Serena was swingeing er legs back and forth very gently at the edge of an ice rink. The air was crisp, but not too cold. There were a decent number of people at the rink, enough that it was still running, but not enough that it was too crowded. Serena could hear the occasional conversation of people passing by, there was a nice soundtrack playing for the ice rink, it was a mixture of laid back alternative stuff with youtuber music and video game songs mixed in.

She hummed to a song that was playing in the waiting area that she was near.

Serena was clad in what was for her at least, unusual attire. She wore a light blue dress, accompanied by a pair of leather boots that would no doubt be a pain to take off once she changed into the skating shoes. She had a pair of blood red hair pins holding back her strands from getting too annoying. and the outfit was topped off with a red sleeveless leather jacket, contrasting colourfully with her dress.

She hummed musically, giving off a relaxed vibe. However on the inside she was writing a little bit with nerves. She was waiting for her more than just a friend for their first date. The blend of giddy excitement with nervous tension was putting her in an odd mood, but she was still optimistic overall.

Avril Lavigne was playing when she put together the outfit. It was an oldie, but a classic. It did not quite fit the mood of the scene. Nobody here hated anyone's girlfriend. In fact, there technically weren't any girlfriends involved at all. Not yet, at least. And then, nobody would dislike them.

Dark blue leggings and black sneakers with white socks started off the ensemble, shortly followed by A skirt that had a jagged red and white ><><><>< type striped pattern going vertically down its length. It stopped a little short of her knees. Amelia wore a pink-colored woolen sweater over a white camisole, and a navy blue button up woolen peacoat, left open in the front. The buttons were black. Over her shoulders and hanging down the front of her sweater, she also wore a chunky knitted white scarf. Amelia topped it off with a white stocking cap, though she might take it off before the day was up if it all got too warm. January in New York could still be cold, though, and they were ice skating. She would be warm enough. Her dark brown hair, she left long to hang over her shoulders. She had put a lot of thought in the outfit, and even wore a little makeup, which usually was a rarity for her. A brown purse hung over one shoulder as she set out.

Amelia caught a bus that took her to a stop near the skating rink. While she rode, her earbuds blasted Paramore. She stashed the MP3 player away as she got off the bus.

Her phone clock said she was right on time, which Amelia took to mean that she was running late. Her pace got cranked up exactly one notch as she strode into the ice rink. The contrast of temperatures hit instantly, a drop of several degrees. People were busy all around. It took her a minute to find Serena, and make her way over to the beautiful blonde.

Amelia smiled down at her where she sat. "Nice outfit." She said. Then added, cheeks one shade pinker than usual. "Hi."

It had been a while since she'd been on a date with a woman. Or really, a real date that she hadn't been set up on, that hadn't instantly become a disaster. She was looking forward to this, but also a little nervous, if only because the friendship they had was important to her, and she really didn't want to eff anything up.

Serena admittedly nearly fell straight off of the wall she was leaning against, having a moment of complete lapse of balance that didn't have anything to do with the sudden upsurge of energy and excitement over the arrival of her date. Smooth romance thine foe is named Serena. Her cheeks were, matching her date's a shade more colourful than normal. Though this might have been embarrassment.

As she regained her balance and perked up again she glanced over her friend, her eyes lingering on her for a few moments longer than was standard with casual friends. "You love lovely! And thank you" She smiled a little timidly. "Dresses aren't normally my thing, I don't know if I overdressed or whatever." She replied sheepishly.

Another flood of colour reached her cheeks. "I was quite nervous getting dressed today for some reason~"

Cute. Serena always had cute going for her, even if she momentarily lost 'balance'. Also, she had other things, like the way she looked at her, but that- That thought could be set aside for another time and locale. Ahem. Serena thought she loved lovely. She must have been just one big bundle of nerves. Amelia could understand.

Serena finished talking, about how dresses weren't her thing, and how she'd been nervous preparing for the date. Amelia felt the need to set her straight about some things, in the most flirty way possible.

"Dresses," she said, nodding knowingly. "Are definitely your thing." The girl didn't think they worked with her? Did she know how well it fit? "I think you did a good job getting dressed." A vulpine smile curved her lips. "In fact." She leaned up and planted a light kiss on Serena's forehead. "I think you deserve a kiss."

Okay, Amelia didn't just look good, she was gorgeous. Serena thought about running her hands through those beautiful brunette strands and kissing and holding her, but she batted them down. Ahem. Hormones were not the decider at the fore front of her brain, she had better self control than that. Well, her nerves panging through her also helped with that.

Her cheeks coloured in a hearty rose colour as Amelia complimented her. "W-well" She cleared her throat to help the speech come off more clearly and concisely. "Thank you, that means quite a lot coming from you." She admitted, a sheepish smile covering her lips.

Momentarily after those thoughts however, her mind drifted to thinking about how soft the brunette's lips were. She sighed gently and grinned. Leaning down towards the other girl and giving her a gentle kiss on the lips, it was a little more than a peck, but not any deeper than that. "Thank you."

She shook the thoughts off her head and swiftly looped her arm though Amelia's twining them and sliding her fingers gently down the brunette's arm, till her hand rested gently against her friend's.

One kiss lead to another. Sweet.

'Thank you,' Serena had said. Amelia smirked at her, and flat out said "You're welcome." What? Serena was fun to tease!

The woman entangled her arm with Amelia's, and moved to hold her hand. Amelia smirked at that, too.

"I like that you picked ice skating. Like the last time we went. Which was probably the first time you got a clue that I liked you." When she put it like that, it sounded like she had been the one to put forth the most initiative. Like she'd been in charge of setting this course. And maybe, she had? Mostly, though, she was teasing Serena again.

Amelia brushed her thumb against Serena's, and glanced towards the rink. "This will be fun." She smiled.

The blonde's cheeks lightened up a little back to their normal colour, hey she could accept compliments. Just because she blushed at the didn't mean she was going to argue. She hummed a little as the two of them moved over to the desk to get themselves some skates. It being quiet also meant that everything was cleaner, including the skates themselves. Which was a definite bonus.

Serena chuckled at the memory and grinned widely. It had involved a nervous Amelia falling on her butt on the cold ice a few times, and Serena helping her get the hang of it. "I remember. That was a fun afternoon."

She smirked at the second comment and found her friends fingers after letting of a little shiver at Amelia's moving over her skin. "Well, I was a teenager back then so it was more than a little confusing. Hormones didn't help." She added.

They got their skates and paid. She took a seat on one of the benches and changed over to the skates, handing over her boots for taking care of, and quickly but awkwardly padded her way over to the ice and slid down onto it. She'd finished changing into it first, and proceeded to glide across the ice in bliss for a few moments, before returning to where Amelia was coming down. She moved with quite a lot of grace, having been here every year in a row for a long while. "This will be fun~" She agreed.

>>"Well, I was a teenager back then so it was more than a little confusing. Hormones didn't help." Serena said.

"Yeah," Amelia agreed gravely. "Hormones never help." Her lips weren't curved up in a sly smile, nope. Not at all. Well, maybe a tiny bit.

At the desk, Amelia rented her a pair of skates. White, with pink highlights. She had not asked for skates that girly. She'd simply been given them without the worker even glancing at her face. What if she'd been a boy? That's equality for you, she supposed.

She put her pink girly skates on and checked her shoes. Then, Amelia moved to join Serena on the ice.

The woman was very talented, with all that gliding around. She stood there by the side of the rink, watching, before she stepped onto the ice.

Amelia agreed. "Fun." She grinned.

Serena tilted her head and glanced at the expression on Amelia's face. She didn't seem to have the nervous energy of the teenager she'd been last time they'd done this. Mind you, that might have also been the fact they'd liked eachother. They obviously liked each other now, more so, or they wouldn't be on their first date. However Serena had matured a lot, and wasn't going to awkwardly blush and skirt around topics anymore, she was going to enjoy the company of her pretty friend.

She glided over to her friend waiting for her and planted her arms on her sides, grinning at her as she stepped down onto the ice. "So, are you feeling confident this time, or would you like me to stay near you in case you fall?" She asked, no small amount of teasing tone resonating through her words.

Amelia laughed. Then, pursed her lips and tapped her chin, glancing up and to the right as if carefully considering her options. "Let me see..." She trailed, then looked at Serena, smiling. "Little of column A, little of column B." She wanted Serena to stay close, though not for fear of falling. She was confident in her own abilities. There was no clever word play here, falling, falling. Get it? That was the sort of joke her dad would make.

Without preamble, Amelia broke into a skating form and slid past Serena, towards the center of the rink. Just to prove herself, she jumped at just the right moment, and pushed herself into the turn of the jump, spinning once, then landed on both feet, skating backwards on the ice. She may have gone skating once or twice since then, maybe. And practiced some tricks. Hey. Gotta be nimble and graceful, right?

Amelia stopped next to Serena, beaming proudly, as if to say 'top that'.

Of course, as usual Amelia's comments drew out a very pleased smile from the smitten Blonde. The last time they'd been in this situation, both of them had been nervous and unsure, this time of course both of them were more developed and mature, it should make for an interesting contrast to look back on in the years. She grinned and quirked an eyebrow, wordlessly inviting Amelia to show her what she had.

... A lot. Apparently, a lot is what she had. Serena's challenging, half amused gaze melted in reaction and she burst out into hearty, throaty laughter and moved in near Amelia in fairly good, maybe not quite as polished form, but she was still pretty damn elegant. Serena had an excellent sense of balance of herself.

She couldn't exactly do a ballet twirl but she did loop Amelia a few times and then smoothly grasp the other girl's hand in her own, her fingers gently tugging her along. It took a little while to get used to skating with someone else's weight on her arm, but they quickly found a mingling grace that held them together, with their fingers intertwined they skated alongside each other.

It was... It was nice. Not much more than that, there was a simple and reassuring and affirming familiarity that Serena hadn't quite picked up on before that radiated between the two of them. It was relaxing, and exhilarating at the same time. Not from adrenaline, but from the realisation that the chemistry came to them this easily. It was just... right.

Round and round, Serena went. She had style and she had grace. It wasn't Olympic level, but that was fine, because nobody was expecting the second coming of some British Olympic gold medalist. Amelia was simply expecting Serena. Beautiful, and understated, balanced and poised. On one pass, Serena caught her hand, and then the two of them were skating together.

It was easy enjoying the situation. She didn't have to work hard with Serena, didn't have to try and be someone she was not, and there wasn't a bunch of needless drama. With some people, drama practically bleeds from them. Some people. Most ex-girlfriends or underage drinking or throwing themselves into danger, et cetera, et cetera. She wasn't finding any of that here. Which was funny, seeing how often they'd gotten into situations involving danger.

Amelia supposed peanut butter and jelly was a good comparison. Or tea and honey, if you wanted something more British. Don't like honey? Fine then. Crumpets. What even is a crumpet? A little cookie? Don't they call those biscuits? They don't eat biscuits with gravy. Which is another American thing that goes well together. What do British people like with gravy? Meat and potatoes, probably. Meat. Pie? Idle thoughts did not stream through her mind like an elementary school student trying to inflate his essays word count with needless tangents. That's the sort of thing you blame an author for. All she thought as they skated was, 'this is easy. We have chemistry.' Oh, and also something about incredibly blue pretty eyes. And maybe she shouldn't have eaten such a light breakfast but they could eat later and she didn't need to dream about peanut butter and jelly. That was all.

They skated for a while, like that. There weren't too many people on the rink, so they had privacy and plenty of room. Eventually, they slid to a stop by the outskirts of the rink, so they could wrap it up.

"I could really go for something to eat," Amelia said. She smiled at Serena. "What did you have planned for me?" It probably was not PB & J.

In the background, Bad Boys Blue started playing. Hungry For Love. What a strange song pick. These people had eclectic tastes.

((OOC okay fine I wrote this post after eating a pbj sandwich. So sue me if Amelia is obsessed. Song link for the lazy m.youtube.com/watch?v=G9Y3UK93S6M. ))

As they'd spent some time skating around the rink together a thought dawned on Serena... Amelia was actually really good at ice skating. Like, better than her good. A memory flicked through her mind. And she felt a playful smirk tug at her mouth. She set the thought aside as the two of them came to a stop after a nice relaxing spell around the rink. They'd skated for maybe 20 minutes.

She chuckled and stepped out of the rink, gently tugging her date up with her, still holding her hand in a gentle grasp. They went and sat down as Serena answered. "I'm not entirely sure, there are a few restaurants around here we could try." She supplied, leaning down to unstrap the awkward skates, smiling over at Ami as she did. "Are you in the mood for something in particular? It's my treat this time~"

The two of them went and got their own footwear back, Serena spent a couple minutes re-doing boots, before hopping up, bouncing on her heel slightly, buzzing with energy and excitement. She held out her hand to help Amelia up and grinned at her broadly, a light pink colouring her cheeks. "I didn't plan that much, I figured if we just set out to have fun we couldn't go too far wrong, I always enjoy your company."

So Serena hadn't planned some fancy restaurant, or even her favorite place. Amelia made a mental note to make sure Serena shared that detail some time. Though they were friends, Amelia didn't really know Serena's favorite food, or favorite places. Some things, she knew, true. By what she wore, she could figure out Serena's favorite colors. They'd be the ones she gravitated towards. One of them was probably red. She was wearing red. She had suggested the leather jacket with red trimming for Amelia herself. Another of Serena's favorites might be blue, like her eyes. Or, no. That was Amelia's favorite. She was probably just projecting.

She'd gone thoughtful for a moment, considering. Amelia didn't know the area as well as she would have liked. She shared as much, as she undid her skates. "Otherwise," she continued. "I'd suggest my favorite. Share it with you." She flashed Serena a brief smile, then pulled a skate off. Leaned it up against the side of the bench.

"My favorite foods are Italian." Duh. Because of her family. "Mexican, and Chinese. I like Indian, too, and pho." Spicy stuff, mainly. Her stomach must hate her. "I really like Japanese, too."

The other skate came off. Amelia grabbed them both and rose, feet cold on the ground. As she walked with Serena to check the skates back in, and get their stuff, Amelia continued her monologue with a slight chuckle. "At least I'm not acting like those girlfriend horror stories you always hear about." She attempted a goofy male voice and mimicked someone. "Oh what do you want for dinner, honey?" She switched into a high pitched woman's voice. "Oh I don't know, honey. Anything. Anything," she added gravely, in her normal voice. "Is really helpful, huh?"

They grabbed their things. Serena stood and explained why she hadn't planned every detail. Amelia smiled up at her as she laced her shoes without looking. In fact, her hands were on her knees and she wasn't looking, but she was lacing. Maybe Serena wouldn't notice? It was fairly easy to send a psychic current through the laces to fill them with her will, and tying shoe laces is almost as much about muscle memory as it is sight, after a certain point. She could tie them blindfolded. Look, ma. No hands. She chuckled. "That's probably smart. Planning too much really can set you up to fall. And fun is good. I dunno." Her hand dropped into her purse, and came out with a smart phone.

"Siri," she requested. "What's the nearest pho restaurant?"

A robotic female voice announced that she had found several restaurants in the area. Amelia looked to Serena. "Or do you like sushi more? I could go either way." She slipped the phone back in her purse.

Oh. Serena had been offering her a hand up this entire time she'd been sitting and thinking of food places, and Amelia had left her hanging. Whoops. Apparently food and monologues were more important than getting off her ass. Amelia took the hand, and slipped her purse over her shoulder. "Thanks," she said.

Serena let out a happy chuckle at her date. "I'd love to try your favourites with you." Serena come to think of it, was fairly easy going on foods. She had a family recipe Lasagne that she adored, but she tried to avoid doing it too often because it was fairly heavy in the cheese department and her thighs did not need that attention, she drank enough coffee and tea already really.

"I like Italian too. Well, mostly the pasta recipes, and some of the pizza's." She replied. God, when was the last time she'd ordered take out? She should really treat herself, it wasn't like she was pressed for cash or anything. Also, wow that was a lot of favourites. Serena had only tried a handful of those. She'd had Indian before, but she didn't know about mexican or... What was Pho?

The playful smile came back with a vengeance. "I don't think you could ever be that annoying, and if you were I'd tide myself over with how lovely you look~" She winked.

Serena chuckled and pondered the comment. "Hmm, Well I've always said that I should try sushi, and there is a cute place around the corner~" She supplied. Serena promptly stepped in line with her date and laced her now slightly cold fingers through Amelia's, leading them in the direction of said sushi.