I nod my head. “Yes, but it’s nothing we ever need to talk about again. I am sorry.”
“No, Isabelle, look at me,” he says. I turn my gaze to him. Eric smiles. “I was asking if you wanted to go on a date with me. Like, Isabelle, do you want to go out with me sometime, maybe this week?”
I stop dancing. “You want to go out on a date with me?”
“Sure, it would be fun,” he replies. “But, I am curious, what about Jeremy?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused. “I don’t want him with.”
Giving me a weird look, Eric replies, “No…….I mean, what are you two to each other? You act like you are dating, but say you aren’t….”
“We aren’t. Seriously, we aren’t like that. We love each other, but…..it’s just not like that,” I reply. “He is my best friend.”
“Alright then, we will go on a date. You know, I just brought Sonya. She really isn’t my date. I wanted to tell you that, but I thought it would be rude to just shout it.”
Snorting, I say, “Actually, I would have paid you to yell that. I would have paid good money.”
“I WAS planning to dance with you for the evening, but Jeremy came, which I was surprised about.”
“So, was I,” I state. “Though, I will be honest, when Sonya was with you, I was happy that he showed up.”
Eric nods. “I can understand why. He seems like a great guy.”
“He is,” I retort. “The best, hence why he is my best friend.”
There is a light chuckle from Eric. “I just hope you know I can’t spend thousands of dollars on you like he does. I have to keep things simple.”
“You can take me to a fast food restaurant. I am alright with that.”
“I think I will do a little better than a fast food restaurant. Is that what you want to do, go out to eat?” Eric asks.
I shrug. “I don’t know. It’s up to you. Surprise me.”
“I can surprise you. When do you want to do something?”
“Sooner rather than later,” I answer.
Eric inquires, “Why do you say that?”
My eyes turn away. “I am afraid you may change your mind.”
“Isabelle, I asked you out. I am not going to ditch you. That is a horrible thing to do. I wouldn’t do it in the first place, but secondly, Jeremy would hunt me down and kill me if I did that.”
“That is true,” I reply. “And he knows how to fight.”
Eric laughs, “Dually noted. So, do you want to do something during the week, or the weekend?”
“Up to you, I don’t have any plans any time soon.”
“What about Monday? We probably need a day to recoup from tonight. Well, at least I will. Do you want to join us for the after party?”
My eyebrow goes up, and I say, “One, Sonya would never let that happen, unless I was serving Jeremy on a silver platter. Two, I won’t willingly be around her.”
“You know, I feel as though I shouldn’t go. If she is that horrible to you, then I don’t want to be associated with that.”
I smirk, “That is sweet, but no, I want you to have fun. Maybe at Prom, we will just throw a party at our apartment. Everyone can bring sleeping bags. We can have a wild and crazy time. Josh and our other friends can come. They are so much fun.”
“That would be nice,” Eric replies. “We all have a really good time with you. I wish we had befriended each other before this year. I am really sorry that I never said, hi. I feel like a shmuck.”
“It’s alright,” I murmur. “It’s not like I put myself out there to say hi to.” Eric nods, but smiles.
We dance for a little while just making small talk. Finally, Jeremy appears back next to us. “Can I borrow her for a minute?” He asks Eric.
Nodding, Eric says, “Sure.”
Jeremy takes my hand and pulls me to the side. We stop and he whispers, “Do you want me to go?”
“What!? No, why? Why would you leave?” I practically gasp.
“To leave you to Eric,” Jeremy murmurs back. He doesn’t really meet my eyes. “That is what you want right?”
I reach out and take his hand. “I don’t want you to go. You are my date. Stay, we are having fun. I want you here. I need you here.”
His eyes lock onto mine. “I don’t want to hinder you and Eric.”
“Actually……we are going out on a……date,” I state slowly.
For the briefest of seconds, a pained look passes over Jeremy’s face. I am about to say something, but then the expression is gone and he smiles. “That’s good, right? I mean, I am happy for you. Maybe I should leave then. I mean…..” he pauses, and just looks at me. “He is what you want.”
There are no words that can come out of my mouth. I breathe and try to talk. “Yeah,” I whisper. “I mean, that’s what I am supposed to want, right?”
We stand there staring at each other. Jeremy brings his fingers up and strokes them down the side of my face. “You do what makes you happy. Follow your heart. It is a good heart and it will lead you in the right direction.”
My first impulse is to jump on him, but I quickly push that away. “Yeah, well Eric is a good guy and I have wanted this for a while.”
“Then do it,” Jeremy says quietly. “I am going to leave.”
“No!” I exclaim, grabbing him. “Stay here with me. Don’t go. I want you here!”
He just stops. “Is that what you really want?”
“Yes,” I answer, before thinking. “I want you here with me. Just dance with me.”
Jeremy pauses and then takes my hand and leads me back to the dance floor. Eric is waiting. “Do you mind if I steal her back for a few songs?” Jeremy asks him.
Eric looks at him and then me. “Sure, as long as she promises me at least one more dance.”
“I can do that,” I bashfully reply. To my surprise, Eric bends down and kisses me on the cheek. I wonder if he can feel the heat of me blushing. Jeremy’s hand tightens on mine for a moment. That puzzles me, but I take it as him being overprotective.
When Eric walks away, Jeremy spins me out and back again. I laugh and we dance….a lot. It is so incredibly fun. I am going to sleep well tonight. Eric and I do dance for two songs. Jeremy takes Ashley out onto the dance floor. I dance with Jack again, and then it is finally the end of the night. As we are walking outside, we past the art exhibit. There is a small crowd looking at the display. Jeremy pulls me to a stop. “What’s this?”
“Oh,” I squeak, “Our portraits that we did. Let me show you mine.” We walk around to the other side. “There, see.”
It is a portrait of Jeremy. He is leaning over in a chair, holding a lily, staring down at it. “Isabelle,” Jeremy whispers. “That is amazing.”
“I worked on it very carefully. I wanted it to be perfect.”
“There aren’t even words. Do you get to keep this?” He asks.
Nodding, I reply, “Yeah, I need to show it and some of my other art to try and get into school.”
“Can I have it?”
“Sure,” I answer. “It is your portrait after all.”
Jeremy turns to me and gently kisses me on the lips. “You are extraordinary.”
That makes me blush a lot. “Thanks.” We spend more time looking at the other pieces of art. Jeremy doesn’t let go of my hand the whole time. Eric and everyone finds us looking at the art. They all gush over my piece and I just shake my head. I am not used to all the attention.
Finally, we all walk outside. I turn to Jeremy. “What are we going to do? I have my car here.”
“We will come and get it in the morning,” he replies. “Since, we both know I am not cooking you breakfast, I will take you out to breakfast.”
I hang onto his arm. “Can I at least wear my jammies?”
“Only if they are nice pajamas, like the silk ones that we bought you.”
“Alright,” I groan sarcastically.
As our group gets to the parking lot, we all stop. It’s then that I see
Eric. He smiles, “I wanted to come and say good night to you, since we were staying.”
“Oh,” I chirp. “Thanks. I hope you have fun tonight. Just hopefully not with Sonya. I am not telling you that you can’t, I would just be happier that you didn’t, but that’s just me.”
Eric frowns. “Yeah, I think they have been drinking. She just tried to kiss me and I literally had to push her off.”
“See, that’s how popular you are, having to fend off women.”
“There are only a few girls out there that I wouldn’t fend off. You being one of them,” he tells me.
My face lights on fire from blushing. “Thanks, I will keep that in mind next time I try to pounce you.”
“I say we tackle that on Monday.”
“Huh,” I start, with my jaw dropping.
Laughing, Eric rubs my arm. “I was kidding.”
“I would hope so,” Jeremy says under his breath.
I turn and glare at him. “Shut up Jeremy!”
He moves his gaze from me to Eric and then back to me. “I will be in the car.”
That makes me sigh. I look back at Eric. “He is going to be annoying. I am warning you right now, really, really annoying. You are my first real date.”
“Am I really?” Eric replies, almost surprised. “Well then, I feel like I have to do something special.”
“No!” I exclaim. “Normal, just nice and normal. You don’t have to do anything over the top.”
With a quirky smile, Eric nods. “I will think of something. Have a good night.”
“You too,” I reply. “Don’t let Sonya attack you too much.”
Bopping me on the nose with his finger, Eric says, “I can guarantee she will understand no.”
“Okay,” I giggle, though I am trying not to. “Talk to you later.” Eric waves as I go to Jeremy’s car. Jeremy is quick to get out and come get the door for me.
“Thanks,” I whisper. He just looks at me and shuts the door. When he gets in, I snap, “What is going on with you?”
There is silence, as he backs up. “I have no idea what you are talking about Isabelle.”
“That whole comment to Eric. Was that necessary?”
“He is already talking about sticking his tongue down your throat,” Jeremy growls.
With a disgusted look, I say, “No, he is not! Anyway, there has only been one time…..” I realize what I am about to say and I shut up.
“One time, what?” Jeremy asks quietly.
“Nothing,” I mutter. “So what if a boy wants to kiss me? What does it matter to you?”
Jeremy looks at me out of the corner of his eye. “I….I don’t know. Maybe I don’t want to share you.”
An exasperated sigh comes out of me. “Unless you are going to be my boyfriend, I think you are going to have to learn to share!”
That silence is back again. Jeremy tightens his grip on the steering wheel and I just stare at him. “Fine,” he finally whispers. “I will shut up.”
Now, I am just frustrated. I know it’s childish, but I cross my arms to show that. “You are impossible sometimes.”
“Impossible not to love,” Jeremy quips back.
I burst out laughing. “You are so full of yourself.”
“I am going to keep my comments to myself and drive,” Jeremy retorts. We are quiet for most of the drive. Hesitantly he reaches over and rubs his thumb on my hand. I grab his fingers and squeeze. We are okay now.
When we finally get up into the apartment, I shiver. “It’s cool.”
“I will turn the heat up,” Jeremy says, going to the thermostat. I hang my new coat up in the closet. I run my hand down the soft material, before I shut the door. Jeremy comes up behind me. “So, did you like it?”
Spinning around, I smile. “Of course I did. I can’t believe you remembered. I said it in passing.”
“I remember everything you say,” he replies. “You couldn’t very well wear your regular coat with a ball gown.”
“You are probably right on that,” I say. “Thank you Jeremy. Thank you for everything. I know I say that a lot, but I mean it.”
Jeremy walks up and puts his hands on my arms. “You do not need to say thank you.”
My hand reaches up to my neck. “You need to take this back. I can’t take Kaitlin’s necklace.”
“That is not up for discussion,” Jeremy states. “Her parents gave it to me, to give to a girl that would make Kaitlin happy. I think they thought my future wife…….but, I feel as though you should have it.”
With a moment of hesitation, I ask, “I am more suited than your future wife. How do you figure that?”
“Because, as much as you and Kaitlin are different, and you are very different, you are so much alike too. She would want you to have it. I know this in my heart.”
“But, it’s worth so much money. What do I even do with it? I can’t stick it in my sock drawer,” I declare seriously.
A smile passes over Jeremy’s face. “That’s where I have kept it, but you are right, we should put it somewhere safe. We will get you a safety deposit box on Monday, or Tuesday, because of your date.”
“Mmmm,” I hum. “Can I ask you a serious question?”
“Of course,” he replies.
Biting my lip, I ask, “Shouldn’t I be more excited?”
“About what, your date?” He asks. I nod. Taking a deep breath, he sighs. “I can’t answer that for you.” Jeremy reaches down and takes my hand. “I want you to be happy. You deserve someone………..that will make you happy.”
“And that could be Eric,” I whisper.
Jeremy nods. “It could be.” There is silence between us yet again. I reach up and start to undo his tie. He looks at me. “What are you doing?”
“I am tired. It is time to get ready for bed.”
He grabs my hand. “Isabelle, you need to sleep alone now.”
I look up at him. “That doesn’t seem fair. I should be able to make that decision.”
“If I have to give up and start sharing you, then I need to make the decision to sleep by myself. We need to sleep by ourselves. I also will not be kissing you on your lips or on your body anymore. I will watch my hands. That is the way it needs to be,” he states, looking off to the side.
“Jeremy, stop,” I say, grabbing ahold of his coat lapels. “Nothing has to change. He isn’t my boyfriend. I have been honest with him. Don’t do this.”
His eyes look down into mine and he has the saddest look on his face. “We need to have some boundaries. It is different now. I don’t want to ruin your chances with Eric.”
“Eric doesn’t need to know,” I whisper.
Now, I get a stern look. “Isabelle, that is not right.”
“What if I have nightmares?” I ask.
“Come and wake me up. I will sit with you until you fall asleep,” Jeremy replies.
With a heavy heart, I pull him against me. “I don’t want to give you up.”
We stand there, staring at each other. Jeremy inhales sharply and looks away. “Isabelle, you deserve to fall in love with someone. I can’t hinder that.”
“You aren’t…..” I murmur. Suddenly, there is a tightness in my chest. “I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to lose what we are.”
“You will NEVER lose me,” Jeremy articulates strongly. “No matter what, I am right here, whenever you need me.”
I go up on my toes and kiss him gently on the lips. He kisses me in return for the briefest of seconds and then pushes me back. “Please Jeremy, don’t do this.”
“We have to. I love you Isabelle, but…..things have to change.”
Tears start to well up in my eyes and I am forced to look away. “Okay.” Letting go of him, I whisper, “I should get ready for bed.”
“Okay,” Jeremy replies quietly.
Turning around, I ask, “Can you undo my dress, otherwise I am sleeping in it.”
His fingers delicately brush against my skin as he undoes the ribbons and unzips th
e dress. For a second, I feel his fingers trace down my back. It sends shivers down my spine. Jeremy chokes out, “I am going to use the bathroom first.” With that, he turns and walks away.
That night, I sleep alone. I don’t sleep well, because I keep staring at the empty bed beside me. Finally, I roll over to the other side, and close my eyes and two tears run down the side of my face. What is wrong with me?
Chapter 25
I am awoken the next morning, by movement next to me. I open my eyes to find Jeremy sitting there with a tray. He smiles. “I told you I would bring you breakfast.”
“What?” I say, sitting up.
He holds the tray forward. “It’s breakfast.” I look down at the food. There are actual pancakes and eggs, everything. My eyes turn back to him. Shrugging, Jeremy states, “I went and got the food, because we didn’t get a hotel room last night, and I promised you breakfast in bed.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. “Are you going to eat with me?”
Snorting, Jeremy answers, “Uh yeah, I got breakfast for me, too. You start to eat. I will be right back.” He stands up and bends over. His lips come inches from my forehead, and he stops. “Sorry, old habits die hard.”
“Are we going through this again? Kiss me on the damn forehead Jeremy. That is fine.”
“Fine,” he mutters. The kiss is quick and soft. “I will be right back.”
We eat breakfast in my bed, which is really funny. I yell at Jeremy for getting crumbs all over my blanket, and he just sticks his tongue out. The rest of the day is rather uneventful. We go about everything like normal, except I can tell he is fighting touching me. I try to show affection, but he just steps away. It is slightly aggravating.
The next morning isn’t much better. All he gives me is a hug, but it is a lingering hug. We kind of just hold each other for a minute. Finally, he whispers, “Have a good day.” I return the comment and leave.
I am nervous about school, unsure of what to say to Eric, but I don’t see him until lunch. He is leaning against our lockers. When I walk up, he smiles. “Hey, I thought I would walk you to the lunchroom.”
“Okay,” I reply. “Let me get my lunch.” Eric steps away from the lockers and I do just that. As we walk to the lunch room, I ask, “How was the after party?”
The Art of Life Page 47