[color=silver][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/DejMis0.png[/img]
[sub]Starring: [color=cf5685]Julie Macmillan[/color] [@spooner] & [color=fff700]Ryland Aspen[/color] [@TootsiePop][/sub]
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[indent]Almost there and he felt utterly hopeless. Julie didn’t seem to be irritated yet, even if they already stopped at three places and it wasn’t their final destination. The first stop was probably the most… odd place… to take her. 7-Eleven. Far from classy, but the perfect place for guilty, sweet drinks. There, Ryland had shared with her about an old family tradition. When he was younger, his dad would buy him and his siblings Slurpees, after they competitively did their chores, to see who could clean the fastest, and who could clean their part of the house to their step mother’s liking. As if her life depended on it, Alaina would point out every spot they missed, only causing them to clean again in hopes they would clean to her standards. After a long day of chores, their father felt like they all deserved something to make them feel guilty, and yet have no regrets. To indulge in one of the greatest pleasures known to men! 7-Eleven Slurpees. 

7-Eleven wasn’t a place that Julie was that familiar with. Of course, she knew [i]of[/i] the place but she hadn’t really frequented the establishment like it seemed that Ryland had done. But she enjoyed his story about his tradition and his father with a smile as they walked through the aisles. The sheer size of Slurpees that Ryland presented shocked Julie as she took one of the icy treats from him.     

The second stop was the boardwalk, where he knew a food truck festival was happening. Regardless if he convinced her to come or not at the dance, he was planning on coming here anyway, possibly with his best friends, to check out the food. The experience turned out to be better than he could imagine because she was there. Truth be told, Rye knew hardly anything about Julie. Sol and Sonny told him a couple of things, but it wasn’t enough for him to feel confident in his decisions about where to take her. If anything, this date was to show her little things about him, give her selling points on why she should date him, even if he was flying by the seat of his pants. 

All Julie could do was to smile as she listened to Ryland talk. It was so refreshing to her to be with a guy who was one hundred percent himself. Listening to him talk about his family back in Los Angeles made her yearn for her sister more than anything. Sure she loved her father very much but he is so busy they didn’t spend as much time together as she wanted to. And now when her sister was out doing her own thing she was mostly alone aside from Chanel. Who also had been busy with her new cheerleading venture. So having someone pay attention to her again was very welcome. 

Food trucks, to Ryland, was an experience everyone should have. Some of the best food was from the smallest of kitchens.  More importantly, though? This was an experience best enjoyed with another person, because together, you ate, enjoyed the atmosphere, and the people. Here, he shared with her how his dad, ever since his old man was a teen and presently, would go out of his way to visit local restaurants to see if there were food challenges, in hopes to get a free meal out of it. His old man was a beast when it came to eating and somehow, the only thing causing him to gain weight was beer and not food. 

She marveled at the number of different styles of food that the trucks offered. Julie was used to being catered too, never really having to worry about not being able to get what she wanted. And though she loved what Claire, the Macmillan house chef delivered. There was something special about all of these cooks and chefs gathered together in one place. It made it even more special that she was exploring it with someone new. 

The further they ventured on their date, the more he started to realize how much he actually admired his father, and that was probably a good sign that he was on the right path. The third stop wasn’t too far from the boardwalk. With a skip and a jump, they were at [i]Froyolicious[/i] and he treated her to whatever froyo and toppings she wanted, as well as buy a box of decently priced macarons for them to share. It was a no brainer that dinner was better with dessert. 

Here, he tried to poke into her head, hoping by now, she warmed up to him to share something, even if it was an inkling of her feelings or something she was fond of. 

She regaled him with stories about all of her family’s travels, about the fashion shows. The adventures she and her sister went on in Paris and Milan as their father was busy at work. But she also talked about her other passions that most of the people at King’s didn’t know about. How she loved classic art and was the one who picked out all of the art that hung in the Macmillan estate or how she had a vast library where she liked to spend lazy Sundays just leisurely reading.  

With their proximity getting closer and closer, every step they made, Rye started feeling like Christian from Moulin Rouge, trying to impress his Satine during the Elephant Medley song.  

In a blink of an eye, their time together was nearing an end and he had one last stop for her.  As he drove down N Quadrille Boulevard, he tapped his fingers on the wheel and asked her a serious question, keeping things completely honest and genuine, [color=fff700]“So… how I spoke to Ariel, like a month or so ago, is that water under the bridge? Or…”[/color] He trailed off, glancing at her like a puppy dog, seeking forgiveness and hoping whatever he was doing was impressing her and not wasting any of their time. 

Julie just stayed quiet dabbing her mouth gingerly with a Froyolicious branded napkin. She slowly turned to face his big brown eyes she let out a slow sigh. [color=CF5685]“I don’t think that is for me to decide now is it?”[/color] she said softly, [color=CF5685]“I think you need to speak to Ariel about that.”[/color] 

[color=CF5685]“I mean… are you done calling girls stupid?”[/color] she teased turning her whole body to face him knowing full well what she was showcasing. 

[color=fff700]“Oh yeah! Of course.”[/color] He nervously laughed. If Rye’s aunt had told his stepmother about [i]that[/i], that would’ve bitten him in the ass far more than he could ever imagine. He was fortunate enough Aunt Miley chose to not air his dirty laundry out, and simply gave him advice. She had told him the times his own father used to say things without thinking first, and at the time, it broke their mother’s heart. If anything, she saw a lot of Rhett in Rye every day, especially the reckless side of her brother. 

[color=fff700]“I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. While this doesn’t excuse my actions, I was… caught up with myself.”[/color] He sheepishly smiled, obviously ashamed of how he acted that day. [color=fff700]“Dad uprooted my life, because I’m a fuck up, and then one of the first things I see is a good friend of mine, well second thing…”[/color] He was rambling but he had just remembered the reason why his day was set off badly. The reason the dominoes started falling. He witnessed his two best friends making out before he even knew they were an item.  [color=fff700]“...getting back with her ex, who she’s cried about to me. IDK, it was a lot. But I know now, it’s not something I should get involved with.”[/color]

[color=CF5685]“Mmmh…”[/color] Julie mused reaching up to pull out the large pin holding her hairstyle up, it had started to give her a bit of a headache but still, she knew what she was doing. As soon as she pulled the pin out her luscious red hair cascaded around her. She shook it out a little with her hands before collecting it all to one side. [color=CF5685]“I used to be the same… you know inserting myself in other people’s business. I used to be known for it.”[/color] she smiled and let out a soft giggle. 

Julie reached out and placed her hand on his [color=CF5685]“And you know what I’ve learned Ryland?”[/color] she asked letting her hand travel up his arm until she reached his long hair where she laced her fingers into a lock of it [color=CF5685]“It’s better to focus on oneself and let people figure out what to do on their own.”[/color] she said softly putting the lock behind his ear caressing his cheek as she pulled back her hand. 

Wow. 

Ryland was speechless. Not because of the advice she was giving, but because of everything she was doing while speaking. His brown gaze observed her as she released her sunset hair, letting it freshly spill and become flames fanned by the breeze.  There was a radiant glow when Julie spoke and for someone his age, she had such wisdom behind her soft and kind blueish-gray eyes. She was far from the little girls he’s seen at their school. Nah, man. She was a full-fledged woman and needed to be wooed as such. 

He could never compete with her family since there was no doubt in his mind she could be given everything she ever wanted by them and more. Even so… he eyed her as her hand traveled up his arm to play with his hair and then push it behind his ear… Even so, he believed he had something to offer that no one else could. He didn’t know what exactly yet, but if he continued believing in that inkling of hope that he could get her to fall for him hard, then there was still at least a one percent chance he could do this. A losing battle was only guaranteed if you gave up, and Ryland Aspen was not a quitter. 

That being said… what the hell should he say now? Rye hoped his face wasn’t turning red. Julie’s seductive prowess was a lot harder to manage in a situation like this where it was just them in a car, alone. Not wanting the silence to go on for too long, he reached his hand to her chin and whispered,  [color=fff700]“You missed a spot.”[/color] He cleaned her skin of Froyo, before bringing his attention back to the road. Welp. That’s how you ruin a moment. Thank GOD they were almost there! 

Julie just settled back into her seat smiling to herself. She kept her eyes on the road ahead absentmindedly playing with her own hair now. Twirling a piece in her fingers as she let the silence linger. She shifted her eyes towards Ryland for a second and spotted the look on his face, she had him exactly where she wanted him. 

The redhead hiked up her dress so she could show off her pale legs as she recrossed them.  [color=CF5685]“So… new kid. Where are you taking me?”[/color]    [/indent][/color]