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Valentine's Day for Katrielle had always been a family thing. When she was a kid, her dad got her chocolate or a little heart shaped cake from the bakery. After he disappeared, Al would buy a bunch of chocolate for them to split (Flora had some, too, if she was visiting), and Fendi still found a way to get her a box while recovering.
She was always aware that the day was usually for couples, but it wasn't a fact that applied to her until she found out a nearby cafe had a Valentine's special that was for couples only . It was available even though the holiday was a couple days away, probably to keep the establishment from being too busy. The special was a chocolate, heart-shaped cake for the couple to share and two drinks in themed cups.
“A dessert you can't have, whatever will you do?” Sherl deadpanned.
“I can make my own cake,” Kat asserted when the two of them entered the agency. It was still morning, so Ernest wouldn't be showing up for a few hours.
“You can't even make cookies,” he reminded her, hopping into his basket.
“Cake and cookies are very different,” she huffed, plopped in her chair, and began reading the newspaper. There was an article about all the events and specials happening in honor of the day of love.
Kat skimmed the various smaller sales in favor of more interesting things such as a ferris wheel discount for couples, a new romance movie, a winter flower showcase (that went for a few days but started on Valentine's), and- “Angel's Arrow is having a public fashion show! With promotional bracelets… for couples.” This was simply not fair.
“You could make your own,” Sherl suggested. “It's not like you can get a partner in two days.”
Technically Kat could, but that could have consequences she'd rather not deal with. She just wanted cake and a cute accessory. How would the employees even check for this? A grin spread across her face as a wonderful idea formed. “It's a good thing I don't have to.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, I'll have to make sure when he gets here, but I doubt there'll be any issues.” It was the perfect plan.
Sherl paused before responding, “Are you talking about Pinstripes?”
Kat simply smiled in response.
-----
The morning was slow, as usual. Most cases came in around lunch or at some point in the afternoon, and in general things felt more dull without Ernest around making tea and conversation. Not that things were completely boring without him; there were books to read, puzzles to solve, and Sherl could be fun to talk to if he wasn't taking a nap. The best way Kat could explain it was comparing it to dipping a good cookie in milk, improving an already delightful experience. She was glad he'd insisted on being her assistant all those months ago (it honestly felt longer).
After making a short list of things to do on Valentine's Day, Kat decided to continue a mystery novel she'd started a couple days ago. So far, the story was interesting enough to continue, but eventually her attention was taken by the door opening. Ernest walked in wearing his coat and carrying a paper sack in his arms.
“Good afternoon, Miss! I-”
“Good afternoon, Ernest!” Katrielle quickly stood up, grinning. “Do you have any plans on Valentine's Day?”
“Wh-what?” His face was slightly pink, probably because of the chilly weather, and he dropped the bag. “Oh dear, the buns.”
“You brought buns?” She walked over and picked the bag up, looking inside. They specifically looked like the buns from the bakery that had opened near Gressenheller a few months ago, except these had icing heart decorations. “How cute!”
“And I made sure they’re all cream buns,” Ernest said. “But, um… sorry, what was your question again?” He started taking off his coat.
“Do you have any plans for Valentine's Day?” she repeated, still looking in the bag. The icing made each bun look even more appetizing. The sound of fabric hitting the floor came before Sherl spoke up.
“Are you feeling alright, Pinstripes?”
“Yes, I am, and… no, I don't have any plans,” he finally answered. “Bu-”
“Perfect!” Kat cheered. “I have an amazing plan, and you're a key part of it!”
Ernest gently took the buns back as she was about to grab one. “I'll make us some tea and you can tell me about it.”
“Don’t drop any teacups,” Sherl joked.
“I won't.” He disappeared into the back area.
“There are easier ways to tell him, you know,” Sherl pointed out.
“Plans are best shared over tea.” Especially Ernest's tea. Also Kat really wanted those cute cream buns.
“ You know what I mean .”
Frankly, she did not. If that dog was insinuating what she thought he was… yeah, no. Kat hadn't really had a crush before, but she felt like she would know, and vice versa, seeing as she's London's greatest detective. Besides, as far as she could tell, romantic feelings had a tendency to be very obvious. “I think you need another nap.”
Sherl muttered something in response.
“What was that?”
“You're both hopeless.”
“The tea is ready!” Ernest walked in with a tray carrying a teapot, two teacups, and the now plated buns. He filled both of the cups before sitting on the couch.
“Thank you, Ernest.” Kat took a sip of the darjeeling. It was wonderful, as usual.
“So, what is your plan, Miss?” he asked.
“One second.” She still needed a pastry and picked a bun decorated with pink hearts. “Delicious!”
“I'm glad you like them.”
“Now, I assume you've seen the advertisements for Valentine's Day,” Kat began.
“The specials for couples? Yes, I have.”
“ We're going to take advantage of them!” she announced.
“What do you mean?” He was looking slightly pink again.
“The employees will have no way of knowing we aren't dating, all we need to do is hold hands and they won't suspect a thing! We'll even make a day of it!” she continued. “I've already figured out most of the details, all you need to do is show up! What do you think?”
“I think it sounds wonderful!” Ernest said with a delightful smile that made her chest fuzzy; it'd be infectious if she wasn't already grinning.
Kat was a little surprised that she felt a twinge of relief, it didn't make sense. There was no reason he'd say no, and if he did she could probably somehow convince Emiliana or Lucy to do it. Sure, the thought didn't make her quite as excited, but…
She decided that particular train of thought wasn't important. “Perfect! So, how was your day?”
-----
It might've been cold out, but that was no reason to not dress up a little: a long sleeved red dress with a pink heart pattern along the hem of the skirt, white tights, and black mary janes. Kat tied her hair up in a ponytail, but had a small problem with finishing the outfit.
“Where's my red ribbon?” she asked Sherl.
“Your pink one is right there,” he answered.
“Hm…” It could work. “Wait, aren't dogs colorblind? Come to think of it, you've seen red stains before.”
“I can see color but I can't smell, what a trade off,” Sherl huffed.
“You didn't know you're supposed to be colorblind,” Kat observed, tying the bow. Her magnifying glass was on the nightstand.
“...Did you find your ribbon?”
“No, but the pink looks nice. I'll look for my red one later.” Time to fill Sherl's food and water bowls. “You're going to be alone most of the day. Don't get too bored while I'm gone.”
“I'm not a child!”
Kat rubbed his head before getting her coat, gloves, and earmuffs. “I'll be back tonight! There's blankets over there if you get cold.”
“DON'T IG-” Sherl sighed. “Be careful, Kat.”
“I will!”
-----
Ernest was already waiting slightly down the street from the cafe when Kat got there, exactly where they agreed to meet. He was leaning against the wall, hands in coat pockets, glancing around, most likely trying to spot her. He was wearing a light blue and white kit hat she hadn't seen before.
“Ernest!” she called, waving.
His face lit up when he saw her and he waved back, the gloves and hat matched. “Miss Layton!”
Kat ran the rest of the short distance between them. “Are you ready?”
“I'm ready.”
“Give me your hand.” Kat held up hers.
Ernest tensed up with a slight blush before doing so. Their hands cupped each other. It felt a little warm and weird. “Hm. Maybe we should lace our fingers together.” That would imply they'd been dating for a while.
“I think this is fine for now,” he quickly replied, glancing down but still smiling. Why was he so nervous? Or was that excitement? Regardless, he'd probably relax after they got moving.
“Alright.” She started walking, Ernest easily keeping pace. “What kind of chocolate do you think is in the cake?”
“There could be a couple different kinds, since it's a special,” he suggested.
“Even better!”
-----
The cafe was warm and almost all the tables were full, but there wasn't a long line at that moment. Kat scanned the room and noted that quite a few tables already had heart shaped cakes and the special cups. How many of them were doing what her and Ernest were doing? As excellent of an idea it was, Kat knew she couldn't have been the only one to think of it.
Ernest's grip tightened as they approached the counter.
“Hello, what can I get for you today?” The worker asked.
“We'd like the couple's special,” Kat answered.
“Alright, and what drinks do you want?”
Success!
“Large hot chocolate with whipped cream!” She glanced at Ernest.
“Small hot chocolate with whipped cream, please,” he ordered.
“Got it. Are you going to sit inside or outside?”
“Preferably inside,” Ernest answered.
“There's an empty table over there.” They pointed to one of the very few empty tables that sat in a corner. It sat four (easy place to put coats) seemed to be the only one available that wasn't outside or by a window. “Your order will be ready in a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” the two of them said in unison.
-----
“Oh! You're wearing a sweater,” Kat noted after Ernest took his coat off. The sweater in question was a deep blue, complementing his usual red bow tie. It looked very comfortable and was appropriate for the weather.
“I thought I should wear something a bit different for the occasion. What do you think?”
“It looks nice!” He looked adorable.
“Thank you.” Yet another wonderful smile, but this one was a touch embarrassed. “You look lovely as usual, Miss.”
Katrielle couldn't help but giggle. “What was that?”
“You look lovely.”
“One more time? It's a bit loud in here.”
Ernest sighed, still smiling. “Miss Layton-”
She joined him for this one. “-You look lovely!”
He put his now red face in his hands. “ Miss Layton .”
“You're so easy to fluster!” she laughed.
Their order was brought over and the size difference between her and Ernest's cups was almost comical, and the patterns matched. The cake was decorated with red and white sprinkles on top of pink frosting. It was cute, if a little small. Two forks were provided but no knife, so it was either forgotten (fair enough given how busy it is) or they were meant to split it like milkshakes in movies.
I'll simply have to cut it with a fork.
Ernest was already sipping his cocoa, not paying much mind to the cake. Kat did her best to not make a mess when cutting out roughly a quarter of the cake to semi-success.
“Here's your slice.” She managed to use the same fork to push the piece a bit away from the rest of it.
“Thank you, Miss.”
The cake was pretty good. Not nearly as delicious as Aleks Lipski's cakes, but still worth this minor scheme.
-----
After paying, the two of them stepped back out into the cold air. It was kind of refreshing after sitting in the cafe.
“What's next?” Ernest pulled his second glove on.
“The ferris wheel opens at noon, and the fashion show isn't until tonight,” Kat listed.
“Hm.” The response was stiff but he seemed less wound up now.
“I know, let's go shopping!” There was always time for shopping. Hopefully, that one boutique was open!
She grabbed Ernest's arm and began pulling him along right as he responded. “Alri- oh!”
The place was, in fact, open. There were a few Valentine's decorations up, a small display of couple's accessories, and it was busier than usual, but otherwise everything was normal. Kat scanned the room for something both cute and not already crowded around.
A light purple and white long sleeved dress with a peter pan collar and ruffle along the hem caught her eye. “How cute!” And there was a headband over there that'd look adorable with it!
Ernest was already ready to carry anything she selected. A pleated blue skirt, a red jacket, a flowy pink and yellow dress, a patchwork style shirt, other items, and a few accessories.
“I think that's enough for now.” Kat undid the bow in her hair so it wouldn't interfere with the look of the accessories. She handed it to Ernest and took the small stack of clothes into the changing room.
First was the light purple dress, even if it was at the bottom of the stack. She did a few poses in the mirror before opening the curtain to show her assistant. He was playing with the ribbon, wrapping and unwrapping his fingers with it, and didn't stop when he looked up and smiled.
Cute.
“You look wonderful in everything,” Ernest said.
That's exactly why she decided to buy most of what she selected, though his other reactions weren't as strong while still being positive. Anyway, before checking out they had to see the couple's accessories. Of course there were the Angel's Arrow bracelets they'd get later, but curiosity needed to be satisfied. Many rings, necklaces, bracelets, and pins were there to be examined.
Frankly, Kat's curiosity was disappointed. “How many of these are just colored circles?” It was like there was a contest to see how many designs could be made with overly simple beads.
“A few too many… Oh! These are nice.” Ernest picked up a card and all she could tell was that he was looking at pins. “They remind me of you,” he quietly added.
“Really?” She leaned over and saw two rose pins: one red and gold, the other pink and gold. “They're definitely the cutest.”
“And remember when we met and looked at the roses at Gressenheller?” Ernest reminisced, smiling fondly.
“Oh, yes.” Of course she did. “Let's get them.”
“Huh? R-really?”
“Mhm.” She took the card from his hands.
-----
After leaving the boutique, Kat realized she'd forgotten to redo her bow.
“Do you still have my ribbon?” All she could see in his hands were the bags.
“Yes, it's in my pocket.” Ernest put one of said bags down. “Could… I could redo your bow,” he offered.
As sweet as the offer was, normally she'd say no, but this counted as technically special circumstances. “Alright, I'll just fix it if you mess up.”
“I'll do my best, Miss.”
They moved out of the way of other pedestrians and faced each other. Ernest had taken off his gloves and they were close, closer than they were normally, closer than when they were holding hands earlier. Kat's chest was feeling fuzzy again. Maybe she was just hungry; it was almost lunch after all.
That's not quite right , she knew, but the “quite right” currently escaped her. Ernest really was being careful with the bow, and she was still enough. Arms don't need to be frozen when hair is being done.
“Done! How did I do?” he asked before whispering, “Oh my.” Did he think Kat wouldn't notice him backing up?
Conveniently, they had stopped by a window so she could get a look at his effort. It wasn't quite as even as she could do, but there wasn't anything that actually needed fixing. “Not bad. Let's get lunch!”
Ernest picked up the bags. “Let's!”
-----
The nearest restaurant had a 45 minute wait, but Kat had already mentally committed to eating there.
“What are we supposed to do for 45 minutes?” She huffed.
“There's a bookstore across the street,” Ernest pointed out.
“That'll do.”
Unlike everywhere else they've been that day, the store was empty except for a lady with glasses and a brown updo reading at the counter. They got her attention when the door's bell rang.
“Hello, I'm Paige. Let me know if you're trying to find anything.” She immediately went back to her book.
Looking around, the place had a specific feeling only achievable by a bookstore so full of books that not everything fit on the shelves. There were handwritten signs hanging on the ends of said shelves indicating the genre, fantasy, romance, mystery, horror, sci-fi, and the other usuals. Kat decided to go down the romance aisle, hoping to find a good paranormal love story (plus it felt appropriate). Surprisingly, Ernest didn't follow. That was fine. Something else probably grabbed his attention.
He was acting a little strange, a bit more tense than usual, though not as bad as when they entered the cafe. He hadn't really been saying much, not that he was particularly talkative on a normal day, but still . Ernest really did want to do this, right? Wait, no, it was more like he hadn't done this before. Maybe?
Stop. Overthinking this is pointless. Kat took a deep breath. Look at the books.
Could she ask Paige to point out the subgenre she was looking for? Yes, but part of the fun of bookstores was finding things on your own, or with help from friends.
“Has anything caught your eye, Miss?” Ernest seemed to appear next to her.
“Ernest! Where did you…” His hands were empty. “Where are the bags?”
“Oh, I asked Ms. Paige to watch them since the aisles are narrow; they're behind the counter,” he explained. “Sorry I didn't say anything.”
That made sense. “It's fine as long as you don't lose anything.”
“I wouldn't dream of it,” Ernest responded. “So, what are you looking for? Vampires? Or… this one only has a bicycle on the cover.”
Kat leaned over to look. That was certainly a bicycle with roses in the basket. “Definitely vampires.”
“Those might be further down.”
“Must be,” She turned around and began examining the rest of the aisle. “I should've brought my magnifying glass.”
“You don't have it?”
Kat shrugged in response. “I didn't think I'd need it.” Though it was easier to focus when looking through it. Oh well. As long as there were no surprise cases, it would be fine. “I was wondering something, actually.”
“What is it?”
“Have you been on a date?”
“No…unless this counts?” Ernest answered.
“I haven't either.” It was nothing to feel bad about. “Is that what you were nervous about?”
“I-I didn't think it was that obvious, but nothing gets past you.”
“It's part of being a great detective.” She smiled.
“Haha, well, yes, I was a bit nervous because… this is going to sound silly.”
“We have plenty of time for silly. It's only been 10 minutes,” Kat assured.
“I wanted to do a good job at pretending, and places are more crowded than I anticipated, except here, of course,” Ernest explained. “I just got a little overwhelmed, but I am having fun!”
So that's what it was, or at least part of it. “Let me know next time and we can do something about it.”
“That won't be necessary. I'll be fine now that I know what to expect.”
“I don't see how that changes what I said,” she stated.
Ernest blinked a few times. “I suppose it doesn't.”
“I FOUND ONE!” Kat pulled the book off the shelf triumphantly and read the summary. “And there's a mystery!”
“It sounds perfect for you, then.”
“It sounds interesting enough to try,” she corrected. “Are you going to get anything?”
“Maybe. I've heard my classmates talking about a horror novel that sounds interesting,” he answered, then glanced at Kat. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, but you scare so easily on cases I forget you enjoy horror,” she teased. They began walking towards the right aisle.
“In my defense, there's a big difference between watching a zombie movie and zombies potentially being real, or being shoved in front of a vampire,” Ernest said.
“I still think it would've been exciting if you were turned into a vampire,” Kat stated.
“I remember you saying it'd be exciting if I turned into a zombie .”
“I changed my mind, zombies can't make tea or hold a conversation, and I imagine they smell horrible,” she explained. “I'd rather have a vampire assistant.” They turned into the horror aisle.
“It'd be difficult to be your assistant if I couldn't go in the sun,” he stated.
“You could carry an umbrella!”
“I'd also have to bring my backpack everywhere, then. My hands would be full.”
“There's always umbrella hats,” Kat jokingly suggested.
“I'd prefer the inconvenience,” Ernest said. “And what would you do if I drank your blood?”
Ernest, as a vampire, drinking her blood. That was quite a thought.
“Miss? Are you alright? Do you need me to hold your coat?” he checked.
“No, I'm fine, and if you drank my blood I would simply have to become a vampire as well,” she finally answered.
“Haha, we could share an umbrella while solving cases,” Ernest joked.
“We could,” Kat agreed. He didn't directly respond, but it looked like he needed to take off his coat. “So, what's this book about?”
“I believe it's about a curse that causes plants to grow in… um. The author also did a lot of research on how different plants would actually grow in those circumstances without actually dying, and I heard there's also some interesting plant symbolism used!” His excitement could be felt in his explanation and the wonderful, genuine smile returned once more.
Kat kind of loved it when Ernest got like this, but it was a rare occurrence that he'd let himself just talk about plants or movies. He almost definitely knew about the new romance movie and that flower show, the latter was at the college, after all.
“Wizard, I found it!” He was so excited, it was adorable and made her want to hug him and-
Oh. Kat had the right words now. I like Ernest.
“Ready to go, Miss Layton?”
“Yes, I'm starving!” She could decide what to do with this information after eating.
-----
Nothing notable happened during lunch, but after they backtracked to the agency so the bags wouldn't be a concern on the ferris wheel. During the walk, Kat did some thinking. She had feelings for Ernest, she knew that now. He was loyal and sweet and good at puzzles and wonderful and she wanted to give him presents and hold his hand and go on real dates with him. She just needed to change her plans for the day.
Admittedly, it was kind of… scary, it would certainly change things, at least a little, but since when did Kat listen to fear? Ernest would stay by her side regardless.
When they got inside, he dropped the bags on the couch. Kat immediately dug through the one she remembered the rose pins being in. They were at the bottom of the bag. She stuck the pink one on her coat and slid the red one into her pocket. Ernest didn't seem to notice.
-----
The line to the ferris wheel was long but puzzles had always been good time killers. Finally, Kat and Ernest were able to get into a carriage. The wheel turning meant it was time to begin. She gripped the safety bar and wasted no time.
“Ernest, do you have a crush on anyone?”
“I- uh- wh- why do you ask?”
“I was wondering, how would you feel if this was a real date?” Kat kept her gaze forward as they slowly rose from the ground, waiting for some sort of response.
His voice was quiet but she heard every word. “I would feel very happy if this was a real date.”
YES! She would've started kicking her legs if it wasn't a safety hazard. “Then this is a real date!” Kat's grip loosened and she looked to her right to see that Ernest's face was now completely red.
She pulled the red rose out of her pocket. “Can you hold still for a moment?”
“O-of course!”
“Actually, turn towards me first,” she instructed and he listened, but the captain started moving again. When they were still again, Kat carefully put the pin in the center of his bowtie. “Ta-da!”
Ernest's hand carefully touched the accessory. “Miss Layton… I am feeling overwhelmed, but in a good way.”
Kat smiled as the wheel started turning again. “Take a deep breath-” they stopped at the top. “-and enjoy the view!”
The city spread out into the distance, warmly lit by the late afternoon, breathtaking.
-----
After stretching, Ernest asked, “The fashion show isn't for a couple hours. Do you have any other plans?”
“Of course!” He was going to love it. “Let's hold hands again.” She held hers out and when it was taken, he awkwardly attempted to lace their fingers.
“Where are we going?”
“A bus stop,” Kat said matter of factly.
When they got to the stop, she covered Ernest's eyes so he couldn't figure out where they were going. Fortunately, the next bus to Gressenheller was supposed to show up in roughly 10 minutes.
-----
The bus was mostly empty, and they had stopped holding hands for now. Ernest was looking out the window, trying to figure out their destination. The silence was comfortable, and Kat was swinging her legs in excitement.
“This is a date,” Ernest said.
“It has been for a short while,” she confirmed.
“I know, but it finally sank in. I've liked you for a while now, and I didn't expect… Wait, are we going to Gressenheller?”
“CORRECT!” Kat cheered.
“Haha, I was actually going to ask you to the flower show,” he admitted.
“Really? Why didn't you?”
“You were excited about your plan, and I enjoy spending time with you regardless,” Ernest replied.
Kat's face grew a touch warm. She wasn't entirely sure what to say; their conversations didn't usually go in this direction. Hearing him say that out loud, when he didn't have to, she was not expecting that.
Ernest definitely noticed her reaction. “Sorry, was that too much?”
“Not at all! I…” If he could say it, Kat could too. Maybe a little more thought should've been put into the after part of this plan but it was too late for that now. Besides, even if this had occurred to her, she still would've done it. “I'm glad you insisted on being my assistant!”
…Good enough? It essentially meant the same thing. Ernest seemed happy with it, at least. Good enough. She'll simply do better later.
“We're almost there,” he observed.
-----
The flower show was being held in Gressenheller's mostly empty entry hall. There was a good chance it was busy earlier in the day, but now half the people present looked to be a couple of students keeping an eye on the plants. Some of the flowers were very pretty; it'd make sense that someone would want to steal them.
Kat quickly wandered towards some white, pink and red flowers. “What kind are these?”
Ernest caught up. “Those are primroses. There's actually over four hundred kinds, but all of these are English primroses.”
“Anything else?”
“They mean ‘new beginnings,’” he provided.
She pointed at light pink, small shrub flowers. “What about those?”
“Camellias, though this bush isn't fully grown, some get to be fourteen feet tall. They're called the Queen of Winter Flowers,” he explained. “They mean love.”
“I can see why.” The petals came together in such a lovely shape, worthy of its title and meaning.
“There's also a type cultivated specifically for tea,” Ernest added.
“If I ever got some, would you make it?” Kat asked, even though she knew the answer.
“Of course!”
Looking around the room, small, white flowers caught her eye. “Those are snowdrops!”
“Correct!” Ernest confirmed with a slight laugh.
“Do you have any interesting facts about them?”
They went on like that for the other flowers, it was kind of impressive how much Ernest knew off the top of his head, and he clearly enjoyed sharing them. The students were already closing up the show for the night when they left.
“Oh dear, we're going to be late to the fashion show,” Ernest said. If Kat didn't know him so well, she might think he was actually disappointed about that. He had no idea, perfect.
“We'll be fine,” she assured. “But we can't miss the bus, let's go.” Fortunately, she looked at this stop's schedule when they got off and knew which one to wait for. Good thing she did, since it was too dark to properly read now.
-----
“Miss Layton, this is the opposite direction of the fashion show.”
“I know. We won't be late.” Not for where we're actually going .
“Are you sure?” Ernest checked.
“Of course!”
He looked a bit suspicious for a moment before pausing to think. “We aren't heading to the fashion show.”
“What makes you say that?” Kat asked, smiling.
“Well, when you're this calm in a situation like this, it means you know something I don't, and if you were actually concerned about being on time, we would've left the flower show sooner,” he explained.
“You're getting better at deductions,” she said.
“Really? I was right?” he asked in surprise.
“Yes, but can you guess where we're going?”
“Um, no.”
“Then you'll still be surprised!”
“That's true.”
-----
The look on Ernest's face when they got to the movie theater made Kat's heart flutter.
“Which movie are we seeing?” He asked.
“Your pick.” Though she could take a guess.
Ernest was buzzing at that. “Wizard!”
They approached the ticket booth. “Two tickets to From the Shadows of Vort , please!”
Kat may be able to take a guess, but that didn't mean it'd be correct. She didn't even know about this movie.
“Enjoy the show,” the ticket person said, clearly tired.
“Time to get popcorn,” Kat said when they went inside.
“I'll find our seats, Miss. We'll be in theater 4,” Ernest read from the tickets.
“Got it!” She ran off to the concession stand. There was nothing quite like movie theater popcorn. The worker behind the counter seemed more exhausted than the ticket person. Fortunately, there was already popcorn in the machine so this should be easy. “One jumbo popcorn and one small popcorn,” Kat requested.
“Coming right up,” he yawned.
-----
The movie was good, Ernest had a lot to say about it during the bus ride portion of the trip back to the agency. It was later than expected.
He interrupted himself with a yawn. “Sorry, I've been talking for a while. What did you think of the movie, Miss Layton?”
“It was fine.” Sci-fi wasn't really Kat's cup of tea, but she said what she said and she didn't hate the experience. “I enjoyed the part where they tricked the alien into getting into the airlock.”
“Honestly, that was the best part of the movie,” Ernest said. “I think this is our stop.”
It went without saying that they'd walk the rest of the way together.
“I had fun today,” Ernest said.
“It was nice,” she agreed.
“But maybe next time we shouldn't be out all day,” he suggested. “I'm exhausted.”
Kat responded with a yawn.
“Should we tell Sherl?” He asked.
“No, no, we'll wait for him to figure it out on his own,” she decided.
“Haha, that'll be fun!”
They stopped in front of the agency and Kat pulled the key out of her pocket.
“I'll see you tomorrow, Miss.” Ernest smiled as she turned the key.
“Wait,” Kat said. “There's one more thing we need to do?”
“What is it?”
She turned to face him and stepped forward. “Dates usually end with a kiss, don't they?”
Ernest's eyes went wide. “I-I believe they do.”
Their fingers laced once more as their lips met for a few moments. Ernest was warm, and Kat knew she was too.
“Oh my.” His grin was adorable, and Kat felt like she was going to explode into butterflies.
“Oh my!” She giggled. They stood like that for a bit longer but eventually let go.
“Good night, Miss Layton! See you tomorrow!” He waved as he walked off.
Kat waved back. “See you then, Ernest! Good night!”