New World

Darcy wasn’t sure whether or not she should be excited about her date with Dave. Sure, he was charming and extremely handsome (a prime candidate for a date at the colony), but she was extremely nervous and had no idea why.

She had spent far too long getting herself ready, as she wasn’t used to getting even somewhat dressed up, and by the time Dave knocked on the door, she’d only just barely decided on an outfit.

“You look lovely,” Dave said when Darcy opened the door, a bright smile on his handsome face. Darcy couldn’t help but blush at that, and she looked away briefly before forcing her eyes back on him.

“Thank you,” she said, giving a gentle nod of her head. “So do you.”

Dave chuckled at that, his smile growing even wider, before he held out his hand to her. “If you’re ready, I thought we could go to the Tomlinson’s bar.”

The bar wasn’t Darcy’s favorite place in the world, but at Atello there weren’t too many options for going out to dinner.

Nodding her head eagerly, she grabbed onto his hand, and he guided her out of her small home and down the dirt paved road. It was beginning to get dark and most people would be heading home, aside from the few people that would be at the bar and the soldiers who would be on guard duty at the gate.

To Darcy, it felt strange to know that in a few short hours they’d probably be two of the few people on the entire planet that were still awake.

When they arrived at the bar, Louis showed them to one of the few tables and passed them menus, even though everyone in Atello knew exactly what the bar served. There weren’t exactly many options.

Darcy knew what she was going to order without even opening a menu, and when Louis came back she got a glass of water and a salad, while Dave got some burger that Darcy had always been too afraid to eat.

Honestly, the date was going much better than Darcy expected. Dave was sweet and kind, and very smart too. She was surprised to learn exactly how much he knew about dinosaurs. It wasn’t as much as she, Harry, and the other paleontologists, but it was quite a bit.

Everything about the date was going well, until Harry entered the bar alone, spotting Dave and Darcy right away. It wasn’t that Darcy was unhappy to see him, because she always loved to see Harry. It just seemed like he had arrived at the most inopportune time.

“Darcy, Dave,” Harry said as he approached their table, his trademark smile on his face. “What are the two of you doing here?”

Darcy smiled back at him, though he was beginning to make her uncomfortable. She was more than certain she’d told Harry about her date, and he was just making things much more awkward for her.

“Just out for a bite to eat,” Dave said, speaking the words that Darcy was too shocked to come up with. “You come out for a beer?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, nodding his head as he placed his hand on the back of Darcy’s chair. “Just needed a drink.”

From behind the bar, Louis, who was decent friends with Harry, called out to him. “You need a table, mate?”

Harry shook his head, pulling out the empty seat next to Darcy. “Nah, I’ll just sit with my buds.”

Darcy knew Harry was messing with her. She just knew it. She knew better to think that he had poor social skills or that he didn’t realize how awkward it was for him to interrupt them. He knew all of that, but he didn’t seem to care.

The whole time they were there, Harry made sure to talk to Dave, never letting him get a chance to actually say anything to Darcy. He asked every question in the book until he just couldn’t ask anymore, and then he started telling stories. Long, ridiculous, wild stories that no one could interrupt.

By the time they had finished eating, Darcy was more than ready for the night to be over. She just wanted to get the hell out of the bar, get back to her place and pretend that the whole night never happened.

If Harry even tried to walk home with them, she was going to slap him. She really was. And if she didn’t slap him that night, she was going to slap him at work the next morning, because what on earth did he think he was doing?

Luckily for him and her, Harry reluctantly let the two of them go on as he stayed back to chat with Louis about boy things. If Louis hadn’t convinced Harry to stay with some promise of a free beer, she was certain that he’d have walked with them. At least Louis had her back.

“I had a good time,” Dave said and smiled at Darcy as they walked back to her place. He chuckled a bit, looking down at the dirt road. “Except Harry was… well, there.”

Darcy couldn’t help but laugh, because she really shouldn’t have expected anything less. He was just so perfectly Harry and he was going to embarrass her anyway he could.

“Yeah, he was a bit much.”

“I hope that you still had a good time,” Dave said, as they approached Darcy’s front door. He looked incredibly nervous, which was really just perfect, because Darcy felt incredibly nervous.

Darcy nodded her head eagerly, teeth nibbling at her bottom lip. “I really did.”

Dave smiled at that, and Darcy could tell by the look on his face that that moment was coming. They were about to hit that moment where they’d have their goodnight kiss. It was either going to be magical or it was going to be a complete train wreck, and Darcy’s hands were nearly shaking as she waited to find out.

Dave leaned in slowly, causing Darcy’s eyes to fall shut. She clasped her hands together, bracing herself for the moment that his lips would hit hers. They were just inches away, and Darcy could feel his warm breath hitting her lips. It was about to happen, but then it didn’t.

“Have a good night, you two!” Harry called to them as he walked back to his place, just a few away from Darcy’s. She could almost hear the pleased tone in his voice as it broke them apart, and looking out at him, she saw the smile on his face.

He had done it on purpose. Of course he had.