Play Me, I'm Yours [Library Edition]

by Madison Parker

  They popped their ear buds back in.

  Realization dawned on Trish as she pieced the few snippets of lyrics together. She knew that song. They were listening to Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me to the End of Love.”

  “Wedding?” Alex said in a loud voice, talking over the music in his ear.

  Lucas ignored him.

  “Children?” Alex’s voice gained an octave.

  Lucas smiled. “It’s romantic.”

  The two boys swayed slightly back and forth as they finished listening to the song.

  “So, what do you think?” Lucas said.

  “It’s cool. I like it. You’re right. It is romantic.”

  “See?”

  “You really think she’ll like it?”

  “She’ll love it.”

  “I hope she doesn’t think I’m a total cheeseball.”

  “Maybe she likes cheeseballs.”

  “I don’t know, dude. You didn’t hear the way she reamed me out at my party. After you left with Donovan, she was pretty mad. She said I was trying to interfere or something.”

  Trish’s eyes grew wide as she realized they were talking about her. Why did they care about her opinion?

  “That’s ridiculous,” Lucas said. “You were nicer to me that night than anyone else.”

  The comment stung. Hadn’t she always been nice to Lucas? Didn’t she deserve more credit than that? She played back the events of that night and realized she hadn’t paid Lucas much attention. It wasn’t her fault, though. Donovan was supposed to be with him.

  She turned her attention back to the boys. Lucas sat at the piano while Alex stacked chairs, clearing a wide space.

  “I’m gonna play along with the recording,” Lucas said. “You practice your dance moves.”

  “Uh, okay.”

  Was Alex going to dance? What was going on? Was he practicing a solo act for the talent show? She felt like a stalker, standing behind the door listening in, but she didn’t want to walk into the room now. If Alex was going to dance, she wanted to see it.

  Lucas unplugged the earbuds from his iPhone and turned the volume up high.

  As the music began, Trish smiled. She loved this song.

  Lucas turned to Alex. “Go on, dance.”

  “Okay, just… don’t watch me. This is weird.”

  Lucas laughed and turned around, looking down at the piano keys as he played along with the recording.

  Alex raised his arms, as though he were dancing with a partner, and began to sway.

  What was he doing? Was it a partner dance? Was he going to ask her to be his dance partner? Is that why he wanted to know if she’d like the song?

  Trish bit her lip, trying not to laugh. Alex looked a little silly air dancing.

  “Dude, I can’t do this,” Alex said.

  Lucas stopped playing and spun around on the bench. “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. I feel stupid. No offense—I know you worked hard on this. But dude, she’s gonna take one look at me and laugh. I mean, who tries to win a girl over by dancing?” Alex slumped into a nearby chair and dropped his head in his hands.

  It took a moment for his words to sink in, but then it hit her. They had orchestrated this meeting so Alex could ask her out. But why would Alex go to all this trouble? He’d flirted with her on and off for months, and she’d been cool toward him, careful not to lead him on. Sure, he was cute, but he was a jock. Jocks were jerks. Jocks didn’t care about anyone but themselves. She’d seen the way the jocks treated Donovan. Used him for cheap thrills and then kicked him to the curb. She didn’t need that kind of heartbreak.

  “Hey, it’s not stupid,” said Lucas. “You said you wanted to do something special for her, right?”

  Alex nodded.

  “I happen to know Trish loves to dance. Remember the swing dance you did for the fund-raiser? You should’ve heard us gushing about how cool it would be to dance with someone like that.”

  Alex looked up at Lucas. “Yeah?”

  “Well, she did. I didn’t say it, but I was thinking it.”

  “Thinking what?”

  Lucas blushed and looked down at his feet.

  “What were you thinking?”

  Lucas shrugged.

  “Were you watching me?”

  Trish furrowed her brow. This was the problem with jocks, she thought. They were full of themselves. Lucas could’ve been watching any of the dancers. Why did Alex assume Lucas was watching him? And why did he have to embarrass Lucas like that? She ought to barge in there and tell Alex to go to hell.

  Lucas slowly looked up and nodded.

  “Oh, Boo,” she whispered. She didn’t know he’d been crushing on Alex.

  “Sorry,” Lucas said.

  “Don’t be sorry. You can’t help it if I’m irresistible,” he teased.

  Trish rolled her eyes. Oh please.

  Lucas chuckled. “It’s not that. I just… wondered what it would be like, you know? To dance with someone… like you.”

  “Come here,” Alex said, waving Lucas over. “Dance with me.”

  Lucas shook his head vigorously. “I don’t know how to dance.”

  “That’s okay. Just put on something up-tempo. I’ll show you some moves.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t,” said Lucas. “I mean, Zach….”

  “It’s just a dance, dude. I’m not gonna cop a feel.”

  Lucas smiled. “Okay.”

  Trish couldn’t help but smile too. Alex offering to dance with Lucas? That was so sweet. Maybe she’d judged him too quickly.

  Lucas changed the music and joined Alex in the middle of the room.

  “We’ll start like this,” Alex said, placing a hand on Lucas’s waist. “Put your left hand on my shoulder, but keep it loose. There you go. Now hold my other hand.”

  They looked adorable, Trish thought. Alex was a full head taller than Lucas and had twice his body mass. The jock and the pipsqueak, indeed.

  The two of them stepped side to side in time with the music.

  “Like this?” Lucas said, looking up at Alex as though he were his hero.

  “Yeah, that’s good. Just follow my lead. I’m gonna spin you in a minute.”

  “Oh God.”

  “Relax,” Alex said, laughing. “Stay loose. Now take both of my hands.”

  Alex held Lucas’s hands, then pulled him closer and twirled him around.

  Lucas laughed. “Can we do that again?”

  Alex smiled and continued to dance, spinning Lucas several more times.

  “You wanna try a flip?”

  Lucas shook his head. “God, no.”

  “Come on, we’ll try an easy one. Stand still and lift your arms high in the air. Keep your body stiff like a board.”

  Lucas got into position, his body vertical. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I don’t know about this.”

  “Dude, relax. No, don’t relax. But open your eyes.” He bent at the waist, snaking his arms around Lucas’s midriff. “Stay stiff,” Alex said as he flipped him 360 degrees.

  Lucas squealed and laughed as he slapped his hand against his belly. “Butterflies!”

  Trish’s jaw dropped in amazement. Damn, Alex was strong. He lifted Lucas as though he were weightless.

  “One more time,” said Alex. “With the music.”

  Lucas nodded, then clasped Alex’s hands. They danced a few minutes longer, sidestepping with an occasional twirl.

  “Arms up,” Alex said, and Lucas got into position. Alex flipped him again with ease.

  Lucas landed firmly on his feet, then burst into a new fit of laughter.

  “How was that?” Alex said, out of breath.

  Lucas smiled, then lunged toward him, wrapping him in a hug. “Thank you.”

  Alex squeezed back. “No problem, dude.”

  Trish placed her hand over her heart. She wanted to cry.

  “Okay, enough playing around,” Lucas said. “We’ve gotta get ready for Trish.”

  “Right.” />
  “And don’t try any of that fancy stuff. I know you want to sweep her off her feet, but you don’t wanna give her a heart attack.”

  Trish checked her watch. Fifteen minutes? Eek! She needed to freshen up. She found the nearest restroom and got to work on her hair and makeup.

  So Alex wanted to ask her out? She hadn’t thought of him as boyfriend material before. But seeing him with Lucas made her think. Alex had earned himself at least one date for being so sweet to Lucas. At first she thought he was being insensitive but then realized Alex was pushing him just enough to make him come out of his shell. Alex was probably a better friend to Lucas than she was. What had she done other than get him messed up with Donovan?

  She sighed.

  Donovan would never change. She’d hoped being with Lucas might have a positive effect on him. But instead of improving Donovan’s attitude, their time together had only brought Lucas down.

  She pouted at her reflection in the mirror. She was a lousy friend.

  Then again, she had played a small part in helping Lucas get with Zach. And apparently their first date had been a success. Lucas had talked her ear off recapping last night’s events. That had to be a good sign.

  She pulled out her phone.

  Trish: brt, boo

  Now to put on her acting shoes and meet Lucas as though she knew nothing of this matchmaking ploy.

  She slipped on her heels and clacked down the hall.

  Both boys greeted her with a smile when she entered the room. She hugged Lucas and waved to Alex. “Didn’t expect to see you here, Alex. Are you staying to watch us rehearse?”

  “Uh… actually, um… no. Well, yeah.”

  It was hard not to giggle. Boys were cute when they were flustered.

  Lucas shot him a look of encouragement.

  “You look pretty,” Alex said. “I mean, you always look pretty. But you look pretty today too. And… always.”

  Should she put him out of his misery? No. This was too much fun.

  “Um… I think what he means is, you look fabulous.” Lucas twisted his finger in the hem of his shirt, then turned to Alex. “Doesn’t she look fabulous?”

  “Yeah,” Alex said. “That’s what I meant.”

  Trish smiled at them. Lucas looked just as nervous as Alex did. They were adorable.

  “We want to show you something we’ve been working on,” said Lucas. “Well, Alex wants to show you. I’m just helping with the music.”

  Her skin prickled with anticipation.

  Alex swallowed, then walked to the center of the room and held his hand out to her. “Will you dance with me?”

  She smiled and nodded. “I’d love to.”

  Lucas started the recording and played along on piano.

  She took her position in Alex’s arms and melted a little as she felt his warm fingers wrap around her own. Suddenly she was the shy one as he gazed into her eyes and moved her across the dance floor. The music resonated in her ears and set her heart aflutter. As Alex moved in closer, her pulse quickened.

  “Hold on,” he whispered, pulling her body into his. He lifted her at the waist, and then spun around in small circles.

  She laughed. When he set her down, she remained close, enjoying the feel of being in his arms. As the song wound down, she marveled at the effect he’d had on her.

  Lucas clapped and jumped up from the bench. “That was great, you guys. You look really good together. I’m just gonna, um… go somewhere. Be right back.”

  She watched as he darted out of the room.

  “Subtle, Lucas,” Alex said under his breath.

  Trish giggled. “Thanks for the dance. It was fun.”

  “Yeah. Maybe we can do it again some time?”

  She smiled and nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

  “Or maybe we could go out some time?”

  She reached up and slid her hands around the back of his neck, tilting her head slightly. Subtlety wasn’t her specialty either. “I’d like that.”

  He brought his hands to her waist and pulled her into him, then leaned down and captured her lips in a gentle kiss.

  When they pulled apart, she wondered if Lucas had watched from the hall. She hoped he was over his crush on Alex, because this boy was all hers.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Guilty Pleasures

  HE’D been all butterflies when Zach invited him over Sunday, but now that he was parked in front of Zach’s house, his nerves kicked in. Would Zach’s parents be home? Would he and Zach be alone? Would Zach want to do what Donovan had wanted to do? The thought made him shiver with excitement. Would Zach be able to tell that Lucas wasn’t experienced? Of course he’d be able to tell. But would he mind?

  As he screwed up his courage and stepped up to Zach’s door, he hoped for the best. If the smile that greeted him was any indication, his chances were good. Zach leaned in and kissed Lucas’s cheek, just as he’d done on their previous date. It was a habit Lucas could easily get used to.

  Zach led him into the family room, where he’d been watching cartoons. “My guilty pleasure. We can change it.”

  “No, it’s fine,” Lucas said as he glanced around. “Are your parents home?”

  “It’s just my mom. And yeah, she’s here, but I think she’s going out. After she leaves we can go up to my room.”

  Lucas stiffened.

  “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  They sat on the couch, close but not touching. Struggling to find words, they resorted to watching Tom and Jerry. Every few minutes Zach nudged Lucas with his knee, and they smiled at each other.

  When commercials came on, Zach muted the TV and did voiceovers. He put a gay twist on each one. For some, like the yo-yo baton, he unmuted the TV, telling Lucas they were gay enough as is. In that commercial, a young guy twirled the baton, doing tricks while the narrator exclaimed, “Flick it out, see what happens!” Zach had Lucas in stitches by the second commercial break.

  “You and Mason would get along well,” Lucas said. “How do you come up with this stuff?”

  Zach shrugged. “They play the same commercials over and over. Gotta do something to keep the insanity at bay.”

  As the credits rolled on Tom and Jerry, Zach slipped into his announcer’s voice. “Up next, Batman and Throbbin,” he said, sending Lucas into a fit of laughter. “Watch as they chase the bad guys in their baby’s-got-back-mobile.”

  “Which do you like better?” Lucas said. “Batman or Robin?”

  “You mean Throbbin.”

  Lucas laughed. “Okay, Batman or Throbbin?”

  “Neither. I like boys who sparkle.”

  “Twilight? Really?” Lucas shook his head. “I never would have guessed.”

  “You’d make a sexy vampire.”

  Lucas blushed. Did Zach just call him sexy? “And I suppose you’d be the sexy werewolf?”

  “No way. I’d be your sexy human slave,” said Zach, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  Lucas’s stomach flip-flopped. “Now that would be ridiculous. You’re so much bigger than I am.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Zach said matter-of-factly. “It’s the size of your heart that counts.”

  Lucas swooned, remembering that this was the boy who wrote poetry.

  “And the size of your fangs, of course,” Zach said with a grin. “So what’s your favorite movie, then? Wait—don’t answer that.”

  Zach got up and rummaged around the kitchen, returning with a notepad and pens.

  “We’re not writing poetry, are we?” said Lucas.

  Zach gave him a quizzical look, not knowing where Lucas’s mind had just been. “No. Well you can write in rhyme if you want to, but that’s not what I had in mind.”

  Lucas watched Zach tear off two strips of paper. “We each write a question we want to ask the other person. The more outlandish the better. First category is movies. And don’t write ‘What’s your favorite movie?’ Be creative.”

  Lucas thought for a moment, then w
rote out his question.

  “Okay, you pick the next category,” said Zach.

  “Aren’t we going to ask each other our questions?”

  “Yeah, when we’re done. Fold them up like this,” Zach said, folding his strip into a small rectangle. “We’ll make two piles. Now pick the next category.”

  There was so much Lucas didn’t know about Zach. “Is anything off limits?”

  “Nope. Bring it on. But remember, I get to ask a question too.”

  “Okay… family.” Lucas saw a flash of something troublesome in Zach’s face, but it quickly disappeared.

  “Ahh, I thought you were going to ask about sex,” Zach said.

  Lucas could see through his armor. Maybe he shouldn’t ask Zach about his dad.

  They finished writing the questions, and then Zach said, “My turn… sex. And remember, don’t go for the obvious.”

  Lucas’s heart thumped in his chest. What should he ask? How far have you gone? How many people have you been with? What’s your favorite thing to do? Do you want to do that stuff with me? Will you let me see you naked? Do you want to see me naked?

  Then it occurred to him that Zach would ask him a question too. What would he ask? Would he ask how far Lucas had gone or what he liked to do? Hell, Lucas didn’t even know what he liked. Would he ask what Lucas had done with Donovan? He shouldn’t have done any of that stuff with Donovan. It didn’t mean anything. He wished he could take it back. He wished he had waited so Zach could be his first. He didn’t want Zach to know about Donovan. It felt like a dirty, shameful secret.

  Lucas blinked rapidly, feeling his eyes burn.

  “Lucas? What’s wrong?”

  He took a deep breath and swallowed, trying to clear the lump in his throat. “Nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing. What’s wrong?”

  Lucas shook his head. “I’m fine.”

  Zach reached over and pulled him into a hug, kissing his temple. “Please tell me what’s wrong. I’m imagining all kinds of horrible things right now.”

  “It’s nothing. It’s just—”

  Zach rubbed his back, and Lucas sank deeper into the hug.

  Lucas sighed. Was he going to act like a baby every time they got together? He pulled away and straightened himself up. “I just… was worried you’d ask me about Donovan.”