Never in her life had Kathy spent so much time sitting on concrete steps. Her butt hurt!

But after Kelly left, she spent another half hour until Donnie stepped out as well and took a seat next to her.

She gave him a sideways glance. There was a bandage around his head to cover the scrape on his forehead, but otherwise, he looked fine. And it was precisely that which stopped her from fawning over him. Because once she was sure he would be alright, the anger returned. This could've been avoided if he'd only had an ounce of sense.

"I know what you're going to say," he said.

"Oh, do you now?" She kept her voice cold.

"Look, I know you don't approve of--"

"Don't approve?" She turned to him, her fists on her hips. "You could've gotten yourself killed! What if you'd have run into traffic?"

"I didn't, did I?" He waved his hand as if it was no big deal.

"And that's only because someone helped you!"

"That guy was a pain in the ass. Kept trying to explain stuff to me as if I didn't know what I was doing."

Kathy blinked, fighting the urge to rub her eyes. Or, better yet, clean her ears. Or point out that he really didn't know what he was doing. "What was he explaining?"

Donnie frowned and rubbed his chin. "I'm not sure. Something about swerving, drifts and, um..."

"Stopping?"

"He said something about a throttle and torque and breaks."

Oh, dear Lord, Cecily's boyfriend really was trying to help. "And why didn't you listen?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Don't get mad but... I guess I was a little scared. And I didn't like how he was yelling at me either."

Kathy took in deep breaths, trying her best not to fly off the handle. The deed was done and yelling would fix nothing. "Please promise me you will never do something like this again."

"Sugar, I didn't--"

"Promise me, Donnie."

He let out an annoyed grunt, but finally said, "I promise. Though I can't figure out how you're okay with being invisible."

This threw her off a little. "We're not invisible, Donnie. We have each other. We've been together, been in love for almost six years now. You have friends. I have friends."

He rolled her eyes. "Yes, we have some friends. But no one knows who we are."

"What do we even need that for? The chances are we won't be seeing any of these people again next year. And honestly, would you rather be known as that idiot who almost killed himself on a moped? Do you have any idea how scared I was, how you made me feel?"

He glared at her, but she wouldn't back down. Finally, he let out a defeated sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry you were worried about me. I didn't mean to hurt you."

She knew he didn't mean it. He never did, and yet he kept trying to get attention with dumb stunts and dares. But she would drop it this time and hope he'd learned his lesson after almost cracking his head open.

"How are you feeling?" she asked instead.

"Better. Good as new, actually." He glanced towards the parking lot and then at her. His eyes fell on the purple ticket still in her hand. "What's that?"

"Concert ticket for some thing tonight."

Donnie's eyes widened. "Uncaged?"

"Yeah."

He snatched it out of her hand and turned it over. "VIP. Wow. Where'd you get this?"

"Kelly. I think some guy in the band has a crush on her."

"We're going, right?"

"Um..." She thought she might actually have to work to convince him, but apparently she was missing something if even Donnie knew about the band. "Are you okay enough for it?"

"Of course! It's all everyone's been talking about over the past week!"

"Really?" How come she kept missing all this stuff? They went to the same school after all. But she'd always minded her own business, focusing on studying and Donnie. Every bit of gossip she heard usually came from Kelly.

"Yes, really." He stood and reached out his hand to help her up.

She took it and let him pull her to her feet, some of his enthusiasm rubbing off on her. "I guess it could be fun."

"You don't have to hang out with Kelly, do you? Because I wanted to make it a special date. Our anniversary is coming up after all."

His words warmed her with pleasure and she nodded. It had been so long since Donnie was romantic, it felt good to see him want to spend time with her. So by the time he dropped her home and gave her a lingering kiss, she couldn't wait to see him again.

🧩🧩🧩

Kathy tapped her foot on the wooden floor in the hall, waiting. Even if he'd basically insisted that they go, it was past eight thirty and Donnie still hadn't shown up. He wasn't answering his phone either.

Kelly had texted her multiple times to ask where she was and complain that she was missing the best songs. Not that Kathy knew any of the songs or cared too much, but waiting was getting on her very last nerve. She'd never liked wasting time.

"Sweetie, you're still here?" Her mother, Cassandra, stepped out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. Her greying hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and the flowery house dress hung off her bony frame making her look even older than she was.

Kathy jumped and turned to her. "Donnie's just running a little late."

Cassandra checked her watch, but then shook her head, a lenient smile on her face. "He'll be here." Her eyes narrowed as she took in her daughter. "You'd better go put something on. It's chilly out."

Kathy looked down at her black tank top and had to agree. Donnie would scoff at her too-revealing outfit anyway. He never really liked it when other boys stared at her, and she didn't enjoy it much either. She'd just thought a black top would be fitting for a concert and this was all she had. But if her mom was scoffing at it, it was definitely off the table.

Heaving a sigh, still in her boots, she started up the stairs to her room. She met her brother, William, halfway up.

"Where are you going at this hour?" he asked, his dark eyebrows raised.

"Out with Donnie," she answered, trying to skirt around him, but William grabbed her hand.

He fixed her with an intense gaze. "This is no time to go out."

"We're going to a concert for our anniversary." She yanked her arm free.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Seriously? You're risking your safety for a date?"

She rolled her eyes. He saw dangers everywhere. "What do you know about dating anyway?"

"I know that it shouldn't be at this time of night."

"You're not my dad, so stop acting like it."

She hated it when William got all fatherly on her. It wasn't her fault that he was twenty-four years older than her and still childless. And it most certainly didn't mean he had the right to treat her like his daughter. They didn't even look alike. While William was dark and slightly stocky, she was blonde and slender. The only trait they shared was their mother's sky-blue eyes.

He smirked at her and bumped her shoulder with his fist. "I'm no one's dad. And I like it that way. Don't get on my case, too. I'm sick of Mom asking if I have anyone every time I come home."

"Well, why don't you have anyone?"

"I travel a lot. Settling down is not on my list."

Kathy shook her head. It was true that William's insurance job allowed him to travel all over the world, but she couldn't imagine being his age, alone and still coming home to her parents every time she didn't have somewhere else to be.

"You don't need to worry about that," he said, poking her nose. "I do it so that you don't have to. Just don't take any risks. And that's something I know a lot about." He patted her head as if she were a little girl, and continued his way down the stairs.

Kathy hated when he said things like that. It always sounded so ominous and she really did love her brother.

"I'll be careful," she called out after him and rushed to her room.

Once in, she strode to the closet and opened the door. After a quick inspection, she pulled on a leather jacket which went well with her faded grey jeans and boots. It also seemed fit for a concert and covered her cleavage. It then hit her that she didn't even know what kind of music Uncaged played.

A knock on the door broke her out of her thoughts. She turned to it just as Donnie come in, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Hi." He had his hands behind his back, looking like a little boy caught misbehaving.

Kathy pursed her lips, once again doing her best not to sound annoyed that he'd kept her waiting for over an hour.

"You're late." She failed.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but when I got home I felt a bit queasy and... Um, sort of fell asleep."

The anger vanished into worry. He only had a plaster on his forehead now and looked okay, but that didn't mean there wasn't lasting damage.

"We don't have to go out if you don't feel up to it." William did have a point. It was pretty late and tomorrow was a school day.

"That wouldn't be fair since I insisted that we go and you got all dressed up." He took her in and for a moment, annoyance flashed on his face, as if he didn't approve of her outfit, but when his eyes rested on hers, there was only warmth in them.

"Nonsense." She walked over to him and took his hands. "I have nothing against staying in."

He looked up at her and gave her a small smile, then led her to the bed so they could both sit on it. And be at eye level. Donnie was about an inch shorter than her and it wasn't usually noticeable, but with the two inches of extra height the boots provided her, it obviously bothered him. It had never bothered her. Not really.

"Really?" He ran his hand through her hair, pushing the loose strands away from her face.

"Yes, really. I can tell my mom and we can stay up here and watch a movie instead."

"You're amazing." He bridged the gap between them and kissed her.

She kissed him back, running her hands through his hair for the few seconds he allowed it, then let them fall on his shoulders. He moved closer, wrapping his arms around her, running them up and down her back. The kiss became more urgent and desperate and a slither of fear climbed up her spine. She didn't pull away, but she realized he might want to turn this into something else.

It was confirmed once he pushed the jacket over her shoulders and one of his hands settled on her knee and started climbing up her thigh. She didn't pull away, hoping it was just a caress, that she was misreading him.

Donnie placed his hands under her butt and pulled her on his lap. The cold intensified as she realized she hadn't been wrong.

"Donnie..."

He kissed her neck, his hands moving under her tank top.

Her heart tightened as her body fought between keeping him close and throwing him out the window. This was so unfair. Why did he always have to push?

"Donnie, enough." She pulled back and grabbed his wrists.

"Come on, Kathy," he breathed in her ear. "It's been six years." He tried to break free from her grip, but she didn't let him.

"I said no. How many times do we have to go over this?"

Donnie pulled away, frowning and pushed her off his lap. "What the hell, Kathy? I've been waiting patiently for three years now. You're almost eighteen. Don't you think it's about time to pop the cherry?"

His words were like poisonous darts. Kathy shot to her feet, her fists clenched. She felt like popping him one.

"We've had this conversation before. And I wouldn't call screwing Darla Henson waiting patiently."

Donnie cringed and looked away from her. "I said I was sorry about that a million times. Besides, it's almost been a year. Don't you think it's about time you let that go?"

She bit the insides of her cheeks. Maybe he was right. It had been long ago. And yet, she still couldn't get over it. Not even after she'd decided to forgive him.

"I'm tired of explaining it over and over. Besides, unlike you, I didn't like being a virgin." He looked at her, his hazel eyes pleading. "You know I only did it to see what it's like. And because now, when we'll do it, I'll actually know what to do."

"I'd rather we were both clueless," she said through gritted teeth. "And I don't know why virginity was such a burden to you."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "You're a girl. It's okay for you. But for us guys, the more the better."

Kathy's vision went black as his words spun around her head. "So is that what you've been doing?"

"What? No!" He got to his feet, too his fists clenched. "Stop turning my words around. I get it, you're pissed. I messed up. But do we really have to bring this up every time we try to have sex?"

"We're not trying to have sex!"

"No, obviously. Because, apparently, you won't have me."

His words hurt and were so untrue. He was the only one she ever wanted to share that kind of intimacy with. But not like this. "If you want to get in my pants, you know what to do."

He scoffed. "I'm not getting married at this age."

"Then you're not getting laid either."

"Do you want to get married now?"

Kathy bit her lip, looking into Donnie's angry face. No, she didn't. She just wanted him to wait until they did.

"No. I just want you to be patient until we do." Tears filled her eyes as she wondered if Donnie was lying to her and had been sleeping around since Darla Henson.

Donnie sighed, walked over to her, and took her in his arm. "I'm sorry. I know it's your body, your decision, and I respect that. But you're hot as hell, so you can't blame me for at least trying."

He was right about that one. Even if she didn't want to sleep with him yet, she would feel awful if Donnie didn't show any interest in her. Maybe she was being absurd. But they'd been together since they were twelve and their love had been so pure and innocent. They'd waited this long and it only felt natural to keep doing it until they got married. She wished he'd understand that.

But this was what she had and she would roll with it.

So she nodded on his shoulder. "It does feel good to know you want me."

"Mmhmm," Donnie mumbled into her hair, his hands running up and down her back again.

Fighting a scream of frustration, she broke out of his embrace and gave him a warm smile. "So, do you want to watch a movie or go to that concert now, before it's over?"

He let out a sigh, the defeat obvious on his face. "As long as we're not doing anything more lucrative, we should at least go and have some fun."

"You did mention it would be for our anniversary. It's really sweet that you remembered."

He just hummed and it became obvious that he'd had something else entirely planned for their anniversary and she'd just ruined it.

As they climbed in his beat-up Corolla and headed for the venue, Kathy wondered if it was normal to feel so small and out of place for sticking to her guns.

🧩🧩🧩

I changed this up pretty much from the previous version as well, but the issue is the same. Donnie wants some action and Kathy lives in a dreamworld where they're in the 50s.

At least they're going to the concert. I'm sure nothing unusual will happen there.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to comment and vote! The changes won't be that big starting with the next part, but I hope the extra details will be enjoyable 😁