by J. Benson
"Okay." I nodded and smiled. "I would like that."
He glanced at his watch. "Whoa, Emma. It's almost time to get back to class..." He began.
I glanced down at the table in front of us. He had devoured his food, but I had hardly touched mine.
"But I-" I began.
"We can take it to go." He smiled and placed them in the bag his food had come in. "We're going to be late."
I nodded and stood. I helped him dispose of the remnants of our lunch and followed him from the restaurant. He insisted on carrying the bag containing what was left of my fries.
Once we were completely alone on the trail back to the school, his hand took mine again. I smiled and he played loosely with my fingers.
"So... was this a second date for us?" I teased, leaning against him slightly.
"I guess it was a second date of sorts..." He grinned. "But not technically right? I mean, if I was going to take you out on a date, I would want to do something more special, right?"
I smiled at the possibilities. "And I guess we're still technically friends, right?"
"With benefits." He grinned.
"Oh, like health insurance and stuff?" I played dumb.
We laughed.
"Okay, let's just call it a semi-second date." He concluded.
"I like that." I smiled up at him. "It fits. It's a perfect way to caption today."
Chapter 27:
Secretly Dating
I was upstairs in my room when I heard the doorbell ring. I raced down the stairs and met Taylor at the front door. I opened the door to find him leaning casually against the door frame wearing his leather jacket and a button-down shirt. I intentionally didn't let myself think as I grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt and pulled him inside.
With more guts than I thought I had, I pushed him against the wall and kissed him deeper than I ever imagined. Pretending we were just friends all day long nearly drove me crazy. I had missed him, even sitting next to him at lunch. I missed the closeness of being able to hold his hand and kiss him. I was determined to make up for lost time.
I pulled away slowly, my cheeks blushing bright pink. I pursed my lips which were warm from kissing him.
"Wow. If this is what it's like to be secretly dating..." He murmured, his arms tightening around me. He pulled me closer.
"Maybe you shouldn't get too used to it then," I grinned. I couldn't believe my own confidence. I was behaving completely out of character for me. I felt my cheeks grow a light shade of pink.
Taylor grinned. "Where's your grandmother? Is she here?"
I shook my head. "No. She's at Monday night bingo." I replied. "We have the house to ourselves... for a little while at least."
"Ah," He nodded. "Does she at least know I'm coming over?" He bent and tenderly kissed my shoulder. I shuddered uncontrollably.
"Of course she does. She sends her love... and chicken casserole."
He raised his eyebrows carefully. "Really? Food? I mean, I just ate before I came over here, but I could probably eat again." He shrugged.
"Don't get too excited. It's horrible, disgusting stuff." I wrinkled my nose and shook my head.
"Okay, I'll heed your warning." His arms tightened around my waist and pulled me closer.
He was leaning against the wall casually now, and looking absolutely incredible. I was overcome with the urge to kiss him again.
"We have to at least pretend to be doing homework when my grandmother arrives." I continued. "I told her you were coming over to help me with my math homework."
"Oh really? Is that what we're calling our relationship now? Math homework?" He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.
I nodded, biting my lower lip. "It wasn't a complete lie. I do need some help."
"Show me." He urged. "I'm pretty good at math."
"Yeah?" I asked with a smile, wiggling inconspicuously out of his arms. I led the way to the living room where my books were open on the coffee table.
He nodded. "My mom was a math teacher... before she quit to raise us kids."
"Yeah?" I asked, intrigued. "You have six siblings, right? That has to be crazy."
"Uhh... six, at my last count." He laughed at his own private joke.
"How do you stand it? I mean, I used to wish for a sibling, but I definitely don't think I would want six."
He shrugged. "I've always been fairly family oriented. But I guess to be fair the choice was never mine. My parents kept going into the hospital and coming home with another screaming, pooping machine... but I was raised with kids around, so I guess I kind of got used to it after a while. Personally I don't see how you can stand being an only child. A bathroom to yourself? No one to fight with in the mornings to get into the shower? No one else to blame when you broke something in the house? It must be hell!"
I shrugged. "I guess I'm a freak."
"You are." He agreed. "You're definitely a little freak. But at least you're a cute little freak." He teased.
I laughed and wandered away from him and into the kitchen.
"Do you want a soda or something?" I called to him from the kitchen.
I opened the fridge door, and moved around a few items inside to find two cans of soda, which were shoved to the back. I hoped they were still good.
"Sure, if you're having one." Taylor appeared suddenly behind me, holding my math books. The textbook was open in his hands and my notebook was tucked between the pages."Taylor!" I gasped. My hand flew to my chest.
He simply smirked at me. "Sorry. Do you remember what page you were on?"
"Umm... two-forty-seven, I think. Ice?" I reached down two glasses from the cupboard.
"Sure." He nodded, flipping through the pages. "Algebra?" He looked up from the book to watch me plink ice cubes into two glasses.
"I think so." I wrinkled my nose. "I hate math."
He smiled. "Let’s get it over with. Then we can do something else." He offered.
I nodded. "The sci-fi channel is running a horror movie marathon. A different scary movie every night until Halloween... I mean, if you're into that kind of thing..."
Taylor chuckled. "As long as it's not a chick flick, I don't care."
"I hate chick-flicks too." I agreed. "They're too predictable."
He pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down with my books in front of him, distracted by the problems on the page. I carried the two glasses of coke to the table before he looked up again.
"Did you say Halloween?" He asked obliviously.
I laughed. "Yeah, it's in two weeks."
"So I guess people will be preparing for the Halloween dance coming up..." He mused.
"Another dance?" I demanded. "They just had one!"
Taylor nodded. "Paige is on the student counsel. She and her followers try to organize a dance at least every month at our school..." He sighed. "It's just a way for them to remain popular, I guess. They get to throw formal parties at the school's expense... and of course they get to exercise control over the music and the food and the decorations..."
I shuddered involuntarily.
Taylor took a small sip of his soda and continued to stare at the ice cubes in his glass. "You... you wouldn't change your mind about dances if.... I mean, if I asked you... would you go?"
I blinked in surprise, completely caught off guard. I paused for a moment and finally answered. "No."
"Oh." He made no attempt to hide the disappointment in his voice. "I just thought..."
"It's not you." I said quickly. "I just don't like dances. I'm not... it's just not me to be so involved in high school functions..." I hesitated and added "Besides, I'm a terrible dancer."
"That's okay... so am I." He admitted and finally looked up at me.
I was almost tempted to agree to go with him, but he interrupted.
"I won't try to press the issue, if you don't want to go. Just that if you change your mind... I'm willing to go if you are..."
I chewed my lower lip.
"Anyway." He said with a mo
re upbeat tone. "These scary movies... you won't get too scared will you? I mean, I won’t have to hold your hand and protect you from the big scary monsters, will I?"
I laughed, "I'd bet you'd love that wouldn't you?"
He shrugged, with a playful grin playing at his lips.
"We'll see which movie it is. If it's based on a true story, I will definitely be scared."
"Okay. I'll keep that in mind." He chuckled. "Show me where you're stuck and I'll try to help you."
"I'm beyond help." I teased, leaning closer to share the book in front of him.
"I doubt it." He teased, twisting a strand of my dark hair behind my shoulder.
I sunk my teeth into my lower lip. "Why don't we go into the living room? It's more comfortable in there... and you can watch TV while I work on my homework." I suggested.
"Alright, sure." He gathered my books and tucked them under one arm. He reached for his drink, leaving me to carry just my own drink.
"Did you bring your homework?" I asked curiously.
Taylor shook his head. "Nah, I finished my homework in class."
I gaped at him. "Seriously? All of it?" I demanded.
Taylor shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean, except for one or two questions, which I did before dinner."
I shook my head from side to side. "I don't believe it. How did you manage all of that?"
He shrugged. "I'm kind of good at math."
I moved in between the coffee table and the sofa and plopped down on the floor. Taylor sat next to me, and opened my books. Before I could reach for the pencil that was held between the pages, Taylor picked it up, twirling it between his fingers.
"Wait, so if you're so good at math, and you're good in English, you're smart... why do you hang around with those complete and total Neanderthals? I mean, don't take it personally, but your friends are complete morons."
Taylor grinned hugely. "They're not all that bad. I mean, none of them will ever be the next Einstein or anything, but they're fun to hang out with. And they'd do anything for you. I've known most of those guys since junior high, they're not so bad. You should give them a chance."
I nodded. "Right..." I said slowly.
Taylor laughed softly, pushing my books in front of me. "Come on, why don't you tell me where you were lost here and we'll see if I can help."
"Umm..." I mused, flipping through the pages of the textbook. I opened my notebook to the last page. "There, questing six. That's where I left off." I mused. "And I got stuck. I mean, I figured it out once, but I got it wrong, and I have no idea where I went wrong." I shifted the end of my braid over my shoulder.
"Alright..." Taylor mused. He shifted the text book in front of him and read the question. He promptly flipped to the back of the book and looked at the answers.
I raised my eyebrows. "Seriously? Even I could have done that!"
Taylor chuckled. "Sorry. I just want to make sure that I'm on the right track. I mean, I can't go showing you the right answer if I'm just going to get it wrong." He smirked.
I shook my head, laughing softly.
"Alright... I think I've got this." He said finally. He shifted his blond hair out of his eyes.
"Good, can you explain it to me?" I asked hopefully.
Taylor chuckled, shifting closer to me. He pushed the books toward me and began explaining the question and how to find the answer. When he finished his brief explanation, I gaped at him.
"Wait, what?" I asked, shaking my head. "Can you explain that again?"
He chuckled softly.
Chapter 28:
First Snowfall
"Well, that was a little disappointing..." Taylor spoke as the movie ended.
We were curled together on the sofa, under the warmth of one of my grandmother's many crocheted blankets. His arm moved around my shoulders midway through the movie, pulling me closer to him. My head came to rest on his shoulder while the movie progressed and I eventually found myself playing lightly with his fingers.
I was almost sure that if given the chance, he would make a rather daring move on me, so I intentionally kept his fingers occupied. However, Taylor remained a perfect gentleman, and kept one arm around my shoulders. He never even so much as tried to kiss me throughout the movie, and knowing my complete lack of inhibitions around him lately, I probably wouldn't have stopped him.
"You didn't like the movie?" I asked cautiously, gazing up into his crystal blue eyes.
"No," He smirked. "The movie was alright... I mean, it wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen... but I was really counting on you getting scared. I was hoping I could impress you with my... incredible and manly.... ability.... to not be scared." He drew out slowly, and laughed.
I smiled and curled my knees closer to his legs. "Sorry to disappoint you... I guess the movie wasn't that scary. I have a pretty high tolerance for so-called scary movies."
He laughed. "Well, that just means we'll have to try harder to find movie that does scare you." His other arm moved around my stomach, his hand pressing against my side.
I suddenly yawned, causing him to smirk at me. "I guess that's my cue to leave, is it?" He teased.
"You don't have to!" I protested a little too much.
He chuckled softly, his hand reached up, moving carefully from my waist. His fingers brushed lightly against my cheek. "Your grandmother will be home soon. I should probably get out of here." He smirked, "Besides, we finished your math homework hours ago."
"That's okay, she knows you're here... and she likes you. Maybe even a little too much. You can stay."
"If I stay will you be able to keep your eyes open?" He teased.
I was about to say yes, but I was interrupted by another yawn.
He smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."
I nodded. "We have an algebra test in math tomorrow that I'm entirely not ready for... I guess I should get some sleep." I smiled slightly.
"You'll do fine." He smiled. "I’d better go." He stood and suddenly the cool air gusting in against my side felt bitterly cold. I hadn't realized how warm he had been until he'd stood up to leave.
I pushed back the blanket; fighting my legs free. I had to jog a couple of steps to catch up to him. He was already at the door shoving his feet into his shoes. He reached for his leather jacket which was hanging over the banister at the bottom of the stairs. I watched as he slid his arms through the sleeves and turned to face me.
I was suddenly overcome with the urge to beg him to stay, even if it were just for a couple of minutes longer.
I bit my lower lip to keep myself from making a fool of myself. I really was tired, and I was going to definitely need some extra sleep before the test in algebra. Especially since I didn't entirely understand what was going to be on the test.
"Are you ready for the test tomorrow?" I asked, wrapping my arms around myself.
Taylor shrugged. "I guess so. I haven't done any studying or anything, but I have a fairly good understanding of the material... at least I think so anyway." He shrugged. "How about you? Are you ready?"
"No. Not at all." I replied.
Taylor smiled. "Okay, I can meet you before school tomorrow and we can study for a bit... and at lunch too. That should help you. I mean, it's not a lot of material to remember or anything, just as long as you get the basic gist of the stuff, you should be able to figure the answers to the questions."
"You don't mind?" I wrinkled my nose. "Really? You don't mind helping me study?"
"Not at all." He smiled. "I'll be glad to help. What are friends for?"
I laughed softly, leaning against the banister in the hall.
Taylor raked his hand across the back of his neck, suddenly turning awkward and shy.
Taylor cleared his throat awkwardly. "Umm... listen, there's something I've been meaning to ask you..." He began awkwardly.
"Sure... anything." I agreed immediately.
"My parents want to invite you over Friday night." He said quickly. "I said I would ask you, but if you aren't
okay with it, you don't have to..."
"Your parents..." I said awkwardly. On one hand I was touched that he'd been talking about me enough that his parents had taken notice. But on the other hand, I was suddenly panicking over the fact that two people I had never met might suddenly hate me.
I was sure even he could hear my heart pounding in my chest. If I was meeting his parents, it meant I would also be meeting his siblings. All six of them. Which meant eight new people that I was going to be meeting all at once. I was entirely sure that I wasn't ready for any of this.
"Yeah... I guess I talk about you all the time and they want to meet you." He admitted sheepishly. "I mean, I know it's soon and everything, so I'll understand if you don't want to. Believe me; I completely understand if you don't want to meet my family. I mean, now or ever. If you never want to meet with them, I can completely understand." He was babbling and it was adorable.
I forced a smile. "Okay. It will be nice. I'll do it."
I was sure he could read my expression clearly. "Are you sure? I don't want to push you into this..."
"No, it's fine. I'm looking forward to it." I nodded slowly.
This seemed to convince him. He grinned broadly and moved forward to kiss me.
I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him back.
I let him release me slowly, with a sigh. Now I really didn't want him to leave.
He rested his forehead against mine. My eyes were closed but I knew he was studying my face. His warm breath fluttered my eyelashes. "I guess I should go." He mused at last, in a soft voice.
"No..." I protested meekly, with my arms still around his neck. "Stay..." the words came out like a hollow whine. I was entirely pathetic and unconvincing.
He chuckled softly, and his hands on my sides drew me closer until I was pressed tightly to him. "I have a curfew you know. It's a school night."
I opened my eyes slowly. "What time?"
"Eleven."
I moved my one arm from around his neck and let my hand travel down his right arm. I picked up his wrist from my waist and examined his watch. It was seven minutes after eleven. He was already out past curfew.
"So you're a little late." I muttered, placing his hand back on my side.