you take me for, like you said, princess he’s yours. Scouts honor, you said hands off." Grace winks while she saunters back onto the floor up front while Imogen was left with Grace’s final half of her muffin. She picked at it until her break was up and she followed suit. 

Although this time, he was back. He was talking to Imogen’s boss, nervously and yet at the same time boldly she asked, “Is there something I could help with?”

Her boss, Raven-haired Katie, was a few years older than her and unreasonably bossy. She had her favorites, Imogen was one of the best on staff. Truthfully, Katie hated Grace because she often broke the rule of the corporate big wigs passed to their establishment by donning an ombre from dark to emerald green hair. When she tosses her hair in a pony tail, with her hat on you can simply see the green. Afterall, you’d think considering it’s Starbucks that they’d be favorable toward that sort of work-spirit. Grace was really imaginative and beat to an entirely different drum. 

While Imogen flew under the radar. Meek, silent with her head down. She was so obsessed with following rules that she sort of lost herself in being a good employee or exemplifying what it means to be a good employee. She was blind to see people loved her. She presumed she didn’t love her self much if people can sing her praises but she can’t praise herself. 

He looked to Imogen, with a smile. Katie, turned to her disguising a thumbs up beside her green robe unbeknownst to the guy.

"I forgot I wanted sugar." He spoke in the silence, Imogen looked at him questioning, "I thought you liked your coffee black."

"I do I just . . "

"You heard him." Katie says giggling, while she walks away to the back, assumed she was taking a break like Imogen had just done. 

Imogen plucked a sugar from beside the register and gave it to him, “Here you are.”

"My name is Zig and I was uh . . sort of wondering if you’d like to hang out somewhere after you get out of work."

Katie wrung her head out likely overhearing everything from behind the door yelling jokingly,  ”Imogen, YOU’RE FIRED.”

She giggled and tuned to look at him in front of her, “Zig.” She just said aloud, “I’d like that.” She removed her apron revealing a cute black and white polka-dot dress, she removed her hat and adjusted her glasses, as she removed the black hat that was on her head shaking out her long brown hair, “Let’s go.”

They jogged outside in the sun her hair bouncing, in their dash out he had forgotten his coffee. He too had tried to ask her - he too almost always loses his nerve. He chucked her a helmet, she reluctantly puts it on, “Come on, put that on and climb on board.”

Zig: shoved his hands into his pockets, searching the vacant space in front of him for a hint of Imogen's form. He had been waiting for what felt like forever. Part of him was starting to worry that she had gotten lost or become preoccupied. He pulled out his phone and examined the screen to make sure she hadn't texted him. Nothing. When he raised his gaze, he was relieved to see that she had appeared around the corner of a pile of hay, looking as curious and confused as ever. He grinned and leaned forward, pushing off from his position on the front of his hood. "Hey!" he called to her, moving forward to meet her in the middle of the field. "I was starting to worry," he said with a smile, his voice lowering as he neared her. He took her into his arms and pulled her into a tight hug, giving her a final squeeze before he let go, looking down at her with bright eyes. "Did you get lost or something? Have to run from that Pumpkinhead?" he continued to tease, arching an eyebrow. "Right, your surprise," he said quickly, angling away so that she could see behind him. He waved his handle to reveal the empty field, filled only with some scattered pumpkins. It wasn't as full as it would have been before Halloween, but there were still decent ones in the midst. He had to do a lot of persuading - and some threatening - to convince the land owner to let him borrow the space for a little while. He thought it best not to mention that to Imogen, though. He turned back to view her reaction. "Does this make up for losing that candy?"

Imogen strolled across the abandoned field. Zig had told her to meet him here, though she was at a loss to why. There wasn't anything too thrilling about this vineyard, but the girl wasn't too picky about what they were going to be doing. As cliche as it sounded, she just wanted to spend time with him. Observing the deserted pasture, a smile appeared on her face once she spotted Zig on the hood of his car. Waving enthusiastically, there was now a prominent bounce in her step as she advanced forward. "Hi, you," Accepting his embrace, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a squeeze until they parted. "You're always such a worry wart! Or are you only that way with me?" She inquired, one of her eyebrows raising. "No, I just happen to be a very slow walker. Pumpkin head? I feel like you're just trying to scare me all over again. Goodness gracious!" Laughing softly, her heartbeat quickened when he brought up her surprise. Scanning the area, a whole slew of pumpkins were spread in various lines. "Wow," Her eyes illuminated, the corners of her lips suddenly lifted into a giddy grin. "Thank you, Zig! This means a lot, really," Snaking her arm on his lower back, she rested her head on his shoulder. Her Ace family wasn't exactly into Halloween as much as she was. They hadn't even gotten to carve pumpkins or decorate like she requested. "Now you can help me pick out one! Are we going to carve it, too?" She questioned excitedly, tugging on his arm and heading towards the patch.

Zig: "I would have offered you a ride, but it might have ruined the suspense." He feigned rolling his eyes, the corner of his lip tugging upward. "Now who's letting stuff go to her head?" he teased, glancing down at her. "Pumpkinhead is a real concern," he retorted in all seriousness, his eyes going wide. When he felt his point had been made, he eased his expression and chuckled softly, following her gaze back to the horizon of scattered pumpkins. "Don't mention it," he murmured as a soft blush crept across the bridge of his nose. After a few moments of glancing anxiously back and forth, he placed his hands on his hips, releasing a contemplative sigh as he took in the view. "Hmm," he pondered thoughtfully, tilting his head to the side. "We can carve one... or two. However many you want, really," he said with a dismissive shrug. He took her hand and led her towards the splashes of orange, stopping in the center. He looked right and left, forward and back, blinking curiously at each pumpkin. Some were more disformed than others, and a few were rotting at the top. He used his foot to kick the biggest one softly before he turned to face her, releasing his hand. "Alright, pick your pumpkins! I have some knives in the car... I didn't think you'd want to use my pocket knife," he explained, his hand touching the blade where it rested in his back pocket.

Imogen "I think I'll stick with two. One for you and one for me," She mused, allowing him to take her hand as they trudged towards the disarray if pumpkins. They were all in various sizes, and it was going to be a challenge to pick each of them out. Once he withdrew his hand from hers, she immediately missed the warmth it carried but bent down towards the ground instead. "Me with knives is probably a dangerous duo," She teased, a playful expression adorning her features. "How about I pick one, you pick the other? It's only fair, right?" Casually shrugging her shoulders, Imogen searched the area for a pumpkin that would jump out at her, one that stood out from the rest---- similar to herself. "There!" She chirped, bending over to pluck one of the smaller ones from the bunch. It was painfully lopsided, and kind of scratched up... but it couldn't have been any more perfect for her. "Is it too early for naming them? Or should we wait until we give them faces?" Holding the pumpkin motherly in her arms, the girl ambled towards Zig and allowed him to look at her selection. "Now we just have to find you one. Has anything caught your eye yet?" She questioned, lifting her eyes until their eyes met.

Zig: "Whatever you want," he said with a firm nod, smiling at her enthusiasm. He wasn't good at surprises or being-- well, romantic, if you could call this that. He was a nice person, but Zig was generally a boy who females spent their nights with. Never their days. He started to laugh at her joke, but the more he considered it, the more placid his face became. "Uh, you might be right. Maybe I should carve them, or at least help you carve yours," he joked back, an underlying seriousness in his tone. He folded his arms across his chest and waited for her to pick hers. When she returned with the chosen pumpkin, he stifled laughter. He wasn't surprised she had picked the oddest one. "Oh, right," he mumbled, glancing around at the remaining pumpkins. He walked around the nearest ones, using his foot to nudge each one. Finally he bent down and lifted one into his arms. It was large and a deeper orange than the rest, so there was plenty of room for him to mess up. "Ah, wait here," he said and sat it down at her feet, jogging towards his car. He returned with the appropriate kitchen knife, extending one. "Don't hurt yourself!"

Imogen stared admiringly at Zig while he sorted through the pumpkins. With their gang taking out a big portion of their lives, they hardly had enough time to appreciate the little things---Zig mostly. It brought a smile to her face that the two could have fun together doing not much of anything, or activities he usually wouldn't be caught dead exerting. It was significant to her because he would show it to her with small tokens of his adoration. Imogen only hoped she could do the same for him, knowing how much she truly fancied the taller boy in front of her. Being shaken from her reverie once the pumpkin was dropped at her feet, peering down at the one he picked. "I'll try! You'll just have to watch over me pretty carefully," Taking the knife hesitantly from his grasp, Imogen sat down on the ground and placed her pumpkin directly in front of her. "Would you still be my friend if I lost a finger?" She joked, emitting a chuckle while she offered him a goofy smile. That's what their relationship mostly was, sharing laughs.

Zig: eyed Imogen for a moment after her joke, seriously considering her question. He offered a coy smile, giving a faint shrug. "I guess I could deal. I probably wouldn't want to take you putt-putt golfing, but..." He shrugged for dramatic effect, laughing softly. Following her lead, he dropped to the ground beside her and positioned his pumpkin alongside hers, cocking his head at the orange shapes in front of him. He glanced over at her in time to catch her poking at the pumpkin with the knife. He extended a hand and gently corrected her hold on the knife, tilting it downward. "Seriously, don't lose a finger. I hate blood," he lied with a wiggle of his eyebrows. He looked back at his pumpkin, sighing as he twirled his own knife in his right hand. "Uh, what do I draw....?"

Imogen raised her eyebrows at his answer. "But I loooove putt-putt!" She pouted, turning to face Zig once he was seated next to her. "I suppose you wouldn't hold my hand anymore either?" Prodding at the pumpkin tentatively, she glimpsed up at him while he adjusted her grasp on it in attempts to help her cut it. "Thanks," She murmured, Imogen's face softening with a smile. "I'll try my hardest, just for you," She began to carve the pumpkin while her nose scrunched in concentration. "You can draw whatever you want, silly! What type of things do you like? I think I'll settle for a kitty with mine," Continuing to graze the surface with her knife, she cut out little ears for her pumpkin and clasped her hands together in excitement. "Phase one is over with my Cat-o-lantern! Do I have Zig's stamp of approval?"

Zig: chuckled underneath his breath, grasping his own knife and poking the swollen pumpkin with the blade. "Don't be ridiculous! I'd just hold your other hand," he replied with a firm nod. He began to chew on his bottom lip, his eyes flickering towards her moving hands with each passing second. He was slightly impressed at how quickly she carved out the small kitten's face on the plant. "A monster... Monster pumpkins are easy, right?" Releasing a deep sigh, he began the task of carving the mouth. It was just a bunch of sharp waves, but when he pulled the cut flesh of the pumpkin out, it looked surprisingly... like an actual mouth. "Cat-o-lantern? That's worse than your nicknames for me," Zig snorted. He pretended to examine her pumpkin, his forehead wrinkling in false concentration. "Good. Very good," he agreed, offering a crooked smile. He turned his attention back to his pumpkin, carving out the two triangle eyes. "There!" he said finally. "Well?" he asked Imogen, looking to her for approval.

Imogen "Good. Because I.. I-I like when you hold my hand," She said softly, her heart swelling inside her chest at the admission. While Imogen felt her cheeks burning, she peered down at her pumpkin until she heard Zig's commentary. "Hey! That's rude. You should love my nicknames! I think them all up specially for you," Biting her lip while he commended the pumpkin, she studied his finished result vigilantly. "Hm.. it's pretty good. I can't expect you to be an artist like moi!" She said in jest, a teasing smile embellishing her face. "I'm kidding. I love it! I'd love anything you made," Getting back to carving, Imogen made sure to add a heart nose, whiskers and some cute doe eyes to finish off her Cat-o-lantern. "I think we're pretty much done! We've just got to figure out what to name them..." She trailed off, playfully stroking her chin in thought. "Cupcake? Candy?,"

Zig: was caught off guard by the soft comment. He looked up from his pumpkin, swallowing back the lump in his throat. "I like holding yours," he responded in a low voice. A lazy smile crossed his face the longer he stared at her. He cleared his throat, returning his attention to the task at hand. "I should, but..." he teased, the smile turning into a full grin. It was true that he usually quite impressed by the nicknames that Imogen and Tori pulled out of their hats, but if he admitted that, they'd just come up with more. "Whoa, whoa! I didn't say it was that great! Your head is about the size of that pumpkin," he joked. "See if I take you anywhere else," he said, feigning disgust. He gave her an extra glance, not having missed her last compliment. He smiled to himself and adjusted the shape of the eyes. He couldn't quite manage perfect triangles. "You don't want to stick to Cat-o-lantern? Shocking..." Zig chuckled, releasing a thoughtful sigh. After a few moments of silence, he gave a firm nod. "Pete the Pumpkin Monster," he said in a dramatic tone.

Imogen was nervous about tonight to say the least. The two were incredibly close but never had gone out on an official date before. She wasn't even sure if he considered it that much, or if he was just saving her from a Viper on whim. Regardless of that, she wanted to give him a night to remember--- since he did in fact pay over four hundred bucks for it. After she was changed into her winter clothes, Imogen descended down the stairs until she was met with the front door. She poked her head outside and saw Zig stagnant by his car. She ambled forward and offered him a friendly wave, smiling widely once he was in front of her. "Hey," Wrapping her arms around his neck, she squeezed his frame gently in an embrace. "I hope I don't look too stupid, you did say to dress warm," She giggled, slowly withdrawing from his hold.

Zig: breathed in and out heavily, trying to rationalize the thoughts rushing through his head. What was he doing? What was he thinking? It had never bothered him to be around Imogen before, not like this, at least. He hadn't anticipated to drop hundreds of dollars on the petite brunette; it probably would have been far easier to just ask for a date, but until that moment, he hadn't known he wanted one. He rolled the key to his car back and forth in his hand, letting you a deep breath. "You can do this," he mumbled to himself, just as the front door opened and the girl emerged from the house. He straightened immediately, returning her wave with a grin. "Hey," he greeted softly, squeezing her small waist. The tall boy chuckled a she looked down on her, examining her wardrobe. "No, no. You look good. Perfect," he corrected quickly, stepping over to open the door for her. He moved to the other side and extended a shaky hand to open his own door, getting and starting the car. As he began to pull out from the curb, he smiled and glanced at her. "Any guesses?"

Imogen 's cheeks immediately flushed to a rosy tint at his compliment. She turned away in attempts to conceal it but she was thankful when he quickly moved in front of her. He always had this type of effect on her and it was all the more frustrating. Once he politely opened the door for her, Imogen plopped down in the seat gently and situated herself. "Hmm, maybe something outdoors? I would say building snowmen or something in that nature but you're too manly for that, right?" She teased, fiddling with her seat belt until it snapped into place. "But whatever it is we're doing I'm sure it'll be perfect,"

Zig: "Mm, not quite," he murmured with a coy smile. He eased the car around the corner and pulled onto the highway, his fingers tapping anxiously on the steering wheel. "But I do make a mean snowman, just so you know," he said in jest before shifting his weight in the seat, trying to contain his anxiety. The more he considered the date, the more he worried over whether or not she would like it. He hadn't put much thought into it when he made the plan, but that wasn't for lack of trying. The activity just seemed to fit her personality. Tori's suggestion of petting giraffes was definitely a no. As they neared their destination, Zig sucked in a strong breath. "Do you like... skating?"

Imogen "I'm sure I could make a prettier one," Winking playfully, her fingers toyed with the knob on the heater. "We need to have a snowball fight once it starts to snow around here. I guarantee you I can kick your butt at it," She challenged, emitting a light chuckle into the air. Once Zig turned into the parking lot of the ice skating rink, she eagerly nodded her head while she undid her seat belt. "I love skating! I haven't gone in a really long time," The last time she went ice skating was with her parents, which seemed like centuries ago now. "I might not be the best at it though so give me a break,"

Zig: grinned somewhat bashfully in response to her teasing, shaking his head. "Yeah, fair enough. I'll leave the pretty snow people up to you," he agreed and nodded further in agreement. "Nah, you're talking to a poor kid. We know how to make good with what we have. My snowballs are legend," he continued with a stronger laugh, unbuckling himself. He bounced out of the car after it was in park, almost stumbling over himself to reach the door in time to open it for her. "I'm glad you like it," he said. After a moment's pause, he realized a fault in his plan. "I... don't know how to skate," he admitted in a matter-of-fact tone, pursing his lips. He nodded solemnly, stepping aside to let her out. "This could get ugly."

Imogen carefully exited the car once the boy opened the door for her. "You're very gentlemanly, Zig Novak," She commended him, flattening out the bottom of her dress. "You don't?" Glancing at him in disbelief, she shrugged her shoulders as they walked towards the entrance. "That's okay, I can teach you. You'll get the hang of it in no time," She smiled at him reassuringly as they strolled through the rink into the pay line. It was mostly filled with rambunctious little kids and their parents. "I can go get us skates if you want. What's your size?" Imogen inquired, bustling towards the room filled with them. She immediately found her size and discovered Zig's shortly after, carrying them all in her arms until she sat down in one of the seats and they tumbled onto the floor. "Oops," She shrugged, tearing her shoes off and attempting to get her skates on.

Zig: "I do what I can," he said with a sly shrug. He glanced at her as she moved to walk in front of him. His hands immediately became shoved into his pockets, only removing one when he had to open the door for her. "Are you sure? I'm a stubborn learner," he replied over the sounds of the skating rink. "Uh, a 10?" he said slowly with a sigh of uncertainty. As he waited for her to return, he glanced around the skating rink anxiously, already overwhelmed by the dozens of skating children. Maybe he should have just taken his chances with the giraffes... "Whoa!" He jumped as the skates fell at his feet. He laughed, ushering her to sit down. He scrambled to gather her skates, moving them towards her petite feet where he sat them while she removed her day shoes. "There you go, Cinderella," he teased before beginning to put his own skates on. A few awkward moments later, he struggled to his feet. "Ah, what's my first lesson?"

Imogen "Thanks," She beamed up at him, unable to wipe the bright smile off her face. Zig made her unbelievably happy and she couldn't imagine going on this date with anybody else. She leaned down to tie her skates before she scrambled to get on her feet. Imogen wobbled closer towards the rink, beckoning Zig to follow suit. "Okay, well I guess we should start with the basics. As in actually being able to balance with these things." Once Zig was standing next to her, her hand brushed his momentarily before their eyes met. "Um.. this would be easier if we held hands so I could help keep you on your feet. But if you'd rather use the rail over there.. that's fine too," She explained meekly, keeping herself from blushing.

Zig: watched with raised eyebrows as the girl moved ahead of him towards the rink. He swallowed back the lump in his throat, moving his fingers to let the feeling return to them. His balance wasn't the only unstable thing as he trudged ungracefully towards her, almost wiping out when he first found the ice. "Yeah, giraffes next time. Definitely," he muttered to himself. The feel of her fingers on his was almost electric, causing him to blink rapidly and look down at her. "Ah, no... I don't want to make an idiot of myself," he joked lightly before grasping her hand in his, his smile returning. It faltered just as quickly as his legs almost slipped from under him. "I just don't want to take you down with me," he added anxiously.

Imogen "You won't, believe me. We can pretend I'm the the one who needs help if that makes you feel better," She chuckled, her breath quickly hitching in the back of her throat once their hands were clasped together. "It's okay, Ziggy. Just follow me," Imogen stepped forward until her skate's blade was planted firmly on the ice. She guided Zig along with her, holding both of his hands until they were in front of her. "See? It's not so hard, it's like skateboarding.. without the wheels. Sort of." She giggled, "Just tell me when you're ready to move and I'll help you,"

Zig: "I think they'll know the truth when they see me bust my ass," Zig said with an anxious chuckle. He became still as Imogen maneuvered her way in front of him, clasping both of his hands now. He gave her a half smirk and squeezed her hands gently, nodding hesitantly. "Skateboarding, right. Ah, I'm ready when you are..." Zig reassured her, but as soon as she gave a push to move backwards, his face fell and he almost panicked, his legs turning to jello. He moved his hold on his hands to her wrists, latching on for dear life. When he was stable again, his eyes flickered back to Imogen. "Totally ready. It's all good," he reassured with another chuckle. He gave his own little push against the eyes, moving them forward.

Imogen couldn't help but emit a fit of giggles when she saw Zig struggling. He always seemed to have everything together while being calm and collected, so to have him in front of her straining over something so trivial--- it brought a genuine smile to her face. She was glad that he could put everything behind them involving the gang and just focus on having a good time. "You okay?" Once he pushed forward, Imogen went back to cradling one of his hands as they found momentum. She guided them closer towards the edge where there weren't many people that could distract them from keeping balanced. "See? It's not that ha-," Before she could finish her sentence, she swiveled a little and accidentally landed on her backside. "Um.. nevermind," She laughed, shaking her head in embarrassment.

Zig: rolled his eyes as her laughter, feigning annoyance in place of his embarrassment. He wasn't used to being in a situation that yielded him no control, but at least he hadn't made a fool of himself yet. He was practically tip toeing on the ice, his hand hovering towards the edge in case he fell. When Imogen went down instead, he laughed so loud that people paused to look. He choked the rest down, leaning in to help her up. "Jeez, Ims, you weren't supposed to embarrass m--" Before the sentence was out, Zig's skates slipped on either side and he dropped onto the ice himself, his legs entangling with hers. He let out a heavy breath. "This was a bad idea!"

Imogen laughed along with him once Zig fell down beside her. "Stop embarrassing me, Ziggy!" She giggled, attempting to untangle her legs from around his. "Nah, I just told you I was a little rusty," Resting on her knee, Imogen carefully got back on her feet and began gliding on the ice. "Let's see if I can still do this.." She muttered to herself, doing a quick spin in the air. The girl drifted back towards Zig with a dauntless expression overtaking her features. "Well?" Gripping his hand, Imogen swayed their arms together as she tugged him across the ice.

Zig: followed suit, struggling back to his feet. "Hey, wait!" he called in a panic as she moved away. Her little trick left him with his mouth agape, eyebrows raising in surprise. He ran a tentative tongue across his bottom lip, exhaling as she returned. "Show off," he joked, poking her in the side before she joined their hands. He watched their joining fingers for several moments, a new emotion taking it. He wasn't sure if it was the heat from her hand or the coldness from his conversation with Tori earlier, but before he could think it through, he had leaned in and touched her mouth to his.

Imogen instinctively shut her eyes once she felt his lips press against her own. It was a tentative and vulnerable type of kiss, differentiating from the ones she was used to with Owen that were more rough. It caused her heart to swell and beat out of her ribcage, taking all of the breath from her lungs. Before she could really lose herself in the kiss, he pulled away and her eyes fluttered open. "W-what was that for..?" She asked, a lazy grin looming across her face.

Zig: "I.. don't know," he admitted absent-mindedly, breathless despite the shortness of it. He averted his gaze after holding it to hers for a moment, heat building at the base of his neck and spreading to his face. What had he done that for? He bit his lip to contain the urge to smile back at her, but it slipped through. "I know you're the swan princess and everything," he joked in a quick breath, "but do you want to go back to the house now?" he asked slowly, his eyes flickering to meet hers before they dropped again. A voice in his head was telling him not to complicate this, but between his growing bond with Imogen and what had transpired with Tori, he was throwing caution to the wind.

Imogen "Oh," It must had been a heat of the moment type of thing, which disappointed her more than she anticipated. Cracking a smile at his teasing, she quickly nodded her head to his suggestion. "Yeah, we can go back. Wouldn't want to keep falling," She joked, leading him back towards the carpeted area where their normal shoes were stored. Once they were off the ice, Imogen let go of his hand and sat down in one of the chairs so she could switch shoes.

Zig: frowned as her face fell, realizing his mistake. He almost fumbled for the words to apologize but didn't have the chance before she had agreed. He have a short nod, sighing as the two made their way off the ice. He couldn't believe the mess he had made of this date, if she would even call it that after everything was all said and done. He practically fell into his seat to remove his skates, picking hers up as he went to return them both. When he returned, he led her in silence back to the car, not bothering this time to get the door for her. He slumped into his seat, but before he turned on the ignition, he thought of something. The boy turned and leaned towards her backseat, grabbing the yellow flowers he had gotten her. "Here," he said in a low voice, straightening in his seat and extending the cluster in her direction.

Imogen 's face brightened immediately once Zig handed her the bouquet of flowers. "For me?" Smiling widely, she placed the bundle on her lap and reached over to lightly squeeze his hand. The sentiment spoke volumes to her and she knew the boy wasn't usually the type to give flowers as a gift anyway. But for some reason, he was beginning to surprise her more and more lately- in a good way. "Thank you so much, they're beautiful. And how did you know Daises were my favourite? Or was that just a lucky guess?" She inquired, the grin still present on her lips as they headed into the direction back home.

Zig: "A date means flowers, right?" he asked, brushing her gratitude off with a small shrug. He turned his head and offered a small smile, messing with the bottom of his steering wheel. "No, ah... Tori might have helped me," he sighed, glancing at her again. That was the last thing he wanted to mention, but it was the truth. He watched her fawn over the flowers, but it didn't quite make him feel better. For the second time that day, he forsake all logic. "Imogen?" Zig asked, leaning across the center of the car towards her. "Imogen," he said again, quieter this time but still to get her attention. When she finally looked up again, he found her lips with his own again, pressing their mouths together.

Imogen "I figured Tori had something to do with this," She chuckled. Imogen was a little surprised that he would ask Tori for dating advice, given their complicated history, but she ignored the pang of jealousy she felt. After she heard him call her name, she tipped her chin up to look at him only to have his lips press against hers again. Imogen immediately brought her hands up to cup his cheeks, kissing him softly. Once they parted, her gaze flickered from Zig's eyes to his lips before she leaned back in her seat to stop herself from kissing him again. "S-should we get inside then?"

Zig: bit into his bottom lip as she withdrew, his face searching hers. His breath hitched at her request, still leaning into her. "Uh, yeah. You wanna get those in water, right?" he asked with a lazy smile, his voice remaining low. He got out of his car and walked around to let her out, gently taking the flowers before he led the way towards the front door. He immediately walked into the kitchen and fumbled to find a glass tall enough for the flowers. He tried to make them as presentable as possible, but he was no flourist. He returned with the flowers in the vase and nodded towards the staircase. "I can... walk you to your room?" he asked, looking down at her coyly.

Imogen stepped out of his car once he came around to her side, trailing behind him as he lead her towards the entrance of the warehouse. Once he went into the kitchen and took care of her flowers, she gave him a look of appreciation before she nodded. "Sure," Ascending up the stairs, Imogen wandered down the hallway until she halted at her bedroom door. "Thanks for everything, Zig. I had a really great time. We should do it again, I mean.. if you want to." Clearing her throat, she leaned on her tip toes to place a lingering kiss on his cheek. "Um.. did you want to come in for a little?" She offered, a nervous smile gracing her features.

Zig: was still reeling from their so-called date as he followed her trail upstairs. He caught up to walk alongside her down the hall, his eyes and body both coming to rest at her door. He kept his stare there as she spoke. "No problem. You're an expensive date," he commented, almost having forgotten how much money he had dropped for that very thing. "I, uh... don't know if that's.." His words fell short as he turned and looked at her, his cheek still warm from her lips. He released a deep breath, nodding slowly. "Yeah.. Yeah, I can come in," he agreed with a quick smile, stepping inside the familiar room. His hands came to rest firmly in his pockets as he looked uncertainly between her and the bed.

Imogen The corners of Imogen's lips lifted upon hearing he'd go ahead and come inside her room. Maya was out as per usual lately, which meant that they had the entire room to themselves--- which made her more nervous than she'd like to admit. "You can just set the flowers on my nightstand if you'd like." Glancing at his awkward stance, she stifled a chuckle before she carefully jumped on her bed. "C'mere, silly," She urged, opening her arms out to him as she burrowed herself under the covers. " You were right about the dressing up warm thing. I'm freezing,"

Zig: did as he was told, gently placing the glass vase in the center of her nightstand. His eyes followed her to the bed, the bottom of his chest almost caving as she extended her arms. He averted his eyes, wondering if she even knew what she was getting herself into. After a moment he oblidged, quietly crawling into the free space beside her. His hands fell on her waist hesitantly as he leaned his forehead against hers. His eyes fell shut, too scared to say or do anything else. This wasn't what he had planned. He had thought it would be another day for them, hanging out, him making a fool of himself and her laughing-- but never this. Cuddling wasn't out of the ordinary for them, but this was different.

Imogen felt goosebumps pervading against her skin when Zig's forehead was resting against her own. Imogen's breathing suddenly became shallow, silently hoping that he wouldn't notice the change. Their proximity was closer now than it ever had been before when they were cuddling, which obviously meant it wasn't just that. It was more. "Hey, Zig?" Once he opened his eyes, she gave him a lethargic smile while she intertwined their hands and rested them on her waist. "Have I ever told you lately how amazing you are?"

Zig: almost missed Imogen saying his name, the rush in his head to prevalent to ignore. His eyes fluttered open to meet hers, immediately clouding over as she spoke. "I'm not as great as you," he argued with a small smile. His face became serious after a few minutes while he searched her eyes. He raised himself up onto his elbow and leaned over her. "I'm going to kiss you again, okay?" he almost whispered, thinking it might be better to give her a chance to object this time. He nodded more to himself than her before doing just that, lowering his head to press their mouths back together, but this time he held them there.

Imogen "O-okay," She nodded, her breath hitching in the back of her throat while his lips neared hers once more. She closed her eyes instinctively, allowing his mouth to gently press against her. Butterflies started to erupt in her stomach, a feeling she didn't get very often--- but Zig always seemed to accomplish giving them to her without even trying. Deepening the kiss, her lips parted just slightly as her hand ran through his shaggy hair.

Zig: felt his heart quicken as she returned the kiss. As their lips moved together, he returned her notion of deepening the kiss, his hold on her waist becoming tighter until he released it altogether, allowing his hand to creep beneath her shirt. Imogen was the last person he had expected to find himself with like this, but at the same time it made sense. She had always been there, regardless of what happened. With this in mind, he pushed his lower body into hers as the kiss picked up more momentum, his tongue flickering out to gently part her mouth. His fingertips brushed against her bare back until they lingered up to the clasp of her bra, pausing.

Imogen shivered underneath Zig's touch, his fingertips cooling her tepid skin as they trailed up her back. She was extremely nervous about how this was progressing, though she wouldn't let that show. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself, especially in front of him since he was so experienced in this area while Imogen was completely clueless. At this point was usually where she would stop with Owen but for some reason she didn't harbor any desire to just yet. "I-It's okay," She reassured him, biting down on her bottom lip.

Zig: kept his hand still even after she answered, unsure despite her approval. "Are you sure?" he said against her mouth, still breathless from their kiss. He began to fumble with the clasp somewhat awkwardly, doing so until he felt it give. Even then he was hesitant to move on, considering who this was. He carefully moved his lips down her jaw, trailing kisses to her collarbone until he was close enough to her chest to feel her heart pounding. He lifted up to look her in the eye. "You've... never done this before?"

Imogen gulped audibly at the sound of her bra unsnapping beneath her blouse but she kept herself composed. Though, the comforting kisses being pressed around her collarbone were staring to calm her down--- much to her delight. "What?.. Of course I have!" She lied, avoiding his piercing gaze for a moment. "I said it was okay, Zig..."

Zig: had his doubts, but when her shrill voice emitted it's objections, he was finally sure of something for once that day. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. "No," he argued, shaking his head. The rest of him was paralyzed as he took in what exactly was happening. His hand slowly slipped out from beneath her shirt as he lowered his head, resting it on her chest. "I can't, Imogen."

Imogen mentally whined from the loss of his touch once he withdrew his hand from her. "Zig, please," She tangled her fingers within in his hair, attempting to sooth him. "I-I like you, a lot.. and I want this.. I want you. I wouldn't have let you even touch me if I didn't," She admitted to him, her heartbeat quickening from the confession. "Just trust me on this,"

Zig: closed his eyes as her hands traced through his tangled hair, but her confession stirred him. He raised back up onto his elbow, staring down at her as he leaned over her. "I like you too, Ims... But that's why I can't," he said with a frown, his shoulders falling in defeat. He averted his stare and fell silent for a moment before looking back at her, his hand raising to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I like you too much to let you do this, okay? I want you.. I want you too much," he sighed.

Imogen "But you can have me, Zig," She prompted, anxiously nibbling on her bottom lip. She wasn't Tori or any of the other girls he had slept with, but she wanted to prove to him that she could be. She liked him enough to the point where it almost scared her. Imogen didn't deserve such an ample and kind-hearted guy like him.. she just hoped he wouldn't realize that. "Please, I want you so much.. I need you." Cupping his face so he was to her level, she gently pressed her lips to his.

Zig: furrowed his brows as she spoke. It was hard to deny her when she was so willing, saying all the right things. If it were any other girl, he would have ignored every bit of respect for her that he had, but he couldn't. His hand shook as he lowered it from her hair to her collarbone, moving his fingertips along the top of her chest. "I want to do this right, Ims," he said slowly, glancing back at her face. "Please let me," he continued, trying his best to ignore the urge to kiss her, hard.

Imogen let out a breath that got caught in her throat, watching as his hands lightly smoothed across her sternum. "Okay," She agreed, giving him a nod as affirmation. She reached up to take the bun out of her hair, letting the strands cascade across her back. She usually never wore her hair like this, but she figured it would be more conventional that way. She took off her glasses and leaned over to set them on her nightstand, returning with Zig hovering over her.

Zig: pulled back and watched as Imogen let down her hair, blinking rapidly with confusion. His jaw almost dropped as she leaned back, all but offering herself to him. "Imogen, no. No," he fumbled, raising up and switching to a sitting position, placing himself on the edge of the bed. "I'm saying we... we don't have to do this... Right now. We can wait, okay?" He raised an eyebrow, hoping she wouldn't make this more difficult for him than it was already proving to be. He glanced at her bra on the bottom of the bed and bashfully retrieved it, handing it to her over his shoulder.

Imogen widened her eyes in confusion once Zig scrambled to get off of her. "O-oh.." She mumbled, staring down at her hands. She was essentially letting him have all of her but it felt as if he didn't want that. Imogen tried not to appear rejected by the boy but to no avail. "Thanks," Taking her bra, she quickly put it on underneath her shirt and extended a hand out to retrieve her glasses again. He was sitting so far away from her now and she couldn't shake the feeling that she messed this all up. "Um, I'm sorry.."

Zig: turned his head away from her despite the fact that there was nothing else for him to see. He was staring at the wall when he heard her quiet voice. He swiveled his head, his nose wrinkling in bewilderment. "Sorry?" he repeated, dumbfounded. "Imogen, why are you apologizing? I..." He didn't understand the reaction coming from her. She looked sad, upset. For once he was trying to do the right thing. He couldn't get himself into another Tori situation. He didn't want to be hurt like that again, but he didn't know how to explain that, nor did he want to, so he simply looked away again.

Imogen "Because.. I shouldn't have said anything, I guess. I-I can't help but feel like I ruined it," She admitted, a slight tremor apparent in her voice. Owen was more than willing for this in the past so she wasn't comprehending why Zig wasn't. Imogen didn't have much sex appeal like Bianca or Tori did, so maybe he finally realized that. "I just feel embarrassed... since I thought you wanted me, too,"

Zig: "Ruined it? What did you ruin?" he asked, at a loss for anything else. His chest was caving at the distress in her voice, but he didn't know how to convince her. The more she spoke, the more he panicked. Zig turned his body to face her, reaching out to put a hand over hers. "I do want you! Why do you think I don't? Imogen, I dropped 400 bucks on you. What else am I supposed to..." He trailed off, realizing he had raised his voice. His hand recoiled from hers as he began to shake his head."I was just trying to do the right thing," he mumbled.

Imogen flinched once Zig started to yell at her, the feeling all too familiar from when she was a hostage at the Viper household a few weeks prior. "I just thought..." She trailed off, shaking her head. Despite her uncertainty--- she learned it was best to keep quiet in situations like this in case she would say something to upset him even more. "I know, I know. And I appreciate it. I'm being stupid.. sorry,"

Zig: leaned over and rested his head in the palm of his hands. "Nevermind," he said through gritted teeth, speaking more to himself than her. He had tried to do the right thing and it had still backfired. He rose to his feet and gave her a final sideways glance, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "I hope you, uh, enjoy the flowers," he sighed with a wave towards the flash of yellow still resting on her nightstand before he begrudgingly made his way to the door and exited the room, leaving behind the mess he made.

Imogen "Wait!" She called out to him, quickly pushing off from her bed and following him into the hallway. Imogen leaned up again and reconnected their lips, pouring all her emotions into it. "Zig, I like you.. and if you think that waiting is the best thing to do then I'll wait." She rasped against his lips, pecking them once more. "I didn't want to leave this date on a bad note because this was the best one I've been on. I couldn't risk one silly misunderstanding ruining that."