• January 18, 2017 (The First Date) •

Aviana couldn't believe her ears when she found out that Zach had actually asked Kara out and even more surprisingly, the latter had agreed. She felt very shocked that such a day would come because she had been perfectly sure Zach would never admit that he liked Kara.

Of course, he hadn't told her either but being his sister, she had guessed it herself.

Zach had never gotten involved in any serious relationship despite being very popular with both the girls and boys in their high school. He was laid back and friendly, helpful even, but never interested in pursuing a long-term commitment.

Maybe it was due to his fear of being rejected that he almost never asked anyone out. Not even for the Homecoming dance. Gwen had been the one to tell him that she had no one to go with and he had agreed to be her date just because he wanted to help a friend in need.

Therefore, finding out that he had willingly asked Kara out was quite a shock for Ava.

"Where are you going, Mister Lady Killer?" Aviana blocked his path as she was standing by the front door, speculative eyes focused on him.

"Nowhere," he replied, "step aside, Ava."

"Nope. A little birdie told me you have a date."

He looked a bit flustered to hear that, "I don't do dates. This isn't a date, not at all."

"Then why are you so dressed up? You look... Nicer than usual," a small frown was evident on her features as she analyzed his reaction, "and who are you taking on this date by the way?"

"I believe your little birdie must have told you that too."

"Aha, I knew it," her eyes sparked, "you didn't deny it's a date this time!"

"Ava, come on... I'm getting late."

She shrugged nonchalantly as if it clearly didn't bother her how late he was getting due to her, "if you liked Kara so much that you actually asked her out, why didn't you tell me? I feel really left out, y'know. I could have helped you with that."

"It's not a date, trust me," Zach tried to explain but she cut him off again.

"I thought I knew your every little secret. Even the Olympics one..."

That frown had turned deeper in disappointment and despite the clock ticking the seconds away, Zach felt bad to see Ava like that. "Hey, I would have told you if it was something worth telling."

"So you're saying dating my friend is something that's not worth telling? What are you planning, Zachary?" From disappointed to angry, the switch in Ava's expressions was very swift.

He shook his head, knowing he had to stop her dramatics right then and there if he still had to reach the coffee shop in time, "it's nothing like that. We started talking that time when you had gotten very angry at Connor, and Kara texted me to check why you were avoiding them. And from then onwards, we just chatted a little and... And I almost asked her out but deleted the message."

Aviana was listening closely to that new side of the picture and realization struck her, "oh, so that's what she meant when she said you had no right to be so insanely attractive and thick in the head at the same time... I get it now."

Zach looked caught off guard at the unexpected mix of a shocking compliment and a mild insult. "You're not kidding, are you?"

"Nope," she shook her head, "but I want to know the full story and you aren't leaving until you tell it to me."

He groaned, "you picked the most awful timing for storytelling..."

"Not at all, resume with the story. So you chickened out right after asking her out which is an awful first impression. How come you're still going out with her?"

"Because I asked her out again? But this is totally not a date. We barely know each other and I guess it would be okay to be friends first."

Ava stared at him as if he was the dumbest person alive, "oh yeah, you're really thick in the head. Bugs me how I keep forgetting it."

"Aviana, I'm really really late. Please let me go."

She looked at the clock then back at his slightly panicking self. Taking pity on him, she stepped aside, "alright then, leave. But make sure not to bore Kara out or I'll see to it that you never spend time with her again."

"Understood, Ma'am," he stepped out at last, "bye."

"You know what, you should call me Ma'am more often. Sounds nice."

But he had already run off to get to the bus stop and catch the bus to Central District. As he had said, he was very late and with one bad first impression already in place, he didn't want to increase it to two by showing up late on the first meetup.

He might tell himself a hundred times that it wasn't a date and there was no need to be so fidgety but deep down, he didn't want it to be something that would make Kara change her mind about hanging out with him.

However, thinking of hanging out only brought Tim's words to mind and he surely didn't want to have that kind of a hangout with Kara Danvers.

***

The door to the coffee shop swung open and Kara looked up to see Zach rushing in. It seemed as if he had come running all the way there; his slightly curly hair were even more in ringlets than usual and he looked as if blown inside by the heavy wind.

As the weather was cold, his cheeks had gotten red too and it only made him look twice more adorable.

A slight smile played upon her lips to see him and she waved at him to catch his attention. He looked over at the table she was sitting at and approached, an apologetic look evident on his face.

"I am so sorry I got late," he sat down across from her, "Ava had stopped me from leaving."

"Why?"

"Because I forgot to tell her about this and she somehow found out," he replied, "Ava has a habit of making sure she knows everything about her family members. And if she doesn't get to know beforehand, it upsets her."

"It's not an issue, I had just reached too," she remarked, "looks like you ran all the way here though."

"Sort of, since I couldn't leave earlier, I got the later bus. And I didn't want to keep you waiting."

The red from his cheeks had started to lessen as he warmed up to the coffee shop's internal temperature.

They ordered coffee and a light conversation resumed throughout. Kara hadn't met him very often before, the only two exceptions being the brief encounters at the Homecoming dance and the Christmas dinner. But still, she found it very easy to talk to him, unlike other people.

He had a very contagious smile, she observed subconsciously, the way dimples dented both his cheeks when he smiled or laughed. 

Kara had never imagined she would find someone to be that level of attractive because she had always given zero thought to all other boys she had met or been friends with. It was to the point that her sister Alex often joked with her saying she was probably an aromantic.

Maybe it would be different with Zachary, maybe he could be an exception.

Since it was cold outside, they spent most of the time in the coffee shop but then ultimately had to leave. The walk to the bus stop was filled with laughter as Zach told her about the antics he and Ava regularly got into.

Needless to say, the two of them had had a great time.

But neither of them brought up that their little trip was no less than a first date that both of them had enjoyed. Kara didn't because she wasn't the sort of person to rush into things and Zach refrained too because he felt that in order to get there, it would be better to understand each other as friends first.

They had to part ways when Kara said, "this was fun. We should hang out some other time too."

"Yeah, we should," he replied but couldn't hold back the chuckle upon thinking about Tim's way of hanging out.

"Why are you laughing?" She asked but a smile played upon her lips as well to see that contagious laugh.

"I just recalled how Tim thinks people hang out," he replied, "and if you were to know of it, you would say he'll die single."

"Oh, so it was you who told him that? Now I'm curious to hear about that. Tim's weird and his explanations always hit differently."

"Yeah, he never fails to surprise everyone."

As Zach told her about the whole hanging out concept, his face had gotten so red that Kara had to stop him, "hey are you sure the cold isn't bothering you?"

"It's alright."

She reached out, her hand cupping his face to check and found that his skin was freezing. Zach froze that once and if his face wasn't red already, Kara could have noticed that it had turned a shade darker.

"Kara, it's getting late," he stuttered but she had retrieved her hand, "I really had a great time with you. But I should go or Ava won't let me step in without keeping me out in the cold for another fifteen minutes."

"Sometimes, it seems you're much more scared of Ava than you're of your parents."

"Oh because my parents are very sweet. While Ava is the real-life Wednesday Addams."

She laughed, "see you later then, Pugsley."

"Oh come on..." He shook his head, that dimpled smile creasing his features again. 

He definitely was an exception, Kara thought as she went inside her house after waving goodbye to him.

***