(CLARA) Nerves Are The Devil

[Terence Smith]

Terence was incredibly nervous as he waited for Clara where his setting for their date was. He knew she was a confident, bold person, and he didn't know if she'd care much for a picnic. What if she just started laughing at him as soon as she saw it? What if she didn't like it at all? What if he made a complete fool of himself?

He chewed on his lower lip, glancing down at how he had dressed, for her, for this. A light blue button up, some of his nice jeans that were a darker hue than the others, and his regular sneakers. He felt it wasn't quite good enough, mostly because the romantic in him would rather he'd been in a tux, and had swept her off her feet to a beautiful location with a sunrise that would make any human catch their breath in awe...but he knew to be a realist.

He had a comfy, secure blanket set on the ground in a nice, quiet, undisturbed part of Nickelodeon Park. There was a basket full of delectable food that was simple yet good for this kind of thing, and a rose for each week they'd been together sitting on top of the closed basket. He had brought some light pillows so they could lay back, and not have to sit up or stand the whole time. He had three little candles lit, because it was in the evening without much light left and the cool, fresh night air was beginning to filter into the park. He'd brought his jacket, and a little blanket in case it got cold, because he'd neglected to tell her to bring a jacket of her own. The little part of the park where this was all set up had a little clearing in the trees, giving a clear view of the sky, and he knew that it was supposed to be a clear night.

Still, Terence was terrified of all that could go wrong with this. His nerves were starting to get to him.

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notes; none
muse; pearly-dewdrops drops by cocteau twins
outfit; sneakers, nice jeans, a light blue button up
credits; zie @ CAUTION! (for the thread temp) & MALONE @ CAUTION (for the picture)
lyrics by Marianas Trench!

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[Clara Belle]

Clara checks her makeup in the mirror of her car, rubbing her lips together and batting her eyelashes. She didn't wear a lot -- she was seeing Terence after all, and he wouldn't care if she didn't wear any at all -- just enough to highlight her features a bit. Every girl needs a little something.

Her eyes scan the small dirt parking lot. There usually aren't a lot of people at the park, but today must be a special day for park goers. Don't the realize that there are more important people with better plans? Like Clara; the girl who has been looking forward to her picnic practically all week! Finding a parking space shouldn't be the most difficult part of this date.

As obnoxious as it ended up being, Clara did find a parking space. Checking her watch, she is pleased to find that she isn't late yet. It's still a few minutes until she is supposed to find Terence. Hopefully finding him won't be as difficult as finding a parking space.

Her wedges made little clacking sounds on the sidewalk as she strolled, looking around for Terence. After a few moments of searching she spies Terence, sitting on a blanket under a tree. Clara grins broadly and waves her arm a bit towards him, trying to get his attention.

[Terence Smith]

With his teeth worrying over his lower lip, Terence kept his eyes on his lap as he fiddled with his hands. He was so nervous, and he didn't really understand why. Things were going good with Clara, a feat he was shocked to be able to admit with ease. He still couldn't get over that he was in a relationship with his dream girl, and that she somehow managed to like him. It was really a heady thing, and his thoughts tried to drag him off into the abyss that it liked to form when he got caught up in thinking about Clara.

Shaking his head faintly, he let his eyes trail around the park, seeing the people that were far off from him. He'd done this for a reason, picking such a secluded spot. Privacy was nice, and considering the timing, with the setting sun teasing the tree tops, he knew that the people wouldn't consume the park for much longer. It was going to be a late night, he knew. However, his cheeks flushed faintly when he realized the implications that could have. Sure enough, he glanced up to see if there was any witness to his awkwardness, and there was Clara not too far off, waving at him a bit. Terence managed a smile, hoping desperately that his blush wasn't too obvious.

His nerves caused his stomach to get the falling sensation, and his heart beat painfully hard. Now, he had to make sure not to screw up. He couldn't take it if he screwed up.

Slowly, taking care not to be clumsy, Terence got himself to his feet, and headed toward Clara, so as to meet her rather than just sit lazily and wait for her to get to him. He wasn't quite as insensitive so as to do that to her.

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notes; none
muse; through the trees - low shoulder (jennifer's body soundtrack)
outfit; sneakers, nice jeans, a light blue button up
credits; zie @ CAUTION! (for the thread temp) & MALONE @ CAUTION (for the picture)
lyrics by Marianas Trench!

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[Clara Belle]

Clara smiles at Terence as he seems to notice her -- and her waving. He gives his little smile, his cheeks slightly pink. The blush is fairly normal for him, it usually happens when they're together. He gets to his feet and starts towards her, apparently not wanting to make her walk the whole way alone.

She stops waving and flattens her cami against her body a bit with her hands, trying to make sure she didn't have sweaty palms. Sweaty isn't attractive and she worked pretty hard to look attractive for Terence this morning. Curling her hair in pretty half-ringlets, dousing herself in her favourite perfume, and, of course, picking the perfect outfit. She didn't want to be too straightforward -- it might frighten the boy. Just a camisole and some denim shorts to show off her assets. Since being busty wasn't exactly one of those, she instead flonted her long legs.

When the two were finally face to face, Clara gives him a big smile and opens her arms for a hug. She debates over what she should say in her head. In the end, she Clara decides to go simple. "Hi Terence. How are you?"

[Terence Smith]

Terence noticed that Clara stopped waving when he acknowledged her presence, and he couldn't shake off the nerves as he approached her, his eyes taking her in. He appreciated that she wasn't wearing a lot of make up, which bared more of her natural features, but her clothing didn't calm the nervous, hard pounding of his heart.

What Clara was wearing was probably the least amount of clothing he'd ever seen her in. The sight only caused his cheeks to become richer in color, and he pretended as if he didn't notice.

He easily accepted her hug when she opened her arms for one. His arms wrapped snugly around her, and he couldn't help but press an affectionate kiss to her forehead instead of the lips. Even now, with them being together for a good amount of time, he was tentative with forward kisses. Terence gave a little smile as she spoke.

"I'm pretty good...better now that you're here," he said honestly, a little bit sheepishly even. The shy blond started pulling away from her, from their hug, sliding a hand to hers to start to tug her towards the picnic he had laid out. "How about you, Tink? How are you this fine evening?"

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notes; none
muse; N/A
outfit; sneakers, nice jeans, a light blue button up
credits; zie @ CAUTION! (for the thread temp) & MALONE @ CAUTION (for the picture)
lyrics by Marianas Trench!

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[Clara Belle]

"I'm pretty good... Better now that you're here. "

Clara smiles softly as his lips brush her forehead. Hopefully his not going for the lips wasn't a bad thing-- usually she would worry, but it seems fine. Considering who she's with, it would be kind of iffy to imagine he'd all of a sudden be any more dominant than he was.

"How about you, Tink? How are you this fine evening?"

His hand is soon over hers and she curls her fingers around his hand gingerly, enjoying the simplicity of it. "I'm fantastic -- thanks for asking."

Blue eyes trailing towards the little blanket Terence had been sitting on, Clara starts to scheme in her mind of how this date will go. They hasn't exactly had the best of luck during previous dates -- not bad, per say, but having... Issues.

To be honest, Clara wasn't sure how she felt about a picnic. It was adorable -- no doubt -- but she wasn't sure how intimate you could get at a park. A public park where everybody could see what was happening.

But that sure as hell wasn't going to stop her from trying.

"I am hungry though -- what's for dinner?" Clara asks innocently, trying not to portray her evil plot.

[Terence Smith]

Terence couldn't help but let his smile widen a bit when he saw the soft smile on Clara's lips. He felt her fingers curl around his hand when he took her hand in his own, and he took that as a sign to lead her toward the picnic. He grinned a bit at her question of what they were eating and brought her hand up to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. "Just simple stuff - sandwiches, chips, baked goods. Nothing big." He said lightly, swinging their hands lightly as they got near the picnic.

The shy writer still felt incredibly nervous, something akin to adrenaline pumping through his veins. He was thankful his palms weren't sweaty, with how his nerves were screwing with him. However, he took one look at the candles, the blankets, the basket with the bunch of roses on top for their time together, and he decided he should try to go with the flow. His Clara was still with him, despite the little quirks she's seen of his. He'd hope she didn't leave him over something as simple as embarrassing himself at a picnic with just them.

He'd already done worse in their time together than what he could do here.

As they came close to the blanket, he released her hand, and gestured for her to sit first. A shy, hopeful smile came to his lips as he fought back the urge to worry over his lower lip. 'Deep breathes," he reminded himself.

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notes; none
muse; n/a
outfit; sneakers, nice jeans, a light blue button up
credits; zie @ CAUTION! (for the thread temp) & MALONE @ CAUTION (for the picture)
lyrics by Marianas Trench!

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[Clara Belle]

The closer the two got to the little blanket, the more nervous Clara became. Luckily for her, after years of practice, she doesn't show signs of anxiety. After what seemed much longer than it actually was, they were under the tree. She feels a tightness in her chest as she looks at the little candles and even some beautiful roses atop a basket. It's as cliche as it gets, but she couldn't be happier.

"Just simple stuff - sandwiches, chips, baked goods. Nothing big."

"Sounds delicious."

Terence lets her hand go and shes a bit saddened by the loss of contact as the boy gestures her down. What a gentleman. Clara plops herself on the ground in the least graceful way possible. She peers up at him with a big smile, eyes glittering with happiness.

[Terence Smith]

The librarian bit his lower lip as he looked down at Clara, his little tinker, and he returned her big smile best he could without looking like an idiot. His lips curved into a warm smile, and Terence seated himself after she had plopped herself down, making him chuckle softly. He bit his lower lip, blushing a bit as he took the roses and offered them to her. "I got these roses for you..." His cheeks grew even richer in color. "There's one for each week we've been together," he admitted shyly.

In an attempt to change the subject or at least distract her from his blush, he opened the basket and bit his lower lip. "What would you like to eat? There's plenty here."

Though he didn't quite notice himself, his hands and his form generally were tremoring slightly. He felt incredibly nervous, struggling to stay calm or at least appear so, now that the actual date had started. His insecure side was trying to tell him that his Clara was just being polite, that really she probably didn't like the idea of a picnic. 'Way to go, Terence...' His inner thoughts chastised, but he attempted to ignore them as he offered Clara a smile.

"How's your day been, by the way?" He questioned lightly, wanting to hear her voice and see how things had been for her today. It seemed that whenever they were to be together, she had a knack for finding disaster or chaos.

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notes; none
muse; young and beautiful - lana del rey
outfit; sneakers, nice jeans, a light blue button up
credits; zie @ CAUTION! (for the thread temp) & MALONE @ CAUTION (for the picture)
lyrics by Marianas Trench!

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[Clara Belle]

"I got these roses for you...There's one for each week we've been together."

Clara takes the roses with a smile, sniffing them softly. Her lidded eyes flutter ever so lightly at the smell. Roses have always been one of her favourite flowers -- though she couldn't grow one to save her life. Actually, she couldn't grow much of anything, which is probably why she never really liked the outdoors as a child. Now that she was older, se could definitely appreciate it more.

"What would you like to eat? There's plenty here."

Clara's eyes follow Terence's movements with a gentle, if not a bit possessive, gaze. His hands almost seem to tremble as he opens the little basket. She takes a deep breath and lets it out with a small hum, trying to think of what she wants. Honestly, she could care less. Clara was never one to eat that much in front of people -- it made her uncomfortable.

"I dunno, got any suggestions?" She asks lightly, flipping her hair over one shoulder to shimmy a bit closer to the boy.

[Terence Smith]

Terence is pleased, though his nerves are in no way eased, when it seems like Clara likes the roses, especially as she gives them a sniff. He was glad he picked them, at this point, even if they were the most cliche flower in the book to get for a girl - and Terence would know, since his nose was always buried in books.

He decided to turn his thoughts on the food, and he was thankful that he hadn't brought tons, but just enough to snack on to be honest, as a light dinner. Most of it was snacks, in the general sense of how much normal people ate. There was just a lot to last a few hours...

The blonde didn't miss how Clara moved a bit closer to him when asking him for a suggestion. He bit his lower lip, looking up at her, studying her for a brief moment. "I don't know exactly what you'd like..." He said, giving a sheepish smile to her. Terence didn't see Tink eat very much, which was peculiar to him, so he didn't have the best idea of what she would really want, hence why he brought a little bit of everything.

It took all of his control to not start trembling badly, to stay mostly steady as he held her gaze, though he couldn't help but worry over his lower lip. Why was he still so nervous? It was just Clara.

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notes; none
muse; N/A
outfit; sneakers, nice jeans, a light blue button up
credits; zie @ CAUTION! (for the thread temp) & MALONE @ CAUTION (for the picture)
lyrics by Marianas Trench!

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[Clara Belle]

"I don't know exactly what you'd like..."

Clara holds Terence's gaze when he looks at her, feeling fairly impressed with how long he can keep it. At the same time, she can't help but notice how he's chewing on his lip. Those were important to her -- she'd rather he not damage them.

He's so hesitant, she thinks to herself with a mental frown. Sometimes she wishes he'd just... Go for it, she guesses. What's the worst that would happen? Clara knows that she's not the nicest person in the world but it's not like she'd be too incredibly mean... Just a little bit.

"Surprise me." She answers, craning her neck to rest her chin on his shoulder, looking over into the basket. She tries to add a bit of seductiveness to her voice lightly -- enough to notice but not to realize.

[Terence Smith]

Terence continues to worry on his lower lip, unable to help himself. He can feel his arms trembling a little now, the nerves and the strain - oh, the strain made him feel pathetic, since it was a reminder of how macho he wasn't - wearing it's way on his arms. He adjusted his sitting position, tucking one leg under the other. He made sure not to drop Clara's gaze until she looked away, and he kissed the top of her head lightly when she rested her chin on his shoulder.

He wished desperately that he could be more confident.

A little chuckle forced it's way past his lips at her words, barely coming out steady. If he had the confidence, he was sure he could think of a lot of ways to give her a good surprise. Hell, even at this point with his lack of confidence, he could think of tons of scenarios to play with. For now, though, he decided that he wouldn't force himself to push. What if she didn't want him to do much? What if she was just meaning little things?

Terence wasn't much of a big step person, so this logic settled and appealed to his mind more than any other.

A smile found it's way to his lips, stopping the ever-worsening worrying of his teeth over his lip. "Well..." His words came easily after his thoughtful start. His cheeks even started to flush a little at an idea that popped into his head, but he decided he should follow through. She wanted a surprise, and considering he wasn't very big on that kind of confidence, he supposed giving a surprise might be what she wasn't expecting?

That made more sense when he didn't try to put it into words.

"Close your eyes and face me, okay?"

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notes; sorry for taking so long to reply! been really busy!
muse; iris (cover) by sleeping with sirens
outfit; sneakers, nice jeans, a light blue button up
credits; zie @ CAUTION! (for the thread temp) & MALONE @ CAUTION (for the picture)
lyrics by Marianas Trench!

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[Clara Belle]

"Well... Close your eyes and face me, okay?"

Clara looks at his smile a bit skeptically. She isn't entirely sure what's going in his mind, but how bad could it be? Nonetheless, she smiles back at him and and closes her eyes.

"Okay." She giggles girlishly, adjusting her sitting position to face Terence. Is he going to kiss her?! Omigoodness! He might move in for it! No... That's far too big for Terence. It's not a Terence-move.

Butterflies skit around in her stomach. She bites her own lip, fighting back another giggle. Clara doesn't want to appear too giggly -- after a point, it's not cute anymore. And she's diddly sure that she's not going to risk her cuteness. Not in front of Terence for sure.

[Terence Smith]

Terence didn't let the slight bit of skepticism on Clara's face escape his notice. Of course she would be a little bit wary, considering the words that had just come out of his mouth were unlike him in every way of the word. The two words 'Terence' and 'surprise' didn't exactly mingle together in harmony.

A faint sigh of relief comes from him when she plays along. Her giggle makes him grin a bit, before he looks in the basket, checking for something that might leave a little bit of a mess that he could...clean up. He found the perfect little thing, which came in the form of a brownie with caramel on the inside of it that he remembered making with pride. He bit his lower lip.

"Here, take a bite of this. And do not open your eyes until I tell you." He said lightly, watching her face as he put the brownie gently against her lips.

He hoped that this would be enough of a distraction that he actually would be able to surprise her with what he wanted to do.

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notes; none
muse; take a walk by passion pit
outfit; sneakers, nice jeans, a light blue button up
credits; zie @ CAUTION! (for the thread temp) & MALONE @ CAUTION (for the picture)
lyrics by Marianas Trench!

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