“The truth is I’d love to go to the movies with you, if you’re free,” he said, giving me a hopeful smile.
I wanted to pinch myself to see if this was really happening. Brennan wants ME to go to the movies with HIM?!?! I could barely contain my excitement, I was screaming on the inside, but I calmly answered, “I’d love to. Is there a movie out that you wanted to see?”
“No, but we can decide on one when we get there.”
“Okay. Sounds like fun.”
He walked me to my car, all the while holding my hand. Finally I had to let go, so that I could dig the keys out of the bottom of my bag. “I’ll meet you out in front of the theater,” I said, unlocking my door.
“See you in a few.”
As soon as Brennan was out of earshot, I started screaming, and not the silent ones like I’d been doing, but the real all-out kind that left me gasping for air and sounding hoarse. It felt good to let it out. I had been keeping it in for so long I was surprised that I hadn’t exploded. I couldn’t remember ever feeling happier. I drove to the movies in complete bliss.
Brennan was waiting for me when I got to the theater. “What do you feel like seeing?”
I looked at the movie posters and said, “Something funny? My brain is too tired to have to do any more thinking.”
Brennan laughed. “Agreed.”
We got in line to buy tickets. He slid his money under the window before I could, and then refused to let me pay him back.
“Fine, but I’m buying the popcorn,” I said definitively.
“Okay,” he conceded.
We entered the theater loaded down with popcorn and candy. I have this thing about getting popcorn with tons of butter every time I go to the movies. Brennan couldn’t decide which he wanted more - Sour Patch Kids or Twizzlers, so I insisted he get both.
“How’s this?” I asked, moving toward the center of a row three-quarters of the way up.
“Looks good to me,” he responded, sitting down.
Since going to the movies was a last minute plan, we had a few minutes before the movie actually began. We snacked on our junk food while we talked, getting to know each other better.
I grabbed a handful of popcorn and asked him something I’d been wondering since the day he walked into English class, “Was it hard to move here during your senior year?”
“Yes and no,” he shrugged.
“Why, yes?”
“Because I had to leave all of my old friends behind.” He ran his hands through his hair.
I nodded my head. “Yeah, that must’ve been tough. I’ve lived here my whole life. I can’t imagine how hard it’s going to be next year when Rachel, my BFF, and I go our separate ways to colleges halfway across the country from each other.”
“Well, that’s part of the reason why it wasn’t so bad. I knew in a few short months it was inevitable, anyway.
It was easy to talk to Brennan. The conversation flowed naturally, and I even forgot to be nervous. I asked him open-ended questions and made eye contact when he gave his answers. “Have you heard from any colleges?”
“I’ve been accepted at Boston University – early decision. I want to study aerospace engineering, and they have a really great program.” Even in the dim light of the theater it was easy to see the look of excitement on his face when he talked about what he wanted to do with his life. His eyes blue eyes looked even brighter. “I want to help develop a new airplane that will use an alternative form of fuel, so that we’ll no longer be so dependant on other countries for oil. I’ve been fascinated with airplanes since I was a kid.”
“That sounds cool. Would you believe it, if I said I’ve never even been on an airplane?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” He shook his head in disbelief.
“Well, it’s true. I’ve never been on an airplane.”
“How is that even possible?” He wondered out loud. “Haven’t you ever gone on vacation?”
“Of course I have, but we always either went to Florida or the Carolinas, both within driving distance.” I chipped my nail polish absentmindedly. The truth was I didn’t want anyone, especially Brennan who wanted to study airplanes, to know that I was terrified of the whole idea of flying.
“What about visiting out of state relatives?”
“We have a small family and everyone lives nearby.”
“Huh,” he said, his voice still full of surprise. “Well, I’m sure there’ll be an opportunity to take one soon. And trust me, when you do, you’ll wonder why you waited so long. Hey, where are you going to college? Maybe you’ll need to take a plane to get there.”
I smiled shyly and said, “I’m planning on driving there at the end of the summer to bring all of my stuff, but it’s possible that I might fly home for Thanksgiving and Christmas break.”
“See – what did I tell you?” He paused to eat another Twizzler, “You forgot to say where you were accepted.”
“I’m going to Wellesley College.” I couldn’t believe that Brennan and I were going to be within miles of each other next year. What a wonderful coincidence.
“Hey, that’s great,” he responded with genuine enthusiasm. “Maybe we can book the same flight home at Thanksgiving, so I can be there for you to offer moral support.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.” I held his eyes with mine, so that he would know I was serious. It would take away some of the anxiety to have Brennan there with me.
“I’m counting on it,” he said smiling, making my insides turn to mush.
Needing something else to focus on, I held my popcorn out to him, “Do you want some?”
“Sure, thanks.” He grabbed a handful.
Suddenly the lights dimmed and the movie began. We didn’t hold hands like we did earlier that afternoon, but I did remember to brush up against him several times, causing my heart to quicken. I was so distracted by his nearness that I found it impossible to follow the movie. Instead I mapped out the remaining steps in my head, wondering how long it would take until they were all completed and Brennan asked me to be his date to the prom.
Comments:
2cool4words: You made flirting seem so easy I gave it a try. It was fun! I discovered his fetish is long strawberry blonde hair – lucky 4 me. I twirl it a lot & always make sure it is clean and shiny.
countrygirl: Who knew I was a natural flirt? Keep the good advice coming.
BLOG #4
Step Four: Back Off
That’s right. The next step is to back off – a little. I know you probably think I’m crazy, right? I mean, why would I ask you to back off when things are just beginning to go your way? Believe me, this is a crucial step. You want him to realize that he needs you, and that he wants to be with you. This step will accomplish that.
How, you ask? Good question. I’ll admit this is a tricky step. You’ll need to back off just the right amount, or else it might backfire on you. On one hand, if you back off too much, he’ll think you’re rude and arrogant, or simply not interested. And you don’t want that. On the other hand, if you don’t back off enough, you run the risk of appearing desperate, and you don’t want that either.
Confused? It might make more sense if I just show you what I mean…
Things went really great between Brennan and I on our first date. (Just because we studied for the first half, doesn’t mean it wasn’t a date. We did go out for pizza and then to the movies.) However, I wanted more. It was time to move on to step four.
The timing was perfect to back off - a little. Brennan and I didn’t have plans to see each other again until school on Monday. I wanted to call him on Sunday, and I even picked up my cell phone and clicked his contact info, but then I shut my phone before hitting send. It took all of my willpower, but I reminded myself that it was necessary to give him some time and space, during which I hoped he was thinking about me as much as I was thinking about him.
I knew simply not talking to him for the rest of weekend wasn’t enough, so I carried step four over to Mond
ay morning. I didn’t want to back off too much, but at the same time I had to be sure to back off enough. Normally, when I walked into English class I said hi to Brennan as I took my seat, even on the days when I was running late. Today my plan was to walk by him without acknowledging him. Harsh, but necessary.
However, what I hadn’t expected was Tracy sitting at my desk, talking to Brennan. He was smiling and nodding his head. Shit. Shit. Shit. I glared at her and shifted my books from one arm to the other, “You’re in my seat,” I stated.
“Yeah, I know.” She looked me over and snickered, “Don’t you know redheads shouldn’t wear that color. It clashes with your hair. I guess everything probably does,” she laughed.
My face burned. I was wearing a new purple tank top that the sales lady had insisted was a good color on me. I knew I should have trusted my instincts and walked out without buying it, but I really liked how it showed off my shoulders and my toned arms. I wished I had a witty comeback on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t think of anything clever to say, “Class is going to start. You need to move.”
She ignored me and turned to Brennan, “Thanks, Brennan. I’ll meet you in the parking lot after school.” She walked back to her seat.
I slid into mine and refused to look at him. I was angry and jealous at the same time. I couldn’t believe he had agreed to meet Tracy in the parking lot. What was that all about? Did he like her? I was the one who was supposed to be backing off, not Brennan.
Mrs. Perkins began class, “Take out a pencil and clear your desks. I have a quiz to see who has been keeping up with the reading assignments. Take one and pass the rest back.” She handed the students sitting in the front row a stack of papers.
I took mine and got started without glancing in Brennan’s direction. I felt his eyes on me, but I didn’t care. He probably had spent Saturday night partying at Tracy’s house. I heard that her parents were out of town, and that she threw a big party over the weekend. Almost everyone from our class had gone. Well, everyone except for me. I stayed home painting my nails and listening to music on my i-pod.
Mrs. Perkins collected the quizzes and scowled, “By the looks of these papers – very few of you did any reading over the weekend.”
I sneaked a look at Brennan. He smiled and gave me the thumbs up sign. Did that mean he had done the reading?
Mrs. Perkins sat heavily in her chair. “I swear I don’t know what to do with most of you. Do I have to spoon-feed you? This is an American classic,” she held up her worn copy. “Open to page 45. Who wants to read?”
Nobody volunteered. The last thing anyone wanted to do was read aloud in the twelfth grade.
Mrs. Perkins let out a big sigh. “Fine. I will read. And by the look of these quizzes, it will take the entire period just to catch you all up.” I slumped my head down on my arm and listened to her droll voice. She didn’t stop until the bell rang.
I quickly packed my things and headed to the door. Lately, Brennan and I had been walking to calculus together, but today I didn’t wait for him. I was still angry that he had made plans to meet Tracy.
“Hey, Josie,” he called. “Wait up.”
I stopped and turned around slowly. “What?” I asked, sounding pissed.
“What’s wrong? You seem upset.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Did I do something to upset you?”
I took a deep breath and let it out. “No.”
“What’s the matter? I had a good time on Saturday, and I thought you did too.”
“Apparently, you had an even better time hanging out with Tracy Saturday night,” I said, sounding jealous. I covered my mouth with my hand. Shit! I didn’t mean to say that.
Brennan’s blue eyes twinkled, as if he found something funny. “Oh, I get it. You’re mad at me because you think I went to Tracy’s party.”
My face flushed. “Didn’t you?”
He chuckled. “No, I didn’t go to Tracy’s party.”
“Then what was she talking about?” I grimaced. I was doing a terrible job at backing off.
“Tracy lives in my neighborhood, so I gave her a ride to school today. Her car is in the shop, and she asked me if I would drop her off at the dealership after school so that she could pick it up.”
“Oh,” I replied, feeling foolish for having made such a big deal out of nothing. It wasn’t any of my business what Brennan did.
“And just for the record, I was babysitting my three younger brothers and sister on Saturday night. My parents had plans to go out.”
“Really? You babysit?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice. I had a hard time picturing this totally gorgeous guy staying in on a Saturday night to babysit; even it was for his brothers and sister.
“I know this probably sounds crazy to you, but the truth is I don’t mind watching them.” He waved to one of the other baseball players as we made our way to class.
“Cool.” The more I got to know Brennan, the more I liked him. Not only was he incredibly good-looking and smart, he was also super sweet. He was quite the catch, for sure. I was surprised that he didn’t already have a girlfriend. I was so enthralled by him that I forgot that I was supposed to be backing off. “How old are your siblings?”
“Let’s see…Will is thirteen, Owen is twelve, Cameron is seven, and Madison is four.”
“Wow – you must have had your hands full,” I said chuckling.
“Yes and no.”
I raised my eyebrows. Does he ever give a straight answer?
This time he didn’t wait for me to ask him to clarify his answer. “Yes, because every time my parents go out I make up a game and set it up for all of us to play. But no, because the winner gets bragging rights and doesn’t have to do chores for a week.” He was really smiling now, and I knew exactly what made him so happy even before he said, “I won.”
“Hmm…”
We had arrived at class and took out assigned seats on opposite sides of the room.
It was so easy to be with Brennan that I was beginning to doubt, whether or not, I could pull off step four. I had to spend the remainder of the day reminding myself over and over again that I was supposed to be giving him some space.
Classes finally finished. When I went to my locker to collect my things, Brennan was casually leaning up against the wall, looking as hot as ever with his dark hair and clear blue eyes. I sighed. I hoped I wasn’t about to screw things up.
“Hey,” he said, pushing off the wall and coming to stand next to me. “I was going to ask you earlier when you wanted to study again, but you rushed out of calc so quickly that I didn’t have the chance. Mr. McCormick assigned a ton of homework, and I thought we could work on it tonight after dinner. Maybe around 7 p.m.?”
I rushed out of math class in order to back off. I guess it got his attention. I didn’t make any excuses for my behavior, but simply answered his question. “I can’t tonight.” I couldn’t forget that I was backing off or that he was on his way to meet Tracy to drive her to pick up her car.
He looked hurt. “Oh, okay.”
Oh, no. Maybe my plan was working too well. I needed to find the right balance. And fast. I rushed to add, “It’s just that I have swim practice tonight. Even though it’s off-season we still swim three nights a week – Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m.”
His eyes lit up in understanding. “Okay, another time then.”
“I’ll see you in English tomorrow.” I smiled warmly.
“Absolutely,” he said, walking away.
I swung my bag over my shoulder and walked in the opposite direction. Rachel was waiting for me by the stairs.
“Was that Brennan you were talking to?” She asked enthusiastically, linking her arm though mine.
“Yes…” I whispered, trying to remain calm.
“Did he ask you? Did he ask you? Tell me. Tell me.” Rachel had a habit of repeating everything twice, especially when she was excited.
“What?”
“Don’
t play me, Josie. You know what I’m talking about. Did he ask you to the prom? You know the event of the year that we’ve been obsessing about FOREVER!”
“Shhh.” The last thing I needed was for everyone in the school to hear how desperate Rachel made me sound. “No, he did not ask me. But everything is going according to plan.”
“What plan? What plan?” Rachel said, raising her voice. “I don’t know about any plan.”
“I’ll tell you all about it as soon as we reach the safety of your car.” I looked around to see who was walking close enough to overhear us. I spotted a friend of Tracy’s and nodded in her direction. Tracy had already left with Brennan, but I knew that her friend would be more than happy to fill her in on any juicy gossip she might have missed.
Rachel looked upset, but she took the hint and didn’t say anything else until we were seated in her VW bug. She turned and looked pointedly at me. “So, now will you tell me what ‘the plan’ is?” She made air quotes with her hands. “I mean we’re best friends. Best friends who tell each other EVERYTHING. And clearly by the way he was checking you out – you’ve forgotten to tell me a thing or two.”
I looked at Rachel’s face, and I saw how wrong I’d been. I should have told her about my plan sooner. Look at all the fun we had when we went shopping together at the mall. Rachel even scored a couple of cute tops and some eyeliner that she had been wearing every day since. I’m sure she could’ve added some wisdom of her own to my 10 step plan, if only I’d confided in her. What could I have been thinking? I needed my best friend to be a part of this!
I took a deep breath, and it all rushed out at once, “You’re right, I haven’t been completely honest with you. I’m so sorry. I should have told you about my plan as soon as it occurred to me. I didn’t because I was worried that if I did, it might not work. Saying that out loud, I now realize how ridiculous it sounds.” I shook my head in disbelief at my own stupidity. “We are best friends - the kind that tells each other everything.” I smiled as I thought of all the things we’d shared over the years. “And yes, my 10 step plan has EVERYTHING to do with Brennan and the prom. Come on, let’s go grab a latte, my treat. Then we’ll head over to my house, and I’ll tell you everything from the beginning.” I could see her wavering, wanting to take me up on my offer. “Please,” I added, putting my palms together like I was praying.
The Perfect Prom Date Page 4
