"Actually..." the-girl-of-Jayce's-dreams said, pausing for a moment. Jayce felt his breath catch in his throat as he waited in anticipation. Small beads of sweat began to form on his forehead as his doubts confirmed his failure. They cackled at him. "How foolish." They taunted. "Who'd want to take a walk with a broken loser like you?" His mind betrayed him. Jayce shook his head, almost imperceptibly, trying to relinquish himself from their silver-tongued grasp. She spoke again, and her words brought the smile back to Jayce's face. "I already finished eating," she said smiling. "And walking sounds good, I guess I could use some fresh air." She said. Jayce responded with some words, hopefully they made sense. He wasn't quite paying the most attention right now.
Fireworks and general fanfare proceeded through Jayce's head, and he tried not to let it show on his face. He was so ridiculously excited. He'd never felt so happy in his entire life, and yet, he didn't know quite why. He was so jazzed he almost didn't notice that she took his hand. Her touch was soft, her hands were pleasantly warm. The simple contact sent shivers down his spine and electricity crackled through his fingertips. "Whoa..." He thought desperately to himself as he forgot how to breathe for a moment. Jayce spoke up, trying not to let his voice crack or hint at just how ecstatic he currently was. If he'd learned anything from Josh, who had basically raised him like a younger brother, it was that you had to be cool, suave, and just the littlest bit clever. At least, that's what Josh had told him. She looked into his eyes; standing up carefully without breaking that precious contact. She finally said "Lead the way" and gave him a tempting smile. Jayce subtly licked his lips, they were horribly dry.
"Right this way." He said, the huge, child-like grin still on his face. He nonchalantly maintained his grip on her hand. It was gentle and leading. He tried not to let it show that he didn't really need to hold her hand anymore. He was thoroughly enjoying holding... this girl's hand. He was enjoying himself far too much. "Inside is pretty boring right now." Jayce said, gesturing to the staircases, paintings, and general furnishings. "It's a beautiful day out there, what say we really enjoy it?" Jayce asked, not waiting for her opinion. He lead her through the front doors and around the back of the mansion. Jayce looked back at her and smiled as he walked. "I just realized I don't know your name. Where I come from, it's polite to introduce yourself before asking for someone else's name. I'm Jayce, been living here for a while now. We're heading to my favorite place here." Jayce said, turning back around to focus on the path before him. He lead her through the forest, around trees, under fallen limbs, and through small brush until he found it. Jayce had brought the girl who was holding his hand to the pond behind the Sayco mansion. He let go once they were in the small clearing and clambered up a small tree. Jayce positioned himself atop a particular branch which was perfectly placed to jump straight into the water. Further it was high up enough to leave clothes there so they wouldn't get wet from splashing. The pond was just barely on Sayco's property, but Jayce made sure to use it just about everyday. So far, he hadn't been bothered when he went there. Not even once. "I come here to swim, it's one of my favorite things to do." Jayce asked.
Suddenly, Jayce hooked his legs around the branches, and hung from them upside-down. He flopped down in front of her, arms hanging loosely. "So," he began, chuckling. "You could say I hang around here often." Jayce punned, laughing to himself as he finished his bad joke.