Loving Edyth Swan
Chapter Seven

28/11/93

A strange feeling erupted in the pit of Jonathan Attwood's stomach. His hands became sweaty and his eyes blinked rapidly.

As he sat on the chair in that café, his mind raced with doubt.

He was never one for going on dates, that was more of River's expertise than himself but there was just something about Edyth Swan, that made Jonathan want to do things he'd never particularly enjoyed before.

He had forgotten all about the fail of his first date when he was fifteen when he organised tonight. He forgot how much of a coward he was.

He had left before the girl had even shown up because he was so mortified. Jonathan was never one to stick through anything besides basketball.

He often started things but never finished them. He had a fear of many things and failing was definitely one of them.

Girls, on the other hand, was the other biggest fear he had.

He could do friends, but a date seemed far too out of his comfort zone. As Jonathan watched the clock, he contemplated leaving and just giving up.

There was no way a girl as pretty as her would be thinking of their hangout as a date anyway. He nervously fidgeted with his hands as his right leg began shaking.

The clock was turning slowly and yet, Edyth was five minutes late and it was giving Jonathan immense anxiety about the whole situation.

Jonathan was starting to piece the pieces together – he was a bit of a chicken and there was nothing Edyth Swan could've done to fix that.

The moment his mind was made up, he flew out of the chair and right out the door of the café. He couldn't get out of there fast enough. His heart was beating a little too fast and sweat was beginning to form on the creases of his forehead.

He knew as he walked down the street, towards the crossing lights, that he had just made a mistake.

A regret he would now add to a list that was steadily growing – of all the things Jonathan was far too scared to do or say.

"Jonathan?"

He swiftly span around, his green eyes bulging out of his sockets as they drifted upon the brunette standing in front of him. She was leaning down on her right, making her appear shorter than normal.

Her hair was half tied up, and softly blowing in the wind. Her brown eyes sparkled with this emotion akin to mischief, but Jonathan was sure it couldn't have been that.

There sat a smirk upon Edyth's soft, pink, lips.

Jonathan's cheeks flamed up instantly and he stepped back for a moment. He was surprised to see her, but his surprise quickly turned into guilt as he realised, she had noticed him walk away from the café.

"Are you leaving already? We haven't even got to the good part yet," Edyth teased, resting a hand on her right hip.

She mock-scolded him for a moment before stepping backwards. She paused for a moment, staring straight into Jonathan, as if seeing all of his vulnerable parts.

He felt naked and entirely exposed.

Silence lapsed across them for a few moments as he tried in vain to find an excuse about why he had left their hang out before it had even started.

"Come on," She commented, smiling, "Aren't you going to ask me what the good part is?"

The heat crept down from his cheeks to his neck as he licked his suddenly, very dry lips.

He attempted to speak but nothing came out. He felt like such an idiot. Embarrassment swirled around in the pit of his belly as he struggled to explain or even answer her back.

Edyth let out a quiet, short laugh.

"It's okay if you're a little nervous. I apologise for being a little late. I hope we can continue our date inside that lovely café. What do you say?"

Jonathan felt relieved that she wasn't upset with him for running out before she had even arrived. The fact she had also confirmed that this was indeed a date made his heart sore.

"Y-yeah, sounds good. Don't stress," he answered, nodding mostly to himself.

He wanted to mentally facepalm himself for being a dork in times like these, but he was just glad that Edyth didn't mind so much.

She seemed entirely unbothered about this entire thing and he wasn't sure whether he should've been a little weirded out or just continue being thankful that she wasn't even half the weird person he was.

"Come on, I'll buy you an ice coffee," Edyth commented casually as she flicked her hair back, so it was out of her face.

Jonathan couldn't help but notice how effortlessly she managed to do everything.

As they entered the café, they walked towards the counter.

"Can I get an ice coffee and a vanilla hot chocolate, thanks," Edyth ordered with a pleasant smile on her face.

Her voice was soft and velvety. Jonathan could listen to her voice all day if he wanted to. She had this pleasant air about her that eased Jonathan's earlier nerves and doubts.

"That'll be five dollars, thanks," the clerk replied, swiftly, holding out their hand for the change.

Edyth was beginning to get her purse out but Jonathan knew better. If he wanted to wow this girl, he needed to be a little more romantic.

He pulled out the cash quickly and placed it in the man's hand.

"I've got this one," he stated, with a small smile placed upon his lips.

Edyth shook her head, looking over at him. Jonathan shrugged as his smile widened, becoming a little cheekier than before. He couldn't let the girl pay, surely not. He was raised with manners.

His mother may have been a single parent but she sure as hell raised him well. She would've been proud of him, if she ever came home.

She was always so wrapped up in work, working the odd hours. She was impeccably good at her job, but the hours were long, and she was hardly ever home anymore.

"You don't have to pay, you know that, right? We are living in 1993, I'm sure I can pay for my own drink," Edyth responded, pulling him out of his inner thoughts.

He blinked for a moment, trying to process what she had said.

And then it clicked.

Edyth Swan thought she was an independent woman.

"It's not trouble at all," Jonathan commented, nodding at the clerk as he headed towards a booth.

Edyth followed him, taking a seat across from him. He smirked over at her as she shook her head at him. Edyth pulled out a five dollar note, placing it on the table.

"Here, what I owe you."

Jonathan laughed, a hearty-laugh, "Both of our drinks equaled up to the price of five."

"I know."

"Then you wouldn't owe me fi-"

And then it hit him.

She was trying to pay for his drink too, all over again.

"Put it away," Jonathan replied, rolling his eyes.

A hint of a smile played on his lips.

"Five dollars is perfectly reasonable, if anything, I think you should've ordered a dessert as well," he said, winking.

The more the two of them talked – or bantered, really – the more comfortable he felt. Edyth made him want to be himself, without all of the nervous habits and tendencies he had picked up over time.

"Maybe I should have."

"You definitely should've."

Their laughs were both throaty. They continued talking as their drinks came and even as they became empty.

Jonathan had never felt so liberated. It was so easy to just be himself, because Edyth didn't have any prejudgments about who he was or who he should have been.

He loved Kishan and River to pieces but they definitely both had two different ideas about who Jonathan Attwood really was.

The best thing about first dates is that you got to be whoever you wanted – and Jonathan didn't want to be the basketball player or the guitar player, he just wanted to be him, the him underneath all of the facades.

Plain, old, Jonathan that still played with train sets because he thought were cool.

And somehow, Edyth Swan was digging the him he had been too afraid to show everybody else.