The fresh food they had just gotten from Wendy's was on their trays. Snow sat across the table from Casey, who was ingesting the content of his Large Chicken sandwich, and she had her Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. They saved their appetite up till now so they could eat out for lunch. She loved Wendy's, especially their frosty.

"Yum," Snow said after taking a bite of her burger.

Casey just looked blankly at her as her eyes were smiling. Even though they were doing something ordinary, he still didn't know how she managed to look more cheery than he has ever seen in a person. There was like a sparkle that floated by her head.

"How is your burger?" she asked him.

"It's fine," he replied.

"Hmmph." Snow tilted her head back, her gaze quizzical and lips forming into a pout. "Same Casey." Her expression changed quickly into an oh-well face. "You're not already tired of me, are you?"

"Tired?"

"Yeah, like," she said, then trying to put it into words she knows. "I've been making you do things, and I feel kind of annoying." Then she asked concernedly, "aren't I?"

It had felt so weird to say it out loud for her. Part of her was inquisitive about what he thought of all this, and part of her wasn't sure if she'd like to hear it. It's the eighth day, and they still had twenty-two days left until their relationship was over.

She hoped she wasn't doing anything to hurt him later if this was still a good idea. They were just helping each other, but why did she feel guilty in using him somehow?

"I wouldn't use the word tired," Casey commented.

"Then what would you use?" she wondered; he always looked mysterious to her that she just couldn't know how to dig into him and his mind.

His eyes embraced a studious look, looking towards her, and she saw how he's thinking deeply. Ultimately, he said, "You're something else."

Something else? The word echoed loudly in her head. "What do you mean?"

"You're unlike anybody I know. Like how do I say this?" He quickly stared off to space then back at her. "I don't think I met a girl this close who's hospitable. It's kind of... weird."

Snow's eyes shifted to something worried, but Casey quickly frantic waved with one hand. "I just... ahh, I'm not good at this. Um..."

She held her breath, anticipating what he'd come up with for her.

"I haven't thought about you much until we started talking a little more."

"Is that right?" Snow asked softly.

"Yeah," he stated then taking a bite of his sandwich.

Snow wasn't sure what that meant for her, but he didn't say that he was tired of her. As she stared at his face, he may look like his usual self, but then she remembered the first time she saw him miserable. It painted those raw emotions and something deep that she couldn't explain.

That moment was still bright to her like she could see all of him at that time when he wasn't hiding how he felt.

Right now, he wasn't doing that. He could say that he's fine now, but there was still hurt in him. Something was telling her she should second-guess herself.

While their dates so far had helped her to get closer to him, she couldn't think that she wasn't doing a good job with him. She only acted like her usual self but was that enough?

She thought about breaking it down to him. "Hey, I know it's still early in our relationship mark, but I'm questioning if we can go on further. I feel like maybe I'm not a good partner to have."

Her head dipped down, avoiding his gaze. She was too ashamed to face him at this instance.

I have the best intention, but I don't know if I have the best ability.

There were some nights where she had to think about if what she was doing was okay or if it was becoming unnecessary; she couldn't quite tell for herself. It was hard to actually say it.

"What do you think?" Snow asked for his input.

Was he thinking about this like her? Would he call it off too? With Casey being this silent, the pressure in her head was getting to her and swelling like a mile in a minute. She wouldn't blame him if he wasn't into this whole thing and say that they should just call it quits between them.

The little chemistry they had between them might not be there anyway.

"Could you look me in the eyes first?" Casey said.

She pulled herself together and first took a sip of her Coca-Cola. The coldness re-freshness helped her as she prepped in her head, nodding 'okay.' Snow focused at his intense gaze that was looking straight at her.

"Are you uncomfortable with this? Do you want to cancel it?" she said slowly.

"You didn't hear what I said yet," he deadpanned.

"Right... go on," she urged.

"So..." Casey began. "I'll be upfront; I do think I am uncomfortable around you at first because... I don't know you very well for one, and two, no one has ever asked me to go out with them right after my first breakup." His eyes narrowed at her.

A soft yet nervous chuckle emitted from her lips with the facial expression that went 'oopsies.' Anyone with that point of view could think the same way.

"It was bizarre, and I didn't think I would've said yes. I don't have any experience with other girls. But you," he looked at her quizzically. "you're not terrible. You're not perfect. I like to see you guessing."

"See me guessing?"

"Yeah, like you're someone different. It's good to have a little bit different in your life, you get to learn something new. So, I wouldn't mind to find out what we could do for each other."

When he said that, the shock manifested in her eyes. "Then..."

"You told me that we both don't know anything about how love is like, I'm much as a beginner as you are, and we can figure out what we can do better," Casey said. There was something about the way he looked at her earnestly, and the way he sounded. "I'll try to do better."

From what he was saying, it wasn't a direct no. He then looked down in a forlorn way with his lips held together, and something told her that he truly meant what he said, and this much from him impacted her.

"You want to continue being my partner with me?" Snow asked for reassurance.

"It's okay with me," he said quietly enough for her to hear. 

"Then after this whole relationship series, we could just be normal... friends?"

The possibility that they didn't have to hang out on scheduled dates and could just act more normal around each other was one thing; the other thing was that maybe they could laugh about this and say this was one of the craziest memories to have when she looked back.

"Sure," Casey said, and she looked quite at ease with that.

"Really? That would be awesome."

This was at first that he talked a little bit more about his thoughts, it was a sign of progression from him, and she was caught up in this moment. "I may not know how to handle your problems, but I'll do whatever I can as a friend; I don't want to be a stranger, I want to be someone you can feel at ease with... would that be cool with you?" Snow said to him.

"That's cool," Casey replied casually.

For a while, they filled the time just sitting there eating their meal. Their relationship was still going on, and Snow had to think over again that he still cared about their progress. Maybe he really wants someone else to see him for who he was, so he could be better for himself.

Even though he was trying, when will he open to her? How could she even cheer him up right now and make their interaction better and alive?

Snow scanned the room, and her eyes shortly landed on a table that sat with two people: a guy and a girl, as they looked at each other in the eyes in a warm, loving gaze. He said something to her that made her giggle like what he had said was amusing. They talked a bit, and at first, it looked normal but then she saw him grabbed a piece of french fry to across the table for the girl to take a bite of it.

A longing for something affectionate was getting to her again. No, stop staring, or you'll cry about it. Snow had to convince herself to look away.

Her eyes then met with Casey's, whom he just looked at her strange. "What were you looking at?" he questioned.

"Uh... nothing?" She smiled at him so awkwardly, but he turned his head where she looked.

He watched them too, although, from the way he stares, was different than how she normally stare. The couple was becoming awfully chummy and yet natural; there was the face of happiness expressed with each of them.

It was almost as if a moment was representing something for him, and his expression became wistful.

When Casey did turn away his gaze away, there wasn't any expression to his countenance. It's like whenever something happened, even with the slightest of things, he couldn't help himself but be miserable about it.

He took a slow sip of his drink. It wasn't like he could drink all his sorrows away either.

It was up to her to come up with the best distraction to take a load off his mind. "I couldn't feed you the last time, so how about I let you feed me?" Snow said.

"What?"

"We're going to have to practice just the little things, and what better way than to start by feeding me that french fry." Her eyes held a glint of humor as she pointed to them, then her lips curved up slightly.

Casey had that really-are-you-for-reals kind of look to her.

"Just one fry. It wouldn't be bad."

When he didn't say anything, she emerged out the small yet hopeful expression on her face. "Will you, please?"

Eventually, he picked up a french fry from the paper box and held it for her to see it. Snow's eyes picked up, and she leaned forward with her elbows on the table, opening her mouth when he started to gradually move the french fry forward.

Despite the weird glance that he gave her for a millisecond, he passed the french fry test when the food went into her mouth. She chewed on it, making her cheeks look like a hamster as she smiled happily.

"Satisfied?" Casey asked.

"Yep." She nodded eagerly. "It tastes better when a lover feeds you."

Of course, it was an example she used for one of the things she imagined her future partner would do for her.

After swallowing, Snow said, "We'll take gradual steps at a time, okay?"

❥

It was the night time as Snow sat in her room alone and hugged her Stitch plush close to her. This was how she's like some days, coping with her feelings and insecurities that were there wide awake.

She was also like this when she's alone with her thoughts and her thoughts surfaced like a mist in thin air. Immersed in them so deeply, she couldn't get herself out.

Could she do a good job with Casey? What if she would fail and somehow become a bad partner to him? Would she know what to do in situations where it may require more attention or comforting? Would she become overbearing at one point because of her instinct to want to help? What if she did something that he didn't like?

Thoughts like those mastered the distress it takes up in her pretty head.

Soon she started wondering about how Casey was doing right now. Was he fine? What would he be doing right now? One thing a friend could do was to reach out to him and see how he was. Reaching out for her phone by the nightstand, she went through her text message and sent him a Hey.

Five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes later, a text message popped out that said hi from him.

How are you? what are you doing? she wrote.

it's fine. nm, he wrote back.

Snow looked at the text and pondered, tilting her head at his response. Not even through text messages, she would know what to say to him. His dry text response confused her just as much as he was in real life.

What was their next date again? She took the list out and brought it with her. She should change that to something else to make it more suitable.

Snow told him to disregard that idea and scratch it; she'll tell him on that day what they'd be doing instead.

For a while, they had a little bit back and forth conversation; it was just about how he took a nap when he came home and lie in bed watching random YouTube vids for hours. Her mind went back earlier in the day with Casey when they decided to keep going with their pace now.

Unbelievable, she didn't know what to think. Was this a chance to better a relationship between her and him as friends? If that was it, that's the only way she could go on about this.

Just then, she scrolled through her photos to find a picture that perhaps he would like. She had too many pictures stored that she just couldn't delete. Most of them were pictures of randoms, a couple of selfies, her and her friends, but mostly she had cute animal pictures. When she found something, she clicked on an image of cute pink flowers she spotted somewhere around campus last semester in the fall.

The sun had shone on them, and its brightness in the photo made them as pretty in the picture as it was in real life. The two pink flowers were surrounded by the leaves, as she thought she might have taken a picture of a bush with those flowers.

I hope it may help a little, but here are two cute pink flowers! I took it last semester and thought they were pretty. thought I might share it with you :)

Once she wrote out the text message and attached it with the picture, Snow sent it. She wouldn't know what he would think of, but maybe he'd like it.

At that very moment, Snow was inspired by the image, grabbing a pen and crossing off what she had originally planned, and instead wrote the new one next to it on the list.

Express.

▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓

I can't wait for the next chapter. Express, what do you think that is? I think I might have a little bit of fun writing that out. It's just going to be a little simplistic and reaching for them.

Also, Happy Friday! Hope you are enjoying your day. Do you think as later on when their relationship progress, it will be more natural for them to get along? 

Please vote and comment as it means the world to me!