My dashboard read 19:10 as I sat in the deserted parking lot of a twenty-four-hour diner, waiting for Haydn to appear. The diner was a little out of the way, but it was empty and quiet, and right then that was all I needed, besides considering our time last night I found the location fitting.

It didn't take much longer for Haydn to arrive and when I saw her car park one space away from me, I couldn't help but smile because even though it hadn't been long since the last time I saw her, I still had missed her so much.

I quickly jumped out of my car and made my way over to her passenger door before tapping on the window. Even through the slightly tinted windows I could still make out the silhouette of her nervously biting her thumb as she unlocked the doors and once, I heard the familiar click I opened the door and got in.

"Hey." I smiled breathlessly as I took her in with her black Frank Ocean hoodie, black jeans, and long, untied hair.

"Hi." She sighed, seemingly a little nervous.

"How was the family dinner?" I asked trying to make small talk and she shrugged.

"As awkward and boring you'd imagine it to be." She said with a tight smile.

"So, I take that in between dinner and homework I'm the best part of your day." I joked and she laughed, a smile lighting up her face as she shook her head.

"It may be a little too early to tell but so far you really are." She sighed as she leaned back in the driver's seat, looking at me with those beautiful eyes of hers. "So, what did you have to talk to me about?" She asked as I glanced down at her hand on the arm rest between us and in an attempt to calm the anxiety brewing in my stomach, I tried to distract myself by playing with her fingertips.

"I just realized I wasn't clear as you were last night." I shrugged, a light blush taking over my face.

"Clear about what?" She asked, her hand wrapping itself around mine, forcing me to look up and meet her eyes.

"About my feelings for you." I sighed in a whisper, unable to take my eyes off her.

"What about your feelings for me?" She asked breathlessly, holding her breath as she waited for me to continue but I felt too nervous to even get the words out right.

"I like you, a lot." I blushed and when I saw the stunned expression on her face, I seized my opportunity to keep going. "Haydn, seeing you has become the best part of my day, you always help me and never get frustrated with me when I take long to understand something. You're smart, you're funny, and I think you're so beautiful I'm pretty sure I stop breathing for a second whenever you look at me." I rambled as I stared at our hands, not caring about anything else other than reassuring her that I liked her just as much as she liked me. "Running into you at that restaurant was the best thing to happen to me in a long time and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't make sure you knew that." I whispered and took a deep breath before looking up to see her still staring at me with an unreadable expression on her face- I immediately went red.

"You have no idea what a relief it is to hear you say that, because if you haven't realized by now, I feel the same way." She sighed, a beautiful smile I'd never seen before lighting up her and I decided I would do anything to see it again. "So, you think I'm beautiful?" She whispered, blushing slightly as I nodded, unable to find my voice with her eyes staring deeply into mine.

Instead of speaking, I leaned forward and, wrapping my hand around her neck, I pulled her forward until our lips met and the familiar sensation of butterflies filled my stomach. Haydn quickly took over the kiss, her hands on my waist as she pulled me closer, my body blind to the hand brake pushing into my stomach as her tongue gently teased my lips, but much to my disappointment she pulled away just as I started to become a little light-headed.

"Um, do you wanna maybe go inside and get a milkshake or something?" She whispered breathlessly against my lips as I nodded my head.

"Yeah, that sounds good," I whispered, whispered back with a smile, and we exited her car before we walked into the diner together.

Haydn led us to a booth at the back since there were quite a few customers still around and gestured for me to go in first before sliding in behind me. With our thighs pressing together and her arm draped around the back of my booth, we looked over the menu before settling on milkshakes and some fries.

"So..." She smiled shyly at me, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"So?" I asked as raised an eyebrow in curiousness.

"I want you to tell me something no one else knows about you." She carefully, seriously and I blushed.

"Well, that's going to be hard considering I'm an open book." I teased, obviously stalling as I racked my brain to tell her something impressive or cool- but I came up blank, so I had to settle for something not so impressive or cool. "But no one knows my deepest, darkest secret," I said dramatically, and she smiled.

"And what is this deep, dark secret of yours?" She asked and I sighed.

"Fine, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to laugh," I muttered, and she shook her head, smiling.

"Cristina, I pinky promise not to laugh." She swore, extending her pinky and I wrapped mine around hers before we kissed our hands- because a pinky promise was not sealed until you kiss your hand.

"I'm afraid of chickens, like terrified," I admitted seriously and when I saw her eyes light up in laughter, I couldn't help but smile. "You promised not to laugh," I whined, which finally caused her to lose her composure as she laughed at me, and I didn't even mind.

"I'm sorry." She laughed. "But chickens?! How do you even go to find that out?" She asked and I blushed as a memory from my childhood flashed in my mind.

"I was at my grandparents' farm in Spain for the summer when I was about five or six, and I thought I could feed the chickens on my own. They attacked me as soon as they saw me with the food and I have been terrified ever since, my grandparents even got rid of them." I explained, smiling when I watched her laugh at me all over again.

I didn't mind though; I would've gladly been the reason for her smile.

"You promised not to laugh." I pouted and she shook her head.

"I am so sorry; I just wasn't expecting that." She grinned playfully and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, now it's time you tell me something," I said gently nudging her shoulder with mine.

"One thing I'm scared of that no one knows about? Moths, definitely moths." She confirmed as she shook her head in disgust and I laughed. "Luna loved them though, said they were misunderstood." She grinned.

"Okay, we're even now- I forgive you for laughing." I smiled.

"So, it's agreed? I'll protect you from chickens if you handle the moths." She said jokingly and I nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," I said just before our waiter placed our milkshakes on our table and a plate of fries between us before disappearing again.

"These are so good." Haydn groaned after she took a sip of her milkshake and I nodded in agreement as I chewed on a fry.

"Really good." I laughed as I picked up another and dipped it in my milkshake before eating it.

"Ew, Cristina!" Haydn said suddenly, looking at me in disgust. "Did you just dip that into your milkshake and eat it?" She frowned and I nodded.

"Yeah, it's good," I promised and she side-eyed me, making me laugh a little. "Come on, have you never tried this as a kid after watching Kim Possible?" I asked and she shook her head.

"Nope, never watched TV." She smiled before looking down, her smile turning sad. "I didn't really get out much as a child." She shrugged and I frowned.

"Strict mom?" I asked as I took another sip of my milkshake and she sighed deeply before looking at me.

"Close, but no. She's an addict actually." She clarified, her eyes dropping from mine as she stirred her milkshake. I was grateful because I was caught off guard and sure my face showed my shock.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" I started but she cut me off.

"It's okay Cristina, you were going to find out at some point." She shrugged with a small smile, only glancing at me before turning her attention to the table. "It's the reason why I hate SpaghettiOs so much, I had to eat them cold whenever my mom passed out or disappeared or got too high to remember she had a child." She explained and my heart broke for her as a child, hell my heart broke for her now.

"Haydn, I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but I'm glad you're here now," I murmured lovingly, and she smiled, finally looking at me again and I couldn't help but lean forward and kiss her.

This kiss was different, while the others were emotional and slow, this one was warm and comforting. I pulled away before we could attract any attention and felt a blush settle in my cheeks when I saw the smile on her face as she looked down at me.

"You know what? I think I'll try this terrible idea of yours." She smiled as she took a fry and dipped it in her milkshake before taking a bite.

"See? It's good, right?" I grinned and she nodded slowly before she grimaced.

"This is awful." She frowned and I laughed.

"Hey, it's not that bad." I defended as I pushed her shoulder gently.

We talked and laughed in the booth until we remembered we had school the next day and parents who would probably skin us alive if we left any later so, I fought her, and lost, to pay the bill before we walked out with small smiles on our faces, stealing glances at each other.

"I had a great time tonight," I murmured, lacing our fingers together as we walked to our cars.

"Me too." She smiled. "Definitely the best part of my day." She confirmed before a comfortable silence settled over us as we took a few steps forward.

"Hey, Haydn? Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me about your mom it means a lot to me," I said honestly, and she smiled.

"Huh, I guess I do trust you." She said softly and my heart fluttered in my chest.

"Well, I trust you too, I wouldn't tell just anyone about my fear of chickens," I said jokingly as we came to a stop next to my car and I turned to face her.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you from the chickens." She grinned before she turned serious. "Can I ask you a question?" She whispered leaning closer and not trusting my voice I nodded. "Can I kiss you?" She murmured, her eyes looking at my lips before she looked back into my eyes.

"You don't have to ask," I whispered just before she leaned forward and placed her lips on mine.

The kiss started off innocent but quickly turned into anything but. A fire ignited in me as we moved our lips together and this time, with no one around, there was nothing stopping her as her hands settled on my hips, pushing me gently against my car while my hands found themselves in her hair as I pulled her closer. Haydn slipped her warm tongue into my mouth, a moan escaping my throat when I felt her tease my tongue with hers, not putting up a fight as she took control of the kiss.

The coldness of my car started to seep through my shirt as she pushed up against me, the kiss turning desperate, but I didn't care, dizzy from the electricity coursing through my veins to every cell in my body until she was the only thing I could think about.

"We should stop," Haydn murmured breathlessly against my lips as she pulled away and I felt goosebumps erupt on my skin.

"But I don't want to," I whispered, wrapping my arms around her waist.

"Me either, but we should take things slow." She whispered, gently pecking my lips before she wrapped her arms around me so that we were locked in an embrace.

"You're right," I sighed against the warm skin of her neck, smiling when I heard her breath hitch. "Hey, Haydn?" I asked I after pulled back.

"Yes, Cristina?" She smiled and I took a mental breath to prepare myself for what I was going to ask her.

"Do you mind if we keep this between us?" I asked and when I saw her frown I immediately panicked. "I mean not like a secret because literally, all my friends know about you. It's just, my last relationship was very public, and everyone felt like they had a say in what I did or had a right to judge me. I just don't want that to happen again Haydn, not with you." I explained and sighed in relief when I saw her frown dissipate.

"I understand, we can take our time." She promised with a smile and I swear I had never seen anyone look so beautiful. "Can I follow you home to make sure you get back safely?" She asked and I smiled as I nodded my head at her thoughtful gesture.

"Wait, one more question."

"Shoot."

"The other night, when I called you about our date there was a weird noise and an 'oh, fuck' and I've been wondering what the hell happened?" I asked and she took a step back from me, the cold night air a shock to my system.

"You heard that?" She asked and I nodded as I noticed a deep blush settle on her face, which was nice because it was normally me. "Well, when you said yes to going on a date with me, I might have cheered a little and may have fallen off the bed." She explained and I couldn't help but laugh. "Don't laugh at me, I was half asleep."

"Awww, you're blushing." I grinned, pulling her closer and she rolled her eyes playfully as a smile lit up her face.

"Shut up." She murmured, before kissing me again.