Date n°1 : Daphne's Date 1

(Daphne POV)

Daphne stood up. She was doing her best to hide her stress. This wasn't her first date, but she'd never imagined she'd have a date with Leo. No, it wasn't a date. It was normal to go out with her best friend. As for tonight, they'd be sharing their beds and that would be that.

Daphne plucked up courage and whispered her date idea in Nola's ear. Nola listened attentively before clapping both her hands enthusiastically.

"Great, this will be perfect for a first date." Said Nola.

A golden door with the number 1 appeared. Daphne understood instantly where it would lead.

"This is the door that will take you to your destination. When it's 8 p.m. you'll be automatically teleported to the master bedroom. Have fun!" said Nola.

Daphne and Leo looked at each other and headed for the door. Suddenly they were interrupted by Nola, who blocked their path.

"I almost forgot. You can't enjoy this date this tired." Nola said.

She clapped her hands together and suddenly all traces of fatigue disappeared from Leo's face.

"It'll be better this way. You can go now." Nola continued.

Leo and Daphne didn't hesitate and went through the door.

(Leo POV)

When Leo regained his sight, it took him a moment to understand where they were. They hadn't been here in almost 6 years. This was the Disney theme park he'd visited at the end of their high school years.

"I hope you like it. I was a little short on ideas and thought you might have enjoyed it last time." Daphne said, bowing her head.

Leo looked at Daphne, who was blushing and didn't dare look him in the eye. Leo crouched down to get her to look him in the eye.

"Daphne, I can only imagine what you're going through, but know that your mere presence makes this crazy situation acceptable. I'm glad you're here. Don't worry about me. I'll do my best to help you with whatever's on your mind." Says Leo

Daphne blushed even more, then stepped forward and smiled.

Leo really liked seeing her smile like that.

"Why don't we go instead of just standing here?" Leo asked.

Daphne nodded and they headed for the roller coaster.

"So, you didn't tell me, but how's your thesis coming along?" Leo asked.

Daphne lowered her eyes before answering.

"Not really, at the moment I spend but night reading scientific articles but I haven't managed to find enough evidence yet. Then I tell myself it doesn't really matter. It's not as if I can go on with my thesis at the moment."

This answer dampened his spirits a little, but Leo decided to respond.

"You can just think of it as a vacation. And on the bright side, it's free." Said Leo.

"Haha. I don't even understand why I'm laughing at this. It's not even funny." Says Daphne.

"You probably need to take your mind off things and have a good laugh," commented Leo.

"No doubt, no doubt" said Daphne.

Leo then started towards the tail, which already seemed to be endless, before Daphne grabbed him by the arm and showed him 2 priority passes.

"I thought I'd ask Nola to give us this. So, unless you want to wait in line, I suggest the fast track." Says Daphne with a certain pride.

"You know you're great Daphne?" says Leo.

"Who do you think I am? Of course, I'm great. One of us has to have a brain." Says as he raises his head.

"Then I follow you, oh great Daphne!" Said Leo in a falsely reverent tone.

They enjoyed various attractions like this. They were given priority, which meant they could do many attractions, some of them several times over. It wasn't until 6 o'clock that Daphne left for half an hour to go to the bathroom. Leo took the opportunity to sit on a bench and think.

The day was going well so far. For a few hours, they'd managed to forget why they were here. Now that he was alone, last night's discussion with Nola came back to mind.

Had she been telling the truth? Leo didn't feel she'd lied yet. However, that didn't guarantee that she was telling the truth on these points. In any case, whether she was telling the truth or not didn't really matter. All that mattered was whether he believed it or not. What should he do with this information? Should he tell the others? Would he be believed?

Leo's policy was always to tell the truth, even if it meant hurting people, but now he was hesitating. These reflections were interrupted by Daphne's return.

"Excuse me, you wouldn't believe the queue there was. It's a pity the priority pass doesn't work for the toilets."

"That's okay." Says Leo leaving a silence before continuing.

"Daphne, do you think we can trust what Nola tells us?"

Daphne put on a serious face again instantly and took a few seconds to think before replying.

"I don't know. In any case, I've decided to believe that she's lying about certain things so that we can be more accommodating about what's happening to us" Daphne said.

This answer confirmed Leo's decision not to reveal his conversation with Nola last night.

They decided to take a leisurely stroll around the park, enjoying some of the attractions while chatting about the good old days when they were together at college. He, Charles, and Daphne really were a great bunch of buddies. And it was quite impressive that they'd managed to maintain their friendships despite their very different lives.

8 p.m. arrived without them even realizing it, and they disappeared as easily as they had arrived.