Seeing my parents happy like that made me want to do this every day. It made me smile just looking at them laughing and enjoying themselves with other people. They didn't do that much lately. And they did it even less after my brother left for college last fall.

I didn't know what they were talking about, I wasn't really paying attention. Shawn kicked my foot and I looked up from my food. "What?" I looked around to see what had happened. Someone had asked me a question.

"I asked you if you were planning to go to college." said Mrs. Becker. I put my hands to my knees and nodded. "Yeah, I would like to. I would actually like to become a doctor or a psychiatrist. Though I'm not sure what university I'd like to attend." I swallowed hard. It made me nervous when people asked me about my future.

Caitlyn's face lit up. "I want to become a doctor too!" Caitlyn was Shawn's sister. She's a few years younger than me, probably two or three years.

I smiled at her. "Maybe we'll meet in med school." I said. She just smiled at me and looked down.

Then my dad spoke. "And what about you boys?" He said, referring to Shawn and his older brother, Steven. They looked at each other. Steven talked first. "Uh, well I'm planning on attending Harvard next fall. I want to be a lawyer like my dad." He patted his father on the shoulder when he said that last sentence. Shawn played with his thumbs. He looked up and started talking. "I'm not quite sure yet what I want to do but I am leaning more towards art than getting a degree in like medicine or engineering. I've always been more of an art person so...yeah." He also appeared to be nervous. And out of breath too.

*

The adults started talking about some other topics. Politics maybe since I thought I heard the word Trump. However, Shawn and I had continued with the previous conversation about college.

"So, arts?" I asked him. "Yeah." He said. He'd gotten weirdly shy in a matter of minutes. Which is quite a sight, I mean, seeing Shawn Becker, the king of sarcasm and confidence, being shyer than I am.

"What kind of arts are you into?" He looked surprise at my sudden curiosity. "I like writing, though I'm not really good at it. I like music too but it's not really my passion. My favorite thing is drawing. I love capturing emotions and moments with nothing but a pencil and paper." I smiled. He seemed real right now, nothing like I'd ever seen him.

"And which one is your favorite?" He looked at me. "I just told you that." He said. "Yeah, but, like, art that is not your own." He nodded slowly, probably processing what I just tried to say. Finally he responded. "I like reading. Mostly like fiction and adventure books." I thought about the few books I'd read. "Like Percy Jackson?" I asked him. It was probably one of the few books I'd read. "Yeah, I read those. I loved them." He babbled nonstop about all the books he had read and what they were about. All I could do was stare at him as he talked. I'd never been so interested in something that had to do with books. But there was something about his voice that made me want to hear more about what he was talking about.

We talked for a while about art and our hobbies. My mom gave me a knowing look when she saw us so engaged in the conversation. Typical Mom.

We then took a place in the conversation that everybody was in. They were talking about what the best places for vacation were.

"Puerto Rico is amazing! It's one of the best places for vacation. I assure you." my mom said. Of course she'd say that. I mean, she's Puerto Rican after all. Then Shawn's dad decided to give his opinion on the topic. "I think that the Bahamas has been my favorite place to visit."

Caitlyn's jaw dropped. "You went to the Bahamas without me?!" Her mom laughed. "Actually, we did go with you. But you were...what? Two years old?" Caitlyn rolled her eyes. Her parents laughed. And so did everyone else.

The twins were starting to fall asleep so Mr. and Mrs. Becker decided it was time for them to go. "It's getting late. We should go. But thank you very much for the lovely evening. It was nice having a change from these five." said Mr. Becker, pointing at each one of his kids. My parents and his laughed. We didn't. Well, I did a little.

Before they left, when we were saying our goodbyes, I leaned down to the stroller and whispered to the babies when no one was looking. "Goodnight Jesy. Goodnight Connor. You are very lucky babies."

I heard laughing behind me. Shawn was there. I whispered a little louder one last thing to the twins, just to bother Shawn. "And I'm sorry that you have such a dumb brother." Shawn came out of his hiding place laughing. "What's so funny?" I asked him. "That you talk to them as if they understand you. They can't even talk yet." He wiped a fake tear from laughing. "And what do you know? Maybe they just don't pay attention to you." I smirked a little. I liked my weird ability to awkwardly flirt.

We stayed like that for a couple of seconds until his parents entered the living room. We'd been waiting for them there. They all went out the door and said a final goodbye. I walked Shawn to the door and closed it a little.

"It was nice being with you tonight. And talking to you. It's been a while since we talked." He smiled and nodded. I was sure you could spot the awkwardness between us from miles away. "Yeah, I, uh, especially liked talking to you. I never really talk to my friends about art. They wouldn't understand." I nodded. I didn't know what to say. I just felt flattered that he felt that way.

I looked over to his house. His family once again, trying to get out the door. "They're crazy." He said with a little laugh. "Yeah, but I don't mind a little crazy." I looked inside his beautiful brown eyes. Where were my flirtatious comments coming from?

I looked over to him. He was looking at me. He was closer now. He was leaning in for a kiss. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't move, and I didn't, but I had to, and I wanted to. Why couldn't I make my mind up? I turned my face at the last second so that he gave me kiss on the cheek instead. "Just friends?" I tried for a smile. It hurt to friendzone people. He nodded. "Just friends." And then I was left alone in my front porch, staring at him as he walked away from me once again.