Forbidden (Little Pixel & DareToDream)

With almost no clouds in the sky to block the sun's rays, and with the occasional cool breeze being pleasant rather than uncomfortable, overall it was a nice, warm Spring day. The perfect kind of day to be outside, and clearly Isabel Arikain wasn't the only one who thought so, since as she looked around from the park bench she was sitting on, she saw plenty of parents with their kids, as well as just couples and even the occasional person that came alone.

The girl herself could be found without company, however, she wasn't going to be alone for long. She was going to meet someone, and was actually there earlier than she was suppose to be. She often was when she was nervous or excited about something, worrying so much about being late for it she ended up being ready earlier than needed. That was the case that day. Though, rather than just one, Isabel actually felt a combination of nervousness and excitement about the meeting. So, after her internal clock going off making her waking up earlier than usual for a Saturday, Isabel had been unable to make herself sleep longer after remembering what she was going to do that day. Deciding to go about her morning routine and eat breakfast, she then put on the pair of jeans and red, v-neck sleeveless shirt she picked out then killing little more than ten minutes, before finally leaving about half-hour earlier than she really needed to.

Really, the youngest Arikain talked to plenty of people online, but she'd never met one in person, thus why she felt a bit nervous. She never really thought she would...but Carter, the one she was waiting for, had been fun and easy to talk to over the internet the past few weeks, and when she found out he lived close by, it wasn't long before the idea of meeting came along. How well they got along was enough to explain the excited part of her, obviously.

Having kept herself from doing so long enough, Isabel finally looked at her watch again, smiling as she found it was finally the time they had agreed on. Imagining she wouldn't have to wait much longer her spirits lifted, and her eyes began paying more attention to the people who passed, in case one was Carter.

He stood before the mirror, giving his clothes and hair a once over, nervousness etching its way through his body like a roller coaster gone out of control. Carter Hanes knew he shouldn’t be nervous, knew it like he knew his name, and yet it was still there, making his palms damp and his heart pound. It was a weird feeling for him, one that he wasn’t used to at all, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. Today was his meeting with Isabel, a girl he’d met off the internet and had been talking to for weeks. He knew that she was fun, friendly, and generally nice and he knew that he thoroughly enjoyed his conversations with her but they’d never met face to face, at least until now.

Today they had decided was the day, where they would meet in person for the first time and get to know each other a little more. They’d chosen a very public place – a park in the center of the city – and had set a time and exact location. Glancing at the clock, he knew he was slowly running out of time but that didn’t stop his nervousness. Looking in the mirror again, he ran his fingers through his hair, straightening it for the thousand time and then brushed his palms over his dark black tee-shirt that sported a majestic wolf standing on top of a rock outcropping. It was one of his favorites, still in good condition, and didn’t smell. His hands then glossed over the blue jeans that he wore, smoothing out the wrinkles only to see them spring back. He started to growl and then shook his head laughing. They were blue jeans after all; they were supposed to be wrinkled.

Shaking his head, he stepped back from the mirror and took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. This nervousness was annoying and he wanted to beat it into submission, something he was more than capable of doing since he was a rather strong mage in his own right. Only, that wasn’t the way to handle this, particular since Isabel didn’t know about his powers at all. He’d elected to withhold that little fact during their many conversations, afraid that she might like him or might only like him for his strength. He wasn’t happy with himself for that but it was done and he couldn’t take it back, not now at least. With another shake of his head, he quickly headed out of his bedroom and down the stairs, going out into the open air. Time was wasting and he had some place to be, someone to see, and he wouldn’t waste another moment.

Reaching the park after a short drive, he hopped out and began to thread his way through the people interspersed here and there, his destination set in his mind. As he neared it, his eyes began to scan for her, looking for the girl whose description he knew like his own body. She would be on the shorter side – at least compared to his height, cute, with dark brown hair and eyes, and a gorgeous smile. At least he hoped she had a gorgeous smile; if she did, he was done for and he knew it. Reaching the general area, he smiled when he saw her, recognizing her by the description immediately. Heading her direction, he stopped about ten feet away and offered her a tentative smile. “Isabel?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper on the wind.

As minutes passed, feeling much longer than they should, dark brown eyes shifted from one passing person to another. Eventually, they fell upon a young male approaching, though they lingered on this one, unlike with the rest she'd glanced at, as he was the first she felt could be him from the description she had. When he stopped, eyes on her, she felt more certain it was Carter, and a small smile graced her lips.

Though she couldn't be certain, as he spoke very quietly, she was pretty sure he said her name. She remained quiet herself as she stood up, heart beginning to pound faster within her chest as she did. It was only after taking a couple of steps in his direction that she spoke up herself, voice slightly hesitant, but clear. "Carter?" After taking in his appearance, now looking into his brown eyes Isabel was thankful she didn't feel her cheeks heat up. As it turns out, imagining the one she was meeting might be handsome and being prepared for that being the case weren't exactly the same thing.

Standing there was probably the hardest thing that Carter had done in a very long time, wondering if he’d approached the right person and what she would think of him if he had. He and Isabel had been chatting for a while but it had always been by keyboard, never in person, so this was a big stepping stone for them. Carter wasn’t a nervous person by nature – those with mage power rarely were – but in matters of the heart he was a true novice so nerves were a given and right then, he was quivering inside. What would she think of him? Would she like what she saw? He knew looking at her that he definitely did. Isabel was a beautiful woman inside, which was clear from all their talks, but seeing her standing there, if it was her, showed him she was also beautiful on the outside.

When she took a few tentative steps towards him and called his name, Carter knew he’d found her. Letting his smile widen, he nodded and closed the distance between them slowly, not wanting to startle her. “It’s me, Isabel. Carter. You’re exactly how you described yourself only you didn’t tell me you were beautiful.” The minute the words were out, he felt heat enter his cheeks and couldn’t believe he was blushing. It was true though, she was beautiful and though he knew he was cute, he didn’t think he compared to her. He just hoped she liked what she saw enough to want to talk with him further and go from there.

Before the young man even spoke, Isabel's own smile widened, his reaction enough to tell her she had the right person. As he diminished the distance between them, the lovely smile of his seemed to sooth her nerves and make her more anxious all at the same time, even though she wouldn't have thought such a combination was possible.
As he spoke up, his words took her by surprise, and though miraculously she didn't blush before, this time she could definitely feel her cheeks heat up as she processed his words. "Thank you." Was her somewhat shy-toned response. It wasn't as if she'd never been complimented before, but receiving one from him wasn't something she was expecting.

A short moment later, though, she let out a small chuckle. "But, I guess we're even then, because you neglected to tell me how handsome you are." She said to him in return, blush increasing, and quickly enough, she spoke again. "So, hum- Do you want to take a seat..." She trailed off as when she turned to check the bench, it was already fully occupied. She blinked a couple of times, before turning back to Carter, brows slightly furrowed. "Or maybe just walk."

His blush deepened as she spoke, complimenting him also, and he growled on the inside. He was a mage and mages didn’t get embarrassed, but apparently someone had forgotten to tell his body that. When she mentioned taking a seat he glanced behind her, noticing that the bench was already full. At her next suggestion, he smiled and glanced up at the blue sky and sunny day and then back at her. “I’d love to take a walk with you” he said. “It’s beautiful out so we should be enjoying it.”

A walk would also give them some time alone, yet still be in a public place, something that was important to him. He didn’t want Isabel to feel unsafe in his presence or to wonder if he might do something when they were alone. “There’s a lake way on the other side of the park” he added as she fell into step beside him. “We can buy some food from little stands there and feed the ducks if you’d like.” He’d always enjoyed doing that himself when he came to the park; it helped him calm his mind and ease the stress of the world around him. Glancing at her shyly, he offered another smile and then started walking, letting his feet carry him on with Isabel at his side.