Misunderstanding..

Luke squirmed under Gwen's penetrating gaze, releasing a nervous chuckle that sounded more strained than humorous. His hand unconsciously found its way to the back of his neck, a clear sign of his unease.

"Alright, alright, let's not jump to conclusions, Gwen," he managed to say, a hint of panic visible in his eyes. "I was just messing around! You can't seriously believe I'd harm squirrels, do you?"

However, Gwen's reaction was far from amused. Her eyes widened considerably, her jaw dropping open in stunned disbelief. "Luke, you... did you really do something to the squirrels?" Without waiting for a reply, she lunged towards him, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt collar, pulling him close enough to see the horror mirrored in her eyes. "Are you insane?!"

Taken aback by Gwen's fiery reaction, Luke blinked rapidly. His heart pounded like a drum, the sound echoing in his ears. His playful comments, intended to provoke nothing more than laughter or a playful eyeroll, had landed him in hot water. This was a stark departure from the relaxed afternoon he'd envisioned - needling Gwen and avoiding his observational duties. He certainly hadn't planned for a full-on investigation into squirrel welfare, especially when he hadn't even harmed any squirrels... just relocated them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Gwen!" Luke sputtered, his voice reaching a pitch he would later vehemently deny. His wide eyes were glued to Gwen's incensed gaze, his hands fumbling with her wrist, trying to free himself from her surprisingly firm grip. "I swear I didn't do anything to the squirrels!"

The 'I swear' lingered between them like a desperate plea. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple, testament to his escalating panic. He attempted to maintain a light tone, saying, "Come on, Gwen, you know me. I'm always joking. It was just a prank!"

Gwen, however, was far from convinced. Her grip on his collar remained firm, her emerald eyes drilling into his with an accusatory glare. "A prank, Luke? Really? Since when do your pranks involve endangering innocent animals?"

Feeling mild desperation creeping in, Luke continued his futile attempts to extricate himself from her grip. It occurred to him that despite his daytime weakened state, Gwen was surprisingly strong. He reasoned that adrenaline could do some pretty wild things.

Just when he was about to surrender to Gwen's intimidating hold, an idea struck him. Ceasing his struggles, he leaned forward, narrowing the distance between their faces until their noses nearly touched.

"Gwen," he began, his voice dropping to a whisper, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "You're awfully close to me... here in the park... all alone. My god," he feigned a gasp, his eyes widening dramatically, "don't tell me Olivia convinced you this was a date? 'Cause even if it was, I must disappoint you, I don't kiss on first dates..."

A heavy silence hung in the air, broken only by Gwen's stunned blinks. She gaped at him, her hand that had been gripping his collar slowly loosening as she processed his words. Her expression transitioned from righteous anger to baffled confusion, finally settling on a horrified realization.

His pride took a hit at her reaction. It's not like he was some repulsive creature! He was academically accomplished, came from a wealthy family, had been raised with good manners, and if he did say so himself, had a pretty decent sense of humor. He was a total package! Yet, Gwen's horrified expression told a different story, making him feel like some kind of... insect.

"Hey! Why are you looking at me like that?" Luke's voice carried a hint of wounded pride, a frown pulling at his lips. "You'd think I'd just suggested we steal candy from a baby or something!"

Gwen, who had finally let go of his collar, still looked at him with a mixture of mortification and disgust. It was as if she'd swallowed a bug or perhaps bitten into a particularly sour lemon.

This time, Luke grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer and leaning down to stare at her. "Oi, answer me. What's with that face? I was only kidding. Why the heck do you look so disgusted!? Even if I wasn't kidding, shouldn't you be blushing instead!? I'm not exactly hideous, am I!?" He held her close, not allowing her to escape.

Gwen found herself caught in a whirlwind of confusion. Luke continued to hold onto her wrist, their faces barely inches apart. She attempted to pull away, but to no avail. Luke's grip remained firm, unyielding.

"Luke! Let go, this isn't funny anymore!" Gwen's voice was a whimper, her eyes darting nervously as she realized their closeness. Yet, he was relentless in his quest for an answer.

"No, not until you answer my question. Why did you react that way?" His gaze met hers, causing an unexpected blush to color her cheeks. Luke was undeniably good-looking, and their close proximity was making her hyperaware of it.

As passersby noticed their tussle, Gwen felt her face heat up even more. She heard a few people mutter comments like, "Young love, always quarreling," or, "Such a passionate couple," which only exacerbated her embarrassment.

"Luke, let go. People are watching…" Gwen pleaded, her ears reddening, much to Luke's amusement. His spirits lifted; it seemed she wasn't entirely repulsed by him. However, he needed to hear her say it.

"I'll release you as soon as you admit that I am indeed a perfect catch and that your face of disgust wasn't intended for my playful comment!" Luke demanded, his tone shifting from wounded to arrogant, a smirk spreading across his face.

"Just let go! I don't have time to date you! Can't you find some other girl to chase after?" Gwen retorted, her face turning more and more red as she tried to avoid eye contact with him, the passersby, and just about everything except her shoes. In her shocked state, she missed the part of him saying he was kidding about the earlier comment.

"D-Date me!? When did I ever even ask you out!?" Luke exclaimed with an equally shocked expression, quickly releasing her and taking a step back. He was confused. He'd merely made a joke, why was she acting as if he had been relentlessly pursuing her?

Caught up in her own confusion, Gwen stuttered out her words, causing Luke to chuckle. "D-Date? I didn't mean... I wasn't implying... I mean... You said--" she stammered, her face now a deep shade of crimson, while Luke's smug smirk turned to utter bewilderment.

"All I did was make a joke about you trying to kiss me! You do know I was joking, right?" Luke questioned, stepping back as though she were a ticking time bomb. He hadn't even considered asking Gwen out, yet here they were, ensnared in an awkward, misunderstood pseudo-proposal.

Gwen blushed even harder at the realization that she'd misunderstood, the unusual closeness to a boy talking about kissing had caused her mind to go haywire for a moment, leading her to utter such a foolish statement.

In a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, Gwen quickly changed the subject. "The squirrels! We... we should... continue observing, shouldn't we?" She mumbled, striving to redirect the focus back to their school project.

Luke, relieved by the subject change, readily nodded, "Yeah, let's get back to it." His cheeks, too, bore a faint pink blush, his typical cool demeanor slightly ruffled.

The remainder of the observation passed in mutual, awkward silence, punctuated only by sporadic, forced small talk. It seemed as though they were carefully navigating around each other, hyper-conscious of their surroundings and each other's presence. The situation resembled a first date more than a school project, fraught with uncertainty and shy glances.

After what seemed like an eternity, the duo finally managed to complete the first part of their project. A wave of relief washed over both of them as they headed home, still hyperaware of each other but looking forward to their impending separation. Unfortunately, there was no taxi in sight, and the pair slowly came to the realization that they would have to take the metro together. As their relief was slowly evaporating, the awkward atmosphere reasserted itself.