The Girl in My Dreams (7 page)

A lightbulb went off, my eyes likely shining bright, as I got the hint and slowly scooted over next to her. With our thighs just about touching, she tossed half of the blanket over my lap and still sat there with her arms crossed. I sat there, my hands in my lap, as I wondered what was next. I wasn’t particularly good with interacting with women. I hadn’t even had my first kiss yet, if that tells you anything.

“I’m still a little cold,” she said, scooting in closer to me.

I pulled my arm up from my side, letting her get even closer, before I put it around her, the back of her neck fitting perfectly against my arm. I started to panic, my heart rate rising quickly, and it wasn’t even because of the movie. This was happening, and it was happening because she wanted it to.

The movie wore on, and as things jumped out at us, she let out little shrieks before giggling and burying her face against me. I laughed, luckily not screaming, when somebody’s head was cleanly chopped off in an instant, and my muscles started to relax as the movie and time went on. I was no longer scared to have my arm around her, and as things jumped out, she got closer. I was almost to the point where I was hoping more things would jump out just so I could keep her here with me for as long as possible.

I could tell the movie was close to getting to the end, and we were still sitting alone in her dark and empty house. The light of the television screen was the only thing on there. Should I kiss her? Should I take that risk? Was it even much of a risk anymore? She obviously wanted to be close to me in some way, but was kissing one of those ways? I knew if I was going to do it, I’d have to do it soon, as the movie was almost over. What if she rejected me, though? That would be more than awkward.

The final scary part happened, with the main character meeting the killer face to face. Belle closed her eyes, covered them with her hands, and buried her face in my shoulder. I couldn’t watch the part, not because I was scared, but because of her. I looked down at her, hearing her ask if it was over. I looked at the screen quickly and told her it was. Laughing, she pulled up, bringing her hands away and opening her eyes as she was met with my own eyes looking right back at her.

We stared at each other for a second, even though it felt like an eternity. My breath was shallow, and I could see part of the screen reflecting in her eyes. No words were said, though we both knew exactly what the other was thinking. My doubts about kissing her were gone, and I knew I wanted to do it more than anything else.

I started to lean in at the same time she did. Her eyes were closed, my heart racing, and I felt my eyelids becoming heavy. Our lips, only inches away, came closer and closer, as I was ready for not only my first kiss but my first kiss of hopefully many with her.

“What are you doing in the dark?” her father asked as he turned on the lights from the front door.

My eyes popped open, my head back, as nervousness turned into sheer terror. Did he see me about to kiss his daughter, in his house no less? He was going to kill me. He was already scary enough without this happening.

“We were just watching a scary movie, Daddy,” Belle said.

“You better watch out before the boogie man gets you,” he said, laughing. Leah walked through the door behind him, shaking her head.

I stood up, my body breaking free from Belle’s for the first time in over an hour. I looked at the clock and saw it was ten.

“I didn’t know it was so late already. I should probably get home before my mom worries about me,” I said.

“Are you sure?” Belle asked.

“Yeah, you know how she can get. I had a really amazing time, though. I really hope we can do it again,” I said.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” she said, smiling, though I could see disappointment in her eyes.

Why didn’t I kiss her earlier? God, I was such a fool sometimes.

“Oh, before you go, let me give you something for your mom!” Leah said, heading into the kitchen.

I tied my shoes at the front door, Belle standing close by, her hands clasped together.

“Here, this is for her,” Leah said, giving me a large piece of cake covered with plastic wrap.

“I’ll make sure to give it to her right away,” I said, smiling.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you soon?” Belle asked.

“Yeah, you will,” I replied.

She opened the door, as a few rogue moths and other small bugs flew around the outside lights, as I walked outside.

“I had a really great time tonight, so you know. Probably one of the best in my life,” I told her.

“Oh, you don’t have to be nice,” she said.

“No, I mean it. It was—it was definitely something I won’t forget. I’d spend every day with you if I could. I know they’d all be more amazing than the last,” I said.

She crossed her arms, looking down, before I said good-bye. The walk home, though not very long, felt like a marathon. I looked up at the stars and wished that I’d done things differently tonight. Hopefully I’d get another chance with her sometime. I wouldn’t blow that shot.

“Theo!”

I stopped and turned.

Belle ran up to me, barefoot, as I stood nervously and wondered if this was it. Was my wish about to come true?

“You forgot your phone,” she said as she handed it to me.

“Oh, thank you,” I said, disappointed, slipping it into my pocket. “Have a good night.”

I turned back around and took one step before she grabbed my shoulder and said wait, causing me to turn back around.

“Back there, on the couch, did you mean it?” she asked.

“Mean what?” I asked.

“When you were about to kiss me. Did you really want to, or was it only because I was about to do it to you?” she asked, out of breath.

“Belle . . . I’ve wanted to kiss you more times than you’ll ever know,” I said, trying to fight off the butterflies in my stomach.

She stared at me for a second, not saying a word, before my life changed before my eyes. She leaned in, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against mine. My eyes first went wider than they’d ever been, then I closed them and savored the moment. The cake, which I was supposed to give to my mom, dropped to the ground as we kissed, and I couldn’t have cared less. I was kissing the girl of my dreams, and things couldn’t get much better.

She slowly pulled back, our lips sticking together a bit, and then our eyes opened in unison and we smiled softly at each other. Her hands, which were gripping the front of my shirt, let go and left a small wrinkle not only on the fabric but also on me. That kiss changed me in more ways than one.

“So, about more dates,” I said, laughing.

“I only go on dates with my boyfriend,” she said.

“Oh,” I said, as I felt my heart sinking.

“Yeah, so you’d have to ask me to be your girlfriend or something if you wanted to go on more of them,” she said.

“Oh,” I said, surprised.

She looked at me, waiting for me to say something, as I struggled to find the words that I’d never asked anybody else before. I knew them, had even practiced them millions of times in my head, but I guess I never thought I’d say them aloud, and to a girl no less.

“Will you—”

“Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend,” she said quickly, cutting me off.

She leaned in, kissing me on the cheek while she stood on her tiptoes and put her hands on my arms.

She let go, turned around, and walked back to her house as I stood there in shock, the stupidest look likely on my face. I saw her waving before she walked inside. Did that really just happen? Were we now dating?

I bent over, picking up the cake off the ground, and shuffled my feet through the wet grass and up the steps into my house. My mother, walking by the stairs, stopped and greeted me, and I handed her the cake.

“Leah wanted me to give this to you,” I said, smiling.

“Why does it have grass all over it?” she asked, picking blades of grass from the plastic wrap.

I walked past her and up the stairs to my room where I closed my door, turned on my lamp, and began to dance furiously. I literally jumped for joy and smiled the biggest smile I ever had in my life.

I spun around, still smiling, and saw Belle standing at her window, her hand to her mouth, as she laughed with a reddened face.

I froze, panicked, until my phone buzzed and I took it out of my pocket.

You’re cute when you’re goofy. Good night, boyfriend.
She ended the text with a heart emoji. When I looked back up, her blinds were closed.

Yeah, I guess this all really did just happen.

Having a girlfriend was something I definitely wasn’t ready for, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. It was like all of a sudden I had somebody there who cared about me and wanted to talk to me in a way that other people didn’t. I had somebody who I knew I’d spend time with, go on dates with, and do things with that I hadn’t done with anybody else before. And it wasn’t just somebody, but the most special person I could think of.

I’d woken up the morning after our date to a text from Belle telling me that she was going to cheer practice for a few hours, but she wanted to see me later and maybe go for a walk. Things like that, like waking up to texts and seeing kissy faces and heart emojis, were foreign to me. I replied, saying that I’d love to see her later and we were on. It felt nice.

We spent part of the day and night together, sitting outside, gazing at the stars, as we just talked. We didn’t talk about anything in particular, or anything particularly interesting, but instead just listened to the sounds of each other’s voices so that we’d never forget them. I had no idea how long this relationship was going to last, if it was going to last at all, and I knew I needed to hear her voice as often as I could in case this went south.

When I woke up Monday morning for school, though, I felt a bit of nerves about this relationship, but in a different way. When just the two of us knew about it, it wasn’t bad at all. We were safe together, and nothing could hurt us. High school wasn’t safe, though, and I knew that walking in together, even holding hands, would be a potential nightmare for me and even her.

Would the other students snicker at the two of us together? I could hear them whispering now about how she’s with
him
or how I landed a girl like Belle. Not only that, but how would Trent respond? Was he going to try to intimidate me again, or worse, punch me again? I didn’t think he’d be that stupid, but then again it was Trent we were talking about.

Am I driving you to school?
Belle texted me as I got ready.

If you want to. You don’t have to, though,
I replied.

I want to. Be outside in thirty? : )

Deal. : )

The smiley face wasn’t just on my phone screen as I got dressed and collected my things before going downstairs for breakfast.

“Well, somebody sure is happy,” my mother said as she poured me a bowl of cereal.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” I replied, grabbing my spoon.

“I always knew you guys would end up dating. I think she needs a guy like you, Theo,” she said.

“A guy like me?” I asked, with a mouthful of cereal.

“Yes, a guy like you. Somebody who’s smart, attentive, caring, sweet, and who has her very best interests at heart. You don’t want anything from her but her love, and you’ve never pushed her to do anything she didn’t want to do. You care about her, Theo, and she knows it. She knows it very much,” she said.

“I just hope everybody else knows it,” I said, the cereal shrinking with each passing second.

“Nervous about how other people will react at school?” she asked.

“That easy to tell?” I asked.

“I know that you’re nervous about it, and I think you have every right to be. You aren’t as involved at school as she is. That can be hard,” she said.

“You mean I’m a loser, and she isn’t,” I blurted out.

“Theodore James Quinn, you knock that off right now! You’re
not
a loser and you’ve never been a loser. Not being in things like band or on the football team doesn’t make you a loser in the slightest. I just mean that people don’t know you, and when you start to date somebody who’s very well known, it can open up criticism that you might not have faced before. High school is like the African savannah, and if those higher in the food chain think you’re weak, they’ll try to attack you to take you down. But you aren’t weak, and neither is Annabelle, and as long as you have each other, you’ll be fine,” she said.

It wasn’t like my mom to be this insightful, especially this early in the morning, but I guess people can change. Belle and I were prime examples of that, and now my mother was added into the mix. I already knew that things were going to be hard, at least for me, but I also knew that only what Belle and I thought mattered. We were going to be leaving all these people soon, and then we’d be set. As long as the two of us were happy together, then everything was fine.

“Thank you, Mom. I better get going, though. Belle will be outside soon. She’s driving me to school,” I said.

“Have a good day, honey. Remember what I said, and keep your chin up and your chest out when you walk in there today,” she said as I grabbed my bag.

Belle was sitting in her car as I walked outside. She noticed me, perked up, and unlocked the doors. I got inside and put my backpack between my feet.

“Good morning,” I said.

I grabbed my seatbelt and turned to buckle it. Her face was inches away from mine, a goofy smile and look on it. I furrowed my eyebrows and wondered what she was doing.

Before saying anything, she gave me a kiss on the lips and moved back as she smiled from ear to ear.

“Did I scare you?” she asked.

“Not a chance,” I said.

“Maybe we should watch another scary movie then so you can wet your pants again,” she said before putting the car into reverse.

“Yeah, right, I think you were the one doing that. I saw you close your eyes,” I said.

“Only because I thought you were scared and closing yours. I didn’t want to make you feel bad,” she said.

“Then we should watch another one and see who really gets scared,” I said.