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[sub][i][b]A [@Venus] & [@NeoAJ] Collaboration
Featuring [color=magenta]Charlotte Diedrikson[/color] & [color=87b5eb]Kieran O’Connor [/color][/b][/i][/sub]
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[color=darkgray][indent][indent][i]“Oh Daddy! I love it! This is the best gift ever!”[/i]

If Kieran had to hear another teenager squeal like that, he was going to lose his mind. Yes, these shows were getting Lottie through a very rough time, and yes, she had a little bit of a breakthrough earlier tonight, but was it worth this? Watching stuck-up Sara with two r’s affirm that her stepfather’s attempts to buy her love were successful as she drank diamonds out of a glass? Maybe Kieran was losing the plot a little bit. Still, there had to be something else they could do with their time.

But what could get Lottie out of bed and out into the Vermont night for the first time in a week? He looked to his girlfriend, the yakisoba container having been banished to the end table for the moment. Typically on a date, this would be when the dessert comes, but it was fall, and that meant no sweets for the hockey player. Sugar makes him slow. However, there were options around for sure…

[color=87b5eb]“Hey Ace,”[/color] he started. [color=87b5eb]“Want to go out and grab some dessert? There’s an ice cream place around the block from here and they do a great frozen yogurt. You can even get toppings if you want.”[/color]

The suggestion of going out to get her most favorite dessert in the world caused Lottie's head to perk up from her place in Kieran's lap. [color=magenta]"FroYo, you say?"[/color] she asked him, with a hint of her old sparkle in her eyes.

[color=87b5eb]“Yeah,”[/color] he confirmed. [color=87b5eb]“It’s pretty good! Plus you know how I am about my sugar during the season, so it’s perfect for both of us.”[/color]

Lottie didn’t have to be told twice. Before Kieran could realize it, the young woman was sprinting up from the bed and quickly going through the motions of getting ready. In less than ten minutes, the girl had changed her stained pajamas for something more suitable, brushed and styled her hair into a ponytail, spritzed on some body splash, slipped on some shoes and declared herself ready.

[color=magenta]“I’m doneeeeeee~!”[/color] she announced, standing in front of Kiki with her hands on her hips.

Kieran stood in the doorway, content to go gallivanting to the promised ice cream place in just his t-shirt and shorts. It wasn’t like he had to get too made up for this trek. But still, it was nice to see Lottie out of her pyjamas for a change. That was a win itself.

[color=87b5eb]“Looking good, Lottie. All right, let’s go get some treats,”[/color] he offered as he held his keys and the door for the lady.

It didn’t take too long to arrive at La Cremerie. As Kieran said, it was literally around the corner from the building, which made it all too tempting in the offseason. The pretentious name was a little bit of a put off. Kiki didn’t put up with too much French in Newfoundland, he didn’t need to put up with it in Vermont. Even if the state’s name was French. It knew it was operating for the college clientele though, with it’s late hours and some offerings that would only appeal to someone who had enjoyed a fair amount of marijuana.

[color=87b5eb]“All right. You’ve got a whole menu you can choose from, and it’s on me, so don’t hold back. Make sure you get [b]everything[/b] you want.”[/color]

[color=magenta]“Yay!”[/color] Lottie cheered, excitedly clapping her hands together before taking the cozy little shop by store. One minute she was choosing the açai yogurt flavor from the machine, the next she was adding on a plethora of items from the toppings bar, and in record time she was at the cash register eagerly waiting for Kieran to get the bill of her yogurt mountain. [color=magenta]“C’mon, Kiki! Why are you taking so long? We’ve been here enough times for you to know what to pick by now!”[/color]

Kieran did know what he was getting. In fact, it was pretty straight forward at this point. His in-season dish was a cup of sugar-free vanilla frozen yogurt, with some bananas and blueberries on top for natural flavor. It didn’t take him long to create such a simple concoction, but watching Lottie come through with all her favorite fixings on top of the purplish dairy treat made him just a little bit jealous that he couldn’t fully indulge as well. The nutella in particular was looking tasty atop that dish. He had to hold himself back from returning to the topping bar and adding it on. But no, he had a regimen to stick to.

[color=87b5eb]“Well, I had to see what was left!”[/color] he joked as he came up to the cash register where a tired-looking freshman appeared to be working. [color=87b5eb]“Plus I’m hoping the smell of the nutella will be enough to sustain me.”[/color] The number on the cash register didn’t matter at the moment, even if it was definitely the price of a couple meals at the hall. A quick tap of the debit card he produced from his wallet was enough to seal the deal. [color=87b5eb]“All right, do you want to eat here? Or back at the apartment?”[/color]

Charlotte’s answer was immediate. [color=magenta]“Definitely here! I think I’m ready to admit I’ve been cooped up in the apartment for too long,”[/color] she said with a laugh, grabbing her yogurt mountain cup from the counter and making a beeline straight for one of the tables next to the window, where they could watch those coming and going around them.

The Canadian smiled in agreement as he followed the American girl to their selected seats, pausing only to grab a couple spoons and some napkins, just in case. [color=87b5eb]“Yeah, that’s a good call. Gotta be some good people watching on a Friday night, eh?[/color] A slight burp escaped his lips as the smell of garlic caught him flush in the face. He couldn’t hide his displeasure. [color=87b5eb][i]Ugh. Didn’t realize the shawarma smelled that bad. Hopefully the froyo will cover up that rancid fishfest in my mouth.[/i][/color] 

The short blonde giggled. [color=magenta]“I told you that thing you were eating smelled,”[/color] she chortled, taking one of the empty seats of their selected table. [color=magenta]“Now you know I wasn’t picky or crazy.”[/color]

As he plunked himself down opposite his girlfriend, he had to ask, [color=87b5eb]“So what are you calling that there creation of yours, Lottie?”[/color]

Lottie’s smile widened. [color=magenta]“[i]This[/i] right here is called the Açai Everest,”[/color] she proudly declared, dramatically gesturing towards her yogurt mountain. [color=magenta]“It’s an açai flavored yogurt with granola bites, almonds, nutella, coconut flakes, honey, bananas and strawberries. The perfect blend of healthy and unhealthy,”[/color] she said with a laugh. [color=magenta]“And what do you call that less than exciting creation of yours, Viking? Basic Bitch Hill?”[/color] the girl teased.

Kieran shrugged and offered a small chuckle as he stuck his spoon into his desert. [color=87b5eb]“Laugh all you want. You know what I would be eating right now if I could there, Munchkin.”[/color] He took a huge mouthful of the desert hoping to mask the offending smell. [color=87b5eb]“Nah, this is just a Carb-free Pancake. My mom used to put blueberries and bananas in them all the time, and then she would load it up with whipped cream. I’d have maple syrup on here if I could, but you know my rules.”[/color]

[color=magenta]“Oh my God, that’s actually really freaking sweet,”[/color] Charlotte cooed, taking a bite of her own frozen concoction. [color=magenta]“Now I feel kinda bad for making fun of it!”[/color]

As Kieran let the fruit and cream dance on his tongue for a second before swallowing, he smiled. [color=87b5eb]“I know, eh? Sorry for being such a softie, but it’s the little things like that that make it feel like the family isn’t 1,000 miles away, you know. ‘Course the bananas taste better, too. By the time they make the shops in Harbour Grace, they are halfway to rotten. It’s why mom had to mash them into the pancakes themselves.”[/color] He realized he was probably talking too much. [color=87b5eb]“See, this is the kind of boring mushy stuff you’re going to learn about me being around so much. Hope I don’t destroy the image of the big tough punchy guy you know and love.”[/color]

[color=magenta]“Hell no! If anything, it makes you a lot more endearing,”[/color] she admitted with a giggle and a wink. It was the little things like that that made a person interesting, and Lottie loved to hear the stories about how her favorite people came to be who they were. Now, however, she felt like she needed to compensate Kieran with a fun fact of her own. [color=magenta]“I’ll tell you something curious about me: although I don’t look like it, I’m actually a big fan of lacrosse.”[/color]

That got an eyebrow raise out of Kieran. [color=87b5eb]“Really? I didn’t know they had lacrosse down in Florida. You sure you aren’t secretly Canadian?”[/color] He smiled as a few more blueberries found his lips.

Charlotte could only laugh at his assumption. [color=magenta]“You’d be surprised. In my corner of Palm Beach, lacrosse is tied with football when it comes to the most popular boys’ sport-- especially for my family: the Wallenbergs and the Diedriksons,”[/color] she told him in between spoonfuls of yogurt. [color=magenta]“It’s sort of a family tradition that all the boys in my family play lacrosse at some point. My grandfather was the captain of our lacrosse team back in the day, and so were my daddy and his cousin Max. Naturally, that means that my brother Richie is expected to ‘carry on the Diedrikson/Wallenberg lacrosse legacy’- especially since my oldest cousin Teddy quit before he could make it to captain. I’m glad [i]I’m[/i] not in his shoes. That’s a hell of a lot of success to live up to.”[/color] 

[color=87b5eb]“Huh,”[/color] Kieran said nodding as he continued to dig into his dessert. [color=87b5eb]“Didn’t realize it was that serious. Funny enough, lacrosse has like no traction on the Rock. It’s basically hockey or nothing. Course, I was the first in my family to be good enough to actually stick with hockey past junior level. All the other males in the family headed out on the boats. Kinda glad I get to avoid that too. I think you’d make a lot more money in tennis than in lacrosse, eh? And besides, can’t imagine you taking a cross-check into the boards. I mean, no offense, Munchkin.”[/color]

[color=magenta]“None taken! Although I [i]did[/i] pick up a few things from the boys here and there when I watch them. I tried to get them to let me play whenever they practiced in the backyard, but they insisted it was too risky. And after seeing how rough they got with each other, I can’t say I blame them,”[/color] she chortled at the memory, picturing the many times the tall, broad boys of the family had to wrestle the short, fiery blonde away from their makeshift field and to a safe distance in order to prevent her from potentially getting hurt. It made her heart ache with nostalgia and homesickness. [color=magenta]“I kind of miss it now, you know? The electricity in the air during the games, the family pizza parties afterwards whenever they won the smaller games, the house parties whenever they won the big championships, the smile on my daddy’s face whenever he watches his boys play… It’s those kinds of things the ones you truly remember when it all comes down to it.”[/color]

As Kieran listened to Charlotte describe the emotions and the atmosphere of those lacrosse games, he couldn’t help but feel the ache himself, pulling him back home to when the entire town would gather at the rink for tournament days and in the fall the arena chill would be contrasted with the smell of fried fish outside. [color=87b5eb]“Guess it’s kinda funny, eh? How similar things can be even on entirely different ends of the continent. Really makes you appreciate life and everything. Especially how two people can just come together in the blink of an eye and just start really getting in tune with each other.”[/color]

Another spoonful of fruit found Kieran’s mouth as he pondered just how lucky he really was with how everything was breaking down. Funny that at the Bash going steady was the last thing on his mind, but now? Now it made a lot of sense. Certainly with this one. He looked into Lottie’s hazel eyes and couldn’t help but smile. [color=87b5eb]“Course, if you were secretly Canadian, that would explain a lot. Why I can’t take my eyes off you even when you have Nutella on your face, for one thing.”[/color]

[color=magenta]“I do?”[/color] Lottie inquired with a frown, dropping the spoon on her now-empty yogurt cup and wiping away at any potential Nutella stains around her mouth. After she was sure her face was clean, she turned back to Kieran. [color=magenta]“Is it gone? Did I get all of it?”[/color] she asked him, leaning over the table and closer to the young man so he could have a better view of any remaining traces of chocolate.

The Canuck leaned forward, as if to gaze upon the visage before him and discern any tell-tale signs of hazelnut goodness lingering on her face. [color=87b5eb]“Let’s see here… Ah, I think I can see where you missed a spot. One sec…”[/color] He pushed forward over the table and placed a quick kiss on Lottie’s lips. He couldn’t taste any chocolate, but he figured this was sweeter anyway. He pulled back and eyed up Charlotte’s face once more. [color=87b5eb]“Yeah, I think we’re good. That was the last of it.”[/color]

The blonde couldn’t help but smile and shake her head in disbelief. [color=magenta]“I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”[/color] she playfully asked her companion. It had been a while since the last time she and Kieran had done anything other than hug and cuddle-- the breakup had left her with no other desire than to wallow in her own misery.

But now, as her soft, sparkling brown eyes stared into his with nothing but pure affection, Charlotte felt as if maybe- just maybe- she could start to move on and build something new. And who better with than the one person who had been in her corner all along?

Before she knew it, Lottie was once again leaning forward, cupping Kieran’s face and pressing her lips to his, pulling him into a sweet, deep kiss.

Now he could taste the chocolate. It was just how Kiki remembered it.

It was like Charlotte had suddenly reignited, taking what she wanted when she wanted. Kieran was glad it was him. Being able to feel those hands upon his face again, those soft, unyielding hands that were a force with a racket in them, yet were so gentle now. That passion she had in everything she did. The passion that had been missing since she left Joey. It was there now, and it was electric.

Kieran didn’t want the kiss to end, but end it must. As the couple broke the liplock, Kieran’s big blue eyes didn’t want to let Lottie out of his sight. [color=87b5eb]“Not so sure I walked into that one, but I definitely don’t mind it at all,”[/color] he confirmed. [color=87b5eb]“I missed that, Lottie.”[/color]

[color=magenta]“I missed it, too,”[/color] Lottie admitted, her lips and cheeks slightly tinged with red and not tearing her own eyes away from Kieran. She was quiet for a few seconds, seemingly taking in every feature of the young man’s handsome face: his messy blond hair, his strong jaw, his thin lips, his blue eyes… [color=magenta]“I think I’m ready to head back now. There’s something else I feel like doing right now.”[/color]

Kieran raised an eyebrow and smiled. [color=87b5eb]“Of course, sweet,”[/color] he said as he scooped up the two empty bowls in front of them. [color=87b5eb]“Whatever the lady desires, she shall have.”[/color] He quickly disposed of the remains of their treat in the garbage bin and walked back to where Lottie now stood. [color=87b5eb]“Whenever you’re ready.”[/color]

[color=magenta]“I’m definitely ready now,”[/color] she answered softly, looking up at Kieran with a smile as she closed the distance between them and locked both her hands with his. [color=magenta]“Let’s go back home.”[/color][/indent][/indent][/color]