10 Reasons, Why You Like Me

10 Reasons - Chapter 14

Chapter FOURTEEN

We heard Mark leave - out the front door - around 2 A.M. I was quiet as we heard his car door open and shut and then as he drove away. Anderson and I were still in the back yard, sitting on those plastic chairs, a few feet between us. We had been sitting out there since he jumped over, more than three hours ago.

   "Well, my mom's 'date' just left," I said, shaking my head.

   Anderson looked at his phone, then laughed. "2 A.M. Wonder what they were doing."

   "Ew."

   He let out a loud laugh then, and it made me laugh, too.

   It was strange, sitting there with him. But it was also nice. We hadn't done much talking. We didn't share our life stories - though I knew way more about him than he knew about me. But sitting in the dark with him felt right. I did tell him about his sister and how she didn't like me, or my friends. But he shrugged, telling me she didn't really like anyone. He told me that he graduated from Albert Samuel the previous June and moved to Minneapolis in July, for a job. I didn't ask him about the type of job. I almost told him the real reason I was living with my mom, but decided against it. He was still practically a stranger, yet somehow felt so very familiar.

   At 3 A.M., I was yawning. A lot.

   "Stop," Anderson laughed, stretching his arms. "You're making me tired."

   "Well, I am tired," I admitted.

   "But I thought we would stay out here all night," he told me, then smiled easily.

   "Really?" I asked. I'd never stayed up all night. He shrugged. "I'm also sort of cold."

   "That I can fix," he said, pulling off his hoodie, then laid it across my lap.

   I yawned again. "I'm going to sleep all day tomorrow."

   "No, you can't," he said quickly.

   "Why?" I asked, but smiled.

   "Well, I was going to wait to ask you... but I wanted to ask you out."

   "Tomorrow?"

   "Yeah. Lunch? Or dinner?" He looked optimistic, while I just felt confused.

   "But, why?"

   "Kelsey... can you not see by now? Haven't I made it obvious enough?" He grinned, shaking his head a bit.

   "What?" I teased him.

   "I like you. A lot." He sounded sincere, but how could I know if he really was?

   I felt my face getting warm. "Ten reasons."

   "Uh, what?" Now Anderson looked confused.

   "Tell me ten reasons why you like me. Then I might go out with you."

   He looked amused. "Seriously?"

   "I know you don't have ten reasons right now. But I can wait," I smiled.

   I watched as he wrung his hands together, then tapped his toe for a minute. When he finally spoke, my heart skipped a beat.

   "I need your number. So I can text you the reasons."

   I considered this, but finally nodded. "Fine."

   And when I was lying in bed thirty minutes later, after thanking him for hanging out with me, my phone buzzed. I was trying to stop thinking about him, but obviously it wasn't working.