6This is dedicated to Squish, Crosbo and MyFavouriteDaygirl. And of course 'the guy'. You guys are always there. Thankyou.
He had liked her for a while, if he was honest since she had butted into a conversation he and his friend were having on Facebook. Just one comment had caused everything. He had pretty much talked to her non-stop since. His excuse was that he was on his family's farm ... which was in the middle of nowhere and Facebook was the only way to keep in touch with people. And SHE seemed to be on quite often.
They had exchanged movie must-see lists; which were similar. Squabbled over whether the city or the country was better. Just generally talked.
The first time since then that he had seen her was at her school ball. Well at the befores. He watched her saunter through the front door in a simple emerald dress. He could have sworn he saw her smile at him before she got enveloped by her friends. He recalled seeing her before; he had been in her school's musical the year before and she had been part of the backstage. Actually the particular backstage person that constantly scolded him for misplacing his props. He had no idea she was the 'Guppie' so many of his friends spoke about.
None of them had mentioned her eyes however. It was like drowning in a forest; mostly green but containing flecks of ever changing colour. Eyes which, when turned on him, where dangerous to his sanity. He disliked dancing; as in he had to be dragged onto the dance floor in most cases but she didn't even have to lay a finger on him. She gave him her puppy-dog eyes and he followed.
Later that night, at afters, she had complained of being cold. He wasn't surprised due to the slip of material that she was wearing. She had playfully asked for his jacket and he – wanting to see how she would react – said no. After a minute or so of pleading she sighed and said she had given up. He was disappointed and was about to offer it to her when she slipped her arm under his jacket, around his waist. She smiled up at him and informed him that he would have to share then. He shrugged through inside he was grinning and placed his arm around her shoulder.
He could feel her shivering and pulled her closer. "Cold?" he asked.
"In this weather? Never," She retorted sarcastically. She yawned and rested her head on his shoulder. He tentatively rested his head on hers. She was the perfect height. His legs were beginning to ache so he asked if she wanted to sit down. She agreed and when they found a space on the veranda she snuggled up to his side. They spoke about everything and nothing again, more personal than the subjects on Facebook though. He was surprised when his Mum called him to say she has arrived; he hadn't realised time could pass so quickly. He was disappointed he had to leave but he knew he would talk to her more now.
Thinking back on that night other than the way she looked in that flimsy little dress he remembers two things; the way she looked out for her friends ... and the way she managed to not trip in her killer high-heels. The first one had him thinking that if they ever dated he knew she would loyal and faithful; he shook those thoughts out of his head pretty quickly.
He was talking to a friend of his about the friends 18th which he had missed. He gets his friends to send him pictures the day after. There was a couple of her; her little white dress stood out as most people had worn black (the party had had a black and white theme). Combined with her blonde curls she could have been mistaken for a lot younger than she was if you hadn't noticed the elegance and the classical blood red lipstick.
He was reluctant to go to the movies until he found out she was going too. He made sure he sat next to her and part way through the movie her hand brushed his. He placed his hand palm up on the armrest between them. She blushed but put her hand on his. He had entwined their fingers. They had similar smiles on their faces for the rest of that night.
So many of their friends were turning eighteen he realised as he arrived at the 'J'-themed party. She was coming, he knew because he had asked her and triple checked (she had laughed at him and assured him that she would move Heaven and Earth to be there. When she arrived he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was dressed as Jasmine from Aladdin, his favourite Disney princess. Though she was blonde and relatively pale she pulled it off quite well. Especially, he thought, when she was dancing in her tiny outfit. He thought the best part of that night had been when she kissed him on the cheek when she said goodbye. He walked on air for the next couple of days.
Over the holiday between terms he was beginning to miss her; she had been working and he had been away. Halfway through the second week, when the holidays were nearing their end they saw each other again. Yet another eighteenth. He was a little upset to find her and one of his best friends laughing and talking like they were best friends or more. He was relieved when later his friend explained that they had been talking for a while and she was helping him win the heart of another girl. As always he had enjoyed watching her dance; it made him wish he could dance but that would be too suspicious as he hated dancing. But for her he would, one day.
There were ten of them sleeping in an eight-man tent. But he didn't mind because it meant that he would have a reason to sleep near her. She had curled up next to him her head on his chest and had drifted off to sleep almost instantly. He complained in a whisper when she moved off him because he was moving and talking to the others that were still awake. The next morning they played a game of chicken; a game where you have to make the other person flinch by using your face. She had nuzzled her nose against his and had opened her eyes to find him looking into hers. Their faces moved closer and closer together but before their lips met they heard someone outside the tent and pulled away.
He stole her phone later than morning and read her messages only to find one from her friends asking if she was having fun with 'lover boy'. He went to her sent box to find a message to her friend telling them that he was not her lover boy – that she didn't think he liked her back. He wasn't sure if he did or not.
He gave her a lift to yet another friend's 18th. She had just gotten into the car when his Mum mentioned to her that they had been having a very interesting conversation on the way to pick her up. She raised her eyebrows and enquired, "Really?"
He blushed and told her that he hadn't found it interesting. When she looked away, he glared at his Mum.
She got tipsy for the first time, which hadn't been the brightest idea on her behalf as she was allergic to alcohol but she said that even though she wasn't legal, neither were the others and she wasn't missing out this time. She was very amusing when she was tipsy; very affectionate to everyone. He liked it when she curled up on his lap like a child. He pulled her slightly closer to hide the grin that erupted on his face when she muttered that he smelt nice.
Though even being not quite sane (even for her standards) she could walk in a straight line with her heels and charmed his parents who picked them up later that night.
After his best friend caught him studying with her in the park his friends tease him and he realises how close he is to her, over the short amount of time. He got scared; he admits now and began to ignore her. He missed her so much until he decided it hurt too much to ignore her, to not be able to laugh at her stories and random question.
He, belatedly, realises that he has probably hurt her but when he next sees her, a couple of weeks, later she is happy, bubbly and talking non-stop about someone named James. Later on msn he sees James's name in love hearts. His heart cracked and he knew it was completely his fault.
Her family friend died and she asked if she could take his dog running. She explained that's what she would do if she was at home, but due to school she couldn't go home for at least 3 weeks. He said he would go running with her. They didn't end up going running but walking as she was ill but it gave them a chance to talk. James it turned out was her mother's cousin's new born. She had seen him when he was 6 days old and had fallen in love (as she adored little children and was 'clucky'). His heart mended.
They spoke regularly again but did not have time to catch up and the pile of school work was getting higher and higher as exams approached. During exams she went down to the park near his house, as she often studied or relaxed there. She was approached by a man who wouldn't leave her alone, pressuring her to get in his car. She called him and he told her to come to his house straight away. He waited outside and was relieved when she arrived. He resisted the urge to kiss her, instead he asked her why she didn't get into the car and she reply snippily that she quite liked living. He grinned as that reply showed she wasn't in shock and pulled her into a hug. She stayed at his house for an hour, curled up on his couch with him.
She went home after her last exam as she had a week before school started again. He missed knowing she was walking distance away. Though she was able to access Facebook, which she couldn't when at school.
He was taken aback at one of her status updates;
I want a guy that I can sit next to and not worry about needing something to say; a guy that understands that silence is sometimes better.
He began to worry she had begun to like someone else. He could understand if she had as he hadn't told her he had liked her back.
The next day she updated again;
A guy that's not a neat freak but not a slob.
This continued for the next couple of days;
A guy that's willing to compromise
A guy with dreams and goals but acknowledges that there is reality
A guy that's spontaneous but has goals and some plans for the future.
He didn't have all those qualities and wondered if he still had a chance of being with her. He broke his silence and had finally commented and asked her what she would do if she found a guy with most of these qualities but not quite all. Her reply consisted of a smiley face and one word – tomorrow.
He waited impatiently for her to log on the next day. When she had finally updated her status he was relieved.
But what I want even more that anything else is a guy that, while may not tick all – if any – of the boxes, loves me for who I am and without making any changes to either of us we get along unbelievably well; something just clicks.
He ran into her best friend a couple of days later. "You better be damn sure this is what you want because if you suddenly decide differently in a couple of weeks time you will break her heart this time. You cracked her heart before and it's taken her a while to mend that; she is beginning to get over you and I swear if you mess up, your face will be in the same state of disrepair as her heart," was all she said before walking away.
He was sure of what he wanted for the first time in a while. And if he did end up breaking her heart he would happily let her best friend, and her other friends, beat him up.
Two weeks later she faced her fears and went back to the park for the first time alone. He sees her dancing in the rain and after watching her for a while comes up behind her and tapped her shoulder. He then bowed, extended his hand and asked for the next dance. She laughed but agreed.
"It would be very cliché to admit my love and then kiss you in the rain wouldn't it?" He asked her.
Her eyes widened with shock. She cautiously replied, "It would be a little cliché."
He bent down, "I hope you like clichés." With that he brushed his lips against hers.