Keye stood in front of Taryn's door for almost ten minutes before he got the courage to even knock. See, he'd finally decided to take Violet's and Darcy's advice, and just talk to Taryn...but he didn't feel right or well about it.
He raised a shaking hand, tapped hesitantly, and then took two quick steps back, shutting his eyes tightly.

"C'min."

Taryn isn't expecting anyone; she never is. Why should she?

She's curled up on her bed, reading something that Alexander would find interesting. (Machiavelli is so interesting, y'know?)

The soundtrack to The Phantom of the Opera is playing in the background.

He stood outside for another long moment before entering and standing just barely inside, fidgeting.
"Uhhh. H-hi, T-t-taryn."

"Hi." Pause, as she looks him over and creases her forehead in slight concern.

"What's the matter?"

"I, I...I w-wanted t-to ask you s-s-something." he was wringing his hands hard enough that, if he'd had any fingernails to speak of, he would have drawn blood.

Like Alexander did the other day?

"Okay. What is it?"

She's got that patient, listening look on her face, kind of like the one that she wore when mediating between him and Benji.

Did he? I don't remember that bit.

Just that look calmed him...at least a little.
"Uhhh. D-do you remember what I t-told you on the phone when I was in the hospital? I...it's about that." And now he was red as well as shaking.

When Keye was in the hospital, right after the telling-about-Logan bit.

She cocked her head. "Yes, I remember. What'd you want to ask?"

Oh, yes, that. But that was a clench of rage, whereas Keye's is more twisty.

He frowned. He pouted. He looked like he might start crying. Honestly, didn't she get the hint? Was she going to make him say it?
He gave it one more try.
"W-well...it's still true."

She nodded slowly. "Yeeeeeeees. So... what are you saying you want to do about it?"

Yes, she's going to make him say it. She doesn't want things to be unclear, you know.

Looking down and away from her, he hugged himself. His voice tiny, he said it all in a rush.
"WellIwaswonderingifyoumightwannagooutsometime."

There, see, that wasn't so hard, was it?

"Okayyy, did you have somewhere, somewhen in mind?"

Like, I don't know, dinner and a movie? That's the generic date, right?

His mouth dropped open, and he stared at her soundlessly. He hadn't expected it to be that easy.
Finally, he shook himself, blinking.
"...no."
He hadn't expected that she'd say that, you see. He'd been expecting rejection, so he hadn't thought that far ahead.

He should have. Always have a plan B, you know.

She blinked.

"Well... um..."

She certainly hasn't thought that far ahead; she wasn't even quite expecting him to ask. (Although she's been half wondering if he would, ever since he told her he liked her that way...)

"I dunno. I'm new at this, y'know."

Keye got the frowny, muddled look of someone who is rearranging a great number of thoughts quickly.
"I heard 'The Island' is a pretty good movie? Do you like scifi at all?"

"Mhmmm. It sounds interesting, definitely."

She smiled.

"Dinner too, or just movie?"

"D-dinner too?" he said softly, wondering if it was too much to ask.

"'kay. When 'n' where?"

Taryn has the oddest feeling that she's arranging all of this, even though he's naming all the specifics.

I can't imagine why.
"Mmm..." Keye chewed his lower lip and actually started thinking. Sometime before dark, because they'd probably have to walk (unless Keye wanted to enlist the nerve-wracking Alexander as chauffeur). Unfortunately, he did not know many places where one could have a decent, inexpensive (that's a must) dinner.
"Sixish? Uhhh...I dunno, I stay at home to eat, usually...d'you know if there's anywhere right near the movie theater?" To minimize walking in the dark time, of course. How considerate.

"Sixish's good. Um... aren't there places in the mall?" Which is right there by the theatre... Actually, the theatre's in the mall, so...

"I dunno. It's not like we have to do anything fancy."

"Oh, right, the mall." He flushed.
Stupid. C'mon, pull yourself together, Keye.
"Oh! Um...uh...F-friday? Shi--shoot, I gotta check the movie times, too..."

She nodded. "Friday. Sixish. Meet there or here or what?"

Let's get all the details worked out. Then we'll see.

... she's actually going to go on a date with him. Wow.

Wish I could drive to pick her up. It seems so cheap to have to walk.
"Here?" Then he could at least have the semblance of being gentlemanly and picking her up.
Notice that while he's making decisions (well, sort of), he's also phrasing almost everything as a question.

He's not going to make a habit of that, is he?

"Okay. Cool." She grinned. "You realize this'll be my first date date ever, right?"

"Nnn." He looked a bit sick, then grinned weakly.
"No pressure, huh?"

She made a face.

"No pressure. Anyway, from all I hear, a date's not that different from two friends hanging out, except there's s'posed to be more stuff involved." Shrug.

"Um. Yeah...I guess that's pretty much it..."
He hasn't been in normal enough relationships to know.
"I, ah..." a soft snort, not enough to be called a laugh. "Can't believe you said yes."

She cocked her head.

"How come? If I was gonna chase you off with a stick, I'd have done it when you first told me."

Except for the fact that he'd already been beaten quite enough when he first told her.

"Not that I could have run, if you'd chased me. I dunno...I thought maybe you forgot or decided you were gonna ignore it." he shrugged.

Taryn shrugged a little.

"Iunno... My whole life, my mom never even let me call boys as a friend thing. Very old fashioned. Very overprotective. I guess I was waiting for you to make a move."

"Me?"
Obviously. But we've all noticed that Keye is an idiot in conversation.

"Do you know some other guy who told me on his deathbed that he liked me?"

That might have been mean. Sorry.

He flinched, and almost started crying (he wasn't at his steadiest at the moment, but he'd been struck by a sudden desire to at least give the appearance of self-control).
"I...well...n-no...I...god, Taryn, I was sure you were gonna hate me."

Taryn immediately looked apologetic, and she got up and gave him a quick shy kind of hug.

"Hey, hey... why would I hate you? I seem t'remember telling you I was kinda flattered."

He returned it with an awkward, loose embrace of his own.
"To be honest, I really don't remember a hell of a lot about any of it. Delirium, you know."

She nodded, still sort of hugging him but not quite. Rather awkward, this, but perhaps not entirely unpleasant.

"Yeah... but I don't understand why you'd think I could ever hate you."

Well. If he did something to betray her trust, she might. But not for something like this.

"Because of...you know..." the past. He didn't want to say that, so he just shrugged.

She shrugged too.

"Well, I don't. And I won't, not even if you do something really stupid."

If he did something really meanspirited, then she might, but I can't imagine Keye doing anything like that, can you?

"I was s-scared." he smiled a little strainedly, but happily. "I'm glad you don't."

"I'm glad you're glad."