Chapter 34: A Beautiful Mind For a Moment
“I want details girl and I want them now!” Liz giggles, rolling over onto her stomach with her feet dangling in the air. She flings her long locks over her shoulder and rests her head on her hands, looking down at me from my bed with a huge smile on her face.
I laugh at her anxiousness and shift in my spot on the floor to sit Indian style. My date with Justin just ended like, literally, five minutes ago. When I got up to my room Liz was laying on my bed, much like she is now just waiting. I’m surprised at how excited I am to be able to talk about it. I would have thought I would want to keep it private but I’m ready to spill every little detail.
I begin by telling her about when me and Elisha first got there and Justin and Trace were acting all cute with their singing and dancing to Bon Jovi. She gets a kick out of that one, especially when I tell her Justin was wearing that ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron. She had noticed the tension between Trace and Elisha while we were shopping and I had already told her about their past relationship so she was glad to hear that they were moving towards a possible reconciliation.
“How long did they stay?” She asks, now clutching one of my lavender pillows to her chest.
“I don’t know like ten or fifteen minutes.” I shrug.
“So what happened after they left?”
(FLASHBACK)
“That doesn’t leave much!” Justin yells after Elisha.
We both laugh for a few seconds before an uncomfortable silence washes over. See now this is all starting to feel really real. This is like the official start to my very first date…ever. I just know I’m going to say or do something to embarrass myself. Being who I am it’s just inevitable.
“So, you ready to eat?” Justin asks, thankfully breaking the silence between us. I was beginning to think that we were going to sit here all night and just stare off into space.
I nod quickly, “I’m starving.” And as if on cue my stomach lets out a loud grumble. My hands fly to my stomach as if that will actually help control it or maybe muffle the sound. Justin chuckles but doesn’t say anything, he only stands to get the food. When I go to follow him he tells me that he can handle it and to just go sit down.
The large rectangular table is set with all white linins and creamy colored candles. A vase of yellow roses are stationed in the center only adding to the romantic vibe he has going on. This looks like something out of a movie or something”it’s perfect. I discreetly pinch my arm to make sure I’m not dreaming.
“Owe,” I whisper, pinching myself a bit too hard. I look behind me when I hear a stifled laugh. Justin looks at me with a raise brow and I feel my face instantly redden. I told you I was going to embarrass myself. I offer no explanation as I take a seat at the head of the table. Justin sits to my right after placing a plate full of delicious looking food in front of me. “This looks wonderful.”
“So do you,” He answers smoothly. I bite my bottom lip and look up at him with a sideways glance. His cheeks turn a light shade of pink which only makes my smile widen. I’m smiling so big my cheeks are starting to ache. I must look like an idiot. “I would have told you earlier but I didn’t want you think I was saying it just because Elisha brought it up.”
I nod, not taking my eyes off my plate. “Thank you.” I mumble still trying to get the ridiculously large smile off my flushed face. I think my face might just get stuck like this….
(END OF FLASHBACK)
“That has to be the sweetest thing I have ever heard in my life!” Liz gushes, kicking her feet wildly in her excitement. “I can’t believe he cooked for you! And he can’t cook anything but cereal.”
“How do you know that?” I ask in honest curiosity.
“The internet babe,” She answers nonchalantly.
I guess I forget who he is sometimes. That’s really weird to think about. You know that I could go log onto the internet and find like a gazillion websites devoted to him. I could probably turn on the TV right now and see his face on like three different stations or go to the drugstore and see him on the cover of like ten magazines. It’s just unreal to me.
“So what did you talk about during dinner?”
(FLASHBACK)
“My first real kiss was in the fifth grade. It was good and lasted several Mississippis.” Justin laughs, finishing up the last of his vegetables which I have yet to touch. I hate vegetables. All of ‘em. Well except potatoes and corn and”uh pickles. I think that’s it. I tried to eat some of them so he wouldn’t think I hated it but I almost gagged. I had to inconspicuously spit it out in my napkin and then downed my entire glass of water to get rid of the taste. I push some of the broccoli florets around to the other side of my plate to make it look like I ate more than I did…which is nothing. The steak and baked potato rocked”like the best I ever had. I’m just not a vegetable person.
I laugh at the cute response to my question. I don’t know why I asked about his first kiss because I now realize that I’ll probably have to reciprocate and I really don’t want to tell him that he was my first kiss. Is it pathetic that my first kiss wasn’t until I was seventeen? Just think how much longer it would have taken if I had never met Justin. Who knows if it ever would have happened?
“So”uh how’s school going?”
Oh no! He knows! He knows he was my first kiss. This majorly blows! He would have asked me about my first kiss if he wasn’t positive that he was my first. Now I feel like an even bigger loser than I normally do when I’m around him”or in general for that matter. He was first kissed when he was only in the fifth grade. That would make him, what ten years old? How can I compete with that?
“My first kiss was when I was…nine.” I blurt out. He sits up straighter in surprise at my randomness or maybe the age I made up. That’s right; I made it up just to beat him. I don’t want him to think I’m pathetic.
“Really?” He answers with an interested nod.
I stare at him with my mouth parted slightly as I try to come up with a story to tell much like his, but I’m drawing a blank. I told you all I was bad at lying. “No,” I sigh, shaking my head sadly. “I lied. My first kiss was just yesterday. I was you, you were my first kiss.” I say speedily”I’m even more pathetic now aren’t I?
“So how’d I do?” He asks huskily and I think my heart just stopped. His hand sneaks under the table where he parts my trembling knees. I swallow”hard. He grasps the seat of my chair and pulls me closer to him. His hand leaves my chair as my knees snap shut.
(END OF FLASHBACK)
Liz loudly pushes a puff of air from her mouth. I look up to see her now sitting. She fans herself with her hand as she slides off the bed to sit in front of me on the floor. With her free hand she grasps my arm breathlessly as she continues to fan herself.
“That has to be hottest thing I have ever heard.” She whispers hoarsely. “What did you say?”
“I said he did fine.” I answer meekly.
She lets out a loud laugh, “Are you serious?” I nod, not understanding what I did wrong. “If I were you I would have jumped him.”
“Liz!” I exclaim.
“From the way you just described him asking that question he wasn’t really expecting an answer.” She explains. I blink, still looking at her blankly. “He wanted you to kiss him.”
Kiss him? He wanted me to kiss him. I don’t think I would ever have the nerve to initiate something. I’m more of the kind of girl that just sits there dumbly while the guy does everything. I respond not initiate. I wouldn’t even know how. I mean what if I tilted my head the wrong way or something? Or what if I went to kiss him and he didn’t really want me to kiss him and he pushed me away or something? I would just die. I don’t think I could ever kick off a kiss”It’s just not in me.
“El,” she breaks my thoughts, “If you’re going to start dating Justin you really need to work on picking up on his signals.” I only sigh in response. I don’t know about this whole dating thing”it sounds a little too complex for me. “So, anyway, ya’ll ate and talked, then what?”
(FLASHBACK)
“I found it!” Justin whispers excitedly, pointing into the night sky.
“Where?” I ask, propping myself up on my elbows. I look in the direction he’s pointing but still don’t see it. The ‘it’ I’m referring to is the big dipper. After we finished eating Justin pulled me out into the yard to sit by the pool and stargaze with him. We both took our shoes off to dangle our feet in the pool as we lay on our backs. Every now and then our feet or legs touch and think I shiver every time.
“Right there!” He says louder pointing more furiously now, as if that will help me see it better.
“I don’t see it!” I say back just as loudly. He laughs as he sits up completely. I follow, silently praying I don’t fall into the pool. He slides his legs out of the pool and I lean my head back to watch him hike up his pants again before sitting down behind me. Before I have a chance to ask him what he’s doing, I feel his chest press into my back and see his long legs glide to either side of me and back into the warm pool water. My breath hitches when his hands grasp my hips to pull my body closer to his. With one hand still on my hip he takes my left hand in his, bringing into to the sky.
“It’s right,” He begins, his mouth resting next to my ear and his hand guiding mine to trace the big dipper. I’m struck my thought of how familiar this scene is to the one in the movie ‘A Beautiful Mind.’ Russell Crowe does this was Jennifer what’s her name at that party. I think that scene was the first time they kissed. I wonder if Justin’s seen that movie. “There.” He finishes in a breathy whisper.
He brings our hands back down to curl around my waist. I let out a shaky breath and try my best to relax. If I could just get my heart to stop beating so fast I’m sure I could actually enjoy this…if only.
“Just relax,” He whispers, pressing a soft kiss to my ear.
I’m trying…
(END OF FLASHBACK)
“You are trying to kill me aren’t you?” Liz laughs grabbing her chest dramatically before toppling over on her side. I laugh at her as we both stretch out on the floor on our sides. “How romantic is that?”
I sigh dreamily, unable to suppress my smile. It really was romantic”even I noticed that through my intense nervousness. Oh and I forgot to tell you. He had lit up the entire backyard with white lights. I know”you’re so jealous right now that you hate me.
“That’s just like that Russell Crowe movie””
“A Beautiful Mind,” I finish for her, “I know.”
“You are so lucky.” She sighs with a wistful smile. “The most romantic thing a boy has ever done for me is buy me flowers.”
That’s because you date boys while I’m dating a man.
TBC.....
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