[Center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/230627/5cb1eeac22bb411feded365806faa3db.png[/img]
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/78/9d/7c/789d7c847506bce4a4c1795265eb6d07.jpg[/img]
[b][Color=Crimson]Aurora Newman[/color] + [Color=00A651]Daniel Cooper[/Color][/b][/Center]
[Sub]Collab with [@Duskshine749][/Sub][hr]

It had been almost a week since the party and the werewolf attack. Daniel still hadn’t told anyone about his involvement in the whole thing. Well, other than Aurora, but she was a special case, Dan just found it so easy to talk to her. He was still agonizing over who to tell and when and he really needed a distraction. Luckily he had at least some reason to leave the house, his one nice shirt had been torn to shreds, and he really should have at least a couple of them. So he hopped in the car and drove over to Red Oaks Plaza, listening to a podcast about the latest gaming news on the way.

Once at the mall Daniel found a spot pretty far from the doors, but it was easy to park in and a little walking never hurt. He popped in a wireless earbud and continued his podcast as he walked into the mall, heading straight for the Walmart. His clothes didn’t need to be some fancy brand, they just needed to fulfill the function he wanted for them. In this case it was looking nicer than the stuff he usually wore.

His previous shirt was also from Walmart, so he was hoping he could maybe find the exact same one. Though knowing his luck, things he liked were probably out of fashion, so he would have to spend some time trying to figure out what he liked and what looked nice enough.


Sleep.

That’s how Aurora had spent most of her week-end, after her visit to the Cemetery. And it was well needed, her body needed to catch up on some sleep. When she finally woke up on Sunday, late morning. Much later than was normal for her; Aurora felt refreshed and like she had some of her energy back again, after having a few sleepless nights. 

After getting something to eat, for breakfast. Aurora fixed herself up for the day. Her [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e6/01/57/e6015783422e268e2d5424f07400a7ee.jpg]Outfit[/url] simple, opting for a t-shirt with a pair of jeans, light cardigan of sorts and flip-flops. She decided to head into town for a little shopping spree. Having run out of a few things at home, she thought it’d best to restock before it’d slip her mind again. After hopping into her car, the drive to town was pretty peaceful. Luckily, there wasn’t much traffic. Which was somewhat unusual on a week-end. But guess she caught it at the right time. Finding a parking space in the massive car park outside Walmart. Aurora parked her car beneath the shady spot. With her car being dark of color; it seemed to sap in more heat. Not wanting her car to be baking hot, when she’d finish. After locking up her car, she headed inside. A small trolley at hand, she began to browse through the familiar shop. By the time she reached the clothes section of the shop, she had a few things in the trolley; mainly bathroom products.

Spotting a familiar face, pouring over t-shirts; she cleared her throat so as not to startle him. [Color=Crimson]“Looking a bit lost there, do you need some help?”[/Color] Aurora offered, with a smile. 

[color=00a651]”Oh,Aurora, hey,”[/color] this was a surprise to be sure, but considering it was Aurora and not someone else it was certainly a welcome one, [color=00a651]”is it that obvious I have no clue what I’m doing? I need some nicer shirts to wear to social events, the only one I had was ruined last week.”[/color] Daniel thought about how thankful he was that Aurora had run into him as he paused his podcast and put his earbud away. She probably knew more about fashion than he did, and if he was being honest, she was the only one he really cared about impressing if he was going to be dressing up. [color=00a651]”I can join you for whatever it is you need if you’d like, shopping is easier with someone else I find.”[/color]


[Color=Crimson] “Hey.” [/Color] Returning the greeting with a smile. It seemed like her assumption about him being stuck wasn’t wrong. [Color=Crimson] “You just have that unsure look on your face.” [/Color] The female had learned how to read people; especially those that she had known for a long while. So reading his expressions was easy by now. Most of the time, she could suss out if something was up.

When he put away his ear-buds, Aurora herself took a proper glance over the male shirts and their varying style that were laid out in front of them. [Color=Crimson] “So, what sort of thing were you going for? Buttoned up or?” [/Color] Questioning, so she could have a better idea in her head what to help him look for, when it came to the nicer set of t-shirts that were being sold here. Hearing his offer, to help her with her own shopping, caused her to smile gratefully. [Color=Crimson] “Sure, that’d be nice. I mean if you don’t mind.” [/Color] Not that she was expecting him to help. But it was sweet of him to offer his help.

[color=00a651]”I don't mind at all, as for a shirt, button downs are nice, easy to remove, so I wouldn't mind one of them. I was also thinking of getting one with a collar and only a couple buttons. Damn it what are those called, a polo I think? One of them."[/color] Daniel grabbed a shirt off the rack, it was a black button up with some kind of repeating pattern on it, kinda like a flower, [color=00a651]”I don't really like shopping, I'm very likely to just grab the first thing I find acceptable, like this shirt, and buy it just to finish quickly. So I'm really glad I ran into you, you can make sure I get something actually nice."[/color]

Listening to what Daniel was looking for, Aurora nodded deep in thought. [Color=Crimson] “I am sure we can find you something.” [/Color] Looking around the section, it didn’t take long for her fashion keen eyes to spot what Daniel had in mind. Of course, Aurora picked out a selection of a few shirts for him to pick from. All of them were colors, in which her mind would bring out the color of his eyes. Therefore a good match for him.

Once they had found him a few suitable shirts; the rest of the shopping didn’t seem to go by that slowly. Aurora didn’t need that much, but still having Daniel helping out made it go by all the quicker. Going through her mental list, she double checked her trolley. [Color=Crimson] “I think we found everything.” [/Color]

Daniel was right in thinking shopping with Aurora would improve the experience. It still wasn't something that he really wanted to do, but if it was with Aurora, then he could certainly tolerate it a lot easier. [color=00a651]”Awesome, thanks again for helping me out Aurora,"[/color] at that moment Daniel's stomach decided to remind him he hadn't eaten breakfast with a loud grumble. [color=00a651]”I'm gonna get something to eat since we're done shopping now, wanna join me? It'll be my treat, as thanks for getting me looking more fashionable than I could ever be on my own."[/color]

[Color=Crimson] "Don't mention it. It was a pleasure." [/color] Aurora said with a soft smile. She was glad that he was happy with the choices she helped pick out for him. Aurora didn't think that his fashion had ever been wrong, just needed a little help to find some extra things. As he offered to get some food, she decided to join him. Feeling peckish despite having eaten earlier. [Color=Crimson] "Food sounds good." [/color] they deserved it after their shopping spree. With his help, carrying the few shopping bags she had was made easy.

They made their way down to the food court and decided on what looked good. Daniel spotted a table and sat at it, waiting for Aurora to sit as well before he started eating. He could get used to this, being with Aurora, just hanging out, it was nice. Easy. It just felt kinda right. [color=00a651]”You know, today almost felt like a date."[/color] Daniel was caught up in the moment and said what he was thinking. 

[color=00a651][I] What'd you say that for, dummy? She's nice to everyone, she's not doing it because she likes you. She knows you betrayed the coven, why would she ever want to be with you after that[/I][/color]

As they reached their destination, Aurora picked out a caesar salad and some lemon ice water. Sitting down at the table with Daniel; her bags beneath the table by their feet. She was about to take a sip of her drink when he said something that surprised her. [Color=Crimson] "P…pardon?" [/color] stammering a little. Did she hear him right? It wasn’t often that someone made her speechless, but in this instant she was. If only just a little bit. 

Wait. Did Daniel like her that way?  

She couldn't help but wonder if that's what he wanted. Aurora had to admit that she had always found him attractive and she couldn't help but have a bit of a crush on him. Despite his crimes, he was always a fun, sweet guy. Maybe this indeed felt like a date. But was it one? 


[color=00a651][I]Now you've done it…[/I][/color]

[color=00a651]"Don't worry about it,"[/color] Daniel said hastily, [color=00a651]"I mean, it was just a thought I was having. This is something people in relationships do, right? I'm probably not someone you'd want to be in a relationship with anyway, so, y'know, you can forget I said that."[/color] Well now this was awkward, they still had a whole meal to eat, Daniel considered just leaving but that would just make things worse the next time they saw each other. 

Aurora couldn't let it go. Too many thoughts were running through her mind right now. [Color=Crimson] "I can't let it go. I mean it's kind of hard to let it go, when it's out there on the table right now." [/color] She shook her head. Her brow furrowed as he tried to brush it aside. It was hard to let it go, considering what he had just said a few seconds ago.

[Color=crimson] "Maybe you're assuming wrong." [/color] pretty much letting it slip that she indeed did like him. 

Daniel was avoiding eye contact but looked back at Aurora on that last sentence. He never expected Aurora would feel the same way. Throughout university Daniel had never had much luck with girls, every time he tried to start dating he was turned down. But now this seemed to be different, Aurora was here and seemingly telling him she returned his feelings.

[color=00a651]"Aurora,[/color] Daniel took a sip of his drink and cleared his throat, [color=00a651]"would you like to go on a date with me? A real date, as nice as today has been it [I]was[/I] accidental."[/color] Well now it was out there, and if Daniel had misread the situation things were about to get a lot more awkward.

For a split moment she wondered if she said too much. Feeling nervous as he was avoiding looking at her. Had she misjudged what he said before? Hopefully not.

Biting her bottom lip slightly as she waited for him to say something. Anything. Then he said the golden words.
[Color=Crimson] "I'd love to." [/color] Aurora spoke with a warm smile. [Color=Crimson] "Even if was accidental, today has been nice." [/color] she spoke with a light blush. She did always enjoy spending time with him. 

[color=00a651]"Well it's not over yet, let's finish our food then I'll help you carry your stuff to your car."[/color] Daniel spoke with a smile on his face, lunch went from awkward to wonderful with just a few words, and he couldn't be more glad about it. 

She smiled back brightly. [Color=Crimson]“Sounds like a good plan.”[/color]As they ate their lunch, they enjoyed each other’s company; catching up on the last few days. Sure, Aurora had dated during her college years, but the relationships didn’t stick. The guys either turned out to be jerks, or there just wasn’t a deep enough of a connection for the relationships to actually be worth it. But things with Daniel were always easy, natural if anything. She couldn’t help but feel like a giddy teenager for the rest of their lunch hour.