Two of Us

by Elizabeth Eulberg

  Contents

  Title Page

  Author’s Note

  Excerpt

  Two of Us

  Sneak Peek

  About the Author

  Also by Elizabeth Eulberg

  Copyright

  PLEASE NOTE, IF YOU HAVEN’T READ The Lonely Hearts Club, this short story is one BIG spoiler! Seriously. So if you’re the type of person who doesn’t like stories to be spoiled (like me), read The Lonely Hearts Club first. Don’t worry, I’ll wait …

  Ready? Awesome. If not, you’ve been warned.

  Proceed at your own risk.

  I, Penny Lane Bloom, am going on a date.

  I know, WHAT?

  Okay, it isn’t that big of a deal for most sixteen-year-old girls to go on a date. It would’ve been a normal thing for me even four months ago. But that was four months ago. That was before I formed The Lonely Hearts Club and vowed to myself and pretty much the entire student body at McKinley High that I wouldn’t date another guy for as long as I was in high school. Such a boisterous declaration would’ve probably been seen as rash, but it wasn’t to the thirty girls who decided to join me.

  We quickly took over the school. We became a sisterhood. We didn’t need boys, only each other. We, quite frankly, rocked.

  We also may’ve been a little too quick to judge guys so harshly just because of a few idiots (I’m looking at you, Nate Taylor, aka Jackass). So we lifted the dating ban.

  Which worked out nicely for me since Ryan Bauer had to come along and be sweet, nice, and, as my best friend Tracy would say, “freakin’ hawt.”

  So I’m about to go on a date with Ryan Bauer.

  I’ve gone on plenty of first dates before, so there’s really nothing to be nervous about. I’ve known Ryan for years. It’s basically just any other day.

  Although it would be super awesome if someone could tell the butterflies in my stomach to calm down already.

  I HATED STEREOTYPES, ESPECIALLY ONES ABOUT girls. That we were giddy, boy-obsessed creatures who wore pink, couldn’t play sports, and cared more about doing our nails than doing math equations.

  The Lonely Hearts Club had proven all of the above to be false. We were strong, smart, independent young women. We played sports, we dominated our classes, and we wore whatever colors we wanted (okay, Diane really, really liked pink).

  So there was a lot of self-loathing going on as I stood in front of my closet, completely flipping out over what to wear on my date with Ryan.

  My date with Ryan.

  It all seemed so surreal. Sure, I had flirted with Ryan a lot, even when he was dating Diane. It was harmless, I used to reason with myself. There was no way it would ever go anywhere. Then Ryan became single right around the time I gave up on dating boys. The flirting, the joking between classes, suddenly took on a different tone, even though there was no way he could’ve ever been interested in me.

  Was I wrong on that one.

  So I found myself getting ready to go out with one of the cutest, kindest guys I’d ever known.

  Thank you, karma!

  Honestly, this wasn’t the first time I’d been stressed about what I’d wear when I would see Ryan. We went to a Beatles tribute concert a little while ago. I was sure we were going as just friends, but Ryan thought it was a date. (My bad.)

  This time we were both on the same page.

  A date.

  And reminiscing about the most awkward good night ever wasn’t solving my biggest dilemma: What was I going to wear?

  Normally, whenever there was a question of clothing, I’d ask Diane. But not this time. Even though she kept insisting she was happy that Ryan and I were dating (Wait, are we dating? Does one date equal girlfriend and boyfriend? I swear I used to know how to do this), it felt weird to me. Did she really expect me to call her up and say, “Hey, Diane, so what should I wear to look extra hot for your ex?”

  I realized I was being silly about what I’d be wearing. After everything Ryan and I had been through to get to this moment, he wouldn’t care about what clothes I had on.

  While The Lonely Hearts Club’s rules now allowed dating, it also reminded each of us to not change who we were for a guy. With that thought in mind, I grabbed my favorite dark jeans, black tank top, and long, warm gray cardigan, and shoved my feet into my black snow boots. It was comfortable, warm, and me.

  Outfit was done; now there was only one barrier left before I’d be able to fully enjoy my date with Ryan.

  “Stop staring out the window,” Mom commanded me from the living room couch. “Ryan’s going to need to come in to say hello.”

  My hopes of sparing Ryan from my parents were quickly dashed. Granted, I probably should’ve been a little more stealth about it instead of having my hand on the doorknob, ready to run out the second I saw his car.

  I backed away from the front door right as Ryan’s car pulled up. I sat on the couch, not wanting to appear overly anxious for his arrival.

  Dad looked up from his paper. “Do you want me to get the door?”

  “No.” I got up and took a deep breath.

  Ryan was about to ring the doorbell when I opened the door. “Hey!” He looked at me and smiled.

  “Hey!” I replied. I couldn’t help but stare into his blue eyes. I used to have to hide my feelings around him, but now there wasn’t anything standing in our way. Although openly ogling my date in front of my parents probably wasn’t the smartest move on my part. “Come on in.”

  I grabbed my coat and quickly put it on, hoping we could leave as soon as I was ready. My parents both got up and made the requisite parental small talk with Ryan.

  “So, Ryan,” Mom said as she crossed her arms (that was not a good sign). “I never got a chance to ask you what you thought of that cover band you went to a few weeks back.”

  Uh-oh.

  There was no way Ryan could win. If he said he liked them, Mom would’ve taken issue with him complimenting a “rip-off band.” But if he said he hated it, she’d take it as a swipe at the music.

  I found myself holding my breath as Ryan answered.

  He gave Mom a warm smile. “Well, clearly nobody can touch the real thing, but it’s hard to ruin those brilliant songs.”

  Wow. He’s good.

  Mom was impressed, too.

  Before she could grill him any further, I opened up the door. “Well, we should get going. We have, ah —” I stopped myself. I didn’t really know what we’d be doing. I didn’t really care.

  “We have dinner reservations,” Ryan explained as he placed his hand at the small of my back and guided me outside.

  We got to his car, and he opened the door for me, then walked around to the driver’s side.

  We were finally alone.

  “What?” Ryan asked with his brow furrowed as he peered at me.

  “What?” I asked back, hoping that I didn’t have anything on my face.

  He tilted his head with an amused expression. “You’re smiling. I’m simply curious as to why, not that it isn’t one of my favorite sights to see.”

  “I am?” I hadn’t realized it, but I was practically beaming. “Oh, well …” I looked down, wondering if I should’ve made up some excuse, but I didn’t want to play any more games with Ryan. I turned to face him. “I’m really happy we’re finally doing this.”

  “Me, too.” He began to lean toward me, but stopped himself. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, ah, we should get going.” He turned the ignition on and started to pull away. “I guess maybe we should wave good-bye to your parents.”

  I looked back at the house to see my parents staring out the front door.

  Yeah, that isn’t horrifyingly embarrassing or anything, Mom and Dad.

  While I had no idea where we were going, I did know two thi
ngs for certain: I was going to meet him outside next time we went on a date, and that there would be a next time.

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked Ryan as he merged the car onto the interstate.

  “Well, I thought we’d get out of Parkview and head over to Winnetka. Is that okay?”

  It wasn’t okay; it was perfect.

  Parkview was a small town, and there was a pretty good chance we’d run into somebody if we stayed. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed to be seen with Ryan, but when you’ve spent the last four months being the public face of a non-dating club, there was a chance some people might find the fact that you were on a date hypocritical. I didn’t want to have to watch my back or be self-conscious tonight.

  We drove twenty minutes to Winnetka, and it was like any other time I’d hung out with Ryan: We’d banter flirtatiously, I’d tease him for the jock rock on his iPod, and he’d quiz me about all things Beatles. Except this time I really, really wanted to kiss him. We’d shared one kiss a couple of nights ago at the Club’s holiday party. It was nice, but too short.

  Snow started falling lightly as we arrived downtown. We walked around and looked in store windows as we talked about our upcoming holiday plans. We didn’t have school for two weeks, and I planned on spending time with my family, the Club, and, hopefully, Ryan.

  “Oh!” I exclaimed as I saw a bookstore. “Can we go inside for a second? I need to get my dad’s present.”

  Ryan and I walked into The Book Stall, and I maneuvered us to the nonfiction section.

  “Whoa,” Ryan remarked as he picked up the nearly one-thousand-page Beatles biography I was looking at. “That’s quite a history.”

  “I made sure Dad wasn’t going to buy it for himself so there’d be something I could get him,” I said. “He reads every book that comes out about the Beatles, but spends most of his time criticizing it: what it’s gotten wrong, what stories aren’t new …”

  “He should write his own book.”

  I shook my head. “Yeah, don’t think he hasn’t thought about that. Please do me a favor and never mention it to him. He doesn’t need the encouragement.”

  I took the book up to the cash register, happy to have one more item checked off my growing Christmas list.

  Wait, does this mean that I should get Ryan a Christmas gift? Since we’re, like, dating and stuff? Or if I get him a gift, would that freak him out since we’ve only gone on one date? What’s the protocol?

  I SWEAR I used to know how to do this.

  “Have everything you need?” Ryan asked as I took the shopping bag off the counter.

  “Yep,” I replied. Although I didn’t have everything. What I really needed was to not second-guess everything.

  The Club wasn’t the only reason it took Ryan and me a while to finally get to this place. We weren’t in Parkview, so I didn’t have to worry about being “caught” on a date, even though I was allowed to date. So, of course, I had to let my mind start overanalyzing everything that could happen after this date.

  Enough, Penny. Focus on the here, the now. THE DATE.

  Holy crap, I’m on a date with Ryan Bauer!!

  We walked a couple more blocks to a restaurant where Ryan did have reservations. (Of course, he wouldn’t have lied to my parents or me. He was the complete opposite of Nate the Jerk.) We were seated at a four-top next to a fireplace. It was cozy, it was intimate, and it was perfect.

  Ryan pulled out my seat for me, then instead of sitting across from me, he went to the chair directly to my right. We were only inches away from each other. He pulled off his wool hat and shook out his wavy dark hair. I gripped my water glass tightly, resisting the urge to reach out to him, to touch him. Or, you know, make out with him.

  Maybe it would’ve been better to be in Parkview? I didn’t think I could trust myself alone with Ryan. I’d had to hold back with him for months. There was only so much more I could take. I was only human, after all.

  “So, I have an awkward question for you.” He pursed his lips together, trying to hold in a laugh. “But, to clarify, this is a date, right?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Oh, ha-ha,” I said dryly.

  He laughed. “I simply thought I should ask since last time I was a little confused. I figured, fool me once …”

  I picked up the menu to study it, but I couldn’t contain the smile that was creeping onto my face. He had every right to bust me for the Beatles non-date.

  While I was only human, I was also a little slow when it came to Ryan’s feelings.

  “And,” he continued, “were we supposed to get a permission slip to do this, or …”

  I threw my menu down at the table, fully prepared to say something snarky. But I was rendered speechless when I made eye contact with Ryan. He was looking at me with so much happiness stretched across his face. His eyes were lit up and his cheeks were ruddy, most likely from the cold outside. I hadn’t realized how much I had truly, truly wanted this until that moment.

  “Rest assured, I got all the required paperwork taken care of,” I replied, knowing that my wide grin matched his.

  “Excellent.” He gently took my right hand in his left. “Oh!” He exclaimed. “Your hands are freezing. Now I know what to get you for Christmas: new gloves.”

  So I will be adding Ryan Bauer to my Christmas list.

  Ryan put my right hand in both of his and started rubbing my hand. When he was satisfied with the warmth of my right hand, he moved on to my left.

  I was transfixed by his careful, tender movements. It had been so long since I’d allowed, or even trusted, a guy to take care of me. That simple gesture of providing me warmth meant more to me than I was able to express. The mere fact that I permitted it to happen, in public no less, was a huge step for me.

  Ryan took both of my hands in his, inspected his work, then gave my hands a quick kiss before placing them back on the table.

  “All good?” He looked extremely satisfied with himself.

  “Yes, it’s all good.” I reached over to give his hand a quick squeeze, but Ryan held on to it.

  It was more than all good. It was exactly what I needed. He was exactly what I needed.

  While The Lonely Hearts Club helped with the heartbreak I felt after The Nate Debacle, what truly helped a broken heart was finding the right person to mend it.

  Another thing that I always found to help with problems of any kind was food. Lots and lots of yummy food.

  “I’m stuffed,” Ryan remarked when the waitress took away the sparse remnants of the buffalo chicken pizza that had served as our appetizer. “I don’t think I have room for my burger.”

  My eyes got wide. I was still hungry and couldn’t wait for my sandwich. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Ryan wasn’t used to someone who could keep up, since Diane wasn’t as big of an eater as I was. Not like there were many people who were, present company included.

  He put his arm on the back of my chair. “Okay, so I have a serious question, for real.”

  “Of course.” I found myself positioning my back so it touched his hand.

  “How is this going to work? With the Club? And I want you to tell me the truth.”

  “I’d only tell you the truth,” I said. Ryan deserved to hear the truth from me; he deserved someone worthy of him. “I don’t really know. The Club meets on Saturday nights, so I need to be there. I eat lunch with the Club, but we aren’t a dictatorship. We can come and go as we please.”

  “So can I take you to school?”

  “And take that great pleasure away from Tracy?”

  He shook his head fiercely. “No, I don’t want to take anything away from anybody, especially Tracy.”

  Most people felt like it was best to avoid confrontation with my best friend. Few ever won a battle with her. Present company included on that one as well.

  “It doesn’t hurt to ask,” I said, although we both couldn’t help but laugh at that scenario. “What else did you have in mind?”

  I l
iked that Ryan talked so openly with me about the future. I knew I wouldn’t have to wait three days to hear from him or that he’d pull any of that unexplainable male dating behavior.

  “Well, I have lots of things up my sleeve, but what would be the fun if I gave all my secrets away?”

  “Like you can keep a secret,” I teased him. “You waited about four-point-five seconds before telling Diane that you found out she was our eighth-grade class president.”

  “So I wasn’t supposed to tell her what I overheard in the office? That’s being honest and excited for someone. Believe me, I’ve kept my share of secrets.”

  “Name one,” I dared him.

  “Uh, it’s not a secret anymore if I tell it. Although …”

  The waitress interrupted Ryan’s thought as she placed a short rib sandwich in front of me, then gave Ryan his burger, and set an order of bacon tater tots that were each the size of my fist in the middle of the table.

  “Although …” I prodded Ryan. As much as food could distract me, he wasn’t going to get away with keeping something from me that easily.

  “Although I guess I could tell you a secret that has to do with you.” He raised his eyebrow playfully.

  Ryan had a secret about me?

  “What secret?”

  He motioned with his finger for me to come closer, and I leaned in so he could whisper in my ear. “I’ve wanted to take you out since the first day of school, and each day that has passed since has been torture. And since I’m spilling, you should also know that I wanted to spend every moment at Homecoming with my arms wrapped around you.”

  He pulled away and left me sitting there dumbfounded. All that time he had liked me, and I was wrapped up in my own drama. I was closed off to the idea of being with any guy, especially him.

  “I have a secret, too,” I blurted out. “I …” I stammered, trying to fully form a coherent thought.

  Ryan leaned in to hear what I had to say.

  “I’ve wanted to do this since you dropped me off after the Christmas party.” Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him into me. I kissed him quickly, then backed away before Ryan really knew what hit him.