[008] adorable

2006...

                                        Margo tunes out the rest of the world as she looks directly at Quinn Daniels, the red-haired tennis player almost looking intimidating. She was taller than Margo and more muscular too. Quite frankly, she looked as though she could tear Margo apart with her bare hands if she so pleased. But Margo sees her as just another challenge to conquer. 

                                       Quinn looks her directly in the eye and the rest of the world seems to melt away. In this moment, they understand each other completely. With it being just the two of them, they were able to see each other exactly for who they were and why they were truly here. A smile graces Margo's lips before she serves first, going as hard as she could.

                                        The court is silent, save for the sound of the tennis ball smacking against the racket and the grunts which came from both Margo and Quinn when it came their turn to play. As Art watched with bated breath, he admired how smooth Margo looked. Every move looked so effortless, like she was gliding on the court. It was pristine and elegant but really, Art really couldn't expect anything less from Margo.

                                         She truly made tennis look more like an art form than an actual sport.

                                         "She's amazing, isn't she?" Tashi remarked from beside him. 

                                         Tashi's presence scared Art, especially since he hadn't even noticed her showing up and basically taking the seat beside him. But then again, it was pretty much expected for Tashi to be there. Where one was, the other magically seemed to appear. They seemed to be closer than Art and Patrick were.

                                          Art turns to look at Margo before back at Tashi. "Yeah. Yeah, she really is."

                                         "She just knows how to make everyone fall for her, without even trying actually. What a bitch," Tashi remarked but her tone was soft and light, almost endearing.

                                         "What about you? Everyone loves you too," Art pointed out.

                                          "Only because of her. Everything I learned was from her," Tashi chuckles. "It's even managed to work on you. You're so in love with her that it's obvious."

                                          "What? That's - that's not -," Art stammered, trying and failing to get his point across.

                                          "Bullshit," Tashi scoffed.

                                          "Are you in love with her?" Art questioned.

                                           Tashi looks away from Art, focusing on Margo. "She was my first love actually. But... we'll keep that one between you and me, got that?"

                                           Art only nods.

                                          "And if you think about treating her like shit, I'll destroy you. Understand?" Tashi adds.

                                          "Crystal clear," Art nodded before the both of them managed to focus on the match.

                                          As expected, Margo won the match and Art was one of the first people to stand up and cheer her on. He didn't realize how loud he'd be until he got several looks thrown his way, to which he quickly stopped and then decided to join her side. He was more than prepared to just cheer Margo on but then she'd surprise him by pulling him in for a hug. Art hugs her back, growing distracted by how warm she felt.

                                         "You were excellent out there," Art says when the two pull away from each other.

                                         "Thank you. I noticed you watching me. You really need to work on keeping your mouth closed," Margo teases him with a shake of her head.

                                         Art chuckles. "I'll try. Since you won - like I knew you would, I think it's time for our date."

                                       "That's right. I'd have to shower first but, yeah, I'm looking forward to this surprise of yours. You better not disappoint me, Art. You're supposed to be the exception," Margo playfully narrows her eyes at him.

                                       "I'll try my best not to," Art nods.

                                        "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Tashi spoke up, causing the two to finally pull away from each other.

                                        Margo smiles as she looks over at Tashi, instantly pulling her in for a hug. Tashi hugs her back, but it only lasts for a couple of seconds before Margo pulls away from her.

                                         "I'm glad you could make it. I almost didn't think you would," Margo replied.

                                         "I had to spare some time for you," Tashi responds, brushing a loose strand of Margo's hair behind her ear.

                                         "Well, I appreciate it. Unfortunately, I have to go. Art's taking me out, remember?" Margo smiles, looking over at Art who was smiling back at her.

                                         Tashi's smile falters slightly but Margo hardly notices. "Yeah, of course. I'll call you later?"

                                         "Yeah, sure," is all Margo says before she and Art walk away, continuing to talk and leave Tashi behind.

( 🎾👱🏻‍♂️💎 )

                                         "I did not change into one of my best dresses for you to get me dirty," Margo complained.

                                         "Relax, Queen Margo. Your expensive dress will remain clean. Just take a couple more steps forward," Art insisted.

                                         Margo sighs but does as she's told, feeling around her to make sure she wasn't walking into a wall. Art had insisted on putting a blindfold on her, leading her over to their destination. Margo was confused as to what the surprise could be, making her both excited and nervous as to what it could be.

                                        "Alright... here we are. We finally made it," Art replied, taking the blindfold off of her.

                                       It takes a little moment for Margo's vision to adjust but when it did, she was finally able to see that Art had set up a little romantic picnic for the two of them. Margo honestly couldn't believe that he had done all of this for her. The gesture was endearing and a little adorable but Margo should've expected as much from him.

                                       "I didn't really know what you liked, and I didn't want to ask because that would ruin the surprise. So I just... tried to figure it out on my own," Art explained, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

                                       "This is so cute. Who knew the same boy who jerked off with his best friend could be a romantic?" Margo teased, booping him on the nose with a smile.

                                       "I'm going to kill Patrick for telling you guys about that," Art groaned, only making Margo laugh some more.

                                       "Come on," Margo holds onto his hand, leading him over.

                                       The both of them sat down together, beginning to eat. Admittedly, Margo didn't really know how to act since she wasn't used to doing this. If Margo was being honest, she just thought they'd go out to a bar and then hookup. It was what Margo was used to. Not cute little picnics at the park in the middle of the night, a lamp post illuminating the scene and a view of the lake nearby only adding to the charm.

                                        "Is something wrong?" Art questioned, noticing that Margo was quieter than usual.

                                        "No. I just... I've never been on a date before. This is kind of new for me," Margo admitted.

                                        Art chuckles, although he stops himself when he sees Margo's serious face. "Really?"

                                        "Yes, really. Guys aren't interested me for my meaningful conversation skills. And neither am I usually interested in them for their sparkling intelligence. We both want the same thing and it doesn't get more complicated than that," Margo remarked.

                                        It was just easier for her. With the way her life was going, Margo didn't think she could handle having a boyfriend. She didn't want to worry about getting her heart broken. Secretly, allowing herself to be vulnerable only to get betrayed in the process was one of Margo's biggest fears. And so, Margo did everything possible to prevent that from happening.

                                        "Is that what you think I want?" Art questioned.

                                        "Maybe? I dunno, you put a lot of effort in for someone who just wants to sleep with me," Margo chuckles before she keeps eating.

                                        "That's not what I want," Art insisted.

                                        Margo raised a brow. "So you don't want to sleep with me?"

                                        "I - I mean... fuck it," Art huffed, "What I'm trying to say is that I want a lot more than that. I don't just want to sleep with you. I like you and I... want to go out with you. I want to be your boyfriend. I've wanted that since the first moment I met you."

                                        Margo looks at him, trying to find any signs of bullshit. And the worst part is that she didn't. He looked so genuine. "You barely even know me. You won't like me once you get to know me. You'll change your mind in a heartbeat."

                                        "I think I can make that decision on my own. All I need is a chance," Art persists

                                        "Just one chance?" Margo asks softly.

                                        "Just one. I'm not like the other guys before. I don't have any ulterior motive, except maybe wanting to know you. But is that a crime?" Art responded.

                                        Margo shrugs. "No, I guess not."

                                        And yet she felt scared of getting hurt. Margo had put a wall up for a reason, only letting Tashi in. With Tashi, the two of them fucked each other over constantly but it was expected. But if she let someone else in who hurt her and then just ran off with her heart, Margo didn't know how she'd be able to recover. Margo had been safe for this long but now, Art had barged into her life and made her want to reconsider everything.

                                       "I like you too. I mean, you're not the usual type I go for -," Margo began to say.

                                       "And what would your usual type be?" Art asks out of curiosity.

                                      "Assholes and you're not an asshole. You're the total opposite. You almost don't seem real. I'm just waiting for you to turn evil at the last minute," Margo admitted.

                                     "It's not too late. I can, if you're into that sort of thing. I'm capable of being a douchebag," Art persisted.

                                    Margo laughs. "Sure you are. Can you promise me something though?"

                                    "What?" Art inquired.

                                    "Do not change. No matter what happens, I don't want you to end up becoming an asshole when you grow up to be an incredibly famous tennis player," Margo started.

                                    "What makes you think I'll end up famous?" Art chuckled.

                                    "Just a feeling I have. Patrick may be the one going pro but with the right amount of training, I think you'll be the superstar," Margo insisted.

                                     Art couldn't help but smile at the thought. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he had pictured it a couple times with Margo by his side. It was a nice thought, one he hoped to turn into reality if he played his cards right.

                                    "And... all I seriously ask is that you don't fuck me over. Don't hurt me, Art. It's rare for me to open up to anyone, especially cute boys who I just met. I won't be so forgiving if you even attempt to stab me in the back," Margo added.

                                    "I don't want to," Art responds with a shake of his head.

                                    "Of course, I believe you don't want to break my heart on purpose. But that doesn't mean it can't happen. I just don't need to bring someone in my life who'll get my hopes up only for them to completely abandon me. If that's what you're going to end up doing, we might as well end things now just so we won't waste our time," Margo warned him.

                                     Art holds out his pinky, completely surprising Margo. "I promise that I won't do that with you. I like you way too much to even consider the possibility."

                                    "Art... are you seriously making me do a pinky promise with you? Are you five?" Margo raised a brow, glancing down at his pinky before her gaze moved back up to meet his own stare.

                                    "Pinky promises are incredibly serious. They used to do these all the time in the... Middle Ages. Even Vikings were doing this," Art playfully argued.

                                    Margo rolled her eyes with a smile, initiating the pinky promise with Art anyway. Maybe she was being a gigantic fucking idiot for believing Art, but she was growing tired of keeping her defenses up. And with Art saying all of the right things, Margo wanted to just give in for a change.

                                     So she links pinkies with Art before she moves in to kiss him. It wasn't anything new, given that they had kissed before during that fateful night in the motel room. Art kisses her back and the two of them stay that way for a while, managing to seal both of their fates.

( 🎾👱🏻‍♂️💎 )

word count: 2143
notes: i'm not sure why it took me so long to upload this besides writer's block. but i'm (hopefully) back so we shall see!!