I blinked. “A date?”
He nodded. “Yep.”
“With a girl?”
“Yep.”
“A human girl.”
“Yep.”
“Is that all I get?”
He nodded again. “Yep.”
I couldn’t deny I felt hurt, but I got if it all felt weird for him at the moment. “Oh, okay.”
He looked at me quickly and cleared his throat. He didn’t seem to be able to say anything until his lounger drifted conveniently so he couldn’t easily look at me anymore. “I mean, it’s new and… I don’t want to jinx anything by saying anything too soon…”
I was sure there was something else to it; the dude looked shifty. And, I’d spent enough years being shifty with him to know when he was being shifty. And, he’d been noticeably shifty since Tate had pointed out he’d been on his phone all Thursday. I tried using that Best Friend 101 mind-reading power, but nothing. I couldn’t work out what – or who –might be causing it. I assumed someone I wouldn’t approve of given he didn’t want to tell me. But, the only person I wouldn’t approve of was Tess and he’d given up on her…hadn’t he?
Unless, he thinks with you and Toph being a thing she’ll focus on him again?
God, I wanted to subject him to the damned twenty questions third degree. But, this wasn’t the same as me wanting to…kiss Topher more than by accident. Even if he was going on a date with Tess, she wasn’t my sister or even my friend; I didn’t get to do the third degree. Even if that wanting to bash him over the head with more than a pool noodle feeling was back, and with reinforcements.
So, instead of voicing any of my concerns or suspicions, or asking him why he didn’t trust me all of a sudden or if that was why we didn’t currently have the boys over – because Aunt Jelly was working that night, so we couldn’t have made plans – I just said, “Cool. You want some help picking an outfit or anything?”
A smile showed through his obvious uncertainty and discomfort. “Yeah, that’d be good.”
“Sweet.” I rearranged awkwardly to sitting up. “Where are you going?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, Mr Defensive. How else will I know what to dress you in?”
He sighed. “Good point. Sorry.”
I smiled, really believing things would be fine. “All good. You really like her, huh?”
He shrugged. “I think so. But…”
“Babe, it’s okay. If you don’t want to talk about it. That’s fine.”
He looked at me as he floated around as though he was checking if it really was fine. “When I say date, I’m exaggerating. Okay? It’s just two friends hanging out, but I’m hoping it will be more eventually. But, I sort of feel like if I don’t talk about it, she won’t realise I want more and I won’t jinx it?”
I nodded; I spoke Ander, I understood the logic. And, the logic was making me feel a whole lot better about him not telling me anything.
“I get it, babe. It’s all good. Now, can you at least tell me where you’re going?”
He laughed. “Yes.”
“Okay…” I paused, but still nothing. “And, are you going to?”
He laughed again and I felt like everything was back to normal again. “We’re just going to the movies.”
“Oh, that’s easy, then!” I cried, throwing my arms up a little too enthusiastically and nearly falling off my bucking unicorn.
“Where did you think we were going?”
I shrugged. “Dunno. Laser Tag?”
He snorted. “Yeah, because that went so well for me last time.”
“How did I know we weren’t going to be fit enough for Laser Tag? How fit do you need to be for that anyway?”
“I don’t know. But, I didn’t expect to get that hot and sweaty or out of breath. And, my legs, babe!”
“I blame the bending.”
Seriously, who would have thought that Laser Tag would be such a workout? It was ten minutes of trying to shoot each other, three times. How in the world did you need two bottles of water and end up so stiff you fell out of bed the next morning? I’d like it on the record that I’d fallen much less stupidly than he had; I’d just sort of rolled out and ended up on the floor without anything resembling standing as if I’d totally planned it, but he’d managed to get to standing before his legs gave way and he’d dropped out of view.
“I wouldn’t have thought it was that different to skating. Not really?” Ander mused.
“Well, that explains me.” I did an awful lot less skating than he did and a lot more badly. “But, not you.”
He snorted. “No. So, safe to say, I will never Laser Tag again. I’m sticking with movies.”
I hoped the movies thing didn’t come from the fact that the date was with Tess and it was because all they had in common was the AV club. But, then I realised how stupid that thought was. Because a movie was a date thing – lots of people went to the movies on dates.
“What time are you going?” I asked.
“Dunno. We thought we might find some food before–”
“Oh!” I teased. “Dinner and a movie. Regular Casanova, aren’t you?”
“Shut up, Ads,” he muttered, splashing water at me. “What’ll you do tonight?”
“Don’t know. Might watch a movie of my own. Might even go all spy on you and follow you on your date.”
He sniggered. “You could try, but my prowess as super-villain is far too brilliant.”
I laughed. “That, I seriously doubt.”
“You didn’t make plans with…Toph?”
I shook my head. “It’s Saturday. He’s probably heading out with Nick tonight.”
“You don’t know?”
“Why would I know?”
“I don’t want to state the obvious, Addy. But, aren’t you guys kinda dating or whatever? So, you’re supposed to know, aren’t you?”
I blinked as we floated past each other and nudged each other’s ride sub-consciously just to be annoying. “Yeah, I guess.” I looked towards the house, but couldn’t tell if he was even home or not.
“You guess?” he chuckled. “Babe, you make a terrible girlfriend.”
“Not a real girlfriend.”
“Well, that’s obvious. But, he did ask. Ha!” he cried and I looked at him quickly. “Who’d have thought Toph would do dating better than you!” he crowed.
I reached my leg over to kick his lounger. But, I overextended and ended up sliding off Mr Sparkles with a splash. When my head broke the surface again, I didn’t have to pull him in with me because Ander was in the process of laughing so hard he fell off all by himself.
He used my shoulders to break the surface, dunking me again. And, by the time I was able to breathe again, he’d composed himself enough.
“You’re not as funny as you think you are, Alexander.”
“On the contrary, Addison. I am hilarious!”
I rolled my eyes and splashed water at him. “A delusion both you and your brother have in common,” I muttered.
“Excuse you, Hendersons have a brilliant sense of humour.”
“Aunt Jelly’s brilliant. Shame she hasn’t passed it on.”
“Oi!” he laughed and I joined him as we wrestled.
There was more dunking and near-wedgies than anything that really resembled wrestling, but I was quite clearly the victor (although the Book of Alexander would tell a different story). But, eventually we were feeling water-logged and semi-drowned and it was getting hungry. So, we traipsed back inside to find Topher dancing with Aunt Jelly in the kitchen. My chest did a weird little flutter and I felt this stupid little smile break out unbidden at the sight of him.
You could never tell with Topher if he was being forced to do that or if he enjoyed it; he pissed and moaned about it, but there was this hint of a smile in his eyes and on his face that suggested he liked it far more than he let on.
“Hello, beautiful ones!” Aun
t Jelly cooed as Topher twirled her and dipped her towards us.
“Hey, Aunt Jel. Time for the weekly Topher torture?” I asked.
Topher pulled her up to standing and she smiled. “Daily, Ads,” she replied. “Come on, I’ve taught you better than that.”
I snorted, but Topher replied before I had a chance, “Don’t encourage her, please. Addy’s more than capable all by herself.”
Ander muttered something unfavourable under his breath as he half-disappeared into the fridge, but I didn’t really catch the words. Aunt Jelly looked at me like I knew what was up and I shrugged. Aunt Jelly seemed to take that to mean that he was fine and smiled again.
“Okay, so I have to leave at about five minutes ago. Dinner’s in the fridge. I think you’re old enough to use the oven, yeah?” she teased.
Topher rolled his eyes in my direction as he grinned. “No, Aunt Jel. We’re far too young.”
“I call neglect!” Ander called from the fridge, then emerged with a cold sausage.
Aunt Jelly just shook her head. “The lot of you will be the death of me.”
“What did I say?” I asked, incredulous.
Aunt Jelly kissed my cheek as she headed out. “Nothing. This time.” Then, she winked, called, “Bye, my loves,” and was gone.
“Bye!” we all chorused back.
“What are you two losers up to tonight?” Topher asked us.
“Out,” Ander replied, back in the fridge again.
“Where you going?” Topher looked to me.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m monopolising the couch and watching terrible rom-coms,” I answered, taking the half-eaten sausage Ander passed me before he gave me a look and headed out.
“What if I wanted to monopolise the couch?” Topher countered.
I didn’t know why my heart skipped a beat. “You and Nick not going out?”
He shook his head as he leant on the counter and a humoured smirk crossed his face. “Nope.”
I nodded. “Well, you’ll have to fight me for it, then.”
He laughed. “I’ve got a better idea.”
I took a step towards him. “Really?”
“Yep.” He took a step towards me.
“What’s your better idea, then?”
“We could watch something together.” His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened in mock-horror, and I laughed.
“You mean, spend time together?” I teased.
He nodded. “Yeah. There’s this weird concept I heard of. Right?”
“Right.”
“Yeah, it’s when two people like hanging out so they actually make plans to do stuff together and spend time with each other?”
“Sounds pretty out there.”
“It does.”
“Might be worth giving it a go, though.”
“It might.”
“And, you want to hang out with me?”
“I do.”
I nodded. “Okay. I’ve got to help Ander get ready, but later?”
He smiled. “Later.”
I paused before leaving, not sure if we were supposed to kiss now or what. So, I scurried over to him, pressed a quick kiss to his lips and then shuffled out super awkwardly to his low chuckle.
By the time I got up to Ander’s room, I’d almost managed to school that stupid little smile on my face.
“Make your plans then?” Ander asked, standing in his jeans and towelling his hair.
“How did you shower so quickly?”
“Magic.”
“Okay,” I said as I threw myself onto his bed and decided to leave that where it was. “Show me what you’re thinking.”
Ander disappeared into his cupboard and pulled out his most hideous shirt, a question on his face. He could tell by the facial contortion that elicited what I thought, but I always liked to be clear about things.
“Hell, no. Dude, I’ve already told you like three times to burn that. Why did you even buy it in the first place?”
He shrugged. “Gomez got one.”
“He’s never worn it!” I laughed.
“He’s never been on a date.”
I snorted and waved a hand at him while I got some control over myself. “Babe, he bought it so you’d wear it in public and he could laugh at you. Face it.”
“No,” Ander looked at the shirt like it had betrayed him, “he really liked it.”
I shook my head, at a loss for words. “Next.”
He sighed and pulled out t-shirt after pants after shirt after shorts after top until I was lounging under the rejects.
“Where’s that nice blue hoody with the zip?” I finally asked, pulling my arm out from under a pair of shorts to scratch my nose.
He looked around like he was suddenly going to see it lying around. “Dunno.”
I sighed. “The Aztec print shirt?”
“Dunno.”
“Have you got anything else in there that isn’t going to make mystery girl run for the hills as soon as she sees you?”
“We’re already going out, she can’t think too little of me.”
“Babe, these clothes are for at least the fifth date–”
“What, why?”
“Because. There are just some clothes you have that you don’t wear until they really like you, so it’s too late for them to run when you be your full self not just your publically acceptable self.” It was a theory Aunt Jelly had developed over the years and I could see why; I needed a publically acceptable self whenever I left the shelter of the Hendersons’ place.
“Oh, yeah? And, what’s that in your wardrobe?”
I thought about it. “Uh, the whole thing.”
“So, you’re going on the first few dates naked?”
I thought again, then nodded. “Might have to, yeah.”
“So, this boning my brother thing is going to happen sooner rather than later, is it?”
I rolled my eyes with a snort. “Topher doesn’t care what I…” I stopped and sat up a bit more as I realised what I was saying and what that meant.
Ander and I looked at each other and I could see the war playing out on his face. He wanted to be encouraging, but he was still having trouble adjusting.
Finally, after far too long just staring at each other, Ander cleared his throat. “Yeah, okay then. That blue hoody, you reckon?”
I nodded and he went shuffling in his drawers. “Yeah.”
“With?”
“Try your stone chinos.”
“What colour counts as stone? Is that the grey or the brown?”
“I thought you ripped the khaki ones?”
“That’s the brown, isn’t it?”
I smiled; there were some things it had been impossible not to pick up from Sonya. “Yep.”
He stood up straight, his back still to me. “Um… Yeah, maybe.” Then, he went back to shuffling. “I dunno. They’re here, but I can’t find the other ones.”
I snickered.
“What?”
“You have more clothes than me.”
“That’s because you steal all my clothes and I have to get new ones.”
“Not true. You got too tall for your overalls.”
“Uh huh. And, how many t-shirts have you stolen?”
“They’re comfy and they smell like you,” I whined.
“Well, now you’re dating Topher, you can steal more of his.” He pulled on his hoody and held up the pants. “Yeah?”
I nodded. “Yeah.” He finished getting dressed as I asked, “What time are you meeting?”
He looked at his clock. “Sooner than I realised.” He grabbed his wallet and phone and shoved them in his pockets, ran his hand through his still half-wet hair and turned to me with a ‘what do you think’ look on his face.
“Eh, you’ll do.” I shrugged.
“I’ll do?” he asked, fighting the smile.
I nodded, also fighting the smile. “Yeah. You’ll do.�
��
He shook his head and lost the fight. “I don’t know why I keep you around.”
“Because you love me.”
He sighed like I was a hardship and I grinned. “Yeah, that I do.”
He held his hands out to me and pulled me out from under his clothes.
“Right, be good. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way home so you’re not all…compromised. Yeah?”
I snorted. “Shut up.”
He shrugged. “I don’t want to see it, babe. I am so not ready.”
I nodded; I got it. “I know. I can promise no compromising situations.”
He smiled and kissed my head. “Excellent. I’ll see you later.” As he jogged out the door, he called, “Have a good night.”
I leant out the door. “Love you, babe. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Love you, too!” he yelled, then the front door banged closed and I realised that Topher and I were alone in the house together.
We were alone and we were sort of dating.
A girl could get up to all kinds of things.
She wouldn’t. But, she could.
While I tried avidly to not think about the things a girl could be getting up to home alone with a boy she wasn’t afraid to admit she lusted over, I got changed, then walked backwards and forwards while I decided how to go downstairs and talk to Topher.
“Oh my God. Just do it!” I muttered and, when I headed for the door this time, I actually grabbed the handle and made it through the door.
“Oh, hi,” Topher said, just coming up the stairs.
He wasn’t even looking at me in a way that made my heart race or my breath catch, I just managed those things all on my own around him now. This was more than just a wobbly brain. This was like a wobbly whole-body.
“Hi.” Jesus, why was it so weird?
“How’s stuff?” he asked, stepping entirely onto the landing.
“Stuff is fine. How is your stuff?”
“It’s…stuff-like.”
I nodded. “That’s a good way for stuff to be.”
He smiled. “I find that.”
“Me, too.”
I couldn’t tell if he was feeling as awkward as me or if I was just making it awkward. I was caught between feeling like I just wanted to kiss him already and maybe we should be talking or something instead.
Love, Lust & Friendship Page 19
