It was quiet in the studio the following morning. The only sound was the TV humming softly in the background. Gavin woke up slowly; his mind clear and well rested. He looked around the quiet room and recalled events from the night before.
That's right. Gavin smiled to himself, giddiness welling up in his chest. I told Erza everything. Hell, we even kissed last night. He thought back to the night before, her warmth.
A soft snore pulled Gavin from his memories. He sat up, the blanket slipped from his shoulders as he looked behind him.
It was Erza.
Her hair was down and fanned out around her face. Her mouth hung slightly open, a thin line of drool trailing onto her arm. Her shirt had ridden up during the night and revealed teasing bits of her skin to Gavin's eyes.
Damn. The most beautiful girl I've ever met, and she chose me? Gavin lingered longer than he meant to. He carefully got up from the couch without waking her and grabbed the blanket to cover her back up. He grabbed his phone from the stand and checked the time.
It was eight AM, the screen showed, along with five percent battery life left. He set the phone back down next to the couch, plugging it in to a nearby charger. He leaned down and poked the tip of her nose then slipped into the hallway.
"God, coffee sounds so good right about now." Gavin muttered as he walked down the empty and dimly lit hallway.
As he was nearing the kitchen, a pleasant smell hit his nose along with something else. Oh, hell yeah, I know that smell. He grinned, appreciating the most fabulous sound of bacon sizzling on a skillet. He saw Aria alone in a loose red tank top and night shorts. She had headphones on and danced away, her hips swayed to the music, lost in her own little world.
Gavin chuckled at her enthusiasm. He paused and looked around until he spotted the coffee pot on the far end of the small kitchen. He started checking the cupboards for coffee supplies when he heard a startled gasp from behind.
Aria finally noticed his presence and removed her headphones while she cursed softly, "Holy crap, dude. Where did you come from?"
Gavin looked apologetically and said "I'm sorry, I didn't want to startle you. I just wanted some coffee."
Aria laughed and reached into the last cupboard that Gavin hadn't checked as she pulled down the coffee and a filter. "Sorry we don't have a lot of options. We don't drink it that often. Lyla prefers juice. I like strong caffeine, and Erza is usually good with whatever is available."
"Oh no worries. I just like some cold coffee in the morning," Gavin responded as he pulled out the ice cubes from the freezer and poured them into a glass he pulled down. Aria went back to the stove as she plated the bacon.
She asked "Hungry?"
Gavin's stomach gave a loud rumble at the mention of food. "We ate an early dinner right after school ended, then came here, and I just passed out on the couch at some point," Gavin explained as he nodded towards the bacon.
"Yeah, same here. I think the last time I ate was around noon yesterday." She paused for a moment in thought. "After that was working non-stop until this morning." She placed a plate of eggs and bacon down for Gavin. "I don't ever get much sleep, too much work to do on this crap," she answered his unspoken question when his eyebrows raised.
"I was going to say, do you guys ever get any sleep during these projects?" he asked her. His mouth was watering as he took a bite of the delicious food.
A dismissive snort came from across the table. "Hell to the no. Usually, maybe two or three hours of sleep if I'm lucky. I usually run days with sleep deprivation until the project gets to a good spot. Then I pass out for most of the day and repeat as needed," Aria said nonchalantly waving her fork around while she talked.
A frown wrinkled Gavin's face as he thought about that. "You should take care of yourself better, Aria, you wouldn't be any good to your friends or the project if you're dead from sleep deprivation," Gavin chastised her softly while he took another bite. The crisp bacon and warm food did wonders for his mood and empty stomach.
Aria waved her hand dismissively. "I know you're right. But when the projects in a time crunch, not much else to do." Her voice was quick as she defended herself.
"But I know I know. My doctor tells me the same thing." The barest hint of a smile crossed her face, lifting just the edges of her cheeks.
"You've always had such a kind heart. It is no reason Erza fell in love with you," Aria teased him as he munched on some crunchy bacon.
Gavin choked on his bite of bacon, and he coughed to clear his throat. Then he said "I don't think she's in love with me, at least maybe not yet." He smiled ruefully.
"I'm surprised she's even interested enough to try, whatever this is we have going on right now. You know, it took me a minute when I woke up to remember that what happened yesterday wasn't a dream." Gavin took a sip of coffee and set the cup down.
Gavin stayed quiet for a minute as he ate some of his food and sipped his coffee. I still can't get the feeling of her against me out of my head. The big badass were-cat shifter, such a quiet cuddle bug. Gavin chuckled as he recalled the peaceful look on her face as he covered her up.
"But then I heard the best thing," Gavin's voice softened with tenderness. "I heard her snore, peacefully asleep, curled against my back like a kitten with a belly full of milk. If it wasn't for my stomach growling and demanding food, I'd still be there holding her and savoring that moment," he said softly. He could feel his neck and ears heating up as a blush crept over his cheeks.
"Just take care of her. Don't break her heart. We meant it last night when we said she hasn't dated anyone in three years. Even though we tried to bug her into dating, she always turned down every guy that's tried." Aria smiled as she fried up some more bacon. "Really, I wish you understood how much you mean to her."
Gavin sat there in silence for a moment as he digested that. Three years… And now she's choosing me? He set his fork down, face solemn as his thoughts start running wild.
"You talk way too much, Aria." The voice came from the hallway; sleepy, rough.
They both turned to see a disheveled-looking Erza shuffle into the kitchen. She pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge and sat at the table. She reached over and stole a piece of bacon from Gavin's plate.
"Hey!" he protested and scooted his plate out of her reach.
"I'm hungry," she argued back and brought it closer stealing another bite before she took a swig of water, the plate scraping across the table each time.
"What time did you guys finish and go to bed?" Gavin asked his girlfriend.
She yawned as she shook her head and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Aria passed out around four, Lyla not long after. I finished and sent it over about five-thirty, then went to find you and take a cat nap." Her voice was thick of sleep as she ran her hands through her hair wincing
"Damn, you guys should still be asleep," he said, eyes wide. Erza laughed lightly, amused by his reaction.
"Oh, this isn't the first, nor the last time we will do this," she said as she went over and started frying up some more bacon. "Although I doubt Lyla will be up before noon. She's the heaviest sleeper of the three of us. Once she goes to bed, next to nothing will wake her up early," she explained, the sound of sizzling bacon in the pan filled the quiet morning.
Gavin noticed the way her eyes looked heavy lidded, and the slow way she moved while frying the bacon, yawning frequently as it sizzled in the pan.
"If you want more sleep, I can take a cab home or just chill watching TV or something," Gavin offered.
"Nah, I'll be okay once I get some grub in me," she responded with her back to him. "Besides," she said softly and paused before she cast a sheepish grin over her shoulder. "I still owe you a date."
Gavin perked up a little bit. "Looking forward to it, since someone," he emphasized, the last word, "canceled the date at the last minute and kidnapped me."
Gavin ducked as a saltshaker went flying over his head. "Hey, you agreed to come with me to help the girls, so no lip from you about how long it took mister." Erza scolded him, hands on her hips in annoyance as she faced him with the tongs in one hand from flipping the bacon.
"My bad my bad. I was only teasing, you know" he responded slightly defensively, and watched to make sure she had nothing else in her hands.
"Good." She caught a whiff of her body odor as she lifted her arms and winced. "Though, I need a shower before we do anything." she said when she noticed the time was already almost nine.
"Go on, finish your food, Erza. I'll let you know when the client responds and what they say about the submission," Aria offered as she finished her food and put the plate in the sink for later. Aria leaned back against the counter and stretched her arms over her head and twisted side to side.
"Alright, thanks Aria. Come on Gavin, let's get going," Erza said as she grabbed her last piece of bacon and got up from the table. She set her plate in the sink with Aria's. "Thanks for the bacon, babe." Erza walked over and gave Aria a quick hug before they gathered their things.
"See you later Aria," Gavin called his farewell out as they headed out the door. The bright sunshine caused Gavin to shield his eyes for a moment while they adjusted. They walked over to the SUV and got in. "So where to?" Gavin asked her as he buckled up.
"I need a nice hot shower first, then we can go from there." She said as she navigated the early morning traffic back towards her parents' house.
After they got a couple of quick showers and a fresh change of clothes, they hung out on the couch in the living room. Erza flipped through stations before she found a news release about another human shifter relationship that was attacked in the streets in a town not far away.
"I can't believe that people really believe that garbage and attack innocent people just because it's something different," Erza snapped. Her knuckles turned white around the remote in her hand.
"I don't understand it either," Gavin said.
Erza reached to hold his hand for comfort. "So, what do we wanna do?" She asked him. She turned the TV off and turned to face him.
"Hmm. We could go for a hike or go swimming. Maybe the movie theater has a cool double feature planned for today." Gavin listed off a few ideas as he considered their options.
Erza pulled out her phone and checked the movie times. She shook her head and said "Sorry babe. It also seems like last night was the last showing of that sci-fi movie too," she informed Gavin, a little bit of guilt entered her heart over the fact she made him miss his movie last night.
"Oh okay. Hmm. It's supposed to be a really nice day. There's a spot by the trails on the north side of town that's really peaceful. It's a short walk through the woods and if you took your camera, you could get some amazing photos."
Erza's ears perked up at the mention of a stunning photography area. She grinned; her smile wide as she said "You had me on camera. But we will have to go to your place to get you a pair of swim trunks if you wanna go."
"For sure! I think it'd be a lot of fun!" Gavin responded excitedly.
After they left the house, they drove a few miles to Gavin's. He ran in. Both his parents were out, so he quickly grabbed a change of clothes, including his swim trunks, and locked the house back up.
They headed north from there. They were a few miles outside the city, when Gavin instructed Erza to pull off to a scenic parking lot before a trail head. Tall trees, beautiful flowers and green shrubbery filled the area outside the gravel parking lot. It was still early, and the sounds of nature could be heard all around them with birds singing and insects gently buzzing.
"This looks promising," Erza purred with delight as she made sure her camera battery was charged and grabbed the hiking pack she always kept in her SUV.
"You're going to love it. We gotta hike about fifteen-ish minutes down the trail, then turn right and go into the woods for about another fifteen to twenty minutes before we get to the small pond with some of the clearest water you've seen," Gavin informed her as he threw his own bag over his shoulders, grinning.
"Lead the way," she urged him on. As she looked around the foliage, she had already snapped a few pictures on her camera.
Gavin walked ahead in happy silence. This was my favorite trail when I was in sports. It always felt like I had a mental restart. Everything just fades away in these woods. Now, I get to show this to Erza. A wide smile stretched across his face.
They walked slowly in quiet peace, only the sound of their footsteps and the occasional shutter of her camera broke the natural sounds around them.
Before long, they arrived at the area where they had to leave the gravel trail and hike through the woods. They pushed their way through, following an old game trail east of the path.
As Gavin pushed the last brush aside, he revealed the pond. Nestled in a small meadow like a clearing in the forest. Long prairie grass and flowers of all colors bloomed around the clearing and down towards the pond. The light from the sun broke through the canopy around them in dazzling rays.
Erza grinned in wide-eyed excitement as she took all kinds of different photos of the area, and from different angles. "I can't wait to get these back and upload them. They are going to be so cool," she said softly as she set her pack on the ground and walked around the clearing.
Gavin grinned at her response. His heart picked up as he watched her; completely lost in her passion. The way the sun hit her hair and skin just right, her eyes glowing with warmth and excitement. The beautiful smile on her face made his breath catch in his throat.
With the love and affection he felt for her, something else came creeping up.
I'm just… me. Nothing special, nothing worth risking all this for. Yet, she cares for me enough to risk all the purests that don't believe in shifter and normal human relationships. People are being hurt out there, right now, for this very reason. What if she gets hurt because of me?
Erza felt a tingle down her spine as she lowered her camera and looked around. It was like a small electrical surge went through her. The intense look in Gavin's eyes took her off guard. She couldn't place the strange look in his eyes and shifted her weight from one hip to the other. To break the tension, she said "What are you staring at? Did I grow horns suddenly or is there a spider in my hair?"
Gavin blinked in surprise. "What?" He asked her.
Erza walked over and her hips swayed with each slow step. "The way you're staring at me. It's like you want to devour me," she replied as she stopped in front of him, her hands on her hips, and her eyes glowed faintly yellow. "Or run from me."
Gavin blinked out of his confusion. "Sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts for a moment." He tried to give her a sheepish smile.
Erza reached out to pinch his cheek. "No, you don't get off the hook that easily when you look at me like that," she pressed him and took another step closer, invading his personal space like she owned it.
Gavin freed his face from her soft hand and looked up at her. "I don't have a simple answer. Here I am, plain and boring as can be, Yet you decided to pick me, date me. Even knowing there are crazy, extreme people out there attacking shifter relationships; you still chose to give us a chance. I don't understand it."
Gavin paused for a moment, chewing on his bottom lip. "After the news this morning, I was thinking what if you get attacked and hurt because of me."
Erza cupped his cheek tenderly. "Hey, listen to me. We're in this together. Whatever comes; we deal with it. Together." She gently rubbed her thumb against his cheek.
Then she stepped back and smiled at him. "Boy, there is nothing boring about you. Less than twenty-four hours together and you have already taken me to one hell of a beautiful spot for photos. There is so much more to you than just an appearance, babe." She laughed and reached out to pull him back against her for a hug.
Gavin closed his eyes and just wrapped his arms loosely around her in return. Even when my mind runs wild with doubt, you are always there to beat my demons down aren't you? He gave her a tight squeeze before he stepped back.
"Now, how about we go swimming to cool off for a bit?" She offered as she sat her camera gear down and began to take her clothes off. She revealed her two-piece bikini swimsuit. The black top and red bottom fit her curves well. "I just bought this one last week; do you like it"?
Gavin's mouth went dry, all rational thought vanished. He swallowed hard and looked away. It didn't help.
"Um yeah. That looks excellent on you," he managed to stumble out as he found his voice. "I'll change behind this tree really quick," he said as he pointed at the big oak behind them towards the forest tree line.
Erza laughed at his response. Both physical and mental ones. She loved to tease him. He was so innocent in the ways of dating.
It made him so endearing to her. She waved her hand to him to go ahead as she turned around and started to walk to the water, letting it go up to her thighs. "So warm," she mumbled out loud. She let the warm water ease the ache in her legs and back from the hike.
A few moments later Gavin slowly walked into the water after he changed into his black trunks, as he tossed his clothes towards their pile on his way back. "The water here always feels so relaxing and soothing," he said to her as he walked up beside his girlfriend.
"Oh, this feels the best!" She squealed out in delight, laughter bubbling up inside her. "The water is so clear, I can see my toes in the sand," she laughed joyfully, and the sound rang in his ears.
"I told you this was amazing here," he responded, "you didn't believe me." He pretended to grip his chest in dramatic flair.
She turned around and saw his grin and said "Of course, I believe you. But believing and seeing for myself are two different matters entirely," she finished as she laid on her back and floated out to the center of the pond in peaceful bliss.
Gavin followed her, letting the water relax his aching muscles and quiet his apprehension. "I'm so glad we came out here today," he whispered softly.
Erza opened her eyes to look at him, "Me too," she said softly, as she focused on her mana flow. Soft hues of brown and yellow energy swirled around them. She felt the elongation of her limbs, the sharpness of her claws, and the tingle of fur manifesting over her body. Snow white fur manifested over her body as her tail grew out and long ears sprouted on her head. She used her tail to push her through the water to lay next to him on her back.
A grin spread across her face as she slipped under him. Then, without warning, flipped him into the water. As Gavin sputtered and coughed, he glared at her laughter.
Gavin wanted retribution so he dove at her, determined to return the favor. Erza was all laughter as Gavin tried to unbalance her and dunk her. Her foot slipped in the sand; a look of surprise was on her face as he took the chance to flip and dunk her in the pond.
"Ha! I win."
She resurfaced in front of him, the water dripping off her fur. Her ears laid flat against her head.
"Then the winner gets a kiss," she said, and quickly leaned in to capture his lips in a tender kiss, her hand tickling his cheeks as she cupped his face.
Gavin's entire world faded away into silence as her warm lips connected to his. His breathing was quick, and his heart rate even quicker. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist, her soft wet fur tickling his skin as he held her.
Erza gasped in surprise as she felt something poke in her down below the water. "My, my, someone's getting a little excited," she grinned mischievously as she reached down to stroke him softly through his trunks.
Gavin blushed and froze at the contact. He kissed her again and rested his forehead against hers. He smiled trying to catch his breath. "Sorry, I got carried away," he whispered in between breaths.
Erza smiled, a knowing glint in her amber eyes. She ended her shift and returned to her normal human body, her red hair wet and cascading down her back. "It's okay, maybe soon I might too," she teased and she stepped back to stretch her arms over her head. Gavin glanced over and the fact that her chest was pushed out didn't go unnoticed.
He readjusted himself and grinned. "I can't wait."
After that moment, the two of them spent the rest of the afternoon in the clearing. They chatted away. Erza took many more photos, this time including the two of them, and spent more time swimming in the pond.
A perfect way to end a first date.