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Ezra.

ezra couldn’t hide the smile on his face. sure, she was able to let her thoughts run wild past her lips more than he could. yet, a part of him wished he could reciprocate her emotions. ( it was times like these where he felt BROKEN ) the way she bit her lips just added to the emotions welling up inside him. why did it have to be ( five ) days? “then you’re in luck because i know a place,” he assured with a grin. he crossed his arms, playing along with her game. his eyes followed hers, his gaze softening with each feature examined. “how’d you guess?” he replied with a feigned look of shock. “i love mint chip.” placing his napkin on the table, ezra reached for her hand as he stood up. it would be the FIRST time the two would touch, and he prayed it wouldn’t be the LAST. “now you peg me as someone who likes things simple,” he mused, “maybe a chocolate or vanilla type of girl.” he mulled it over once more, “or are you a complete wild card?” the conversation was so light he had forgotten that it was a date. his heart beat with excitement knowing he’d share a room with her for the next few nights —- not wanting her presence and the light she brought wherever she went to fade. 

“  i’m an expert at readin’ people, ” she said with a delicate shrug and a coy, simpering smile. “ especially when it comes to their ice cream preferences. ” her brows raised in pleasant surprise as he offered his hand. she debated for a short moment, knowing it was against policy to leave before their food was served, but the thrill that shot down her spine quickly made up her mind. her fingers brushed along his palm as their hands connected and she grinned at the warmth, n e v e r wanting to let go. she found herself lacing their fingers together as he spoke, the motion comforting and almost second-nature. “ mm, simple, yes —— but you’ve guessed two of the three in neapolitan that leave somethin’ to be desired. i think the one you were lookin’ for was strawberry.” grin widening, her tongue poked between her teeth as she tilted her head at him. “ i may not be wild in my choice of flavors, but i don’t always play it completely safe. ” she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so .. weightless. there was no pressure, no underlying nerves, no sense of panic over however long they were going to last. for once, she felt as if maybe the system really did know exactly what it was doing in selecting matches for her. and, while it wasn’t the first time she didn’t look at the expiration date, it was the first time she didn’t really feel as if it was LOOMING over her head. she was going to enjoy every second she had with him, whether it was six hours or six years.

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trumatch task — ( 2 / ? )

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trumatch task — ( 1 / ? )

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Ezra.

ezra wasn’t one to distrust the system, but the ( five ) days just seemed too little for a pair that was getting along this well. “well, thank you. i’d like to consider myself adequate at social skills and cues,” he jested with another laugh as he took another sip of his water. her rosy cheeks, little ramblings, and southern bell persona was just enough to make his heart flutter. “well, i’d say you’d be the first to be mesmerized by words. never had much luck in the dating business. i guess that’s why we’re all here, though,” he replied with a soft shrug. the sudden silence made him feel as if he had said something wrong, but his face softened as she explained. shaking his head, ezra’s heart somewhat sank — this was why the days were numbered. darcie was just plain too good for him. “i don’t mind. i like hearing you talk. you shouldn’t apologize,” he assured with a smile. he instinctively rubbed his fingers over the face of his coach, his thoughts running a mile a minute ( what he would give for a cigarette or a drink ). “i’m gonna be honest here. i’m never hungry when i should be….but i’m always up for dessert — ice cream, especially,” he offered, hoping the date could be a little more casual and less forced. sitting at the same damn table was enough to drive him insane. 

" oh, yeah? well, that makes one of us, then. i’ve been told that i’m too scatter-brained for my own good. ‘ darcie’s easily distracted, ’ ‘ darcie’s in over her head, ’ ‘ darcie’s one screw short of a toolbox.’  y’know, the usual. everyone says i’m too caught up in the clouds to notice what’s goin’ on around me half the time. can’t say i blame ‘em .. considerin’ the evidence an’ all. ” her hands gestured as she spoke, probably only making her seem more e r r a t i c than she intended. her eyes dropped at the compliment and smiled at her silent coach in her lap, her fingers turning it idly in slow circles. her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth as it had a habit of doing when she was embarrassed before she brought her gaze back to him, the easy smile on his face doing wonders to ease her nerves. she was almost tempted to ask her coach how long she had with him if only in the hope that it was long enough to really get to know him. “ oh, ice cream sounds heavenly right about now. ” grinning, she brought one elbow up to the table and placed her chin on her palm, her ingrained manners screaming at her for the impropriety of the action, though she couldn’t find it in herself to care at the moment. “ so, what’s your flavor? no, wait —— lemme guess. ” narrowing her eyes in mock concentration, she looked him up and down, studying him for a moment, trying to get a good reading on him. it was proving to be difficult to keep herself from smiling, so she didn’t even try to stifle it. “ is it .. rocky road? oh, or moose tracks! something crunchy, is my guess. hmmm .. maybe .. mint chocolate chip? ”

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She hated being so clumsy with words, when words meant so much.

Joyce Carol Oates, The Spill, Give Me Your Heart (via wordsnquotes)

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Ezra.

maybe it was the fact that they had met before, but ezra’s anxiety seemed to have washed away. the girl was more than amicable ( not to mention beautiful too ), and they appeared to be getting along. ezra couldn’t help but laugh at himself — something he didn’t often do. “i think it’s best you’ve missed most of it,” he replied, “it’s ezra.” he felt a lull in the conversation forming, and quickly added, “i didn’t get this far in my head, so i guess now i’ll have to wing it.” the joke kept the evening light, and he was thankful his match wasn’t terrible.

darcie took a sip of her water as he spoke, her smile hidden but not gone. she felt an irrational sense of triumph when he mirrored her expression, the set of his shoulders relaxed. she wasn’t sure how long things would last with him ( she never liked knowing ), but she could definitely see herself falling quickly, which, of course, brought heat to her cheeks and throat again. “ you’re doin’ a pretty good job of it so far, ” she offered with a delicate shrug. “ ‘sides, it’s better that we’re both goin’ off script or our every conversation would be poorly balanced. i mean, can you imagine? it would take all the intrigue out of it for you and leave me all flustered and at a loss for words .. it takes two to two-step and i swear we’d both be trippin’ all over each other were that the case. then again... ” impossibly, it seemed, her face grew hotter as she snapped her mouth shut, clearing her throat and dropping her eyes as she realized she’d gone off on a tangent. “ i.. sorry. i guess now’s as good a time as any for you to learn about my.. ramblin’ habit.. ” she cringed, twisting her napkin in her lap, hoping he wouldn’t react poorly. “ feel free to interrupt next time it happens, ‘cause, unfortunately, i can promise you it will. ”

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Ezra.

a part of ezra knew that he’d never get used to the first date. yet, he was slowly but surely figuring out that it was much better than waiting for a match to come along. before he knew it, ezra found himself at the cafe. with wandering eyes, he waited for his coach to confirm which person was actually his date. of course it would be the girl who had saw him rehearsing in the park earlier. the system was funny that way. ezra nodded as he sat down across from her, “definitely.” taking a sip of his water, he let out a bit of a laugh. “i guess i can spare you the prepared speech, since you’ve already heard it,” he jested. 

darcie had a habit of either not having a clue what to say or r a m b l i n g on until the other person gave her an odd look. in this instance, though, it was strange, but there was something completely disarming about her match, something about the honest, if apprehensive way he spoke that made her feel as if she’d known him for years. it was odd, how comfortable she felt talking to him. and she knew it was .. ridiculous to say the least. she had just met him earlier in the day. “ i dunno, all i got from it was  ‘ hi ’ and ‘ time. ’ though, i think i got the gist of it. i’m darcie, by the way. was your name included in the part of the speech i missed? ”

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Ezra.

he felt his cheeks growing warm, and ezra looked down at his hands that shuffled through his pockets for a lighter. taking the cigarette that sat behind his ear, his eyes flickered back up to the blonde. “it’s just…a little fucked,” he replied with more honesty than he intended. “i don’t know what’s worse: the first date or the waiting.”  

her nose scrunched as he made to light a cigarette, her arms crossing over her chest. she dropped her eyes from him, knowing that she’d most likely say something he didn’t want to hear. “ that usually depends, y’know? the first date has the potential to be real great, but the waiting is never fun. ”

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Ezra.

it really didn’t matter how many times she did it, darcie didn’t think she’d ever get over the first date jitters. it was very nerve-wracking just thinking about how things might go or what the other person might be like. she was wringing her hands under the tablecloth, her fingers itching to grab her coach to ask what her match looked like. before she had the chance, though, she caught sight of the person she’d been talking to earlier in the park. a smile spread across her lips as he came closer and she lifted a hand to give a small wave. she felt heat rising to her cheeks before either of them said a word and she bit her lip in embarrassment. “ small world, ” she said lightly, trying to ease her nerves as well as she could.

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@adriandeluca: @darcierose disgustingly optimistic... do you actually believe this program is 99.8% accurate? seems a little far fetched if you ask me

@darcierose: @adriandeluca i mean, i wouldn't have bothered to join if i didn't believe in the results.

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@adriandeluca: @darcierose oh god... you're one of THOSE kinds of girls, aren't you?

@darcierose: @adriandeluca what type? optimistic?

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@adriandeluca: should i be alarmed my coach has been radio silent for a week? i'm starting to think she's actually given up on me... could i really be that lucky?

@darcierose: mmm i don't think lucky is the word i'd use! but don't give up hope!

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Ezra.

ezra let out all the air that was trapped within his lungs, as he paced. this constant anxiety of not knowing when he would be matched with someone was enough to make him drink himself into a coma. “hi…should we, uh,…the time we have?,” he mumbled — only bits and pieces leaving his lips as he practiced. his eyes left his feet for only a moment to realize he was not alone. “fuck,” ezra groaned, “i was just, well…this looks fuckin’ stupid. so, why bother explaining, right?” 

darcie’s step slowed to a halt as she heard someone muttering, obviously distressed. she glanced around, wondering whether or not she should say something, but he decided for her, though, when he addressed her directly. it was pretty adorable, actually, and she couldn’t keep herself from offering a smile. “ definitely not stupid. the stress kinda makes people nutty as a fruitcake, so i completely understand. ”

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Arthur.

Arthur was really just having the worst day. He felt like throwing a punch or maybe just drinking his woes away. Or even just sleeping in a bed, just anything. Finding a bench in the park, he decided to close his eyes as he took a seat to take a deep breath. He slowly felt a presence approach him, and without opening his eyes, he put up one hand to signal them to stop. “I’m having kind of a shit day, alright, so I’d appreciate if you just don’t.”

after an hour and ten laps around the park, darcie could certainly use a rest. pulling her earbuds from her ears, she jogged over to the closest bench. before she could sit, though, the prone body on the opposite end spoke up, causing her to pause. she chewed on her lip, shifting from foot to foot as she debated how to respond. “ i, uh, just wanna sit for a second. promise i won’t be a bother? ”

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Lennon.

“I’ve been more interested in the back of cereal boxes than I have been by you,” she said to her round device that was placed in her palm. “Coach? You’re actually good for nothing,” she huffed and as her personalized coach started to respond she slid it in her pocket. “Ah yeah –– shove it, will ya?” Lennon took a big huff, her hand ruffling through her auburn hair. “Mother fucker, I’d like to take a rock to you somedays,” she retorted to herself, walking towards a small pond as her small frame collided with another. “Oh shit, I’m sorry. I wasn’t lookin’ ––– I also wasn’t speaking to myself. I’m not crazy. But actually, I take that back. I totally was and I probably am.” 

there was something about painhill park that set it apart from the ones she’d grown up near, though she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was. it could easily be that there were no children chasing each other through the trees or that the landscape could’ve been stolen from any king arthur novel she’d ever read. or maybe, she mused as her shoulder collided with another person, it was how completely lost she could get in her thoughts that she’d run straight into another person. the collision jarred her, her breath escaping her in a gasp as she turned to face the poor person she’d accidentally hit. “ no, no — it was my fault. once i start thinkin’ ‘bout somethin’, my mind goes off on a tangent and it’s like the whole world disappears. ” she smiled breathlessly at the girl, squeezing her arm in a friendly gesture. “ honestly, who doesn’t talk to themselves every now and again? ”

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