Gavin nervously fiddled with the flowers he had in his lap. I have to do this today! I have to ask her! He got up imitating a cool confident walk and headed towards her. This lasted four steps, then he actually looked at her in the face. He stopped, she smiled, and he smiled weakly back.
"Is something wrong Gavin?" She said trying to peer to see what he was holding behind his back.
"Un...um... nothing, nevermind." He retreated back a far distance and let the breath he was holding.
"Stupid, stupid! I can't even talk to her without running away! How am I supposed to ask her out on a date?!"
"I assume that you are talking about Amelia."
Gavin turned his head sharply to see Zelgadis.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yes, to everyone besides her that is."
"How can I ask her out? What would I do if she said no?"
"You could go up to her and say, Would you like to go out on a date with me? If she says no then at least you'll know. Believe me agonizing over whether or not she likes you is far worse then knowing she doesn't. Thought it really doesn't matter anyway, she'll probably say yes."
"How do you know?"
"Before you started traveling with us Gavin it was me, Gourry, Amelia, and your older sister Lina. Back then Amelia had the hugest, most stupid crush on me. That is until you came along. After that she completely stopped."
"I don't know..."
"Think about what I said." Zelgadis walks off leaving a very distraught Gavin. His blue-green eyes were transfixed on the flowers and his hand was running through his soft, short, dark blue-green hair.
"You know staring at the flowers wont get them over to Amelia. That is unless you wish me to teleport them to her."
"Hello Xellos. Come to feed off my tormented emotions?"
"Normally I would but this is really starting to bother me. Why don't you just go ask her? The worst she could do is say no."
"I'm not like you Xellos. I can't just bare my soul and think nothing of it."
"It's not like it would destroy you."
"It would! I have never liked anyone like this before."
"So?"
"So, I'm scared out of my mind!"
"Well I could have told you that."
"What should I do Xellos?"
"Well...that is a secret!" And with that he phased out. Gavin just sits waiting for person #3 to appear. I must be a real basket case if I'm going to have a pep talk from everyone. I wonder who is going to be next?
Sylphiel answered that question by quietly approaching Gavin.
"Gavin what's wrong?"
"Just ask Zelgadis or Xellos..."
"Pardon?"
"Nevermind. (holding up the flowers) Do you know what these are for?"
"Oh I see. You were going to ask Amelia out weren't you?"
"Yes and I chickened out."
"Well believe me, it's a very hard thing to do, telling someone that you like them. The thought of rejection just turns your stomach into knots."
"You're talking about how you feel about Gourry aren't you?"
"Yes. At least you know that Amelia isn't involved with anyone else..."
"Lina doesn't like Gourry."
"What?"
"Well she does like him, but only as a friend that is, nothing more."
"How do you know that?"
"Come on I'm her little brother, I know more about Lina Inverse than anyone in the world. She trusts me and everything, plus she told me."
A sweatdrop forms on both Sylphiel's and Gavin's heads.
"I wonder who Gourry-dear likes..."
"Welcome to my world."
"Hmm, well I think one of us should at least get out of this trap."
"Yeah. How about we promise each other that in a year from now that by then one of us tells the one we like how we feel."
"And if neither of us have by then?"
"Then we both have to tell them at the same time. I'll be there to keep you inline and you to keep me. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"So it looks like I'll be telling her one way or another, whether today, or next year..."
"I should get going. Remember our promise Gavin."
"I will Sylphiel."
And the shrine maiden disappears into the distance. Again Gavin is back to his staring match with the flowers.
"You know if you leave those long enough they're going to wilt."
"Gourry?" Sure enough it was the dumb swordsman, only his statement wasn't quite so dumb.
"Wilted flowers aren't a nice thing to give to a girl when you want to ask her out."
"Gourry you're scaring me..."
"We you are going to ask Amelia out aren't you? That's what Xellos told me."
"Oh."
"Why haven't you done it yet?"
"Because I'm a chicken."
"Really? You look like a person. Does Lina know that she has a chicken for a brother? How come you look like a human?"
At this point Gavin is holding out his hands looking up to the sky silently mouthing the words ‘why me?'
"Gavin?"
"Gourry I'm not a chicken."
"But you said - "
"Forget what I said. I haven't asked Amelia because I'm nervous and scared out of my mind."
"Oh."
"So far I've had Zelgadis, Xellos and Sylphiel all giving me advise."
"What did they say?"
"They told me to go and ask her out."
"Then you should do it."
"How can I? She could say no."
"She also could say yes."
"How can I take that chance?"
"Well think about it, you don't you could be wasting your opportunity. What would you do if you wait too long and she ends up falling for someone else?"
"I...I never thought about it that way before..."
"Believe me that's what I worry about."
"Huh? You like someone right now?"
A very rare occasion, Gourry was actually blushing.
"Um..."
"Who?"
"..."
"Is it Lina?"
"What?! Lina?! You've got to be kidding me! A flat chested, bad tempered girl like her? No way!"
Gavin was about to defend Lina when he suddenly thought about Sylphiel.
"It's either the girl I'm thinking about, that or you're gay."
"WHAT?! I AM NOT GAY! DON'T YOU EVEN DARE LISTEN TO WHAT LINA AND AMELIA SAY!"
"Huh? Listen to what?"
"Oh, so they haven't said anything..."
"So you like Sylphiel then."
"How did you know that?"
"Nevermind. Why don't you just tell Sylphiel?"
"Why don't you tell Amelia?"
Both guys were speechless. Neither of them said anything for a very long time.
"Oh well I'm going to go. I think I have to go do something at someplace, but I don't quiet remember."
"Okay, see you Gourry."
Well Lina was the only one left to talk to Gavin and she wasn't about to disappoint him.
"Hi Gavy!"
"Hello Lina."
"Ohmygod! You haven't asked her out yet?!"
"No."
"Oh for crying out loud you are such a wimp!"
"Easy to criticize, hard to do."
"This is so much like Devon and Whynn..." Lina mumbled under her breath. Gavin heard what she said but wasn't quite sure if he heard her correctly.
"Do you want me to ask her for you?"
"WHAT?! DON'T YOU DARE!"
"Well then go ask her yourself!"
"I...I can't..."
"Why?"
"..."
"Trust me she'll say yes."
"..."
"What do you have to lose?"
"My heart in one piece."
"So you are afraid of her breaking your heart?"
"Yes."
"You're only asking her out on a date for crying out loud! It's not like you are asking her to marry you!"
"Yeah but - "
"No buts! A date is a date. It's not that serious."
"..."
"Do you want me to go get Amelia to see what's bothering you?"
"NO!"
"Then go do it!" Lina starts to push Gavin in Amelia's direction.
"Okay, okay I'll do it!" Lina backs off as Gavin slowly approaches Amelia, again hiding the flowers behind his back. To make sure he doesn't lose his nerve, Gavin avoids eye contact with Amelia. When he was only 5 steps away everyone else couldn't keep their excitement quiet.
"Just do it Gavy!"
"Don't forget our promise!"
"Seize the opportunity now!"
"No fear!"
"Remember what I said!"
Lina, Sylphiel, Gourry, Xellos, and Zelgadis were hiding in a bush not too far away. Gavin was getting very annoyed.
"Will you guys just SHUT-UP!!" He said holding the flowers raised in his hands as if he was going to throw them at his pep squad. The problem with this was that now Amelia could see the flowers now.
"Flowers? Who are those for Gavin?"
Gavin was staring backwards at his cheering squad when he heard this and eyes went wide. Swallowing the lump in his throat Gavin turns to face her with his eyes closed.
"You," he holds the flowers with his eyes still closed. A long silence passes and Gavin stays still as a statue. He opened one of his eyes a crack to take a peek at Amelia. She was sitting there with a bit of a shocked expression. Plus she was blushing, but she was smiling too. Gavin opened his eyes up and eased up a bit.
"Do you - "
"Want to go on a date with you? Yes I'd love to!"
"You would?!"
Amelia nodded her head smiling broadly. Gavin started jumping for joy.
"I was afraid that you were going to say no."
"I was afraid that didn't like me in that way. I kept on talking to Miss Lina about how I liked you and all, and she said - "
"What?! Did you say you told my sister?"
"Yeah."
"Well no wonder...(looks towards Lina) WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST TELL ME IN THE FIRST PLACE?!"
Lina just shrugged.
"Oh well who cares? So where do you want to go on our date Gavin?"
"I don't care as long as I'm with you."
Amelia blushed and took his hand, and they walked off together, one very adorable couple.