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xp_logsPaige and Jono go on a Valentine's Day date.
Had it taken Paige a few hours to pick an outfit for her date with Jono, even with Mel’s help? Yes, but it was their first date AND it was Valentine’s Day. It had to be perfect. Eventually she had managed to find a skirt and tights that matched the jacket Jono had given her for Christmas.
She tried not to rock back and forth on her heels out of excitement as she knocked on Jono’s door.
He froze a bit when he opened the door, just taking her in. He couldn't help but wonder how he got so lucky, and then hope that she hadn't accidentally heard that. "You're gorgeous."
He reached over to the little table he and Hank kept next to the door and held out some flowers. It was silly and he knew it was silly when he'd ordered them, but he'd tried to get her a bouquet based on the language of flowers- even if she didn't look them up he hoped she at least thought they were pretty. Baby's Breath, camellias in all three shades (red, pink, and white), pink carnations, red chrysanthemums, red salvias...
"I- I uh got you flowers....We can put them in water here if you don't want to carry them but-"
Paige felt her face getting warm. “They’re lovely! Thank you!” He was right, though, they would be a pain to carry. “You have a vase for them?” She poked her head in the door.
"At the very least there is a tall glass we can put them in for now." Jono replied awkwardly. "I'll just be a minute and then we can go, love."
“There’s no rush,” Paige said, wondering if she needed to come up with a cutesy nickname for Jono. He already seemed to have a couple for her. Was she behind? “So uh…how are you?” Why was she so bad at this?
"Better now that you're here." He replied warmly, filling the glass with water at the sink and placing the flowers in it before returning to her side at the door, pressing an affectionate psychic kiss against her cheek. "Ready to go?"
“Of course.” Paige reached for his hand as they headed out the door. Maybe holding onto him would help ground her. “What’s the plan for today?” She knew they were headed into the city, but Jono had insisted on planning their date.
"Do you remember last year when I accidentally took you out for Valentine's Day?" Jono asked. "I'm trying to recreate that for us."
“Yeah, I remember. So you’re looking for a do over?” They had done this before, she had nothing to worry about. They had been to that record store a couple of times. And Jono could wax on about whatever record he happened to find today. It was perfect.
"I just thought it might be cute to do it on purpose this time..." Jono said awkwardly. "And maybe we could pick a book and a record for each other?"
“It’s very cute.” Paige smiled and pulled Jono along faster. “I’ve already got some ideas of what to pick for you. Promise it won’t be 100+ songs this time,” she laughed nervously, remembering that first playlist she had sent him.
"You say that like I didn't seriously listen to all of them." He laughs. "I didn't mind, it was cute that you added so many."
“You acted like I gave you a homework assignment! I felt bad!” She genuinely hadn’t meant to give him a project, just something to listen to.
"Angel, I'm a musician. I had fun with it." He promised, squeezing her hand. "Really, it was adorable."
“Ok, ok. If you insist,” Paige said as she fought the urge to hide in the collar of her jacket. “Is the record you pick going to come with a discussion on the history of the band?”
“Do you want it to?” He teased.
“At this point, I’d be disappointed if it didn’t.” She squeezed his hand and leaned into his shoulder.
Jono's eyes squinted in a smile as they walked, his thumb rubbing over hers softly. "Is there anything else you'd like to do or see for Valentine's Day? I know I kind of monopolized planning..."
“Oh, no you’re fine. I have the next three planned, anyway.” Paige had been coming up with date ideas for them for longer than she was willing to admit. Fake dating had led to contingency planning had led to day dreaming, and now here they were. No one could say Paige wasn’t an opportunist. “Today, we can follow your plan.”
"The next three?" Jono says. "I wasn't aware this was a competition."
Paige laughed. “Doesn’t have to be, just thinking ahead. Plus, it’s Valentine’s Dat. That has to give you extra points. And it’s the first. So really it’s like three in one.”
“These seem like very arbitrary rules..” He deadpanned. “Sure would be a shame if if I didn’t understand them and let you win.”
“It’s no fun if you just let me win,” Paige fake pouted. “Come on, put up a fight.” She nudged him with her shoulder. Sometimes it was incredibly easy to tell Jono was an only child.
———
This time Jono didn’t ignore the Valentine’s decorations, pulling Paige over to them. “Should we take a picture?”
“Sure.” Paige pulled Jono over to a particularly bright display of paper hearts in the window of the record shop and pulled out her phone. “Ready if you are.”
He pulled her close, pressing his face into her cheek, giving the appearance of kissing her cheek as she took the photo. “Maybe I’ll print it and add it to my wall.”
Paige blushed as she saw what Jono did. She hadn’t been expecting that, but the photo was cute and would be a nice lock screen for her phone. “Your wall?”
"Have you not noticed that I have a bunch of pictures of us and my friends on one of the walls in the suite?" He asked. "I have us in our Halloween costumes hung up there."
“Awww.” Paige honestly hadn’t noticed the wall, but it had been a busy start to the semester. Maybe that was part of why she kept getting kidnapped, no time to pay attention to anything. She’d have to add that to the list of reasons and possible precautions she was working on. “So, any records you’re looking for in particular?”
"Maybe Lightning Bolt by Pearl Jam? I think you'd really like that one." He said easily. "What about you? What country album do I absolutely need in my collection?"
“Trisha Yearwood’s debut album, for sure.” She had been keeping a list of albums to recommend to him for a while now.
"You've played her songs for me before, right?" Jono asked. "Her name sounds familiar."
“Yeah!” Paige said brightly, pleasantly surprised he remembered. “You said you liked her stuff, so I thought we could try a whole album. And you’ve played me Pearl Jam before right?”
"I thought I remembered her." His eyes squinted in a smile. "I've played tons of Pearl Jam, you've really liked Future Days, this is the album that song's from."
Paige took hold of Jono’s hand and headed over to the rock section. “C’mon. We can start with yours.”
Had it taken Paige a few hours to pick an outfit for her date with Jono, even with Mel’s help? Yes, but it was their first date AND it was Valentine’s Day. It had to be perfect. Eventually she had managed to find a skirt and tights that matched the jacket Jono had given her for Christmas.
She tried not to rock back and forth on her heels out of excitement as she knocked on Jono’s door.
He froze a bit when he opened the door, just taking her in. He couldn't help but wonder how he got so lucky, and then hope that she hadn't accidentally heard that. "You're gorgeous."
He reached over to the little table he and Hank kept next to the door and held out some flowers. It was silly and he knew it was silly when he'd ordered them, but he'd tried to get her a bouquet based on the language of flowers- even if she didn't look them up he hoped she at least thought they were pretty. Baby's Breath, camellias in all three shades (red, pink, and white), pink carnations, red chrysanthemums, red salvias...
"I- I uh got you flowers....We can put them in water here if you don't want to carry them but-"
Paige felt her face getting warm. “They’re lovely! Thank you!” He was right, though, they would be a pain to carry. “You have a vase for them?” She poked her head in the door.
"At the very least there is a tall glass we can put them in for now." Jono replied awkwardly. "I'll just be a minute and then we can go, love."
“There’s no rush,” Paige said, wondering if she needed to come up with a cutesy nickname for Jono. He already seemed to have a couple for her. Was she behind? “So uh…how are you?” Why was she so bad at this?
"Better now that you're here." He replied warmly, filling the glass with water at the sink and placing the flowers in it before returning to her side at the door, pressing an affectionate psychic kiss against her cheek. "Ready to go?"
“Of course.” Paige reached for his hand as they headed out the door. Maybe holding onto him would help ground her. “What’s the plan for today?” She knew they were headed into the city, but Jono had insisted on planning their date.
"Do you remember last year when I accidentally took you out for Valentine's Day?" Jono asked. "I'm trying to recreate that for us."
“Yeah, I remember. So you’re looking for a do over?” They had done this before, she had nothing to worry about. They had been to that record store a couple of times. And Jono could wax on about whatever record he happened to find today. It was perfect.
"I just thought it might be cute to do it on purpose this time..." Jono said awkwardly. "And maybe we could pick a book and a record for each other?"
“It’s very cute.” Paige smiled and pulled Jono along faster. “I’ve already got some ideas of what to pick for you. Promise it won’t be 100+ songs this time,” she laughed nervously, remembering that first playlist she had sent him.
"You say that like I didn't seriously listen to all of them." He laughs. "I didn't mind, it was cute that you added so many."
“You acted like I gave you a homework assignment! I felt bad!” She genuinely hadn’t meant to give him a project, just something to listen to.
"Angel, I'm a musician. I had fun with it." He promised, squeezing her hand. "Really, it was adorable."
“Ok, ok. If you insist,” Paige said as she fought the urge to hide in the collar of her jacket. “Is the record you pick going to come with a discussion on the history of the band?”
“Do you want it to?” He teased.
“At this point, I’d be disappointed if it didn’t.” She squeezed his hand and leaned into his shoulder.
Jono's eyes squinted in a smile as they walked, his thumb rubbing over hers softly. "Is there anything else you'd like to do or see for Valentine's Day? I know I kind of monopolized planning..."
“Oh, no you’re fine. I have the next three planned, anyway.” Paige had been coming up with date ideas for them for longer than she was willing to admit. Fake dating had led to contingency planning had led to day dreaming, and now here they were. No one could say Paige wasn’t an opportunist. “Today, we can follow your plan.”
"The next three?" Jono says. "I wasn't aware this was a competition."
Paige laughed. “Doesn’t have to be, just thinking ahead. Plus, it’s Valentine’s Dat. That has to give you extra points. And it’s the first. So really it’s like three in one.”
“These seem like very arbitrary rules..” He deadpanned. “Sure would be a shame if if I didn’t understand them and let you win.”
“It’s no fun if you just let me win,” Paige fake pouted. “Come on, put up a fight.” She nudged him with her shoulder. Sometimes it was incredibly easy to tell Jono was an only child.
———
This time Jono didn’t ignore the Valentine’s decorations, pulling Paige over to them. “Should we take a picture?”
“Sure.” Paige pulled Jono over to a particularly bright display of paper hearts in the window of the record shop and pulled out her phone. “Ready if you are.”
He pulled her close, pressing his face into her cheek, giving the appearance of kissing her cheek as she took the photo. “Maybe I’ll print it and add it to my wall.”
Paige blushed as she saw what Jono did. She hadn’t been expecting that, but the photo was cute and would be a nice lock screen for her phone. “Your wall?”
"Have you not noticed that I have a bunch of pictures of us and my friends on one of the walls in the suite?" He asked. "I have us in our Halloween costumes hung up there."
“Awww.” Paige honestly hadn’t noticed the wall, but it had been a busy start to the semester. Maybe that was part of why she kept getting kidnapped, no time to pay attention to anything. She’d have to add that to the list of reasons and possible precautions she was working on. “So, any records you’re looking for in particular?”
"Maybe Lightning Bolt by Pearl Jam? I think you'd really like that one." He said easily. "What about you? What country album do I absolutely need in my collection?"
“Trisha Yearwood’s debut album, for sure.” She had been keeping a list of albums to recommend to him for a while now.
"You've played her songs for me before, right?" Jono asked. "Her name sounds familiar."
“Yeah!” Paige said brightly, pleasantly surprised he remembered. “You said you liked her stuff, so I thought we could try a whole album. And you’ve played me Pearl Jam before right?”
"I thought I remembered her." His eyes squinted in a smile. "I've played tons of Pearl Jam, you've really liked Future Days, this is the album that song's from."
Paige took hold of Jono’s hand and headed over to the rock section. “C’mon. We can start with yours.”
