“How is it my fault that you can’t concentrate when I’m watching?” He sank the last striped ball, followed by the eight ball, winning the game.
“It doesn’t count because you cheated,” I teased. I hung my cue stick back on the rack and shook his hand, “Good game.”
He smiled and lingered over my hand before letting go. My pulse quickened. “Let’s play something else. You pick. And I promise,” he crossed his heart with his right hand, “not to distract you.”
I laughed, reveling in how fun it was to be with Brennan, each of us flirting in our own ways.
I skipped over to the sitting area, “How about Wii? It’s been forever since I played.” I thought video games would be a safe choice because they didn’t require a lot of concentration to play.
“Sure. What games do you have?”
I bent down and opened the drawer to where we kept them and began reading the titles, “Just Dance 3, Just Dance Summer Party, Big Brain Academy, Dancing with the Stars, Smarty Pants, Wii fit, Wii play, or Guitar Hero.
“What, not a single Mario game?” He put his hand over his heart and pretended to be wounded. “No Mario Cart or Super Mario Brothers?”
I shook my head no.
“My brothers are never going to believe it when I tell them. Mario Cart is like a religion to them.”
I laughed. I could easily picture Brennan and his three brothers sitting around playing Mario. “Ellie and I only have girlie games.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“That’s okay,” Brennan said once the shock wore off. “Believe it or not, but I’ve played Just Dance 3, and won.”
“That’s probably because you played your sister, and she’s like what – four years old?”
He laughed and threw his hands up in surrender, “Yup.”
I laughed too. “So do you want to play to see if you can beat someone your own age?”
“Absolutely.”
It didn’t take long to realize that Brennan wasn’t kidding when he said he was good at Just Dance 3. He was coordinated and had rhythm. He was one of the people who was good at everything. We continued to laugh, taking turns picking cheesy songs and mimicking the movements on the screen. Finally, an hour later, we collapsed on the sofa, exhausted and thirsty.
“Phew, that was a workout.” I lifted my long hair off of the back of my neck and pulled it into a ponytail, in an attempt to cool down. It wouldn’t be cool to have Brennan see me sweat.
“You aren’t kidding,” he agreed.
“I’m going to grab us a Gatorade.” I walked over to the mini-refrigerator and returned with two bottles. “Would you rather have blue,” I asked extending one hand, “or purple?” I extended the other.
“Blue.”
I handed it to him. “Ah, to match your eyes.” I couldn’t help but notice his eyes were a similar color.
“No, I just think it tastes better.”
I blushed. Shit! I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. I needed a quick recovery, so I said the first thing that popped into my head, “Have you ever played ‘Would You Rather…?’” I hadn’t planned on moving on to step six tonight, but there was no reason not to, and this current crisis demanded it. It would be the perfect distraction from what I had said just seconds ago.
“I don’t think so, but I’ve heard of it.”
I sat back down on the sofa, relaxing a little because it looked like this might work. “It’s easy, “ I explained. “I’ll pose a situation, it can be silly or serious, and then you respond with whichever one you’d rather do. I’ll go first, would you rather watch a romantic movie starring Eddie Murphy or an action film starring Julie Andrews?”
Brennan laughed. “What kind of question is that? Who ever heard of Eddie Murphy being romantic or Mary Poppins going around shooting innocent children? Both scenarios are completely wrong.”
“I know. That’s why I asked it. Just because the question doesn’t make any sense, doesn’t mean you don’t have to answer it.”
“Okay.” He paused, and then continued, “I would rather watch a romantic movie starring Eddie Murphy because I couldn’t bear to have anything taint the prefect image of Mary Poppins. She’s kind of hot. Madison makes me watch it with her almost daily.”
“You think Mary Poppins is hot?” I asked incredulously.
“Maybe?”
“Yikes,” I said, moving away from him.
He put his arm around me and pulled me back. “Hey, where do you think you’re going?” He teased.
“Nowhere?” I said, but it came out sounding more like a question. I hoped he wanted me around for a long time. He hugged me closer to him in response. I sighed and laid my head on his shoulder. I could get used to this.
“It’s my turn.” He grew serious and looked me in the eyes, “Would you rather have me kiss you now or later?”
My breath caught in my throat. Brennan wanted to kiss me. Yeah! In a shaky voice, I answered, “Both.”
“But you can’t. That’s the game, right? I mean, it is called ‘Would You Rather?’ You have to choose one or the other. Now or later.”
I pouted. “What do you mean by later? Like later, as in five minutes from now?”
He laughed. “No, I meant now, as in right now, or later, as in later tonight before I go home.”
It took me a second to respond, it was a tough decision to make. Finally I said, “I’d choose now, because later is a long time away.” Plus, secretly I was hoping he wasn’t really being serious, this was just a game after all.
“That’s the answer I was hoping for,” Brennan said, leaning down and pressing his lips against mine. At first, his kisses were slow and careful. Awakening feelings in me that I hadn’t even known existed. My heart swelled. Then I began to kiss Brennan with an intensity of my own, falling back onto the couch and pulling him down with me. His tongue explored my mouth, and then he pulled mine into his. He sucked on it, and I thought I was going to lose my mind. I had never ever been kissed like that before. His hands were in my hair, pressing my head even closer.
We shifted so that we were lying face to face. Running my hands over his back, I could feel hard muscle underneath his shirt. Suddenly, I had the urge to feel his bare skin under my fingertips. I found the bottom of his t-shirt and started to pull it up. He sat up and took it off the rest of the way and threw it to the ground. He was so beautiful. I admired his perfect body as ran my hands over his bare chest. I wanted to feel his chest against mine. I needed to feel our hearts beating next to each other. I took a deep breath, and then tossed my shirt on the floor along with Brennan’s.
He smiled. Reaching out he lightly stroked my cheek, “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”
“I know. I wanted to.” I moved his hand from my face to my bare skin, just above my bra.
He pushed up on one elbow and lightly ran his fingertips across my bare skin, exploring. He traced the outline of my bra, goose bumps erupted across my skin. “You’re beautiful.” His voice was hoarse and raspy, like he too, was having a difficult time breathing. “All those months I sat by you in English, I had no idea...I feel so lucky to be here with you.”
I blushed. I’m the lucky one.
“You are beautiful. I’m not lying, you know.”
“Thanks,” I said shyly.
He turned his attention to my mouth once again. My lips were swollen and bruised by the time he moved onto my neck. A moan escaped me when he found a sensitive spot. Hearing myself, I panicked.
“I have to tell you something,” I blurted. My face flushed, and suddenly I felt embarrassed for my forwardness. Being with Brennan made me forget everything, well, almost.
“I have to tell you something too,” he said.
His comment surprised me. I couldn’t imagine what he could possibly want to tell me. However, I knew I had to go first, or I’d lose my nerve. I took a deep breath and blurted, “I’m a virgin.” I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see the look on Brennan’s face.
Speaking sof
tly, he said, “Open your eyes.” I slowly opened them. Brennan didn’t look shocked or upset. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I’m probably one of the only ones in the senior class.” I frowned.
“I doubt it.” He gently stroked my hair. “And even if you were, it wouldn’t matter to me. I hope I didn’t make you feel like I expected anything. I’m sorry if I got carried away.” He sighed and ran his hand through his own hair, “It’s hard to think straight when I’m kissing you. I’d never hurt you.” I nodded, knowing it was true. “I’m happy just holding you in my arms. We’ll take things slow, okay? Whenever you want to stop, just tell me, and we will.”
“Okay,” I rested my head on his shoulder. I felt better having gotten that off of my chest. We were quiet for several minutes, each lost in out own thoughts. Our breathing retuned to normal, and I could hear Brennan’s heart rate slow back down. Suddenly remembering, I said, “What did you want to tell me - that you’re a virgin too?” I chuckled. I doubted he was a virgin, but I thought it would be cool if he were.
He smiled, “No, I’m not a virgin. Does that bother you?” He gently stroked my arm.
“No, ” I shook my head. Although it didn’t bother me, I wasn’t interested in hearing the details. I didn’t ask him any questions about when he had lost his virginity or with whom. That was then, and this was now. Instead I repeated, “What was it you wanted to tell me?”
“Nothing. It’s not important.” He ran his hand through his hair.
“Are you sure?” I sensed that he was keeping a something from me. “You know, you can tell me anything, right?”
He hesitated, “I know.”
“It can’t be worse than my confession,” I joked, trying to get him to open up to me.
“It was nothing, I promise.” He smiled, and went back to stroking my arm.
“Okay,” I responded, letting it go. I didn’t want it to turn into an argument. If he really did have something to tell me, he would, when he was ready.
“I think we should put our shirts back on, just in case your parents decide to check up on us.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” I stood and handed Brennan his shirt, then I slipped my own on over my head.
Wanting to get the date back on track, I asked, “Do you want to go and watch a movie now?”
“Absolutely,” Brennan answered, sounding like himself again. He walked hand in hand to the theater room.
The credits were rolling when Brennan whispered in my ear, “I should go. It’s late. I don’t want your parents to get the wrong idea about me.”
I walked Brennan to the door. “I had a nice time tonight. Thanks for coming over.”
“Thanks for inviting me.”
“You’re welcome.” I smiled shyly, hoping he’d want to hang out again.
Brennan took a step closer, and whispered with a hint of a challenge in his voice, “Would you rather go to a party at Tracy Berry’s, or go to a real party at the Fishers?”
“Hmm…that’s a tough one,” I tapped my finger on my chin, pretending to need to think it over. “I would rather go to a party at the Fishers.”
Brennan smiled, “Are you free next Friday?”
“Yes. Are you inviting me?”
“Absolutely.” I smiled. That was his answer for everything.
“One question, are there going to be games at this party?”
He chuckled. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
I smirked.
“You sure do have a competitive streak about you. I like that,” he nodded in approval. “Yes, there will be a game.”
“Perfect.”
I opened the door for Brennan, and he leaned down and kissed me on the forehead.
I raised one eyebrow at him. What is that all about? Is he upset about something?
“That’s all you get. Remember, you chose earlier rather than later.”
“Can’t I change my answer?” I asked, hopefully. I really wanted Brennan to kiss me again.
“That would be cheating,” Brennan smirked. “And you made it clear how you feel about that.”
“That was different,” I protested. He wasn’t supposed to use my own comment against me. “It was just a game,” I declared.
“I don’t know about that.” He shrugged his shoulders up and down.
“Well, we never said anything about ME kissing YOU later.” I didn’t give him an opportunity to respond. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down to mine, kissing him passionately.
When we pulled apart, each of us breathing hard, he laughed, “Thank goodness.”
He turned to walk away, then stopped. “Hey, I forgot to ask you to show me the binder your sister mentioned.”
My face fell. Leave it to Ellie to ruin what had been a perfect date. “Oh, that, it’s nothing.” I began to sweat. I never wanted Brennan to find out about “Everything Prom.” Since I was a terrible liar, I answered honestly, keeping it brief, “Ellie was just trying to embarrass me.”
“Oh, okay. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything important.”
“It wasn’t.”
Comments:
livelaughlove: Thanks for the advice. You totally rock! I played 20 questions with my guy, and it worked like a charm.
counrtygirl: Step six was fun! I learned so much about my guy. He likes talking to his horse and riding green tractors - just like me.
EikaDD: Nate is into music so we played the game where u yell out the 1st thing that comes to mind when a song comes on and it was enlightening. As it turns out he is only interested in sex so I’m starting over with a new guy.
BLOG #6B
Now I will explain the second layer of Flirting 102, but remember you can do them in any order. The second layer is to come up with a nickname to call him. That’s right, a nickname. And be prepared – he may decide that you need one too. Having pet names for each other will bring you closer together. It will be a bond that only the two of you share.
There are three rules. First, the nickname must be unique. It cannot be something that everyone else already calls him. For example, if his name is Tyler and everyone already calls him Ty, then that doesn’t count. You’ll need to come up with your own original nickname. Try to think outside of the box. Secondly, it should be something you could call each other in the presence of others, without feeling embarrassed. In other words, it shouldn’t be inappropriate. Thirdly, include flattery (Flirting 101), if you can.
Brennan was passionate about baseball and I loved watching him play. You could tell that he felt at home on the baseball field. As soon as he stood on the pitcher’s mound a calm over came him, and it was easy to see that he was in his element.
I’d been to every home game since we started going out, and today was no exception. I watched him pitch another nearly flawless game. He didn’t hit a homerun, but he did get two doubles, and three singles. My stomach was in knots, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole game.
When the game ended, I rushed the field like a true fan and ran straight at Brennan, giving him a big hug. I sensed the other players looking at me strangely. I thought it was because of my outfit. I took my own advice from step five, and dressed for the occasion. I was wearing a t-shirt with Brennan’s name and a giant number one on the back, a white running skirt, baseball socks, and converse. A matching baseball hat was on my head with my ponytail pulled through the hole in the back.
Brennan took in my new look and laughed. “There is no doubt that you are my number one fan. And my good luck charm.” He picked me up, lifting me right off the ground, and spun me around. I giggled. I thought I heard someone guff at our display, but I was too happy to care.
“Wow, you were really great, B-man,” I gushed, when my feet touched solg ground.
“B-man?” He smirked.
“Yeah, you know, B for Brennan and baseball. Plus you’re such a superstar, I was thinking – you, Be the Man.” It had come to me while I was swimming l
aps. Swimming had a calming effect on me, and it was when I did my best thinking. B-Man fit all three of the criteria – it was unique (no one else called him that), it could be said in public, and it was flattering.
He laughed and bent to collect his things. “I like it.” He mumbled it to himself. “I like it a lot.”
“Good,” I smiled. I was worried he wouldn’t like it. Finding the perfect nickname had been easier than I thought.
Walking toward the parking lot, he asked, “Do you need a ride home?”
“That’d be great. Rachel couldn’t come to the game today – she had to go home right after school.”
“Hop in,” he said, throwing his bat bag in the trunk.
A little while later we were parked in my driveway. This was the first time since Friday that we’d been alone. I knew he’d have to leave soon to ice his arm, so I wanted to make the most of these few precious minutes. No longer shy and self-conscious, I leaned over and wrapped my arms around his neck. The kiss started softly and then grew more demanding. My tongue teased his, and I could taste the sweetness of the Gatorade he downed on the way to my house. My heart was beating fast, and I forgot how to breathe. When we pulled apart, I felt lightheaded. I looked at Brennan, and he seemed as affected by the kiss as I was.
I knew he had to go. I opened the car door slowly. “Do you want to come over after dinner and work on calculus?” I loved spending time with Brennan, so I used every excuse to be near him.
“Yeah, that’d be great. I’ll come by around 7 pm.”
“Perfect.” I felt better knowing I’d see him again in a couple of hours. “See you later, B-man,” I said, shutting the car door.
I hoped that we’d have some time to ourselves tonight to finish what we just started. I sighed dreamily. I was pretty sure that I was falling in love.
***
I paced back and forth, while I waited for Brennan to pick me up. I had agreed to help him babysit his brothers and his little sister tonight while his parents went out. I picked at my already chipped nail polish. I was going to meet his family for the first time. What if they don’t like me? What if they think I’m a terrible babysitter? I had never really done a lot of babysitting, not because I didn’t like kids, but because I was always too busy with swimming and other activities on the weekends. I hoped they wouldn’t be able to tell how inexperienced I was.
The Perfect Prom Date Page 7