The conversation continued with us trading questions back-and-forth - generic ones such as "favourite season?" and "football or baseball?"; my answer had been "summer", Emer's "neither" - until our drinks had been drained and we were just left sitting there, talking.

After the initial awkwardness had dissipated, I found myself getting swept up in the tide of enjoyment, of easygoing banter.

Finally, peak period approached, and the café started filling up with customers. There was even a queue outside, and it was with a sudden startle that I realized we had unwittingly entered a popular café. No wonder the food had been overpriced.

It was to no small amount of my embarrassment when the waiter had to come over to our table - and he looked to be about my age, perhaps sixteen - and politely request us to buy something or leave.

Well, at least he was polite about his threat.

After being evicted from the café, we were left roaming the streets, just two vagabonds with a companionable silence between them.

I had certainly learnt more about Emer in the past... one hour? Two hours? Three? Well, however long had passed, I'd learnt more about him in that span of time than in about a week of our acquaintanceship.

Or was it friendship?

At least I knew his last name now. And note to self: Never tell Lez that Emer's and my last names rhyme. It would only serve as more fuel for the flame she had stoked.

The imaginary flame, I told myself firmly.

"Do you have a time you have to be back home by?" Emer asked, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck.

"Not particularly." I hadn't exactly told my parents that I'd gone out on a... well, not date. A day. Yeah, a day. Close-sounding to date, but not a date. For all they knew, I had detention for skipping school that day.

Speaking of which, the school had decided not to punish me. The school counsellor had had a little talk with me about my experience, and like my parent, she and the school board decided that having a man killed right in front of you definitely put a damper in you. So, that was punishment enough.

Then she'd let me off, but not before leveling a disconcertingly gentle look on me and murmuring the parting words: "If you ever need to talk about it, just come look for me."

Yeah, no thanks.

Back to the present.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I have to leave soon." Emer shot me an apologetic smile, eyes glinting with worry.

"Oh." I tried not to let it, but disappointment snaked its way through his veins. I offered him a smile. "It's okay. I understand."

But a small - okay, big - part of my brain was being a completely selfish asshole, pouting and thinking thoughts like But then what will I do? What's so important that you're ditching me when you're the one who asked me to meet up in the first place?

Emer seemed relieved, and that instantly filled me with shame at my own thoughts. "Thanks. I'm really sorry."

I waved a hand, a dismissive gesture. "So... where are we going now?"

He combed his fingers through his hair. Shrugged. Threw me a sheepish look. "Walk aimlessly around? Talk more? You know, at the same time?"

"Multitasking, eh?" A grin split my face.

"I'm a quick learner."

"Or I'm a good teacher."

"I'm sticking by my theory."

"I'm sticking by mine."

He let out a throaty chuckle, and was it my imagination, or did he move closer? Oh God, did his fingers just brush my skin?

I tingled pleasantly all over, then tried not to flush.

And somehow, words tumbled out of my mouth, somersaulting into the air. "We can go to my house."

His steps faltered, but within seconds, he had regained his composure. He arched an eyebrow at me, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lip. "Darlin'," he began in an exaggerated drawl, "don't you think we should take it slow?"

I let out a long, long, l o n g groan. Shot him a glare that could have impaled him. "Near my house," I amended. "There's a playground. If you don't mind putting up with yelling kids."

"That's shady."

"You are shady."

"I know. I'm like a palm tree."

I didn't know which I wanted to do more - smack him or burst out into laughter.

"All right, all right, I'm sorry." From the twinkle in his eyes, he was most definitely not sorry.

"It's too late now to say that."

When he stared blankly at me, I cringed. That sounded so bad when he did not understand the reference.

I waved a hand. "Nevermind, forget it. It's a song pun."

"Oh. Okay." He seemed disappointed.

Well, that killed the mood.

We walked along. Walking, walking, walking. Until I realized we were wandering aimlessly and Emer hadn't given a reply to my suggestion.

"So, um," I began awkwardly, fisting my hands in my pockets as I studied the interesting gray of the pavement. "My house?" That did not come out sounding right, instead hanging in the air as if from a noose.

Emer granted me a smile, effectively managing to slice through the noose. "Sure."

I stopped walking to get my bearings. Whipped my head this way and that, surveying the surroundings, until I could deduce that my neighbourhood was not too far away. A manageable walk.

I clapped my hands together, turning a beatific look on him. "Are you up for some walking?"

He returned my look with a bemused one of his own. "Let's go, Dora."

Again, did I laugh or smack him?

***

We made good time, all things considered - and the all things I considered were my aversion to exercise and extreme lack of stamina, which made for some uncomfortably heavy breathing when we'd had to dash across a road once or twice to avoid becoming roadkill.

I could tell when we neared the playground from the sounds of joyous children's laughter floating on the breeze, and that was almost enough to make me want to turn back around.

But we were already here, and if we didn't stick to our original plan - well, I had a Plans B and C, but they were a sort of last resort.

Plan B - bring Emer to Lez's house, and hopefully only Lez would be in. And hopefully I didn't stumble upon any inappropriate activities heating up the house between her and Sophie, for that would surely be awkward, but I digress.

Plan C - bring Emer home. No, not that way. I would be hoping and praying and pledging my firstborn to the devil for my parents to not be home. Although I would only resort to this plan if everything else went horribly awry.

The playground came in full view, and it was teeming with children. How could so many children even exist?

Laughing, playing, running around, exuberance palpable. Screaming, shouting, some crying could be heard in the mix of the cacophony.

"Wow."

Emer grimaced, tipping his head at me. "I agree."

"Do you think maybe this was a bad idea?" My eyes scoured for a place unoccupied by anyone, but there were none.

"Maybe."

I stole a quick glance at Emer before chirping, "Well, you know what they say."

"What?" he asked, regarding me warily.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

It was interesting to see the way Emer's expression shifted from first incredulity, to hesitation, then to excitement.

He nudged me lightly in the side, smiling broadly with a glimmer in his eyes. "Time to let our inner five-year-olds out."

I couldn't resist. "Let it goooo, let it goooooo - "

Perhap I should have thought twice, because upon hearing their anthem, a vast number of the kids looked up. Some joined in, singing loudly and off-key and harmonizing badly with each other.

A few other, more ambitious ones reenacted scenes from Frozen.

And the truly dedicated youngins had their Elsa and Anna and Olaf costumes out and on in a jiffy.

Watching the flurry of activity, induced by my lapse of judgment, I had to suppress a long groan. "I think that was a mistake."

"You think?"

I shot Emer a glare.

He held up his hands, laughing, then grasped my wrist and pulled me forward, into the crush of children.

"Hey!" I protested, but soon succumbed to laughter as well when a group of kids came over and started grabbing on to us, pleading for us to play a game of hide and seek with them.

Biting down on my lip, I met Emer's eyes. Our gazes locked, held for the longest moment, until the children dragged my attention back to them.

"I'll count to twenty," Emer announced. "Starting... now!"

Squealing, the children dispersed, practically falling over themselves to run away.

I hung back, not sure if I was supposed to join in the hiding, or assist with the seeking.

"Go hide," Emer urged, peeking out from between fingers that had covered his eyes.

He didn't have to tell me twice. "Don't peek!" Whipping around, I began running away, in search of a hiding place, while Emer's voice counting up chased me.

I'd just managed to duck under a bench, crouching down on my forearms and thighs on the gritty ground, when "I'm coming!" rang out.

It felt so exhilarating, being a kid once again, hiding from a seeker. My heart was shrieking a joyous melody.

I didn't know how long I stayed under there, but soon a scream rang out - a kid being found. Then more and more and more, until finally, Emer began to call my name in a singsongy voice, with other children joining in.

"Oh, Emerson! Come out, Em!"

I stifled a silly giggle. Ah, I'd forgotten what a heady feeling it was to be the last one left to be found.

More time passed, and with the more frantic calls for me, with Emer even saying, "C'mon, did you go home?", I contemplated just getting out and revealing myself.

I was about to, turning my head to the side - and came face-to-face with Emer's grinning face.

I'll admit that I screamed, just about having a heart attack, and I would have jumped had I not been crouched on the ground. As it was, I tried to get up and lost half my brain cells hitting my head on the underside of the bench.

"Ow," I moaned, slumping down to rub circles on my squeezing skull.

Instead of being concerned, Emer let out uproarious laughter. He laughed.

Glaring at him, I motioned for him to move aside, then crawled out of the space, standing up and stretching my limbs with a sigh of relief and not a small amount of satisfaction at having triumphed over a bunch of littles.

Speaking of the littles - they were standing around me, fanning out around Emer, barricading my way and letting out the occasional giggle.

I eyed them warily, then Emer. "Um..."

There was a twinkle in Emer's eyes that told me I should be afraid. Be very afraid.

"Attack her!"

With a sudden rush of sound, the children ran at me, flung themselves at me, climbing all over me and bringing me to the ground, flailing.

"What - why - HELP! Emer, I swear to - "

I was cut off by little hands and fingers coming at me, wiggling on my skin. They were tickling me.

"Hey - No - Stop!" I gasped out amidst breathless giggles.

The torture lasted for what felt like an eternity, making my sides split and lungs constrict, tears streaming down the sides of my face, but when the children got off me, and Emer knelt beside me, looking simultaneously concerned and amused, I had to lie there for a long, long time, gulping in breaths.

"Em? You okay?"

I mustered up all the energy I could to narrow my eyes at him. "I hate you."

"I hate you too." But he was grinning.

He offered me a hand, and I grabbed it, letting him pull me up. I had to take some time to reorient myself, to keep my legs from being too wobbly. When I could stand straight and had sufficient air in my lungs, I flew over to the swings.

Plopping myself on it, I called to Emer, "Come join me!"

He strode over, sitting on the swing beside mine, and letting out a "weee", I pushed myself off the ground, him following suit.

Our sounds of joy mingled in the air along with the children's, and as I soared, my heart did the same.

[A/N: This chapter is, like, long overdue. But I've been writing something else all this while *mysterious smile* If you liked this chapter, which was really fun to write tbh, feel free to leave a vote or comment! :)
The media is a cover of the unreleased song Welcome Distraction by Taylor Swift!]