Chapter 9: You’ll Be the Prince and I’ll Be the Princess

“What’s got you so happy?” Dakota grunted as I skipped into the kitchen and grabbed a banana.

It was pretty obvious I was happy. A smile resided on my face, and I wasn’t sure when it was going to leave. That and the constant humming gave it away. “I have a date tonight!” I sang.

“Eli?”

I nodded, thinking about tonight and sighing gleefully. I haven’t felt like this in a long time. It kind of felt nice, apart from the clammy hands and the pounding heart.

“You two spend too much time together. It’s like I’m not even here.”

I snorted. “You say that like you want to spend time with your little sister, especially when you could be flirting with girls at bars and getting laid.”

“True, true,” he twittered. “I’m going out tonight. Be home by eleven, okay?”

“But you won’t even be here!” I protested. “And I don’t want to hear those sounds again.” I shuddered at my previous memory of Dakota bringing a girl home—his senior year of high school.

“I don’t want a niece or nephew yet.”

“Good because you’re not getting one.”

“So how are you planning to break the news to Cayden?”

Why would Cayden have to know? It’s not like he was my guardian or anything. “I’m not.”

“He’s going to be awfully hurt.”

I laughed. “Why?”

“He likes you, Ash.”

“And my name is Ethel.”

“I’m serious, Ash.”

“Why are you bringing this up? I thought you didn’t want us hanging out?”

“Trust me, I don’t. But I’m not lying. I think Cayden likes you.”

“And you’re not going to kill him?”

“I might.”

“Relax, Dakota. I have Eli for my needs now.”

“I’m rethinking letting you out of the house from now on.”

“I was joking! Calm down. Besides, Eli and I aren’t even dating.”

“You’re going on a date.”

“Our first date,” I clarified. “And besides, just because we’re going on a date doesn’t mean we’re dating.”

“Whatever. But you know that Cayden’s convinced you and him are in a relationship right?”

I didn’t do or say anything that suggested I liked him, did I? Oh well. Not even Cayden and his mood swings could ruin my good mood. “Cayden belongs in a mental hospital,” I muttered.

The doorbell rang and I went to go open the door, ending the conversation I was having with Dakota. I was greeted by three grinning faces, and I bet you can guess who.

Alexis shoved her way in, as if she owned the place. I admired her ‘take charge’ attitude.Taylorbounced along, her blonde ringlets bouncing with her. Isabella just walked in like a normal person.

“Where’s your room at?” Alexis asked, looking around.

I motioned for them to follow me.Taylorimmediately situated herself on my bed, dragging Isabella down with her. Alexis was analyzing the contents of my closet, murmuring every once in awhile. Isabella was rubbing her tummy softly whileTaylorwas making cooing sounds to it.

After much silence, Alexis held up a long, grey tank top with white lace edging the neckline; a loose, white cardigan; and a pair of denim shorts. I nodded in approval. It was cute, comfy, and casual; the three C’s—the letter I see the most on my report card.

“So have you guys kissed yet?” Alexis asked, intruding my personal space.

I had a goofy grin on my face and nodded.

“What kind of kiss was it? Was it like a peck or a full on make out?” Isabella chimed.

“A little bit of both, both of the times,” I informed them.

Alexis’s face resembled the Cheshire cat’s. That beam on her face was slightly scary, but it was also reassuring, so it was okay. “How many times have you kissed?”

“Twice.”

They all squealed, clapping their hands together excitedly.Taylorrepeatedly hit my shoulder in tiny taps. “Is this your first date?” she bubbled.

I made the ‘so-so’ expression with my hand. “Kind of.” They gave me a questioning look. “Eli took me to the zoo, which was kind of a date; at least he said it was. But this is our first official date.”

They kept interrogating me until Eli arrived. On their way out, they each whispered something into Eli’s ear, left to be exact. I only caught the end of Alexis’s. “Be good to her.”

I blushed slightly. Eli rolled his eyes and shooed them all away. “You’re ruining my date,” he complained. “Skedaddle.”

Then he walked out and closed the door behind him. “Uh…Eli?” I called. “Where are you going?”

“I’m restarting the date.”

“Why?”

Instead of getting a reply, I heard the ringing of the doorbell. I chuckled and swung the door open. Take two.

“Hello m’lady,” Eli greeted in a cheesy British accent. “I’ve come to collect you for our date.”

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

He nodded. “This is for you.” He handed me a bright yellow sunflower.

I curtsied and graciously accepted it. I excused myself and went to put it in a vase. Finding one was harder than I expected. Apparently Dakota didn’t have vases just sitting around. I settled for a tall, beer glass.

“Where are we going?” I questioned.

“McDonalds,” he replied easily.

I laughed. Was he serious? I didn’t know anyone that went on a date to McDonalds, but then again, he was an incoming college student. “I love the sweet and sour there!”

“No kidding! I do, too! I’m glad you’re so optimistic. Other girls are sourpusses when it comes to that. They shoot that idea down faster than I’m down the stairs when Mom calls me down for dinner. It’s like McDonalds is a forbidden date place or something.”

“I don’t understand why. It’s a great place, mediocre food, kid friendly, you know, for you.” I poked his shoulder playfully.

Once the golden arch came into view, I knew he wasn’t kidding. Eli was seriously taking me to McDonalds. At least I knew that I was the first girl he actually brought here that was willing and had a good attitude about it.

He ordered a Southern Style Chicken Sandwich, a large fry, sweet and sour sauce, and a large chocolate milkshake. “What do you want?” he asked.

Having the food tastes made ordering so much easier. “Ditto.” I watched him order everything he got, except for the milkshake. “Eli, you forgot about the milkshake.”

“Just trust me on this.”

He filled two paper cups with ketchup and grabbed two straws. “Tell me we’re not sharing a drink.”

“Then I’d be lying, now wouldn’t I?”

“Why, Eli? Why?”

“I thought I’d be romantic.”

“Whatever.” He led us to the play section of the restaurant. “Eli? Why are we in the kid’s section?”

“I wanted to play.”

“Eli! You’re way too old and past the height and weight limit.”

He shrugged. “It’s not like the employees actually here. Besides, it’s not like anyone’s here.”

That was true. The room was strangely vacant. “Fine, but we eat first.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“And if it collapses, it’s not my fault.”

“But it’ll be your weight that kills it,” he whined.

I ignored his fat joke and dipped my fry into my shake. “What?” I asked defensively when Eli raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like I was double dipping.”

“You’re supposed to dip it in the sauce, Ash. A shake is not a sauce.”

I don’t understand why he thought it was so weird. I wasn’t the only who used their shake as a sauce.

I dipped another fry in. “It is now. And besides, it’s your fault for trying to be ‘romantic.’”

He shook his head, but made no move to stop me. I was glad; I wasn’t going to change my eating habits just because we were on a date.

I went to take a sip out of the red straw; his was blue. Once the frozen, chocolaty goodness hit my mouth, I felt the tip of Eli’s nose hovering over mine. I glanced up and couldn’t help but smile toothily through the straw.

“You know when I pictured us sharing a milkshake; I didn’t realize it’d be from a plastic cup in the McDonald’s play area.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “So you pictured us sharing a milkshake?”

“No, but I expected you’d do something cheesy like this. Although I expected it to be spaghetti or something, like from the movie Lady and the Tramp.”

“So how long have you liked me?” Eli inquired, resting his elbows on the table and smirking.

“You first.”

“When you fell on me.”

I choked on my sandwich, having a short coughing fit. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You liked me when I fell on you? Are you even sane?”

“Nah, I’m not sane. But it’s all good, because you like me anyway.”

“I must be crazy.”

“Can I confess to something?”

I narrowed my eyes, my voice changing to a higher pitch. “Sure?”

“I lied. I disliked you very much when you fell on me.”

“So then why’d you offer to show me around?”

“You looked needy.”

“Gee, thanks. Just what every girl wants to hear.”

“But if it’s any consolation, I started liking to you the minute I proposed. Who knew someone could blush so much?”

I blushed again, recalling the memory. Damn him; making me blush uncontrollably. I snatched the milkshake from the middle of the table possessively and sipped it.

“Like that!” he cried, pointing to my cheeks, which then in turn made them grow darker.

“I hate you.”

“You told me you liked me yesterday. Someone’s bipolar,” he quipped. “So answer me. When did you fall for me? Oh, wait! I got this one.” I sat back expectantly, waiting for his amusing answer. “It was that day of the beach when you literally fell for me, wasn’t it?”

Like I was going to tell him; I was not going to talk about my feelings in front of him, especially at McDonalds.

“I’m waiting!” he sang.

“I’m not going to tell you,” I said stubbornly.

“What? That’s outrageous!” he cried melodramatically. “I told you!”

I shrugged. “That’s your own fault.”

“You have to tell me.” He was giving me a death glare. It was kind of cute on him.

I almost laughed, but I managed to refrain from it. He reminded me of an angry baby. It was downright hilarious to see him pretend to be mad. “I don’t have to do anything.”

“You promised.”

“I didn’t promise anything.”

“Fine, but I’ll have no choice but to tell people that a seagull had an accident on you and you continued wearing the shirt around.”

My eyes were wide with horror. “There was no other choice!”

“You could’ve gone shirtless, or even better, in your bra. Either one would’ve worked for me.”

Perv. What did I even see in him? Oh yeah. He was funny, hot, had a mother that could do wonders with food…well you get the picture. Aside from the good things, he was also a major pain the butt.

That comment earned him a loud, hard smack.

Instead of yelling or hitting me in return like I expected, he made a libidinous remark. “Feisty. I like it. Are you like this in bed, Cutie? Rough, I mean.”

I made a throaty growling-like sound and tried to ignore it. He was just trying to rile me up. “Finish eating so we can go play.”

He wiggled his eyebrows and cast a lighthearted grin my way. “Mine or yours?”

I frowned. “In the play place.”

“Ah, you like public places? I didn’t have you pinned for an exhibitionist, but whatever floats your boat, you know? It’s kind of kinky.”

“Shut up!” I squealed. “Not play like that! Will you get that through your pretty, little head?”

He smirked. “You think my head is pretty.” Of course that’s all he would get from that.

I threw my hands up in the air. “I give up!”

He stopped with the suggestive comments, but secretly, I kind of liked them. Call me weird, but they were entertaining. If I told him that I liked them, which I have no intention of doing, everything that would come out of his mouth would probably be an innuendo.

“There’s one last sip left of the shake,” Eli pointed out, eyeing it.

I grabbed my straw and slurped it. At the same time, Eli went for it, but then whined when there was none left. “That’s not fair! You drank it!”

“You pretty much drank the entire shake!”

“Well….well I paid for it!”

Oh, he was using that excuse? “It’s a date, remember?”

“We’re not acting like we’re on a date.”

“How does one act on a date?”

He stole a kiss and pulled back as fast as he got in. “Like that.”

He threw the trash away and pulled me towards the play place. We took off our shoes and shoved them into the plastic slots attached to the plastic, black fence. “Race you to the top!” I cried, swiftly climbing up the colored, triangular rafters.

Since Eli was taller than me, it took him a little bit longer for him to get to the top. I sat with a victorious smug on my face, my legs dangling over the edge of a red triangle. His curly head popped up, almost giving me a heart attack. I scowled and bopped him on the head. “Don’t scare me like that,” I scolded, frowning.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I beat you to the top!”

He rolled his eyes. “Who’s the kid now?”

“Just because I’m faster at climbing than you doesn’t make me less mature.”

I stuck my tongue out and he just stared at me in amazement. “You only beat me because you’re smaller. And sticking your tongue out is not helping your case.”

“You’re just jealous,” I retorted, crawling over to the steering wheels.

Eli followed close behind me. He started to make car sounds and obnoxiously turning the steering wheel like a little kid. I laughed at him and began to make cop car sounds. What could I say? He brought out the inner child in me. Eli pressed his foot against the wall, pretending to accelerate. I copied him, making sure I slammed it. Eventually, he pulled over. I went over to him and clasped my hands around his wrists like handcuffs. “You were speeding.”

He smirked and moved closer until the tips of our noses were barely touching. “What’re you going to do about it?” he challenged.

“Arrest you.” My grip on his wrist tightened.

“Is there any way I can get out of this? I’ll do anything?” he added flirtatiously.

“Anything?” I couldn’t help but giggle. He was probably thinking that he’d get some action, but boy was he in for a surprise.

“Anything.”

His eyes flickered down and it was my turn to smirk. Just as he was about to close the distance between us, I turned my head so his lips landed on my cheek. “I want a chocolate milkshake,” I said evilly.

Before he could react and kill me, I hastily crawled through the red plastic tube. Those moments of shock were vital to my escape. I considered going down the slide, but decided that would be too easy; everyone goes there to hide. So I went to my next, and less obvious, hiding spot. It was where the play place jutted out. I crawled into the tiny space and looked out the window for any sign of employees who might yell at us.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” his voice echoed.

He seemed to be getting closer. I needed to get out of my hiding spot fast. If he didn’t check the slide, he was bound to check the next best thing; here. I was just hoping he would go for the most obvious one.

When I turned towards the entrance, Eli was sitting there casually, blocking it. His arm was loosely hanging over his knee. He crawled over to me, trapping me against the window. “Found you.”

“Congratulations! Let’s go get that chocolate shake now, yeah?”

He shook his head, his green eyes piercing through mine. “I don’t think so, Cutie. You’re staying right here.”

My heartbeat accelerated. I think it had something to do with the fact that Eli was pushing me up against a plastic window. “I’ll share?” I squeaked.

“I don’t want a chocolate shake.” I could feel his hot breath breathing against my cheek. “I think you know what I want.”

Starting with the side of my neck, he kissed his way up. I had the sudden urge to kiss him. I felt his lips graze against mine. I responded by wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him back forcefully.

He pulled away after about ten seconds. I wasn’t really counting; it was just an estimate. It was shorter than anticipated though. “An apple pie,” he smirked.

I folded my arms and stuck my upper lip into a pout. He was not allowed to play the same game I was playing. It wasn’t in the rulebook. “I get your other one. It’s two for a dollar.”

“But you’ll get even fatter!”

I raised an eyebrow and he chuckled nervously. “Joking, you’re pretty just the way you are. And sure, you can have the other apple pie.”

I grinned. “Let’s go get our good! Last one down has to pay!”

Since Eli was no longer blocking the doorway, I darted out. “That’s not fair!” I heard him call. “You’re smaller than me.”

I threw myself down the curving, multi-colored tube, feeling the effects of static electricity on my legs. I quietly climbed on top of the tube and waited for him to come sliding off so I could scare him.

Minutes later, I saw his head pop out. He went head first. Show off. After he straightened himself and stood up, I tackled him. He let out a startled cry, but didn’t fall to the ground as I had hoped. He steadied his grip on my and I wrapped my legs around his waist. “Carry me to my shoes and food, my trusty steed.”

“Aw, I’m your trusty steed? Maybe I should call you ‘Princess’ instead of ‘Cutie.’”

He set me on the top shelf and slid my shoes on, just like Prince Charming did with Cinderella. This definitely made up for the sexual innuendos earlier. “And the shoe fits!” I cried, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Marry me? I promise we’ll live a happily ever after.”

A second proposal; that must be our thing. “Why is that you always end up proposing at a restaurant?”

He scoffed and looked around. “I would hardly call this a restaurant.”

He had a point there. “Okay…why do you always ask at places where they sell food?”

“Because you know the way to a man’s heart: his stomach,” he winked.

I resisted the urge to say, ‘but don’t you have to be a man?’ I’d be a little civil on this date and try to be nice. Aw, heck. I said it anyway. I told myself that I wouldn’t be me without those snarky comments.

“Oh, baby, I’m all man.”

I smiled. “You keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you will be.”

“Why is it that you always avoid the question? Just say yes or no. Simple.”

“Okay. Yes or no.”

Eli gave me a stern look. “Just answer the question.”

“Nah, I don’t think I will.”

“Oh, I get it. You want to say yes, but you’re too scared.”

“Yup, that’s it,” I agreed sardonically. “Now don’t ever pull this stunt again. It’s starting to freak me out.”

“Commitment scares you?”

“Put your shoes on.”

He sighed, sliding his shoes on. “There you go again. Avoiding the question.” He started going out the door, holding it open for me. He looked back expectantly at me. “Well? Are you coming?”

I held out my arms and put on my cutest and most irresistible smile. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

His eyebrows scrunched together and he began looking around. He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

I glowered and crossed my arms. He smiled and came closer. I climbed onto his back and flicked his nose. “And we’re off!”

People were giving us strange looks as he gave me a piggyback ride to order our dessert. An old couple sitting in a booth exchanged looks. I heard the woman coo to her husband, “Remember when we used to be like that?” I blushed and buried my head into Eli’s hair.

Eli ordered and we decided to just go out to his car and eat. After stealing bites of his apples pies (I decided to give him the one he promised me), he got fed up with it and took a lip sip of my milkshake. I playfully hit him and told him he had to go throw the trash away. He grumbled a little, but didn’t protest much.

“I oddly had fun today,” I mused, buckling myself up.

He looked at me incredulously and shook his head, chuckling. “You thought I was just taking you out to McDonald’s? Give me more credit.”

I was impressed. “There’s more?”

“Don’t act so surprised. I can be romantic. Although I never expected a date to McDonald’s to be fun and end in success…so I guess I’ll just drive you home.”

“No! I want to see what you have planned. So what is it? Wait, let me guess. It’s a surprise?”

“Look out, Einstein. We got a genius in our midst.” The sarcasm was practically dripping off his words.

I backhanded his chest. “Shut up! I don’t understand why you won’t tell me. I’m going to find out anyway.”

“Exactly. The anticipation is what makes it more fun.”

“The anticipation is what makes it sun,” I mimicked, raising my pitch.

He rolled his eyes. “Immature.”

“I know you are, but what am I?”

“Thanks for proving my point, Cutie. Or should I say, Princess?”

I felt special that he gave me a nickname, seeing asTaylortold me that he didn’t give anyone a special name. Both were highly unoriginal, but I liked them both. “You pick.”

“You’re as pretty as a princess, but you’re also cute. Hm, decisions, decisions. I got it! Princess Cutie! Huh, huh?”

I shot that down before he could even consider it.

“Alright, how about Princess Peach?”

And get named after a spoiled princess from Mario? I don’t think so. “How about Ash?”

“But that’s what your brother calls you…”

“Everyone calls me that.”

“But I’m not everyone, am I? I want it to be special; just you and me.”

And that just made my heart melt like a Popsicle on a hot, summer day. Did he get these lines out of a book or something? Sometimes the things that came out of his mouth were just oo perfect, and others, well he just needed to keep his mouth shut.

“I think I’m just going to stick with ‘Cutie.’ It has history, you know?”

“Good choice, Elf.”

He groaned. “I was hoping you’d have some random change of mind and choose a different and more suitable nickname.”

“But I didn’t.”

“Yeah…now get out. We’re here.”

I didn’t even realize the car was stopped and we had arrived at the destination: the beach. “You’re taking me to the beach? We’re here like all the time.”

“Well I wasn’t going to take you toParis.”

“And here I thought we were going backpacking acrossEurope,” I clucked. “So what’re we doing?”

“There’s the surprise.”

I followed his finger to a two seat bicycle. I had never seen one in real life, and I was really going to ride one. It was like one of those cheesy moments in movies and books, and I absolutely loved it. I ran to it and glided my finger over the bicycle seat. I scrambled up onto the first seat and stared at Eli, urging him to hurry up. Eli walked slowly just to spite me. I drummed my fingers impatiently on the handlebars.

He finally made his way over and hopped onto the backseat. “Ah, the back. Now I don’t have to do any work.”

“You better. This is a team effort. So on the count of three; one, two, three. GO!”

We started pedaling and toppled over down onto the sand. Luckily, the bike missed us by a couple inches. I started laughing uncontrollably, and soon, I had him laughing along. Eli stood up and offered me a hand. “This is like déjà vu all over again. Except this time, it’s my fault we fell, and I’m helping you up this time.”

“I suppose it is. Let’s try again. This time, pedal. I don’t want a repeat of what just happened. I like my legs.”

“I like your legs, too.”

We tried three mores times and ended up with the same results as the first. The fourth time was the charm. I occasionally looked behind us to see the little trail that we made. Streaks of orange, blue, purple, and pink painted the sky. That, combined with the calm ocean waters, and the emptiness of the beach, made the view especially breathtaking. We rode along the beach, sometimes splashing into the cool water.

“So where do they rent these bikes?”

“No where, but they sell them at the bike shop.”

“You bought the bike?” I sputtered.

“Nah, my parents had it. It was just sitting in the garage begging for air.”

Relief flooded me. I didn’t want him to spend his money for college on some lousy date. “Well it’s good that we took it out. We should do this more often.”

“I’m sure my parents would like that. They always said I should exercise more,” he joked.

“You are getting a beer belly…”

“I always wanted to be Santa Claus.”

“Well if you ever get your hands on a flying reindeer, call me.”

By the time we stopped riding, the moon was high in the sky. “Let’s watch the moon,” I suggested, planting myself in the sand. I patted the spot next to me. “Join me.”

Eli situated himself and then slung his arm around me, pulling me closer to him. I snuggled up to him and gazed up at the ball of white light. “It’s so peaceful, don’t you think?”

“Makes me want to sleep,” he yawned, dropping his head onto mine and letting out a loud snore.

“You’re silly. Now tell me more about yourself.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know; anything.”

“Well, my favorite color’s red, I’m afraid of the dark, I like surfing, and I can play the guitar. Your turn.”

I also dated most of the guys in band, well the cute ones anyway. I had a thing for musicians. “You can play the guitar?”

“Just a bit.”

“You’ll have to play for me sometimes, but no singing. Singing is strictly prohibited.”

“Ditto, your voice is like a dying whale.”

“It went from catfish to whale? Now that’s cruel.”

“What can I say? I’m a mean person. Now it’s your turn.”

“Hm, okay. I’m afraid of bugs, I paint, and I have a West Highland Terrier named Scottie.”

“You’re afraid of little itty bitty bugs? They’re not going to hurt you, you know.”

“They might. At least I’m not afraid of the dark. Who’s afraid of the dark?”

“You never know who’s going to be lurking around at night.”

“Like us?”

“Precisely.”

“Do you miss him?”

“Who?”

“Your dad,” he answered softly.

I felt my body stiffen. His hand moved to my knee. “Of course I miss him, Eli. I was a daddy’s girl. He died ten years ago. I was seven and Dakota was 14.”

“How?” And then he quickly added, “You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready or you don’t want to.”

I looked at his face in the moonlight. It reminded me of porcelain. His eyes seemed sincere, like he genuinely wanted to know and wasn’t trying to make conversation. I suppose it wasn’t a secret or anything. So I told him.

“Remember how I told you my family didn’t like Disney?”

He nodded.

“My daddy loved Disney. He owned every single classic, DVD and VCR. He loved it so much he surprised the family with a trip to Disney World for my birthday. Like any little kid, I was thrilled. I was finally going to the place where dreams came true. I wanted to see Cinderella’s castle, you know the one advertised on television?”

I laughed humorously and he held onto my words like he was in a desert and they were drops of water. Eli was a good listener, no matter how much he talked.

“I wanted to go on a roller coaster, and no one had wanted to go. I threw a huge tantrum and my dad finally agreed to go on it. Dakota and my mom went souvenir shopping or something. I can’t remember. But I was so excited. About halfway through the ride, I dropped my shoe. It was dangling off the edge of our cart. My dad stupidly unbuckled and got it for me. When he went to sit back down, the coaster turned and he fell off. By the time we got help, he was pretty much a goner.”

Tears were streaming down my face and I was hiccupping as I spoke, but I kept telling the story.

“We went to the hospital and his last words were, ‘Hakuna Matata’. The Lion King was his absolute favorite movie. For years, I felt guilt. Every single day guilt was gnawing at me. I had indirectly killed my father at the age of seven. I killed him. For a couple months, Dakota and my mom blamed me. I could never get away from the blame. I spent most of my childhood in tears. When I was thirteen, I fell in love with my next door neighbor. Liam healed me. He made me forget my pain, and my guilt slowly fade away. He made me realize that I didn’t kill him. We dated for a couple years, and he was really the perfect boyfriend. Then he broke my heart, and here I am. But I’m thankful to Liam, I really am. Because if it wasn’t for him, I’d probably be depressed or even dead. I owe him my life.”

Eli was now rubbing my back. “Thanks for telling me,” he whispered. “Thanks for trusting me. I wish I could’ve met him.”

“You would’ve loved him.” They would’ve gotten along great. They would’ve immediately clicked and then I’d have to work for Eli’s affection. But then again, I probably wouldn’t have gotten to meet Eli. After all, mom was on her honeymoon now. She met Phil a year after the incident, and was smitten. She told me they were soul mates. I slapped her.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you cry, especially on our first date. That was a bad move on me.”

“Dates aren’t just for fun, you know. It’s to get to know the other person.” I didn’t want him to feel guilty. I made the choice to tell him. “And it’s our second, remember?”

He chuckled. “Right.”

“So you’re afraid of the dark?”

“Terrified.”

“You do realize it’s kind of dark now, right?”

“But I know I have you to protect me.”

“If a monster appears or some type of vampire beast, I’m going to offer you as an excuse to get away. I’ll take some therapy, get some food, and then get help.”

“Good to know I’m your first priority.”

“Definitely.”

There was a nice silence; it wasn’t the least bit awkward. My finger subconsciously drew in the sand as he ran his fingers through my hair.

“What does the moon taste like?” I wondered.

“What?” he chuckled.

“What does the moon taste like?” I repeated.

“Um, like rocks?”

“I pictured it tasting more like tofu, but I suppose yours is more…reasonable.”

“You are strange, cutie.”

I was strange. But strange was good sometimes, right? Maybe Eli liked strange. Since when did I care whether or not a guy liked me or not? He was really ruining me. Maybe for the better? I haven’t felt this way since Liam…and it was scaring me. I couldn’t grow attached to him. After all, this was only a summer fling.

“What time is it?”

He pulled out his phone. “11:30.”

We were sitting here for two hours? It didn’t seem that long. Crap, I needed to get home. Dakota said to be home by eleven, but I was already half an hour late. It didn’t matter if I was a little bit longer. Besides, he was out for the evening–and probably morning.

“Do you need to get home?” he asked.

“I’m sure Dakota won’t mind. Isn’t there a curfew here though?”

“I’m an adult. We can be out here for as long as we want.”

That was definitely a perk. No curfew, not according to the law anyway. It felt like good to be free…kind of. Were there cops here? Of course there were, what town doesn’t? Jangles isn’t exactly a crime city. You could freely unlock your doors and open your windows at night and not a thing would be missing. I wouldn’t recommend it, but if you really wanted too…

I told myself just five more minutes. And then it turned into ten minutes, which then turned into half-an hour. Before I knew it, one more hour had passed by. I decided it was time to go home.

Eli stood nervously in front of the door. “I had a good time tonight and I guess this morning too.”

“Me too. I never thought the thing we do everyday could be so much fun.”

“Can I kiss you?” he blurted. “Sorry, that was...”

“Unexpected? I’m glad to know you’re not always like your shampoo.” He looked lost and dumbfounded. “You know, suave? Smooth?”

“Oh! I get it. So is that a no or–”

I pressed my lips against his and sparks flew. Well, I now I knew how to shut him up. Our lips moved rhythmically together, like they were made for each other. Well, that’s me getting into cheesy stuff like fate and soul mates and whatnot. His tongue slid against my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I parted my lips and out tongues swirled together and did a dance.

When he pulled away, I let out a whimper. He smirked. “One kiss a day,” he mimicked, doing the worst possible impression of me.

Hm, he was right after all. I probably would end up begging for a kiss. He was just too darn good to settle for one. I had to come up with an excuse, but not one that would make me seem too desperate. “I was just making up for yesterday,” I stammered.

Eli grinned. “And I guess I can’t leave empty handed for today.”

“Wouldn’t want that to happen,” I whispered, leaning in.

I almost expected him to jump back and leave. But he didn’t. Thankfully. Unlike the other times, this one was eager. We were kind of getting to know each other the other times, but this one. This was like lust filled. Tingles traveled up my spine and made me shiver. He pushed me up against the wall and that’s what we were doing for the next seven minutes. He didn’t try to go any farther. If he did, I would’ve killed him. I didn’t like doing things with people I had feelings for, messed up right?

“I should go,” Eli murmured.

I nodded and tapped his nose lightly. “Good night, Elf.”

“Good night, cutie.”

I shut the door and slid down to the ground and let out a sigh. Just like all the clichés. Only then did I realize someone else was in the room with me. Dakota’s arms were crossed and he raised an eyebrow.

“I said eleven. It is now one in the morning. Care to explain?”

I thought he said he wasn’t going to be home! It was time to own up and face the consequences. Aw, heck. There weren’t going to be any consequences. Dakota used to sneak out all the time when he was my age. And besides, Dakota was a cool brother.

“I lost track of time?”

“Likely story. Were you guys safe?”

“Dakota! We didn’t do anything.”

“Sure you didn’t.”

“We didn’t,” I insisted.

“Your punishment is –”

“You’re punishing me!?” This was unbelievable.

“You’re grounded for a month.”

“But then I’ll only have a month of summer left. I’m not wasting a month of my summer.”

“Joking, chill out. Go to bed.”

I scowled and stalked off to my room. I changed into shorts and a worn t-shirt before I crawled under my striped comforter. I was unaware of how completely exhausted I was. Playing in a play place and riding a bike could really strip you of your energy.

The last thought I had before I drifted off into limbo was of Liam. I was too tired to think anything of it.

Alexis on the side!