Kate and Etta: awkward first date
Happy belated birthday, Eliza!!***“And then she leaned in and whispered–” Etta’s voice dropped to an axe murderer whisper. “Can I hold your hand.”
Kate lets out an audible shudder. “What did you do?”
“Held her hand, obviously,” Etta says. “I mean, yeah, it was obvious by this point that me and Sophia were not going to be a thing, but I was in this now, y'know? I wanted the moral high ground on that date failure.”
Kate giggles. Kate never giggles. There’s a distinct possibility that Etta has never felt accomplishment like this before.
“We held hands for the next. Forty-five. Minutes. My hand itched so bad, Kate. So bad,” Etta says. Kate’s shoulders are shaking with her suppressed laughter. “Thankfully at one point she got up to go to the bathroom. So I took the opportunity to my arms for the rest of the movie.”
“Did you even like this girl?” Kate says.
“Kind of?” Etta says. “I didn’t really get that there was a difference between ‘people who are willing to talk to you’ and 'people you’d want to date.’ You know. High school.”
“High school,” Kate agrees grimly. “Okay, next.”
“Nuh-uh,” Etta laughs. “It’s your turn. Most awkward date, go.”Kate’s grin shifts into a wry smile. “Don’t have one.” At Etta’s look, she amends, “Nothing that would make a good story, anyway.”
“… oh.” Etta falters. Kate’s still smiling, but. “… good dates, then?”
“Nothing worth telling there, either,” Kate says.
Etta stares, pointedly, at Kate’s face. It’s probably impolite. But in her defense, it’s hard not to look at Kate’s face
And before she can stop herself, she mumbles, “The hell is wrong with people.”
For a second, Kate’s frozen.
Then she throws her head back and cackles.
“That,” she says, “is what I keep saying.”
